‘Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have’ – James Baldwin The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 38 #09 • August 9, 2023 • www.echo.net.au
Calls for local youth campaign on F’d housing, jobs Economist Alison Pennington will be speaking about her new book on intergenerational theft, Gen F’d?, at the Byron Writers Festival this weekend. She told The Echo that Byron’s youth ‘deserve futures they can plan for’, and not just low-paid insecure work ‘servicing the wealthy’, with ‘the majority of their earnings siphoned off to landlords and banks’. She says, ‘If young people can unite and organise place-based campaigns for decent housing, jobs, and sustainable inclusive economic models, they can create examples for other regions, and for scaling up nationally’. For more on intergenerational theft, see Ray Moynihan’s column ‘Can we stop the theft from Gen F’d?’ on Page 10.
Byron Writers Festival liftout in this issue!
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‘Vote Yes’ supporters of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament gathered on the weekend to make their point – that a ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming referendum will help ‘close the gap’. To read the Uluru Statement from The Heart, visit ulurustatement.org. Photo Jeff ‘Just Say Know’ Dawson
Bureaucrat threatens to remove Council’s planning powers Hans lovejoy Byron Shire Council risks losing its planning powers to ‘independent intervention’ if it does not ‘demonstrate how it intends to improve its housing supply’. In an aggressive letter to Council’s general manager, Mark Arnold, Sydney-based Deputy Secretary NSW Planning, Marcus Ray, outlined what he believes is Council’s failure in fast-tracking housing supply for the area, adding that Council’s development application (DA) processing times ‘are among the slowest in the state’. In the letter, which was provided to The Echo, Mr Ray demands that Council outline ‘commitments
Old piggery DA before Council, DPE ▶ p4
it intends to make over the next three, six, 12 months and beyond, to deliver at least 4,522 new and diverse homes to 2041’. It’s a target that he says Council will fall ‘well short of’. The demand comes despite his own department still sitting on the long-awaited 2022 flood data that will underpin further developments. In previous years, the NSW planning department told The Echo that housing targets are set by councils, are flexible, and not enforceable. Regarding the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) report recommendations on short-term rental accommodation (STRA), which are yet to be adopted/rejected by NSW Labor Minister Paul Scully, Mr Ray
Louise O’Connell recognised for her service ▶ p7
Sydney-based Deputy Secretary NSW Planning, Marcus Ray, is threatening to remove Council’s planning powers. says, ‘it remains critical for Council to demonstrate how it intends to improve its housing supply before any decision on Council’s planning proposal can be made’.
Wild winter temps a warning for summer ▶ p12
The Echo asked the office of NSW Planning Minister, Paul Scully (Labor), whether these directives were from his office, ‘or has Marcus Ray taken it upon himself to make these threats and decisions on the minister’s behalf?’ Additionally, The Echo asked: ‘Will these directives align with NSW Labor’s commitment that no development will occur on floodplains?’ Instead, the questions were handballed by Scully’s office back to the planning department. A DPE spokesperson said, ‘The IPC acknowledged that managing the impacts of short-term rental accommodation is only one part of addressing Byron Shire’s housing ▶ Continued on page 3
A scoopful of goodies ▶ p19
Fresh eyes on Byron Bay ▶ p29
Disappointed in the one-year performance of the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC)? Flood-affected residents, who claim they were misled by the government corporation, have launched a NSW Parliamentary petition, calling for more funding, correct mapping, and quicker action for those who applied in good faith for flood assistance. Just 500 signatures are needed for the petition to be tabled in NSW Parliament, currently there are 290 already backing the petition. As previously reported, the NSW Labor government reneged on promises, made prior to winning office in March 2023, that $1.5 billion would be allocated for the Resilient Homes Program. The government corporation tasked with flood recovery, NRRC, also misled the community by creating new maps which did not reflect the 2022 flood. And because of the corporate status of the newly formed NSW Reconstruction Authority (which subsumed the ▶ Continued on page 3
Main Arm resident, Richard Hughes, says he and his family have not been able to access their property since the massive landslide in March last year. Photo supplied
Who are the friendly tradies in your neighbourhood? ▶ p40
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