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Byron Shire
June 5, 2026

Latest News

Lismore City Council recognised for environmental leadership at LG awards

Lismore City Council has been recognised for outstanding achievement in environmental leadership, resilience and community infrastructure at the 2026 LG Professionals NSW Local Government Excellence Awards.

Other News

The Greens’ 3-way comp: Ballina Councillor vs Byron candidates for state preselection

Byron Greens members could expect to be asked to take the future of the Richmond River further south into account when choosing a candidate for next year’s state election.

Ballina Council wrap

With local government meeting practice across the state returning to confusion following the NSW Legislative Council's recent decision, Ballina Shire Council's last meeting included a lot of unanimous decisions and an argument about the remnants of the Big Scrub, in which Mayor Cadwallader used her casting vote to squash Cr Simon Chate's motion.

Potholes 

As a relatively regular visitor to this area I was astounded, on trips to Byron Bay, at the number...

Return Mullum hospital to Bundjalung

‘Public land should serve the public vision,’ Greens councillor Elia Hauge is quoted as saying in The Echo (May...

More than a pantry – helping feed our community

Neighbourhood Centre has been running a low-cost community pantry? And over the last few years it’s really expanded.

Wandana Brewing Co turns six

Six years ago, Wandana Brewing Co set up on the outskirts of Mullumbimby with a simple ambition: to make great beer and build something the community could genuinely call their own. This Saturday the Wandana Brewing crew are marking the occasion with a free, all-day birthday celebration, and everyone is invited!

May 13, 2026

Byron Shire Echo issue 40.49 – May 13, 2026

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Local News | North Coast News | Comment | Letters | Articles | Sport | Stars | The Good Life | Good Taste | Bangalow Billycart Derby | The Scoop | Soapbox | Crossword | Filter Off | Seven Entertainment | Gig Guide | Classifieds | Community at Work | Service Directory | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | Backlash

In this Issue:

A future with One Nation

‘I want my country back. I want to bring back prosperity.’ As we listen to the strains of Pauline Hanson and her calls about how existing parties have ‘run this country into the ground’ following the One Nation win in the Farrer by-election I have to reflect on how her good mate Donald Trump has made America great again (MAGA).

Who should pay for housing infrastructure?

Byron Council has moved to impose the maximum developer contributions currently allowed under NSW planning rules, backing a draft infrastructure funding plan that could see new housing developments charged up to $20,000 per dwelling.

RFS Captain John Milford recognised

John Milford, Captain of the Wilsons Creek Rural Fire Brigade, has been in the Rural Fire Service (RFS) for about 34 years and when the 2022 floods hit he became a lynch pin in linking his local community. But for him it was ‘just doing my job’.

Commemorate Nakba Day this Sunday

A community rally will be held this Sunday, 17 May, starting in Apex Park, Byron Bay opposite the Beach Hotel at 11am as part of a Nationwide Day of Action to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba.

Audit please

I was spitting chips when I read this article of Council being forced to take over Crown lands and the financial risks of compensation. Oh dear, my very point for Council has been how much compensation has been taken...

Lives lost in Ballina

With respect for the lives lost in Ballina waters: When love and courage, join together as one, Sometimes grief is born, rather than anticipated fun. As I sit by the river, who flows silently through our town, I feel the heartbreak, the shock...

Whale of a time!

Congratulations to Winter Whales, Byron Surf Club, volunteers, water safety, and all the sponsors for pulling off yet another incredible Big Swim. I was frothing to see the ocean of community, locals and visitors coming together to commune with...

Too late to object

Thank you to The Echo team for providing a free and informative local newspaper. As I’m taking the time to read the last edition, I am feeling quite angry at the article about the constant fight local communities have to...

Who wins: David or Goliath?

David Attenborough reaching one hundred years of age feels reassuring. I grew up with him and he undoubtedly shaped my love of nature. In many ways he’s the original influencer, staring down the barrel of the camera from exotic locations with an unparalleled dedication to his craft. It’s as if nature is talking through him.

Vale Robyn Gray

On 1 May, family and friends said goodbye to the founding president of the Brunswick Valley Historical Society (BVHS) Robyn Anne Gray (nee Harkness) OAM.

Old Bangalow rail bridge gets new life

The upgrade of the Old Bangalow Road rail bridge in Byron Bay has been completed. The old timber bridge, located along the non-operational Casino to Murwillumbah railway line, has been replaced with a modern steel arch structure and widened to accommodate two lanes of traffic.

Clubs do Purple Friday to highlight DV

Last Friday the Byron Bay Services Club stood with more than 200 registered clubs across NSW to turn purple as part of the first weekly ‘Purple Friday – Clubs Say No to Domestic Violence’ campaign.

Model house on grass

$2bn for housing welcome, affordability is key

The federal government’s Budget has committed $2 billion for housing-enabling infrastructure, including $500 million dedicated to regional Australia – over four years from 2026-27, to fund critical infrastructure and build up to 65,000 new homes.

Small halls the heart of their communities

The Eureka Hall is turning 120 this year and the community kicked off the celebrations with the inaugural Eureka Art Show on Friday evening with walls and plinths full of wonderful work, and the hall filled to capacity with celebrators.

Byron Chamber Business After Hours tonight

The Byron Bay Chamber of Commerce is encouraging the business community to reconnect through its upcoming Business After Hours event as they shift focus into the winter season ahead.

Will transport plan provide missing links?

A draft NSW government transport blueprint has warned that deep ‘transport disadvantage’ is leaving many North Coast residents struggling to access jobs, healthcare, and education without a private vehicle, widening the divide between those who can afford to drive and those who cannot.

Leading pigs to slaughter not so easy

Booyong Abattoir has approval to slaughter 5,000 pigs per week, although it has historically slaughtered 7,000 to 10,000 animals at times, and a Booyong Village local residents’ group doesn’t want the abattoir’s development application (DA 10.2024.305.3) to be approved by Byron Shire Council (BSC).

ISIS brides

With all the concern about de-radicalising the children returning to Australia whose parents had connections with ISIS, an estimated 1,000 Australian dual citizens serve, or are, active reservists in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), with some serving in Gaza. Their...

Take the blinkers off

It is quite evident there’s increased antisemitism across Australia, in fact the world. The Royal Commission is asking ‘Has it increased?’. Sadly, Blind Billy or Blonde Barbie could tell you that. The Royal Commission should stop immediately, or ask the real question:...

The battle for Byron and our train!

We all know people are saying the demographic is changing – Hollywood has arrived in Byron etc, but a lot of people forget our real community is still there, and it’s our real community who attract the tourists that...

Battery revolution

The battery revolution will bring a grim demise for the grid a lot faster than cars trod on the horse. Sapoty Brook, Main Arm

Suffering in the Park continues

I am writing again to The Echo with a ‘different perspective’ than those who have been unhappy with me for expressing my views. Their stories and grievances with the current president of Suffolk Park Community Association (SPCA) have been given...

Height limits ‘unreasonable’ and ‘unnecessary’

The Melbourne-based developer behind a luxury beachfront apartment project in Byron Bay is seeking to push the building more than two metres above the town’s height limit, describing our height rules as ‘unreasonable’ and ‘unnecessary’.

Regional NSW newspapers to close

The closure this week of ACM’s (Australian Community Media) Tamworth printing facility has once again led to the closure of more local, regional newspapers.

Praise for Mandy

Mandy Nolan is to be commended for her excellent Soapbox article in the Byron Shire Echo on 5/5/26, ‘Why Only Nature Can Save Us’. Thank you Mandy, for reminding us all of the nurturing and recuperative power of nature! Brian...

Byron Council’s Sandhills Wetlands project takes first place at LG awards

The Sandhills Wetland restoration project in Byron Bay has won another major award, with Byron Shire Council taking first place at the Local Government Professionals 2026 NSW Excellence Awards.

Tweed Shire Council recognised at Local Government Excellence Awards

Tweed Shire Council has been recognised for its innovative approach to tackling incivility, winning the People, Workplace and Wellbeing Award at the 2026 Local Government Excellence Awards last night.

Threatened species protection in NSW overhauled

A "new, holistic approach to threatened species conservation" has been introduced by the NSW Labor government, reforming the Saving our Species program.

Australia’s first greenhouse gas monitoring network launches

With World Environment Day being today, June 5, NSW government scientists say they have launched Australia’s first dedicated regional greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring network, "which will help inform emissions reduction as we head towards net zero".