THE BYRON SHIRE
Your Sustainable Community magazine in this week’s Echo!
Volume 26 #40 Tuesday, March 20, 2012 Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
I T ’ S N O T A S A C C I D E N TA L A S I T LO O K S
CAB AUDIT
Bruns boarding house gets onsite court hearing
Ladies in red tent tell their story
proval for the redevelopment under a policy introduced two years ago by the An onsite court hearing over the con- former Labor government to boost aftroversial proposed redevelopment of fordable rental housing. the Brunswick Heads squash-centre complex into a boarding house of 34 Council supports units will take place late next month. residents concerns Byron Shire Council is defending Mayor Jan Barham said the policy, its refusal last year of the development in Teven Street in the Land and which gives developers concessions such as fewer parking spaces and Environment Court (LEC). The owners of the property, Mur- smaller room sizes to encourage afray and Julia Stebbing, later lodged fordable rental housing, was designed an appeal against the councillors’ 8–1 more for high-density metropolitan decision last June. The plan involves areas rather than regional centres. Cr alterations to the existing gymnasium, Barham said approval would have set squash courts and indoor swimming a precedent for an unacceptable level pool and change of use into a board- of density which could destroy the village’s character. ing house. The court hearing starts on April 19 The appeal, to be heard on April 19–20, is regarded as a test-case for a at 9.30am on site at 14–16 Teven Street contentious state policy on affordable with an inspection by the LEC commissioner and continues afterwards rental housing. The refusal by council supported a at the Ballina Court House in River campaign by residents who saw it as Street, Ballina. Residents who made All women from all stages and ages of life will be given a chance to tell their story at this year’s Red Tent Festival. Ready to share theirs are Pollyanna Darling, Winifred Weir and Suzanne Weir. A non-profit event under the auspices a major overdevelopment of the site submissions against the proposal wishwhich would have ruined the character ing to give evidence are being asked by of the Northern Rivers Maternity Coalition, this year’s festival promises workshops, talks, activities, birth films, info council lawyers to attend at 9am on and market stalls and an intimate evening of birth stories. The festival will be held at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall on of the village and amenity. But staff had recommended ap- the first day. Saturday March 31. Visit www.redtentfestival.com for details. Photo Eve Jeffery. Luis Feliu
Byron Shire Council’s internal squabbles go public The staff notes also say that the initial complaint ‘is one of three comIt has emerged that mayor Jan Bar- plaints made by female staff memham has been accused of code of con- bers… with two of those complaints having been subsequently withdrawn.’ duct breaches by Council staff. In response, Cr Barham has slapped general manager Graeme Faulkner GM and mayor embroiled The complaint against the general with a complaint to the local governmanager was lodged with the department authority. And the cost of legal fees to rate- ment of Local Government by solicitors acting on behalf of Cr Barham. payers? $18,279.10 to date. Additionally, Cr Barham has reA report on the matter has been prepared by Sydney lawyer Kath Roach af- quested reimbursement of $4,471 ter another Sydney lawyer stood aside. spent on solicitors to defend code of The report’s conclusion is described conduct complaints made against her. Fellow Greens councillor Tom Tabart by two sentences, saying the allegations are ‘not sustained’ and it has ‘no has weighed in to the fray, telling The recommendations’ in regards to fur- Echo that a complaint was originally ther action. No mention of the report’s ‘made by a senior manager on behalf outcome is included within Council of an administrative officer upset by staff notes in the upcoming agenda, the mayor’s reaction to the selection of Ed Ahern as Citizen of the Year in 2011.’ and it was not marked confidential. Hans Lovejoy
Additionally he claims Council’s agenda notes on the current code of conduct review read more like comment than background notes. ‘It includes largely irrelevant material and editorial comment generally pejorative to the councillor complained against,’ Cr Tabart says.
Lawyer stood aside
budsman by the mayor. Cr Tabart says evidence before the reviewer was withheld from Cr Barham and that ‘correspondence on this was not included in the staff report. ‘The GM continues to get away with this behaviour – some councillors are cheering him on and others are too ill-informed or gutless to stand up.’ However, Mr Faulkner told The Echo however, ‘Council has no knowledge of any claim about how evidence that was before the reviewer was handled, nor of the substance of any complaint to the ombudsman.’
What is irrelevant, however is the general manager’s concern – tabled within the agenda – that he ‘has not been advised as to the detail of the complaint or the outcome of the investigation and is concerned that such action could be perceived as intimida- Code under review tion relating to his decision to refer this Byron Shire Council is not alone matter for independent investigation.’ with claims that the code of conduct But perhaps the most damning is being misused. claim is that the lawyer’s report was It is currently being reviewed by the delayed by a complaint to the om- state government for the second time
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in six years. Minister for Local Government, Don Page, said the review of the code was due to several incidents of ‘inappropriate’ use recently. The government is expected to draft legislation changing the code soon. Last year, Liberals MLC Marie Ficarra in parliament accused Tweed Shire Council general manager Mike Rayner and Tweed Cr Dot Holdom of using the code in a campaign of vilification and politically motivated complaints against former mayor Joan van Lieshout. Tweed Greens Cr Katie Milne also was subject to what she said was politically motivated code of conduct complaints against her which were not sustained. Council will meet on Thursday March 22. It could well be an entertaining public meeeting with lots of complaining.