CAIRNS Regional Council will stop adding fluoride to the city's water supply from next month after deciding yesterday to bypass a public vote and dismantle the equipment as soon as possible.

Anti-fluoride lobbyists are celebrating the decision as a victory in their campaign against compulsory fluoridation.
Meanwhile the State Government and peak health bodies have criticised the council for exercising its recently granted power over fluoride without properly gauging the community's opinion.

Mayor Bob Manning said the issue divided residents evenly, so the council had looked to the Local Government Association of Queensland's policy on the matter, which says ``involuntary medication'' must not be introduced without community consent.

Full report and comment in today's The Cairns Post. 

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