In which the persistence of a millionaire Qld property developer is countered by the commitment of a Lower Clarence community to protect the James Creek precinct from overdevelopment and other harms

 

Clarence Valley Independent, 12 July 2023:

The Northern Regional Planning Panel has published its reasons for refusing a 336-lot subdivision at James Creek, a proposal that encountered hurdles satisfying council, which ultimately led to it not being recommended for approval.

When a development application DA was lodged with Clarence Valley Council in November 2020 for a staged residential subdivision on James Creek Road at James Creek, it proposed 342 lots, with 336 residential lots, a single park, and a neighbourhood centre for small scale retail.

Soon after the DA was lodged, The James Creek Residents Action Group was soon formed, and on December 7, 2020, the development application was withdrawn on behalf of owner Kahuna No 1 Pty Ltd.

A revised DA was lodged with CVC on November 4, 2021, for a 336-lot subdivision at 104 James Creek Road featuring 329 residential lots, one commercial lot, 4 drainage reserves and associated public space areas.

After working with CVC on the subdivision for more than a year, when Council staff completed their final assessment report for the Northern Regional Planning Panel NRPP, they recommended the subdivision be refused.

On June 29, 2023, when the NRPP met via videoconference to decide on the DA, after hearing submissions from 16 concerned locals, the subdivision was unanimously refused.

The NRPP published their reasons for refusing the DA last week, stating the application was refused for the reasons attached to the Council’s assessment report.

“The Panel agrees with the council assessment that the proposed inward facing urban structure, density, and proposed lot design relates poorly to the existing topographical form and presents a stark change to surrounding rural and semi-rural setting and character,” the determination stated.

“The Panel considers there is inadequate social infrastructure and services to support the proposed development including bus services and given the distances to local shops and facilities.

“The Panel also concluded there was insufficient consideration of flood evacuation, but notes the verbal advice provided by Council staff of an offer by the applicant to upgrade Gardiners Road to enable evacuation in a 1:100 year flood event.

“The Panel agrees with Council’s view that additional information and design amendments which might result in a more integrated ‘village’ style settlement may resolve these and other issues addressed in Council’s assessment report.”

In coming to its decision, the panel considered written submissions made during public exhibition and heard from all those wishing to address the panel.

The panel noted issues of concern included the impact on services, the lack of flood free access from Townsend along Gardiners Road, access to Austons Lane, stormwater management and flooding, impacts on adjoining rural land users and lack of buffers, inconsistency of development with planning proposal and adopted council policies, urban design and local character, traffic, transport and access, lack of Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment and consideration, a bushfire hazard, lack of public consultation and biodiversity.

The owner of lot 104 James Creek Road, Kahuna No 1 Pty Ltd now has the option of working with council to redesign the subdivision and relodge a revised DA, which they did with this DA, or decide not to pursue a subdivision on this site.

Australian Rural & Regional News, 5 July 2023:

Cheers of celebration and relief from James Creek residents erupted when the Northern Regional Planning Panel refused approval for a controversial $33 million 336 lot subdivision on James Creek Road.

The panel met via teleconference on Thursday June 29, to decide whether to approve the development application DA by MPD Investments at 104 James Creek Road for 329 residential lots, one commercial lot, four drainage reserves and two open space areas on the 33-hectare site.

Clarence Valley Council’s assessment report for the ‘regionally significant development’, which required it to be decided by the Northern Regional Planning Panel (NRPP), recommended the DA be refused over concerns with sewage, stormwater discharge, traffic issues, land use conflict, the urban structure and sensitivity of the proposed design to the surrounds.

When the DA was put on public exhibition three times in 2022 and 2023, council received 100 submissions and a petition with 171 signatures against the subdivision.

Clarence Valley Council was represented by Cr’s Ian Tiley and Peter Johnstone on the five person NRPP, after Cr Greg Clancy declared a conflict of interest as he had been to a public meeting with complainants about the subdivision.

NRPP Chair Diane Leeson said there were 18 people registered to speak to the panel about the DA.

Speakers included James Creek resident of 30 plus years, Pat Bowen, and Lorri Brown who spoke on behalf of the James Creek Residents Action Group stating the development would double the population of the village, which went against council’s targeted growth figures for James Creek.

Carolyn Cameron, whose husband’s family settled in James Creek in 1863 said she feared ‘that our close-knit rural community is going to be lost’.

An emotional Sharon Farlow, who holds a routine movement stock permit to move her cattle along James Creek Road which her family has done for 100 years, feared with increased traffic her livelihood would be impacted.

Neighbour Keira Fahey urged the NRPP to follow council’s refusal recommendation as the buffer zone between the subdivision and other properties was not adequate…..

Read the full article here.

Telstra-Space X agreement is not welcome news in every corner of Australia

 

Moon, Four Planets, and Emu

an Aboriginal Astronomical constellation that's outlined by dark areas of the Australian night sky. NASA Science, 8 February 2019

Nominally Australian telecommunications corporation Telstra Group and Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp aka SpaceX have one thing in common – they both frequently charge too much for the often below par telecommunications/internet services they offer.

Now they have reached an agreement which will likely see the Australian consumers paying more for certain Telstra bundles…..

Telstra Group Ltd, TELSTRA EXCHANGE, 3 July 2023:

In a world-first offering, Telstra will be able to provide home phone service and Starlink broadband services to Aussies as a bundle offer, as well as local tech support and the option of professional installation.

This agreement also provides connectivity options for our business customers, with a higher bandwidth business option available in areas without fixed and mobile connectivity. The business offer will be available to purchase from Telstra both locally and in select countries overseas.

We’re expecting to be able to offer this to customers and businesses towards the end of 2023, when we’ll also be able to share our unique pricing and plan details as well as how basic voice calls will work with our modem which will be offered with the service.

Our network currently uses a mix of technologies to provide voice and broadband services in rural and remote Australia, including nbn fixed broadband, our mobile network and older copper and radio networks.

The addition of Starlink will provide an additional connectivity option for people and businesses in rural and remote locations where distance and terrain make it difficult to provide quality connectivity with existing terrestrial networks.

One of the benefits of LEO satellites are that they are much closer than geostationary satellites to Earth with multiple satellites that are a part of a “constellation”, allowing them to send and receive signals much faster. As well as offering great data throughput, the proximity of these satellites reduces latency making them a great and more consistent option for services that need low latency, like voice and video calls.

The latency, download speeds and general experience in most circumstances will be far superior to copper-based ADSL and be better suited for most modern connectivity needs. Our team has been testing out in the field Starlink’s service and how we can best offer it to customers, including evolving our own modem specifically to support Starlink connectivity and Aussie households. We’re extremely excited to show you what this looks like later in the year….

BACKGROUND

Australian National University, 20 July 2019:

Aboriginal people in Australia have a rich astronomical tradition such as the "Emu in the Sky" constellation of dark clouds, and stories about the Sun, Moon, and stars, revealing a great depth and complexity of ancient Aboriginal cultures. Not only did they know the sky intimately, but they were familiar with planetary motions, tides, and eclipses. Their songs and stories show that Aboriginal Australians sought to understand their Universe in a similar way to modern science. They used this knowledge of the sky to construct calendars, songlines, and other navigational tools, enabling them to navigate across the country, trading artefacts and sacred stories....

Australian National University, 20 April 2022:

Mega-constellations are groupings of satellites that communicate and work together as they orbit Earth.

Since 2018, the Starlink project, run by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has launched about 1,700 satellites into low Earth orbit. The company plans to launch another 30,000 over the next decade.

British company OneWeb has launched nearly 150 satellites, with plans for another 6,000. And Amazon intends to launch an additional 3,000 satellites into multiple orbits.

Each of these companies is taking to the skies to increase internet access across the globe. But even if they deliver on this, sky gazers — and especially Indigenous peoples — are left to wonder: at what cost?....

Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellites in particular – by sheer weight of numbers contained in some of its own mega-constellations – are reportedly distorting astronomers’ observations.

Currently SpaceX is said to have 3,500 operational satellites in low Earth orbit.

VOX, 29 January 2020:

In the predawn hours of November 18, 2019, Northwestern University astronomer Cliff Johnson noticed a huge swarm of unfamiliar objects streaking across the sky.

That night, Johnson was surveying the Magellanic Clouds — two very dim dwarf galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way galaxy — with the telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. These galaxies are teaching scientists how stars form, and what happens when two galaxies pass near one another. Johnson was watching them remotely, through a webcam at Fermilab outside of Chicago. “All of a sudden,” he says, “we just start seeing these streaks come across the webcam view. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

The streaks weren’t from the heavens. They were from Earth.

Over five minutes, a train of 19 satellites had crossed into the telescopes’ view, scarring the observation with bright parallel marks, and degrading their scientific value. It didn’t take Johnson and his colleagues long to figure out whose satellites they were: A week earlier, Elon Musk’s SpaceX had launched 60 small satellites into low Earth orbit. Johnson’s colleague, astronomer Clarae Martínez-Vázquez, who was also working that night, vented her frustration on Twitter.

“I am in shock,” she wrote…..

This is what the telescope’s camera caught.

Starlink satellites seen from CTIO. NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/NSF/AURA/CTIO/DELVE

Astronomers are accustomed to satellites occasionally passing into view — one at a time. They don’t ruin observations, per se. But it does take some effort to digitally remove them from the final image.

But 19 satellites? That was unprecedented, leading to 15 to 20 percent of the image being “completely lost,” Johnson says.

What’s more, Johnson worries that the swarm was an omen — of a future where just about every telescope observation conducted at twilight is marred by satellite streaks.

Soon, Earth may be blanketed by tens of thousands of satellites, and they’ll greatly outnumber the approximately 9,000 stars that are visible to an unaided human eye....

Trying to bring probity and ethics back into the ranks of the Australian Public Service in 2023

 

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit is constituted by the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951. The Committee initiates its own inquiries into public administration matters and can conduct inquiries into matters referred to it by either House of Parliament.

The breakdown of the current membership of the Joint Committee is:

Five Upper House Senators – 3 Labor, 1 Liberal, 1 Nationals; and

Nine Lower House MPs – 6 Labor, 1 Liberal, 2 Liberal-Nationals.

This new inquiry into probity and ethics within the Australian Public Sector was referred to the Joint Committee by the Department of the House of Representatives.

Inquiry into probity and ethics in the Australian Public Sector

On 27 June 2023, the Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit adopted an inquiry into probity and ethics in the Australian Public Sector, with a view to examining whether there are systemic factors contributing to poor ethical behaviour in government agencies, and identifying opportunities to strengthen government integrity and accountability.

The inquiry will have particular regard to any matters contained in or connected to the following Auditor-General Reports:

• No. 30 of 2022–23, Probity Management in Financial Regulators — Australian Prudential Regulation Authority

• No. 36 of 2022–23, Probity Management in Financial Regulators — Australian Securities and Investments Commission

• No. 38 of 2022–23, Probity Management in Financial Regulators — Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

• No. 31 of 2022–23, Administration of the Community Health and Hospitals Program — Department of Health and Aged Care

• No. 18 of 2022-23, Acquisition, Management and Leasing of Artworks by Artbank — Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

The Committee invites submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference by Friday, 25 August 2023.

Committee Secretariat contact:

Committee Secretary

Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit

PO Box 6021

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: +61 2 6277 4615

jcpaa@aph.gov.au

The remains of five Ancestors have been returned to the Yaegl people of the Clarence Valley, NSW

 

NSW Dept.of Planning and Environment, News & Media, 7 July 2023:

Honouring the Past, Healing the Present: Yaegl Ancestors Finally Rest on Country

7 July 2023

Yaegl Repatriation 
Credit: Jamie Williams Photography

The remains of 5 ancestors have been returned to the Yaegl people of northern New South Wales, with a significant cultural ceremony honouring their repatriation back to Country.

Yaegl Repatriation

The repatriation ceremony took place at the Yaegl Nature Reserve, just north of Grafton near Maclean, which was the designated burial site identified by the Yaegl community.

The repatriation follows the Australian Museum's decision to release 3 Ancestors to be returned to Yaegl country for a proper burial, along with 2 Ancestors who were voluntarily handed over to National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) by a local landowner who expressed the importance of ensuring their proper care.

The Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (registered Native Title Group and nominated representatives) led the repatriation of their Old Peoples remains to ensure the burial was in line with their traditions and cultural practices.

The Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation worked closely with Heritage NSW, which provided assistance in the planning stages of returning the remains and coordinating the repatriation.

The repatriation is a significant occasion, marking a milestone in the ongoing reconciliation and healing process, and honouring the ancestral connection between the Yaegl people and their traditional lands.

Billy Walker, General Manager for Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation on behalf of Yaegl Elders group:

"The Yaegl people witnessed the return and repatriation of our Ancestors. Our Ancestors are at eternal rest now they have been returned to their traditional lands."

Sam Kidman, Executive Director Heritage NSW:

"The repatriation of the Yaegl Ancestors stands as a testament to the importance of recognising the rights and aspirations of Indigenous peoples, their cultural heritage, and the fundamental connection between land, people, and spirit."

Laura McBride, Director, First Nations, Australian Museum:

"The Australian Museum is committed to be a cultural leader and advocate for First Nations history and peoples, and as part of this commitment has identified the repatriation of Ancestral Remains as a corporate strategic priority. We are honoured to have helped facilitate the return of Yaegl Ancestors and continue to support First Nations communities to get their Old People home."

"North Coast Voices" notice to readers

 

North Coast Voices will not be posting between 26 June and 10 July 2023.

Apologies to our regular readers and casual browsers. Thankyou for your understanding.

North Coast Voices Admin.

Australian Politics in 2023: The pros and cons of rent control proposals

 

Academia invites itself into a contentious debate being had across sections of the national electorate.....

University of New South Wales (UNSW) media release via Medianet, 22 June 2023:

Proposed by the Australian Greens, a two-year emergency rent cap prevents rent increases, providing relief for tenants. However, it may lead to landlords selling their properties. Photo: Getty

 Would you benefit from a rent freeze?

 

 

UNSW

 

 

Mandated rent freezes, one of the rental crisis solutions proposed by the Australian Greens, seek to address the urgent needs of renters. The solution involves introducing an immediate two-year emergency freeze on rent, followed by the implementation of a rent cap where rent increases are capped within certain limits. 

This means that regardless of market fluctuations and rising interest rates, tenants could find solace in knowing their rent payments will remain relatively stable and stress less about their financial situation.  

“Rent increases have been getting much larger and more common,” said Dr Chris Martin, Senior Research Fellow in the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture. 

How much have rents gone up? 

Research has shown that the national average of asking rents has increased by 11 per cent in the last 12 months. Renters in Sydney have seen the median average weekly rent for new tenancies soar by 20 per cent over the past year to $650 per week.  

“When properties are re-let, a new tenancy commences and 95 per cent are getting a higher rent than for the previous tenancy,” said Dr Martin.

“Most are going for at least 10 per cent more than previously let. About 75 per cent of properties with existing tenancies have recorded rent increases over the past 12 months, and about 25 per cent are getting increases of more than 10 per cent.” 

With statistics such as these, Dr Martin said a rent freeze, and a subsequent rent cap, would protect existing tenants from rents rising to similar levels.  

Dr Martin explained that significant rental increases are a crucial price signal to property owners. This should encourage the supply of new rental properties, ideally from sources outside the existing stock, such as newly constructed dwellings or currently unused and underused properties like second homes and Airbnb listings.  

“The goal is to expand the rental market by increasing available housing options.  

“That price signal is currently going into the existing stock; as landlords increase rent prices, tenants are being pushed out of their existing homes. That brings the property to the market but also means there’s another tenant looking for a lower-cost rental property or are being made homeless.  

“By regulating rent increases for existing tenants, the price signal from the new tenancy market is directed into sources of genuine new supply,” said Dr Martin. 

This approach aims to ensure that the rental market expands in a sustainable manner while simultaneously addressing the immediate needs of tenants facing displacement and housing instability.  

Rent freeze policy pitfalls  

While the rent freeze policy is designed to alleviate financial stress on renters, crucial questions remain about the impact on landlords.  

With interest rates on the rise and mortgage repayments increasing, the policy could have serious implications for homeowners.  

Dr Peter Swan, a Professor in the School of Banking & Finance at UNSW Business School, said the rental crisis would become “far worse for tenants and landlords” if the policy came into force.  

“While it is true that tenants who are not evicted may gain temporarily, tenants as a whole lose as rental accommodation is withdrawn, fewer new places are provided, and maintenance of rent-controlled housing deteriorates.   

“Rental rates rise due to restricted supply, while landlords with sitting tenants suffer. Eventually, a black market evolves with ‘protected’ tenants unable to move and with the rampant use of sizeable ‘key money’ paid by prospective new tenants.   

“The latest version of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 in the ACT reveals that pre-existing rent control in Canberra has doubled in its severity in 2019.  It now limits rent increases to no more than 10 per cent above the increase in the rent component of the ACT Consumer Price Index (CPI). It was previously 20 per cent.   

“As a result, it has left some landlords no option but to sell their properties, leaving evicted tenants back on a tighter rental market.” 

Prof. Swan explained how another example can be seen in the Californian Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which imposed a 10 per cent cap on rental increases.   

According to a 2018 analysis by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) on San Francisco legislation, rent control resulted in a 15 per cent reduction in rental supply as landlords converted their properties to exempt building types, subsequently causing a 5.1 per cent rise in rents.  

“The repercussions of these circumstances result in a significant portion of tenants being at risk of eviction and will face the challenge of re-entering an increasingly competitive rental market, where they may be required to pay, effectively, a substantial increase in rent in the form of a bribe to secure a new place.  

“Interest rates will persistently climb until we align with the rates of countries like the US, UK, and others. As a result, these escalations will lead to even higher rental prices and if restrictions were imposed on these unavoidable increases, the current inventory of rental housing will diminish even more,” said Prof. Swan.  

A possible solution: adopting other rental practices  

The rent freeze policy has both positive and negative implications, and it has prompted the need to examine the delicate balance between the needs of renters and the challenges faced by landlords.  

“The solution to the crisis lies in boosting the housing supply. However, governments and councils commonly exhibit significant reluctance when it comes to permitting new developments or streamlining bureaucratic processes plagued by excessive regulations and prolonged delays,” said Prof Swan.  

However, governments and councils often hesitate to approve new developments or streamline bureaucratic processes, which can create housing supply bottlenecks. This begs the question: should we turn to international renting practices and consider alternative methods?  

Dr Martin said: “All these variations on rent regulations should be on the table. 

“Scotland implemented a rent freeze in September 2022, and in April 2023 moved to a rent cap of 3 per cent, in most cases. For years, most Canadian provinces have had rent caps - called ‘guidelines’ there - that limits rent increases to a certain percentage rate set by the government. 

“Ireland has a system of ‘rent pressure zones’, if a local government area records increases in median rents above a certain threshold for successive quarters, a cap kicks in, currently 2 per cent, and not more than once in 12 months.”  

Cartoons of the Week

Matt Golding

 

Cathy Wilcox