Tweed Shire News

COAST CARNAGE

Published

2 years ago

10 October 2022

JeffG

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COAST CARNAGE

Illegal dumping wreaking havoc on ‘loved to death’ Tweed Coast

By MARGARET DEKKER

There’s no other way to put it except carnage. Carnage in broad, harsh daylight.

Walking 50-metres from one car park near Black Rocks to the next heading south towards Wooyung, and illegal dumping abounds – in all its disgusting forms.

.. The unsanitary human ‘dumps’ with tell-tale sodden toilet tissue half-buried in the scrub; the dumped green plastic bags of dog ‘dumps’ – one hurled on a limb and still dangling, sweating in the hot morning sun; the horse ‘dumps’ piled up on the walking track; the dumped garden waste – one trailer-load emptied in the corner of the car park, another tipped over the Council fence, each bringing more introduced soil, noxious weeds – think Asparagus weed, ‘Morning Glory’ or Coral Creeper – and insidious vines and seed banks to the natural ecology; and the dumped debris from households, picnics or yet another big night around an illegal fire in the bush. Goodness, there’s even an oil ‘dump’ from a grease-and-oil change done in the carpark.

“It’s pretty devastating for the local biodiversity,” Bill Hoskins Pottsville Dune Care Coordinator said.

“Every weekend, most of these carparks will be full of people camping, lighting fires, it’s not a very pleasant place to be.”

Speaking of fires, we count four recently extinguished. In just 50-metres. (Just as well it’s not dry ..)

Together with Bill and fellow volunteers, Terry Clarke and Roger Pearson, we walk over to the beach. Overnight a 4WD has driven off the emergency access track and across the sensitive dune network to park up and light up the latest illegal bonfire in pole position. The campfire’s aftermath of hidden, broken glass and charred native timber is a stark reminder of the crimes here, against this precious coastline.

After 25-years of journalism, even I am shocked by the extent of trouble in just one patch of Pacific paradise.

It’s an irony not lost on stalwart volunteer Bill Hoskins, the coordinator of Pottsville Dune Care.

“They visit this part of the coast because it is a little bit remote, it’s a little bit daggy and there are still so many natural qualities that people look for, that they want to get away from the concrete and busyness of the Gold Coast and Byron Bay, but it’s slowly being loved to death,” Bill Hoskins said.

While volunteering their time, skills and experience every week, dune-carers like Bill, Terry and Roger resort to ‘potty humour’ (literally, here in Pottsville) to cope with the dirty setting.

“That’s an ongoing issue as well for us, as a workplace it’s pretty hard work because you’re constantly dodging where people have gone to the toilet,” Bill Hoskins Pottsville Dune Care Co-ordinator said.

When they haven’t been vandalised or removed, Tweed Shire Council signs – “No Parking 11pm–5am” make it clear overnight camping is not allowed. But still they park-up in droves.

The cumulative toll of these ‘innocent’ camps and their fires, foodstuffs, rubbish, toileting and showering on the sustainability of this unique coastal environment, are endless and some not so obvious.

“What happens, for example, campers come along and remove dead timber which is important for habitat and important for maintaining biodiversity of the bush,” Bill Hoskins explained.

But the number-one threat remains domestic garden waste.

“By far the biggest impact is local people and their contractors, dumping their garden waste in the dunes, that has the biggest impact on biodiversity.

“People are just too lazy – ‘why don’t we just go and dump it in the dunes!’ and the impact that has on biodiversity is immense. There’s one little plant called Coral Creeper that somebody had in their garden at some stage in the past and they’ve dumped it in just about every carpark on this bit of coast, and while it’s not a significant weed at the moment, it has the potential to be one.

“Which in the long-term is going to have a potential significant impact on the coast because if you don’t have a natural, native banksia forest which has got a large biomass protecting the dunes, and all you’ve got are these crappy weeds, the dunes are a lot less resilient and able to cope with major storm events and erosions, so we have to keep on top of the weeds,” Bill Hoskins said.

Bill has spent 9-years trying to keep this stunning stretch of ‘now-not-so-secret’ coastline clean. Pottsville Dune Care has been at it for three decades.

“You’ll never beat the weeds entirely but if you can tip the balance in favour of the native plants, that’s what we try to do so that they get a chance to hang on,” he said.

As the three men point toward the bigger challenge of suburban crawl, a swelling Tweed Coast population and the growing stream of visitors and campers, priced-out of neighbouring coastal ‘hoods and caravan parks.

“It’s certainly under pressure, particularly with issues around affordable housing for people and there are some genuinely homeless people along here, and that starts to impact on the bush, and in the last ten years I’ve been here, there’s been a significant increase in the number of people visiting this part of the coast.” Bill Hoskins said.

It’s a subtle but looming crisis, with Tweed Shire Council’s capacity already stretched and no easy solution in sight.

“Council has limited resources. You could put additional rangers on to deal with the problem but that would mean an additional cost to ratepayers.

“It’s the people themselves who are doing the wrong thing that we need to somehow target, it’s not just a compliance thing. If we could somehow educate everybody as to the impacts of their activities on the bush, but that’s a difficult thing,” Bill Hoskins Pottsville Dune Care Coordinator told The Northern Rivers Times.

And there’s another real and pressing factor.

“The problem we have is we’re old, the average age is over 60 .. and there aren’t any younger people coming along who are interested in doing the work or taking it over, that’s the big issue we have,” Bill Hoskins, Pottsville Dune Care Coordinator said.

Sadly, one of many.

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Vote Counting Underway for Tweed Shire Council Election

Published

3 weeks ago

19 September 2024

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Vote Counting Underway for Tweed Shire Council Election

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Vote Counting Underway for Tweed Shire Council Election

Vote counting for the Tweed Shire Council election is in progress after residents cast their votes on Saturday. The final results are expected to be declared between 1 and 3 October, with postal votes still being accepted until 6 pm on Friday, 27 September.

The NSW Electoral Commission, which manages elections for most councils across the state, will continue the counting process over the next several days. Progressive tallies can be accessed on the Commission’s website.

Tweed Shire Council General Manager Troy Green expressed gratitude to the community for their participation in the election. “We’re pleased the election process has run smoothly and look forward to working with the newly elected Councillors,” Mr. Green said. He also thanked all candidates and their supporters for their efforts throughout the campaign.

A total of 45 candidates contested the 7 Councillor positions in the Tweed Shire. Once the results are declared, an Extraordinary Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 10 October, where the new Councillors will take their oath or affirmation of office and elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The Councillors will also undertake an induction program to prepare them for their 4-year term.

For more information, visit the NSW Electoral Commission website or contact 1300 135 736.

For more local elections news, click here.

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Local News

Tweed Community Groups Invited to Apply for Australia Day Event Funding

Published

3 weeks ago

19 September 2024

Liam

An image of a sausage for Tweed Australia Day Event Funding

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Tweed Community Groups Invited to Apply for Australia Day Event Funding

By Ian Rogers

Community organisations across the Tweed are encouraged to apply for financial assistance from Tweed Shire Council to host Australia Day events in 2025. This funding is available for small-scale events held within three days of Australia Day, offering groups an opportunity to celebrate the occasion in ways that reflect their local identity.

Mathew Greenwood, Council’s Acting Manager of Corporate Governance, highlighted the importance of these events in fostering community connection. “With this funding, we’re enabling groups to celebrate Australia Day in a manner that reflects their unique local character,” Mr Greenwood said. “Local Australia Day gatherings bring our diverse communities together in a meaningful way, and we’re excited to see the events our community groups have in store.”

Funding Levels

The amount of funding provided is based on the expected attendance, with the following three categories of support:

Category 1: $300 for events with up to 149 participants
Category 2: $400 for events expecting 150–249 participants
Category 3: $500 for events with 250 or more participants

Community organisations applying for the first time will automatically be placed in Category 1.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for funding, organisations must:

Be located within the Tweed region and provide an outline of the planned event
Be an incorporated body with public liability insurance
Ensure the event is open to the public, not limited to members or private businesses

In addition, successful applicants must:

List their event on Council’s calendar of events at whatsontweed.com.au
Acknowledge Council’s support in all promotional materials and on the event day

For events held on Council-managed land, such as parks or beaches, all necessary permits and approvals must be obtained.

Application Process

Applications will be reviewed by the Tweed Shire Australia Day Awards Selection Panel in late October 2024.

To apply, complete the application form available on Council’s Australia Day webpage and submit it by midnight on Friday 11 October 2024.

This initiative provides community groups with the chance to contribute to the celebration of Australia Day while fostering unity and pride across the Tweed region.

For more Tweed Shire news, click here.

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Richmond-Tweed Families Buckling Under Cost-of-Living Pressures: New NCOSS Research

Published

3 weeks ago

18 September 2024

Liam

Richmond-Tweed Cost-of-living pressures on families

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Richmond-Tweed Families Buckling Under Cost-of-Living Pressures: New NCOSS Research

A new report from the NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) has revealed that nearly two-thirds (64%) of low-income households in the Richmond–Tweed region are struggling with housing stress due to escalating cost-of-living pressures. The report, titled Impossible Choices: Decisions NSW communities shouldn’t have to make, was conducted by the University of Technology Sydney and surveyed over 1,080 low-income residents across NSW.

Key Findings in Richmond-Tweed:

64% of households are in housing stress, spending over 30% of their income on housing.
61% have no money saved for emergencies.
51% went without prescribed medication or healthcare.
38% could not afford essential travel, such as for work or education.
38% went without meals due to financial shortages.
35% used buy-now-pay-later services to afford essential goods like food and transport.

NCOSS CEO Cara Varian emphasised the devastating impact these financial pressures are having on families in Richmond-Tweed. “Families should not have to choose between paying for food or medication,” she said. “These impossible choices set up intergenerational disadvantage, and we must do better.”

Statewide Trends

Across NSW, the report revealed that single parents are among the hardest hit, with 90% going without essentials over the past year. NSW children are also disproportionately affected, as three in four households (74%) cut back on spending for their children, and 52% sacrificed spending on health and wellbeing essentials.

The ripple effects of these sacrifices are far-reaching, negatively impacting mental health, relationships, and child development.

Recommendations to Ease the Pressure

NCOSS has put forward a series of recommendations to the NSW and Commonwealth Governments to alleviate these pressures, including:

Lifting Commonwealth income support for Jobseeker, Youth Allowance, and Parenting Payments.
Increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance rates.
Providing universal early childcare.
Ensuring 10% of NSW housing is social and affordable.
Implementing fair and reasonable rental increases and legislating against no-grounds evictions and rental bidding.
Introducing a universal school food program in NSW.
Expanding public transport concessions and improving regional bus networks.

The report underscores the urgency of addressing the financial strain on low-income households and highlights the government’s potential to drive meaningful change.

For the full report, visit here.

Definitions:

Below the poverty line: Households earning less than 50% of the median NSW income after tax and housing costs (below $560 per week).
Low-income households: Households earning 50-80% of the median NSW income after tax and housing costs ($560–$896 per week).

For more Richmond Valley news, click here.

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