Poison ban on agenda

COUNCILLOR NOLA Firth is on a mission to rid the Tweed Shire of long-lasting rat poisons, which she says place native animals and pets at risk.

Cr Firth was successful in gaining support from the majority of her fellow councillors to promote the non-poisoning methods of rodent management across the shire, but also investigating alternatives to the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) in the council’s sewer pumps.

Council, like many local farmers, use SGARs to reduce rat and rodent infestations around sensitive sewer pump electrical equipment.

In fact, of the 189 sewer pump stations in Council’s control, 38 are regularly treated with SGARs.

“I am very happy that the motion for community education about the dangers of long-lasting rat poisons passed with such strong support (6-1, Cr Warren Polglase against),” Cr Firth told The Weekly.

“It’s clear the community really cares about protecting our wildlife and their pets.”

The motion includes Council education of the community on safer rat management, which Cr Firth said includes closing off gaps and using traditional traps.

“There are now new options such as digital monitoring and a gas-powered rat trap that resets automatically,” she said.

“Council is currently trialling this gas trap as it kills instantly and is much kinder than poison.

“If, as last resort, poison is purchased, people need to know that first generation poisons are safer and that it involves choosing products that don’t say words like ‘kills in one feed’.

“The motion also asked for a report into alternatives to use in 38 sewer pumps of second-generation anti-coagulant rodenticide (SGARs).

“This is the only place where it’s used by Council.

“The problem with controlling rats’’damage to electricals in sewers is that it is a wet environment.

“An equally quick-acting first-generation poison is, at this stage, not waterproof.

“I am hoping that the company concerned will take up the issue of caring for our precious wildlife and adapt accordingly.”

Council’s report noted that rodents in Council sewer pump stations present a “significant risk” to the operation of the electrical equipment which ensures the effective monitoring and pumping of raw sewage to treatment plants.

Letter of the Week

You have won a double pass* to the film of your choice

Thanking our community heroes

I would like to say a huge thank you to some mostly unseen and unsung heroes, namely the nurses and volunteers at Wedgetail Retreat.

Some heroes wear a uniform (SES, RFS, SLS, to name a few), and a huge thank you to those also, but the heroes at Wedgetail, they have a small badge with their name on it as well as the word volunteer or nurse.

We don’t see or recognise them when they’re out in the community, but thank God they’re there at Wedgetail. The care, kindness and compassion they show, the quiet dignity with which they carry themselves, even the cheeky humour that allows for a brief moment of respite, at what is for most families a tremendously hard and heartbreaking time, is beyond priceless.

We cannot thank you enough, and to us, it doesn’t seem enough, but thank you, thank you, thank you, you made such a difference to us and our loved ones at a very difficult time.

as the wording of the referendum question is debated in Parliament.

We have an opportunity to seize the moment and to unite as a nation.

Tony Davies, Social Futures CEO We

Are One Nation

We are all Australians, made up of people from all over the world and all, of age, have an opportunity to vote for their parliamentary representative. Do we give the Chinese, Italians, Indians and others a separate “Voice” as well?

On 26th January 1949, the Australian Nationality came into existence, when the Nationality and Citizens Act 1948 was enacted.

On that day, we all (including Aboriginal people) became Australians instead of British subjects.

People from all over the world now live in Australia.

Many came from backgrounds of conflict and migrated to Australia for a better life.

We are now all one nation.

Peter Mason, Armidale Roadside slashing help

Why Solar Owners are Fuming

Do you have solar panels yet find your bill is now twice as much as it was last year? The electricity market is broken and retailers have attacked solar users with a double whammy - Slash the amount they pay for your solar energy and increase all the other charges. More pain is on the way -The federal budget is forecasting a 56 per cent increase in electricity prices in the next 18 months.

Unless you have solar batteries you are facing serious increases in energy costs. 888 Solar Tek have installed hundreds of solar battery systems in the Northern Rivers in the last 8 years and can help you with great deals on the most reliable and long lasting solar batteries in Australia. Get a Hybrid inverter and 4.8 kWh battery installed for as low as $7,888.

ernment, there are crews that come up from Sydney and we are waiting for this to happen, it’s very dangerous to adhere to the maintenance of grass cutting” — it goes on and on and on. There was a so-called “town hall” meeting on 24 January at the Civic Centre, Tweed Heads, headed by Geoff Provest.

Council, the police, the manager of Tweed Mall, others as well, all up on the stage to address issues in the shire, from homelessness to crime. I attended and spoke about overgrown vegetation and to date, absolutely nothing has been done to address the issue.

Sue Kreger, Banora Point

Many thanks for the pens report in The Weekly house can be built/purchased for short-term holiday letting under the government’s changes to the NSW Environmental Planning & Assessment (EP&A) Act, and as such lost to any actual quantitative increased housing supply.

Many thanks for your kind report on our “Pens for Troops” project (TVW, March 16, 2023).

It enables the overriding of much statutory investment/work undertaken by local councils and communities to develop their planning tools and long-term strategic planning.

The government swept into power in 2011 on the back of Part 3A, promising to give planning powers back to local communities.

What we have instead been dealt with is the repeated undermining of the NSW EP&A Act and the state taking over so much more of our planning controls.

Lindy Smith, Tweed Heads Garden Club meeting

To laugh and sing the happiness

song

Today it would be hard to put a foot wrong.

Walk with an extra bounce in your step, Talk with enthusiasm, with joy and with pep.

Pass it on, you can’t help it, it’s very infectious.

It can’t hurt you but beware, it’s extremely contagious.

It’s time to smile, laugh and play. It’s not banned, in fact it’s mandatory today.

Let’s all jump on the happiness bandwagon.

Keep it going until it becomes a natural phenomenon.

Maggie Cadman, Murwillumbah

Warm up for Bike Fest Oz

Craig and Jodie

Corlis, Palmvale The Voice has our support

This is an important moment in Australia’s history and I’m hoping the nation will unite to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people this permanent and ongoing Voice to government.

Social Futures supports the Voice, as an important first step towards justice for First Nations people, as part of a broader commitment to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The other elements of the Uluru Statement — a treaty and truth-telling — remain necessary actions needed as Australia continues working towards reconciliation.

We know there are differing views on proposed changes to the constitution.

So we look forward to a thoughtful and respectful national conversation

Regarding the March 16 edition of Tweed Valley Weekly, in particular the story on “Slashing urgent”, I would like to give my opinion of overgrown vegetation.

I have advised Tweed Shire Council, Justine Elliot, Geoff Provest (I have been to his office three to four times and reported the issue) and Transport for NSW of overgrown vegetation at Sexton Hill Road, Banora Point, where it joins the on-ramp to the M1 north bound.

There is an overpass bridge on Sexton Hill Road and to date, nothing has been done to slash or tidy up the trees, weeds are growing high enough to touch the road signs and grass is now growing onto the road, thankfully cars are pushing the grass back.

There is also graffiti on this overpass as well.

The answers I get are “it’s not a Tweed Shire Council issue, it’s the state government, it’s the federal gov-

The pens, made from local timbers by our male and female club members, were gratefully received by the project organisers in Sydney last week and are now on their way for distribution to the troops overseas.

The Tweed Valley Woodcrafters Association also sends a big thank you to the Murwillumbah RSL, who made a kind donation towards the cost of the pen kits used to make the pens for our project.

This Anzac Day there will be some happy troops receiving another small token of our appreciation for their dedication and commitment to our welfare.

Ian Hunter, Tweed Valley Woodcrafters Association, Murwillumbah Planning control takeover

The NSW Planning Rezoning Pathways was released the day before the election caretaker period.

This will service the agendas of developers/land bankers which is very much alive in our shire.

Under the guise of the need for housing, there continues to be a real failure to acknowledge the herd of elephants in the room that any new

Club Banora Garden Club is set to host its next meeting on Tuesday, April 4.

The meeting will start at 10am sharp with doors opening at 9.30am.

The meeting will take place at Club Banora, Leisure Drive, Banora Point.

Our guest speaker is Grace from Rise & Shine Candles, who we are delighted to welcome.

Next meeting the speaker is the Bee Lady from Murwillumbah.

New members are more than welcome. Hope to see you there.

For more information please phone: 0448 531 055

Gwendoline Barnes, Banora Point World Happiness Day World Happiness Day comes just once a year, For you and for me that day is finally here.

Think of all the things that you love, All of the people, and your turtle dove.

From the moment the sun peaks through the clouds, Until the sun sets we’re all blissfully allowed

Bike Fest Oz! 2023 have announced an official warm-up trial run to be held at Kingscliff and Chinderah across the April 22-23 weekend. With the support of the Taphouse Group, owners of the Kingscliff Beach Hotel and the Chinderah Tavern, festival promoters are hosting activities across both days, including headline bands The Feramones and Fat Albert.

The Feramones are playing at the Kingscliff Beach Hotel on the Saturday night, April 22, while Fat Albert will have people up and dancing at the Chinderah Tavern on the following Sunday afternoon.

Chris Beattie, Tweed Heads

By Jo Kennett

SEVERAL RESIDENTS of Tringa Street in Tweed Heads West are furious that developers of an adjoining block of land are using their street for access, saying “they don’t have the required development application (DA)”.

The property at 60 Tringa Street is a 15.71 hectare block of bushland abutting Cobaki Creek and was sold for $20.57million last year to Maas Group Holdings. Approval for a 37-lot industrial subdivision was originally granted in 1996.

Tringa Street resident Rob Eady lives opposite the site and says the developers are “illegally coming into this site which they do not have a DA for.”

“We didn’t get a letter drop or anything. We got no notice. They just arrived like the light brigade,” Rob said.

“We are talking about great big bulldozers, excavators and a big machine that chomps up the trees. All the neighbours are ropable.”

Local residents say the developers were supposed to come in through Sussyer Avenue to the north for preliminary site works with permanent access through Hakea Drive via Gray Street.

“They had to build another access road and two bridges to access the land from Sussyer Avenue but they didn’t,” Rob said.

“Their designated access is through Hakea Street (off Gray Street) which they haven’t built yet either.”

The Sussyer Street access road approval has now lapsed and Rob says locals are concerned the new access roads won’t be built.

“Everyone in Gray Street is going to cop it too,” he said.

“It’s a no-brainer; they should be accessing it off Sussyer.”

Rob said they have witnessed wildlife fleeing the block as clearing of the bush commenced.

“Chris Cherry was here this afternoon and she was livid and wanted an explanation as to why someone gave them permission to drive in here,” he said.

Rob said the developers were going to put a lot of fill on the site.

“When we had those floods last year, there was six feet of water all over that land and almost coming into the reserve behind us, so where is all that water going to go when we get the next big flood?” he said.

“If we have an event like that again and all the houses go under we will all know who to blame.”

According to Rob, local residents just want the developers and their machinery “out of our estate.”

“Tringa Street is a cul-de-sac. There is hardly any traffic and it’s all bush,” he said.

Residents are also concerned that the site might be turned into a freight hub for the Gold Coast Airport “with freight trucked in day and night.”

Tweed Shire Council’s Director of Planning and Regulation Vince Connell said the new owners of the property “recently commenced initial site preparation works (fencing, vegetation clearance, internal access), not construction works (excavation and earthworks), on the basis of earlier development and construction approvals.”

“Given the limited nature and time frame of these works (a maximum period of four weeks), Council officers considered it was reasonable for the proponent to utilise their legal right of access to their site off the western end of Tringa Street for their works vehicles,” he said.

“As the Principal Certifying Authority for the subdivision construction, Council has been responding to a number of complaints received from surrounding residents relating to these initial works, and has been working with the contractors and owner of the site to achieve a safe and well-managed construction site, in compliance with the conditions and plans of older approvals.

“Council staff are also currently assessing a number of new applications to modify the previous Council approvals, which would necessitate a major review of the road access and environmental conditions for this site.

“A report on the current site activities will be submitted to the Council meeting on April 6.”

The Maas Group told The Weekly their DA from Tweed Shire Council to undertake clearing and filling works on the site “grants us access to the site from Tringa Street for the purposes of the clearing works which are currently being undertaken.”

“Once the site clearing works are complete, access via Tringa Street will be blocked,” a Maas spokesperson said.