THE TWEED SHIRE Volume 1 #5 Thursday, September 25, 2008 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 Fax: (02) 6672 4933 editor@tweedecho.com.au adcopy@tweedecho.com.au www.tweedecho.com.au
Arts
Scene
Page 14 & 15
LOCAL & INDEPENDENT
Election limbo as recount sought Ken Sapwell and Luis Feliu
Photo courtesy of the National Indigenous Times
Tahlia’s golden run Madeleine Doherty
Sixteen-year-old Tahlia Rotumah, the first Indigenous female to represent Australia at the Paralympics and Tweed’s own champion is back from Beijing and over the moon. The athletics star from Tweed Heads South, pictured above with her medals, made history as our country’s first Indigenous female Paralympian in Beijing earlier this month and her family and friends are still celebrating. Tahlia competed in the 100 and 200-metre sprints, coming fourth in both races. The young star was born with haemiplegia, which affects her mobility on her right side. But the Aboriginal Australian high-school student has worked through the impairment to become the country’s elite runner in the sports for the disabled.
‘I’m very honored to be part of my country in such a way. I thank my family and friends. They think so highly of me,’ Tahlia told international reporters in China after her first race. ‘I felt like I’ve won a gold medal just being here,’ she said. Media reps in Beijing were charmed by Tahlia, reporting that ‘Natalie Rotumah stood on the stand and covered her mouth with her hands, her face stiff and tense. As her daughter was about to run on a Paralympic track in the Bird’s Nest, the mother prayed that she would run well and not fall.’ Less than 20 metres away, Tahlia, prepared herself for the sprint, loosening up her unsteady right leg. When her name was announced through the speaker, she raised her right arm, supported by a splint, to greet the spectators. continued on page 6
200 Jobs in 100 Days! 4th August to 12th November
Confusion continues over the result of the Tweed Shire Council election on September 13 after the shock reversal of an initially widely tipped win for Greens and community-focused candidates, followed by a late bid for a recount of the tight result. The NSW Electoral Commission is due to decide later today (Thursday) whether a recount will go ahead after the number-two Greens candidate Kevin McCready narrowly missed out on being elected to the seventh spot on council following the distribution of preferences. The decision on the recount rests on Mr McCready and his backers coming up with a $19,369 deposit to cover costs. Just over 61 per cent of the first-preference votes were counted on the Tweed after the poll, with the remainder taken to Sydney after the vote for final and preference counting at the commission’s Riverwood tally room last week. The positions after the final count were Katie Milne (Greens) 1, Dot Holdom (community independent and former councillor) 2, former mayor Warren Polglase 3, Joan van Lieshout (Liberals) 4, Barry Longland (Community First group) 5, Kevin Skinner (independent) 6 and former councillor Phil Youngblutt 7. Those positions were confirmed earlier this week after correction of an ‘anomaly’ to counting by the commission. In the final count, Mr Youngblutt had 3,674 votes after preferences against Mr McCready’s 3,626, giving the former councillor a slim margin of 48 votes. That means only 25 votes can tip the scales in Mr McCready’s favour. The Greens candidate and others claim that at some booths, election officials were incorrectly advising voters on the number of boxes voters had to mark above or below the line of the ballot paper. This resulted in votes being exhausted because voters did not number sufficient preferences.
But Tweed’s returning officer Len Sparreboom said officials in charge of polling booths had been told to tell voters seeking advice that they must either vote for at least one above the line or at least four below the line. He confirmed that he had contacted the officials at most polling booths on election day to reaffirm the advice after a candidate had alleged he overheard one official during pre-polling giving a voter incorrect advice. Mr McCready said that in his case over 1,000 votes expected to flow to the Greens from an-
‘If we followed the state or federal system we would have romped it in... it seriously disadvantaged the Greens because of all the votes not distributed’. other candidate were ‘thrown in the garbage’ because people had followed the wrong advice and only preferenced one or two candidates, thereby exhausting those votes. ‘These exhausted votes hugely discriminated against the Greens and Dot Holdom because we had more of a quota to distribute... they (exhausted votes) could’ve come to me but were thrown in the bin instead... they would have put me way ahead of Youngblutt’. He said the Greens had always wanted the local-government election system overhauled to avoid such confusion and make it easier to understand. ‘The optional preferential system, is undemocratic... If we followed the state or federal system we would have romped it in... it seriously disadvantaged the Greens because of all the votes not distributed’. ‘People didn’t know their votes would be binned... the will of the people has been ignored here... it’s pretty serious.’ continued on page 6
The 2008 Northern Rivers Employment Challenge Employers — Get Behind the Challenge!
The mission is to place 200 jobseekers into work within 100 Days To support the campaign all you have to do is lodge your job vacancy with NORTEC Employment and Training. In return they will find the right person for the job—and at no cost to you!
In recognition of community support for the campaign NORTEC will donate $6000 amongst three independent youth organisations who assist disadvantaged youth in our region
1800 667 832 or lodge your vacancy online
www.nortecltd.com.au