THE TWEED
Win tickets to see the
www.tweedecho.com.au Volume 3 #43 Thursday, July 7, 2011 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 editor@tweedecho.com.au adcopy@tweedecho.com.au 21,000 copies every week CAB AUDIT
Details in Sport – page 18
LOCAL & INDEPENDENT
Byrrill Creek dam back on the table Steve Spencer
The NSW government’s move to resurrect the review of the controversial Byrrill Creek dam project has been hailed as a victory by some Tweed Shire councillors but described as a ‘waste of money’ by disappointed environmentalists. A decision late last year by the former NSW Labor government to reject the project outright has been overturned by the new primary industries and water minister Katrina Hodgkinson following a visit to her office by Tweed mayor Kevin Skinner and former mayor Cr Warren Polglase. Cr Polglase was behind the move last year to switch council’s support from raising the existing Clarrie Hall Dam wall to the environmentally contentious option of supporting a new dam in the Byrrill Creek valley. The council owns land in the valley which it earmarked for a dam decades ago. ‘This is a win for the council. Before this we were cut off at the knees,’ said Cr Polglase, following his recent meeting with the minister.
‘Political decision’ ‘It was a blatant political decision [by the former state Labor government] to get the Green vote in the Tweed just before the state election.’ Cr Polglase said it was ‘lucky to find a new minister with a fresh attitude’. ‘If you want growth in the Tweed Shire you have to have water,’ he said. But the decision has been greeted with less enthusiasm by deputy mayor Barry Longland, who predicted the project would have ‘so many hoops to jump through’. ‘I don’t think it will ever happen,’ he said. ‘It will be something of a hot potato for the NSW government. I’ve been opposed to the Byrrill Creek option from the beginning. I hoped the rais-
ing of the wall of the current dam would be adopted. ‘The prospect of re-examining the decision cannot be construed as government support. The re-opening of the review is not a victory.’ Cr Longland likened the Byrrill Creek proposal to the controversial Traveston Crossing dam north of Brisbane, which despite gaining state government approval ended up being sunk by the federal government’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. ‘It will waste a lot of time and money and will be delaying the inevitable,’ he said ‘I think the object of re-opening the review is to buy some time. But even if the NSW government eventually approves it the federal government will knock it on the head.’ Save Byrrill Creek spokesperson Joanna Gardner said the review had already ‘been done in depth’, but the outcome had not suited councillors Polglase and Skinner. She said Byrrill Creek residents and environmentalists had held a meeting on Monday night to discuss strategies to combat the latest push to build the dam. ‘If they want to re-run this whole process again the majority of the residents here will voice their concerns loud and clear once again,’ Ms Gardner said. ‘If the council concentrated on implementing water savings they would not need a new dam. It is not like dams are the only answer. There is stormwater harvesting and grey water. Half of the water used goes through the toilet or out in the garden. ‘Every shire surrounding us has implemented water saving measures except the Tweed Shire.’ Caldera Environment Centre spokesman Sam Dawson said he was not concerned by the resurrection,
saying the raising of the Clarrie Hall Dam wall was the best option. ‘If they are using the same evidence in the new review it will show that Byrrill Creek has a high ecological value,’ he said. ‘Some councillors didn’t like the um-
pire’s decision and they are crying foul. ‘How much does another review like this cost? It is money wasted. It’s a political vendetta against the conservation movement in the Tweed and the people of Byrrill Creek. ‘It is unfortunate the state govern-
ment, whenever it is confronted with a piece of legislation that it does not agree with, will seek to have it overturned.’ Although not in his electorate, Tweed MP Geoff Provest welcomed continued on page 2
Tweed celebrates NAIDOC Week
Bundjalung Kunjiel Dancers, Luther Cora, Aaron Henderson and Stephen Appo at NAIDOC celebrations on Tuesday. Kate McIntosh
Cultural celebrations marking NAIDOC Week have kicked off across the Tweed and Gold Coast. The annual event honours the history, culture and achievments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Southern Cross University’s Gold Coast campus marked the occasion this week with live music and cultural performances. Local Indigenous band GuriGuru,
who specialise in storytelling through music, and female Indigenous duo the Stiff Gins were among those to perform at the event. The event included a workshop on singing songs in Indigenous language, with the Gold Coast campus library also unveiling an art exhibition featuring work from the Kallalu gallery in Coolangatta as part of the celebrations. Professor Adrian Miller, head of Southern Cross University’s Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peo-
ples, said NAIDOC Week was a great opportunity for Indigenous Australians to share their history and cultural values. He said the occasion was also a time to reflect on contemporary issues which continue to impact on Indigenous Australians. ‘It’s a good time to highlight and reflect on particular important issues that are going on around the nation, such as the Northern Territory
$10
continued on page CASH 2 LESS PAY PAY
THE GOOD GUYS TWEED HEADS SOUTH factory seconds & new stock at up to 50% off!
WAREHOUSE CLEARANCE!
heaps of fridges • washers • dishwashers • ovens • cooktops on sale
7.5KG 2ND WFACTORY ASHER WAS $ 799
NOW $ 398 THAT’S 50% O
FF!
HOMEMART ON THE TWEED
4.5KG F A 2ND SE CTORY NSO DRYER R WAS $4 69
NOW $2 95
THAT’S
37% O
FF!
CNR SHALLOW BAY DRIVE & MINJUNGBAL DRIVE 07 5524 4444 • www.thegoodguys.com.au
<echowebsection=Local News>
WHILE STOCKS LAST. OFFERS AVAILABLE INSTORE ONLY.