Operation Bright Sky, an initiative led by Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) with assistance from Queensland and Northern Territory Police seized more than 70 kilograms of illegal fireworks following the most recent ‘Cracker Night’ in the Northern Territory.
Cracker Night, held annually in the Northern Territory allows anyone to detonate fireworks without the need for a licence or specialist training.
Leftover fireworks are often brought into Queensland illegally following the event where the quantity seized in 2024 was 92kg.
In Queensland, fireworks have been banned since 1972, following incidents of injury, property damage, and public nuisance associated with widespread use.
Fireworks have long been a dazzling feature of celebrations around the world, their vivid colours and loud bursts rooted in complex chemistry and mineral science. But in Queensland, their use has been tightly controlled for decades, with growing concern over safety and illegal importation from neighbouring jurisdictions.
The US Geological Survey says in addition to its use in making fireworks, strontium is used in signaling, oil and gas production, and ceramic magnets. Meanwhile, sodium ignites yellow while also playing a role in making polyvinyl chloride plastic and in chemical processes, such as paper pulping.
The flashes and bangs of fireworks largely come from aluminium powder, while the fireworks sparks come from iron filings, as reported by the American Geoscience Institute.
RSHQ says this year’s joint operation saw a decrease in the number of fireworks seized at the border, after a campaign to spread awareness about the penalties and dangers.
The maximum penalty for possessing illegal fireworks in Queensland is six months imprisonment, or a $66,760 fine. However, there are no penalties if illegal fireworks are handed over willingly.
RSHQ Chief Inspector of Explosives Hermann Fasching says the goal of the operation is not to punish people, but to keep communities safe.
“We saw people seriously burned and fires started as a result of people using fireworks in the Northern Territory last week without a licence, and we don’t want to see similar injuries or incidents here in Queensland,” Fasching says.
“Even some of the travellers surrendering their fireworks at the border told us they were injured when trying to use the explosives during Cracker Night.
“Fireworks in untrained hands have also led to permanent scarring and blindness in recent years in Queensland.”
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: RSHQ
