May, is a proud Labor initiative which has led to $399 million being invested in over 18,000 projects since 2009. “Our Electorate of Lismore has had to deal

from The Northern Rivers Times Newspaper Edition 97

Sports

Quick Response Grants put money where it’s needed

As our beautiful Northern Rivers region struggled with the devastation brought by two flooding events in quick succession, it has been grassroots, community-lead response that has risen to the challenge.

Northern Rivers Community Foundation, in partnership with the Byron Community Centre, launched the Flood Relief Fund to offer quick response grants of up to $10,000 to community organisations to provide flood relief and recovery for the Northern Rivers.

As of 11 May, 2022 an incredible $1,308,655 had been raised and 103 Quick Response Grants had been funded, for community organisations who are already imbedded, connected and trusted to provide disaster recovery support.

The project is inspired by the words of Bernard Williams:

“Humans have never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.”

The 103 projects so far funded span the seven Local Government Areas of the Northern Rivers.

Grants have already gone out, thanks to the efficient work of a Grants Committee, chaired by Byron’s Citizen of the Year for 2020, Helen Hamilton. The committee has identified local needs based on research by NRCF to distribute the funds for the quickest and most effective support.

2022 Quick Response Flood Relief Grant Recipients • Winsome / Lismore Soup Kitchen, Lismore • Mid Richmond Neighbourhood Centre, Evans Head, Woodburn, Coraki, Broadwater • Vibe Care Pantry, Tweed Heads • Australia Seabird & Turtle Rescue, Ballina • NRCG Food Pantry & Laundry, Lismore • Rekindling The Spirit Community Services, Lismore • Autism Camp Australia, Girards Hill • 88.9 Community Radio, Woodburn • Agape Outreach Food Supplies, Tweed Heads • Baby Give Back, Varsity Lakes (for Northern Rivers) • Bangalow Koalas Tree Recovery, Bangalow • Lifeline Northern NSW Call Centre, Lismore • Lismore Basketball Association, Lismore • National Disaster Management Services, Mullumbimby • Nimbin Community Centre, Nimbin • North Coast Community College, Alstonville • The Owl & The PussyCat Farm Animal Sanctuary, Crabbes Creek • The Buttery - Community Counselling Outreach, Binna Burra • Pottsville Beach Neighbourhood Centre, Pottsville • Bunjum Aboriginal Corporation, West Ballina • North Coast Community Housing, Lismore • RiverTracks, Murwillumbah • Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation, Grafton • Spaghetti Circus, Mullumbimby • RealArtWorks Disability Service, South Lismore • The Colony Bees Association, Lennox Head • LightnUp Inc. ‘The Healing Heart’ Lanterns, Lismore • Windara Communities Facility, Casino • Multi-Task Human Resource Foundation Ltd - Disability Support, East Lismore • Byron Youth Theatre - Therapeutic Drama Sessions, Wilsons Creek • Big Scrub Music Healing, Casino • Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corp., Broken Head • Burringbar Community Association, Burringbar • Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, Knockrow • Heart2Heart Meal Distribution, Uki • Daisi Disability Services, Ballina • RED Disability, Lismore • Shed of Hope, Tabulam • It Takes a Town, Murwillumbah • Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond Programs, Mullumbimby • Byron Region Community College, Mullumbimby • Lismore Home Modification Service & Wellbeing, South Lismore • Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre, Mullumbimby • Natural Death Care Centre, Brunswick Heads • Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre, Lismore • NSW Wildlife Information Rescue & Education Service, Bonalbo • ReForest Now Environmental Flood Recovery, Brunswick Heads • Bangalow Community Children’s Centre, Bangalow • Liberation Larder, Byron Bay • Pure Bhakti Service Association, Murwillumbah • Lismore Challenge Ltd Recovery and Cleanup, East Lismore • Kyogle Together Inc., Kyogle

First residents move into ‘pod’ villages

Keys to housing ‘pods’ at the Wollongbar temporary accommodation site have been handed over to residents displaced by the unprecedented

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the moment marked an important milestone in the NSW Government’s $350 million housing response to assist around 25,000 households.

“These keys means so much more than the physical structure they unlock. They are a safe, affected community members while they undertake their own personal journey of deciding what’s next and beginning to rebuild,” Ms Cooke said.

“The Wollongbar site has the capacity to house up to 220 people and is just one of 12 locations across the Northern Rivers region slated to host ‘pod’ villages.”

Ms Cooke said the Wollongbar temporary accommodation site is located around 20 minutes from Lismore and Ballina.

Flood-affected community members seeking housing support are urged to contact Service NSW on 13 77 88, visit nsw.gov. Recovery Centre staff.

Nine temporary accommodation sites have been secured by the NSW Government across the Northern Rivers affected residents, with more to come.

The nine sites, which will be added to over the coming weeks, will have capacity for around 800 temporary modular homes known as ‘pods’ and will be located at: Wollongbar Sports Fields; Adjacent to Tweed Holiday Parks, Pottsville North; Bath Street, Wardell; Park Street, Evans Head; Booyong Street, Evans Head; Alphadale Street, Lindendale; Southern Cross University, Lismore; The corner of Wagner and Uralba Streets, Woodburn; and Lismore Golf Course, East Lismore.

Work has now commenced on a Crown Land site adjacent to the Tweed Holiday Parks at Pottsvile North. This location will accommodate up to 55 caravans.

The NSW Government is also working on longer-term housing solutions, such as the funding of social and Aboriginal housing.

“Leemo’s View”

“Leemo has views on just about anything”

The ‘MEANING’ of VALUE in a Cat’s eyes…

‘Rain, oh rain, OH please desist…‘cos I am feeling very… hmmm, pissxxd(off?) NUP, I meant MIFFED, that’s it.. MIFFED! ‘Leemo Cat’ here. Crikey, when will the yummy sun come back? My concern is, being stuck indoors, as ‘Mum Jane’ has a inclination to want Q&A sessions with me, OMG! Example. She went out the other day and found an Op. Shop open. She came home with 3 T-Shirts and one nightie. She asked me to ‘guess’ how much they all cost…were they good VALUE? Hmmm..to me they’re 2nd hand & shabby. I said “$10”. ‘Oh no Leems, you’re SO wrong.’ She was all excited ‘cos they only cost $8…oh whoopiee dooo..who cares! I ventured to inform her that someone with obviously heaps more loot in their Pensioner Deeming Account than her, recently paid $12.3 million for an old sweaty 2nd hand footie jersey owned by some bloke called Diego Maradona. OMG..she fainted. Upon recovery after a cup of tea and a ginger nut biscuit Mum told me we should seriously discuss the word VALUE and how it impacts our lives. (WHAT I’ve done to deserve this torture is beyond me…aaaaargh!) So, ‘Leems’, tell me in truth, what does VALUE mean to you? Hmmm…ponder ponder? ‘Well, Mum, VALUE to me, as the most excellent, handsome and only son of yours, MEANS that if my bowls have treats in them all the time, and I get 3 brushes daily, a spotless litter tray, neat bedroom, clean doona, and on my bed, well, there is VALUE in YOU as an exceptional value Mother’. I thought she was going to faint again but she pulled herself together . She gave me the ‘Stare of the Demon’. (loud voice happening!) Leemooo….everything you consider of VALUE is all about appalling.’ (Hmmm...I ain’t bovvered quite frankly.) My Lord, she’s started again. ‘Leems, VALUE is a bit more than about oneself…got it?’ (Oh Phish, I, Leemo Cat, don’t care!) ‘Leems, just listen. I purchased us a new stove the other day at great expense. AND, do you know, buying our new stove was the most ‘value-laden’ satisfying shopping experience I have had in many years. AND, Leems, it is because of the lady (Jodie) who assisted me. She believes in treating customers with VALUE. She had MY interests at heart, not her own. It was an edifying encounter. Whilst I knew already, I appreciated more than ever there are wonderful people like Jodie all around. Our was proof of that. SO, you self-serving cat, VALUE to me is kindness, care, appreciation, smiles and consideration… it is receiving honesty, help and integrity, not full food bowls. AND, if you think you’re getting ONE LICK of the sausage rolls I’m baking in our new oven…THINK AGAIN!’ “I” almost fainted with boredom at this point so I lay on my back with paws in air doing my OOORRRMMMM meditative hums thinking about my lunch treat. Byesie with purrsies…Leemo Cat. Richmond Valley Council’s Director Projects & Business Development Ben Zeller and General Manager Vaughan Macdonald check out the progress of the Reynolds Road redevelopment. Nine industrial-zoned lots available at Reynolds Road, Casino.

Sale of industrial land to boost job creation

In a bid to encourage job creation, Richmond Valley Council is selling nine industrial-zoned lots at Reynolds Road, Casino.

The lots, which are contained in the Richmond Valley Regional Job Precinct, range in size from 5000m2 to 5ha and were developed to attract employmentgenerating industries to the Richmond Valley. Improvement work throughout the precinct included road construction and the installation of water, sewer and power services.

The Regional Job Precinct offers improved planning pathways, such as cutting red and green tape with a 30-day target for planning approvals.

General Manager Vaughan Macdonald said Council had been looking for opportunities to create more local jobs in the area, and was prepared to pursue that objective through investment and development.

He said the Reynolds Road project would give Council a strong competitive advantage for companies locating to the area, in particular manufacturing businesses.

“Now more than ever, we need to be providing opportunities for growth in our community,” Mr Macdonald said.

“By providing the necessary lead-in infrastructure, we can help support emerging industries, as well as local companies looking to expand.

“A lot of our residents commute outside the

area for work, which is why the development of industrial land is yet another important step in building a strong Richmond Valley for the future, where people jobs closer to where they live.” Interested businesses are encouraged to submit an expression of interest for the purchase of these lots via Council’s website. Sales will be offered based on Council’s assessment of economic and job Casino. All expressions of interest will remain Terms of sale will be negotiable with Council’s focus being on the timely development of the land, and commencement of business operations.

Geophysical surveys to locate critical minerals across NSW

A new series of NSW Government funded geophysical surveys will take place in the state’s Central West, New England and Far West to gather detailed information that will help to uncover valuable critical minerals buried deep underground.

Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Resources Paul Toole said four surveys will be carried out by air and land, using a mix of cutting-edge technologies to reveal minerals buried up to several hundred metres beneath the surface.

Mr Toole said the new surveys mean the NSW Government is investing in the biggest program of geophysical data acquisition in the state’s history.

“Working closely with Geoscience Australia, we will deliver airborne gravity surveys in the Cobar Basin and New England, an airborne electromagnetic survey in Forbes-Dubbo and a seismic survey between Cobar and Ivanhoe,” Mr Toole said.

“We know that NSW is rich in critical minerals such as cobalt and zirconium and with the help of some of the world’s most advanced geophysical technology, it is possible to locate more of these highly sought after minerals.

“These new surveys will ultimately boost our knowledge of resource potential across a greater area of the state, and that means we can provide more quality data to industry to spur on new exploration and investment.”

Mr Toole said recent surveys carried out in the Central West have delivered signs of potential deposits of minerals such as gold, copper and zinc as well as what may be untapped groundwater.

Detailed underground mapping through the new surveys form part of a $16 million commitment over 10 years to unlocking the potential of the state’s natural resources and attracting investment.

Bye bye

birdies

Grafton Show poultry pavilion steward Barry Reeves with his latest Grafton Show champion, a Langshen in the soft feather bantam section. He caught the chook bug more than half a century ago. He’s won countless show prizes, judged hundreds of winners and run the poultry club, but this year he’s decided his fowls have to go.

TIM HOWARD

Grafton Show poultry steward Barry Reeves is about to do something people who know him can scarcely believe.

After more than six decades of breeding, raising, showing and judging poultry the 75-year-old chicken fancier is about to get rid of all his chooks.

A recent bout of ill-health, where he developed some breathing difficulties including a nasty cough and persistent bouts of tiredness, tipped him toward divesting himself of the flock.

“I”m giving it away, I’m selling all my chooks,” Barry said as he watched over the rows of caged bird at the Grafton Show earlier this month.

“I got a bit worried the problem might be something to do with keeping chooks.

“But I’m staying on here at the show and I’ll still be a member of the (Grafton) Poultry Club. I’ll stay on there.”

Barry is the club president and was preparing for the club’s next meeting even has worked at the show.

The decision to stay on at the show, where he is a senior vice president of the Clarence Pastoral & Agricultural Society Ltd, won’t make his decision any easier, as he found when assessing entries for this year’s event.

“I was looking at different fowls, thinking, ‘that one might right to breed from,” he said.

“Then I had to tell myself to get away from that line of thinking.”

Barry has been thinking that way since he was a boy.

“I’d always liked chooks and birds,” he said.

But the bug only really bit him after he was involved in a crash and had some time off work.

“I knew a bloke who always had good chooks and he gave me a couple of white leghorns,” he said.

“He said I should show them, so I washed them up and took them to a Maclean Show.”

To his shock his birds picked up a couple of prizes and also kick started his passion for breeding top quality fowls.

“You could say that was to blame for getting me started,” he said.

Barry soon learned the love of competition required a ton of commitment.

“If you wanted to compete, you had to have top fowls,” he said.

He said he picked up all his tips from the “old blokes” who had been showing chooks for decades.

“They had been doing it for years and had an amazing amount of knowledge about what it takes to breed good chooks,” he said.

“You’d go to a show and see a few and think ‘that looks like a good chook’ and give yourself a mental picture of what was a good chook and what wasn’t.

“I’d be asked these old blokes about everything they knew about how to breed better birds.”

Barry said he kept that up for years, but over time he noticed he had started to become the target of eager young poultry fans seeking knowledge.

“I thought to myself, ‘it looks like I’m the old bloke now,” he said.

Sadly he believes the arrival of the internet has led to a decline in the quality of birds from young breeders.

“When you bring a bird to show you’re seeing the peak of the quality fowls around at the time,” he said.

“You see all the different types breeds and what makes a good example of them and people are telling you what’s a good fowl and what isn’t.”

But he said looking at pictures and videos of birds on the internet was not the same.

“Now young breeders see a picture or a video of fowls on the internet and there’s no way they can tell for sure if it’s a top example of the breed,” Barry said.

“It’s all about standards and the standards at shows have been getting lower.”

Barry has gone out with a bang at the 2022 Grafton Show snaring a Champions award for with his Langshen in the Soft Feather Bantem category.

As a tip for anyone bitten by the chook fancier bug, he says the Langshen is the perfect fowl for beginners – as well as experts.

“They’re a lovely little chook,” he said. “They’re easy to handle and once they get used to it, kids can handle and pat them.”

Getting rid of all his birds is another concern.

“I don’t know how many birds I’ve got,” he said. “It’s not something I like to count.

“But I know it costs a lot to feed them.”

He said that money could now go on tanks of fuel for his car and caravan on a tour around Australia.

“Having to look after chooks keeps you at home. It will be good to be able to get away for a while.”

But he is a little worried about what will happen when the last cage is emptied.

“Not have fowls, it’s going to be different,” he said.

“But if I change my mind I’ve got mate, Ray Connor, who has good fowls and he would be able to help me get going.

“But I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Progress made on Scenic Drive landslip repair works

Progress is being made on works to repair two landslips on Scenic Drive at Bilambil Heights, with both geotechnical assessments

The final reports were received late last week and will allow Council to prepare tender documents to progress

Stage 1 of the geotechnical assessment confirmed the main slip near Simpson Drive remains unsafe and advised against reopening the road Council will continue to monitor both slips as recommended, particularly in light of current wet weather

As part of Stage 2 of the geotechnical assessment, testing was conducted onsite during reports on the big slip near Simpson Drive and the smaller slip near Warringa Drive have just been received by

Council’s Director Engineering David Oxenham said the reports were an essential first step in the repair

“These reports provide the technical basis upon which permanent solutions for these slips can be designed and built,” Mr Oxenham

“Council is now able to complete preparation of the tender documentation to release to the market later this month, who will then consider the geotechnical information and provide options back

“We expect pricing to be received in June, after which submissions will then seek approvals from Transport for NSW and Council to award the would then start design works, with construction

Mr Oxenham said Council was working as fast as possible to

“We understand the additional hardship and inconvenience the closure of Scenic Drive is having on residents, particularly those who live west of the slips at Bilambil Heights, Carool

“Unfortunately there is Drive, with the ongoing wet weather conditions and a shortage of experienced contractors exacerbating the

“We ask residents to remain patient, with diversions expected to remain in place for have prioritised the maintenance of detour routes via Bilambil Road and Terranora Road to ensure issues such as potholes are addressed as

Council estimates damage to the Tweed’s road network caused by the recent flood could cost more than $50 million and take up to 2 years to repair, with more than 2,000 repair

Regular updates on the progress of flood works are published on Council’s website roadworks-closures as well as through Council’s social media on current road closures,

Event organisers and community groups are encouraged to put their ‘thinking caps’ on and develop an event to support Tweed communities and businesses in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

As part of its Reconnecting Regional NSW Community Events Program, the NSW Government has provided a funding pool of $330,000 aimed at bringing the Tweed

For events to be eligible for funding, they must be: • open to the public • free to attend or a very small fee • designed to reconnect communities • be held before 23

Mayor of Tweed Chris Cherry said this initiative provided a wonderful opportunity for local

“The Tweed community has been hit hard over the past couple impact of COVID-19 and associated border closures, and then by February and March this

“I would love to see our communities coming back together to enjoy the things that make us happy and create a sense

“This funding, offered by the NSW Government, allows us to revive our events calendar and support the wonderful people who bring those events love to see professional event managers as well as community groups

“We are a close-knit community and thrive on connections to This funding is a very welcome support to the Tweed’s recovery

Examples of eligible events include: • festivals and fairs • sporting events • theatre programs • community markets • food and leisure events • community classes and workshops • community public holiday events

Applications must address the criteria and show how the event would rebuild community cohesion, deliver positive social outcomes and support

Details about how to lodge your plan will be

Registrations open for Community Reference Group

Ballina Shire Council is calling on locals who live or work in Lennox Head or Skennars Head to register their interest to join a Community Reference Group.

Lennox Head has change over the last decade. New subdivisions and housing we see today were planned for in the 2002 Lennox Head Community Aspirations Strategic Plan.

Council has resolved to make a new Lennox Head Strategic Plan 2023-2043 which will cover Lennox Head and Skennars Head from Fig Tree Hill in the North to the southern edge of the Aureus Estate in the south.

The Community Reference Group will play an important role in shaping this new strategic plan. The group will brainstorm the implications of key planning choices for the area and map these issues with Council staff. Members will also be in a prime position to offer and champion ideas to be developed into actions in the plan.

Planning choices are often tough because favouring one outcome can impact another due to the constrained nature of places. For example, a planning choice for more car parking could impact on available public land, or a planning choice for a new commercial area could have negative environmental impacts.

The Community Reference Group will help Council clarify the values and preferences of the Lennox Head community to inform the future planning choices that will make it into the new Lennox Head Strategic Plan.

It is important that a diversity of voices is represented on the Community Reference Group.

Selection of members will be based on: • Geographic location – Where members live or work • A balance of business and community representatives • Connections with local community groups

• A diversity of ages and backgrounds • Purpose for participation

Spaces limited. Members will be required to attend at least to be held between June and September. Each session will run for 2-3 hours. Register your interest by Friday 31 May at ballina.nsw. gov.au/LennoxHeadStrategicPlan

Expert calls for NAPLAN replacement

Professor Pasi Sahlberg, of Southern Cross University, says NAPLAN is outdated and in need of a compelling literacy and numeracy assessment alternative.

Considered a leading international expert on education systems, Prof Sahlberg works with governments around the world on better education reforms and improving teaching and learning in schools.

Debates about the validity of NAPLAN as the best way to assess literacy and numeracy for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 has dogged Australia’s national assessment since it was introduced in 2008.

“We should stop thinking that censusbased standardised testing – that is, to test all students of the age cohort – is the best way to go and that it alone can drive school improvement and strengthen equity,” said Prof Sahlberg, a former director general of the Finnish education system.

“We need to co-design a comprehensive assessment system that better serves the diverse needs of students, schools, and parents.

“NAPLAN has become a controversial part of Australian school life, for teachers and parents. Whereas in many other countries, for example Scotland, Singapore, Finland and Canada, national assessments have moved away from highstakes testing of basic knowledge as the sole metric of educational performance and put more emphasis on teacher-led assessments for broader learning.

“Australia is trailing the leading education nations with its outdated NAPLAN.

“The time is right for a redesigned national assessment system that combines sample-based national assessments with a modern program of classroom-based and school-led assessments. Research shows that it is teacher-led classroom assessment, and other school-based assessments, that hold the greatest potential for educational betterment for everyone.”

Temporary Lismore Service Centre opens

Residents of Lismore and surrounding areas can access vital NSW Government services at the local golf club, with doors now open at the new temporary Service NSW Centre.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello said the temporary centre is on Lismore Workers Golf Club at 1 Barham Street.

“Residents will have access to more than 1,000 NSW Government transactions just like the previous centre offered, as well as help applying and connecting to vital services,” Mr Dominello said.

“People can also apply for their driver licence with driving and driver knowledge tests available on weekdays.

“The centre will be open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm with staff looking forward to welcoming people back in store to help rebuild the community again.”

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said Service NSW staff are playing a key role in the recovery effort.

“Service NSW staff have been embedded in our dozens of Recovery Centres across the Northern Rivers since began and I’m pleased that such a wide range of Government services is now accessible in this central and easyto-access location,” Ms Cooke said.

“Flood-affected business owners can also use an online eligibility checker, which presents a list of grants most applicable to their situation so they can decide which one is best to apply for.”

The Small Business Northern Flood Grant, of up to $10,000, opened last week and helps to small business owners directly or indirectly

Applications will soon open for the Medium Business Grants of up affected businesses employing more than 20 people, and where insurance or other Government support does not cover the costs.

For more, visit the Service NSW website.

Candidates show different appetite for change

TIM HOWARD

As the clock winds down to Saturday’s 2022 Federal Election all 10 candidates for the seat of Page came to Grafton last week to meet the community.

The message from nine of the 10 candidates was the need for change, while the incumbent was happy to stand on the government’s record.

The event, organised by local community radio station Life FM and Clarence Media, attracted about 30 people, but was also broadcast live on social media, where it still can be viewed.

Event MC Damian Fisher, from Life FM103.1, said the plan was to ask 16 questions targeted at different candidates, but because issues, this had been curtailed.

“I think that was the right thing to do,” he said. response to them has been our main issue at the moment,” he said.

The audience also took an opportunity to quiz the candidates, with questions around integrity in politics and renewable energy policy.

On the issues of dealing emergencies responses ranged from total engineering solutions to environmental and adaptive solutions including moving communities to new sites land.

Mr Hogan revealed a $15 billion plan based on CSIRO research to build holding dams that would contain large amounts released later when the

“The research shows these structures could cut peaks,” he said.

Mr Hogan also said these plans would be fully funded, because “money was no object” when it came to

The Greens candidate, Kashmir Miller was delighted to hear that money was not an issue, but took issue with a totally engineered solution.

“The response has to be mitigation and adaptive,” she said. “Discussion cannot go further without community consultation on these matters.”

Ms Miller said environmental factors and the opportunity for communities to plan a to be considered.

Independent candidate Dr Hanabeth Luke response to emergencies based on what the region had learned from both emergencies.

She said better early warning systems were necessary as well as providing emergency services with better information about the areas they worked in.

She said this also had to extend to returning control of local emergency services, such as the SES, to people who had local knowledge.

Dr Luke also said there had to be a faster and more sensitive response for the community dealing with the trauma resident.

She said mental health issues had become one of the most distressing results of the recent crises.

The TNL candidate, Serge Killingbeck said the response should include encouraging people to move away

“Surely some of the response could be plain,” he said.

Indigenous – Aboriginal Party candidate Brett Duroux said the behaviour of the had revealed issues with upgrade.

He said what happened at Corindi was a “nightmare” for the local people and the water had “gone everywhere but to the right places”.

Questions about the economic performance of the government and what should be done about the level of debt also drew a range of response.

Mr Hogan said he was proud of the government response and the way the economy had recovered “post Covid”.

He pointed to low and strong economic growth, but didn’t favour higher taxes as a way to bring down the debt level.

To catch up on full coverage of the event, go to https:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v=694mknHeZvI

Kashmir Miller The Greens The Green’s Kashmir Miller had to overcome a shaky start, confusing South Grafton for Kyogle when she began speaking. Northern Rivers resident who had progressed through the public education system and was studying law with honours at Southern Cross University.

Ms Miller said what made her stand out as a candidate was her desire to represent the next generation in the political debate.

“What we have experienced here in the Page electorate in the last for me,” she said.

“It’s something that has scared me for 10 years, since I was 12 and started hearing about climate change.”

Patrick Deegan Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party candidate for Page Patrick Deegan contrasted the future school leaver, with what confronted a person of that age today.

He said he was able to got to TAFE for free and attend Southern Cross University at low cost, where he completed a degree that enable him to begin a career in social work. today doesn’t have the same opportunity today as I had,” he said.

“They can’t go to TAFE for free, their employment is insecure, their wages have gone down, cost of living has gone up and it’s harder and harder for people to keep a roof over their head, to put food on the table.”

Brett Duroux Indigenous – Aboriginal Party of Australia Aboriginal Party of Australia candidate Brett key, yarning approach to his introduction.

With Bundjalung, Gumbainggir and Yaegl ancestry Mr Duroux has roots in the three Aboriginal peoples of the electorate.

Sick of the way his people have been treated, Mr Duroux has entered the political arena to

“You can get promised anything and everything,” he said.

“I’m just going to be true to my word.

“They’ve got nothing I want. We’ve got everything they want.

“That’s the whole point, this land is that beautiful and rich, they’re trying to sell it off to … them others.”

He said the positive message was how much his people loved everything to do with this land.

“They seem to forget we’re people who have an opinion and I’m out to change that,” he said.

Mr Duroux said the campaigning experience in Page had largely been enjoyable, getting to meet new people, but some of the stories he’d heard “ain’t been too good”.

Kevin Hogan The Nationals Sitting member and Nationals candidate Kevin Hogan said politics had not been on his agenda in the early part of his adult life.

But as his family grew older Mr Hogan began to get more involved in the community and wished to begin advocating for aspects of the community he was involved.

“I started to meet politicians and I started to say I want to advocate for things in my community,” he said.

“I joined The Nationals, I liked the fact their philosophy was that of a centre right party, but also its sole focus, its main reason for existence, is to focus on regional Australia.

“We’re the only party that when we go into our party room all we’re talking about is how does this affect regional Australia and I love this aspect of it.”

Mr Hogan also drew attention to the nature of the event and how Australians were fortunate we lived in a country with a healthy, democratic system.

Hanabeth Luke Independent Southern Cross University lecturer Dr Hanabeth Luke’s work with farmers on regenerative agriculture on what she described as the “front line” of dealing with climate change, is what convinced her to run as an independent.

“I worked a lot with farmers and talked to me a lot about what it is like to be on the front line of climate change,” she said.

“That very day, I was marking my students’ assessments. It was bringing me to tears how awful it was for them.

“That same day Barnaby Joyce said we can’t afford to cut our emissions because it’s going to hurt farmers too much.

“At that moment I knew that this party was not representing the interests of our region.

“Now we’re all on the front line of this climate disruption.” Independent and was “proud of that”.

She said to be eligible for funding she had to provide evidence she met its three requirements. community group behind me,” she said. “That’s the Voices for Page group.

“Also that I was funded from the community and also that I promise to act with integrity.”

Serge Killingbeck TNL Candidate for TNL Serge Killingbeck said his party’s twin focus on climate change and a need for an integrity commission were interlinked.

He has come to politics from a wide background, but in the 1990s began studying sustainability in

“That led me to climate change and I’ve been there ever since,” he said.

He said the chance to affect change if elected to parliament was his reason to “stop banging his head against a brick wall”.

“I wanted to put myself in a position to do things to make things better,” he said.

“We’ve just seen the result of climate change. I was out there on that Monday.”

He said his party’s goal of net zero emissions by 2030 was the only way the planet can achieve a target of getting to an emissions level of 1.5 industrial emissions in

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