Latest News
Byron beach erosion
Ann Tiernan, Suffolk Park
I strongly disagree with Council’s position stated in last week’s Echo that ‘The sand (at Clarkes Beach)...
Other News
US promises to return Assange to Australia a ‘trick’ says father
Lawyers for the US said Judge Baraitser ought to have sought assurances for Mr Assange’s safety in the US prison system during the extradition trial.
Saddle Road land snapped up for $10m
A picturesque property in Brunswick Heads that was once slated to become an eco-village may become a light industrial precinct after the owners sold it to a developer for $10 million.
$10k fine for man who flew to Ballina while COVID infected, as govt takes Pfizer vaccine from regions
A young man who left COVID lockdown in Sydney and flew to Ballina while infected with the virus has been fined nearly $10,000 for numerous health order breaches in NSW and Queensland.
Cherry-picked COVID-19 statistics: Were the weekend’s ‘Freedom Rallies’ based on science?
A flyer recently dropped into the letterboxes of some New South Wales residents urged people to attend the controversial ‘Freedom Rallies’ – Let’s break it down and present some context.
Sovereign citizens have ‘zero’ legal status in Australia, says former magistrate
Can we really tell authorities we ‘don’t consent’ to rules around mask-wearing, public gatherings or, as was more common before the pandemic, traffic and drug offences, and be excused?
Shooting in Nimbin
There is a police operation currently underway in Nimbin following a shooting earlier today.
Stories about "koala extinction risk":
Tweed Council calls for same koala protections as Central Coast
The highly criticised NSW Koala SEPP (state environmental planning policy) that has been put forward by the NSW Liberal-National coalition does not protect Tweed Shire rural koala populations said Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry (Independent) at last week’s council meeting.
From Byron to Sydney to Armidale #KoalaDayOfAction
Koalas across NSW and the north coast are under threat with the Nationals’ new plan to allow land clearing and logging just about everywhere. To make your voice hear join in the statewide #Koala Day of Action.
Editorial – Koala Konscience
Is governance, in NSW in particular, about representing your constituents, or is it about following the party line?
No thinking, let alone a conscience on koalas, allowed!
It appears that governance in NSW is no longer about representing your constituents, it is about following the party line, no questions asked. Fortunately for koalas one upper house Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack was prepared to cross the floor in their defense.
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.
NSW Liberals betray koalas and back down to National Party
Aslan Shand
The changes that the National Party have demanded to the Koala State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP), that passed in the NSW Legislative Assembly...
Koala protections stripped away by Berejiklian government
There was a moment of hope when environmentalists were praising the NSW Berejiklian government for standing up to the bullying tactics of their National Party colleagues over protecting koalas. But it didn't last and the Liberal Party has again back-flipped, facilitating the koala's path to extinction by 2050.
What’s the fuss about koalas and the National Party?
Aslan Shand
The NSW National Party has decided to stay in the well paid pond of the NSW government following a tantrum over the Koala...
Creating koala parks key to preservation of species
The koala is one of the iconic Australian animals that we are known for around the world. Yet we are failing this animal, and many others, and continuing their drive towards extinction as we continue to drag our feet on creating viable koala parks.
Are the new koala habitat rules enough protection?
Tensions are rising over protecting koala habitat, and therefore koala lives, as preparations are made to log Braemar State Forest, south of Casino.
Byron Echo
A day of ‘thank you’
Alison Drover, Broken Head
How about a day of ‘thank you’ to our health workers and ‘sorry’ from our prime minister and ‘please’ from the community?
Instead...
Letters
Nolan’s Soapbox
Duncan Shipley-Smith, Byron Bay
The sinister suggestion by Nolan in last week’s Echo conflating anti-vaccination supporters with extreme right-wing ideology (XRW) demands a response.
This is...
Local News
Shooting in Nimbin
There is a police operation currently underway in Nimbin following a shooting earlier today.
Local News
Knife-wielding criminal on the loose in Byron Bay
Aslan Shand - 1
A terrifying media release is still on the loose in Byron Bay after escaping from the computers of Council candidates Rhett Holt and Cr Alan Hunter. 'It is a frightful to wake up at three in the morning to a man blood dripping with a backpack full of knives using your shower,' the [sic] release said...
