Op Shop

come along to Kiva, which I manage.

Sam Leader Mullumbimby

Land use planning

Twenty years ago I submitted a development application in line with the rural settlement strategy of 1997 as the controlling document for closer settlement in rural areas of the Byron Shire. Council was sympathetic to the application and we now have a rural land sharing community at Main Arm.

Since 1997, or 26 years ago, Byron Shire Council has been unable to deliver a revised rural land use strategy. I am told now that Council is in an emergency situation to provide an urban expansion strategy. One would wonder what Council has been doing for the last 30 years given the number of planning staff in Council?

We are blessed in Byron Shire to have rural residential lifestyle options that have been confirmed in the 2014 Local Environmental Plan. There seems to be resistance from Council, or a lack of courage, to continue to allow an expansion of rural residential lifestyle in the Shire, which is a shame in view of the affordable housing crisis.

When I was working as a forward planner with Ballina Council we completed a draft Local Environmental Plan for the whole shire in six months, which was completed by three staff in the planning section.

Byron Council’s inaction on this matter was further exacerbated by their recent desire to disallow dual occupancy in rural land sharing communities. Luckily there was enough criticism of this proposal that this idea was dropped.

I understand that there is resistance from our state government to allowing further rural lifestyle expansion, owinge to the absence of road infrastructure, but these infrastructural costs are paid for by section 94 contributions. If Council is having trouble collecting these contributions, then maybe they need to look at their processes and timing of payment of contributions.

Boyd Warren Main Arm

Lean

Thank you Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN) and Ballina Labor for providing the golden opportunity to speak with Senator Jenny McAllister, Assistant Minister Climate Change and Energy in the federal government last Thursday.

Jenny also reiterated Labor’s targets and work in stabilising the politics around climate change. Thanks also for your support of Andrew Broadley, Labor candidate Ballina electorate, and your time.

Yvonne Jessup Byron Bay

Lessons not learnt

Do the Greens ever learn anything from history?

All change is difficult, big change is very difficult, especially when a referendum is involved.

To effect critical environmental and energy policy reform this progressive Labor government has to stay in majority power for a number of terms. To ensure the Coalition can’t wreck it again, radical minor parties can’t impose unrealistic demands, the lights must stay on, we must be able to pay for it and Aussie voters must not drown in massive energy bills.

Failure to achieve any of these policy areas could be terminal, as powerful, well-financed conservative forces will fight to stop it.

John Howard was able to take this country so far to the right and enact so many discriminatory policies that hurt so many Aussies because he managed to stay there for four terms.

If the Greens have learnt anything from their disastrous decision back in 2009 to block Kevin Rudd’s CPRS in the Senate, which ultimately gave rise to Tony Abbott, Adam Bandt must rein in radical elements within the Greens, led by that disruptive and disrespectful ‘show pony’ Lidia Thorpe, who are recklessly threatening to derail the history-making referendum on the ‘Voice’ by insisting a treaty be negotiated first; that will only make it even more difficult to pass.

Keith Duncan Pimlico

Forests critical

Last year, NSW Forestry Corporation’s hardwood division lost $9 million (‘Costs of native forest logging to NSW residents revealed’, Echo, 18/11). But there are other losses too. It’s a little-known fact that mature forests dominated by Eucalyptus regnans have been found to store more carbon than any other forest known. But after logging, most of the stored carbon is lost to the atmosphere.