Hello 2024, and farewell to 2023, a year slightly less shit, but at least better than covid, fires and floods. Herewith a quick roundup of how the year was, through The Echo lens.
Early in 2023, the one-year anniversary of the 2022 floods was marked, which saw many locals still experiencing the legacy of the disaster on a practical, emotional and mental level.
It’s now 2024, and there are still flood-damaged empty homes across the Shire with unresolved insurance claims.
The Shire’s road networks are slowly being repaired by Council, which appears entirely reliant on state and federal funding to do so.
The lack of housing and the number of rough sleepers was another feature for the year; the Fletcher Street Cottage faced a reduction in services. A last minute reprieve of funding by the state government helped somewhat, yet the grant is not recurrent.
An outbreak of deadly fire ants was discovered in Murwillumbah, 5.5km from the Qld border; the NSW government subsequently ramped up containment efforts.
In June, The Echo reported ‘Sky-high commercial rents, staff shortages produced by the housing crisis, and the broader economic downturn have placed an unsustainable burden on dozens of local businesses in Byron Bay’.
Also in June, Jarjumirr Park, a competition-level skate park located between the Byron courthouse, library and Youth Activities Centre, opened.
NSW election
The NSW election was held in March, with incumbent local MP, Tamara Smith (Greens) returning to office with an increased majority.
NSW Labor reformed the Affordable Housing State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) to ensure it was ‘fit for purpose’, yet the reforms were not supported by the peak advocacy group representing NSW councils.
In July, the NSW Labor government released its Far North Coast Regional Water Strategy, a move to presumably pave the way for increased population growth.
The ‘Yes’ campaign
With the nation saying ‘No’ to an Indigenous voice to parliament, those in the Byron bubble were a standout, with all the voting booths giving ‘Yes’ the majority.
Feros shenanigans
In February, it emerged that residents at the Feros Village aged care facility in Byron Bay were subjected to substandard care across every aspect of the service. The damning report by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) led to the Feros Board announcing the facility needed to be redeveloped. Eight hardy residents refused to leave, and a long campaign ensued.
Finally, at the end of the year, the NSW government appointed a new provider, with promises that the facility would be improved without eviction.
Holiday letting
In August it was reported that a powerful NSW bureaucrat threatened Byron Council with losing its planning powers if it didn’t ‘demonstrate how it intends to improve its housing supply’. Were councillors courageous in defending us residents from this attack? No. The mayor instead said he would develop even more than was required by our bureaucratic overlord.
Did the sucking up to power pay off? By September, Council was granted a 60-day cap on un-hosted short-term holiday letting across much of the Shire.
Council shenanigans
Transparency and honesty with the public continued to decline at a local governance level, with closed door deals over the carve up of public land, mostly around Mullum.
Highly valuable rail corridor land in Mullum is slated for development, as well as a well-used car park.
The trend of silence continued throughout the year, with the mayor also leading closed doors discussions with the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) to fast-track future developments. It was later revealed he excluded other councillors from all negotiations.
Pod villages sprung up everywhere, which also came without proper assessment or transparency.
Later it was found that Mullum residents on Prince Street face increased flooding risks from the pods.
The credibility of the NSW-run government corporation, NRRC, eventually crumbled, with Resilience NSW being scrapped and replaced by a new body called the NSW Reconstruction Authority.
The whole exercise of resilience and reconstruction, post 2022 floods, is still a mess – all who have been flood-affected and promised assistance can attest to that.
The year culminated in a Housing Options Paper, which proposes to radically upscale the Shire’s population. It does not include 2022 flood data, and was conducted appallingly.
For example, a large parcel of flood-prone land in Mullum was included at the last minute, which did not come with any public feedback.
The whole exercise was rushed, poorly executed, and the final details of what land is included are hard to figure out. Community groups told The Echo they were unhappy with the process. It appears that is exactly what this Council wants.
Happy 2024 everyone!
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. 
