On November 2010, I detailed on http://candobetter.net/node/2256 what is wrong with a dam being constructed on Byrrill Creek, Northern N.S.W. Since then even more reasons have surfaced .... the plot thickens. What is the real reason why Tweed council wants a dam in spite of legal impediments, in spite of Byrrill Creek's undeniable ecological value? Why do councillors consistently refuse to vote in sustainable water technologies throughout the shire?
On the northern coast of N.S.W. adjoining the Gold Coast and S.E.Queensland lies Tweed Shire, christened as the Green Caldera by once Environment Minister Peter Garrett. This area is famous for one of the highest biodiversity levels in Australia and infamous for the greatest level of biodiversity loss in N.S.W. thanks to the fact that the vast majority of Tweed councillors are pro-development. But in the case of Kings Forest, a massive housing development for 15,000 people worth $2 billion, NSW State Planning took control under the massively unpopular Part 3a legislation, depriving the council of all controls.
If this development is approved, it will be goodbye koalas on Tweed coast within 5-10 years. HAVE YOUR SAY!!
Controversial Tweed Shire Council has a history of making poor environmental decisions that are hugely unpopular with the largely Green-oriented residents. It is the second most complained about council in New South Wales. However in November 2010 the councillors voted for the worst possible blunder which will be recorded as a major crime against Nature.
Tweed Shire Council is fast approaching the most complained about council in NSW. The only green councillor trying to implement sustainability into council policies is treated like an idiot when the councillors should be following her!
The recent Repco Rally was so bad it turned Tweed Valley banana farmer/GP into a No Rally Group member. Here is her submission for the Review of the Motor Sports (WRC) Bill 2009. Anyone who accuses protestors of being 'green, hippie tree-huggers' should read this highly intelligent and shocking account of what happened on her street during the rally. Many anti-rally protesters are professionals just like her (teachers, writers, business people, film makers, artists, farmers, politicians) and their voices need to be heard.
In a Media Release, Katie Milne the one Tweed Shire Councillor who stood steadfastly with her community against the invasion of her region by the environmentally destructive World Rally race last weekend, demanded to know why Repco Rally organiser Garry Connolly allowed media vilification of anti-rally protestors to escalate for nearly a week knowing that allegations that anti-Rally protestors had thrown rocks at cars to be false. In the meantime, accounts of attacks against protestors by Rally supporters, including the hurling of projectiles, went unreported by the newsmedia.
"We knew we were gone when the Judge said,
'Time's up, you’ve got one more issue you can raise.' We hadn’t even started. We had only just got past the argument where she dismissed both our ecologists’ reports." Before it has even been run, the REPCO car race has damaged local democracy with impacts far exceeding local boundaries. Environment and democracy, go hand in hand. Environmental destruction and corruption follow closely behind destruction of democracy through unbridled commerce. We think that all judges in the land should be concerned about this.
Sylvia Hale, NSW Greens MP and Local Government spokesperson has slammed Tweed Council for imposing a ban on its Councillors disclosing information to the media.
At the last meeting of Tweed Shire council on 21 July, a raft of motions by Cr Katie Milne were unanimously approved by council. However, the question is will it be enough to save Tweed koalas when just over the border in SE Qld koalas are in fact critically endangered according to the Australian Koala Foundation? If Events NSW has their way this September Repco Rally will organise 100 competing cars tearing at top speed through koala colonies and rural habitat in breeding season destroying any chance of a meaningful Koala Recovery Plan being implemented in the future.
And you thought "Rats in the Ranks" was nasty ...
More on the people involved in the fast-approaching, undemocratic Repco Rally in the world heritage Green Cauldron area of Northern NSW including the Tweed Valley and Kyogle.
An online petition has been started following the NSW state government passing "special events" legislation to enable Repco Rally Australia to go ahead.
Local community groups in the Tweed Valley and Kyogle are outraged at their treatment by Repco Rally Australia and their consultants who prepared a crucial report supporting a planned car rally in the area in September.
The NSW state government has taken the decision about planning approval for the proposed Repco Rally Australia leg of the World Rally Championships away from local councils by announcing that it would prepare special events legislation to ensure the rally goes ahead despite growing local opposition. The minister responsible is Ian MacDonald, Minister for State Development, Energy, Primary Industries, and mineral resources (pictured left).
Our planet is on a precipice...humans are not living according to basic ecological principles (finite resources, biodiversity is ecological strength and interdependence of species). The root cause is our lack of ethical relationship to non-human animals. The challenge is to become BIOCENTRIC, not anthropocentric: otherwise, we too will perish in the 6th Mass Extinction. The Tweed Shire has the most biodiversity in Australia yet the Council is pro-development and barely addresses fauna protection in the biodiversity section of their management plan. Here is one local resident's speech to Tweed Shire Council at community access yesterday ....
FEARS that the NSW Government is about to override council planning powers to approve the world championship car rally heightened yesterday as hundreds of protesters marched against the event.
At the same time concerns were raised that if the rally was approved, future
protest actions could disrupt it as objectors took matters into their own
hands.
Police escorted about 300 protesters, some in cardboard mock-ups of rally cars and some dressed as koalas, wallabies or other animals which they said would be put at risk by rally cars on rural roads, through Murwillumbah.
...
Outside the Tweed Shire Council chambers anti-rally speakers addressed the
crowd on environmental and other concerns.
Byron-based NSW Greens Party Upper House member Ian Cohen said he was worried the government could override council planning powers to approve the event which it has promised the help fund.
Media Release from No Rally group. Use as you can. "Concerned Tweed Valley residents will express their opposition on Thursday to the proposal to hold a leg of the World Rally Championships in the Tweed and Kyogle areas..."
A short video highlighting some of the environmental concerns we have about Repco Rally Australia's plans to run a car rally through the Tweed and Kyogle areas.
There is a Simpson's episode where a "snake oil salesman" comes to Springfield promoting something or other. The actual thing they are promoting is useless, worthless and does not work ... BUT ... they do a nice song and dance routine and as a result captivate the community leaders. Sound familiar??? It does to us in the Tweed valley and Kyogle areas. Talk about life imitating art!!!
Repco Rally Australia spin merchants have outdone themselves in the last few days. Not only have they spun their web of deceit around the NSW state government and the Tweed Shire Council they have now caught themselves in their own web by posting comments from their "independent" ecological consultant that he did not say. They were caught out very publicly on ABC local radio yesterday.
Repco Rally Australia Chairman Garry Connelly announced via NBN TV News and the Tweed Daily News that his organisation would be releasing the environmental, social and economic impact reports for the proposed rally in the Tweed and Kyogle areas "in stages" over the next week or so.
In a speech to the NSW Legislative Council, Greens MP Ian Cohen argued the strong environmental, social and economic case against the World Rally Car Race planned for September that the NSW state government and Kyogle and Tweed Shire Councils are imposing at the last minute against the wishes of local residents. He pointed out that the race organisers were treating the holding of the event as a foregone conclusion even though the formal approval process has not even begun, let alone concluded?
See also:No Rally group web site, Kyogle KRATER "No Rally, thank you!" group web site.
In August 2008 the Tweed Shire Administrators, as one of their last decisions while running the Council, decided to provide financial and other support to Repco Rally Australia for their proposed car rally in the Tweed Valley. Recently, the details of that decision are being rewritten by newly elected councillors and the General Manager.
Tweed Shire residents packed the council chambers on May 5th, 2009 to hear the verdict on the Development Application for Nightcap Village (south of Uki, NSW) which has been strongly contested for the last 5 years. The results were nothing short of shocking for us all…one more bullet in the coffin of democracy.
After much delay (didn't they realise it rains here????) the Development Application for the planned car rally in the Tweed and Kyogle areas in September this year seems likely to be submitted to the councils in the next week (unless further delayed by acts of God or Brian).
We have taken the promo video put on You Tube by the rally organisers and turned it into a more realistic rendition of what the rally really means for the Tweed Valley.
Update: The video has been removed by YouTube because the organisers of the World Rally races have claimed that it breaches their copyright. If it does breach copyright, they, nevertheless, could hardly complain that the removed video provides a less accurate depiction of how the rally will turn out than their own. - JS, 23 Apr 09.
Residents of Kingscliff on the far north coast of NSW are fighting to prevent Jack Baylis Park, on their foreshore, being turned into a "pits area" to service cars participating in races planned by Rally Australia for Tweed and Kyogle Shires in September this year.
On November 2010, I detailed on http://candobetter.net/node/2256 what is wrong with a dam being constructed on Byrrill Creek, Northern N.S.W. Since then even more reasons have surfaced .... the plot thickens. What is the real reason why Tweed council wants a dam in spite of legal impediments, in spite of Byrrill Creek's undeniable ecological value? Why do councillors consistently refuse to vote in sustainable water technologies throughout the shire?
On the northern coast of N.S.W. adjoining the Gold Coast and S.E.Queensland lies Tweed Shire, christened as the Green Caldera by once Environment Minister Peter Garrett. This area is famous for one of the highest biodiversity levels in Australia and infamous for the greatest level of biodiversity loss in N.S.W. thanks to the fact that the vast majority of Tweed councillors are pro-development. But in the case of Kings Forest, a massive housing development for 15,000 people worth $2 billion, NSW State Planning took control under the massively unpopular Part 3a legislation, depriving the council of all controls.
Controversial Tweed Shire Council has a history of making poor environmental decisions that are hugely unpopular with the largely Green-oriented residents. It is the second most complained about council in New South Wales. However in November 2010 the councillors voted for the worst possible blunder which will be recorded as a major crime against Nature.
Tweed Shire Council is fast approaching the most complained about council in NSW. The only green councillor trying to implement sustainability into council policies is treated like an idiot when the councillors should be following her!
The recent Repco Rally was so bad it turned Tweed Valley banana farmer/GP into a No Rally Group member. Here is her submission for the Review of the Motor Sports (WRC) Bill 2009. Anyone who accuses protestors of being 'green, hippie tree-huggers' should read this highly intelligent and shocking account of what happened on her street during the rally. Many anti-rally protesters are professionals just like her (teachers, writers, business people, film makers, artists, farmers, politicians) and their voices need to be heard. 
"We knew we were gone when the Judge said,
A new video has been uploaded to You Tube as part of our continuing campaign against Repco Rally Australia.
The saga continues .... now Tweed Shire councillors are turning on each other over the rally and their response to it.
The NSW state government has taken the decision about planning approval for the proposed Repco Rally Australia leg of the World Rally Championships away from local councils by announcing that it would prepare special events legislation to ensure the rally goes ahead despite growing local opposition. The minister responsible is Ian MacDonald, Minister for State Development, Energy, Primary Industries, and mineral resources (pictured left). 
Our planet is on a precipice...humans are not living according to basic ecological principles (finite resources, biodiversity is ecological strength and interdependence of species). The root cause is our lack of ethical relationship to non-human animals. The challenge is to become BIOCENTRIC, not anthropocentric: otherwise, we too will perish in the 6th Mass Extinction. The Tweed Shire has the most biodiversity in Australia yet the Council is pro-development and barely addresses fauna protection in the biodiversity section of their management plan. Here is one local resident's speech to Tweed Shire Council at community access yesterday .... 
Media Release from No Rally group. Use as you can. "Concerned Tweed Valley residents will express their opposition on Thursday to the proposal to hold a leg of the World Rally Championships in the Tweed and Kyogle areas..."
Tweed Shire residents packed the council chambers on May 5th, 2009 to hear the verdict on the Development Application for Nightcap Village (south of Uki, NSW) which has been strongly contested for the last 5 years. The results were nothing short of shocking for us all…one more bullet in the coffin of democracy.
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