The new face of local government in the Northern Rivers region of NSW

Now the final votes have been counted the new face of local government in the Northern Rivers region is revealed (with the exception of Tweed Shire LGA).

The political parties listed against councillor names are those included in final results published by the NSW Electoral Commission and do not necessarily represent the full range of political persuasions on any given council, as many councillors belong to political parties but chose not to stand for election with an official endorsement.

Ballina Shire Council:

Phil Meehan, Stephen McCarthy, Nathan Willis, Jeff Johnson, Sharon Cadwallader, Keith Williams, Ben Smith, Eoin Johnston and Sharon Parry.

Byron Shire Council:

Michael Lyon (THE GREENS), Paul Spooner (COUNTRY LABOR), Jeanette Martin (THE GREENS), Sarah Ndiaye (THE GREENS), Basil Cameron (OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE), Alan Hunter, Jan Hackett (COUNTRY LABOR) and Kate Coorey.

Clarence Valley Council:

Richie Williamson, Andrew Baker, Karen Toms, Peter Ellem, Jason Kingsley, Debrah Novak,Jim Simmons,  Arthur Lysaught and Greg Clancy.

Kyogle Council:

Kylie Thomas, Hayden Doolan, Janet Wilson, John Burley, Bob Dwyer, Maggie May, Danielle Mulholland, Lindsay Passfield and Earle Grundy.

Lismore City Council:

Darlene Cook (COUNTRY LABOR), Greg Bennett, Neil Marks, Vanessa Grindon-Ekins (THE GREENS), Edwina Lloyd (COUNTRY LABOR), Nancy Zambelli-Casson, Elly Bird (OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE), Bill Moorhouse, Gianpiero Battista, Adam Guise (THE GREENS).

Richmond Valley Council:

Steve Morrissey, Daniel Simpson, Sandra Duncan-Humphrys, Robert Hayes, Sam Cornish and Jill Lyons.

Tweed Shire Council:

Deferred Election. A new election will be held on 29 October 2016 due to the death of a candidate.

Quote of the Week

This is certainly one of the nastiest election campaign I have been involved in, and I have worked in quite a few since 1973.

[Ian Saunders, Independent candidate, 2016 Clarence Valley local government elections, writing on Clarence Valley Rate Payers, Residents & Business Owners Facebook page on 6 September 2016]

Butterflies in the Clarence Valley, Overview Presentation, 5.30pm Monday 19 September 2016 Grafton Primary School, Queen St, Grafton

Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition, 11 September 2016:

EARTH MATTERS - Butterflies in the Clarence Valley

In the fourth Earth Matters session of the year Fig Forest, Landcare Project Officer, local botanic expert and butterfly enthusiast, will give an overview of the basic ecology of butterflies. He will talk about the 110 species, mainly from the Clarence Valley, that he has observed, identified, researched and photographed.

Fig’s presentation will cover what plants to use to attract butterflies to your garden, how to identify the butterflies you have and what butterflies feed on and more.

Earth Matters is a session on environmental issues which is conducted every two months by the Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition in conjunction with the Clarence Environment Centre.

Time: 5.30 pm, Monday September 19.  Venue: Staffroom, Grafton Primary School, Queen St, Grafton.

Teaching history and culture

The Guardian, 3 September 2016

Yuendumu is a Warlpiri community of around 800 people located about 300 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs. It was established by the Native Affairs Branch of the Federal Government in 1946.

The country surrounding Yuendumu includes many places with spiritual power created by ancestral beings in the Jukurrpa (Dreaming), which is sacred to Warlpiri people.

The Yuendumu Doors project

Five Warlpiri male elders at Yuendumu initiated a 'fauve' art of bright colour. This art was first seen in the Yuendumu Doors project of 1983-84.

The elders created a set of 36 kuruwarri (ancestral designs) to teach young Warlpiri their true Jukurrpa (Dreamings). The elders worked with the speed of graffiti artists, scribbling their designs down with untidy abandon using shiny school acrylics on the primary school doors; the modern equivalent of a cave wall.

The doors became an ever-present and indelible symbol of the older men's authority, which ran counter to the messages Warlpiri youths were receiving in the classroom or on television.

[http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngvschools/TraditionAndTransformation/communities/Warlukurlangu-Artists/]

Meet the new Clarence Valley Council

Candidates in order of election to Clarence Valley Council from 16 September 2016:

Richie WILLIAMSON (incumbent), 
Andrew BAKER (incumbent), 
Karen TOMS (incumbent), 
Peter ELLEM, 
Jason KINGSLEY (incumbent), 
Debrah NOVAK, 
Jim SIMMONS  (incumbent),
 Arthur LYSAUGHT (incumbent), 
Greg CLANCY.

Clarence Valley Council - Party or Group and Candidates Result Report

Candidates to be Elected: 9

Counts Required: 19

Quota: 2,971

The margin between the last elected candidate CLANCY Greg and the last un-elected/excluded candidate TIBBETT Brett is 68.

Candidates in Ballot Order	Elected / Excluded	Position Elected / Excluded	Elected / Excluded at Count
NOVAK Debrah	ELECTED	6	14
SAUNDERS Ian	EXCLUDED	6	9
CLANCY Greg	ELECTED	9*	19
ROGERS Peta	EXCLUDED	7	10
TIBBETT Brett		**
TOMS Karen	ELECTED	3	10
TUNKS Ursula	EXCLUDED	2	5
KINGSLEY Jason	ELECTED	5	14
HAGGER John	EXCLUDED	8	12
ELLEM Peter	ELECTED	4	14
WILLIAMSON Richie	ELECTED	1	1
WELLS Marty	EXCLUDED	3	6
ELLEM Trevor	EXCLUDED	10	14
DE ROOS Joy	EXCLUDED	5	8
BATES Keith	EXCLUDED	1	3
HUGHES Sue	EXCLUDED	9	13
SIMMONS Jim	ELECTED	7	18
RIGGALL John	EXCLUDED	4	7
LYSAUGHT Arthur	ELECTED	8*	19
McKENNA Margaret	EXCLUDED	11	18
BAKER Andrew	ELECTED	2	2

* Candidates elected at final count without reaching quota.

** The distribution of the total votes of Candidates would not change the elected candidate(s), therefore their exclusion did not proceed.

Elders quitting Australian live export trade

Read full Live Export Update and Full Year Earnings Guidance at http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20160912/pdf/43b3gbnf4xt53g.pdf.

Not a good look for Australia's Deputy-Prime Minister

 Deputy-Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is probably the National Party’s own worst enemy.

ABC News, 11 September 2016:

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has refused to reveal the cost-benefit analysis of moving a Canberra-based agricultural agency to his electorate.

Mr Joyce has pushed ahead with plans to relocate the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority from the capital to Armidale, in northern NSW, despite concerns from farming groups and staff.

He has told the ABC's Insiders program a study revealed there were positives and negatives to the move.

"The cost-benefit analysis is complete and in some areas it's indeterminate some areas. It's saying yes, it's sort of a benefit here, other areas it's saying it's marginally not of benefit," Mr Joyce said.

Insiders' host Barrie Cassidy asked if the Deputy Prime Minister would release the analysis, to which he replied: "No, I don't think I will at this stage."

"Because the decision has been made, the decision's been made by the Australian people," he added.

Mr Joyce announced the decision in June, ahead of the federal election in July.

The Guardian, 11 September 2016:

During the election campaign Joyce had announced the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority would move from Canberra to Armidale, in northern New South Wales, in the middle of his New England electorate.

He made the announcement before a cost-benefit analysis of the move had been completed……

His promise was criticised by hundreds of public servants who will be forced to relocate their families, and by groups such as the National Farmers Federation, Animal Medicines Australia, CropLife Australia, the Australian Capital Territory government, and ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja.

Now he is refusing to release the analysis, saying there’s no need to because the decision has been made.

Last week Joyce had conceded the cost-benefit analysis did not support the forced relocation of the agency, telling Sky News: “If you’re going to premise it on the cost-benefit analysis, we wouldn’t do it.”

On Sunday, when asked what the point of the cost-benefit analysis was if he was not going to release it, Joyce attacked the ABC, saying an analysis of the national broadcaster would probably say to close it down.