THE BYRON SHIRE
Health & Beauty
Volume 28 #17 Tuesday, October 1, 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
Inside this week
P18-19 CAB AUDIT
THE CUPID STUNTS ARE ALL IN GUVERNUNCE
Meet the MP keeping Mullum wi-fi controversy afloat in a sea of – p11 lobbyists – p7
All about Hot licks and Boomerang cosmic chords in Festival – p26–27 Gigsville – p29
Byron Shire Council Notices Page 42
Roll up, roll up, it’s festival week What’s behind the great gas shortage scare? Hans Lovejoy
Popeyed, those spinach munching strongmen who wowed audiences at the 2001 Circus festival, are back for this week’s Mullum Circus Festival from October 4 to 6. But it doesn’t stop there – the long weekend will also see the Boomerang festival being held at the Bluesfest site and will feature acclaimed Indigenous artists. Meanwhile there will be yoga galore at Evolve on Saturday October 5 at the Byron Bay Public School. Photo Jeff ‘Look Ma, One Hand, Many Festivals’ Dawson
Whian forest protest into third week The brouhaha over logging old growth on private property adjacent to the Whian Whian forest just west of Byron Shire has entered into its third week, with campaigners continuing with non-violent blockades against the destruction by the NSW Forestry Corporation. A logging track that was overseen by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) last week has also come under fire. The logging road was built by the Forestry Corporation and, according to the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA), is within what should have been 20-metre exclusion zones around two koala highuse trees and the endangered plant Slender Marsdenia. NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said Minister Parker’s promise in Lismore on Tuesday about ensuring protection of koala habitat there ‘has been proven
to be an empty promise’. Mr Pugh said NEFA called on the EPA a week ago to issue a stop-work order after a survey in the vicinity of a proposed logging road on the property had found 70 threatened plants and eight koala high-use trees, which each required a 20-metre exclusion zone be established around them.
EPA oversees Forestry operations ‘Rather than stopping work the EPA decided to supervise the Forestry Corporation’s marking of an alternative track that was constructed on Wednesday,’ he said. ‘Volunteer botanists found the endangered vine Slencontinued on page 2
Unified government and industry rhetoric regarding a looming liquid natural gas (LNG) shortage has increased after the NSW government’s Energy Security Summit was held last week in Sydney. The pro-coal-and-gas message was loud and clear, while little to no mention was made of renewable options. NSW resources and energy minister Chris Hartcher said in his opening address, ‘Coal and gas contribute over 90 per cent of NSW’s energy needs,’ but, ‘still gives us the best opportunity to get back to energy security… Alternative sources of energy that could take the place of gas are not ready to come online.’ Adding to the pressure to drill is new coalition federal industry minister Ian Macfarlane, who told media last week the production of CSG in NSW is his number one priority. Meanwhile corporations are also ramping up against opposition to gas production; on their website, gas giant AGL threatened the public that: ‘Continuing to say “no” to natural gas development in NSW will have significant consequence for industry, manufacturers and households in that state.’ But is this just gold-plated rhetoric from fossil fuel companies eager to tap the lucrative overseas market? So far many of the talking points have not differentiated domestic and export markets, making the argument for expansion vague and potentially misleading. According to a report by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), NSW is way behind in LNG pro-
jects compared to other states and is only supplying five per cent of its own supply. ‘Historical low-priced domestic gas contracts will progressively expire over the next five years. Contract replacement activity is expected to peak in QLD in 2015−16, and in NSW and Victoria in 2018… the expiration of low-priced contracts and their renegotiation in a market exposed to global prices will continue to place pressure on domestic prices.’ However AER’s State of the energy market 2012 released last December also goes on to say that domestic demand for the state is not increasing. ‘Gas flows into NSW from July 2008 to July 2012 appear to be steady, that is no fluctuation.’ But a solution offered to protecting NSW from the expected 2018 gas price hike comes from NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham. In a SMH opinion piece last week, he suggests the government, ‘regulate the gas market so that domestic gas demand is fulfilled before LNG exports are allowed.’ He added Western Australia has already implemented this. ‘Australians should not have to pay the price because these large gas companies have gambled in investing in LNG export terminals and export contracts before having secured a social licence or approvals to extract massive amounts of coal seam gas.’ The Echo asked Mr Hartcher’s office if Mr Buckingham’s suggestion would ensure energy security for the state and the reply was, ‘Given NSW produces just five per cent of its gas needs, Mr Buckingham would be wise to point out what gas continued on page 3