THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 28 #05 Tuesday, July 9, 2013 Phone 02 6684 1777 Fax 02 6684 1719 [email protected] [email protected] www.echo.net.au CAB 23,200 copies every week AUDIT North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BEGAN IN 1788 P24–25 Inside Who hates free speech? Concerns over Writers’ festival Find out what’s new Byron Shire this It appears to be the NSW Bitou Bush book reviews under the sun Council Notices week govt. See editorial – p10 spraying – p7 – p15 – p18–19 Page 40 Telco plonks Byron to temp tower A Lennox love-in declare CSG near residents Wooyung residents say they have free July 21 been kept in the dark over the erec- A gasfi eld free Byron Bay declara- tion of temporary Telstra commu- tion day is planned for Sunday July nication towers which will service 21 at the Peace Park on Main Beach. the Splendour In Th e Grass festival Organisers are planning a family from July 26 to 28. aft ernoon of fun to coincide with Wooyung Road resident Rob the beachside markets, and the Learmonth told Th e Echo that no-one event will include meditation, yoga, from Telstra contacted him or neigh- a welcome to country ceremony, bours before the two nine-metre tow- entertainment by the Raise The ers were erected close to his home. Roof Choir, Shane Howard, Holley ‘I am gobsmacked,’ he told Th e Knott and others. Additionally, a Echo. ‘Major infrastructure works ‘Stand in the Sand’ crowd forma- have taken place along Wooyung tion is planned, which will repre- Road to get the fibre optic cable sent the actual survey percentage to the site. It is directly opposite for Byron Bay. and within two hundred metres of Organisers say the Byron Bay homes across the road.’ survey is the biggest so far conduct- Th e telco has no obligation to ad- ed in urban Australia. Co-organiser vise residents due to it being tempo- Suzie Deyris told Th e Echo, ‘Th is has rary, says Mr Learmonth, ‘in accord- brought people together as never ance with the Communications Act before, strengthening the bonds be- and State SEPP planning processes.’ Adam (Crooked Stixz) Hemwood blows it at the Love Lennox on Q See video on this story at tween neighbours and demonstrat- ‘We are only a small community Saturday. With traffi c restrictions, the beachside town was open to ing their solidarity.’ More details and we seem virtually powerless to stallholders and the public. Photo Jeff ‘Blow Harder’ Dawson next week. the bully-boy tactics of Telstra. It all appears to be being done by stealth. He fears it could set a precedent and become a semi-permanent ar- Council’s fi nanacial (loss) arrangement with parks rangement, and asks ‘Will the tower Hans Lovejoy to year determined by the work needed to be As a comparison to when Council managed be erected on the Wooyung site for performed. Plans for the upgrades of the day use the parks over ten years ago, Council’s 2001/2002 all subsequent events and if so how Th e former Byron Council staff er and now man- reserves in Brunswick Heads will be exhibited to- annual report says that Th e Terrace Park gener- many events?’ ager of the state government-owned private en- ward the end of this year. Th ese plans will identify ated $380,000, Massey Greene $270,000 and And questions to Telstra by Th e terprise, North Coast Holiday Parks (NCHP), extensive improvement works to be funded from the Ferry Reserve $121,200, equalling a profi t of Echo also remain unanswered. has hit back at claims his parks do not contribute caravan park revenue.’ $771,200. Another snapshot a few years later in Th ey include: ‘Why has no advice back to the community since he took over ad- Th e questions come aft er a recent press release 2003/2004 reveal a higher fi gure of $860,653. been provided to residents on the ministration from Byron Shire Council in 2006. by a public relations company on behalf of NCHP Council’s community infrastructure executive levels of electromagnetic radiation But questions still remain as to why Council’s that claimed, ‘guests can be confi dent that the prof- manager, Phil Holloway, said the income was spent they may receive’, and, ‘Why wasn’t fi nancial returns are extraordinarly lower than its from the dollars they invest are returned to the across all Council reserves as per a 2007 agreement this placed away from residents?’ In- before the takeover. people of NSW and their coastal recreation zones.’ with the then-called North Coast Crown Lands stead, a spokesperson confi rmed the NCHP general manager Jim Bolger told Th e Council’s media officer confirmed that in Division. ‘Council also receives income for Crown towers and said, ‘Th is equipment is Echo that a major amount is paid directly back 2011/12 the amount paid by NCHP for three reserve works from the paid parking on Main in high demand and will be moved into the Shire via Council. Brunswick Heads caravan parks was $196,818, Beach, Byron Bay, and fees from market licences.’ to the next event as soon as possible ‘Other amounts paid for reserve maintenance and is listed under the ‘Open Space And Recrea- He says the funds can only be expended on works aft er Splendour in the Grass.’ and or improvement by NCHP vary from year tion Program’ in the budget. in the area to which the income was generated.
24 Longest running fi tness centre in Byron Shire hour gym Membership includes: Last week s 2ENOVATED GYM s .EW WELLBEING of 30 days for s )NDOOR HEATED POOL SAUNA 30 dollars s l TNESS CLASSES s #ASUAL SQUASH PER WEEK s &RIENDLY