EVERYTHING BUTT THE KITCHEN SINK The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 34 #13 • Wednesday, September 4, 2019 • www.echo.net.au
Promises, promises...
A cheeky bit of art
holiday-letting Ç• čIJĆ? ÄŤĹ&#x;ĕƆ Ĺ&#x;Ĺ• Paul Bibby
That age-old problem, first day at work and nothing to wear to the new job, new location! Two of Sketch Appeal’s life-drawing models turn up for work at Brunswick Picture House every Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Find more details www.followyourart.net.au. Photo Jeff ‘Everything Butt’ Dawson
Rapid rise in rough-sleepers in Byron Aslan Shand Once again Byron Shire has the highest number of people who sleep rough per capita in NSW outside of Sydney, according to this year’s count. The number of rough-sleepers rose by 18 per cent from last year’s count, highlighting the need to look further at how the issues of homelessness and mental
Byron bypass stage two on hold ▜ p6
health are addressed. ‘We need adequate services to assist people sleeping rough, who do so for a variety of reasons,’ said Ballina MP Tamara Smith. ‘We know that limited mental-health services, sparse free drug-and alcohol-support services and lack of public transport all compound the issue. Police tell me that sometimes it is as simple
Byron Shire Council Notices ▜ p12
as needing to buy someone a bus ticket so they can return to their permanent home.’ According to Byron Community Centre and Byron Shire Council, both of which assisted in conducting the rough-sleepers survey, permanent housing and outreach services are the key to helping people transition away from homelessness.
The world of baleen giants ▜ p19
‘A new hub in Byron Bay would be really valuable,’ said a Council spokesperson. ‘Most importantly, it would need to provide services that can support people to transition out of rough sleeping and into housing. ‘The Mullumbimby District Neighbourhood Centre also provides support for people sleeping â–ś Continued on page 4
Shearwater Steiner launch us into springtime with their famous fair ▜ p22
^ĂĨĞ WĹŻÄ‚Ä?Äž Ĺ?Ĺś ƚŚĞ ^ƾŜ zŽƾ Ä?ĂŜ ĆŒÄžĹŻÇ‡ ŽŜ Ď´Ď´Ď´ ^Ĺ˝ĹŻÄ‚ĆŒ dĞŏ ƚŽ ĚĞůĹ?Ç€ÄžĆŒ Ä‚Ä¨Ä¨Ĺ˝ĆŒÄšÄ‚Ä?ĹŻÄž Ď˛Í˜Ď˛ ĹŹt ůĂĚĞ ĂŜĚ ^ƾŜĹ?ĆŒĹ˝Ç ^ƉĞÄ?Ĺ?Ăů džÄ?ĹŻĆľĆ?Ĺ?ǀĞ EÄžÇ KÄ¨Ä¨ÄžĆŒÍ—
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Ć?Ĺ˝ĹŻÄ‚ĆŒ Ć‰Ĺ˝Ç ÄžĆŒ Ç Ĺ?ƚŚ ŽƾƚĆ?ƚĂŜĚĹ?ĹśĹ? ĹŻĹ˝Ä?Ăů Ć?ÄžĆŒÇ€Ĺ?Ä?Ğ͘
ĆŒÄžĆ‰ĆľĆšÄ‚ĆšĹ?ŽŜ͕ Ĺ?ĹśÄ¨Ĺ˝ĆŒĹľÄ‚ĆšĹ?ǀĞ Ä‚ĆŒĆšĹ?Ä?ĹŻÄžĆ? ĹŻĹ?ĹŹÄž ƚŚĹ?Ć? ĂŜĚ ĹŻĹ˝Ä?Ăů ƉĞŽƉůĞ ƚĞůůĹ?ĹśĹ? Ä¨ĆŒĹ?ĞŜĚĆ? ĂŜĚ ĆŒÄžĹŻÄ‚ĆšĹ?ǀĞĆ? Ä‚Ä?Žƾƚ ƚŚĞ Ĺ?ŽŽĚ Ć?ÄžĆŒÇ€Ĺ?Ä?Äž ƚŚĞLJ ŚĂǀĞ ĆŒÄžÄ?ÄžĹ?ǀĞĚ͕ Ć?Ĺ˝ LJŽƾ Ä‚ĆŒÄž Ĺ?ĹśĆ?ƉĹ?ĆŒÄžÄš ƚŽ Ä?Ăůů DĹ˝ĆŒÄž WĹ˝Ç ÄžĆŒ ƚŚĞ ĹŻĹ˝Ä?Ăů Ĺ?ƾLJĆ? Ä¨Ĺ˝ĆŒ Ä‚ Ć?ĂĨĞ ƉůĂÄ?Äž Ä¨Ĺ˝ĆŒ Ăůů Ç‡Ĺ˝ĆľĆŒ Ć?Ĺ˝ĹŻÄ‚ĆŒ Ć‰Ĺ˝Ç ÄžĆŒ ŜĞĞĚĆ?͘ Ĺ?Ĺś ĹŻÄžĆ?Ć? Ć?ƉĂÄ?Äž
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February 11 was a big day for the Shire. The then NSW housing minister Anthony Roberts proudly announced that Byron would be given a special exemption from the state’s controversial new shortterm holiday-letting rules. We were to be the only local government area in the state with a 90-day cap on holiday letting in homes where the host wasn’t present. But a tick under seven months later, there is still no cap and the release of the government’s draft short-term holiday-letting policy has the potential to completely undermine any limit that is introduced. In an urgency motion passed last week, Byron Council again sought exemption from the new rules, which make no mention of the minister’s promise. The Council also raised a number of concerns with the draft policy, which has the potential to undermine any positive effects from a 90-day cap. Among the biggest issues is a provision that any cap on holiday letting, whether it be 90 days or 180, would not apply to bookings of 21 days or more because these are not deemed ‘short term’. But Council fears this would render plans for greater regulation in the Shire ‘completely inert’. ‘This basically opens up the way for the commercial Airbnb operations to subvert any cap or threshold that might be imposed,’ deputy â–ś Continued on page 5
Sample culinary delights in Bangalow this Saturday ▜ p28
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