IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO BUY A POLITICIAN, YOU DON’T NEED A TAX BREAK The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 39 #27 • December 11, 2024 • www.echo.net.au
The Saddle Road īſĕĕŕǕĕōĎ ƆĶƐĕ Ɛş ĶŕĈōƖĎĕ ſëŊƱëō IJşƖƆĶŕī
Byron’s big fashion event
Paul Bibby
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boriginal housing in the Byron Shire looks set to get a significant boost, after the company behind a major development in Brunswick Heads offered to provide five per cent of the residential land on the site for this purpose. News of the offer was revealed by developer Creative Capital at last week’s Byron Council meeting and accepted, on a provisional basis, by councillors. The proposed development, known as Gulgan Village, involves rezoning a 37.9ha area of land on The Saddle Road, located between Mullumbimby and Brunswick Heads. Under the proposal, the greenfield site would be transformed into a housing estate that could provide housing for a population of 600 to 1,000 people. The Managing Director of Creative Capital, Brandon Saul, formally sought to enter into a voluntary planning agreement (VPA) with Council at last week’s meeting, and this received conditional acceptance from councillors. Included in the terms of this agreement is an undertaking from Creative Capital that it would provide five per cent of the housing on the site, which would be as much as 20 separate residential lots, to the Bundjalung of Byron Bay (Arakwal) Aboriginal Corporation (BOBBAC) for the purposes of providing housing. Given that Byron currently has just ▶ Continued on page 3
Calls to help our older renters ▶ p4
The Butterfly Serpent by Elouise Gales was awarded the director’s prize at last week’s WAVE (Wearable Arts Vision in Education) exhibition, held at Mullum’s Shearwater School. The event drew sellout crowds, with around 1,100 people enjoying the event over the four nights last week. Around 200 students took part. Pictured is model Shed Nava. Photo Jeff ‘Bric-A-Brac And Back’ Dawson
EĕşſīĕȜƆ !şƐƐëīĕƆ īĕƐƆ ĪƖŕĎĶŕī ćşşƆƐ ĪſşŔ dëćşſ St Andrew’s Village (George’s Cottages) Byron Bay will receive $3,595,733 in taxpayer funds to redesign 40 ensuites, remedy drainage issues and external repairs, and deliver targeted care to homeless residents. In a media release by Federal Labor MP Justine Elliot, she says the project is being funded through Round 2 of the Albanese Labor
Local biz have their say on large Mullum development ▶ p8
government’s Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP), ‘which will directly support not-for-profit providers and small communitybased operators’.
Unprecedented levels She says, ‘We’re continuing to invest funding at unprecedented levels to support aged care providers outside of major cities, along
Over 1,000 attend DV march in Ballina ▶ p10
Professor David Heilpern looks at Brut force ▶ p12
ĤħŅĺ ŵōĽáů üáżżĈůħĈŵ áůĈ ĤħŅĺ ŵōĽáů üáżżĈůħĈŵ áůĈ żōō ŬůħýĈƱǨ Ĉ żōō ŬůħýĈƱǨ ůōƁăĽƱ ŬōƫĈůħŅĞ fħńüħŅ ƫħżĤ ōĽáů żĈýĤŅōĽōĞƱ nƁů ŬůħýĈŵ ńħĞĤż ŵƁůŬůħŵĈ ƱōƁǤ nƁů ŬůħýĈŵ ńħĞĤż ŵƁůŬůħŵ ŵĈ ƱōƁǤ ŵħŅýĈ njǔǓǒǧ
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with those that deliver specialist services’. ‘After the devastating news that Feros Care would close Byron Bay’s Feros Village, federal and state Labor governments worked together with the community in 2023 to find a new provider (St Andrew’s) to keep the site open for residents. ‘A year later, I’m proud to be delivering more than $3.5 million
in federal funding to support St Andrew’s Village Byron Bay to continue delivering the very best care and support for our local seniors’, Mrs Elliot said. ‘The Albanese Labor government recently committed an additional $300 million to ACCAP over three years, as part of the historic aged care reforms announced in September 2024’.
So festive right now ▶ p20
Love Byron, support local ▶ p28 O ¡ÌÒ È ® ÒÈ¡ y® ºµÒÈy ÒºÈ ĈĐďČČČ ʼnĬ<Siĭ čĐĈĎĉʼnĬN® ĭʼn È ¡Ò (µÌÒy®® ÈÌ