THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 28 #32 Tuesday, January 21, 2014 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
23rd INTERNATIONAL SHORT-FILM FESTIVAL CAB AUDIT
CALAMITOUS CRIMINALS COMMONLY WEAR TIES, NOT TATTOOS
Living is better What climate Christopher still Australia Day Back to School struggles with his celebrations in Byron style than the alternative change? – p22–23 – p16–17 – p18–20 schooling – p10 – p25
The summit is just a halfway point…
Pages 14 & 15
Byron Shire Council Notices Page 43
What’s it cost to run for Council? Where the money came from, where it went Hans Lovejoy
With a firm grip on reality, climber Haley Reynolds – and photographer – try out the brand new Circus Arts indoor climbing wall at the Byron industrial estate. Photo Jeff ‘Not A Social Climber’ Dawson
Bolger’s North Coast Holiday Parks debacle continues Brunswick Heads residents expressed their anger, disappointment, confusion and frustration last Wednesday at the state-appointed manager who is behind controversial plans to upgrade the town’s three public caravan parks and four Crown coastal reserves. Several local mums were shocked to learn from NSW Crown Holiday Parks Trust (NCHPT) manager Jim Bolger that under the plans for The Terrace Holiday Park, public access along the Simpsons Creek foreshore, or even through the park,
will be closed off or restricted. The plan involves erecting a 1.8-metre-high steel mesh fence all around the boundary of that park, shutting out locals altogether. Other complaints by the public ranged from unanswered emails and phone call enquiries to Mr Bolger and a holiday park manager’s poor attitude toward locals. It comes as Mr Bolger has been appointed media contact for his corporation while also refusing to answer questions on the planned eviction of the Brunswick Buccaneer boat hire
business and a percieved conflict of interest, because his holdiay parks also hire boats. Adding to the chorus of residents critical of Mr Bolger’s management is Byron councillor Di Woods. She told The Echo, ‘I believe it was the most lacklustre attempt at community consultation I have witnessed, and was not transparent at all.’ ‘I think that it should have been held in the community centre, with a presentation to the community and continued on page 2
‘Money has never made man happy, nor will it,’ said Benjamin Franklin, ‘there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants.’ But money is needed to win elections; it buys you ink on paper and airwaves on radio and TV. And while incomparable in size and scale to state and federal election budgets, local government candidate donation and expenditure disclosures reveal the same transparency issues: donors can remain anonymous by contributing under $1,000 while fundraising event donations are also anonymous. As the political donation disclosures are now public, what does it cost to run as a party in a local government election?
Greens As a state-registered political party, The Byron Greens’ disclosure is not recorded alongside other parties. So unless you ask, there’s no way of knowing what was donated or spent. But Byron Greens treasurer Wayne Smith seemed happy enough to tell The Echo that $2,577 was donated to the party by eight local people, all under the $1,000 amount. ‘$2,000 was raised from raffles,’ he said. ‘The Byron Greens members contributed $7,000,’ he added, ‘and the total came to $12,018.10.’
As for expenditures, fundraising cost them $500 and advertising was spread across the two weekly papers. The Echo ads cost them $2,757 while Byron News was just under $600. $900 was spent with Bay FM and signage totalled $559. Other costs included $600 on a Byron Bay pop-up shop as campaign HQ. The Byron Greens membership is around 100–120, Mr Smith added, and he agreed that there would be more transparency if registered political parties disclosed reports locally rather than sending them to state branch headquarters. Mayor Simon Richardson, along with Crs Duncan Dey and Rose Wanchap, were all elected on the Greens ticket.
Cr Sol Ibrahim Cr Ibrahim’s Vision In Action team reported no donations of any kind except his own, which totalled $3,867. But the campaign cost $11,797, and like Crs Cameron and Spooner, he managed to secure only himself a seat in Council. When asked about the donations, Cr Ibrahim said, ‘I received about two dozen donations. All were below the reportable threshold from local residents who were of course not developers, or involved in gaming or liquor, as per AEC rules. And when asked who were Cr Ibrahim’s main backers, he replied, ‘It is a bit mischievous to imply that I or other councillor had “major continued on page 2