David Lowe

After an emotional deputation from the owner of the dog involved, Ballina Shire Council has this morning revoked a menacing dog declaration for the kelpie Lilo, which was brought into effect following a bite in July 2022.

This morning Ballina Shire Council will hear a motion from Cr Steve McCarthy to remove the native macaranga tree from the list of approved species for planting by Ballina Council and local community groups.

At around midnight last night, a fire started which engulfed the old Mullumbimby railway station. It's been twenty years since the last train came through, but the building has been an important community hub, providing office space for a number of organisations, including COREM, Mullum Music Festival and Social Futures.

The euphemisms were flying when Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles announced last week that an extra $50 billion would be spent on our military over the next decade, and that $72.8 billion of already announced spending would be redirected.

Bridge expansions, upgraded pumps, enhanced evacuation routes and nature-based projects are just a few of the 36 projects being rolled out as part of...

A proposal to assess the viability of a third village on the Alstonville Plateau was discussed at Ballina Shire Council's last meeting.

Sam Mostyn has been announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as Australia's next governor-general. So what sort of woman is she, and why has her appointment sent the right wing media into a tizz?

The last Ballina Council meeting saw a straightforward request from staff for more information about the short term rental accommodation situation in the shire (as it relates to NSW government policy) turn into an elaborate saga.

The language of the Australian government about the war in Gaza has hardened since the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, along with six other people working for the World Central Kitchen charity, when their vehicles were hit by three Israeli missiles.

The last meeting of the Ballina Shire Council saw another rancorous discussion about whether the local community awards ceremony should coincide with Australia Day.

Long-time campaigners for the salvation of the historic Lennox Head shed/pavilion are very happy with the final result of the restoration and improvement works, recently delivered by Ballina Shire Council.

The collapse of Splendour in the Grass before it reached the starting gates has been blamed on a lot of things, including the cost of living, Taylor Swift, the weather, ticket prices, millennial laziness, Kylie Minogue and inadequate government support. The event joins a growing list of major music events to be cancelled. So what do taxpayers owe music festival culture in Australia, if anything?

The UK High Court of Justice has released a 66 page judgement seeking more information from the United States relating to Australian citizen Julian Assange, which it says it needs before deciding whether to grant the WikiLeaks founder leave to appeal his extradition.

The latest leg of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail opened in style on Saturday, with hundreds of two-wheeled travel enthusiasts spinning along the newly opened 13.4 kilometre section from Casino to Bentley.

The ancient idea of democracy is under threat around the world. Today, there are only 63 democracies compared to 74 autocracies, and many of these democracies are highly problematic.

More than 250,000 Australians are living with epilepsy. Lennox Head's Katie Gatland sat down with the Echo to help everyone better understand what Purple Day and epilepsy awareness is all about.

Tasmanians go to the polls next weekend, in an early election brought on by Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockcliff, whose party has fractured during its ten years in office but is currently warning voters not to elect a Labor minority government, which he's been calling a 'Coalition of Chaos'.

About thirty citizens gathered outside Richmond MP Justine Elliot’s South Tweed office on Friday to draw attention to the urgent need to reform forestry...

A war of words has erupted between Ballina councillors over an unauthorised development at Alstonville Showgrounds, consisting of a series of steel cattle pens close to neighbouring houses.

Thanks to years of political inaction, Australia is one of the few countries in the world not to have a New Vehicle Efficiency Standard. The European Union, New Zealand and China have one. Even the United States has a standard, which means new cars in Australia use 20 per cent more fuel and create 20 per cent more pollution than their American counterparts. With the Albanese Government about to introduce legislation to correct this situation, the Coalition is busily dusting off the 'war on utes/the weekend' rhetoric.

Having failed to win John Howard's old seat of Bennelong in 2022, management consultant Simon Kennedy has been selected to contest Scott Morrison's seat of Cook for the Liberals, which has been vacated now that the former prime minister has left parliament.