STANDING WITH COMMUNITY SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 40 #28 • December 17, 2025 • www.echo.net.au
Hark... Year 10 student Brodie Hezron in an angelic moment from this year’s Wearable Arts performance event at Mullumbimby’s Shearwater Steiner School. Marking the event’s 25th year, WAVE 2025: Runway Gods engaged more than 200 high school students as performers, musicians, designers, makers, stage, sound and catering crew in a student-led extravaganza that delighted more than 1,000 members of the community across four sold-out performances. Photo Jeff ‘Harping on and on’ Dawson
Mullumbimby’s carpark sold for $1 for housing Hans Lovejoy Freedom of information documents released to The Echo have revealed that Byron Shire Council (BSC) agreed with government development agency Landcom to sell the much-used Mullumbimby car park at 57 Station Street to a yet-to-be confirmed community housing provider (CHP) for $1. The information only came to light after The Echo paid for a Government Information Public Access (GIPA), otherwise known as freedom of information application. The Echo argued the information was in the public interest, as it is public land being
Locals take action at Rising Tide in Newcastle ▶ p10
bought and sold between two government agencies, and is very contentious within the community given the lack of transparency and arguably poor process. When The Echo asked BSC’s Greens Mayor, Sarah Ndiaye, for the documents before applying for the GIPA, she deferred to BSC’s General Manager Mark Arnold, who declined to provide the documents. He said it concerned Landcom as well as Council so BSC could not release them. Previous mayor, Michael Lyon, signed the documents provided to The Echo via the GIPA, who throughout the process led closed-door meetings to negotiate the sale
On your mark, get set, write! ▶ p11
Reflections on Bondi ▶ p14
and development of the site. Council’s plans to redevelop 57 Station Street, Mullumbimby into 29 ‘affordable units’ with 24 car spaces and 150m2 of commercial space, has been roundly criticised by the community, with multiple petitions and a large volume of objections to the development application (DA) tabled. The Mullumbimby Residents Association (MRA) called for BSC’s own carpark to be developed instead. Yet councillors – including the Greens – have doubled down, refusing to answer questions or provide transparency to the community or The Echo around the project.
What was behind that shark frenzy? ▶ p17
Festive season jingling all the way ▶ p26
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Instead, councillors attacked the MRA, and said the project will go ahead no matter what, regardless of community consultation feedback and despite arguably poor planning practice. The Echo is one of many local businesses that would be adversely impacted should the development go ahead – the narrow rear alley McGoughgans Lane will be used as the sole vehicular access for the development and which will increase congestion on a laneway that is used for newspaper deliveries, as well as large truck deliveries for the IGA supermarket. ▶ Continued on page 4
Health, healing and wellbeing Byron style ▶ p36