THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 28 #43 Tuesday, April 8, 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
School
Holidays See pages 18–19 A L AC K O F R E L E VA N C E W I L L N E V E R S TO P U S
CAB AUDIT
Mungo assesses the ICJ whale outcome – p10
Is the mayor guilty of What’s new The arts are The pinups murdering the English in town – thriving – are back here – p43 p24–25 p17 language? – p14
Byron Shire Council Notices Page 42–43
Bruns boat given It’s raining babies in Mullum a year to float Botched boat eviction plans by bureaucrat change to year lease for Bruns Buccaneer Hans Lovejoy
The tedious and complicated bureaucracy that nearly sank Brunswick Buccaneer boat hire may soon be over. Well, for a year at least. The Echo reported earlier this year that the manager of the NSW government-run North Coast Holiday Parks (NCHP), Jim Bolger, inexplicably tried to evict the 30-year old business and its operator Ilan Schnitzler a year ago with just four days’ notice. It came without explanation and Mr Bolger told The Echo at the time, ‘the Trust will not take part in discussing licence or legal issues through the media’. But in a turnaround, Mr Schnitzler told The Echo that Mr Bolger had a ‘completely changed attitude,’ at their recent meeting, and agreed to allow the boat hire business to continue for a year. And as the licence makes no guarantees past 12 months, Mr Schnitzler’s solicitor, Claire Lovejoy, told The Echo it was possibly because of the NCHP’s controversial plan of management (POM) for the township, which is yet to be determined. Interestingly, when on exhibition the POM did not include the Brunswick Buccaneer in the plan or maps and instead promoted a decking area at the site. As for the way in which Mr Schnitzler had to navigate the bureaucratic smoke and mirrors, be prepared for layers of confusing regulation.
While NSW government departments all appear to share responsibility of issuing permits to access the creek, Mr Schnitzler was advised that NCHP controls the embarkation point at Banner Park. At the high-water mark. Still with us?
Smoke and mirrors Now that a licence has been signed by NCHP, he has to go back to Crown Lands, NSW Marine Parks and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) to get the technical tick to legally operate. ‘Previously the departments indicated that permits would be granted after NCHP gave the licence,’ said Ms Lovejoy. ‘Now it appears some of these departments are dragging their heels with emails unanswered for over a month.’ Mr Bolger, who is also NCHP’s media contact, was asked by The Echo for comment on the reversal of his previous eviction intentions but as of deadline there has been no reply. NCHP controversially took control from Council of public parks and reserves in 2006, and The Echo previously reported that the state government took that revenue away from Council. Additionally, the community became enraged at Mr Bolger’s plans to fence off public lands in the town. Disclosure: Mr Schnitzler’s solicitor is a relative of the reporter.
Q
Photo & Story Eve Jeffery
A deluge of babies flooded the Mullum hospital just last month. The hospital’s birth centre recorded the highest number of births in March since the introduction of its ‘caseload’ model of care four years ago. With 22 babies birthed, the extra influx occurred as some of the tots arrived early at the end of the month, while others took their time and turned a late February due date into early March.
The Mullumbimby Birth Centre offers maternity care for healthy women with a choice of one-to-one midwifery care or shared care with one of the local GP obstetricians. Women can choose to birth in the birth centre or have a publicly funded home birth, with many women also choosing to have a water birth. To celebrate the record, 13 of the cohort from last month caught up with each other and posed for a photo before heading back to the boob and bed. For more information about the birth centre call 6684 2217.
Mining impacts on local water raised The possible contamination of waterways from gas mining at the proposed Bentley site, just west of Lismore, has sparked a motion by Greens Cr Duncan Dey for this Thursday’s council meeting. Cr Dey, who is also a councillor of water authority Rous Water, warns that Metgasco’s attempts to extract tight sands gas from prime
agricultural lands could have ‘catastrophic impacts.’ He says in the upcoming council agenda for April 10 that the risks have ‘not been adequately investigated’. Additionally, Rous Water, which supplies water to Lismore, Ballina, Richmond Valley and Byron LGAs, has called on the state government to prevent gas exploration in areas
it is planning to explore for underground water sources. It comes as the state government recently announced a six-month freeze on all new CSG explorations.
Substantial risk Cr Dey wrote, ‘My view is that the risk to water quality is substantial continued on page 2