NO NEWS LTD IS GOOD NEWS The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 34 #38 • Wednesday, February 26, 2020 • www.echo.net.au
Schools pitch to entrepreneurs
Mullum High students Jemimah, Felix, Christian, Lealah, Brigette, Sebastian, Gryffyn, John, Maysa and Yolanda pitched the AD finder app. Photo Eve Jeffrey Young teens from around the north coast got together last Tuesday, February 18, to compete in pitching their social enterprise ideas to local business leaders and entrepreneurs. The winner was destined to head to Sydney to work on developing their app. Eight groups from local high schools gathered at Mullumbimby High School to battle it out, and organisers say it was extremely close. Over 100 people, including family, friends, councillors, and local entrepreneurs and business people came to support the students in their pitch battle. ‘It was very close between the
AD finder app that would help people with disabilities and their carers to find safe and accessible places to go, and activities to do, and the Orbis app that would help people take action to protect the environment in everyday ways,’ said co-organiser Nina Willoughby. The judges apparently took over half an hour to decide the winner, which normally takes about ten minutes, as they fell two each way for the winner.
People’s Choice winners The final winner was the Orbis app by students from Kingscliff High School, with the AD finder pitched by students from
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Mullumbimby High School receiving the People’s Choice award. ‘We won the People’s Choice award for our app, and one of the judges was so impressed that they said they might connect us with people who might help inform the design,’ said Felix from the AD finder app team. ‘It was so inspiring. It was an amazing pitch night,’ said judges Dr Kristin den Exter, who is the manager of academic partnerships at Southern Cross University. ‘I was really impressed with all the ideas that were put forward and the teamwork and passion behind their ideas. It was really wonderful to see.’
Local MP noncommittal on supporting Assange With Wikileaks founder Julian Assange facing UK courts this week, what’s Labor’s position regarding his release? In 2010, Wikileaks released a trove of classified military documents, including footage of US marines killing ‘a dozen people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff’. A number of cross-party MPs are lobbying to have Assange returned to Australia. They include two Nationals MPs, two Labor MPs and members of the Greens and the cross bench, according to The SMH (Nine). The Echo asked local federal MP Justine Elliot if she would be joining the cross-party MP group, and if not, why? The Echo also asked whether Ms Elliot considers the treatment of Assange by UK, US and Australian governments justifiable, given his alleged crimes resulted in no deaths, yet the crimes he revealed, did. Ms Elliot did not say whether she would join the cross-party group that supports Assange. Instead, she repeated her party’s position. She said, ‘As Julian Assange’s arrest and any legal proceedings
are a matter of current consideration in accordance with the British justice system, I feel it would be inappropriate to comment publicly while that process is underway. ‘As Julian is an Australian citizen, he, like any Australian citizen facing legal difficulties overseas, is entitled to consular assistance provided through Australia’s overseas missions. I understand this assistance has been offered to Julian through the Australian High Commission in London, and this will continue to be the case. ‘Labor is also concerned about reports that Julian’s health has been deteriorating while in custody. The shadow Attorney-General and shadow foreign minister have written to the Australian government requesting that Australia press the UK government to ensure that Julian receives appropriate medical care.’
MP Elliot criticised Local activist Dean Jefferys says that Justine Elliot’s position of not wanting to interrupt the ▶ Continued on page 3
Local activist, Dean Jefferys outside Labor MP, Justine Elliot’s Tweed Heads office. Photo supplied
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