THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 30 #17 Wednesday, October 7, 2015
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Why are we still Your live Asylum Letters Service fighting in the music needs seeker to the ed directory Middle East? – p10 satisfied – p33 forum – p8 – p11 – p34–38
Online in netdaily Coalition to accelerate battery storage for Aussie households www.echo.net.au/coalition-to-acceleratebattery-storage-for-aussie-households
Walker to run again for Richmond
Sculptures hit Bruns
Further to Greens leader Richard Di Natale’s appearance in Byron Shire last week comes the announcement that Dawn Walker (Greens) will contest the next federal election for the seat of Richmond. Dr Di Natale speculated at his event that an election is likely soon, owing to prime minister Turnbull not wanting to present a budget just yet, given the last two were poorly received. Richmond covers roughly Tweed and Byron Shires, and the last 2013 election saw Labor’s Justine Elliot claim 33.51 per cent of the vote, while Nationals candidate Matthew Fraser gained 37.6 per cent. But Mrs Elliot won the seat after preferences were counted; Greens’ candidate Dawn Walker picked up 17.69 of the vote, while Palmer United candidate Dr Phillip Allan claimed 7.46 per cent. Results sourced from www.results.aec.gov.au.
Bubble–Fountain Of Zero came into its own in Saturday’s late afternoon light. Pamela Lee Brennaer and Johannes Muljana’s work was one of 46 works that intrigued and surprised the thousands around Bruns as part of the sculpture walk. Photo Jeff Dawson
New Hospital waste to be Council’s responsibility Hans Lovejoy
Sewerage arrangements for Byron Central Hospital have been decided, with NSW Health Infrastructure set to plug into Byron’s sewage treatment plant (STP) instead of disposing of waste onsite. Eventually that treated waste will finish up in Belongil Creek and the ocean. The decision to negotiate hospital waste was delegated to staff at a meeting held October 9, 2014, with
staff asked to ‘set the design parameters required for the rising main to service the [hospital].’
Approval authority But the clarity behind who approved it is unclear, with staff saying that ‘the decision to connect to the sewer line was a Health Department decision.’ Yet a Health Infrastructure spokesperson told The Echo that, ‘Connecting the sewage pumping
like
station used by surrounding lots and the broader Ewingsdale community was discussed with, and approved by, Byron Shire Council. As there is ample capacity for this solution, there is no need for an onsite treatment plant.’ Nevertheless, Greens Cr Duncan Dey, who is also a civil engineer, has raised a few concerns, and believes that laying pipes from the hospital to the STP will enable a considerable expansion of Ewingsdale, with future developments be-
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ing able to use the pipe. He told The Echo that, ‘Best practice would be to establish the sewerage arrangements before committing to the project.’ ‘Government responsibility should not end at the point where the effluent is chucked into the river. It is bad practice in principle, but the EPA licence implies it’s okay.’ ‘The hospital lot was subdivided off from lot 101 as exempt development, ie Council was not asked. Lot
101 is what could have provided land for an onsite sewerage system. It is now the “seniors living” proposal. ‘The state, in approving its own development, bypassed what I thought was a key requirement under the LEP, [which is] to make adequate arrangements for sewage. In their infinite but urban wisdom, they have assumed that any building just gets connected to sewer, like in Sydney, where the end product goes continued on page 2
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