THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 28 #39 The Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Phone 02 6684 1777 Fax 02 6684 1719 [email protected] [email protected] Arts www.echo.net.au CAB 23,200 copies every week AUDIT HISTORY IS A RACE BETWEEN EDUCATION AND DISASTER: HG WELLS Inside Mungo Ex-Byron More Belongil Newest of It’s not The best Byron Shire this speaks president talks kerfuffl e the new for Mandy’s damn gig Council Notices week – p8 bypass – p5 – p10 you – p12 fault – p15 guide – p19 Page 32–33 Bikies face crackdown It’s a nude pedal! Police have asked the Tweed and in light of the announcement. Byron Bay liquor accords to not Mr Secord said, ‘Th e comments admit motorcycle gang members by senior police are very embarrass- who wear gang colours or related ing for National Party parliamentar- paraphernalia to their venues. ians, who said that have repeatedly It’s a move that appears to be denied the presence of bikie gangs.’ aimed not just at local gang members Inspector Jim Kain from Tweed/ but those coming down from QLD. Byron Local Area Command told Byron Accord chair, Hannah The Echo the push was part of a Spalding, told The Echo that some statewide general trend. venues already have such policies He confi rmed that two club hous- in place, and that ‘members of the es remaining in the region belong to Accord that were asked were happy the Mongols at Chinderah and Odin’s to support the request.’ Warriors in South Tweed Heads. ‘While we were one short of a Th e Nomads bikie clubhouse in quorum at the last Accord meeting, Byron Bay’s industrial estate inexpli- I expect it will be offi cially support- cably burnt down last month. ed when we meet again in April.’ And when asked about reports of This year’s Byron Bay leg of the World Naked Bike Ride forlorn. But by 12.30pm the rain had stopped, sky Meanwhile, Labor federal and police helicopters operating in the thankfully went ahead despite some false starts. Echo had cleared and the sun was blazing. Soon after 2pm state MPs Justine Elliot and Walt Byron Shire hinterland last week, reporter and participant Chris Dobney said, ‘It had all some 50-odd illustrated bodies took to the streets Secord are asking why north coast he said he was only aware of those the hallmarks of a washout when we walked onto the with (nothing but) bells on’. Photo Jeff Dawson state Nationals MPs have been ‘de- carried out a few weeks ago. ‘I would station and found eight artists and two people, still Q See Sharon Shostak’s video of the Nimbin bike ride nying the presence of bikie gangs,’ expect to be informed if there were.’ dressed standing by their bicycles looking somewhat at – echo.net.au/?p=87921 Rural landowners victims of bureaucratic blunder Hans Lovejoy the media spokesperson at head of- fi ce thought this process was being to another review and name change spokesperson said he wasn’t. fi ce in Tamworth confi rmed it with severely mishandled.’ with no real diff erence occurring.’ So what will the Local Land Ser- The newly formed state govern- The Echo. Local Land Services (LLS) re- Further criticism of the LSS is vices do for rural landowners? ment department tasked to advise But it remains unclear what, if placed the Livestock Health and Pest that the NSW minister for primary While specifi cs are vague, the new and manage rural lands on behalf any statewide response was made to Authority (LHPA) and Catchment industries controls 58 per cent of the government body claims it will bring of landowners has been forced to the mistake. Management Authority (CMA) vote, eff ectively negating any demo- together ‘agricultural production ad- apologise to members aft er letters Byron Shire rural landowner from the start of the year and was cratic accountability. vice, biosecurity, natural resource were sent with wrong and missing Alan Goldstein told The Echo that calling on landowners to enrol to But a spokesperson for NSW management and emergency man- information. when he received the LLS election vote on a new board. minister for primary industries, agement.’ As for accountability, LSS Local Land Services (LLS) pack, it was ‘structured in a way to Katrina Hodgkinson, told The Echo uses language on its website such as blamed administration errors for maximise the ways you could turn MP controls board that, ‘it was appropriate’ that the ‘administering, developing, imple- the mistakes, which saw the election your vote into an informal one’, and And, like previous incarnations, minister controls the board. menting, delivery, communicating, postal ballot package to members that without careful examination, Goldstein says, ‘LSS beginning to ‘Th e funding base is one-third consulting and engaging,’ while they containing the wrong information there are ‘numerous ways you could look as if it will continue in the tra- from the ratepayer, while two-thirds are also ‘preparing State Strategic for three candidates and the omis- make a small mistake or omission.’ dition of not actually producing any of the funding comes from federal Plans and Local Strategic Plans.’ sion of a ‘holding number’, which Goldstein says that more people real outcomes for the money it col- and state government. Education and training will also be assists in identifying and registering will be disenfranchised with LSS, lects while performing its functions ‘It’s important the minister has a part of their services, but comes with- members hoping to enrol. ‘because they will not bother to tele- in an entirely unprofessional way.’ say on how the board runs.’ out further explanation. For more And the missing holding number phone to get their number.’ ‘Th e problem with making such When asked if he was aware of visit www.lls.nsw.gov.au or the class appears to be a statewide fl ub, aft er ‘Th e offi ce person said their of- criticisms is that it only seems to lead the statewide mailout blunder, the action against it: llsclassaction.com. 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Local News North Coast news daily: netdaily.net.au Children’s ward A close shave for Bruns bowls closure mooted Chris Dobney north coast, Walt Secord, and Labor’s candidate for Tweed, Plans to close the children’s Ron Goodman. ward at Murwillumbah Hos- In upper house question pital have come under fire time last week, Mr Secord from the state opposition and asked the leader of govern- local federal MP Justine Elliot. ment in the Legislative Coun- Local Health District head cil, Michael Gallacher, ‘in Chris Crawford flagged the light of the $3 billion in cuts to idea in a consultation paper health in NSW, will you con- Photo Eve Jeff ery last week, and said that im- fi rm that the Northern NSW proved medicines, together Health District this morning A fundraiser for the Leukaemia Foundation will be held at with a new paediatrics room met with staff and announced the Brunswick Heads Bowling Club on March 16 with one of the club’s directors shaving off her hair in the name of attached to the hospital’s that they had plans to close The Echo emergency department, had the children’s ward at Murwil- cancer research. Julie Sanderson told that local seen steadily dropping admis- lumbah Hospital?’ hairdresser Melissa Wyness will be shaving her hair on the sions to the children’s ward. Mr Secord said in a media day, and hopes to exceed her initial goal of raising $5,000. But Mr Crawford admit- release, ‘this is what happens There will be a sausage sizzle and prizes to be won as well – ted that there is only room for when a state government rips all donated by local businesses – and sign-on at the club for one child in the paediatrics $3 billion out of the health sys- the social bowls is by 9am. You can also donate by visiting room, adding other children tem: they close medical wards’. www.worldsgreatestshave.com. Search for Julie Sanderson. could be treated in the emer- Th e cuts come on the heels gency department. of Nationals and Tweed MP Ethiopians receive water Th e plan has drawn the ire Geoff Provest’s plan to charge of the shadow minister for the for parking at Tweed Hospital. well from Byron locals Andrea Herraman Th e trio said that in one of Byron’s fi lm fest wraps the villages with a new well, Ethiopians living in the Tig- woman and girls previously ray district have a new water had to walk up to three hours well, thanks to the generosity a day to collect fi ft een litres of Byron locals.