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Greens funding Reading Tom Tabart’s letter, two things struck me. The first was a reminder to my diary that when I do retire from politics, to go quietly and leave it at that. Why former Greens councillor Tabart insists on standing on the sidelines spewing his venom and fighting his old fights is beyond most fair-minded people, as he adds little or nothing to the debate. And secondly, the sound of shattering glass in the Greens house was overwhelming. To be called out on election funding by the Greens party which has attracted some of the largest donations is totally jaw dropping in its hypocrisy. The Greens have been gaming the electoral funding laws for the past two decades by using an entire brigade of environmental and lobbying front groups to help fund their various campaigns. Our returns were lodged and passed by
The assault on public lands at Brunswick One would expect our public trustees to exhibit best practice and adopt the highest standards as an example to the private sector but unfortunately the new plans of management for Brunswick Heads Crown Reserve caravan parks fail to adhere to even the most basic requirements. Jim Bolger, administrator of North Coast Holiday
Parks, relies on a 12-month interim licence that expires on May 14, 2014 to justify the continued occupation of disputed, encroached lands. Byron Shire Council issued the licence with strict instructions for NCHP to exhibit a new POM within six months and the new plans were to include Council’s newly adopted boundaries and licence conditions.
Instead a new two-storey manager’s office/residence and new cabins are proposed at Massey Greene on the contentious Lot 7005 alongside the boat harbour. A second option locates the new structures on encroached road reserve land near Mona Lane – both outside Council’s preferred boundaries. NCHP relies on 30-yearold ‘exemptions’ to avoid
implementing minimum setback standards from roadways and park boundaries. Many camp sites will remain undersized and fail to provide on- or off-site parking. Children’s safety will be compromised by NCHP’s proposed pedestrian pathway plan though Terrace Caravan Park. The plan violates OH&S regulations and generates
conflict and security issues by insisting the public use the narrow (undersized) internal roads through the park instead of a separate path along the foreshore. The ongoing assault on public lands will have far greater repercussions for the community than anything our kids do on a big night out. Michele Grant Ocean Shores
the Electoral Commission and Tabart is fully aware of that. We still await the Greens’ and allies disclosures. Would the Greens care to explain how it came to run its very expensive campaign for council and the mayoralty out of an otherwise vacant shop in the Mooney family’s development in Byron Street? The Mooney family is possibly the largest property developer and the largest liquor retailer in the region. There is nothing wrong with that and they are entitled to run their businesses as they see fit. But many would wonder whether it was appropriate for a Greens mayoral candidate to work out of their premises. An even more inconvenient truth is that while or-
ganising his campaign from Mooney Central in Byron Street, Cr Richardson was also fronting the Dan Murphy’s liquor licence hearing, opposing the Dan Murphy bottleshop licence application alongside the other bottleshop owners, including the Mooney liquor outlets. Was that appropriate behaviour? Cr Richardson’s recent change of heart on the Last Drinks at Midnight campaign and his switch to support the liquor interests over late-night trading has recently been well documented by none other than former Greens councillor Tabart. Maybe this missing part of the equation could also be addressed by Tabart in his next acid-laden missive. As they say, people who live
in glass houses should beware of throwing stones. Cr Diane Woods Brunswick Heads
I call on Council to consider the Bangalow Settlement Strategy when assessing this DA. The settlement strategy was drawn up for the town’s future in full consultation with the community. Sue Taylor Bangalow
Ombudsman’s office in Canberra. The ombudsman has raised the issue with Airservices for them to work with the Tyagarah Airfield manger to establish a ‘Fly Friendly’ agreement with the operators. This will be followed up early February. You too can lodge your concerns with the ombudsman on ano@ ano.gov.au or GPO Box 1985, Canberra, ACT 2601. Susana Gardavsky Myocum
Bangalow DA The DA for a block of units and shops covering all of three housing blocks at 9 Station Street, Bangalow (next to the A&I Hall), is back into Council and the slightly altered design is as unacceptable as the first time when it was refused. The ‘project co-ordinator’, acting on behalf of the Sydney developer, was instructed, in his own words, ‘to design a building that would be more acceptable to the local community and the council’. It is his responsibility to work with the community and Council to design something sensitive to the future sustainability, liveability and character of the town. He has failed to do so. The proposed development does nothing to maintain the charm of Bangalow and does not contribute to the future character of the town. The bulk and scale of the unit block has no green space, and is out of character with the heritage precinct.
THE
Aircraft noise For anyone who is troubled by the ever-increasing air traffic noise and low flying of small aircraft from Tyagarah airfield: I have lodged an appeal with the Aircraft Noise
Q West Byron letters page 13
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The Byron Shire Echo January 21, 2014 11