THE BYRON SHIRE
The
Volume 28 #39 Tuesday, March 11, 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
CAB AUDIT
Arts HISTORY IS A RACE BET WEEN EDUCATION AND DISASTER: HG WELLS
Mungo The best It’s not More Belongil Newest of Ex-Byron speaks president talks damn gig kerfuffle the new for Mandy’s – p8 – p10 you – p12 fault – p15 guide – p19 bypass – p5
Bikies face crackdown Police have asked the Tweed and Byron Bay liquor accords to not admit motorcycle gang members who wear gang colours or related paraphernalia to their venues. It’s a move that appears to be aimed not just at local gang members but those coming down from QLD. Byron Accord chair, Hannah Spalding, told The Echo that some venues already have such policies in place, and that ‘members of the Accord that were asked were happy to support the request.’ ‘While we were one short of a quorum at the last Accord meeting, I expect it will be officially supported when we meet again in April.’ Meanwhile, Labor federal and state MPs Justine Elliot and Walt Secord are asking why north coast state Nationals MPs have been ‘denying the presence of bikie gangs,’
in light of the announcement. Mr Secord said, ‘The comments by senior police are very embarrassing for National Party parliamentarians, who said that have repeatedly denied the presence of bikie gangs.’ Inspector Jim Kain from Tweed/ Byron Local Area Command told The Echo the push was part of a statewide general trend. He confirmed that two club houses remaining in the region belong to the Mongols at Chinderah and Odin’s Warriors in South Tweed Heads. The Nomads bikie clubhouse in Byron Bay’s industrial estate inexplicably burnt down last month. And when asked about reports of police helicopters operating in the Byron Shire hinterland last week, he said he was only aware of those carried out a few weeks ago. ‘I would expect to be informed if there were.’
Byron Shire Council Notices Page 32–33
It’s a nude pedal!
This year’s Byron Bay leg of the World Naked Bike Ride thankfully went ahead despite some false starts. Echo reporter and participant Chris Dobney said, ‘It had all the hallmarks of a washout when we walked onto the station and found eight artists and two people, still dressed standing by their bicycles looking somewhat
forlorn. But by 12.30pm the rain had stopped, sky had cleared and the sun was blazing. Soon after 2pm some 50-odd illustrated bodies took to the streets with (nothing but) bells on’. Photo Jeff Dawson Q See Sharon Shostak’s video of the Nimbin bike ride – echo.net.au/?p=87921 at
Rural landowners victims of bureaucratic blunder Hans Lovejoy
The newly formed state government department tasked to advise and manage rural lands on behalf of landowners has been forced to apologise to members after letters were sent with wrong and missing information. Local Land Services (LLS) blamed administration errors for the mistakes, which saw the election postal ballot package to members containing the wrong information for three candidates and the omission of a ‘holding number’, which assists in identifying and registering members hoping to enrol. And the missing holding number appears to be a statewide flub, after
the media spokesperson at head office in Tamworth confirmed it with The Echo. But it remains unclear what, if any statewide response was made to the mistake. Byron Shire rural landowner Alan Goldstein told The Echo that when he received the LLS election pack, it was ‘structured in a way to maximise the ways you could turn your vote into an informal one’, and that without careful examination, there are ‘numerous ways you could make a small mistake or omission.’ Goldstein says that more people will be disenfranchised with LSS, ‘because they will not bother to telephone to get their number.’ ‘The office person said their of-
fice thought this process was being severely mishandled.’ Local Land Services (LLS) replaced the Livestock Health and Pest Authority (LHPA) and Catchment Management Authority (CMA) from the start of the year and was calling on landowners to enrol to vote on a new board.
MP controls board And, like previous incarnations, Goldstein says, ‘LSS beginning to look as if it will continue in the tradition of not actually producing any real outcomes for the money it collects while performing its functions in an entirely unprofessional way.’ ‘The problem with making such criticisms is that it only seems to lead
to another review and name change with no real difference occurring.’ Further criticism of the LSS is that the NSW minister for primary industries controls 58 per cent of the vote, effectively negating any democratic accountability. But a spokesperson for NSW minister for primary industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, told The Echo that, ‘it was appropriate’ that the minister controls the board. ‘The funding base is one-third from the ratepayer, while two-thirds of the funding comes from federal and state government. ‘It’s important the minister has a say on how the board runs.’ When asked if he was aware of the statewide mailout blunder, the
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spokesperson said he wasn’t. So what will the Local Land Services do for rural landowners? While specifics are vague, the new government body claims it will bring together ‘agricultural production advice, biosecurity, natural resource management and emergency management.’ As for accountability, LSS uses language on its website such as ‘administering, developing, implementing, delivery, communicating, consulting and engaging,’ while they are also ‘preparing State Strategic Plans and Local Strategic Plans.’ Education and training will also be part of their services, but comes without further explanation. For more visit www.lls.nsw.gov.au or the class action against it: llsclassaction.com.
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