EXCLUSIVE OFFERS WITH KEY HIGHLIGHTS SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 39 #16 • September 25, 2024 • www.echo.net.au
Labor concedes, paving way for Greens mayor Sarah Ndiaye
Holiday letting rules introduced Regulations around Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) came into effect for Byron Shire on September 23, with most of the shire now capped at 60 days for unhosted holiday lets. Two precincts in Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads have no cap restrictions. According to Council’s website, ‘There will be a 12-month transition period for the community and industry to prepare. The changes do not affect hosted STRA. This is where the host, who can be the owner, tenant, or permanent resident, resides on the premises during the short-term stay’. Byron Shire is the first local government area (LGA) in NSW to have legally enforceable regulations around holiday letting beyond the NSW caps. Member for Ballina, Tamara Smith (Greens), said, ‘At peak times we have seen thousands of whole homes on holiday sites, while permanent residents have had no rentals available. ‘This cap should see the transfer of some of those properties to the long-term rental market and cannot kick in soon enough.’
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abor mayoral candidate Asren Pugh has conceded defeat in the September 14 local government elections, with Greens candidate Sarah Ndiaye poised to become Byron Shire Council’s new mayor. The tight contest between the two had Cr Ndiaye ahead by 770 votes (4.3 per cent), after first preferences, yet the tally is yet to be finalised. Cr Pugh, who has been a councillor for the past two and half years, said on social media, ‘I have received a surprisingly high number of preferences from [independent David] Warth and a really good flow from [outgoing mayor Michael] Lyon’.
Exhausting ballots ‘Unfortunately, there are simply too many ballot papers that are “exhausting” and do not allocate preferences. This means I am going to fall a few hundred votes short of winning mayor. I have called Sarah to congratulate her on her win’. ‘Even though I have just fallen short, this is an amazing result. ‘Our vote tripled from the last election, which was just over two and half years ago. This is the best result for Labor in Byron Shire in decades’. Mayor-elect Sarah Ndiaye wrote on social media, ‘We want to wait till every one of your votes is counted’. ‘What we do know is that the results are looking very promising ▶ Continued on page 3
Junior Landcare connecting kids to country ▶ p6 %22. 12:
Jack remains king of the mountain ‘Jack Gill ran up the hill, his partner Courtney came running after. Jack ran down and won the crown, and Courtney finished not much later’. Saturday’s Chinny Charge saw competitors and walkers climb Mt Chincogan overlooking Mullumbimby. Jack Gill (pictured) and Courtney Gilfillan won the open men’s and women’s division respectively. Gill ran the entire loop in 30 minutes and ten seconds, while Gilfillan ran it in 36 minutes and ten seconds. Photo Jeff ‘Poetic Injustice’ Dawson
Labor MP slams Greens over housing bills Hans Lovejoy Local federal Labor MP, Justine Elliot has again launched an attack on Greens candidate Mandy Nolan when asked about the latest housing legislation being put forward by her party. Echo questions around Labor’s $10B Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), which became law a year ago, were not answered. Instead, Mrs Elliot described the Greens as extreme, hypocritical, playing games and unnecessarily blocking her party’s latest housing bills. Labor’s ‘Build to Rent’ and ‘Help to Buy’ bills are before
From Byron, good things grow ▶ p13
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parliament, yet are being stalled by the Greens and the Coalition, with calls for improvements. Labor’s Build to Rent’ bill aims to encourage investment in the build-to-rent sector with tax concessions. Yet Ms Nolan says, ‘There is no modelling suggesting that any new homes will be built’. She says, ‘According to expert evidence presented at the Senate inquiry, it is likely none of these so-called “affordable” homes will be affordable to low- or even middleincome renters’. Meanwhile, the Help to Buy bill aims to make home ownership more accessible for low- and
Refused Cudgen Connection development listed for gateway determination ▶ p15
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middle-income Australians, yet that scheme will be offered to just 10,000 eligible homebuyers across the nation every year, according to the www.conversation.com.au. PM Albanese says he will reintroduce Labor’s Help to Buy legislation in October, leaving open the possibility of a double dissolution election. Negotiations for Labor’s $10B Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) saw the Greens pressure Labor into injecting another $3B into the fund. Mrs Elliot has previously told The Echo she does not agree that was a benefit for the electorate, and instead says those HAFF delays were costly.
‘Let’s be clear – the big corps will want this unique trial for our community to fail, so we are working closely with the community to amplify the good news stories that we expect to emerge from this power our community now has. ‘As a community, we have faced fires and floods with incredible resilience and there is palpable ▶ Continued on page 2
Before the truth has got its boots on ▶ p19
Walk, ride and explore the Tweed’s rail trail ▶ p25
Big corps want the trial to fail: local NSW MP
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