Letters ǩǩǯŔ żōëƆƐĶĈ ćşƐƐōĕƆ Recently Jeremy Tager of Tweed Water Alliance stated that the Tweed Shire has become the water-mining capital of Australia. With the approval of the ex-Labor minister’s mine in Uki, the combined amount of all the mines now stands at 137 million litres per year. Owing to there being no oversight on the amount extracted from existing mines this figure is a conservative one. The behaviour of these miners in relation to overextraction has been well documented. Even more alarming is that the spring water is shipped to Queensland to be put in 600ml plastic bottles. This means that the 137 million litres of water will result in the production of 228 million plastic bottles! Recent research found only 40 per cent of plastic bottles are actually recycled. This results in over 91 million bottles ending up in landfill, the waterways and ocean. If the Tweed Shire is the water-mining capital of Australia then it’s also the plasticpollution capital as well. The Tweed Shire Council, the councillors and we should be ashamed for letting this happen. What a
No cute kittens here… Let’s try the next alley!
legacy for our children and grandchildren. Gwyn Hooper Uki
Ɛşż ƐIJĕ ŔëĎŕĕƆƆ Statistics clearly show our so-called legal drugs are the worst killers: 17,000 deaths a year through tobacco and 6,000 through alcohol. It makes one wonder why we are letting uneducated politicians make decisions about drug laws at all. The NSW government’s decision to not allow pill testing and creating harsher sentences for handing on
pills at festivals is a childish overreaction in the wrong direction. Australia has the highest use of ice in the world and we now have three deaths a day through opioids – the same level of the USA ten years ago. It is urgent that we rethink our current drug laws. The number of people losing their driver licence, and with that their job (not enough public transport) through saliva testing is enormous. The social impact for the families is indescribable. Stop the madness, the war on drugs is lost! Let’s
Buy or renew your Pay Parking Permit today. For just $55 per year, a Pay Parking Permit enables all Byron Shire Residents to park in metered spaces in Byron Bay. With a Pay Parking Permit, you can park and simply walk away. Time limits apply. Pay Parking Permits are FREE for people applying with: A Centrelink Pensioner Blue Card A Mobility Parking Permit Work or volunteer in the Byron Shire but live elsewhere? You can purchase a Pay Parking Permit for ($110), conditions apply.
PURCHASE ONLINE
*excluding NPWS carparks at The Pass, Captain Cook Lookout, Cosy Corner, Cape Byron Lighthouse
You can buy and renew your Pay Parking Permit online – it’s easy www.byron.nsw.gov.au/byron-shire-pay-parking 2U EULQJ \RXU FXUUHQW FDU UHJLVWUDWLRQ FHUWLðFDWH WR &RXQFLOâV &XVWRPHU 6HUYLFH &HQWUH LQ 0XOOXPELPE\ RU RXU GHVN LQ WKH %\URQ 9LVLWRU &HQWUH IRU DVVLVWDQFH
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www.echo.net.au/byron-echo Byron Shire Echo archives
look at Portugal and the success they achieved. Chibo Mertineit Lillian Rock
ëĶŕćşƱ ōşưĕ Mullumbimby is changing fast and people are coming here in large numbers. Why do they move here? Community? Freedom? That village feel? The old are out and the new are in, so gone is the video shop and hello to a new vegan rainbow yoga community space.
Letters to the Editor
ōşşĎƷ ĈƖż ſëĈĕ
Sounds good for community doesn’t it. So who and what is community? The video shop had been there for years and part of the community service they provided was to allow a long-term homeless woman to leave her bags in the shop – a safe place to put them – before sleeping in the alley at night. In place of the community service quietly offered by the video shop owners we now have gates going up over the walkway (at night time) and a security camera installed to make sure no riff-raff are misbehaving. This blocks off the walkway between Stuart Street and the carpark at Diner 55 (previously the Poinciana) – a walkway that has been open to the public since these commercial premises were built. Do we want to see fences and CCTV watching us in our town? If the answer to that is yes, I ask again – why did you move here? Community? Freedom? That village feel? Do we want to change Mullum into what we have all tried to escape from? Or do we just want to bring it all with us and package it up under a new name? T Reid Wilsons Creek
Send to Letters Editor Aslan Shand, email: editor@echo.net.au, fax: 6684 1719. Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
What a great event the Melbourne Cup is. Unless you’re a horse. Four dead in six years. L Andrews Byron Bay
'ĕëĎȒĕŕĎ ſşëĎƆ I am writing again to complain about the state of Coral Avenue and Clays Road. Earlier this year I contacted Council and Cr Richardson to highlight that pedestrians had been put at risk by allowing the opening of Plover Parkway from Tallowood Ridge estate onto Clays Road – formerlly a dead-end dirt road – without providing a suitable infrastructure. At the time the residents of Clays Road and Coral Avenue were under the impression that either the developers of Tallowood or the council would be sealing the lower part of Clays Road and Coral Avenue so that the road could sustain the increased traffic. This did not happen. I received a response from Cr Richardson outlining that this was not the case and since then a giveway sign has been put up – thanks! The road is currently in such disrepair that drivers ▶ Continued on next page
Career Guidance Vocational Psychologist with over 25 years experience offering expert assessment and counselling. Suitable for: • students • school-leavers • adults returning to work or study • career/work transition
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86 JONSON ST, BYRON BAY 6685 7662 therailsbyronbay.com
P
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0407 811 484
AND THE FAMOUS
RAILS kitchen
Thursday 15 nov
HAYLEY GRACE AND THE BAY COLLECTIVE Friday 16 nov
MARSHALL
Saturday 17 nov
KAYSO GRANDE Sunday 18 nov
THE DEVILS KIOSK Monday 19 nov
TAHLIA MATHESON Tuesday 20 nov
STEPHEN LOVELIGHT Wednesday 21 nov
BEN WALSH
mşưĕŔćĕſ Ǩǫǽ ǩǧǨǯ The Byron Shire Echo 11