THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 27 #24 Tuesday, November 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
Mullum Music Festival program liftout – see centre pages
CAB AUDIT
A D A N G E R O U S L I B E R T Y B E AT S A P E A C E F U L S L AV E R Y
Inside Richard Mordaunt’s Green Scene Best gig guide Recognising tick-borne this – p17 Syrian experience – p16 around – p24 Lyme disease – p14 week
Aboriginal Land Council seeks to cash in on mining Hans Lovejoy
‘The Sunday street parade is happening again, and will include some of the festival performers,’ says Glenn. ‘At around 11am we will come down the main street, starting from the Council chambers, and end up out the front of the Civic Hall. Glenn says the festival, along with the recent Mullum Show and Community Gardens day event, recognise the nature of Mullumbimby and community. ‘Without planning it, these events are all happening close to each other. They are a great fit.’ The festival runs November 22–24 and tickets and full lineup are at www. mullummusicfestival.com.au.
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In our immediate area, the ‘Petroleum Special Prospecting Authority Application No 55’ covers an area west of Mullumbimby and Byron Bay and up to Murwillumbah and the border. The four other areas cover Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and east to Dorrigo and Walcha; also areas west of Dubbo and east of Broken Hill; parts of Wollongong and a huge area surrounding Canberra to the Victorian border and west of Sydney. Locally, CEO of the Arakwal Aboriginal Corporation, Yvonne Stewart, told The Echo she was aware of the claim and is concerned as she doesn’t want CSG mining in the region. ‘We have little input from the ALC – we were not notified by them about this,’ she told The Echo. She says there are two separate issues here: native title services and prospecting claims. In another media statement on March 9, 2012, NSWALC’s Mr Scott
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Ending poverty is expensive: ALC
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‘One of my two favourite moments from past festivals is catching Nano Stern play in a Mullum café, while the other was a tribute to singer/ songwriter Jesse Younan, a very good friend of mine who passed away five years ago. This year we are very proud to put it on again.’ As for other acts, he says Tim Freedman’s gig at the Court House Hotel is a chance to see the performer in an intimate setting, ‘much like the
Sunday street parade
PETROLEUM SPECIAL PROSPECTING AUTHORITY APPLICATION No.55
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Festival highlights
early days in Sydney.’ As for other activities, there are mystery gigs, youth mentorships and performances, and even a late-night jam at the Court House led by local bassist Thierry Fossemalle.
A petroleum prospecting licence application covering the Tweed and Byron shires has been lodged by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC). In a statement on the council’s website, alc.org.au, CEO Geoff Scott said that the decision to invest in mining was to ‘end Aboriginal poverty,’ and to ‘take an active role to become part of the real Australian economy.’ It’s one of five applications that cover most of NSW and was lodged with the NSW Trade and Investment on November 6, 2012. Public submissions end on December 5, 2012, according to www. resources.nsw.gov.au.
said, ‘Ending the cycle of generational poverty is very expensive… ‘It is a paradigm shift. It’s about us having a seat at the table, rather than waiting for the crumbs. Of course NSWALC has concerns about the environmental impacts of mining. That’s why we intend to approach these issues from an Aboriginal perspective, and as an organisation that has an established track record of preserving the environmental and cultural sensitivities of our land.’
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Dancing Tommy, lead singer Star Tiger Lily, Sunny, the magic bus crew and festival musos are all getting amped up for this weekend’s Mullum Music Festival. Double-decker buses will also run to and from Brunswick, Bangalow, and Byron at the start and finish of each festival day. See www.mullummusicfestival.com.au for more. Photo Jeff Dawson
person level and as community member,’ he said. ‘It’s a great format as it uses the whole town and it’s affordable. Everybody benefits.’ Artists from all over the world are included: Mali bluseman Boubacar Traoré, The Abyssinians from Jamaica, Joe Pug from the US, Chilean Nano Stern… Nationally, Glenn said, ‘We’re also excited by Melbourne’s Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackettes.’
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Petroleum prospecting rights claimed for Byron/Tweed
Mullum festival of quality noise
The fifth annual Mullum Music Fest kicks off November 22, and once again Mullum’s venues and halls will be teeming with music lovers enjoying a high calibre of musicianship. Director Glenn Wright told The Echo, ‘We put a lot of love into this – it’s not just about picking the artists; it’s about putting them in the right places so the performances are comfortable and their best comes out. ‘Sales are up 20–30 per cent,’ he says. ‘I get a sense that the whole town is getting involved.’ He says shops throughout the town have been decorating their windows with a music theme. ‘Judging and prizes will be awarded to the winners this week,’ he says. Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce president Dean Stanford told The Echo the he and the entire chamber were very supportive and right behind the festival. ‘It’s a great festival, for me both on a
Byron Shire Council Notices
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From www.resources.nsw.gov.au
Byron Council opposed Already Byron Council decided at Thursday’s extraordinary meeting to make an opposing submission to the NSW department of resources. Byron councillor Rose Wanchap says that under Resolution 12-826, Council opposes CSG operations in the Shire. ‘There is no social licence… ‘Now is the time to get very vocal in your opposition to the granting of this continued on page 2