Very interesting comments slipped out of the mouth of Premier Chris Minns during the recent Sydney/regional floods: ‘There shall be no more developments on foodplains’ (and in one interview a muttered reference to ‘the Sydney region’).
Whilst a jumbled comment, the latter Freudian slip indicated a confusing political stance.
One questions why Byron Council deems its development on floodplains stance as reflecting what the NSW state dictates? How deeply have developers in the Byron Shire sunk their fangs into the ‘power-psyche’ of ‘the powers that control’ Byron Council? Why on earth would any council vote for development on floodplains in the region?
Byron Shire does not have a co-ordinated evacuation plan when the predicted, and non-predicted, floods descend upon sentient beings. The Byron Shire has become totally ‘fossil-fuel road-centric’. No alternative rail evacuation passenger vehicles exist to ease such an emergency.
This mentality is non-democratic. It is non-caring. It violates human/sentient rights. It resonates with the Katrina flood tragedies in New Orleans – and they were prepared with a huge evacuation centre.
Byron Council fiddles with its tuneless, unimaginative fiddle, offering no lullaby deserving of the region and communities. We all stand witness to the 2022 flood trauma in the region. Living with the climate crisis reveals global communities appealing to international human rights.
The centre for international law legally recognises the role(s) of human rights and developments. Take note present and future Byron councillors.
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. 
