Environmental

Landcare going from strength to strength in NSW

Published

8 months ago

6 September 2023

Liam

Landcare going from strength to strength in NSW

By Janelle Saffin MP, State Member for Lismore

On the evening of Tuesday 1^st August I got together with many of my fellow Parliamentarians to join in the ‘Trees in the House’ celebration of Landcare NSW. It was great to see so much support for this wonderful movement which is now into its fourth decade of leading community efforts to care for our environment.

There is a strong NSW Parliamentary Friends of Landcare group of which I am proud to be a member, and the fact it is bipartisan demonstrates the commitment both sides of politics have towards Landcare across our great state.

Advertisements

Ahead of the 2023 state election the Labor Opposition that I was a part of pledged $59 million towards the next phase of the NSW Landcare program to be rolled out over the coming four years. I’m pleased to report that we’ve honoured this commitment now that we’re in government.

It is the largest-ever injection of funds into Landcare by any NSW Government, and will support local jobs in rural and regional communities.

Landcare NSW coordinates a 60,000-strong network of volunteers in 3,000 Landcare groups across NSW, who augment work done by landholders on sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.

Celebrating Landcare NSW at Parliament House on 1 August 2023 were (left to right) the Hon. Kate Washington, the Hon. Mick Veitch, the Hon. Penny Sharpe, the Hon. Janelle Saffin and the Hon. Trish Doyle.

Local Land Services NSW and Landcare NSW are now working together to maximise the outcome from the expanded program for the public of NSW and the environment. The fresh funding will enable more investment in training and capacity building and strengthen community efforts to become more resilient in the face of extreme climate events.

Landcare has announced more than 100 community leaders are being employed to help combat the increasing skills gap expected to occur over the coming decade in rural and regional NSW, and an additional 11 new regional First Nations Landcare officer roles are also being created.

It’s estimated that a supported Landcare community returns at least $4 for every $1 invested, meaning the $59 million will generate around a quarter of a billion dollars in benefits for NSW regional businesses, government agencies and rural economies.

Hard-won local experience to inform my new role

On 23^rd August Premier Chris Minns appointed me to a new role as Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery. I am honoured to take on this new role and will do my best to work on how to ensure continuous improvement in recovery.

We all know now from lessons hard learned that ‘better prepared, better response, brings better recovery’. We were not prepared for what happened in the 2022 floods and the then NSW Government had not taken on board any of the recommendations and learnings from the tragic 2017 floods.

I shall not lose sight of the enormous amount of recovery work that still needs to be done up here in my home patch and in step with my duties to play a coordination role across the government agencies. We are also fortunate to have our local MPs and Mayors backed by their councillors and councils all active in our recovery and we now meet every fortnight to advance and action all matters to do with recovery.

All NSW emergency services vehicles have now been fitted with 4G satellite communications technology in time for the upcoming fire season.

Be prepared for early start to fire season

The ongoing dry weather across the Northern Rivers heralds an earlier start to the bushfire season than usual and communities need to start preparing. Tenterfield local government area (LGA) has already entered the Bush Fire Danger period and from 1 September several more northern NSW LGAs will enter, including Lismore, Kyogle, Clarence Valley, Tweed and Richmond Valley.

The Rural Fire Service (RFS) is ramping up backburning operations and has begun rolling out new digital fire warning signs, with northern NSW among the priority areas. The digital signs will be updated automatically each day, meaning RFS volunteers will no longer need to manually change the signs.

It’s also reassuring to know that over 1,300 Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW State Emergency Services (SES) vehicles are now equipped with state-of-the-art 4G satellite communication systems.

This means that first responders will be able to continue using radios, mobile phones and other handheld devices anywhere and at any time, even if communications infrastructure is damaged in a disaster.

For more local Lismore news, click here.

Advertisements

Up Next

A Day of Fun supporting Jos

Don't Miss

Kirbys family fun playing for Rebels

Environmental

NSW Government supports Northern Rivers green bin education

Published

3 weeks ago

17 April 2024

Liam

NSW Government supports Northern Rivers green bin education

North East Waste has received an $89,700 grant from the NSW Government to help educate Northern Rivers residents about what types of waste can and can’t go into FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) bins. The funding aims to ensure that food waste and garden waste such as plants stays out of landfill. It also aims to keep green bins free from contaminants like plastic.

Earlier this year, North East Waste and its member councils (Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Lismore, Kyogle, Richmond Valley and Tweed) announced that Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bins should now only be used for food scraps and garden waste. This means that materials like paper, cardboard and teabags do not go into green bins as they can contaminate the final compost made from the organic content.

North East Waste Education Coordinator Linda Tohver said the assistance from the NSW Government would help councils to continue promote the right message and increasing awareness in the community.

Advertisements

“The response from community has been positive so far, and we need to keep spreading the word,” Ms Tohver said.

“The messages are simple to follow and will help keep potentially harmful items out of our green bins so that we can create the best quality commercial compost from residents’ food scraps and garden waste.”

What CAN go in your green bin	What CAN NOT go in your green bin
Fruit and vegetable scraps	Fibre-based products (bamboo, cardboard, paper etc)
Meat and bones	Paper towels, serviettes, tissues, napkins
Seafood and shells	Compostable or biodegradable products (excluding AS 4736-2006 kitchen caddy liners )
Pasta, bread, rice and cereal	Vacuum cleaner dust
Eggs and dairy products like cheese	Washing machine and dryer lint
Loose tea leaves and coffee grinds	Pet poo and poo bags
Garden waste (leaves, clippings, weeds etc)	Tea and coffee bags
Council approved compostable kitchen caddy liners that comply with AS 4736-2006 and the paper used to wrap food scraps.	Treated wood and timber
	Plastic

For more information, visit here. The ‘Let’s Get our Scrap Together’ campaign is proudly supported by the NSW Government.

For more environmental news, click here.

Advertisements

Environmental

Never bin your batteries – just B-cycle them

Published

1 month ago

27 March 2024

Liam

Community Recycling Centres (CRC) B-cycle

Never bin your batteries – just B-cycle them

Advertorial by Newaste

Batteries disposed of in bins are causing fires in waste trucks and facilities across the country, endangering workers, damaging equipment and wasting a valuable resource that could otherwise be recovered.

To prevent battery fires occurring – Never bin your batteries!

Advertisements

Here’s how to dispose of batteries safely:

Remove from appliance
Tape terminals with clear sticky tape to prevent short circuiting
Place in ventilated glass container and drop off promptly at your nearest B-cycle drop-off point

One of Richmond Valley Council’s Community Recycling Stations, located at the Council Administration Office in Casino where small quantities of handheld batteries can be dropped off for recycling.

B-cycle drop off points are available at many large local high street retailers. To find your nearest, visit bcycle.com.au/drop-off/

Alternatively, you can drop them at one of the regions 8 FREE council run Community Recycling Centres (CRC) or for very small quantities drop them at one of the 30 small council drop off stations (CRS) spread across the region in libraries, community centres and council administration centres. To find out more contact your local Council or visit www.newaste.org.au/crc

Community Recycling Centres (CRC)

This project is a NSW Environment Protection Authority Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy initiative, funded from the waste levy

For more environmental news, click here.

Advertisements

Environmental

LAND NEAR DRAKE VILLAGE SITE RETURNED TO ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY

Published

2 months ago

20 March 2024

Liam

LAND NEAR DRAKE VILLAGE SITE RETURNED TO ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY

The NSW Government will return a large parcel of land near Drake Village west of Tenterfield to the local Aboriginal community following a successful land claim.

A total of 104.4 hectares of Crown land across two adjoining blocks at the western edge of the village will be returned as freehold land to the ownership of Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council following the land claim by the NSW Local Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC).

Under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, Local Aboriginal Land Councils and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council have a right to lodge land claims on Crown land.

Advertisements

Land claims must be assessed against non-discretionary statutory criteria in the Act, including whether the land was lawfully used or occupied at the time of the claim, or was needed for an essential public purpose.

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said: “The return of this land to the Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council will ensure the future of this important site can be put to productive use for the benefit of the local community.”

“Returning land to Aboriginal people provides tangible economic, social and cultural benefits to Aboriginal and broader communities and we are pleased to see a positive resolution for this land.”

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:

“The resolution of land claims such as this is a key aspect of Closing the Gap, empowering Aboriginal people and communities.”

“It delivers on several Closing the Gap targets including supporting economic participation for Aboriginal communities and maintaining the connection of Aboriginal people to land and water.”

The NSW Government will return a large parcel of land near Drake Village west of Tenterfield to the local Aboriginal community following a successful land claim.

Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:

“With the return of this land, we pay our respects to the Traditional Owners, the Ngarabal people, alongside the Jukembal, Bundjalung, Kamilaroi, Githabul and Wahlubul peoples who share a connection to the area. We are proud and privileged to share a rich local history.”

“Through acknowledging the past and our local Aboriginal communities’ connection to Country we will all benefit from deeper cultural understanding, which forms a stronger foundation for a more prosperous future.”

Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Michelle Nagas said:

“The approval of this land claim is very exciting. It involves a substantial block of land close to Drake Village which provides strong opportunities.”

“We will have discussions with the land council and consultations with the community on future use of the site.”

NSW Aboriginal Land Council CEO Yuseph Deen said:

“The NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) congratulates the Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council on the return of country to Aboriginal hands.”

“A key strategic goal of the NSWALC is pursuing economic self-determination, independence and prosperity for Our people.”

“Central to this is land acquisition and activation; securing the highest and best use returns and generating ongoing benefits fosters prosperity for Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Aboriginal communities.’

“This is particularly important in rural and remote areas of NSW.”

For more environmental news, click here.

Advertisements