A much-anticipated protest against the current Abbott government and its draconian polices have hit a local bureaucratic snag.
The Byron Bay organisers of the planned March in March say they are the victim of stalling tactics from Byron Council that are aimed to extract money. The weekend of marches is planned from March 15 to 17 across the nation. But Byron Shire Council’s director of infrastructure services, Phil Holloway, told The Echo Council’sroad closure process for events and marches ‘includes a fee for road closures which is set each year as part of the Council’s fees and charges.’ ‘The fee was paid at the time the road application was lodged and the application was considered by the Local Traffic Committee (LTC) on February 5, which recommended approval subject to conditions.’ The ultimate decision, according to Mr Holloway, comes down to councillors, not staff, and the issue will be voted on at Thursday’s meeting. ‘The Council administration cannot waive fees. The matter has been brought to the attention of Council and they will consider approval for the road closure permit and fees associated with the march at the meeting this week.’ But organiser Kim Wright told The Echo, ‘We are not an event. This sounds pedantic, but it has legal implications. ‘We are a public assembly – a public protest, which is totally different. About 60,000 people protested Sunday night in all capital cities over the death of the young man in Manus… did they have to pay insurance, fees, application costs? I think not. ‘Our biggest mistake was trying to do the right thing and involve Council.’ If all is resolved, the march will commence Sunday March 16, starting at 11am on Bay Street and will head to Railway Park. MC Mandy Nolan and other locals will speak. For more visit marchinmarch.com.au.
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Chemical-free weed control has come to Byron and soon you may be seeing this chap steaming roadside weeds, carparks, playgrounds and estates around the Shire.
It’s all thanks to an Aussie patent, which gives just the right heat to a spray nozzle to kill weeds. And remarkably the weeds are mostly eradicated after a second application. Local property maintenance business operator Paul Sommers, from Garden Warriors, is the north coast licensee for Australian company WeedTechnics, and has partnered with Byron Shire Council to trial it on open spaces. The new venture is called Steam Weeders, and his rounds will include Mullum’s new Tallowood Estate and various parks and playgrounds. Sommers said he was compelled to look for alternatives to herbicide use after public concern about their widespread use. While the proliferation of herbicide use is a concern that mainstream media has largely ignored, it was the subject of a 2012 University of Leipzig study which found 100 per cent contamination of Monsanto’s glysophate in all urine samples tested. Additionally glysophate exposure in rats resulted in decreased testosterone levels, according to a 2011 paper published by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Redundant chemicals ‘It makes chemical use – especially around public places – almost redundant,’ says Sommers. ‘There’s no risk of litigation due to toxic spray drift, and it can be used in all weather conditions. ‘It also gives native plants a chance to grow after the weeds have been eradicated. It’s perfect for rehabilitating weed-infested waterways and organic farms as well.’ Council’s parks and gardens superintendent, Andy Erskine, is supportive of initial trials, saying applications last month at the Suffolk Park sports field carpark appeared to work well. ‘From initial observations, certain weed types such as flat and broadleaf, fit best under the applicator hood and are immediately burnt back.’ The robust invention all sits on a trailer – a diesel engine heats up a water boiler to 120ºC; that is attached to a specially designed ‘Steamwand’. The WeedTechnics website claims that, ‘for hydro-thermal weeding to be commercially viable, temperatures need to be greater than 98°C, and must have rapid transfer into the plant cells.’ Sommers enthuses, ‘Hybrid and fully electric vehicles incorporating the invention are being developed and some were on display at a recent trade show.’ And it’s also not the first time Byron has had the WeedTechnics technology available: in 2011 a local steam weeding business launched; however, the owner relocated to WA soon after. But it is a first for Byron Council – the trial supports an ambitious resolution back in late November 2013 to be chemical free within five years. Byron has now joined other councils in trialling chemical-free weed control, including Victorian councils of Maroondah, Yarra and Greater Dandenong. Fremantle (WA) and Leichhardt (NSW) have such programs in place already. To be included on the Register of Chemical Sensitive Residents and Organic Growers, visit www.byron.nsw.gov.au/register-of-chemical-sensitive-residents-and-organic-growers. For FAQ on steam weeding, visit www.weedtechnics.com and to get your greens steamed, call Paul on 0431 331 810. New rural services for landowners are ‘unconstitutional’ and of ‘no value to rural landowners’
While NSW government services for rural landowners morphed into Local Land Services (LLS) on January 1, a class action against LLS claims the revenue collected is unconstitutional and is not value for money, especially for those who don’t run stock or grow crops. The centralising of services is the ‘biggest change to agricultural services in 60 years’, says the body representing NSW Farmers, and has seen the LLS replace the Livestock Health and Pest Authorities (LHPA) and Catchment Management Authorities (CMA). The class action comes as Goonengerry resident Howard Furner faces a pre-trial court hearing in Lismore on February 25 over unpaid LHPA rates for his property. Furner’s land has been reforested after years of cattle use, and therefore is without livestock or food crops. He told The Echo, ‘I don’t even open their letters any more because they don’t provide any services.’ Apart from LHPA failing to help with the wild dog crisis in the shire around 2011, Furner claims that LHPA annual returns show millions were spent on consultants. Russell Preston is in a similar situation, because his land doesn’t run stock or grow crops. The Brisbane-based theoretical physicist owns 12 hectares in The Pocket, and told The Echo he refuses to pay LHPA rates ‘as it is of no value’. And as Preston found out, the state government has the power to claim private property for unpaid rates. ‘Despite registering my property in a voluntary conservation agreement, the then-Rural Land Protection Board (RLPB) put my property up for sale for unpaid rates in 2003. It was only averted moments before an auction was to take place.’ He added that ‘no politicians have been any use’ with his cause. A recent survey conducted by NSW Farmers revealed 56 per cent of respondents say that LHPA is not value for money. Class action So is the new LLS an unwieldily bureaucratic behemoth acting illegally? ‘This is bigger than the Titanic and no media are reporting on it,’ says 75-year-old landowner Trevor Kirk, who has set up a class action against the LLS (http://llsclassaction.com). The retired corporate accountant describes himself as a ‘habitat and fresh air farmer’ and has been fighting the ‘funding regime of the NSW government’ since 2006 on the grounds it is ‘discriminatory, in breach of the Australian Constitution, persecutes landholders and is in their worst interests’. ‘Under Sir Lunch-a-lot [disgraced Labor primary industries minister, Ian McDonald], they reduced the land size from ten to four hectares, but there was an uproar and they changed it back.’ Kirk’s aim is to get landowners to contribute to a ‘fighting fund’ that will enable a High Court challenge. ‘I believe it’s unconstitutional for a state government to create any tax or levy,’ he says. ‘The federal government set taxes, and the state can only raise taxes, not impose them.’ He also claims that despite the name changes, NSW Liberal, Nationals and Labor parties have let the rort continue. ‘In this new LLS structure, MP Katrina Hodgkinson controls 58 per cent of the votes and she has set the rules. ‘She appears to be appointing stooges like her predecessors did.’ Despite Kirk’s claims of ‘business as usual’, there are now new managers and bureaucrats in charge. Bruce Brown is one of the new crop and is the new north coast general manager of LLS, based in Coffs Harbour. And as with the North Coast Holiday parks, there is a corporate tone to the government-run organisation. Brown told The Echo he comes to the job as a former NSW Farmers and corporate lobbyist, and ‘did work with helping banks develop connections with the farming sector.’ ‘I’m from the private sector and am commercially driven,’ he said, ‘and we will be triple bottom focused with economic growth, as the sector has dipped in previous years.’ To achieve this, he said, the LLS will hold workshops and provide advice and education. And while the budget of the north coast LLS was still being finalised, Brown said the region – which covers Port Macquarie to Tweed – employs ‘around 40.’ But hard questions are still on the drawing board, with Brown admitting that the exemption sugarcane farmers had with LHPA is being reconsidered, as is the rateable system of land for ratepayers. As for upcoming board member elections, enrolments closed Monday, and Brown conceded that 1,000-odd enrolments was a ‘low’ figure. Upon hearing of Mr Furner’s court case, he said he would be ‘delighted’ to come and attend any group meeting with landowners who are dissatisfied with LSS services. For more contact the Grafton office on 6642 0625. When you put a sign up that says ‘Wet paint – don’t touch’, what happens?
Or better still, what happens when you put a sign up that says ‘Please refrain from making any insult, allegation or personal reflection against any person during the course of your address to Council’? After suffering through Suffolk Park resident Peter Wegner’s waffling thanks to councillors and staff for the hard work they do, long-term Council agitator Fast Buck$ bellows from the back of the room, ‘You’re a boring and tedious old git – stop sucking up to them!’ And so welcome, public, councillors and staff, to the first of the 2014 meetings, held last Thursday. It was long as usual – something that Cr Basil Cameron reminded us of at around 4.30pm when there was no one left in the room except councillors, staff and myself. SGB NYE fall out In morning public access, South Golden Beach resident Ginger told councillors that infrastructure and the beach in her area were damaged under the stress of visitors during the new year period, which also included the nearby Falls Festival. ‘A tree was cut down for firewood and there were fires all over the beach throughout the period,’ she said. She also said she took upon herself to monitor the beach and advise visitors who may inadvertently be damaging the area. ‘We were inundated by people who took to the dunes,’ she said. ‘People have no idea how sensitive the beach and dunes are – there are birds living in the dunes.’ She said she wants to start a program to alert the public to this. Ginger can be contacted on 0402 693 820 or at whaledolphinheart@gmail.com. Bypass impasse? Debate over how to approach the West Byron Project development concluded with agreement to make a submission to the Department of Planning to establish its authority over the urban release area’s draft Development Control Plan (DCP). Council also asks that ‘a sufficient proportion’ of the Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) funds be forwarded to Council, so a ‘timely construction of the bypass’ can be made ahead of subdivision. Council will also seek the remaining amount from the state government, and noted that it has $2.5m in Section 94 funds available. Crs Ibrahim, Cubis, Woods and Cameron voted against the motion. In other – and by no means only – resolutions, Tallowood Ridge Estate got the nod to start stage three of its Mullumbimby development. Thirty-one residential allotments will be released next, with a total of around 250 planned. Mayor Simon Richardson pushed for a meeting with the developers over the sports fields component, and suggested that they may become recreational fields instead. Byron NYE, park and ride The great Byron NYE park -and-ride experiment was also thrashed out, with Cr Di Woods claiming, ‘It wasn’t a success in any way, shape or form,’ and was concerned about costs, which she estimated at around $200,000. Cr Chris Cubis also added some criticism. ‘I don’t recall the community asking for a park and ride. I remember the illegal camping and trashing the town.’ But the mayor hit back, claiming his pet project wouldn’t stack up economically the first time. ‘It’s worrying to hear the distrust with the figures. It’s quite offensive.’ ‘We learned a lot, and this has always been in a strategic plan.’ Council agreed to stage a three-year trial and develop an operational plan and budget, which may include sponsorship to help offset expenditure. n To view the entire minutes, visit www.byron.nsw.gov.au. The pressure is on to explain why the NSW deputy premier would come all the way up from Sydney to spruik ‘putting regional NSW back at the heart of government’ yet at the same time syphon money away from it.
Andrew Stoner (also NSW Nationals leader) was in Tweed last Thursday, and travelled up with five other senior NSW MPs for ‘party business’ and to meet Tweed Council, ‘local business owners and groups’. But the specifics were vague – when asked, no names of the business owners or groups were supplied by Mr Stoner’s media spokesperson. But it was an opportunity for The Echo to ask Mr Stoner directly whether he would return management of Brunswick Heads’ public caravan parks and Crown reserves back to the Byron Shire Council. Mr Stoner, who has the power to do so, said simply he ‘hadn’t ruled it out’. In 2006 the parks were controversially taken over by the state and handed to the North Coast Holiday Parks (NCHP) by former disgraced Labor MP Tony Kelly, with a claim they had been mismanaged. And ever since, major cost-shifting has occurred: The Echo previously reported that when council ran the parks in 2003–04, it made almost $1 million ($860,553) but under state control in 2011-12, NCHP paid $196,818 from park income to Byron Council. Byron Shire mayor Simon Richardson is calling for the return of management to Council, and it follows widespread community concern over future development of the parks and reserves by NCHP. In 2012, former Byron general manager Graeme Faulkner lifted the veil of confidentiality over the report used by the state government to justify the Brunswick Heads parks takeover, and was damning of its claims. The report was also discredited by most councillors at the time as deceptive and full of misinformation in order to justify stripping Council of its trusteeship of the parks. Why should visitors to Brunswick Heads have private access to public lands while the residents are excluded?
It was just one of many unanswered questions that were again brought up on Saturday at the second public information session, held by North Coast Holiday Parks (NCHP) manager, Jim Bolger. Plans by NCHP to develop the town’s three holiday parks and five Crown foreshore reserves are currently on public exhibition. And at both meetings, residents expressed confusion, anger and exasperation as to why access they had enjoyed over generations should be taken away at NCHP’s discretion. But it was not only public access and boundary encroachments that were sore points for locals. Resident Sean O’Meara told The Echo, ‘The town is basically under attack from privatisation,’ referring to the state-run private corporation NCHP. In backing the claim, elderly long-time Brunswick Heads resident and father of Sean, D’Arcy O’Meara, has told The Echo that local NSW Nationals MP Don Page first brought to his attention ‘this scam’ between the then-NSW Labor government and a ‘network of public servants’. ‘He explained to me the danger of how they would take possession of [the public assets],’ he said, ‘… isolating the community and eventually it would become the property of the state government… so they could sell it or lease it to people such as NCHP and other similar things. Mr Page said, “When we gain power in parliament, we will rectify this; we will dismantle it so it will come back to the local people.” ‘In government they’ve gone to water.’ Mr Page was asked for comment but no reply was received by the time of going to press. Meanwhile, a closed meeting between Byron Council and NCHP’s Mr Bolger was held on Thursday, presumably to negotiate the long-running public access and boundary issues. 1,600 residents While questions to mayor Simon Richardson remain unanswered, Cr Di Woods told The Echo it was a ‘very intense’ meeting and ‘Council will form a submission for the Crown’s consideration, after it has received legal advice on many aspects in the proposed plans.’ ‘My desire is to see an outcome for the community, visitors and the caravan parks, that gives everyone most of what they would like, but importantly, it is Brunswick Heads and its residents that need assurance that the village will not become another Noosa. ‘There are only approximately 1,600 residents, and it would be criminal in my view to destroy their amenity, and to negate the very thing that people come here for and that is the “simple pleasures” on offer for families. ‘I believe that the proposed plans will enable the holiday parks to become more expensive; however, while there’s nothing wrong with commercial interests improving their bottom line. ‘This could exclude those people that this community and business fraternity have worked so hard to attract.’ A short NCHP history
There’s a new approach by activists battling against the planned natural gas industry expansion in the region: a number of Metgasco’s largest shareholders have been sent a letter advising them about the size and effectiveness of the social movement that opposes its operations.
It comes as protesters gear up for a fight against proposed drilling operations at Bentley, near Lismore. Michael Qualmann, on behalf of Gasfield Free Northern Rivers, sent the letters last week saying that Metgasco had been understating the scale of public opposition and that the regional community was well organised and had undertaken training in non-violent direct action. Awareness campaign Mr Qualmann says Byron Bay resident John Vaughan, whose super fund is listed in Metgasco’s 2013 annual return as its eighth largest shareholder, contacted Mr Qualmann after the letter was sent and told him that he may lose his home in litigation. ‘I don’t know why anyone would consider this litigious’, Mr Qualmann told The Echo, ‘I’m actually doing the shareholders a service by providing them with information about risks to their investment that they may not be aware of.’ He also referred to the 87 per cent who voted against gasfield developments in the Lismore poll and that over 119 communities had declared themselves gasfield free by margins over 90 per cent and were prepared to fight to prevent gasfield establishment. Both Mr Vaughan and CEO of Metgasco, Peter Henderson, declined to comment to The Echo. The operator of Byron Bay’s La Playa restaurant/lounge bar (now called Soho) is refusing to leave the premises after he was given an eviction notice for unpaid rent. In a bizarre twist of events, the bar’s owner John Cooper was in the building when locksmiths arrived to change the locks, and now he won’t leave. He told The Echo that he has no intention of closing the door to lock himself out. ‘My rent is now paid up and was only 16 days late’, he says. ‘Due to the fact that I have invested $350,000 [in renovations] and have ongoing business and bookings there, I have remained in the building to continue to trade.’ The venue at 9 Fletcher St made news late last year when it was sold to strip club operators who opened there briefly but were denied a liquor licence. Plans were subsequently scuttled by the Office of Gaming and Liquor (OGLR) after the mayor and community expressed outrage. Meanwhile, a court case between Cooper and landlord Bill Bailey will be heard in a week, according to Mr Cooper. Mr Cooper has complaints about common area improvements, the lease change-over and delays to renovations required so he could re-open and trade. Court case looming He claims when he took over the lease three years ago, the building, ‘had been gutted and was in a severe state of disrepair’. ‘[After renovations] We began to wonder why we were been treated this way, especially after we had spent well in excess of $250,000 on renovating to a high standard. Mr Bailey was so pleased with the [renovation] work, that on several occasions he asked to parade members of his family and others through our premises commenting on what a fantastic job we had done.’ Lap-dancing saga Mr Cooper also claims he only discovered much later after negotiations that the new tenants were planning to open a lap-dancing bar. ‘Even though this was not illegal, the town went crazy.’ He says it brought OLGR up from Sydney, who refused to transfer the liquor licence to the prospective couple, ‘as the town didn’t want it’. ‘OLGR insisted that we reopen as La Playa, and in return – providing I did a few alterations, ie extra soundproofing, and installed a noise limiter installation – we would be given a 3am music licence.’ Mr Bailey was asked for comment but was unavailable as he is currently overseas. It is understood he wanted to evict Mr Cooper after three months of unpaid rent had accumulated, something which Mr Cooper denies. ‘I have improved the building and increased its internal floor area by 30 square metres, and the premises are now worth double the rent,’ said Mr Cooper. Eviction notice ‘for $3,265’ He added that he invested such a large amount because he had signed a five by five by five (15) year lease. ‘I was served an eviction notice for the amount of $3,265. ‘It’s outrageous this landlord, who has watched his tenant put vast sums of money into his property, can get rid of them for such a small amount.’ Will Byron Bay’s traffic gridlock be addressed before the first sod is turned on the yet-to-be-determined West Byron Project?
Yes, according to NSW minister for the north coast and Byron resident Don Page MP (Nationals). It comes as public submissions close this Friday for the proposed estate, located 2.5 kilometres west of the CBD. If approved, it would be the town’s largest suburb in decades. Mr Page told The Echo, ‘I have told the consultant for the West Byron landowners that I will not support the project unless the Byron bypass has been constructed. ‘We have serious traffic congestion in Byron already and it should not be exacerbated. There are other issues which also need to be considered with their proposal and this is currently happening through the public exhibition and consultation process. I will treat those issues on their merits.’ But are the issues being addressed? Not according to Council’s planning staff, who say issues remain, which they raised with NSW Planning and Infrastructure in 2011. Director of Council’s environment and planning, Ray Darney, told The Echo that, ‘staff have recommended within the draft submission that the bypass needs to be completed prior to any residential subdivision proceeding at the site.’ As for residential density, he says, ‘The current proposed allotment size is too small and the overall density of development is not compatible with the general urban form and character of Byron Bay.’ And similarly, the concerns of flood mitigation raised in 2011 also remain. Mr Darney said staff have recommended within the submission that they are not satisfied with the flood planning levels as proposed by the developer. ‘The flood levels and flood planning levels for the development must be consistent with Council’s adopted flood study and flood management plan, which follows the process in the NSW flood plain development manual.’ However on its website’s FAQ, the West Byron Project claims, ‘The department commissioned WMA Water to undertake an independent review, which supported the modelling and flood planning levels. ‘There are no developable lots in high flood hazard risk areas. There will be a negligible impact on offsite peak flood levels.’ Council pressure But it’s just not roads, density or flooding issues; Mr Darney says there would be a significant amount of infrastructure required to service up to 1,000 allotments. ‘Staff will be recommending to Council that the development should be provided with dual reticulation to recycle water and that the bypass and roundabouts on Ewingsdale road need to be provided by the developer. ‘In addition the trunk drainage system needs to be comprehensively designed and provided by the developer to ensure the quality of stormwater runoff does not impact negatively on the sensitive Belongil Creek.’ Bypass voluntary contribution: developers The Echo understands that one of the priorities for the current councillors in their first term is to complete a Byron bypass. Given the issue has plagued successive councils for 25 years, it would be quite an achievement. And with a total cost for the Byron bypass being estimated at around $8.2 million, the developers have said they will make voluntary contributions, ‘specifically earmarked for the bypass.’ They say it’s in addition to regular contributions to infrastructure that developers pay Council for projects. If the rezoning is approved, they say, $7,000 per residential lot will be contributed under a planning agreement between them and the NSW planning minister. If approved, it would almost cover the bypass cost if 1,000 homes were built, and would need to be paid upfront. As for state assistance, MP Page said, ‘Even though it’s a Council responsibility, I have arranged through the minister for roads to pay 80 per cent of the geotechnical study (an important first step in helping to get the project started), estimated at $270,000. ‘The minister has also agreed to assist Council with additional funding for the construction of the Byron bypass once we know what the full cost will be. ‘The geotechnical study will help determine this.’ Meanwhile, mayor Simon Richardson told The Echo he is unsupportive of West Byron, ‘certainly not at the scale being proposed, but that is no matter within Council’s power.’ Unsupportive ‘The monies we have do not go remotely towards addressing the long-term traffic and road infrastructure needs in Byron Bay. One roundabout alone is around the $1 million mark. In regard to traffic, there would not be a stupider place to plonk a development five times the size of Sunrise [than the site] proposed on Ewingsdale Road. So if the proponents want it, they need to ensure the rest of the community don’t have increased gridlock because of it.’ Plans for the West Byron Project are at http://bit.ly/westbyronplans and public submissions close January 31. ‘Money has never made man happy, nor will it,’ said Benjamin Franklin, ‘there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants.’
But money is needed to win elections; it buys you ink on paper and airwaves on radio and TV. And while incomparable in size and scale to state and federal election budgets, local government candidate donation and expenditure disclosures reveal the same transparency issues: donors can remain anonymous by contributing under $1,000 while fundraising event donations are also anonymous. As the political donation disclosures are now public, what does it cost to run as a party in a local government election? Greens As a state-registered political party, The Byron Greens’ disclosure is not recorded alongside other parties. So unless you ask, there’s no way of knowing what was donated or spent. But Byron Greens treasurer Wayne Smith seemed happy enough to tell The Echo that $2,577 was donated to the party by eight local people, all under the $1,000 amount. ‘$2,000 was raised from raffles,’ he said. ‘The Byron Greens members contributed $7,000,’ he added, ‘and the total came to $12,018.10.’ As for expenditures, fundraising cost them $500 and advertising was spread across the two weekly papers. The Echo ads cost them $2,757 while Byron News was just under $600. $900 was spent with Bay FM and signage totalled $559. Other costs included $600 on a Byron Bay pop-up shop as campaign HQ. The Byron Greens membership is around 100–120, Mr Smith added, and he agreed that there would be more transparency if registered political parties disclosed reports locally rather than sending them to state branch headquarters. Mayor Simon Richardson, along with Crs Duncan Dey and Rose Wanchap, were all elected on the Greens ticket. Cr Sol Ibrahim Cr Ibrahim’s Vision In Action team reported no donations of any kind except his own, which totalled $3,867. But the campaign cost $11,797, and like Crs Cameron and Spooner, he managed to secure only himself a seat in Council. When asked about the donations, Cr Ibrahim said, ‘I received about two dozen donations. All were below the reportable threshold from local residents who were of course not developers, or involved in gaming or liquor, as per AEC rules. And when asked who were Cr Ibrahim’s main backers, he replied, ‘It is a bit mischievous to imply that I or other councillor had “major backers”. I think it would be quite obvious to anyone who reviewed my votes, and my carefully stated reasons, that I am not beholden to any backers, unlike some of the Greens of course. The Greens received about a third of the votes, and my votes were about equal to Paul and Basil combined. Clearly there are a wide range of legitimate community views in our Shire.’ Newspaper advertising was again the choice of Cr Ibrahim’s communication, with $2,655.26 being spent with the Byron News (APN) and $4,194 with The Echo. Bay FM ads cost him $1,560, Corflute signage was $1,818.30 and website $1,400. Cr Ibrahim also receives the ‘hippest candidate award’ – he put down DJ expenses of $200. QLD-based public relations company Zakazukha also received $880. Cr Di Woods The True Independents, led by Cr Di Woods, raised by far the most capital with 30 individuals donating $19,728 alone (all anonymously as they are under $1,000). Additionally, a fundraising event added $12,290 to the war chest, making that at least $32,018. QLD resident Tory Smith also donated $4,000 to the cause. Mrs Woods said of Ms Smith, ‘Tory is a supporter of the True Independents and wished to donate to our cause. A really nice lady.’ As for expenses, $13,866.53 was declared, which covered newspaper advertising and signage while a marketing team was paid $8,195. APN advertising totalled $5,792.67, while $1,505 was spent with The Echo and a Saturday Star advertisement cost $275. Designer Tony Gooley was paid $3,916 and t-shirts and stickers were produced. Asked if she would advocate a change in donation disclosure given donations under $1,000 are anonymous, Cr Woods replied, ‘I would always agree with absolute transparency from all candidates including the Greens.’ But when asked if she was prepared to publicly acknowledge her major donors, she declined. ‘We had many donors who had their money returned to them as they were ineligible under the electoral ruling. We also had many other offers which were declined due to ineligibility. ‘We had a consultancy firm working for us who sought donations on our behalf and we maintained absolute scrutiny to ensure we had only legitimate donations that complied with the ruling by the Electoral Funding Authority (EFA).’ Cr Woods brought Crs Chris Cubis and Alan Hunter with her for a seat at Council. Cr Basil Cameron Cr Cameron’s Sustainable Futures party had $10,696 in capital to spend, and according to AEC records, it was his own cash. And while it didn’t get his other candidates elected, Cr Cameron’s expenditure showed a healthy advertising spend across all media. As for ink on paper, The Village Journal was paid $340, Bangalow Heartbeat $146.70, Northern Star (APN) $2,454.11 and The Echo $2,167. Bay FM was paid $300, while audio and video production cost $1,212. Unlike other candidates, he dabbled with TV: Prime7 and NBN were each paid $1,100 for ads. Cr Paul Spooner The Community Independents party, headed by Cr Spooner, didn’t spend much comparatively but it was enough for him to be elected. While his records were unavailable on the Election Funding Authority website, he said the party’s income totalled $4,720. ‘This was raised through a launch event and some small donations,’ said Cr Spooner. ‘This consisted of reportable political donation of $3,010 from Graham Mathews and $1,710 in small donations. ‘Expenses were $4,783.95 and was mainly Echo advertising, printing of pamphlets and signs etc.’ |
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