The Byron Shire Echo – Issue 33.17 – October 3, 2018

Page 1

THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 33 #17 Wednesday, October 3, 2018

www.echo.net.au

P20-22

Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week

H AV E YO U B E E N M O L E S T E D BY T H E CO S M I C O C TO P U S TO O?

Romulus and his north coast mates

Over 50 nationally recognised artists installed their creative sculpture works around the beaches and parklands of Brunswick Heads for the Brunswick Nature Sculpture Walk. It kicked off last Saturday, and ran until October 2. Nick Warfield’s piece Dingo fascinated Ewan, Rory and Heath. For more info visit www.brunswicknaturesculpturewalk.com. Photo Jeff Dawson

NSW government’s ‘recipe for koala extinction’ Aslan Shand

Despite the NSW government’s koala strategy being touted as ‘the biggest commitment by any state government to secure koalas in the wild,’ local MLC Ben Franklin (Nationals) has not disputed claims by environmentalists that proposed koala reserves will cover only 0.2 per cent of forested areas that experts have identified as core koala habitat. It’s raised the question of wheth-

er the NSW government genuinely wants to save the vulnerable koala, given the strategy does not appear to protect known areas of habitat. Regardless, Franklin claims his government’s National Park Estate (Reservations) Bill 2018 introduced last week will transfer over 4,500 hectares of state forest to the national park estate. Documents obtained under a freedom of information request, called a Government Information

Byron Shire Council Notices – p10

(Public Access), show the NSW government ignored the advice of its own koala experts when selecting its so-called koala reserves, says North Coast Environment Council (NCEC) vice-president Susie Russell. National Parks Association (NPA) of NSW, who requested the FoI, say, ‘Freedom of information documents show we’re facing a koala colony wipe-out unless the government implements the Great Koala National Park and other key reserves.’

Pity poor Aunty ABC and a rampaging belligerent govt – Mungo p12

sƐ ƌĞ ŽŵŝŶŐ͊

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But such a park has been ruled out by Franklin, who told The Echo, ‘The locking up of vast tracts of state forest to create the proposed Great Koala National Park is not supported by the government. We need a sustainable forestry industry and strong environmental outcomes.’ Meanwhile the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) say that the freedom of information documents ‘prove that the NSW government’s continued on page 5

Letters from the unwashed masses – p13

/Ŷ DLJ ,ƵŵďůĞ KƉŝŶŝŽŶ

ŚĂƌŐĞƉŽŝŶƚ ĂŶŶŽƵŶĐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƌŽůůŽƵƚ ŽĨ ĂŶŽƚŚĞƌ Ϯ͘ϱ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ƌĞĐŚĂƌŐĞ ƐƚĂƚŝŽŶƐ ǁŽƌůĚǁŝĚĞ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ƉƌĞƐĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂ͘ 9LQFHQW 6HOOHFN ^Ž͕ ŚŽǁ ĐĂŶ LJŽƵ ƵƐĞ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ ĨŽƌ ĐŚĂƌŐŝŶŐ sƐ ĂŶĚ ƉƌĞƉĂƌĞ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ŶĞǁ ĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐ ĐĂƌ͍ KŶĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƚŚŝŶŐƐ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ĚŽ ŝƐ ŐĞƚ ĂƐ ŵĂŶLJ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉĂŶĞůƐ ŽŶ LJŽƵƌ ƌŽŽĨ ŶŽǁ͕ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞƌĞ ĂƌĞ Ɛƚŝůů ƌĞďĂƚĞƐ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ͘ sƐ ƵƐĞ Ă ůŽƚ ŽĨ ƉŽǁĞƌ͕ ƐŽ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƌĞ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞ ƚŚĞ ďĞƚƚĞƌ͘ tĞ ĂůƐŽ ŝŶƐƚĂůů ŚŽŵĞ ĐŚĂƌŐŝŶŐ ƐƚĂƚŝŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽƵƉůĞ ďĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŚŽŵĞ ǁŝƚŚ ďĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐĂƌƐ͘ dƌĂŶƐƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚĞƐ ĂďŽƵƚ Ă ƚŚŝƌĚ ŽĨ Ăůů ŐƌĞĞŶŚŽƵƐĞ ŐĂƐ ĞŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ ŝŶ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂ͘ /Ĩ ĞŶŽƵŐŚ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĐŚŽŽƐĞ ƚŽ ĚƌŝǀĞ sƐ ǁĞ ĐĂŶ ŵĂŬĞ Ă ďŝŐ ĚŝĨĨĞƌĞŶĐĞ ƚŽ ŽƵƌ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͘ DLJ ƚŝƉ ŝƐ ƚŽ ŐĞƚ ƐĞƌŝŽƵƐ ĂďŽƵƚ sƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ĐŽƵƉůĞ ŽĨ LJĞĂƌƐ͘

Hydro power pre-feasibility launches Oct 11 A pre-feasibility study will be launched at the Mullum Drill Hall on October 11 from 5.30pm that explores the potential to re-commission the historically significant hydro power station at Wilsons Creek. Community Owned Renewable Energy Mullumbimby (COREM) say the Mullumbimby Mini Hydro Pre-Feasibility study was written by Entura Energy as part of the NSW government Department of Planning and Environment’s, Clean Energy Knowledge Sharing Initiative. Project manager Svea Pitman says, ‘We are very excited to be at this stage with the Mullum Mini Hydro project, where we can share with the community the results of this pre-feasibility study.’ ‘It’s taken a long time to get to this point and we do still have a way to go; however, completing this report is a significant milestone.’

West Byron determined October 8 from 1pm A contentious large-scale housing/industrial proposal for 387 lots on land opposite the Byron industry estate on Ewingsdale Road will be determined on October 8 at Byron Shire Council’s Mullumbimby chambers at 1pm. It will be decided by the JRPP, an unelected panel that determines large-scale developments in NSW. To speak at the meeting, call (02) 8217 2060 or email enquiry@planningpanels.nsw.gov.au before 4pm on Thursday October 4. It’s a free vent, ahem, event.

Neoliberalism: Can the stain be removed? – p17

dŚĞ ĞƐƚ ŝƐĐŽƵŶƚ ^ŽůĂƌ ^LJƐƚĞŵ ^ƉĞĐŝĂů WƌŝĐĞ dŚŝƐ tĞĞŬ͊ ϭϰ dž ĂŶĂĚŝĂŶ ϮϴϬt ƉĂŶĞůƐ Ͳ ϯ͘ϵϮ Ŭt ϯ Ŭt ^ƵŶŐƌŽǁ /ŶǀĞƌƚĞƌ

Ψϯ͕ϰϴϴ

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hƐƵĂůůLJ ΨϯϵϮϴ

Ύ ^ƵďũĞĐƚ ƚŽ ƐŝƚĞ ŝŶƐƉĞĐƚŝŽŶ WƌŝĐĞ ĨŽƌ ŝŶƐƚĂůů ŽŶ ƚŝŶ ƌŽŽĨ ĐĂůů ĨŽƌ ĚĞƚĂŝůƐ͘

dŚĞ ĞƐƚ dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ŝŶ ^ŽůĂƌ WŽǁĞƌ͕ ϴϴϴ ĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ Θ ^ŽůĂƌ ,Žƚ tĂƚĞƌ Ăůů sŝŶĐĞŶƚ ^ĞůůĞĐŬ ĨŽƌ Ă &ƌĞĞ ŽŶƐƵůƚĂƚŝŽŶ

WŚ ϬϮ ϲϲϴϴ ϰϰϴϬ

ǁǁǁ͘ϴϴϴƐŽůĂƌƚĞŬ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ


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The Byron Shire Echo – Issue 33.17 – October 3, 2018 by Echo Publications - Issuu