THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 30 #45 Wednesday, April 20, 2016
www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week CAB AUDIT
Mungo on banks – p10
W H AT B E T T E R WAY T O D E S T R O Y A M O M E N T T H A N T O C A P T U R E I T
Got rural land? Council has big plans for you – p7
Phillip Frazer asks what’s wrong with Hillary – p17
Mandy tackles the homeless – p32
PAGES 18 –19 Online in
netdaily
$16m needed to fix north coast schools: Labor www.echo.net.au/16m-needed-tofix-north-coast-schools-labor
Yoga mats and long hugs Motherloaded Mums rally over lack of midwives Hans Lovejoy
Spirit Festival lifted Mullumbimby up last weekend, attracting locals and visitors alike, all on a path of higher consciousness. Director Kate Little told The Echo that ‘The festival grew this year to what feels like a very sustainable, yet still intimate, size. We had over 900 festival attendees, plus hundreds more in the free Spirit Village. The strong support from Destination NSW, our sponsors, our local community, our new and returning participants, and the weather gods converged to create our most successful event in all ways.’ Pictured are Tahl and Bess from Creature Yoga. Photo Jeff Dawson
Affordable housing DA ruffles residents Residents have been quick to act upon a ten-dwelling development application (DA) on a house block at 116 Stuart Street, Mullumbimby. A change.org petition at www. chn.ge/1WbVhIM is seeking to stop the development ‘so a precedent is not set for further development of Mullumbimby’. The application is on public exhibition until Wednesday April 27, and has been lodged under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Af-
fordable Rental Housing) 2009. Applicant Koho Projects intends to demolish the existing house, build ten one-bedroom attached dwellings on the 900 square metre block and construct parking for five vehicles at the rear. Koho’s Duncan Band told The Echo three of the dwellings will be managed by a registered community housing provider and the company has no plans to sell the other units.He said, ‘The remaining seven dwellings
will be available as long-term permanent rental accommodation.’ As for whether it would set a precedent with regard to its density, Mr Band says he couldn’t answer that; however, ‘the SEPP Affordable Rental Housing has been in effect since 2009,’ and there were ‘other examples of that in Byron Shire’. He also added the dwellings are proposed as one-bedroom dwellings, ‘Not two bedrooms, as mentioned on change.org.’
There are calls for more midwives to be employed after mums-to-be are being told there aren’t enough to go around. Additionally, the new Byron Central Hospital appears to be unable to cope with the predicted demand even before it has opened. But claims there is a shortage have been refuted by local health bureaucrats, who say, ‘currently there is no shortage of midwives.’ Mum-to-be Danielle Yeo told The Echo, ‘There are not enough midwives at the new Byron Central Hospital, so many pregnant women are being turned away and being told we’ll have to find somewhere else to birth.’ ‘Women should have the right and opportunity to birth at their local hospital. It is a shambles that at the new hospital – or any hospital – there will be insufficient staff. I would have thought the service should be being improved, not reduced! ‘I am due at the end of July, and will have to drive over half an hour to get to the next closest hospital. ‘This also adds stress to the whole process and means you don’t feel as comfortable staying at home longer where a woman ultimately feels more comfortable and labour progresses more easily/quickly. ‘I was told a woman who rang the hospital at ten weeks pregnant and isn’t due until November has also been turned away!’ Another mum-to-be, Valentina Onega, says she’s due in September. She says she is on a waiting list and wishes more midwives and doctors
were employed at the new hospital. ‘I would like the opportunity to have a natural birth choice.’ The Echo asked Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSW LHD) ‘Given there appears to be a shortage, are there plans to increase the number of midwives employed for the new hospital?’
Health District reply Clinical consultant of midwifery, Cathy Adams, replied that ‘There is Midwifery Group Practice available at Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah and Lismore and plans for implementation at Tweed Heads Hospital in 2016. In addition Mullumbimby (and shortly the new Byron Central Hospital) offers publicly funded homebirth.’ ‘The service that is to be provided under the new Byron Central Hospital is the same as that currently provided at Mullumbimby with the same number of midwives. ‘The availability of midwifery continuity-of-care models in NNSW LHD compares favourably with other Local Health Districts in NSW. ‘Currently there is no shortage of midwives in NNSW LHD. All midwifery positions are recruited, including the midwifery models of care’. Ms Adams added that the model is monitored ‘on an ongoing basis’ and changes are made ‘where appropriate in order to provide the highest standard of care possible.’
Lest we not forget The Echo will be closed Monday April 25 for Anzac Day remembrance.
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