THE DAYS ARE NOW GETTING LONGER, AND AIN’T THAT JUST DANDY The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 38 #03 • June 28, 2023 • www.echo.net.au
Byron Writers Festival program in this issue!
Food security report for Northern Rivers released
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New research aimed to address local food security has found a lack of a co-ordinated government approach to disaster food security, with the burden of addressing food insecurity falling on the community. The study, conducted by Plan C, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF) and Wild Community, funded by the Northern Rivers Community Foundation, also found food insecurity is widespread across the nation, and affordable and healthy food is not always accessible, particularly for disadvantaged communities. ‘When approaching this complex problem, a food systems approach is necessary,’ says Fiona Berry, Research Principal at UTS-ISF. The study provides ten key recommendations for creating a resilient and thriving circular food system in the Northern Rivers. Seven of the ten are: enhanced food infrastructure; support for food produced in the region to be bought and sold locally; arable land protection; accessible food hubs; awareness and education on the benefits of local food; listening to traditional knowledge; and ‘strong governance through a community-led regional food plan and policy council’. Plan C CEO, Dr Jean Renouf, says ‘These recommendations echo the recently released CSIRO Reshaping Australian Food Systems 2050 Roadmap, and other initiatives happening elsewhere in regional Australia. This includes the Canberra Region Food Collaborative, Sydney Food Futures and Logan Local Food Map. The report can be downloaded at www.planc.org.au/foodsecurity.
group of locals who have experienced homelessness firsthand are gearing up to run in the Gold Coast Half Marathon on July 1, to raise much-needed funds for the Fletcher Street Cottage in Byron Bay. The cottage provides basic needs such as food, showers and laundry, and advocacy and referral services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Fletcher Street Cottage relies 100 per cent on community donations, as there is no ongoing government funding for the services. As a former rough sleeper,
Byron councillors have stepped back from endorsing a controversial new busking policy that would require local buskers to fork out for public liability insurance. The policy is now open for public submissions, and contains a clause requiring that buskers ‘provide documentary evidence that the applicant has obtained public liability insurance of a minimum $20 million’. However, no councillor moved a motion to amend staff’s draft policy. Instead, councillors removed their endorsement of the policy, and removed a line that stated it would automatically be adopted if no public submissions were received. Regarding insurance, Independent Byron Councillor, Cate Coorey, told last week’s meeting that she could not find any other councils, including the City of Sydney, which had a similar requirement. ‘It’s punitive,’ Cr Coorey said. ‘We’re at a time now where many of the people busking on our streets are already strapped for cash, and if other Councils aren’t doing it, there’s presumably some other mechanism to indemnify them or find a way to manage it.’
Update on Feros Byron Bay aged care stand off ▶ p6
Cannabis industry needs protections, says MLC ▶ p8
Paul Bibby
From left: team leader, service user and organiser, Mathew; with service users Pete, Jack, Sam; and Byron Bay runner, Byron Community Centre admin and Fletcher Street Cottage volunteer, Sorrell. Photo Katie Love
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Mathew Broster is a cottage regular, and told The Echo, ‘At Fletcher Street Cottage, many of us rely on the morning breakfast, showers, laundry and shelter that are essential assistance with our survival’.
Breaking the stereotype ‘As we gather a strong group of us rough sleepers together, running side by side, we are creating awareness and breaking the stereotype of homelessness’. Broster says, ‘With a running coach on hand, a dog sitter planned, a beautiful coastline to run on, and a consistent training
NRRC uses out-of-date flood mapping to plan for future development ▶ p12
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program, our plan is to get “Off the Street, On Our Feet”. ‘Every donation motivates us to keeping going! ‘Please donate to this initiative to support rough sleepers in the Byron community’. To donate, visit www. pozible.com/profile/ off-the-street-on-our-feet-1. For more info on the Fletcher Street Cottage, visit www.fletcherstreetcottage.com.au. And to become a sponsor of the cottage, please get in touch at fsc@byroncentre.com.au or phone 0491 670 882.
When questioned on the decision to include the insurance requirement in the policy, an unidentified staff member said it had been a requirement from Council’s insurance officer and insurer. The following revealing exchange then took place: Mayor: ‘Has it [the requirement] ▶ Continued on page 2
School holidays are coming, check out some great activities ▶ p18
Making Spaces ▶ p28
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Jonson Street, Byron Bay • 02 6685 6878 • www.byronbayservicesclub.com.au