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Byron Shire
November 9, 2026

A vote to destroy forests?

Latest News

Green Heroes among 2026 NSW Environment Award winners

The NSW Environment Awards, hosted by the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, Nature Conservation Council NSW, was recently held at Customs House in Sydney.

Other News

Byron proposes limits on putting residents’ personal information into AI

Byron Shire Council is proposing restrictions on entering residents’ personal and health information into artificial intelligence tools, with exceptions requiring an approved privacy assessment or the individual’s consent.

Northern NSW hospitals fall short on emergency and mental-health targets

Fewer than half of Northern NSW emergency patients needing admission or transfer met a six-hour hospital access target in 2025–26, according to a health district review released yesterday.

Northern Rivers family could be forced to leave Australia

A Northern Rivers family might be forced to leave their life behind without direct intervention by the Minister for Immigration, Tony Burke. The de Silva family have been living locally since 2020, contributing significantly to local businesses and to disaster recovery.

Horse lovers say nup to Melbourne Cup

As more horses risk life and limb at The Melbourne Cup today, animal lovers are gathering at Flemington Racecourse and across the country to stand up for the victims of what has been described as an outdated and exploitative horseracing spectacle.

Green Heroes among 2026 NSW Environment Award winners

The NSW Environment Awards, hosted by the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, Nature Conservation Council NSW, was recently held at Customs House in Sydney.

Call for Mel Davis to be permanent Byron Public principal

Parents at Byron Bay Public School (BBPS) have started a petition to ask the NSW Department of Education (DOE) to reconsider their decision to replace Acting Principal, Mel Davis, and to allow her to continue permanently as principal.

Protest in destroyed Tasmanian Devil habitat. Bob Brown Foundation.

The Bob Brown Foundation says that a federal Liberal government, if elected, would deliver more forest killing-fields, global heating and climate pollution.

Across the country, the Foundation is delivering a federal election campaign to call for an urgent end to native forest logging nationwide. The campaign will include pre-poll booth volunteers handing out how-to-vote for forests scorecards, billboards across Tasmania and an online advertising campaign.

‘If Dutton becomes Prime Minister and rolls out “permanent timber production zones” across the nation, Australia’s native forests, wildlife and all citizens in rural, regional and city communities will suffer from ongoing global heating, more severe bushfires and wildlife extinctions,’ said Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaigns Manager.

‘These very real impacts of ongoing forest destruction are paid for by the Australian taxpayer.’

Opposition leader Peter Dutton speaks in video address. Screenshot

Subsidised destruction

‘Dutton has promised more public subsidies to the mendicant logging industry,’ said Ms Weber. ‘Tasmania’s permanent logging zones, that Dutton has committed to rolling out nationwide, are killing fields. Greater gliders, swift parrots, koalas and masked owls are on the brink of extinction due to logging.

‘All native forest logging industry supporters are delusional that our future liveability on this planet is secured while there is destruction of native forests,’ she said.

Bob Brown added: ‘Dutton’s promise to “deliver country of origin labelling” means Australian plantation timber will remain hostage to imports and that native forests and wildlife habitat in Asia and elsewhere will continue to be needlessly destroyed to serve a ruthless Australian market.

‘Such imports should be banned for the sake of both global biodiversity and the impact on climate change of native forest destruction,’ he said.

 



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