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Lismore Flood Appeal money available for residents

Lismore Council’s Flood Appeal Committee has finalised its approach to the distribution of the $1.3 million it has raised so far, to support Lismore’s most flood-impacted community members.

Reactivating Lismore with markets

The eerie space that is the centre of Lismore following the floods is about to receive a boost with two of its largest markets coming to Lismore’s CBD to help reactivate local economy and sense of community. Story & photo David Lowe

Flooding was back on the agenda at Ballina Shire Council’s last meeting, with councillors agreeing to adopt a flood protection strategy that was in the works well prior to the 2022 flooding crisis, but has now acquired new urgency.

Discussion was preceded by a deputation from Burns Point Ferry Road resident, Marilyn Chaseling, an area which she described as ‘probably the worst affected of the flooded areas in Ballina’, although according to Council, ‘we were only 13 or 14 in the list of problem areas’.

Ms Chaseling said what she’d warned of in previous submissions had now come to pass.

‘That flooding has occurred, and we’ve been all very, very badly affected in that area.’

She said the ongoing threat of development on flood-prone land opposite would make the

Flooding near Ballina Fair, March 2, 2022.

situation even worse.

Motion 10.2 urged Council to adopt the Ballina Island and West Ballina Overland Flood Study and Flood Protection Feasibility Study and Plan. This was moved by Cr Rod Bruem and seconded by Cr Simon Chate.

Cr Bruem endorsed the study, noting the high level of public input and the issue being ‘uppermost in everybody’s minds’.

There was some confusion in the chamber about the status of the study, which has already been on public exhibition, attracting a large number of comments.

Cr Bruem said he hoped the public engagement process would continue ‘so that we can get the right outcome, and then work with State government in particular to do the necessary things that need to happen to ensure that we are ready for the next one.

‘And that people will be safer and that we can respond accordingly.’ A teenage boy has been charged with murder, say NSW Police, following the death of a youth and the wounding of another, on Sunday, in Casino.

Emergency services were called to KFC on Centre Street, Casino, at about 5.10pm, responding to reports of a brawl. Officers from Richmond Police District attended, along with NSW Ambulance, and found youths suffering stab wounds.

Police say a 17-year-old boy died at the scene, while an 18-year-old man was taken to Lismore Base Hospital for treatment. He remains in a stable condition.

A teenage boy, also aged 17, was arrested and charged with murder, reckless wounding, and affray.

Regrets for treatment of Wardell CORE?

After Ballina Council’s recent decision, at its Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting, to effectively evict the Wardell Community Organised Resilience Effort (CORE) from the War Memorial Hall, in mid flood-recovery, some were having second thoughts at their Ordinary Meeting yesterday.

Tweed Council ‘opt in’ to States agritourism – with conditions

The State government is driving the move behind allowing an increase of activities on farms throughout the state including weddings, camping, farm door tastings and more but Tweed Council is concerned at the way it has been developed and the lack of community consultation. The Tweed Councillors were once again working through the concerns over the SEPP.

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Aslan Shand

Three charities on the Northern Rivers have received almost $300,000 in support for projects for disadvantaged and at-risk young people.

Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation says they have distributed grants totalling $834,00 among 11 regional charities and community groups that included the Northern Rivers groups: Northcott Fair Go AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses); Autism Camp Australia Helping Hands Project; and Rainbow Club, Bringing Rainbow Clubs to Northern NSW.

Jennifer Leslie, Chair of Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation, said, ‘These grants will directly support thousands of people from the Central Coast to the Central West and Northern Rivers, across projects that range from the day-to-day practicality of providing meals through to cuttingedge medical programs.’

For young people with cerebral palsy and dysplasia, local access will be available from Northcott for localised ankle-foot orthoses (AFO) treatment rather than being required to take yearly trips to Sydney for assistance.

Meanwhile, the Bringing Rainbow Clubs to NSW has received $60,000 to assist teaching children with disabilities about water safety through tailored lessons.

This also assists in creating pathways for them to participate at mainstream sporting outlets with greater confidence.

The final Northern Rivers grant of $87,000 goes to the Helping Hands Program Autism Camp. This is specifically aimed at isolated and financially disadvantaged families, who don’t qualify for NDIS funding, to participate in Autism Camp Australia’s (ACA) capacity and resilience building programs.

‘Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to take a trip through regional and rural NSW to see first-hand the amazing work some of our partner organisations are doing each and every day,’ said Ms Leslie.

‘It was a truly humbling and inspiring experience, and served as a reminder of why the work of the Charitable Foundation is so important in ensuring people in need in our communities receive the support, opportunities and respect they deserve,’ added Ms Leslie. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) last week approved significant electricity price increases starting this month.

Energy prices, according to AER, are regulated under the Default Market Offer (DMO) prices, which is ‘the safety-net price cap that ensures consumers are protected from unjustifiably high prices’.

In a statement on www. aer.gov.au, they said, ‘From July 1, the DMO prices in NSW, south-east Qld and South Australia will increase for households (between 1.7 per cent and 8.2 per cent above inflation) and small businesses (0.2 per cent and 13.5 per cent above inflation), largely owing to significant rises in wholesale electricity costs over the past year’.

Meanwhile, a former Origin Executive says NSW and Qld residents are seeing the biggest per cent increases, ‘because they still rely heavily on expensive gas and coal, and their old coal power stations increasingly fail’.

Andrew Stock, who is also a former Director of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, said in a press release, ‘South Australia, which has much more renewable electricity, sees far lower increases, and expensive gas is the main reason for the increase there too.’

‘The previous federal government stalled the transition to renewables wherever possible, causing investment in large scale new renewable capacity to collapse, [and they] backed fossil fuel expansion, and put off coal closure’.

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Local News Who owns the beach?

Coastal expert, Angus Gordon, presents at NSW Coastal Councils Conference.

Angus Gordon, Principal Consultant, Coastal Zone Management & Planning, challenges the notion that the beach is owned by the public, and is calling for greater clarity with laws that govern coastal management.

The following is an extract from his presentation at this week’s NSW Coastal Councils Conference, held in Kingscliff.

‘As the NSW population increases, so does the demand for public access and enjoyment of the iconic Australian beach experience’.

‘However, this is matched by an equally increasing demand for protection of coastal properties at risk, particularly as the limited number of beach front properties escalate in value.

‘The tension is exacerbated by long-term coastal recession, and climate change trends that are reducing the width of, and access to, the traditional beach available to the public.

‘It is therefore not surprising that the boundary between private and public property is developing into a major issue. Coastal boundaries

‘Coastal boundaries are generally of two types; the high water mark line, which has always been accepted as being an ambulatory boundary, and “fixed” surveyed boundaries often termed “right-line” boundaries, which have traditionally been considered non-ambulatory.

‘However, common law decisions have determined that “right-line” boundaries are also ambulatory, thereby generating uncertainty as to who owns the beach.

‘It is not difficult to demonstrate that neither of these boundary types have a scientifically sound basis nor can they be robustly substantiated.

‘What has seemed straight forward in the past is, in reality, of questionable meaningfulness, particularly in regard to legal interpretations.

‘The uncertainties are becoming of increasing concern for coastal managers as they try to wrestle with demands for protection of private property against the progressive loss of public beach. There is a pressing need to revisit how coastal boundaries are both scientifically and legally defined, and how they will be managed into the uncertain future of climate change.

‘Reliance on old statutes and common law decisions needs to be replaced by modern, scientifically-based, statutes that recognise and manage the ambulatory nature of the coast in the interests of both private landowners and the broader communities.

‘Without timely action the question of “who owns the beach?” will be replaced by “what beach?”.

Recognising our unique ocean lake lagoons

Dylan Laicher of Byron Coast and ICOLL Centre and Cr Cate Coorey at the NSW Coastal Councils Conference ICOLL workshop. Photo supplied

A new coastal awareness group, headed by councillor Cate Coorey, has been awarded a $56,000 grant from the NSW Environmental Trust.

Cr Coorey is President of Byron Coastal and ICOLL Centre, and describes it as a ‘new model for learning and practice in understanding, managing and restoring ICOLLs – Intermittently Closing and Opening Lake Lagoons, such as Belongil and Tallow Creek – which open and close to the ocean’. Citizen scientists

‘The grant awarded to the Centre is for a series of community workshops to engage citizen scientists in protecting and enhancing the Tallow Creek and Belongil Creek ICOLLs in Byron Bay.

‘We are really excited about this project, and we have a great team gathered to make it happen.

‘Participants will learn about our ICOLLs’ significance for coastal management, particularly in the context of fisheries and climate change impacts; as buffers to coastal inundation and ‘blue’ carbon sinks’.

Cr Coorey’s presentation at the NSW Coastal Councils Conference at Kingscliff this week is titled, Caring for Water Places: a community collaboration in regeneration.

She says the talk will highlight the education work she and her co-workers have done so far in this area, which ‘can be a model for engaging community in ICOLL awareness’.

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