Letters
Flogging the body politic: every vote counts I agree with Mick Malloy (Letters, February 11) that ALP candidate Paul Spooner has done an outstanding job in his management of the Youth Service and the Community Centre. He is now an articulate (currently emasculated by the Rose betrayal) councillor who, strangely, was not elected on an ALP platform. His remuneration for all this work would have been grossly inadequate. It is in this context that I question why former green Paul should sign up with an outfit like the NSW ALP which has only discovered the seat of Ballina now that it has ‘come on the market’. If as Mick claims, ‘Paul is in it to reform the NSW ALP’,
Q
Demands for money
If you own more than 10ha of land you should now be mobilising your mental defences against another annual demand for money from LLS (Local Land Services). In the last year have you received services to the value of last year’s rate notice? If so, please contact us through
he would have to be not only naive but also delusional. If elected he will disappear into its backbench-black-hole and his parliamentary vote will be controlled by the dominant faction. So as well as posing around the electorate with the usual conga line of ALP glitterati, Paul may like to let us in on his personal rationale for standing under this somewhat tarnished banner. And while he’s at it, tell us why his new party is only offering gasfield protection for the northern rivers, leaving the rest of NSW open to ‘ALP-style negotiation’ with the mineral barons. Tom Tabart Bangalow
Q There
is to be another antidemocratic push this week by the National Party to impose their will upon us. The Department of Planning is meeting with Byron Council on Friday to get them to rubber-stamp their intended Development Control Plan for the West Byron mega-suburb. So much for Kris Beavis’s claims last November that it would now be considered by Council as a local matter with the local community given a say. To the contrary, the proposed DCP is not being publicly exhibited as Council would be required to do. The community is again being railroaded by the National Party and denied our democratic rights.
Now that Terry Agnew has expanded his holdings to include the chook factory we can expect even grander plans for it and his adjoining holdings in West Byron. The 1,500–2,000 houses approved so far is only a start. The National Party’s vision is to quickly double the size of Byron Bay, turn traffic on Ewingsdale Road into gridlock, clear koala habitat, turn Belongil estuary into a toxic sewer, get rid of environmental zones, and wind back marine protection.Our only chance to exercise our democratic rights to have a say on the future of Byron is at the state election on March 28. The seat of Ballina is now a marginal electorate; that
our websites www.rurallandsgroup.net and www. llsclassaction.com. If not, then you have been a victim of this long-running scam, and should refuse to pay LLS any more money. Many complaints about the reduction of the rating area to 4ha a decade ago generated such consternation in
the NSW government that it quietly backed down and reinstated the 10ha minimum rateable area. Now with a state election approaching and the recent sackings of bad governments in Victoria and Queensland, this is your chance to object to this unconstitutional tax and arbitrary levies to the
premier Mike Baird and new opposition leader Luke Foley. Russell Preston Brisbane
NSW STATE ELECTION 2015
Additional Disclosure Requirements Prior to the Election
means that every vote counts. If you don’t vote then you only have yourself to blame if we get more of the same. The person who represents you in the seat of Ballina is likely to be decided on preferences, so don’t waste your vote, make sure you number
Bonny Jane Yarrington
Special Thanks & gratitude to all who helped and supported us in many ways over the past few weeks. Bonny’s Love, Kindness and Compassion inspired us all and was exhibited at her ceremony. May that love continue to expand through acts of kindness. Thank You from Bonny & her family.
Back to the 60s
After the High Summer throngs and chaos, it was a pleasant surprise to arrive at Wategos early the other morning for the ritual surf on the old bloke’s Mal to find plenty of parking spots, a good surf running and less than a dozen, mostly familiar continued on next page
Career Guidance
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Michael McDonald, fax: 6684 1719 email: editor@echo.net.au Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
Important changes to the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981 came into effect on 28 October 2014. These changes introduce a one-off, additional, disclosure of reportable political donations received by candidates, groups, third-party campaigners, political parties and elected members in relation to the 2015 State election. Disclosure of Reportable Political Donations Received This additional disclosure requirement relates to reportable political donations received during the period 1 July 2014 to 1 March 2015 (inclusive). All donations with a value of or exceeding $1,000 are reportable political donations.
every square. If your preferred candidate doesn’t get up then your vote is allocated to your second choice. Just put the Nationals last. It is time to vote to reclaim our democracy. Dailan Pugh Byron Bay
THE
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AND THE FAMOUS
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Thursday 19 February
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Friday 20 February
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Saturday 21 February Sunday 22 February
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Monday 23 February
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Wednesday 25 February
SARAH GRANT The Byron Shire Echo February 18, 2015 9