THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 30 #01 Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Byron Bay al Writers Festiv in m ra g Pro this issue
www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
Y O U R W E E K LY I N S T R U M E N T O F P E R S U A S I O N
CAB AUDIT
Vale Geoff Neighbouring seawall How to lose Beautiful The Good Williams causes house to fall an argument You Life – p5 into ocean – p9 – p10 – p14–15 – p17–19
It’s either rate rises or paid parking: GM A seemingly innocuous mayoral minute turned into a one-hour debate at last Thursday’s Council meeting, with tempers flaring over whether to include businesses into a report on paid parking vouchers for residents. Mayor Simon Richardson was seeking councillor support for staff to provide further information and options regarding the resident parking coupons when paid parking takes effect in Byron’s CBD later in the year. With widespread resident concern over the four-fold increase in the cost of the coupons (currently $25), Council are in a tight squeeze. During debate, general manager Ken Gainger gave councillors a stark choice: either raise business/ residential rates or introduce paid parking across the board. ‘Our capacity to tinker with exemptions is limited,’ he said, and reminded councillors of pressures from the state government to adhere to its Fit for the Future regime. And heated debate erupted after the mayor refused to incorporate Cr Rose Wanchap’s suggestion that business concerns be included within the report’s terms of reference. She maintained that businesses are very worried that such measures will make trading conditions harder. The Echo asked the mayor why he was unsupportive of including business concerns within the report. He replied, ‘As I was seeking a report to be presented that looks at the resident paid parking coupon so the continued on page 3
Online in
netdaily
Red faces after Nationals CSG move aborted www.echo.net.au/red-faces-afternational-partys-csg-move-aborted
Very important Earth mission CCTV by summer
Local eleven-year-old Earth ambassador Holley Somerville-Knott has just returned from Sydney where she spoke at United Nations World Environment Day. Now she’s planning to launch a global initiative called The Global Care Project to inspire kids to care about the planet, each other and themselves. Holley’s mum Karol, pictured, says, ‘Holley has Miranda Kerr’s mum as the ambassador for this, and Oprah Winfrey’s head of production will be involved in this project too!’ See more at www.holleysomerville.com. Photo Jeff Dawson
Up to 22 new cameras and lighting, funded by a $200,000 federal grant, will be in place for the peak summer holiday season later this year, according to Council. Cameras will be installed in eight locations, from Apex Park at the beachfront, down Jonson Street to Railway Park and the transport hub (ending at Marvell Street). While the project is expected to help improve public safety and address antisocial behaviour, opponents say the cameras are an intrusion of privacy and would not prevent violent alcohol-fuelled assaults, which the town has gained a reputation for. Council has estimated that maintenance costs could be up to $50,000 each year, but staff say partners to help fund the cameras’ ongoing cost were being investigated. A CCTV Code of Practice has been completed and is available on Council’s website www.byron.nsw.gov.au/cctv.
Unrehearsed theatrics enthrall chamber gallery Hans Lovejoy
Even before a two-hour marathon Belongil rock wall debate began at last Wednesday’s extraordinary meeting, councillor Sol Ibrahim took exception to pecuniary-interest heckles from the gallery and exlaimed, ‘I’ve been accused of being corrupt!’ So why are we back here again? Cr Duncan Dey (Greens) called a snap meeting outside the usual
schedule to again debate whether the long-suffering Interim Beach Access Stabilisation (IBAS) works should go ahead. Of course it should, voted Crs Woods, Ibrahim, Hunter and Cubis, who were met by obligatory boos from a well-attended gallery. But did we learn anything new? Well, yes and no. Throughout debate it was open slather, with Cr Cubis launching a rambling anti-Greens tirade on one hand while Cr Woods made the remarkable admission that
she was a climate change sceptic. Regardless, it’s all going ahead before a coastal zone management program (CZMP) is in place. Why is that and does it matter? Staff say that a draft CZMP is due to be completed in March/April next year, and there were strong suggestions from Crs Cubis and Wanchap that waiting that long will result in nothing getting done; by that time a new crop of councillors would have been elected, who may continue
with the planned retreat policy. When pressed by Cr Spooner on why he wouldn’t wait for the CZMP, Cr Ibrahim replied angrily, ‘Because this is a piece of public land, which is provided under the infrastructure SEPP… it is lawful. The only reason we are extending this to a private property is because we have a court order. I wish we didn’t have that, but we have it. Other than that, it is public assets… [it is] a public road, continued on page 3