THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 31 #34
Health and Healing
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week CAB AUDIT
pages 17–19
FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE SCIENTISTS. AND THE IGNORANT CHEERED AND APPLAUDED BEC AUSE THEY DIDN’ T LIKE E VIDENCE OF THEIR STUPIDIT Y
Is the new Send in the Letters from Phillip Frazer’s Byron hospital Spanish you, to us, of all Ten Commandments understaffed? – p5 Inquisitors! – p7 kinds – p11 of Trumpism – p16
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Labor calls to In defiance of violence delay rate rise Chris Dobney & Hans Lovejoy
Is a ten per cent compounded permanent rate rise a certainty? Greens mayor Simon Richardson believes so, having told The Echo previously he expects a majority vote to prevail at this Thursday’s council meeting on February 2. But Byron Shire Country Labor councillor Paul Spooner says the case has ‘not effectively been made’ for a special rates increase in Byron Shire and is calling on fellow councillors to delay any increase for at least a year. Councillors Cate Coorey (independent) and Alan Hunter (Nationals aligned) have also expressed concern at the plan, with Cr Coorey telling The Echo the proposal ‘hasn’t been presented well’ and Cr Hunter saying he doesn’t ‘trust this council to deal with it properly.’ And such, the rise could conceivably be in jeopardy: if all three councillors, plus Cr Spooner’s Labor colleague Jan Hackett voted against it, they would only need support from deputy mayor Basil Cameron or one Greens councillor to prevent the rise. One Greens councillor, Michael Lyon, told The Echo that he believes the vote on Thursday is ‘not a done deal for me.’ ‘I want to see how we can spread the burden around,’ he said. ‘A public registry of roads in the Shire would be a good start. If that information were shared online, roads and costings could be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.’
Cr Spooner said that after considering the more than 2,500 responses made by residents through submissions, surveys and council information stands, ‘there is no mandate for a rate rise over the next four years’. The Shire’s GM Ken Gainger has proposed a Special Rate Variation (SRV) of between 33.5 per cent and 60.5 per cent over the coming four years. But Cr Spooner told The Echo that ‘this is one of the most extensive consultations we’ve undertaken’ and ‘the Byron Shire community has clearly said no’ to the rate rises. ‘You cannot say on any level that this has been endorsed,’ he added.
Amalgamation threat Mr Gainger previously told The Echo that Byron Council could be in danger of amalgamation if the SRV were not adopted. But Cr Spooner said that since the NSW Orange byelection and the ascension of Premier Berjiklian, that threat had abated. ‘Given the shifts in politics in NSW, any fears of forced amalgamation are unfounded,’ he said. ‘Byron was declared fit for the future. We do need to ensure we are financially viable, but I’m suggesting we take a bit more time before we impose one of the most regressive financial measures that has ever been proposed in this Shire on our residents.’ He added that no group had stood for Council on a platform of continued on page 2
Organisers and performers from V-Day and Vagina Conversations, which will be held at the Byron Bay Community Centre February 14. From left is Catheryn Britton, Zenith Virago, Jenni Cargill-Strong, Phillipa Williams, Annalee Atia, Jennifer Lalor, Tamar Ben-Hur, Monique Lavail and Alison Toft. Photo Jeff Dawson Aslan Shand
Rape or beatings will be experienced by one in three girls and women in their lives. That means one billion mothers, daughters, friends and lovers will be subjected to this horrific experience. Focusing world attention on the need to stop violence against women, One Billion Rising began on February 14, 2013. Known as V-Day, it takes place in more than 200 countries including Bangladesh, Bosnia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nigeria and Kenya as well as Byron Bay. It brings women, men and children together to dance in defiance of violence.
People are invited to gather together, wear red clothes and join in the dance on Main Beach in Byron Bay for the fifth year running, this February 14 from 7am.
Fifth year running Local organiser Stroma Lawson says, ‘It is a special dance to a piece of music written especially for the event, called Break the Chain.’ She says, ‘It has very moving words about domestic violence and there is a routine choreographed to go along with the song that you can learn online.’ The importance of V-Day is currently being highlighted in Russia
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where they are in the process of decriminalising domestic violence. According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, Russia’s lower chamber passed a bill on January 27 that will ‘decriminalise a first offence of family violence that does not cause serious harm requiring hospital treatment.’ Following the V-Day dance there will be two entertaining evenings of Vagina Conversations on February 14 and 15 at the Byron Community from 7.30pm. The fundraisers will include stories both funny and sad about vaginas and orgasms by a fantastic range of the Shire’s women.
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