The Byron Shire Echo – Issue 35.36 – February 17, 2021

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A PALE IMITATION OF ITSELF SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 35 #36 • Wednesday, February 17, 2021 • www.echo.net.au

¨şż şĈŊĕƐ ƆƐƖĎĕŕƐƆ īş ưĶſƐƖëō Electorates miss out

şŕ ćƖƆIJǕ ſĕ ƆōƖƆIJ ĪƖŕĎ Mia Armitage

Pocket Public School students, Niamh, Aziah and Lola, have been accepted into the Department of Education’s Virtual Opportunity Class, after sitting the entrance exam last year. School principal, Will Glasson, says they will join another 84 ‘high performance children who will get access to connect locally and learn globally in the areas of mathematics, science and technology. We had four children apply, with all the kids scoring well above the state average in the entrance assessment, which is very exciting for the school as a whole’. Photo supplied

Chamber, biz slam Council’s consultation Aslan Shand The proposed Mullumbimby Greenspine, to run between Mullumbimby Community Gardens along Stuart Street to Heritage Park and the Brunswick River, has brought businesses and the Mullum Chamber of Commence to loggerheads with Byron Shire Council over the project’s process and implementation. Nonetheless, there is significant general community support for the project in principle. Chamber president, Jenelle

Stanford, said in a letter to Council’s general manager Mark Arnold, and councillors: ‘The management of this project has been a mess from the beginning, and our perception is that poor management and the community distrust it has engendered is now in danger of putting the whole project in jeopardy, which would be a tragedy’. A range of local businesses and landholders have belatedly decided that the Greenspine, as laid out by consultants, would have a negative impact on their

What’s the news Lessons on resilience, regeneration from from Ballina? Iran ▶ p5 ▶ p6

properties and businesses. The group includes Mitre 10, Bridglands, IGA Mullumbimby, Santos Organics, Chris Mallam, John Waterhouse, and a number of real estate agents. Key issues raised were the removal of car parking from the central business area, and the impact of a bike path between parked cars and the footpath on truck deliveries, vehicle, and pedestrian access to businesses. They also raised the issue of trees and plantings removing ▶ Continued on page 5

Andrew P Street takes on the job snob myth ▶ p8

ZŽůůŝŶŐ ŽŶ ^ƵŶƐŚŝŶĞ͊

NSW member for Ballina, Tamara Smith (Greens), has spoken of disgust at the latest Liberal-National government grant rorts scandal, which has directly impacted this electorate and the neighbouring Lismore electorate. Freedom of information requests from Ms Smith’s colleague in the upper house, David Shoebridge MLC, show the Lismore electorate received less than two-and a-half million dollars in recovery funds, after the so-called Black Summer of 2019/2020, while the Ballina electorate received none. The NSW Bushfire Economic Recovery grants scheme has been under investigation in a parliamentary inquiry this month, with analysis by Michael West Media showing nearly all of the $177 million in Round One was distributed to coalition-held seats, without a proper application process, and without independent oversight. A council general manager, in The Nationals-held Clarence electorate, told Michael West the Clarence Valley Council was simply told ‘to provide shovel-ready projects’; and ‘didn’t know’ what the application was for; and thought the process was ‘probably’ pork-barrelling. Greens MP Tamara Smith told Bay FM’s Community Newsroom last week that the grants scheme was basically ‘a slush fund for The Nationals’. Residents and businesses on all sides of Mount Nardi in the Byron Shire and Lismore Local Government Area (LGA) were living in anxiety from

The first wealth is health ▶ p14

day to day, while a fire there raged for weeks in late 2019, burning through the national park and threatening the Rocky Creek Dam vicinity. Further south, grass fires were prone to flare up on high fire danger days, while fires throughout the state meant visitors and workers who would normally travel to the region weren’t guaranteed safe passage.

Estimated $90m damage Economic damage to the Ballina Shire was officially estimated at $90 million, with Ms Smith saying the figure mostly represented losses in the tourism sector, but also took into account interruptions to usual supply chains. Ms Smith said the deputy premier’s offer last week to speak to her and other non-coalition MPs whose electorates missed out on muchneeded funding was too little, too late, and further underlined a lack of accountability in the grants process. ‘We don’t want to get money that is not fair and open and transparent,’ Ms Smith said, ‘it belies a larger picture’. ‘How does a pulp mill assist reliance into the future with bushfires?’ the Ballina MP asked, referring to a Visy Pulp and Paper mill in the Snowy Valleys, which was awarded $10 million from the fund. Independent media outlet Crikey described the business as ‘controlled by one of the Coalition’s biggest donors, Anthony Pratt’. Q Mia Armitage is a Bay FM member. ▶ Full story at www.echo.net.au. Listen to the full interview with Tamara Smith at Bay FM: www.bit.ly/2LSffgx.

Entertainment is on the up! ▶ p19

'Ğƚ ϲϳĐ Ŭt, ĨŽƌ zŽƵƌ ^ŽůĂƌ dŚĞ ĞƐƚ dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ŝŶ ^ŽůĂƌ WŽǁĞƌ͕ KĨĨ 'ƌŝĚ͕ ZĞƐŝĚĞŶƚŝĂů Θ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ

EŽ &ƵĞů Ͳ >Žǁ DĂŝŶƚĞŶĂŶĐĞ

>ŝǀĞ ĂŶ ĂĨĨŽƌĚĂďůĞ njĞƌŽ ĐĂƌďŽŶ ůŝĨĞƐƚLJůĞ ŶŽǁ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ůŽǁ Ŭŵ EŝƐƐĂŶ >ĞĂĨ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ :ĂƉĂŶ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵƌ ŶĞǁ ,ŽŵĞ ^ŽůĂƌ ŚĂƌŐŝŶŐ ^ƚĂƚŝŽŶ ϴϴϴ ^ŽůĂƌ dĞŬ ŚĂƐ Ă ĐŽŶƚŝŶƵŽƵƐ ƐƵƉƉůLJ ŽĨ ŶĞĂƌ ŶĞǁ͕ dŚĞ EŝƐƐĂŶ >ĞĂĨ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ůĞĂĚŝŶŐ :ĂƉĂŶĞƐĞ ďƵŝůƚ EŝƐƐĂŶ >ĞĂĨƐ Ăƚ ŽƵƌ ^ŽůĂƌ WŽǁĞƌĞĚ ŽĨĨŝĐĞ ĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐ ĐĂƌ ŝŶ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂ ĂŶĚ ŝŶ &ĞĚĞƌĂů͕ ƐŽ ďŽŽŬ Ă ƚĞƐƚ ĚƌŝǀĞ ƚŽĚĂLJ͘ tĞ ĂůƐŽ ƐƵƉƉůLJ ǁĞ ŚĂǀĞ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ ƐƵƉƉůLJ ŽĨ ůĂƚĞ ŽĨĨ ŐƌŝĚ Žƌ ŽŶ ŐƌŝĚ ƐŽůĂƌ ĐŚĂƌŐŝŶŐ ƐŽůƵƚŝŽŶƐ ƐŽ LJŽƵ ŶĞǀĞƌ ŵŽĚĞů EŝƐƐĂŶ >ĞĂĨ͛Ɛ ǁŝƚŚ Ϯϰ͕ ŚĂǀĞ ƚŽ ƵƐĞ ĨŽƐƐŝů ĨƵĞůƐ ĂŐĂŝŶ͘ ϯϬ Žƌ ϰϬ ŬtŚ ďĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ ŝŶ DŽƐƚ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǁŝůů ƐƉĞŶĚ ĂďŽƵƚ ΨϱϬϬϬ ƉĞƌ LJĞĂƌ ŽŶ ƉĞƚƌŽů ŐƌĞĂƚ ĐŽŶĚŝƚŝŽŶ ĨƌŽŵ Ϯϭ͕ϴϴϴ͘ ĂŶĚ ŵĂŝŶƚĞŶĂŶĐĞ͕ ƐŽ ŐŽŝŶŐ ĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐ ĐĂŶ ďĞ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ tĞ ĂůƐŽ ^ƵƉƉůLJ ĂŶĚ &ŝƚ ƚŚĞ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ͘ dŚĞ ĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐ ĞŶŐŝŶĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ >ĞĂĨ ŚĂƐ Ă ůĂƚĞƐƚ s ĐŚĂƌŐŝŶŐ dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ŝŶĐƌĞĚŝďůĞ ƚŽƌƋƵĞ ĂŶĚ ĞƌŽ ŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ͘ tŚLJ ƉĂLJ Ă ĨƌŽŵ ^ŽůĂƌ ĚŐĞ ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌƚƵŶĞ ĨŽƌ Ă ŐĂƐ ŐƵnjnjůĞƌ ǁŚĞŶ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ŚĂǀĞ ĨƌĞĞ DLJĞŶĞƌŐŝ͘ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ůŽǁĞƐƚ ƌƵŶŶŝŶŐ ĐŽƐƚƐ ĞǀĞƌ͘

dĞƐƚ ƌŝǀĞ dŽĚĂLJ

ůĞĐƚƌŝĐŝƚLJ ĐŽŵƉĂŶŝĞƐ ĂƌĞ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ Ă ĨŽƌƚƵŶĞ Ăƚ ŽƵƌ ĞdžƉĞŶƐĞ͕ ĂŶĚ LJĞƚ ƚŚĞLJ ƉĂLJ ƵƐ Ă ƉŝƚƚĂŶĐĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ ǁĞ ƐĞŶĚ ďĂĐŬ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŐƌŝĚ͘ LJ ƌĞƉůĂĐŝŶŐ ƉĞƚƌŽů ǁŝƚŚ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ ŝŶ ĂŶ Ăůů ĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐ EŝƐƐĂŶ >ĞĂĨ͕ ĞǀĞƌLJ Ŭt, ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ ǁŝůů ĞĂƌŶ LJŽƵ ϲϳ ĐĞŶƚƐ͘

ϴϴϴ

/LF 1R &

dŚŝƐ ŵĞĂŶƐ ƚŚĂƚ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƉĂLJ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ĂƐ ŶĞǁ EŝƐƐĂŶ >ĞĂĨ ĂŶĚ ƐŽůĂƌ ŝŶ ĂƐ ůŝƚƚůĞ ĂƐ ĨŝǀĞ LJĞĂƌƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ƐĂǀŝŶŐƐ LJŽƵ ǁŝůů ŵĂŬĞ ĨƌŽŵ ŶŽƚ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ŐƌŝĚͲƉŽǁĞƌ Žƌ ƉĞƚƌŽů͘

tŚĂƚ ĂƌĞ zŽƵ tĂŝƚŝŶŐ &Žƌ͍ tĞ ŚĂǀĞ ƌĞĂĐŚĞĚ Ă ƚŝƉƉŝŶŐ ƉŽŝŶƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐůŽďĂů s ƌĞǀŽůƵƚŝŽŶ͘ /ƚ ŵĂŬĞƐ ƉĞƌĨĞĐƚ ƐĞŶƐĞ ĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐĂůůLJ ĂŶĚ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂůůLJ ƚŽ ƐǁŝƚĐŚ ƚŽ sΖƐ ŶŽǁ͘ ϴϴϴ ^ŽůĂƌ dĞŬ ŚĂƐ ĞǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ LJŽƵ ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ƐǁŝƚĐŚ ƚŽ s ƚŽĚĂLJ͘ tŝƚŚ LJŽƵƌ ŽĨĨ ŐƌŝĚ Žƌ ŽŶ ŐƌŝĚ ƐŽůĂƌ ĐŚĂƌŐŝŶŐ ƐŽůƵƚŝŽŶƐ ƐŽ LJŽƵ ŶĞǀĞƌ ŚĂǀĞ ƚŽ ƵƐĞ ĨŽƐƐŝů ĨƵĞůƐ ĂŐĂŝŶ͘ ŚĞĐŬ ŽƵƚ ŽƵƌ ǀŝĚĞŽ Ăƚ͗ ŚƚƚƉƐ͗ͬ​ͬLJŽƵƚƵ͘ďĞͬũϬƵŝZ:KŶĚhz

Ăůů sŝŶĐĞŶƚ ^ĞůůĞĐŬ ĨŽƌ Ă &ƌĞĞ ŽŶƐƵůƚĂƚŝŽŶ

WŚ ϬϮ ϲϲϴϴ ϰϰϴϬ

ǁǁǁ͘ϴϴϴƐŽůĂƌƚĞŬ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ


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The Byron Shire Echo – Issue 35.36 – February 17, 2021 by Echo Publications - Issuu