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How can it be that the response of the Prime Minister’s office to an allegation of rape in parliament house was to background journalists negatively about her partner? And that this bullying and re-victimising of the victim did not excite, at the very least, a police or judicial inquiry? Ballina Deputy Mayor Sharon Cadwallader. Photo David Lowe.
‘I think I’ve done my apprenticeship,’ independent Ballina Shire Councillor Sharon Cadwallader says after seventeen years in the role and announcing her intention to run for mayor.
‘I stand on my experience, my apprenticeship, honesty, integrity and hard work,’ Cr Cadwallader continues, ‘people who know me know me well for that’.
Ballina Deputy Mayor and Rous County Cr Sharon Cadwallader. Photo David Lowe.
The Dunoon Dam made an unscheduled appearance late in the last Ballina Shire Council meeting, on the back of a motion put forward by Cr Phillip Meehan and seconded by Cr Sharon Cadwallader.
Cr Meehan said he had growing concerns about Rous County Council’s plan to purchase the Marom Creek Water Treatment Plant and the associated water licences from Ballina as part of the Future Water Strategy. He also said he was alarmed about Rous’s plans for the Alstonville aquifers.
‘This is another example of water mining except the water’s not being put into bottles,’ he said. ‘But there’s a whole lot of public concern about it… We actually need to consider whether we want to move ahead with this or not.’
Members and volunteers at the Lennox Community Gardens objected to a shed taking over their recently established orchard. Photo Tree Faerie.
Yesterday Ballina Shire Council reversed its earlier decision to allow the Lions Club to use the orchard area of the Lennox Head Community Garden for a new shed. Lions is now likely to use its grant to get an improved shed at Skennars Head.
In a deposition, Bill Farrow from Lennox Lions said the group was non-political, and he was disapppointed that it had become a political issue. He said both potential sites had issues, but both could be dealt with. Mr Farrow said three of the four neighbours were supportive of the proposed shed site within the community garden at Ocean Breeze Reserve.
Rous County Council Chair Keith Williams. Photo David Lowe.
Since the Dunoon Dam was shelved, Rous County Council has put a new draft of the Future Water Project 2060 on public exhibition. They are currently seeking feedback from people living in the four constituent councils of Richmond Valley, Byron, Ballina and Lismore.
In part two of this two part series,
The Echo sat down with Rous Chair Keith Williams to dig into the detail, and address some of the controversy around the future of water in the Northern Rivers.
Your opponents are currently attacking recycled water using quite inflammatory language. Is this damaging the prospects of success of projects like Perradenya, which some of these people have previously publicly supported?