Some of the issues to be voted on at this Thursday’s Byron Council meeting include a lengthy motion on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which is proposed by Crs Cate Coorey and Duncan Dey.
In part it recognises, ‘that the hostage situation on both sides and the eight-month siege of Gaza are traumatising for many Byron Shire residents’, and seeks to write to the prime minister and foreign minister, ‘expressing support for Australia’s condemnation of the attacks on Israel by Hamas on October 7’, and… ‘end military, economic, political and diplomatic ties with the state of Israel until it complies with its obligations under international law’.
Council staff raised concerns around receiving ‘a report in August to explore options for Council to cancel contracts with companies that support Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, or profit from it, or that supply equipment to the Israeli Defence Force’. Staff wrote it would ‘be difficult to identify such companies outside of any already publicly available information’.
DA register
And staff have also raised concerns around a motion proposed by Cr Sarah Ndiaye titled, ‘Establishment of a Register of Interested Parties for Development Applications Contradicting Biodiversity Regulations in Council’s LEP and DCP’.
Staff wrote a lengthy reply in the agenda, saying in part, ‘It is unreasonable and unfeasible to expect development support staff, when a development application is lodged and requires notification, to determine whether it “contravenes Biodiversity Regulations in the Council’s LEP and DCP”.’
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