Editorial
Rabbit holes distract from truth seeking
There I was last week, reading the latest Echo, nodding in agreement with Phillip Frazer, smiling at Mandy’s column, shaking my head over the weird Trump equals Julius Caesar article, when I was suddenly brought to a halt by page 10.
Byron Echo
Musings on a decaying Republic, old and new
This is one last head-scratch about Donald Trump and the American political paroxysm before the forty-fifth president drags himself, or is dragged, away.
Byron Echo
The time has come for Byron Shire to save the world – Mandy’s in, are you?
When we met, in 1971, Mungo MacCallum was already piercing the egos of Canberra pollies, and I was putting out a paper called 'The Digger', which championed the many movements seeking to replace cultures that had passed their use-by dates.
Byron Echo
2021 – the year to reject tyrants
It’s nearly 2021! With a sigh, let’s all acknowledge the year’s trauma so we can move on, right? In the move towards a seismic awakening in 2021 – as well as building resilience for the year ahead – tinpot tyrants and their foot soldiers are on notice.
Editorial
Suffolk bike track project maintains trajectory
Almost every Council meeting throws up hard decisions that must be courageously tackled, such as resolving competing community uses of public land.
Byron Echo
A new policy sausage is made
New to the area? Perhaps you have become Council-curious. If so, here’s a summary of perhaps the most significant item debated and voted upon at last Thursday’s Byron Shire Council meeting: the long awaited Residential Strategy.
Byron Echo
Let’s talk pork!
Put simply, pork barrelling is where certain electorates are favoured by politicans with cash (grants, infrastructure projects etc) to curry favour. It’s questionable though, how ethical the practice is, given it is essentially a bribe.
Byron Echo
Editorial – Koala Konscience
Is governance, in NSW in particular, about representing your constituents, or is it about following the party line?
Byron Echo
Oregon is on crack
While the NSW government grapples with perhaps the worst state budget deficit ever this week – along with neverending scandals revolving around their lack of a moral compass, greed and hubris – there’s a bill making its way through Parliament that should concern those interested in the neverending and ridiculous ‘war on drugs’.
Editorial
Editorial – Renewables finally come into vogue
Something doesn’t feel quite right. It appears the NSW Liberal Nationals are moving towards a cleaner future, one that recognises climate change and isn’t coal-fired.
Byron Echo
Editorial – Clinging onto biodiversity
In case anyone missed the memo, there’s almost no housing, let alone affordable housing, available in Byron Shire. With so many people escaping the cities, Byron Shire is under enormous pressure.
Editorial
Editorial – Clinging onto biodiversity
In case anyone missed the memo, there’s almost no housing, let alone affordable housing, available in Byron Shire.
Byron Echo
Why we should spare that tree
Measures to protect koala habitat have been diluted by the NSW government following a National Party campaign backed mainly by developers fearing the impact of tree preservation on their profits.
Editorial
Guest editorial: 5G and the bigger picture
For more than four decades, I’ve been studying the impacts of the global techno-economic system on different cultures and societies around the world.
Byron Echo
Editorial – Superspreading the good news
Terrific news! Australia is beating this global virus back and lockdowns will soon be eased.
Comment
Closure of the Casino to Murwillumbah railway line
Last Wednesday a bill went to the Lower House of the NSW Parliament supported by Geoff Provest, Nationals MP for Tweed and Janelle Saffin, Labor MP for Lismore.
Byron Echo
Deferred democracy
Council elections would be occurring this week but it got caught up in the world series pandemic event. Instead, our benevolent NSW govcorp overlords have put it off for a year. Yet an election this week would have brought fresh new energy to local politics – it’s clearly needed.
Byron Echo
Editorial – Ready for summer?
For the North Coast, fire season kicked off early on September 1, and if you are a rural dweller, it’s worth considering what fire plan you have.
Byron Echo
Editorial – Value our volunteers
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There have been no shortage of challenges in Australia in the last few years – drought, fire, flood, and now COVID-19. And we are already heading back into fire season with local crews currently on the ground in Duranbah and Stokers Siding.
Byron Echo
Editorial – Defending Planet A
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Over the weekend it was reported that Greenland’s ice sheet, the largest single contributor to ocean levels rising, has melted beyond the point of no return. This should be ringing alarm bells.
Byron Echo
Editorial – How to clear a room
Want to clear a room? Say ‘economics!’ Except – there is an extraordinary modern economist named Mark Blyth.
Byron Echo
Editorial – The rewards of being uncompromised
Happy birthday, James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987). As one of the more obscure figures who championed human rights, his activism spanned race, sexuality, and class, which contributed to major political movements of the ’60s.
Byron Echo
Editorial – Road funding announcement turns into a political dumpster fire
There was a terrific announcement of $2.28 million in road funding for some of Byron’s worst roads by two odd bedfellows last week – the non-elected local Nationals representative and the Greens mayor.
Editorial
Editorial – Future food that doesn’t cost the Earth
‘Civilisation is in a race between education and catastrophe’, H. G. Wells once said. One ongoing catastrophe – and there are many – is the uncertainty of food supply for the planet’s seven billion odd humans.
Byron Echo
No easy path with this virulent pathogen
While New Zealand declares itself COVID-19 free this week, Australia, particularly Victoria and now NSW residents, are bracing themselves for fresh cases of the virus.
Local News
It’s legal to grow and distribute – but only by the anointed
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Byron based medicinal cannabis producer is sending cannabis to Germany in a breakthrough $92m deal yet the humble plant remains illegal for locals and continues to put people behind bars.
Byron Echo
Rail trail debate
Geoff Meers, Suffolk Park
It was good to read David Lisle’s comprehensive and reasoned discussion of the history of the Casino to Murwillumbah rail corridor....
Byron Echo
No respect
Chibo Mertineit, Lillian Rock
Once again it’s that time of the year where we are meant to celebrate Australia day on 26 January. The day...
Byron Echo
A window of trust
Baden Offord, Ocean Shores
Wholeheartedly agree with Dave Rastovich’s spot-on letter regarding the value and benefit of The Echo, that it is a ‘trusted window’ (Letters,...