Storylines: Unite & act Âť p14
PROVOKING THE PATRIARCHY SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 34 #39 • Wednesday, March 4, 2020 • www.echo.net.au
$25m for Byron’s potholes – and roads... Aslan Shand In the lead up to the last NSW election Nationals candidate Ben Franklin made a clear bid to win over the electorate of Ballina. Franklin promised that, if elected, the Liberal-National coalition would commit to $25 million for the roads of Byron Shire. Mr Franklin has now ensured that his conservative government has delivered on that promise despite the fact that he didn’t get elected as MP for Ballina. The funding, from the NSW government’s Tourism Impacts Infrastructure fund, is providing two grants to help Byron Shire Council manage the impacts of tourism. The first grant of $20 million is to help Council improve its road network. The second grant of $5 million is to support projects in towns that are affected by tourism. Byron Shire Mayor, Simon Richardson was joined by the now NSW parliamentary secretary for Energy and the Arts, MLC Ben Franklin, last Friday at Lone Goat Gallery in Byron Bay to confirm how the grants will be spent. ‘The value of Byron Shire tourism to our state is substantial, which is why I have strongly advocated that the government provide a greater level of support in return,’ Mr Franklin said. It has been decided that the grants will be rolled out over the next three years and will include a â–ś Continued on page 2
Celebrating Renew Fest Magpie, Minyungbal Yugambeh Song Man is one of the program advisors for this year’s Renew Fest on Mothers’ Day weekend, 8–10 May. Over 700 early bird tickets were pledged in the first week of ticket sales to ensure Renew Fest 2020 will be going ahead. Information and tickets can be found at www.renewfest.org.au. Photo Jeff Dawson
NSW govt report calls for decriminalising personal drug use Aslan Shand
Both Labor and The Greens have criticised the failure to release the report, saying it has put lives in danger. ‘It’s unacceptable that the Premier kept this important report hidden for almost a month despite repeated requests for its release from medical experts and families impacted by the drug ice,’ Greens MP and Drug Law Reform and Harm
The NSW Berejiklian government was forced to release the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug ‘Ice’ Report last Thursday after sitting on it for a month. The release came about when the government realised a motion by the Greens to call for papers would have passed in the Upper House.
Logging makes fires more dangerous ▜ p5
Byron Shire Council Notices ▜ p8
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Minimisation spokesperson Cate Faehrmann, said. The report was commissioned by the NSW government in November 2018 to look at the impacts, current measures, and response to crystal methamphetamine – also known as ‘ice’ – and other illicit amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in NSW. Ms Faehrmann is now urging the
Assange, trials, and Council ▜ p9 & 16
You’re in good company here ▜ p17
The women of the Northern Rivers mean business ▜ p18
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NSW Premier to support the recommendations in the report, including the decriminalisation of all drugs for personal use. However, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that at least five recommendations will not be supported. These include additional medically-supervised injecting centres, stopping the use of drug â–ś Continued on page 2
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