As the drama unfolded between police and protesters at the Wallum Development in Brunswick Heads yesterday, people were drawn to the site by the red alerts sent out by the Save Wallum organisers.
Ocean Alley guitarist Mitch Galbraith came to the site to support Save Wallum. ‘I’m here to support the possums and to support everyone at the Wallum site – because they’ve moved an excavator in here.
‘I’m here to try to raise awareness and I’m going to put out a call to arms so that we can get some more people down here to stop the next stage, because, it’s not over.’
Hoping Ocean Alley fans will visit Wallum
Galbraith, who lives in Suffolk Park and whose parents live in Mullumbimby, said he was hoping his fans, near and far will get on board with the actions. ‘There’s one excavator in there and there’s someone up the tree right behind me. It’s really peaceful and a nice vibe and quiet down here, but we need some more numbers on the ground so that we can stop the next wave of machinery.’
Galbraith says he has been visiting the site once a week or so. ‘I get busy travelling, but during the week I get a chance to come down and chat to all the possums and just tell them that we support everyone. The community spirit down here is out of control, and that’s what it takes to preserve these places.
Sue Higginson MLC
Greens’ MLC Sue Higginson was also on the site yesterday. ‘What we are seeing at Wallum is a courageous community standing up for environmental justice in the face of political and legal failure,’ said Ms Higginson.
‘Courageous community members are engaging in legitimate protest and non-violent direct action at Wallum in protest of the impacts that will occur to Matters of National Environmental Significance if the development proceeds.’
Ms Higginson said the community is calling for the Federal and State Labor Governments to use their powers, powers that could ensure critical habitat for threatened species is protected. ‘Resistance to this development is growing, not shrinking. After day one there were a few arrests made and then the machines left the site.
‘The community is resolved and the Greens and I will continue to support communities that are fighting to keep people and the environment safe from developments that are destructive and that have no social licence.’
Clarence Property is cooperating with police
Clarence Property say they are cooperating with police in relation to ‘illegal and criminal activity’ at its Wallum site in Brunswick Heads.
CEO Simon Kennedy said illegal and criminal activity had been ongoing at the site and in the neighbouring Bayside Brunswick community since February.
‘The level of police presence speaks to the seriousness with which this matter is being treated,’ he said. ‘It’s important to Clarence that locals, our staff and contractors can go about their daily lives and lawful business in a safe and uninterrupted way, and we will continue to work with police and do what we can to ensure this is possible.’
‘It’s a great cause’
Mitch Galbraith says he hopes the Ocean Alley fans and supporters can put their weight behind Save Wallum. ‘Our fans can log on to savewallum.com, and if there are any fans that are in the local area, I’d really strongly encourage you to come down here – there’s lots of friendly people down here and we’re all here for the same cause. It’s a great cause. And we really do need people’s feet on the ground, even just to come down and walk around and show up.
‘Just showing up and showing your support would be amazing.’
As I’ve indicated before, I’d like to know more about where the truth lies in the gamut of claims being made about this development. However, if a guitarist is now on side I need ponder no further. I’m sure his musical skills give him an expert grounding in ecology and planning so for me this has absolutely tipped the scales.
Does anyone round here have a job? An alert goes out and before you know it a hundred or so protestors are right there on a Wednesday morning! No wonder you can’t afford a house.
The ABC said 200, so you are probably right with the numbers.
Unless they included the Police from as far as Newcastle, the Riot Squad, the evil workers ( just doing their job), the company’s security people, visiting Politicians, the media and TV crews, and all their respective shadows.
The Wallan numbers have been declining each week.
6000 on their Facebook site but how many are actually locals , or even resident in Australia?
Massive fill (up to 2 metres) is needed for this project because it is a flood plain! 2 weeks ago it flash flooded in Byron Shire & this site was, in places knee deep, & in other places waist deep!! (I saw it). Where will the water go when they fill 30 acres with up to 2 metres? Will sink holes, already known to develop in Bayshore) form & damage the housing infrastructure making it unstable? Who knows! Do you care?? These protectors are caring for land….many are young, are studying &/or also have jobs, many are retired, & most in between have JOBS, YES, & come when they can & bring their kids & babies…this assumption that people who care enough for the environment are unemployed & will protect it is, well, very ignorant! Look up The Big Scrub to see how much environment is left, if you don’t know already you’ll be shocked at how much has been destroyed, then come & join the Wallum protectors, you’d be welcomed.
No social licence for this development. It should be gone.
Got to be said the greens here promote more housing in parliament but as long as it is not near them.
The right hand supports more housing and the left hand opposes development for housing.
That appears to be how it works.
It’s called having a Bob each way – and when you’re a minor party, you never have to pay up anyway!
I’m hoping they’ve all read the current DA before joining the “pile on”.
A touch of humour never goes astray.
The only people who truly care for the environment in this country are the indigenous who revere land and had lived simply on it for thousands of years till old mate cook and co came along and I know if it wasn’t him it be the French dutch Portuguese or someone else colonizing the country . We have the biggest rate of extinction in the world out priorities are all wrong we should live simply like the indigenous or the armish society has lost the plot build anywhere and think its progress . We know climate change is here there’s no denying it and nature will keep reminding us . According to David gulpilil indigenous had no word for rubbish they recycled everything .we are just greedy people destroying everything in our path according to European way of life isn’t this Australia not Europe or America . Our society has lost the plot and needs a serious paradigm shift back to simple ways and a focus on the environment first economy second , there will be no economy without a good environment
Lizard, Brian Jimmie, Rod and Jbean:
I’ve studied the development history, read the docs and walked the site. This proposal is known in the industry as a Zombie Development. Threatened species inhabit the site. Australia is the top continent in the world for species extinction. “Threatened” means that species is in danger of extinction. The rare heathland that this developer Clarence Properties wants to destroy is the basis for the rare species and is rapidly disappearing under an out-dated colonial approach to ‘settlement’. And that’s just the threatened stuff. There is much more, including beautiful flora and fauna. Please go and have a look.
As a Greens member, I support solving the housing crisis (which is actually a crisis of poverty). But let’s put new housing where it doesn’t hurt. Let’s put it on flood-free land and away from sensitive environments. Let’s put it on land that is already degraded, ie where the least harm will be done by introducing bitumen, concrete, traffic, noise and pets. I hope you can join in and support better living on this planet that some are finding too small.
100% correct
Duncan, I have no doubt you have done your homework thoroughly on this development and have the very best intentions both for the local area and the planet at large. My beef ( and perhaps that of others) is the way this issue is being reported by the Echo. Please tell me if I have any of this wrong. Zombie DA or not, it had the NRPP go ahead – Byron Council did not have the final say. Few, if any councillors wanted the development or would have waved it through on initial presentation.
Some councillors believed that Council should obstruct and fight it out in court (gambling with Council coffers). Others judged there was little likelihood of success in this avenue and opted to attempt to minimise impact through maintaining channels of negotiation with the developer. To suggest certain councillors virtually sent the bulldozers in, is less than a fair summation.
It’s fine to deride “pragmatism” and fiscal responsibility, then complain about a lack of services and the state of the roads. It’s fine to spurn the opportunity for something better in order to go for the glorious ideal of the perfect, but get neither. These are the age-old, wicked dilemmas. To turn the whole issue into a white hats versus black hats affair, because there’s a Council election coming up, is a disservice to the readership.
Two councillors( one the mayor and the other with a long history of local environmental concern) felt the need to send letters to the same edition of the paper to get fair representation. That’s rather telling.
The protesters have every right to protest and good luck to them. What the Echo should avoid is presenting the battle as being against Council – and spare us the salivating at the involvement of a celebrity guitarist who is “hoping his fans, near and far will get on board with the actions”. Is this how intelligent and rational debate occurs?
Housing. I agree entirely about careful urban planning. The trouble is in this shire, finding land that’s not either flood prone, ecologically sensitive or prime farming land is challenging. No one, least of all Echo editorialising, wants to identify any. It’s also a bit simplistic to reduce the housing crisis to a “poverty crisis”. You don’t have to be ultra impoverished to find housing in the Byron Shire way out of reach – or Sydney, or Melbourne. More likely there are a myriad of factors.
I think I might have given quite a bit of “ support (for)better living on this planet”. Spare us the assumptions.