SPOILER ALERT: THERE’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE ANOTHER VARIANT The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 36 #25 • December 1, 2021 • www.echo.net.au
Virus case sparks lock-in Fewer than 50 people remain detained against their will at the Aquarius Backpackers in Byron Bay, after authorities swooped in when a COVID-19 positive case was detected at the premises last week. The original number was 81, say Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD), and they were locked in under a ‘stop and stay order’ by NSW Health and Police. All close contacts are under ‘mandatory day-six testing’, a NNSWLHD spokesperson said, and ‘final determinations about isolation requirements will be made once those results are known’. Meanwhile, NNSWLHD say 17 motorhomes have been brought to the Lismore Showground, ‘to assist close contacts of people with COVID-19 to isolate safely and effectively, if they cannot do so at their current premises’. The Echo asked Local NSW MP, Tamara Smith (Greens), what assistance is being provided to those facing forced quarantine, including any financial compensation. She told The Echo, ‘People who are on holiday and are required to stay at a venue under a Public
Health Order, are looked after while they are in quarantine, but of course, there are a raft of additional costs that travellers may not be able to recoup as the result of cancelled flights, accommodation, and other events. I think that travel insurance will really need to cover these kinds of things in the future’. Ms Smith said her understanding was that by mid-morning on the first day of the Order, those detained were ‘supported by the Local Emergency Management Committee’. She later told the Health Minister that, according to a Melbourne doctor who is/was confined in the hostel, there appeared to be a lack of food, toileteries and a general lack of ‘communication and anxiety’. Ms Smith provided The Echo a reply from the Health Minister’s office on Thursday, after those concerns were raised. It reads, ‘Police are at the hostel, noting that people are not staying in their room and not wearing masks etc… [the] priority is for the public health team [to conduct] the contact tracing as quickly as possible so that decisions can be made to move people out’.
ſĕĪƆ ĈōëſĶǕ ĈëƐĶşŕ ĪſşŔ ōëƆƐ ƱĕĕŊ Last week’s front page story: How will preferences likely influence the elections? did not mean to suggest that voters only have preference choices below the line. You can choose to preference as you like above the line for groups. You don’t have to follow the above the line prompts on How to Vote cards. Above the line preferences still flow down to candidates within the group. Below the line allows you to
Firefighters receive lifetime membership ▶ p10
preference between individual candidates, and is the only way to vote for ungrouped candidates. Voters can exercise their own choices above the line, if they want to choose their own order for groups, or below the line, if they want to choose an order for individual candidates. Additionally, writing anything on your ballot other than numbering the candidates can lead to an invalid vote.
Candidates answer Echo questions ▶ p14–17
62/$5 )5(('20
Films to inspire, and of hope
BBFF director J’aimee Skippon-Volke with Jake Taylor, lead singer of In Hearts Wake. Photo Jeff Dawson Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF) returns this month, with a slimmed down program based around the theme ‘shining light in darkness’ – telling inspirational stories to give audiences hope in these uncertain times. ‘COVID-19 has devastated the local arts industry and our aim is to keep creativity alive in a safe and enjoyable way’, says BBFF director J’aimee Skippon-Volke. ‘We are screening several films that carry a strong, positive, message – of courage, resilience and optimism; films that inspire faith in the power of people to get through challenging times.
David Heilpern uses a swear word ▶ p20
Among the festival selection is the world premiere of Green Is the New Black, a chronicle of Byronbased metalcore band In Hearts Wake’s mission to make an album that was entirely carbon neutral. Every step of the album, Kaliyuga, was accounted for, says the band’s frontman and film codirector, Jake Taylor. He says they offsetted more than 26 tonnes of carbon emissions that went into
its production. Other BBFF 2021 films include Aware – Glimpses of Consciousness; a mind-expanding exploration into the mysteries of consciousness, The Boys Who Said No; a study of young American men who resisted conscription to Vietnam, The Seeds of Vandana Shiva, the story of one woman’s battle against GM crops in India, and Meet the Wallers; a portrait of Lennox Head artist Mark Waller and his family. BBFF 2021 opens on December 17 at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre, and continues at Palace Cinemas Byron. For details, visit www.bbff.com.au.
Murwillumbah is totes tops, check it out ▶ p35
Dust off your baubles, it’s time to get festive! ▶ p39
‘They’re also a distraction from the pressures of Christmas preparations and an alternative to the Christmas blockbusters’.
Positive messages
ĞƌŽ ĂƌďŽŶ Ͳ ĞƌŽ <ĂƌŵĂ͊ dŚĞ ĞƐƚ dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ŝŶ ^ŽůĂƌ WŽǁĞƌ͕ džƉĂŶĚ LJŽƵƌ ŐŽŽĚ ĨŽƌƚƵŶĞ ďLJ ĐůŽƐŝŶŐ LJŽƵƌ ĐĂƌďŽŶ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ǁŝƚŚ ŵŽŶĞLJ ƐĂǀŝŶŐ ĨƌĞĞ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ĨƌŽŵ ϴϴϴ ^ŽůĂƌ dĞŬ͘ ǀĞƌLJ ƚŚŝŶŐ ǁĞ ĚŽ ǁŝůů ƐĂǀĞ LJŽƵ ŵŽŶĞLJ ĂŶĚ ŐŝǀĞ LJŽƵ ŐŽŽĚ ĨĞĞůŝŶŐƐ ĂďŽƵƚ ĞŶĚŝŶŐ LJŽƵƌ ĚĞƉĞŶĚĞŶĐĞ ŽŶ ĐŽĂů͕ ŐĂƐ ĂŶĚ Žŝů͘
KĨĨ 'ƌŝĚ͕ ZĞƐŝĚĞŶƚŝĂů Θ ƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĞĂƚ ƚŚĞ dĞƐƚ ƌŝǀĞ Ă EŝƐƐĂŶ >ĞĂĨ s͊ WĞƚƌŽů WƌŝĐĞ tĞ ŚĂǀĞ Ϯϰ͕ ϯϬ Θ ϰϬ ŬtŚ ĐĂƌƐ Ăƚ ŚĂůĨ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ƉƌŝĐĞ͘ ,ŝŬĞ͊
'Ğƚ ƚŚŝƐ ĐƵƚĞ s KĨĨ 'ƌŝĚ WŽǁĞƌ ĨŽƌ ^ŵĂůů ,ŽŵĞ ĂŶĚ ƌƵŶ sŝĐƚƌŽŶ ϯ Ŭt /ŶǀĞƌƚĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ϳ ŬtŚ ŝƚ &Z ůĂŝŵ zŽƵƌ ŶĞƌŐLJ /ŶĚĞƉĞŶĚĞŶĐĞ EŽǁ͊ WLJůŽŶƚĞĐŚ >ŝƚŚŝƵŵ ĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ zŽƵ ĐĂŶ ŐĞƚ Ăůů ƚŚĞ ƉŽǁĞƌ LJŽƵ ĞǀĞƌ ŶĞĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ƐƵŶ ŽŶ ϭϱ ĂŶĂĚŝĂŶ ϯϳϬt ƉĂŶĞůƐ LJŽƵƌ ƌŽŽĨ͘ WŽǁĞƌ LJŽƵƌ ŚŽŵĞ͕ LJŽƵƌ ĐĂƌ ĂŶĚ ƐƚŽƌĞ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ĨŽƌ ϱ͘ϱ Ŭt ǁŝƚŚ Ϯϱ LJĞĂƌ tĂƌƌĂŶƚLJ ^ŽůĂƌ ƌĂŝŶLJ ĚĂLJƐ͘ EĞǀĞƌ ƉĂLJ ĨŽƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ Žƌ ŚĂǀĞ Ă ďůĂĐŬŽƵƚ ĂŐĂŝŶ͘ WŽǁĞƌ͊ DQG VXSSO\ DYDLODELOLW\ ƵŝůĚ LJŽƵƌ ƐĞĐƵƌĞ ŚŝĚĞĂǁĂLJ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ƚƌŽƵďůĞĚ ǁŽƌůĚ͘ KŶůLJ Ψϭϱ͕ϴϴϴΎ 6XEMHFW WR VLWH LQVSHFWLRQ 'Ğƚ ƚƌƵƐƚĂďůĞ͕ ƌĞůŝĂďůĞ ŐŽŽĚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ĨƌŽŵ LJŽƵƌ ůŽĐĂů ƐŽůĂƌ ŚĞƌŽƐ Ͳ ϳ LJĞĂƌƐ ŝŶ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ ŚĞƌĞ͘
ϴϴϴ
/LF 1R &
Ăůů sŝŶĐĞŶƚ ^ĞůůĞĐŬ ĨŽƌ Ă &ƌĞĞ WŚ ϬϮ ϲϲϴϴ ϰϰϴϬ ŽŶƐƵůƚĂƚŝŽŶ ǁǁǁ͘ϴϴϴƐŽůĂƌƚĞŬ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ