S H E - H E R / H E - H I M / T H E Y- T H E M / H E Y Y O U The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 37 #03 • June 29, 2022 • www.echo.net.au
Supply chain pain? Try localisation! To celebrate World Localisation Day (WLD), non-profit organisation Local Futures held an event last Saturday at The Farm in Byron Bay. The global day celebrates and creates awareness of localisation as a force for systemic change. Local Futures founder, Helena Norberg-Hodge, says, ‘From farmer’s markets, and community gardens, to local business alliances, community land trusts and eco-villages, initiatives have taken off on every continent to reweave the fabric of local interdependence’. ‘What’s more, this is happening despite policies that overwhelmingly favour corporations and global supply chains. ‘From the blockage of the Suez Canal, to the covid pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, it is becoming clear that dependence on global supply chains is risky, especially when it comes to basic needs. Meanwhile, the climate crisis demands an immediate shift away from a resource-intensive, polluting global economy’.
Paul Bibby
transparency and accountability on the part of staff, ‘rather than providing false information that further impedes event planning’. But a Council spokesperson told The Echo that Council strongly refuted any inference or claim that staff provided false information to a member of the public or treated them like they were ‘idiots’, or that they did not respond promptly to the organisers of the Byron Music Festival. ▶ Continued on page 2
A controversial decision by Byron Council to approve a mixed-use development in Brunswick Heads could be overturned, after a group of councillors who oppose the plan got the numbers for a rescission motion. The development would see the demolition of an old, disused service station on Tweed Street, and the construction of a building combining retail, business and housing uses. It also features a plan for the town’s first underground car park. The proposal was approved by the barest of margins at last Thursday’s Council meeting, with Mayor, Michael Lyon, using his casting vote to get the matter over the line after the councillor vote was tied at four-four. But in the days following the vote, Greens councillor, Duncan Dey, successfully led a push for a rescission motion, along with Independent councillors, Cate Coorey and Peter Westheimer. This means that the matter will come back before Council for further debate, and another vote at the next full Council meeting in August. ‘There are two key reasons why we decided to do this,’ Cr Dey said. ‘The first is that, had Cate [Coorey] been able to attend the meeting, the development application would almost certainly been refused. The second is that this development involves a subterranean car park, which presents some real issues.’ Opponents of the plan argue that it is not in keeping with the ▶ Continued on page 3
Richard Jones calls for local food sovereignty ▶ p10
An abundance of school holiday fun to be had ▶ p16
Local Futures founder, Helena Norberg-Hodge, at last week’s World Localisation Day. A community screening of Local Futures’ new film, Planet Local: A Quiet Revolution, will be held this Friday at The Farm from 6pm. Damon Gameau and Pacha Light will be joining Helena for a discussion afterwards. Photo Jeff Dawson
Festival/Council relations strained, motion passes Paul Bibby The operations manager of the Byron Music Festival says her attempts to run the event this year were cruelled by Byron Council staff, who allegedly provided organisers with false information and spoke to them like they were ‘idiots’. But Council staff have strongly refuted the claims, saying that those who work with the organisers of local events are professional and courteous.
Contentious Bruns DA before Council again
The criticisms of staff were made by Monique Hartman during the public access section of last week’s Byron Council meeting. Ms Hartman, who has worked in live music and events for 25 years, told the meeting that staff didn’t respond for months when she tried to communicate with them about using Council-owned land for the festival. ‘This prevented us from getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding that would have seeded this year’s festival and relieved Nick
[festival organiser, Nick Sergi] of the dire financial straits that happened as a result of this festival not happening,’ Ms Hartman said. ‘We want more hand-holding and less door slamming, more phones answered and emails being responded to in a timely manner. ‘We want staff to be excited about what we can achieve together, rather than being ignored and spoken to like we’re idiots or a thorn in the side.’ Ms Hartman also called for more
Post-flood planning First Nations Voice in Labor mulls over the and DA approvals Council moves closer future of Bernard ▶ p4 ▶ p6 Collaery ▶ p9
BRYCE CAMERON • 0412 057 672
bryce@capebyronproperty.com • capebyronproperty.com
6 bed
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