A hundred thousand people turned up on a bridge in Sydney to let their government know they wanted a better result, but local government planning matters are often only complained about when they’re built.
So when you have gatherings of hundreds of locals, in locally-organised community meetings, concerned about plans, it just might be time to put aside your preconceptions and listen.
Both the Byron and Mullumbimby communities have come out in force over the last two weeks to give feedback Council didn’t really ask for.
The Byron community’s focus is on the impacts of the proposed Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) while the Mullumbimby community has been out in force over the proposed affordable housing development proposed at the entrance to their town.
Both issues have seen meetings overflowing with locals asking for information, raising concerns about the impacts, and trying to understand and respond to what is being proposed by their local Byron Shire councillors.
These aren’t people with endless money at their disposal, they aren’t people who are au fait with the planning system, these are local people in the community who are trying to wade their way through significant quantities of material, paperwork, and planning legislation that is often confusing and new to them.
Who will listen?
A common refrain at the Mullumbimby meeting was ‘I’ve never done this before’. At both meetings the question was asked: ‘Will we be listened to?’
There were genuine concerns that any response they provided was just sending their concerns into the void and they wanted to know if this process of trying to understand and respond – taking massive amounts of their time – was really worth it?
Or have all the councillors, state government MPs and other decision-makers already made up their minds and don’t really care about local community concerns.
We’ve seen what happens when communities don’t feel listened to, they become polarised and you end with the likes of Trump elected – so this is an opportunity for councillors to listen, genuinely. Not to belittle, not to deride, but to genuinely listen, take on board and respond.
Respectful discussion, genuine debate, and heartfelt responses
There will never be total agreement across the community on any specific issue but there is a chance to have respectful discussion, genuine debate, and heartfelt responses. In fact this is often how we find many of our future councillors, MPs and community movers and shakers.
From the early days of Anudhi Wentworth to the more recent drive of Cate Coorey to protect West Byron that eventually saw her become a councillor, community concern and activism is the foundation of making a choice to make a difference .
The reality is that for the best community outcomes we all need to get out there and get involved. Support the councillors you think are doing a good job, understand what councillors can and can’t do. Ask yourself: Is time for you to take a turn to help shape your community, your towns, and your future here?
It is a privilege to have an engaged and committed community that is prepared to talk, weigh in, and provide feedback. Yes, for councillors, having people disagree with their decisions is just as challenging as it is for the rest of us – but hopefully it leads to positive outcomes for the whole community.
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. 
