THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 24 #43 Tuesday, April 6, 2010 Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 21,000 copies every week
P O S T C H O C O L AT E S O M N O L E N C E
Great way to spend a weekend
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Council concerned by coastal protection bill Michael McDonald
Byron Shire Councillors voted last Thursday at an extraordinary meeting to leave a submission on the NSW government draft coastal protection bill in staff hands. The draft bill was announced at the end of March by environment minister Frank Sartor and reported in last week’s Echo. The submission deadline is April 12. In a briefing to councillors, staff raised a number of concerns with the bill. Cr Tom Tabart told The Echo, ‘It appears to be a desperate and badly thought-out attempt to get this isssue off the State agenda until, at least, the next election. As usual local government is the patsy.’ Staff told councillors the draft bill failed ‘to address the potential jurisdiction issues arising from the interaction between Marine Park Authority (in the case of Byron Bay and other NSW areas), Crown Lands, Council boundaries, mean high water mark/s Elizabeth Chi-Wei Sun from Gogol Bordello sings up a Gypsy punk storm. See more Bluesfest photos on page 21 and private land, including in the and on Jeff ‘Tolstoy Tea House’ Dawson’s website www.offmyfacebook.com.au in the Performance galleries. context of rising sea levels’. The briefoccasionally giving fans a sense of their money’s worth when he played ing also cited ‘potential for generation Eve Jeffery being a touch schizophrenic when Saturday afternoon on the Crossroads of disputes and litigation between Neil Finn summed up Bluesfest beau- one seemingly tried to overpower the stage and was many people’s pick of neighbouring private landowners’. tifully on Sunday night. ‘This is a great other. Other complaints ranged from the festival. Old favourites like Buddy Guy, Jeff Cost shifting a dearth of buses – although travelEaster weekend.’ The briefing saw the bill as another From the shiny new Jessica Mauboy lers in outer areas like South Golden Beck and Rodriguez delivered perforto the ‘really-are-they-still-together?’ Beach had nothing but praise for the mances which were as much about example of cost shifting onto local 10CC, there was something for all services – and Jessica Mauboy’s 30 matured talent and great music as they councils: ‘Councils do not have the were about nostalgia. And of course capacity to retain internal coastal enages and tastes which was mirrored minute late arrival. On the whole, visitors new and Neil and his mates ensured that there gineering and coastal geomorphoby baby-boomers in sensible raincoats and teenagers whose fashion- veteran loved the milestone event – were just as many punters watching logical expertise to assessment develable gumboots rose as high as their one blogger on the Bluesfest website outside Mojo’s crowded house as there opment or complying development reflecting the common opinion, ‘The were inside, the big screens and out- proposals. The cost of retaining that mini minis. Impossible not to sound like a cli- food was great, the coffee was great, door speakers making it easier for the expertise from external sources on ché, this year’s festival really did come the staff and crew were great. Even the mosh-phobic to view the action. The a case by case basis will have to be festival’s big question: did you vote yes borne by councils and every ratepayof age. Things were well organised, sniffer dogs were cute.’ The pleasant surprise of the festi- or no for Neil’s mo to go? er (not just coastal property owners) well set out and mostly ran smoothly, The weather did on the whole be- within each Council area.’ but like anyone at their 21st there was val was the exorbitant amount people According to staff, the proposed a few hiccoughs. Driving in from the were expecting to pay for parking have itself. The fairly sunny breezy highway created a navigational skew was money saved to use later on great days drying out much of the under- policies within the bill ‘would allow of ‘where the bloody hell are ya?’ and curry and yum cha, visitors chuffed to foot moisture to an acceptable level sand nourishment and geobag work of familiar squelch, but the new site to occur on private land and pubmany mentioned the lack of light- find it was free. The highlight for many, perfor- was christened with a few splashes lic land without any assessment of ing and signage around the carpark. Once inside the opposite issue was mance wise, was Joe Bonamassa. Hav- from Huey and really, if it’s not rain- impacts on the environment. Many the problem with things like the Apra ing recently sold out London’s Royal ing at Bluesfest then it’s not Bluesfest. fauna species inhabit dunal and beach environments and could be adversely stage being in earshot of Mojo and Albert Hall, Joe gave the audience Right?
impacted by even sand nourishment and geobag work… Many of these species are threatened or endangered species pursuant to the Threatened Species Conservation Act (NSW) and/or Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (Cth).’ No development for coastal protection works of any type should be permitted without an assessment of the environmental impacts… ‘A policy which infers that works can be undertaken without the need to obtain consent, when the carrying out of those works could amount to offences… under other legislation is irresponsible and capable of misleading ordinary members of the public.
Little consultation Staff also saw the proposed policies as ‘a significant shift in direction by the State government with little or no consultation with NSW councils who have invested many years, considerable resources and significant amounts of money following the previous direction mandated by the State government, ie preparation of a Coastal Zone Management Plan through a structured, ordered process…’ As to the looming submission deadline, ‘The limited period of consultation has prevented most councils from giving any detailed consideration to the proposed policies/legislation or from seeking legal advice on potential implications etc. Reasonable and adequate consultation should occur not only with Councils but also with other industry and scientific sectors.’ The staff submission is likely to request deferral of the bill to provide for more time for consultation. It will also request reinstatement of the NSW Coastal Council ‘to provide the State Government with independent scientific information to inform the decisions that need to be made in relation to the proposed legislation and the overall policy issue which is of such significance to NSW now and for the future’. Q Comment, page 10
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