The Northern Rivers Times
February 22, 2024!!!
14 NEWS
Samatha’s Book
A Myriad of Adventures for the reader Title: Expectations Author: Hugh Allan Price: $32.95 Publisher: Shawline Publishing By Samantha Elley The beauty of reading a book of short stories, is the investment time spent on one story. It’s much shorter. So if you love it, you will devour it quickly. If you don’t love it so much, it’s over quicker than a normal novel. With Hugh Allan’s book of short stories called Expectations, there is something for everyone. From going on a bizarre jaunt from England to Hong Kong, Japan and Indonesia, to travelling to the Amazon jungles for another unusual adventure. We then head to Antarctica with four scientists who also make it to Jupiter and back, making them wonder if all was right with the world! We then follow James Banock, who collects
British munitions from Scotland to Norway. As he crosses the North Sea that’s where the action begins to happen and Banock is facing a life and death situation. The author then shares a time of youth and exploration back in 1967 through a car trip around Australia. This is a book with no expectations needed. Just open, start reading and enjoy! As a retired scientist, Hugh Allan and his family have done a lot of travelling, both around Australia and across the world. He is an active member of the Bush Poets Association, the Fellowship of Australian Writers Queensland and the Australian Association of Authors. His first novel, High Latitude for Dying, was also published by Shawline Publishing. He has an ebook, The Sun Coming Up is Like Gold, a book of outback verse also available. You can order your copy of Expectations through shawlinepublishing.com. au
A fairer housing system for NSW The NSW Government is today releasing a discussion paper and seeking community input which will inform a comprehensive review of Short-Term rental Accommodation (STRA) in the Lismore electorate. This is an important next step as the NSW Government continues to look at ways to address the housing crisis in NSW. Led by the Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness Rose Jackson, the four-week public consultation opens today with the release of a discussion paper and an online questionnaire. Through this review the NSW Government will work with all stakeholders to ensure outcomes contribute meaningfully to increasing housing affordability, and stability in the Lismore Electorate. Specific feedback which will be sought and considered throughout this process includes: • The adequacy of the STRA planning and regulatory framework, and options for improvement. • Potential policy options, including measures to incentivise property investors to make properties available for long-term rental accommodation. In NSW, housing affordability and availability are at their lowest levels in decades. Even though NSW has the largest population, it is last on the east coast when it comes to housing completion.
Building approvals and construction activity have slowed while build costs have skyrocketed. Rental vacancies are low and there are more than 55,000 people on the waitlist for social housing. This week alone, two independent reports highlighted the magnitude of the housing crisis facing Australia’s most populous state. Whilst an analysis by Homelessness NSW showed that homelessness has risen across 58 of the state’s 128 local government areas in the past year alone. The NSW Government is taking action to strike the right balance between supporting our local communities, supporting the visitor economy and jobs, whilst addressing the homelessness, housing and rental crisis. Whilst the review and potential reform of STRA alone is not a silver bullet, it is an important step towards fixing existing structural issues in the housing market. All options are on the table in this review and the NSW Government looks forward to seeing extensive feedback from industry as well as the community. Visit the website https://www. planningportal.nsw. gov.au/draftplans/ exhibition/discussionpaper-short-andlong-term-rentalaccommodation for more information and to have your say. Please note that the link will
be live at 8am. Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said: “We’re in a housing crisis, so it’s important we look at every available option to boost housing supply, including a shift from non-hosted short-term rentals to long term rental. “We’ve already endorsed the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) recommendation to tighten the cap on some non-hosted short-term rentals in Byron Shire, and other recommendations made by the IPC will be considered as part of this broader STRA review.” Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness Rose Jackson said: “We’re determined to do everything we can to tackle the housing crisis and put every part of the housing market under the microscope for options to encourage a greater supply of long-term rental accommodation. “All options are on the table and we are keen to hear from the community on how various aspects of regulatory and revenue measures can be designed to get the best outcome.” “This review will inform our approach to make better use of all forms of housing, including short term rentals, vacant property and holiday homes. “This includes looking at ways to move some of this housing to the longterm rental market and to minimise its negative
impacts on the housing market as well as what we can do to support homelessness services across NSW.” Janelle Saffin said: “Locally we are looking for ways to get more housing -increase supply- that pushes rents down and starts to address the systemic housing crisis.” “The fact the NSW Government is seeking ways to better balance housing affordability for people in in the Lismore Electorate is welcome.” “A major cause of poor housing affordability is the long-term lack of supply which cannot be turned around overnight. It equates with the increased demand for social housing and for people sleeping rough, on the streets, in cars, and from place to place.” “We already know that Byron Shire has the highest amount of people sleeping rough and as the discussion paper says, …sleeping rough has surpassed the City of Sydney as the local government area with the most people sleeping rough in NSW in 2023.” “This is an opportunity to have a say over the future of short-term rental rules in Lismore Electorate. It is one of a number of actions underway to address the housing and homelessness crisis. I encourage everyone to participate.” “All levers need to be pulled to tackle the dearth of housing and homelessness reform.” “All levers need to be pulled to tackle housing reform.”
Community invited to mark the two-year flood anniversary The community is warmly invited to join us in commemorating the two-year anniversary of the 2022 flood event that deeply impacted the Northern Rivers region. This free event will take place at Brunswick Heads on Wednesday, February 28th, from 3 pm to 6 pm, near the Sound Shell. Mayor Michael Lyon of Byron Shire emphasized
the importance of coming together to provide mutual support and reflect on the journey of the past two years. He stated, “Many residents of Byron Shire were profoundly affected by the natural disasters of 2022. It’s crucial that we recognize this significant anniversary and acknowledge that many in our community are still in the process of
recovery.” Mayor Lyon encouraged everyone to join in and reflect on the flood event and the ongoing recovery efforts. “While progress has been made, we recognize that there is still much work to be done on this journey,” he added. The flood anniversary event will offer various activities, including the opportunity to create
symbolic art pieces from natural materials, listen to inspiring guest speakers, and enjoy live music and light refreshments. Support services will be available throughout the day, and the event is proudly sponsored by the New South Wales and Australian Governments. For more information, please visit the QR Code below.
