ECHOBYTES April 10-17 But Mrs Elliot stuck to her guns, saying Mr Curtis was ‘entitled to be an active member of compiled from the ‘echonetdaily' with the National Party, but as president speaking on permission, by Ari Ehrlich. Printed copies at behalf of the chamber he’s now crossed the line and can no longer be considered politically Caldera Environment Centre and cafes impartial’. courtesy of the CEC. Go to She said he had ‘compromised the once non- echonetdaily.com.net.au the Northern Rivers political reputation of the Tweed Business independent newspaper. Chamber and must now resign because of his overt political bias’. MP calls on chamber head to quit GM campaign Published On: Thu, Apr 11th, 2013 Mr Curtis has been at the forefront of a Luis Feliu controversial and orchestrated campaign recently Richmond MP Justine Elliot has launched a by conservative supporters to have Tweed scathing attack on Tweed businessman Rory council sacked for suddenly terminating its Curtis, calling on him to quit his post as Tweed general manager’s contract. Chamber of Commerce president for He claimed the campaign to have the former GM ‘compromising its once non-partisan reputation’. reinstated was non-partisan, but opponents have Mrs Elliot said that by overtly backing her labelled it a ‘farce’ because of the involvement political opponent in the upcoming federal of many National Party and conservative election, Mr Curtis had politicised the chamber supporters and former politicians in a bid to he is president of. topple the new progressive majority on Council. She has also attacked him for ‘intentionally Veteran National Party Cr Warren Polglase is Mr trying to hide his National Party loyalties and Curtis’s deputy (vice president) on the Tweed membership’ from the media and the public. Heads Chamber of Commerce. She revealed he is the most senior National Party Mrs Elliot said, ‘the chamber and its membership figure in the electorate, as chairman of the should not be used as a political vehicle for the Nationals’ Richmond Electorate Council for the benefit of Rory Curtis and his fellow National past two years, saying he was therefore ‘running Party mates’. the show while trying to be a faceless man too’. Mr Curtis said he won’t quit his role as head of Mrs Elliot also released email correspondence the chamber ‘but I am retiring at the end of my between her and Mr Curtis yesterday, describing term in July’. Mr Curtis’s response to her as ‘bizarre’. He told Echonetdaily that he ‘used to vote Labor But Mr Curtis said his comments to a local but the relationship is now fractured’. media outlet yesterday, offering to throw his ‘full ‘The Tweed chamber is an unbiased, apolitical support’ behind National Party candidate organisation and we have a history of having Matthew Fraser, were made ‘as an individual’ political presenters from all persuasions, for and not as chamber president. example, MP Justine Elliott is locked in to speak The report prefaced his comments by describing in approximately two breakfasts from now and him as the chamber president and how he ‘hoped we have had, and will continue to, meet the for a positive change for the Tweed business council candidate forums,’ Mr Curtis said. community’. ‘The reality is that a high proportion of business Mr Curtis told Echonetdaily he had later operators are conservative voters, which will be ‘clarified’ the endorsement with the media outlet no mystery to MP Justine Elliott and I am happy that it was said as ‘an individual’ during the to support Matthew as a “reformed conservative campaign launch of Mr Fraser. voter” in his campaign.’ 1 Affiliation When pressed about his National Party affiliation, he responded by saying ‘like many people involved in local associations (eg Dawn Walker as president of the Fingal Head Community Association), I am a member of a political party. I recently joined the National Party as a prior disenfranchised Labor voter.’ In his email to Mrs Elliot, Mr Curtis said he had ‘never intentionally hid anything and today was the only and first time I have ever being questioned on my membership of a political party and when I was asked I informed Luis More than 26,000 young people in Australia do from The Echo of my membership. not have the luxury of their own bed, those who ‘No one has ever approached me with a direct attended a sleep-in to mark Youth Homelessness question. My mum and dad bought me up to tell Matters Day 2013 heard last night. the truth and that’s what I did. Of that figure, over 5,000 will be sleeping rough ‘Your aspersions that I intentionally hid anything while more than 20,000 youths will be making is an insult and there is nothing in the the most of friends’ couches and floors for constitution of the chamber that says a board accommodation. member must not have a political membership. Yet despite these alarming statistics, there are ‘My request still stands that you retract the just 24 beds for shared youth accommodation statement that I politicised the chamber. The across Lismore, Goonellabah and Nimbin. The statement I made was as an individual. youth hostel in Byron Bay has five beds. These are intended to cover the entire area from Tweed ‘There is no shame in saying you got it wrong.’ Heads to Grafton. He told her also that ‘for the record I’m a Roman To mark the occasion, Youth Connections North Catholic, follow the Titans, belong to Rotary, Coast (YCNC) together with the Northern Rivers like the colour red and my star sign is Scorpio’. Social Development Council (NRSDC) invited Cr Gary Bagnall, who was targeted by the community representatives and community conservatives’ campaign to have the former GM members to give up their beds last night and reinstated, has called on the local business camp on the floor of a local hall. Supporters chambers to ‘clean up their leadership as they received emergency relief packages to ration appear to have been hijacked by a single political between their dinner and breakfast. party with an agenda of its own’. Lismore Mayor Jenny Dowell donated a prize Cr Bagnall was in Sydney for the past month to and also gave up her bed for the night to join the attend to his ailing father, who died over the challenge. Easter weekend, and he could not respond to the She told the gathering, ‘… it is not a rich and attacks on him, which included threats and blessed community while we have people who intimidation by known supporters of the minority do not have a place to call home’. conservative councillors. Mayor Dowell told Echonetdaily, ‘Youth Couch surfing is the new face of Homelessness Matters Day is our chance to homelessness reflect on this issue and reflect on what we can do to improve that situation’. Published On: Thu, Apr 11th, 2013 The campaign has run since 1994, originating in Melissa Hargraves western Sydney and has now grown to a national 2 campaign, which this year saw an online future path. Mr Paradise said that 90 per cent of component. older homeless people have had their first Sonia Martindale-Vale of YCNC explained why experience of homelessness before they were 18. this event wasn’t a classic ‘sleep out’. Mayor Dowell discussed the broader issue of ‘This is a couch surfing event to emphasise that affordable housing with Echonetdaily, ‘… young people generally don’t rough sleep, they affordable housing means different things to couch surf,’ she told Echonetdaily. ‘This looks different people. There is affordable housing to really different from the homeless person under people who are buying their first home and who the bridge. This is why we held the event inside, are renting etc. My belief is that wherever you to show what it really is. intervene along that spectrum (from primary homelessness to people who are trying to buy ‘Most of these youths are not homeless from not their first home or struggling with mortgage coping with rules at home. They are usually repayments); there will be a ripple effect both fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, ways. If we can increase supply there is not so untreated mental health or drug and alcohol much pressure on the price.’ abuse. So this is not about young people choosing to leave their primary care givers; they The provision of affordable housing, although have nowhere else to be,’ she said. needed, will not solve the homelessness crisis on its own. ‘Young working people are struggling to get rental histories and on average are not leaving Mr Paradise tackled the dilemma. home until the age of 27,’ Ms Martindale-Vale ‘Housing is a much bigger problem than just added. homelessness so the housing issue needs to be ‘If this demographic is struggling coming from a looked at in a broader context. Homelessness, “functioning” home, then how does a 16 year old however, requires support services. If a youth is get into a place when they can’t even sign a lease lucky enough to get a tenancy, they need to know until they are 18? And that’s just the start of the how to maintain that and have the skills to obstacles.’ navigate life.’ Brett Paradise from NRSDC told Echonetdaily Ms Martindale-Vale added, ‘… we are talking that the ‘risks and challenges of young people about young people who often don’t have a who don’t have a safe place to be or the security parent/guardian type model, so they are trying to of a place for a longer period of time, impact work out things like how do they make $386 a hugely on their lives’.