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Byron Shire
October 20, 2026

Land values exceedingly high? Committee taking objections 

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Landowners who think the NSW Valuer General’s recent valuations are too high have been encouraged to object to the Joint Standing Committee on the Office of the Valuer General.

Local MP, Tamara Smith (Greens), told The Echo she has just been appointed chair of the committee, which oversees the Valuer General of NSW. Objections received will contribute to a potential parliamentary inquiry into the flood response, she says.

According to www.parliament.nsw.gov.au, ‘The committee monitors, reviews and reports on how the Valuer General carries out its land valuation functions’.  

‘The committee can look at methods used to conduct valuations, how valuation service contracts are negotiated and entered into, and the standard of valuation services provided under the contracts.

‘The committee can report to both Houses on any change needed to the Valuer General’s land valuation functions, and on matters referred by both Houses’.

To submit your case, email Chair, Joint Standing Committee of the Office of the Valuer General at [email protected].

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Interview with Genevieve Clay-Smith, director of Boss Cat showing at the Byron Bay Film Festival

When Sonja (Olivia Hargroder) loses her mother without warning, the only steady presence left in her life is her grandmother, Doris. But Doris’s idea of stability means dismantling everything Sonja has built. For Sonja, who lives with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and has spent her life fighting to be underestimated by no one, Doris’ plan feels less like protection and more like erasure. Directed by Genevieve Clay-Smith, Boss Cat is a vibrant, big-hearted Australian dramedy about independence, family and self-determination, anchored by a fearless lead performance.

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