NRLX BACKLASH HEADING TO PARLIAMENT

By Tim Howard

The Casino community will take its dissatisfaction with a Richmond Valley Council decision to lease the Northern Region Livestock Exchange on the open market to the halls of Parliament.

A packed public meeting on September 25 in the Casino Golf Club passed six motions beginning with a demand the council rescind its decision of September 19 to put the management of the NRLX out for lease.

And the final motion called for a formal complaint about the council decision be sent to the Minister for Local Government, the Minister for Small Business and the Ombudsman.

In all the six motions were:

1. Richmond Valley Council rescind the recommendation of the General Manager, which was passed at the RVC meeting on the September 19 2023.

2. The Richmond Valley Council and agents enter into a mediation process to reopen the NRLX under 2020-23 licensing agreement for a period of 12 months

3. Richmond Valley Council reform the NRLX advisory group under Section 355 to ensure that the perspectives of all stakeholders are considered when decisions around the future and operational structures of the NRLX are made.

4. The long term future of the operations of the NRLX be thoroughly investigated in a transparent manner with genuine community consultation.

5. The long term future of the NRLX be determined by the Richmond Valley

Council after the 2024 local government election.

6. That a formal complaint be sent to the Minister for Local Government, the Minister for Small Business and the Ombudsman, accompanied by petition expressing concern with the Richmond Fraser Valley’s probity in handling NRLX dispute.

Organisers are also gathering names for a petition to go the NSW Parliament.

The meeting held, just three weeks after another massive public turnout on the same issue, revealed the depth of the public displeasure with the decision.

While there was some spirited debate around issues such as what form mediation between the agents and the council could take, all motions were passed enthusiastically.

Meeting chairman, the former MP Thomas George, said the meeting’s aim was to achieve an understanding of why the NRLX remains closed and to seek resolutions to allow the reopening of the facility and also to dispel the rumours and misinformation which is circulating in the community.

The mayor, Robert Mustow was invited to the meeting, but sent an apology saying he addressed all the concerns in his mayoral minute on September 19.

Casino Agent’s Association Inc vice president Matthew McCormack was the first speaker.

He revealed the council and agents had been in discussion after the first public meeting and there had been hopeful signs. But he said anything positive that might have come from it was dashed with the decision at the September 19 meeting.

He said the big issue was nothing yet decided would get cattle coming through the NRLX soon.

“The time has come for common sense to prevail and we need to get this sorted for the betterment of everybody,” hw said.

“All involved not just agents cattle people, the community, the whole Richmond Valley everybody that uses or comes into this area.”

Meeting organiser Allan Berry, said he did not believe the council had been straight with the community.

He said council had been going through the motions “box ticking” in its dealings with the agents, businesses and the community Tatham beef producer Chris Magner described how his motion from the previous public meeting was ignored.

“The response from that motion was plain disregard. It was a couple of lines in the minute that the mayor presented and basically totally disregarded all the motion,” he said.

“The failure on that aspect speaks for itself.”

Mr Magner was sceptical the council’s numbers on the valuation of the NRLX and possible returns on it were accurate.

“It’s currently on their books at $28.9 million and they want to get that revalued for the purpose of the lease, and then they want to take that into a commercial lease arrangement at a commercial rate,” he said.

“The figure that they’re looking for is whatever the percentage on whatever the new valuation is, they want something better than $28 million, I can tell you now.

“Whoever this new winner of the lease is, I question how’s he gonna make any money out of continued on page 6 continued from page 5 it.”

The chair of the Casino All Breeds committee Bruce Lyle was another sceptic, citing a lack of documentation behind the council decision.

“There was no supporting documentation in the in the agenda, or in the mayoral minute on how it was going to look,” he said.

“They still don’t know how it’s going to look, but it got passed.

“So the future is unknown, with no background and no story attached to it. And then I found that alarming.”

The Member for Clarence Richie Williamson attended the meeting and spoke about the possibility of using mediation services from the Small Business Commissioner to encourage mediation between the council and auctioneers.

But an amendment to motion 2 to include that failed because of concerns it may take too long to organise.

The meeting also encouraged people with complaints about the NRLX to speak to organisers to have their issues included in a complaint to the Ombudsman.

The organisers thanked the Casino Golf Club for hosting the meeting at short notice