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Byron Shire
June 19, 2026

Cartoon of the week – April 1, 2020

Latest News

In loving memory of Dr Tony Parkes AO PhD (1929 – 2026)

Dr Tony Parkes AO PhD, one of Australia’s most visionary conservation leaders and a pioneering force in ecological restoration, passed away last Thursday at the age of 96. He spent his final months at Honey Bee Homes in Ewingsdale.

Other News

Tradie ladies graduate civil construction TAFE program

Twelve Northern Rivers residents are celebrating the completion of a groundbreaking program designed to build essential skills and unlock employment pathways for women in civil construction.

AI roll-out

My dad bought a quarter-acre block overlooking Sydney’s Northern Beaches for 400 pounds. That was about eight week’s salary. Mum...

How to stop the erosion of our human rights

Let’s celebrate Refugee Week, 15–21 June, which was initiated in Australia 40 years ago and now observed worldwide.

Seas the Day in Kingscliff this weekend

This weekend the fourth NRMA Insurance Seas The Day women’s surf festival is back at Kingscliff Beach with Surfing...

Byron Council budget up for discussion as rates rise looms

There is a potential 30 per cent or more rate rise in the wind for Byron Shire ratepayers by 2030. What’s needed is clear and concise budget documentation, accessible to your average ratepayer. It would seem the least Byron Shire Council (BSC) could provide in accordance with commitments to inform the community.

Speaking and listening

All of a sudden Council’s supposed experts condemn the Wilsons Creek weir water quality during rain events, which would...

Take your pick. Cartoon by Antoinette Ensbey.

Letters to the editor

We love to receive letters, but not every letter will be published; the publication of letters is at the discretion of the online and print letters editors.

The deadline for the Byron Echo newspaper is noon Friday and letters longer than 200 words may be cut for the paper. However, longer letters are often published online before or after being published in the paper.

Send to Letters Editor Aslan Shand, email: [email protected], fax: 6684 1719 or mail to The Letters Editor, The Byron Shire Echo, 6 Village Way, Mullumbimby, 2482, NSW, Australia.

Letters already published in other papers will not be considered.

Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.



For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling.

If you are a local business owner help us and in turn we help you. All The Echo asks for is advertising, not a free ride. It is every advert in The Echo and on www.echo.net.au, which creates the space for all the stories and coverage of community events, happenings and concerns.

If you are a reader you can become a sponsor of The Echo. Your support keeps the us independent.

Even a small one-off or regular donation from you will help keep the echo’s independent voice alive and strong.

Support Us

Become one of the supporters who helps keep independent, local journalism alive in the Byron Shire by contributing anything from as little as the cost of a coffee each month.

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Your contribution is keeping independent, local journalism alive in the Northern Rivers.

Because of supporters like you, we can keep every story free for everyone — no paywall, no exceptions. Your money goes directly to funding our newsroom of 40-odd local workers covering the stories that matter to this community.

Tell us what you think, give us your opinion

The Echo loves your letters and comments and is proud to provide a community forum on the issues that matter most to our readers and the people of the NSW north coast. So don’t be a passive reader, email us your epistles at editor@echo.net.au.

The letters deadline for The Echo is noon Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. The publication of letters is at the discretion of the letters editor. Please remember to include your full name, address and telephone number.

Online comments are no longer available.

Caring for community

The Rotary Club of Mullumbimby presented a cheque for $10,000 to the Brunswick Surf Life Saving Club (BSLSC) in support of its ongoing operations.

Lismore shops enchanted for Lantern Parade

Winners of Lismore’s Enchanted Windows comp have been announced, with The Two Ravens taking top spot. The comp is part of the city's Lantern Parade, to be held this Saturday, 20 June.

AI: Artificial Intelligence, or Artificial Inflation?

It feels as if AI is everywhere – whether it’s those intrusive bots on every website or every headline about how it’s either going to be a boon for humanity, or end us.

Flood gauges installed in Ballina and Wardell 

Residents in Ballina and Wardell will have more more localised flood warnings, giving them time to prepare before floodwaters arrives, thanks to new flood forecast services along the Richmond River.