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THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 31 #18 Wednesday, October 12, 2016 www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 [email protected] [email protected] 23,200 copies every week pp 16 – 17 CAB CLOWN HOAX TRACED TO THE HALLS OF POWER IN CANBERRA AUDIT Online in netdaily Aspirati0ns for Dustyesky – The Film Fest Parental Alienation Anti-vaxxers aren’t all newbie councillors! Russian boy band previews Awareness Day hippies, survey reveals www.echo.net.au/anti-vaxxers-arent- – p4–5 – p30 – p12 – p14 hippies-survey-reveals/ Thursday Virtual Reality outcomes It took the new councillor class of on fi lm 2016–20 just a breezy fi ve and half hours to get through their agenda last Th ursday, with many unanimous votes taken accompanied by plenty of rhetorical fl ourish and some good questions of staff and each other. Even the ideological odd man out – Cr Alan Hunter – appeared to get on board and voted for what he pre- sumably wouldn’t have in the previous term (when he was in the majority). One of those unanimous votes included Greens mayor Simon Rich- ardson’s request to speed up a meet- ing with NSW planning minister Rob Stokes regarding the recently submit- ted Coastal Zone Management Plan, Byron Bay Embayment (CZMP BBE). The contentious coastal policy was submitted with haste as the sun Byron Bay Film Festival (BBFF) director, J’aimee Skippon-Volke, is having a little diffi culty distinguishing between reality and virtual reality these was setting on the previous council. days. After weeks of sifting through movies and some of the world’s most cutting-edge Virtual Reality and immersion technology, the appearance The mayor’s request: ‘Can we of Bunny Racket aka Andy Walker in her offi ce had her questioning her reality. Bunny Racket’s hilarious A Chicken Is Not A Fruit is one of 23 local fi lms have a meeting sooner and please to screen at this year’s BBFF. The festival will also include Ncube8 and some of the best Virtual Reality experiences you’ll see anywhere. Opening don’t gazette the CZMP,’ was a night at the Byron Community Centre is this Friday and other screenings are at the Community Centre, Pighouse Flicks, Brunswick Picture House change from the original motion, and Murwillumbah’s Regent Cinema. Photo Jeff ‘Reality Is Just Virtual’ Dawson which was to withdraw it. No reason for the change was given. Next up was a proposal from Cr Senior health offi cials secretly sacked by govt Paul Spooner (Country Labor), to hold a Byron Shire housing summit, Hans Lovejoy hospitals and health services. Among those who were absent the contributions of all members of which gained full support. According to the minutes of a from the July 27 NNSW LHD meet- Local Health District boards; how- It will be held prior to the adop- Several senior executives of the NNSW LHD board meeting held in ing and were sacked are Dr Sue Page ever it is important we have the right tion of the Byron Shire Residential Northern NSW Local Health Dis- Graft on on July 27, members expect- and Professor Lesley Barclay; how- skills mix and experience to provide Strategy, which is now on exhibition. trict (NNSW LHD) board have been ed that new board appointments were ever, Dr Jean Collie was present. eff ective governance oversight.’ Cr Basil Cameron (Our Sustaina- secretly sacked by NSW health min- ‘to be advised in December 2016.’ Th e minister’s offi ce did not reply So what is the government’s idea ble Future) was successful in gaining ister Jillian Skinner, sparking accusa- But an announcement published to Th e Echo as to whether the posi- of ‘eff ective governance oversight’? support for a review of policy and tions by Labor and the Health Ser- in the NSW Government Gazette last tions will be refi lled or why the deci- In the July 27 NNSW LHD meet- procedures for advertising of pro- vices Union that it is part of a push Friday lists three local members as sion was not announced publicly. ing, the minutes say the board sug- posed developments and approvals. to privatise the NSW health sector. being ‘removed,’ eff ective October 7. Instead, Ms Skinner’s statement gests that a refreshed NNSW LHD Oh, and everyone voted to pro- Th e NNSW LHD board com- Additionally, four members of reads in part, ‘All Local Health Dis- Board may ‘include members with ceed with a ‘community consulta- prises health professionals who the Far West Local Health District trict Boards will undergo a refresh accounting and economics skills tion and awareness process’ for a oversee and manage the region’s board were also ‘removed.’ before the end of the year. I appreciate continued on page 2 ‘Proposed Special Rate Variation’. “Our Solar Power and battery systems can provide a substantial return on investment which tops property, Take Back Your Power! shares and super. You can have more energy security and Solar Energy 24 Hours A Day save thousands with your own solar power station now.” Why pay for electricity when it is cheaper to make your own? Affordable Hybrid and Off Grid Solar 888 Solar Tek is the top-selling retailer for solar battery systems in the Northern Rivers. We Battery Storage & Solar Hot Water supply customised new or retrofit systems to match your power use - not a one size fits all package. You get personalised service with free 12 month system monitoring. 888 Call Vincent Selleck The electricity grid is a huge monopoly that serves the large generators and retailers. Selling your for a Free Consultation solar power for 6¢ per kWh or less is unfair! Beat the network by generating and storing all of your own power now. Call us for free, honest advice before you buy anywhere else. Ph 02 6688 4480 NSW Solar bonus scheme ends this year! www.888solartek.com.au Local News North Coast news daily: netdaily.net.au Music awards Gateway freshen up celebrate 25 This year, the North Coast Entertainment Industry (NCEIA) celebrates 25 years of the Dolphin Music Awards. The awards acknowledge excellence in local music over many categories. Entries close Friday October 14 at 9pm. Entrants need to live in the (02)66 telephone area code. The music submitted also THE NEW CLINIC IS AT needs to be original and by artists not signed to a label. 21 Figtree Lane, Team and Secret, from Byron’s Stay Gold Studio, have almost completed sprucing up a Q For more information Myocum concrete wall. It is part of a beautifi cation program at Ewingsdale. Photo Jeff Dawson visit www.nceia.org.au. at our retreat centre with lighthouse and Wollumbin views. ACCC warns over News Corp buyout in region Rupert Murdoch’s News since June has been in talks to Th e Australian Consumer free Tweed Sun and APN’s For details contact Corp’s proposed buyout of buy out its regional newspa- and Competition Commis- free Tweed Daily News com- 0414 692 673 daily and weekly newspapers per division for $36.6 million. sion (ACCC) issued a state- pete for advertising in the or [email protected] in the northern rivers is under APN owns the weekly ment last week flagging its same distribution area. a cloud aft er the competitive Byron Shire News, the daily concerns that the buyout watchdog fl agged concerns it Northern Star in Lismore, the could dilute local news and Submissions would have a monopoly on free Tweed Daily News and opinion content in regional Th e ACCC is seeking sub- print newspapers in QLD Ballina Advocate. parts of Australia. missions by October 27 from which could dilute local news In contrast, Echonetdaily It also fears News Corp interested parties: email merg- content and opinion. and its sister weekly, the By- may close down APN news- [email protected] with the sub- News Corp already owns ron Shire Echo, are independ- papers that compete against ject: ‘Submission re: News/ 14.9 per cent of its print rival, ent and locally owned and its existing titles, such as in ARM – attention Lisa Camp- DON’T GET APN News and Media, but operated. the Tweed where News Corp’s bell/David Wang.’ STRANDED Health dept secretly dumps senior offi cials continued from page 1 Gerard Hayes told Th e Echo government is trying to re- health; which is a privatised and legal expertise.’ the moves were paving the way duce the number of people system based on an Ameri- MOVING HOUSE It was noted; however, that for privatising health services. with medical and health can-style two-tier system. ‘the board members are able expertise on Local Health ‘Ms Skinner is clearly rac- to seek expertise in specifi c Privatising health Boards across the state, with ing to stack out her friends areas that board members do little transparency and no and colleagues, before she not have.’ services explanation. is removed in a reshuffl e by It was also considered that He said, ‘Th e mysterious ‘It’s not surprising that the premier later this year or the existing process of cur- removal of three experienced the government is trying early next year. rent board members not be- health professionals from the to replace clinicians on the ‘Without any warning, a Experience has tortoise you ing able to nominate poten- Northern NSW Local Health Board, as accountants, econ- third of an entire local health tial new board members ‘did District Board raises serious omists and lawyers are the district board and a quarter need an expert from our not always get the best can- questions about the way the key professions involved in of another have been sacked Service Directory didates for board members.’ Baird government is manag- privatising health services.’ without any discussion or The Health Services Un- ing the state’s health system.’ information provided to the see pages 37–41 ion (HSU) NSW Secretary ‘We understand the Baird Board stacking community.