Hans Lovejoy

How will Byron’s elected councillors respond to the largest community petition they have received this year?

Court to consider NSW healthcare pay and conditions

A court case involving Lismore City Council and consortium of landowners pushing to develop North Lismore plateau has had its final hearings, says Al Oshlack.

Byron Shire Council staff are refusing to answer questions around the cost to ratepayers around plans to develop, along with government-run developer Landcom, the 57 Station Street carpark into ‘affordable housing’ units.

The NSW government’s response to the NSW Drug Summit Report, tabled this week, has been roundly criticised by many frontline workers and experts, with pivotal reforms, including ending drug detection dogs and strip searches at festivals for personal possession, being ignored. Additionally safe injecting rooms, which have shown to save lives in Sydney, will not […]

A new report by the Audit Office of NSW claims 35,151 payments totalling $26.4 million was paid to NSW members of parliament in the 2024–25 financial year.

With a $69m development application (DA 2025/418.1) lodged with Ballina Council for 300 new homes just north west of Lennox Head, residents previously have raised concerns around the proposal’s potential for increased flooding and the import of large amounts of fill – among other issues.

A Cabbage Tree Island resident, who has been living at the emergency housing pod village in Wardell since the 2022 flood, has told The Echo they are now being forced to pay rent/licences fees, despite them agreeing to accepting the accommodation on the basis they wouldn't pay rent.

The turning of the sod to mark the start of construction on the flood resilient rebuild of Rivers Secondary College Richmond River High Campus was carried out today, with Janelle Saffin, Minister for Recovery and Minister for North Coast and Principal Luke Woodward, taking part.

Local sporting clubs are set to benefit from the 2025 Local Sport Grant Program. Member for Ballina, Tamara Smith, said in a media release she was able to facilitate $50,000 in funding which will ‘support grassroots sport across the region, helping clubs improve facilities, purchase equipment, and deliver programs that increase participation’. “We love our […]