Letters
Corporate feudalism
If you ever needed proof of the collusion between corporations and government, look no further than our current energy crisis. By selling off our biggest publicly owned asset to private corporations, both sides of government have allowed our energy grid to run down. We now face chronic blackouts and soaring electricity prices which are driving households broke and companies out of business. (And we wonder why we
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have a ‘revenue’ problem!) With abundant natural resources and renewable energy, we used to have the cheapest electricity on Earth. Yet now we are 27th down the list, paying more than Japan, which has to import 95 per cent of its energy. (You can buy Australian gas much cheaper in Japan than we can buy it here!) In past centuries nations were colonised by feudal overlords and their people were enslaved. Today we are colonised by corporate feudalism and enslaved by endless debt. Selling our gas overseas without legislation to maintain affordable domestic supply is really criminal neglect. This is where our inherited colonial mind-set really doesn’t serve us. And this same mind-set runs through every other industry as well. If you would like to find
out more about why the system is failing and what to do about it, come to Politics In The Pub at the Court House Hotel in Mullumbimby, where every month the Ngara Institute presents a keynote speaker with Q&A. The next talk is May 24 at 6pm. You can buy a good pub meal and hear guest speaker Professor Joe Camilerri tell us what he thinks we can do about fixing our broken system. Michael Balson Upper Wilsons Creek
Rates charade
Nice to know that IPART has rejected every one of the 48 submissions against any rate increase for Byron Shire residents and have opted for the 7.5 per cent increase every year for the next four years (33 per cent). In other words by using Council’s own misleading brochure IPART has voted for ‘option 1. dete-
When your GP is unavailable Nights • Weekends • Public Holidays
riorate’ rather than sack the Council, which was the community wish. IPART’s Comments on Community Engagement and awareness in section 3.2 of their findings is farcical as IPART has confirmed ‘in early consultation material the council did not adequately outline the base case for no special variation. This shortcoming was corrected in later consultation material.’ What later consultation material? There was no mailout to offer the fourth ‘no rate rise’ option. Clearly IPART is grasping at straws to justify their decision to declare this hopeless council as Fit For the Future before the residents could dispute that decision. The minister for local government is a joke if he allows this charade to continue. Jim Mangleson Ocean Shores
sultants for the consequently abandoned redevelopment plan. Public consultation had been at best token. Although it appears that most councillors and the GM are prepared to overlook this embarrassing episode, it is my understanding and experience that it is indicative of staff performance across the whole organisation. Longer-standing, influen-
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THE HEALTH LODGE
Now the 33 per cent rate rise has been approved by IPART, how efficiently will our money be spent? Observers at the last council meeting could not have missed members of the public giving senior staff tutorials on their areas of professional responsibility. Comment on the staff report concerning the future of the Tyagarah airfield revealed that a helipad (a private landing spot) had somehow morphed into a heliport (a mini-airport), expensive, unnecessary clearing has been undertaken over time due to ignorance of the airfield’s category, a very successful multinational parachute business was operating on a nominal rent and obscurelydocumented but substantial sums had been spent on con-
Q
THE
tial councillors recently demonstrated in this publication that they were ignorant of their governance (watching staff performance) responsibility under the Local Government Act and things have drifted accordingly. The council internal audit advisory committee that is supposed to have oversight over such matters has continued on next page
Byron Integrated Medicine
A warm welcome to the newest member of the team
Dr Camilla White MBBS, Holistic Health Coach llN.
Available to continue the care of patients who have recently lost their wonderful doctor, Dr Inga Schader. Treating patients with a similar caring nature, Camilla specialises in women’s and children’s health using nutrition and preventive medicine working integratively with Dr Oscar Serrallach and Dr Marcus Hewitson. Long and short consultations available with the team at The Health Lodge. The Health Lodge, 78 Bangalow Road, Byron Bay. 6685 6445 www.thehealthlodge.com.au
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Thursday 18 May
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Friday 19 May
DON’T WAIT!
Get free health advice healthdirect.gov.au
1800 022 222
PINK ZINC Saturday 20 May
BB FACTORY Sunday 21 May
MARSHALL O’KELL Monday 22 May
FINTAN CALLAGHAN Tuesday 23 May
CHRIS ARONSTEN Wednesday 24 May In an emergency call triple zero (000)
North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
FERGO
The Byron Shire Echo May 17, 2017 11