Letters
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Council is in working order In regard to the Echo editorial of the December 6, we would like to reply to matters raised by the editor. Council’s compliance policy is not selective. The compliance priorities are set each year and adopted by Council. In addition they can be amended at any time by Council. Therefore, the administration is bound by the adopted list of compliance priorities. At the same time, the compliance team has dealt with 565 customer action requests in 2010/11; a full report on compliance and the 2012 priorities will be reported to Council on December 15. Council is not in denial about workplace bullying. Independent investigations conducted to date do not support allegations published in your paper that bullying exists at Byron Shire Council.
The workers compensation scheme in NSW is a no-fault scheme. Workers do not have to prove any wrongdoing by any employer. Workers merely have to show that the injury arises out of employment (ie it is related to employment) or it occurs in the course of employment (ie it happened at work) and that employment made a contribution, which was not an insignificant contribution, to the development of the injury. Bullying and harassment prevention forms part of all new employee inductions and training and education on the issue has been held on a regular basis. The best interests of any staff member who puts in a workers compensation claim is always considered, and Council does its very best to enable the employee to recover and return to
work as soon as they can. Finally, Council has taken on the state government on numerous occasions; the recommendations for reform to coastal legislation, the inflexibility of the LEP planning template, land acquisition at Brunswick Heads and Byron Bay, and the highway upgrade of the Ewingsdale and Bangalow interchanges are a few examples. At all times, Council and the administration aim to ensure that the ratepayers’ assets and amenity are protected. Like all councils, this can prove challenging in an environment where the needs and wants of the community are growing at a disproportionate rate to available funding.
Happily employed
If we stopped this slaughter, how long would it be before we would be overrun by these suffering beasts? They are unwanted, often injured or deformed and sometimes outright dangerous and I feel it more humane to send them to the factory than save them, for what? Twenty some odd years of slowly starving to death while suffering from whatever made them unwanted in the first place? In 65 years of being around horses I’ve never seen one tethered on the roadside. Maybe in England?
ment to have a mammogram in the van or at Lismore or Tweed Heads by phoning 132 050. For women not due to have their mammogram at this time, and who would have difficulty travelling to the Lismore Breast Screening facility for their two-yearly mammogram, the Ballina Breast Cancer Support Group/Drop in Centre offers free transport for women in the Ballina and Byron Bay shires. Phone me on 0413 027 446 for a lift.
In reply to Backlash in the December 6 issue and his snide remarks regarding older residents who will not retire to make way for the ‘young people desperate for work’ I make the following comments. 1. Many people in the age bracket of 50 to 65 mentioned did not necessarily have the benefit of today’s superannuation schemes and need to continue working to sustain themselves. 2. Retiring at 65 years is a very early 20th century construct when the average life span was in the late sixties. 3. Idleness is not a natural state and many people in their sixties and seventies enjoy an active life which involves working. 4 Many employers are keen to employ people in the older age ranges as they have experience, enthusiasm and the will to get things done. 5 Many of the older age group own businesses and provide employment. 6. How many of these ‘desperate young people’ are getting an education or training or willing to move elsewhere for the occupations that are needed?
W B Crompton
Graeme Faulkner
General Manager Byron Shire Council
Robyn Sparks
Ballina
Occupy yourself
Mullumbimby We need a few more Occupy movements like Occupy your Market correction Body, Occupy Earth, and OcI would like to apologise for cupy Mines. The carbon econimplying that the Byron Farm- omy has become a massive ers Market management didn’t corporate-sponsored death inpay me (Letters, December 6); surance policy: claimed while they did, 31 days after I played alive and paid for after our at the Bangalow market, which death by those who live on. is their terms for payment. Mark Byrne’s take on climate There was confusion over inaction (Echo, December 6), payment time as my invoice to as satisfying a deep human them was seven days. However urge to teeter on the edge of I have now been paid. existence, is fascinating. It reI hope the Byron Farmers minds me of that famous paMarket will consider remuner- perback The Suicide Pact by ating local musicians sooner Hugo First. than 31 days. We could say climate catasPaol Serret trophe is simply another rite of Katie Clarke Mullumbimby passage longed for by EarthOcean Shores lings sickened by the pamperScreening returns ing of nanny states. Q Backlash was merely I just want to express my pleasPerhaps the personal growth sympathising with youth. He ure that the Breast Screen NSW afficionados could find better himself is 60 and intends to mobile breast screening van ways to teeter on the edge of keep working for a few years will again be in Byron Bay very existence that won’t take half yet. – Ed early in January. We nearly lost the planet out. Teeter Workthis vital service but thanks to shops, featuring lighthouse Horse welfare thousands of signatures, stren- Cliff Strolls, Fire Crawling, Just reading Dawn Black- uous lobbying, and representa- and Inversion Burials; not to well’s article (Echo, December tion by our local politicians, mention Binge Drinking 101 6) and the mention of horses the service continues, however for schoolies... or how about somewhere between 40,000 only for two weeks of the year. rooftop-teetering solar instaland 100,000 killed every year. Women can make an appoint- lation workshops? Must we really accept the limitations that the fullness of Letters to the Editor life is best felt in the midst of Send to Letters Editor Michael McDonald, fax: 6684 1719 death, that escape from sufferemail: editor@echo.net.au Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer ing and attachment is through than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other attachment to suffering, and papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
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The Byron Shire Echo December 13, 2011 13