Letters past and present....

 

INFORMATION EXCHANGE WITH A TWIST

From The Echo archives, May 2021:

A confusion of letters in Ocean Shores

Apparently, there is another Ocean Shores in another part of the world, and they have deer…

The Ocean Shores & District Garden Club secretary, Claire, was a little perplexed when she was replying to a lady named Marilyn who showed interest in coming to the club meeting last week.

Marilyn wrote

I moved to Ocean Shores in September and was hoping to find a garden club.

I was hoping to learn more about how people garden, especially with the deer population here.

Deer?

Claire was very curious and intrigued about the possible deer of Ocean Shores. She responded to Marylin with all the club details of time and location of meetings and other events and was happy to welcome the new member to the Far North Coast club.

This came from Marilyn…

Looking forward to first meeting

Thank you, so much, for your reply. I’m looking forward to attending my first meeting Monday.

I’ve never been to a club meeting. I haven’t had time for gardening in years.

The house we moved to had no plants at all. I just started planting 80 pots of daffodils, lilacs, snowball bushes, and a few other plants.

Have to get several peonies still, too. I’m planning on building a greenhouse this year too. I’m sure I’ll have lots of questions going forward.

See you Monday!

Claire wrote

I think you have us confused with another garden club.

Ocean Shores is in the Northern Rivers 30 minutes past Byron Bay.

Deer aren’t a problem here and the flowers you mention we would love to grow but aren’t suitable for a subtropical climate.

Intrigued to know where you live.

Uho-oh!

Marilyn wrote:

Oh no! Are you in Australia?!

I’m in Ocean Shores, Washington USA! I thought I finally got the right one. I typed in my city and state and thought it sounded right. Darn!

Well, I’m sorry for taking your time, and the confusion. Thank you anyway. The search will go on, I guess.

Marilyn

Ocean Shores

Washington, USA

What Marilyn may not know is that Ocean Shores was originally a land holding owned by a company – Wendell West of Washington.

The development had the backing of American singer Pat Boone. Ocean Shores was named after Boone’s residence in Ocean Shores, Washington in the United States.

It really actually is a small world after all.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT

Clarence Valley Independent, Letters, 26 July 2023:

Can I begin by thanking Oscar Tamsen for his considered and respectful letter regarding the upcoming referendum and The Voice (CVI 12/7/23). I am certainly no one of authority but I offer the following as a means of hopefully clarifying some issues.

The referendum if passed will require the government to establish a body, The Voice, which may make representations to the parliament and executive on matters of concern to First Nations Australians. Very senior constitutional lawyers and former high court judges, in spite of being misquoted by some politicians, have made it clear that this could not be interpreted as going beyond providing advice and definitely does not imply any sort of veto. As to what “matters” The Voice might proffer advice on, trying to place definitive limits beyond “matters affecting First Nations Australians” could be problematic and really quite unnecessary. I’m confident indigenous Australians would reject Voice members who did not concentrate on critical issues like health, housing, education and justice, and of course the parliament and executive would be unlikely to give a lot of time to advice that was not pertinent to those issues. The check and balance is the ballot box.

Now to the details of the structure of The Voice. Our constitution is not a weighty tome. It was largely a power sharing agreement between the six founding colonies. What they were prepared to cede to a commonwealth parliament and just the barest details of how that parliament would be structured, again in order to protect the interests of the states. There is a lot of detail not enshrined in the constitution, quite deliberately, in order that it be flexible enough to cope with changing circumstances and needs. For instance, much of the workings of the parliament is left to convention, not constitutional prescription. Only very broad guidelines are given on the structure of the parliament or indeed the voting system. The details were left to the parliament to implement and modify over time if desired and they have been modified a number of times. It’s when you do put a lot of detail in a constitution you run the risk of unintended consequences down the track. The classic example is the provision in the American constitution of the right to bear arms. It seemed fine 250 years ago in the context of just coming out of a revolution and war of independence but is very problematic now and very problematic to remove.

So, it should come as no surprise that the referendum question itself is very light on for detail. Instead, it is designed to enshrine the principle of a Voice. So why doesn’t the government put forward the detail it intends to legislate should The Voice get up? Two points. You can imagine that if they did many people would assume that at the referendum they were voting for, or against, that detail. But this would be wrong as the legislated detail could be changed by future governments. You can also bet that certain politicians would go through that detail line by line looking for points to argue on, even though they know very well that any detail they don’t like could be altered should they find themselves in government. Legislated detail is a political issue to be debated in parliament and if necessary, resolved at elections. It is highly likely that the detail of The Voice will be modified over time to improve it or meet changing needs, but no future government will be able to simply abolish it without reference to the people by means of a democratic referendum.

The referendum has come out of a process of years of broad consultation and expert advice. We can summarise this as the Uluru process. First Nation Australians are asking for recognition as the original custodians of this land going back tens of thousands of years, but they want recognition which is meaningful and practical, not just nice words in a preamble. They are tired of advisory bodies being abolished at the whim of the government of the day. A voice to parliament is a practical way of improving policies and outcomes. We know that programs with local input work better.

What has been put forward is very modest, generous really, and it provides a pathway towards true reconciliation and an opportunity to address the disadvantage which is so apparent in the Closing The Gap annual reports.

Graeme East, Yamba

Clarence Valley Independent, Letters, 26 July 2023:

Ed,

In his lengthy dissertation (CVI 12/7/23) Oscar Tamsen answers his own question i.e., details of the voice is to be the duty of the incumbent government and rightly so!

By voting Yes, we are constitutionally recognising the 65,000 years of First Nations tenure of the continent – such advisory bodies are in operation in Canada, Finland, Sweden, Norway etc.

The naysayers’ (e.g., Dutton et al) insistence on more detail and the accompanying mis/disinformation and vitriol, collectively, is simply a political ploy to sink the referendum.

This tactic is no more than a continuation of the annoying Aussie classic to deny First Nations progress i.e. “I’m not racist, BUT ——!”

Naysayers cite Māori influence in Kiwi politics – completely irrelevant as Māori legislative rights are supported by the Waitangi Treaty.

A No vote denies progress in Recognition and Reconciliation of our First Nations people i.e., ‘if not, when?’

Advice to Oscar and others is to be sceptical of conservative hogwash, treat SkyNews with the disdain it deserves and make sure you catch up with the ABC interview of Prof Ann Twomey (16/6/23) – Twomey from Sydney Uni is one of the country’s leading constitutional lawyers.

Ted Strong, Seelands

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Byron Echo, online, Letters, 30 July 2023:

Byron Shire Council determines the policy for sewage treatment for the shire. This is not the prerogative of the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC).

Brunswick Valley Sewage Treatment Plant (BVSTP) is designed to treat 3,800kl/day of sewage, not stormwater. The current daily dry weather inflow at BVSTP varies between 1,400kl/day and 1,800kl/day. The previous elected Byron Council implemented a five-year investigation of the inflow infiltration (I/I) problem occurring in the Mullumbimby sewer gravity mains collection system and the stormwater collection system. A company that specialised in this field and also relining existing gravity mains thus solving the I/I problem.

The five-year period is up and the I/I still remains; this is very visible during rain events in Mullumbimby and the substantial increase of the daily inflow into BVSTP. Five years with no improvement to the existing problem.

Council’s water and recycling division (W&R) is persisting with their plan to close Ocean Shores Sewage Treatment Plant (OSSTP) and pipe the sewage from OSSTP across Brunswick Valley to the Mullumbimby plant. Ocean Shores STP also has infiltration problems which are obvious in the inflow increase during rain events. OSSTP’s capacity is 1,600kl/day.

The current design concept of BVSTP is a biological reduction. These plants depend on their hydraulic load remaining below their design capacity to operate effectively. The extra load that will be transferred from OSSTP during dry weather risks adversely affecting the hydraulic load at BVSTP, during rain events it will most definitely overload the BVSTP’s hydraulic design capacity.

There now is the proposed Saddle Road development. If this is approved the sewage from this development will go to BVSTP.

The Water & Sewer Advisory Committee has not discussed or been asked to discuss these issues and the effect it will have on the BVSTP. Why not?

It is time the elected council asked questions of W&R: why after five years of investigations by a company retained by W&R to fix the I/I problem in Mullumbimby has nothing changed? How does W&R intend BVSTP to cope with the increased hydraulic load and still operate satisfactorily?

Alan Dickens, Ballina

Byron Echo, online, Letters, 28 July 2023:

Hijacked: residents’ car park Mullum

I note his [the mayor’s] reference to the loss of the residents’ car park just left of the roundabout from the railway crossing. Residents are aghast at Byron Council’s secret decision to sell that car park for a really large housing development – plus Council staff are to live there!

People are not happy at all about this, shocked and very disgusted! Authority has been handed to our general manager by Byron councillors, except Duncan Dey, to ‘handle’ the tender process.

This is not a ‘done deal’ and, as residents have not been consulted on this, it needs to be challenged. It’s such a secretive decision – hence the question: why? With no one allowed (except if speaking in public access) to attend Council meetings because the Conference Room (since the 2022 flood!) is too small, residents do not know what is discussed at those meetings!

‘The 2022 flood drainage’ is the vital subject, as has been reported extensively by so many residents. However, Council continue to deny anything needs to be done about it, except for a few areas. The North Byron Flood Risk Management Study, October 2020 states: ‘Ongoing maintenance of the drainage network is important to ensure it is operating with maximum efficiency to reduce risk of blockage or failure… Modification of drainage – installation of new or larger channels or culverts can increase conveyance and help reduce upstream peak flood levels or reduce duration of inundation. ASSESSMENT – existing drainage network is believed to be well below capacity for current development.’ A drainage assessment was undertaken for New City Road in 2018 (Ref 20), and identified a number of issues at this location. The entrance to Marshalls Creek is constricted by rock walls.

This flooding ‘jigsaw’ can be solved.

Jillian Spring, Billinudgel

CLIMATE CHANGE AUSTRALIA STATE OF PLAY: looking towards the summer of December 2023 to February 2024

IMAGE: Weatherzone Australia, 07.10.2021

SG/SM/21893

27 JULY 2023

Press Conference by Secretary-General António Guterres at United Nations Headquarters

Following is the transcript of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ press conference on climate and the situation in Niger, in New York today:

Secretary-General: A very good morning. Humanity is in the hot seat. Today, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service are releasing official data that confirms that July is set to be the hottest month ever recorded in human history. We don’t have to wait for the end of the month to know this. Short of a mini-Ice Age over the next days, July will shatter records across the board.

According to the data released today, July has already seen the hottest three-week period ever recorded; the three hottest days on record; and the highest-ever ocean temperatures for this time of year. The consequences are clear and they are tragic: children swept away by monsoon rains; families running from the flames; workers collapsing in scorching heat.

For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa and Europe, it is a cruel summer. For the entire planet, it is a disaster. And for scientists, it is unequivocal — humans are to blame. All this is entirely consistent with predictions and repeated warnings. The only surprise is the speed of the change. Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning.

The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived. The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil-fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable. Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy. No more excuses. No more waiting for others to move first. There is simply no more time for that. [my yellow highlighting]

It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C and avoid the very worst of climate change. But, only with dramatic, immediate climate action. We have seen some progress. A robust rollout of renewables. Some positive steps from sectors, such as shipping. But, none of this is going far enough or fast enough. Accelerating temperatures demand accelerated action.

We have several critical opportunities ahead. The Africa Climate Summit. The G20 [Group of 20] Summit. The UN Climate Ambition Summit. COP28 [twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]. But leaders — and particularly G20 countries responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions — must step up for climate action and climate justice. What does that mean in practice?

First, emissions. We need ambitious new national emissions reduction targets from G20 members. And we need all countries to take action in line with my Climate Solidarity Pact and Acceleration Agenda: Hitting fast-forward so that developed countries commit to reach net-zero emissions as close as possible to 2040, and emerging economies as close as possible to 2050, with support from developed countries to do so.

And all actors must come together to accelerate a just and equitable transition from fossil fuels to renewables — as we stop oil and gas expansion, and funding and licensing for new coal, oil and gas. Credible plans must also be presented to exit coal by 2030 for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and 2040 for the rest of the world. Ambitious renewable energy goals must be in line with the 1.5°C limit. And we must reach net-zero electricity by 2035 in developed countries and 2040 elsewhere, as we work to bring affordable electricity to everyone on earth.

We also need action from leaders beyond Governments. I urge companies, as well as cities, regions and financial institutions, to come to the Climate Ambition Summit with credible transition plans that are fully aligned with the United Nations’ net zero standard, presented by our High-Level Expert Group.

Financial institutions must end their fossil fuel lending, underwriting and investments and shift to renewables instead. And fossil fuel companies must chart their move towards clean energy, with detailed transition plans across the entire value chain: No more greenwashing. No more deception. And no more abusive distortion of anti-trust laws to sabotage net zero alliances.

Second, adaptation. Extreme weather is becoming the new normal. All countries must respond and protect their people from the searing heat, fatal floods, storms, droughts and raging fires that result. Those countries on the front lines — who have done the least to cause the crisis and have the least resources to deal with it — must have the support they need to do so.

It is time for a global surge in adaptation investment to save millions of lives from climate [carnage.] That requires unprecedented coordination around the priorities and plans of vulnerable developing countries. Developed countries must present a clear and credible roadmap to double adaptation finance by 2025 as a first step towards devoting at least half of all climate finance to adaptation. Every person on earth must be covered by an early warning system by 2027 — by implementing the Action Plan we launched last year. And countries should consider a set of global goals to mobilize international action and support on adaptation.

That leads to the third area for accelerated action — finance. Promises made on international climate finance must be promises kept. Developed countries must honour their commitments to provide $100 billion a year to developing countries for climate support and fully replenish the Green Climate Fund. I am concerned that only two G7 [Group of Seven] countries — Canada and Germany — have made until now replenishment pledges. Countries must also operationalize the loss and damage fund at COP28 this year. No more delays; no more excuses.

More broadly, many banks, investors and other financial actors continue to reward polluters and incentivize wrecking the planet. We need a course correction in the global financial system so that it supports accelerated climate action. That includes putting a price on carbon and pushing the multilateral development banks to overhaul their business models and approaches to risk.

We need the multilateral development banks leveraging their funds to mobilize much more private finance at reasonable cost to developing countries — and scaling up their funding to renewables, adaptation and loss and damage. In all these areas, we need Governments, civil society, business and others working in partnership to deliver. I look forward to welcoming first-movers and doers on the Acceleration Agenda to New York for the Climate Ambition Summit in September. And to hearing how leaders will respond to the facts before us. This is the price of entry.

The evidence is everywhere: humanity has unleashed destruction. This must not inspire despair, but action. We can still stop the worst. But to do so we must turn a year of burning heat into a year of burning ambition. And accelerate climate action – now…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Climate change is threatening the basic rights of children: to survive, thrive and reach their full potential.

By raising average global temperatures and increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves,

climate change is exposing populations everywhere to heat stress, which is contributing to significant negative health outcomes particularly for infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, outdoor workers and other vulnerable people. [UNICEF, 2023] [my yellow highlighting]

Victorian Dept. of Health, "Extreme Heat - Information for Clinicians", 15.12.2022, excerpt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IMAGE: The Guardian, 21.01.2013

We have all seen the images on the television and Internet graphically illustrating the words of the UN Secretary-General and UNICEF.

So how will this affect us here in Australia when Summer officially arrives on 1 December 2023 and then plays out over the next 91 days?

Are we among those people considered more vulnerable as the climate ‘boils’? Are members of our families? Will the sheer number of vulnerable people mean that governments and public health systems won’t cope?

Here is a thumbnail sketch of some of the numbers involved….

In Australian in 2021 according to the national census the population totalled 25,422,788 men women and children. That number has grown by at least est. 845,571 people since then.

In that census there were 1,463,817 children aged 0-4 years of age and, another 1,586,138 children aged 5 to 9 years.

There were est. 71,000 women who registered a live birth/s in Australia during the summer months December 2020 to February 2021 summer [ABS, Births Australia 2021]

That 2021 census also revealed there were 4,378,088 people living across Australia aged 65 years to 85 years and over.

In 2021 there were an est.1,625,200 workers who spent part or all of their working day outdoors.

In that last census an est. 31.7% of the Australian population was thought to have a chronic medical illness/disease/condition that would make them potentially vulnerable to prolonged heat stress.

It appears that approx. 75% of residences now have some form of air conditioning and 25% no way of cooling their home. It has been reported that last summer; “Nearly 90% of people on income support payments say the inability to cool their homes in hot weather is making them sick, and even those who have air conditioning avoid using it because it is too expensive, a survey by Australian Council of Social Service has found”.

At least 122,494 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness on Census night in 2021 and, so could be thought to have no reliable access to shade in hot weather.

That is over 9 million men, women and children who might begin falling ill, perhaps seriously, in five months time if an El Niño continues to interact with background rising temperatures and Australia experiences a summer such as the Northern Hemisphere is now enduring.

The NSW coastal drought continued to grow in July 2023

 

As of 23 July 2023 – Day 53 of the 92 day official Australian Winter – an est. of 97.7 % of the land area of the NSW wider North Coast is identified Non Drought, 2% Drought Affected and 0.3% in Drought , according to the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

SEE: https://edis.dpi.nsw.gov.au/

The DPI Combined Drought Indicator mapping currently indicates that in the seven Northern Rivers local government areas of north-east NSW at rough estimates:

Est. 7% of the Clarence Valley is In Drought, est. 57% is Drought Affected and 36% Non Drought;

Est. 8% of the Richmond Valley is In Drought, est. 72% is Drought Affected and 20% is Non Drought;

Est. 7% of Lismore is Drought Affected and 93% Non Drought;

Est. 21% of Kyogle is Drought Affected and 79% Non Drought;

Est. 56% of Tweed is Drought Affected and 44% Non Drought;

Est. 100% of Ballina is Non Drought; and

Est. 100% of Byron is Non Drought.

Rainfall deficiencies, Australia, December 2022 to June 2023:

Click on image to enlarge

In north-east New South Wales, an area of serious deficiency extends inland from the west of the ranges, with pockets of serious and severe deficiency east of the Divide and in the Hunter District. [Australian Bureau of Meteorology, 6 July 2023]

Climate Change Maps of the Month, July 2023

 

The world has just experience twenty-four straight days of record breaking global temperatures with no end in sight.

Global average air temperature was 17.139 Celsius on Wednesday, 26 July 2023.

Daily Average 2 Meter Air Temperature

Daily Average 2 Meter Sea Surface Temperature

 

Daily Average Southern Hemisphere Seas Ice Extent

Southern Hemisphere sea ice extent is 3.518 million sq. km less that it was on the same day in 2014.

NOTE: All maps are visualizations generated using the Climate Reanyalizer from the Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, and is based on NOAA's NCEP Climate Forecast System v2.

Tweet of the Month

 

In case you haven't been paying attention, we've now had 24 days in a row of record global temperatures, likely the hottest stretch of 24 days in the last 100,000+ years.

We humans have some amazing talents, not least of which is our ability to cause global suffering. pic.twitter.com/CQGQ0qoXiY

— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) July 27, 2023

NSW Public School Education: a brief perspective from the outside looking in

 

When one considers education access and equity in New South Wales one tends to think of the divide between private and public primary & high schools.

After all the top private schools such as Knox Grammar (Wahroonga), Sydney Grammar (Darlinghurst), Barker (Hornsby), Scots (Bellevue Hill) and Pymble Ladies (Pymble) have been known to bank more money in fees, federal & state funding and donations from wealthy donors than the Gross Domestic Product of some small island states.

Knox Grammar alone brought in $536,440,456 across five years up to 2021.

However, there is another level of inequality and that is the divide between public schools based on the socio-economic status of the geographical catchment from which students are drawn and/or whether those schools are classed as selective.

While public schools do not have the same ability to set fees as private schools and do not attract the same level of government funding, they do generate levels of ‘donations’

which indicate some level of advantage vs disadvantage.

NSW public school voluntary general contributions totalled $27,908,197.31 in 2022.

The top 12 public school general contributions were received by:

Sydney Boys High School — $1,038,474.50*

Balgowlah Heights Public School — $489,314.15

Carlingford High School — $437,230.57

North Sydney Boys High School — $368,278.94*

Chatswood High School — $356,701.39

Ryde Secondary College — $355,300.36

James Ruse Agricultural High School — $330,273.608*

Cherrybrook Technology High School — $306,667.75

Killarney Heights High School — $297,845.28

Sydney Girls High School — $295,009.83*

Baulkham Hills High School — $230,761.50*

Epping Boys High School — $227,940.62

NOTE:  * denotes fully selective state school

For highest and lowest an estimated breakdown of donation share per student would $1,713.65 for Sydney Boys High School and $175.33 per student for Epping Boys High School.

Not up to private school annual budgetary standards but there is a little more towards the school curriculum and extra-curricula activities.

It’s another story elsewhere in the state…..

Based on voluntary general donations raised by parents and carers in 12 schools in the NSW Northern Rivers region:

• Grafton High School — $18,201.20

• South Grafton High School — $7,611.25

• Grafton Public School — $5,435.00

• South Grafton Public School — $465.00

• Lismore Heights Public School — $1,740.00

• Lismore Public School — $105.00

• Lismore South Public School — $30.00

• Tweed River High School — $9,203.65

• Tweed Heads Public School — $457.00

• Tweed Heads South Public School — $52.00

• Ballina Coast High School — $12,134.00

• Murwillumbah East Public School — $5,430.00

For highest and lowest on the Northern Rivers list Grafton High School parental & carer ‘donations’ would equal around $22 dollars per student and for Lismore South Public School it is 0.12 cents a student in 2022.

It should come as no surprise, given the poor state funding model and the refusal of successive federal governments to contribute meaningfully to public school funding, that none of the four Northern Rivers public high schools listed in this post had students in the Top 6 (higher score) rankings for 2022 Higher School Certificate scores. While only two of the twelve public high schools in relatively affluent geographic catchments had students within the Top 6 rankings.

Of the five rich private schools identified in the second paragraph of this post only one of those high schools had students within Top 6 rankings for 2022 Higher School Certificate scores.

Across all NSW high schools the Top 10 with the highest success rate in the Higher School Certificate appear to have all been state selective or private schools.

It seems that affluent post codes or access to fully selective government schools may still have an inordinate influence when it comes to student outcomes in the final years of schooling.

 

On 25 July 2022 the NSW Legislative Council announced the “Inquiry into current and potential impacts of gold, silver, lead and zinc mining on human health, land, air and water quality in New South Wales”

 

On 25 July 2022 the NSW Legislative Council announced the “Inquiry into current and potential impacts of gold, silver, lead and zinc mining on human health, land, air and water quality in New South Wales”

Triggered by community concerns wherever gold, silver, lead or zinc mining exploration is occurring or active mines are established and, the ongoing NSW Environmental Protection Agency investigation of Newcrest’s Cadia Holdings Pty Ltd mine near Orange, the NSW Parliament Legislative Council has acted.

Portfolio Committee No. 2 – Health was established on 10 May 2023 in the 58th Parliament to inquire into and report on any matters relevant to the public administration of:

Health, Regional Health, the Illawarra and the South Coast, Water, Housing, Homelessness, Mental Health, Youth, the North Coast.

The composition of Portfolio No.2 Committee is:

Chair: Cohn, Amanda (GRNS, LC Member)

Deputy Chair: Carter, Susan (LIB, LC Member)

Members: Buttigieg, Mark (ALP, LC Member)

Donnelly, Greg (ALP, LC Member)

Faehrmann, Cate (GRNS, LC Member)

Suvaal, Emily (ALP, LC Member)

Taylor, Bronnie (NAT, LC Member)

On Tuesday 25 July 2023 this Standing Committee created a Select Committee to inquire into and report on the current and potential impacts of gold, silver, lead and zinc mining on human health, land, air and water quality in New South Wales.

Submissions to the inquiry will close on 5 September 2023 and the select committee reports on its findings by 21 November 2023.

Submissions can be lodged via the inquiry webpage at:

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=2976#tab-submissions

The Inquiry’s terms of reference can be read abd downloaded at:

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/inquiries/2976/Terms%20of%20reference.pdf

This Upper House inquiry is of more than passing interest to Northern Rivers communities given that by 2022 the NSW Government had granted 18 Mineral Mining Leases (MLs) and Gold Leases (GLs) and over 35 Mineral Exploration Licences (ELs) in the Clarence electorate, along with 6 new exploration leases [Clarence Catchment Alliance, retrieved 26.07.23].