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44 The Byron Shire Echo May 6, 2026
Just one of those unfortunate things... Mayor Sarah Ndiaye’s Facebook reply to Tamara Smith’s resignation post starts off, ‘Hi I would like to improve this Facebook reply – warm grateful for her work, celebratory but also understanding that it’s a tough decision. Here is my draft: Congratulations Tamara ...’ followed by AI’s version, which luckily validated the mayor’s draft as striking the right emotional tone. Tamara was kind enough to thank both Sarah and ChatGPT for their comments, which, the mayor said, were caused by her using ‘voice to text’ in the car on the way to a meeting and, ironically, wanting to make sure she didn’t ‘stuff it up’. We’ve all been there! Mayor [Hey Siri, please spellcheck before publication] NdAIye is considering throwing her hat in the ring for state Greens preselection. The twice-unsuccessful federal candidate, Mandy Nolan has confirmed she is running. Due to some weird preselection rule of the Greens, we have to guess who else might be in the running and ‘ask’ them, they can’t tell us. So, if you have someone that you’d like us to ‘ask’, please let us know. See story page 2. Both Ndiaye and Nolan are winners in their own way, Ndiaye having defeated Asren Pugh for mayor (Pugh also lost to Smith in the state election and is now running for Labor in the upper
Enjoy lots of sparkles and frills at the Midsummer Night’s Queen extravaganza running 7–24 May at Mullumbimby’s Drill Hall Theatre. Infused with wigs, disco balls, and more. This vibrant, vibrating performance is a must-see for all. Photo J ’King of the Queens’ Dawson house). Nolan, on the other hand, has runs on the board against a much tougher candidate in federal Labor, Richmond incumbent Justine Elliot MP. As the state Ballina seat does not include the more conservative Tweed part of the federal seat, where Elliot is based, Nolan seems likely to be a more certain bet for the Greens as she’s familiar to voters in both shires. However, like the Vatican conclave, party preselection rooms are a black box from which only the smoke of burning unsuccessful candidates and the PR-checked smile of the victor emerges. ‘All six conservative members of the Supreme Court attended President Trump’s state dinner honouring King Charles. Their appearance seemed at odds with the chief justice’s oft-stated message that the court avoids even the appearance of political
splits. None of the three liberal justices were present.’ – The New York Times
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Australia Institute research shows that Japan collects more tax on Australian gas than Australia does.
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