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Byron Shire
July 14, 2026

Latest News

Mullum residents rally over second ‘woeful’ massive DA

A community gathering last night heard of the concerns around the second attempt to plonk a large block of units at the entrance to Mullumbimby.

Other News

New flood maps could reshape development across Byron Shire

New flood mapping covering much of the Byron Shire could affect future development controls, with a major new study recommending that planning decisions be based on whichever flood source – river flooding or overland flow – produces the highest flood level.

Ballina king tide alert for 13–16 July

Ballina Shire Council is encouraging motorists to drive safely over the coming days with king tides leading to minor flooding of some local roads.

Tweed harbour foreshore to get a revamp

Jack Evans Boat Harbour foreshore is set to be upgraded, Local NSW Tweed MP, Geoff Provest says.

Alleged native tree removal continues in Lennox, says councillor

With a government agency now investigating the alleged clear felling of natives on a large private block in Lennox Head, Ballina Greens councillor Kiri Dicker has told The Echo that contractors were felling trees all morning, ‘trying to get the job done’.

Evelyn Araluen on coming home to Country

Byron Writers Festival interviews prize-winning poet Evelyn Araluen who will present her new poetry collection, 'The Rot', at the 2026 Byron Writers Festival.

It’s not just you, it’s Telstra

Across Australia, Telstra mobile and mobile data customers have been dealing with widespread outages this morning, from cities to the regions, including the Northern Rivers.

October 30, 2024

Byron Shire Echo issue 39.21 – October 30, 2024

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Local News | North Coast News | Comment | Letters | Articles | Sport | Soapbox | Crossword | Stars | Good Taste | The Good Life | Seven Entertainment | Gig Guide | Made Here | Classifieds | Community at Work | Service Directory | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | Backlash
In this issue: Made Here – October 2024
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In this Issue:

What do real nature positive laws look like for Australia?

Following a ‘disappointing’ inaugural Nature Positive Summit in Sydney, a team of researchers say that current laws are not sufficient to achieve the summit’s lofty goal.

Leave the dunes for the endangered birds

A pair of critically endangered beach stone-curlews are nesting in the dunes on Clarkes Beach, they are one of only 13 breeding pairs in NSW.

Restoring scattered thoughts

Truth and victorious peace: a scattered journey we live in a scattered world. Violence, wars, deaths of innocent children, imprisonment of children, the failure of institutions and the rise of the military industrial complex, the rise of mad men...

Genocide

Danny Wakil denies that Israel is committing genocide claiming that Hamas inflates the figures and that probably 17,000 of the 40,000(sic) Palestinian victims, were Hamas fighters (October 23). What about the other 23,000 innocent deaths, Danny, or don’t they...

War profiteers

One of the most disturbing things about the ongoing carnage in Gaza is the fact that wealthy plutocrats, comfortably ensconced in Western capitals, are making huge profits from the sale of weapons to Israel. The bombs that are used...

Confusing

The Byron Shire Council’s (BSC) utility manager Cameron Clarke makes some confusing statements in The Echo concerning the Lavertys Gap Water Filtration Plant (LGWFP). Mr Clarke claims any delay in handing the Mullumbimby water supply over Rous has health and...

More obstructionism

There has been much grandstanding and obstructionism of late by the federal Greens in blocking the Labor government’s badly-needed housing reforms in the Senate, resulting in unnecessary long delays and inevitable cost blowouts, and really the country deserves much...

Screaming, obstructionist Greens

Re the ‘screaming, obstructionist Greens’ rhetoric – the Greens challenge a status quo where Labor and the Coalition are in bed with the one per cent and the capitalist power lobby.  This is why they let corporations pay little or...

Sandwiched

I would like to encourage everyone to refer to that large country sandwiched between Canada and Mexico as the United States. lt is not America. North America begins in the Arctic Circle and South America finishes way down south in...

Support for female sexual assault survivors

Joana Sponsel is starting a free monthly group for female sexual assault survivors in Byron Bay.

Conscience vote

NSW regional media fund extended

Regional and rural papers providing public interest journalism will get financial assistance in what the Minns Labor government says is its ‘ongoing work to deliver solutions which will support regional NSW communities to thrive.

Skye Ray brought sunshine, laughter, and love to so many lives

Skye Ray, a colorful explosion of beautiful, organised chaos, laughter, professionalism and sharp wit passed away on Sunday, October 13 with her husband John by her side. 

Editorial – A healthy approach to drugs

‘If you don’t have a drug problem then the last thing you need is a conviction; if you do have a drug problem then the last thing you need is a conviction.’

Splitting heirs

You are not my king. As Lidia Thorpe’s words reverberated around the parliamentary chambers, it was an opportunity for some colonial reflection. ‘This is not your land’ (whose land is it anyway?), ‘we want a treaty’ (why the hell don’t...

Wategos corporate

As a resident of Wategos beach it was very disturbing to see Raes hotels hold what I would call a ‘corporate event’ selling alcohol all under the guise of community. In my opinion this is nothing other than commercial –...

What if Trump wins?

The Queensland election was not the rout most pundits predicted. Labor did well to hold metropolitan seats but lost heavily in the regions. 

Lavertys Gap possible option for Mullum water supply

The option to source Mullumbimby’s local water supply from Lavertys Gap has risen from the dead, after Byron Council backtracked on its decision to permanently connect the town to the Rous County Council regional supply.

Drug summit for Northern Rivers

Drug reform is finally on the NSW agenda and the NSW Drug Summit will be held for a day in Lismore on Monday, November 4. It will also be held for a day in Griffith on November 1 and for two days in Sydney on December 4 and 5.

Vicarious trauma of screens

Last week my 11-year-old son awoke with horrendous nightmares. His body shook in fear. The evening before he’d watched a MA+ film at his friend’s house, one that involved gratuitous violence and murder. His friend’s mother had allowed him full...

Byron Bay Golf Club

In relation to The Echo’s front page last week on the future of Byron Bay Golf Club. It is rather unfortunate that a member of that club feels that the fees are too high for the common person. Everything...

Mullum’s water

At the recent Council meeting, the new Council voted in favour of deferring the decision to pursue a permanent connection for Mullumbimby to Rous for up to two years. This decision to connect to Rous Water was made at...

Water, homelessness in the sights of Byron Council’s Elia Hauge

One of the six new councillors at the Council bench in the Byron Shire is Elia Hauge, member of the Greens team.

Old Byron Hospital gets new lease of life

It was a mid-week evening in June 2017 and The Echo was sitting alongside about 50 locals in a high-ceilinged room above the Byron Community Centre.

Julian’s persecution

I felt driven to respond to the letter from Ms Farlow (October 23). Julian Assange did not put any lives at risk, as stated by Ms Farlow. This is precisely why the US government could NOT provide any evidence...

Re ‘The Bay’

You can have a wide, sweeping, world-attracting Byron beach or you can have a pool on a broken, undermined beach, but you can’t have both. Already the rocky outcrop on Main Beach is tearing ‘The Bay ‘apart, particularly on the...

Myocum Road road patching starts soon

Byron Council say they are about to start a major program of heavy patching on Myocum Road later this month.

Great Koala National Park feedback report released

Feedback around the NSW government's Great Koala National Park (GKNP) proposal has been published – what are the main themes?

Winter is no time for complacency, Marine Rescue NSW warns

Demand for assistance from Marine Rescue NSW remains high, says the volunteer organisation, with their latest data from last month showing 24 search and rescue missions for the North Coast, including 16 emergency responses.

Draft Bangalow Flood Study on public exhibition

A draft study examining flooding Bangalow is on exhibition by Byron Council.