NSW Election 2015
District of Ballina
Report shows hit to land values from CSG
Land values across the NSW north coast and elsewhere will be hit hard if the coal-seam gas (CSG) industry is allowed to develop, a new Productivity Commission report has warned.
District of Ballina
New govt must support fairer and more caring society
Jan Barham, MLC. The re-elected coalition government must adopt a more caring and strategic approach with a priority focus on housing and community services for areas of high vulnerability and disadvantage such as the north coast.
District of Ballina
Farmers fire off warning to Nationals on CSG
The National Party should heed the message being delivered by country voters to end unconventional gas mining in the Northern Rivers area and across the state.
NSW Election 2015
The mandate is to protect communities, water from CSG
Phil Laird, national co-ordinator Lock the Gate Alliance. The NSW election result shows voters in many regional electorates reject coal seam gas and have handed the Government a mandate to protect communities and water resources from mining.
NSW Election 2015
Libs hang on, but do they have poles-and-wires mandate?
NSW premier Mike Baird put his cards on the table and it paid off at Saturday’s state election — but does the Coalition now have a mandate to privatise the state’s poles and wires?
NSW Election 2015
Nats ‘storm troopers’ help take Tweed
Terry Sharples, Tweed Heads. Congratulations to Geoff Provest and his campaign manager for running a brilliant campaign to hold his seat. For a first timer, Geoff’s opponent did quite well but could have done even better if the ALP campaign had had focus.
District of Ballina
Voters say no to trails without rails
Basil Cameron, Trains On Our Tracks (TOOT). Residents have sent a strong message to the Baird government: ‘hands off our tracks’.
District of Ballina
Current politics and its addiction to fossil fuels
Sapoty Brook, Mullumbimby. OK, have you had your five minutes of celebration? Great, now let's get serious again. It is really unfortunate that the NSW government and their supporters are climate-ignorant.
District of Ballina
West Byron should go back for community to decide
Cate Coorey, Byron Residents Group. The Greens' Tamara Smith's win in the seat of Ballina on Saturday is a clear indication of how the people of Byron Bay feel about the Nationals in this town.
District of Ballina
Greens take Ballina, with Lismore likely
The NSW Greens have declared victory in Ballina and are also being tipped to take Lismore from the Nationals.
District of Ballina
No endorsement for rail trail
Jens Krause, Byron Bay. The rail Trail myth has been finally put to bed. Ripping up the tracks in order to provide for a cycling path has been resoundingly rejected by the people of Byron shire.
District of Ballina
Who reads the Echo? Read it or weep!
Sean O’Meara, Brunswick Heads. During a meet the candidates broadcast on Bay FM about a week before the election, Nationals candidate for Ballina, Kris Beavis, was quizzed about the controversial developments planned for the Brunswick Heads foreshores.
Local News
Provest retains Tweed for Nationals, just
Tweed Nationals MP Geoff Provest has been returned for a third term, but with a much reduced margin.
District of Ballina
Coalition puts north coast biodiversity ‘under grave danger’
The north coast’s rich biodiversity is under grave threat from a shock announcement by the coalition just two days out of the election that if re-elected it will repeal the state’s major protection laws for threatened species and native vegetation.
District of Ballina
Thomas George says he’s all for CSG
Bruce McQueen, Mt Burrell. 'I am all for CSG' are the exact words spoken by the National's Thomas George at meet the candidates night in Murwillumbah four years ago.
District of Ballina
Greens cry foul over nursing-home lockout
The Ballina Greens have called on the NSW Electoral Commission to declare invalid votes from a Ballina Catholic aged care centre after it refused the party permission to leave electoral materials for residents.
Local News
Labor accuses Nats of misleading voters on electricity sell-off
The NSW Labor party is accusing the Nationals of misleading voters by handing out flyers saying only electricity assets in Sydney would be privatized.
District of Ballina
Greens tackle unemployment on the north coast
Tamara Smith, Adam Guise, Andrea Vickers and John Kaye for the NSW Greens. Greens NSW have announced a fully-funded $165 million local infrastructure program for the Richmond-Tweed region.
District of Ballina
ALP makes $247m pledge to upgrade region’s roads
Northern rivers councils would have access to $247 million to upgrade roads if the Labor party wins Saturday’s election, deputy Opposition leader Linda Burney promised in Lismore this morning.
District of Ballina
West Byron newspaper ad inaccurate: residents
An advertisement taken out by Byron Shire real estate agent and councillor Rose Wanchap in The Byron Shire Echo last week riled up...
Local News
Local youth among those hardest hit by housing affordability crisis
Paul Bibby - 1
A 20 per cent spike in rents is driving an increase in youth homelessness across the North Coast, the organisers of a national campaign to end homelessness say.
Local News
Fresh faces for Council elections
Paul Bibby - 3
A very distinct, black flat-cap has just been thrown into the ring for the upcoming Byron Council elections, pegged for September 4.
Byron Echo
Follow the buck$
JK Mckenna, Burringbar
Give Fast Buck$ his own column in the paper. Let him speak. Let him be heard.
Let’s also see some accountability from councils...
Byron Echo
A bouquet for Lilac House
L Jenkins, Byron Bay
Nicole Habrecht should receive free paint and brushes and a pat on the back from Council for maintaining her house in a...
