THE BYRON SHIRE
new
Living Feature
Volume 28 #06 Tuesday, July 16, 2013 Phone 02 6684 1777 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week CAB AUDIT North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
Inside Community rallies for family whose house this was lost by fire– p7 week
pages 20–24
A S K N O T W H AT Y O U R E C O S Y S T E M C A N D O F O R Y O U
Dirty But Clean High voltage rock n Holiday letting roll, plus ambient to star at kerfuffle keeps letters – p25–29 festival – p19 pages full – p13
Byron Shire Council Notices Pages 44-45
MP Stoner Q&A Deputy premier Andrew Stoner answers questions on caravan parks, the referendum and land rights Hans Lovejoy
His appearance was over within two minutes. Flanked by local NSW Nationals MP Don Page and federal Labor MP Justine Elliot, deputy premier and NSW Nationals leader Andrew Stoner stopped in Byron Shire for a quick spruiking of the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale highway upgrade. Following are answers in full to questions posed by The Echo.
Surfing Tara’s bubbly rivers Ash Grunwald reckons a river belching methane from CSG mining isn’t safe, ever. Photo Scott Owen Eve Jeffery
Like a scene from Mad Max meets Fern Gully, protesters made the trek to the remote property of Dayne Pratzky at Wieambilla in the middle of the Kenya Gasfield near Tara, for Dayne’s Party last Saturday. About 250 performers, speakers, media and guests gathered at the farm to show their support for the families living in the Kenya Gasfield of the Surat Basin. The aim of the event was to alert the nation and world to the CSG mining opposition of many residents in the area. Musicians Ash Grunwald, Kevin Borich, Reg Mombassa, Luke Vassella, Pete Doherty of Dog Trumpet, The Round Mountain Girls and Diana Anaid, along with many others, travelled to Wieambilla. Protesters also sent a photo message as part of a social media campaign to show support for Jonathan Moylan. Mr Moylan has been charged by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) after allegedly sending a hoax press release to media claiming a $1.2 billion loan from ANZ to a Whitehaven Coal project had been cancelled on ethical grounds. Mr Moylan has been charged with the making of false or misleading statements, which is a breach of the Corporations Act. But when The Echo spoke to ASIC about the charges, a spokesperson said they were yet to make an an-
nouncement and they would release information after the case went to court on July 23. During the weekend’s party, event organisers Nick Hanlon and Amanda Shoebridge announced that they had joined forces with music promoter Annie Wright to form ‘Aussies Against Fracking,’ which will be a vehicle to enable members of the entertainment industry to voice their opposition to coal seam gas mining.
Aussies Against Fracking forms A panel of six, including Lock the Gate Alliance president Drew Hutton, also addressed the crowd and said that united, the alliance was able to shift Metgasco from the northern rivers. ‘It’s just too bad we weren’t here two years ago’, he said. ‘Maybe we could have stopped this at the start.’ The climax of the party came on Sunday morning when a group of about 30 trudged through two kilometres of bush to witness how fracking has changed a section of the Condamine River. Removing his muso hat and donning that of the environmental activist, Ash Grunwald grabbed a wettie, board and gas mask and swam into the methane bubbles to draw attention to this aberration. Nearby, farmers heckled the group and made threats to call the police. Some of the group said they heard gun shots as they left the area.
The Echo revealed last week that the NSW government’s take-over from Byron Council of three Brunswick Heads caravan parks in 2006 has stripped at least $600,000 a year from Byron Council’s operating funds. Would you support giving back the parks’ management to Byron Council given this evidence? ‘Revenues from Crown holiday parks are for return to the Crown reserves system, not council general revenue. ‘The revenues from the Brunswick Heads holiday parks are invested in the parks themselves, the adjoining reserves or into the Crown reserve system in the region.
Due to the North Coast Holiday Park Trust’s good management, revenues have increased since the parks were brought under the trust’s control. Therefore, the parks will not be returned to Council’s management.’ Given the first question, what is the NSW coalition’s reasoning to reject constitutional recognition of local government? Why isn’t direct funding from the feds to councils a more streamlined and transparent method of tax distribution? ‘The NSW government does not support the proposed referendum as there is no clear evidence of deficiency in the existing financial frameworks. Section 96 of the Constitution already provides an effective channel for Commonwealth funding to local government and there is no cost to government and no inefficiency in section 96 grants being made through the states. Should there be any perceived problems with the current framework, administrative changes should be explored prior to constitutional amendments.’ continued on page 2
Deputy premier Andrew Stoner pictured last Wednesday at the Ewingsdale highway worksite. Photo Jeff ‘Media Scrum And Scum’ Dawson
RAKO
Quique Neira
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