McDonald's versus Yamba: BOYCOTT, BOYCOTT, BOYCOTT!

What one would expect; after the very pro-McDonald's Cr. Margaret McKenna snarled back at the council meeting gallery last Tuesday that if they didn't like the way she was voting they could vote with their wallets and not go to McDonald's when it opened in Yamba.......

A selection from the initial reaction on Facebook the day after Clarence Valley Council's infamous decision to allow a 6am to midnight eat-in and drive through fast food outlet in the small NSW coastal town of Yamba:

NO to McDonalds in YAMBA Disappointment tonight from CVC but Yamba stand proud! We showed a united, committed community against this inappropriate development because that's what we are and not a generic McDonalds town. 4000 signatures and 455 letters apparently not enough. Cindy Rawiri, Kerry Mcdonough, Kylie Leisinger and 10 others like this.

Judith Robinson
How much is McDonalds paying the council? With all those signatures and letters your council isnt listening :(
Dianne Schwinghammer
sorry to hear the result. The face of our Yamba will be changed forever and not for the better.
Kim Mcgowan
I'm with you Judith..........it sounds like something dodge has gone on.......anyway i will not eat there.......if i feel like treating myself and the family we will still drive to Grafton...........Yamba is just another town with another maccas nothing special about us !!!!!!!!
Theresa Bennett
smells like vomit fullstop remember that next time you walk past or open that paper bag bbbbaaaarrrrfffff council will allow it because their the only fat idiots that will eat the shit : p
Kaz Whitty
Good on you Yamba! Yes contact ACA! What did the State Govt do to our planning laws that ignore the majority vote of the people of a particular area..making our councils back down to the big end of town for fear of $$$ loss in court? We elected them to serve our interests...there has to be a loophole here!!
Ben Redlich
we had our honeymoon in yamba last year, the first time we've been there. i remarked at the time how refreshing it was to see no fast food chains, just local business. sigh...
Janet Purcell
Need to change this page to boycott McD's. Not sure, but I think that Newtown had a boycott campaign and McDs closed down. Very disappointing, but everyone should send a big thank you to Councillors Ian Tiley and Sue Hughes who spoke really well against this abominable development. And send a no thanks to Clrs Ian Dinham (Yamba), Jim Simmons(Maclean), Margaret McKenna (Grafton), Craig Howe (Grafton) and most disappointingly Clr Pat Comben (Grafton) sold Yamba out on this one!!!!!
Sharon Uthmann
So sad to hear that public opinion did nothing to the outcome. Welcome to increased litter and increased social problems - have come from an area full of take away venues and all you get is a dirty town where those who need to be feeding their families healthy meals, instead end up with cheap fat filled meals. Such a shame! I for one will be boycotting McDonalds in Yamba when I visit and I hope that will result in a closure.
Marilyn King
Go broke Macca's!!!!! Will not step a foot inside, am so sorry our Council could not see the light! BOYCOTT!!!!!
Marion Uithol
Is there a link to the proposed affordable housing residential development planned for West Yamba? Who is behind the scenes for both propositions?
Shayne Louise
let them put Macca's on the highway, then it can taste even more like mud when it floods... keep fighting... need more media coverage... ACA, sunrise, anything... knock down the security fences and pickets each time they go up... they cant arrest everyone in town...
Kym Thornton
how sad, i for one won't be going there..
Karlen Holloway
Support our local businesses. Boycott maccas don't let ur children eat it. Don't give in to it's conveniece.
Karlen Holloway
Also! Yamba slsc uses a shed on the site where maccas has been proposed to store competition equipment. We will now loose this space and have no where else to store this equipment. So much for them helping sporting and local community
Sandra Mason
That is really sad, hate McDonalds. You know who to vote out in the next election
Yesterday at 5:44am
Matthew Ellks
There goes the nieghbourhood.....
Tash Keys
This is the most right wing council and bunch of councilors ever (alebit for a couple)! It was a shoo in once they passed west yamba. Just look at what they are doing! They are saying its ok to over develop sensitive coastal areas, its ok to destroy habitat without the proper consent (Gulmarrad), its ok to snuff your nose up at the community. If anyones interested in taking this council and its councilors on - i'm in!
Jen Smith
Very disappointing that community wishes have been ignored. As a community we can elect & not elect councillors but what happens to the non elected decision makers in council. Who are they responsible to and what was their rationale for ignoring what the community wants and what are they getting out of this.
Trudie Brown
money ALWAYS talks over peoples words...ITS DISGUSTING!!
Frank Lucas
Well they didn't get into Byron so hang in there.
Aloha
Dave Schwarz
Shame - just remember the names of the 5 idiot councillors - Simmons, Comben, Dinham, Howe, McKenna - while we can get rid of them next council election, it may take a lot longer to get rid of McDonalds but I support the boycott calls, no way will I be seen in the Yamba business ever (and yes, I do use them when travelling, clean toilets, quick food, they are fine on a highway!).
Dave Schwarz
Can I suggest everybody sends the infamous 5 a short but succinct email telling them what we all think -
addresses are:
margaret.mckenna@clarence.nsw.gov.au
craig.howe@clarence.nsw.gov.au
ian.dinham@clarence.nsw.gov.au... See More
pat.comben@clarence.nsw.gov.au
jim.simmons@clarence.nsw.gov.au
Now nothing too rude, I just said "Disgraceful decision re McDonald's - you've lost this vote next election!"
Dave Schwarz
Just letting you all know I've had councillor Comben reply to my email telling me that was the only decision he could make under "reason and law" and how good it was and how many people were congratulating him on it (15 congratulatory emails and 4 happy people on the street is his total to date) - so please, send the infamous 5 an email or they'll think they've made an intelligent decision!
Ruth Condran
If everyone who said they don't want Maccas in town stick to there convictons and boycott it they won't last long in town.
Cate Murphy
Thank You to all the people that came into" Smokos" today to reassure me that they will still eat with us and not sell out to the ultra cheap McHeartattack and Lies. I wonder how quickly maccas will fund a roundabout on Treelands and Yamba Rd.?.....I wonder how much council earns in all the various stages of development and inspections.?.....I ... See Morewonder how the short sighted five sleep at night ? Wonder I may...no point asking council anything about this as they couldn't lie straight in bed it's easy to see why they voted the way they did. I hope everyone remembers this at election time. You can bet I will be campaigning to remind everyone. I intend to do my own economic impact study of the effect this has on Yamba local businessess. BOYCOTT BOYCOTT BOYCOTT send the bastards broke show them that Yamba is committed, true and resilient....and vote NO to the fools that voted Yes
Michelle Higgins
So sorry to hear about this. When I come back to visit I will not be eating there. I will support the local community not Mccas. Wonder how much they paid the Council???????

After the Intervention: income management research

Conclusion: Income management independent of the government stimulus payment appears to have had no beneficial effect on tobacco and cigarette sales, soft drink or fruit and vegetable sales. Click on image to enlarge.

Two of the researchers writing in Crikey after Federal Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin was dismissive of the latest independent study:

However, in contrast to the government report, we found that spending on food and drinks and fruit and vegetables did not change with income management. Soft drinks sales increased.

The one time during income management that spending went up for all store commodities was when people actually had more money: at the time of the government stimulus payment.

Telling people of low income how they can use 50% of their income may make no difference to their spending, but giving a lump of cash does.

I know who I'm inclined to believe and it isn't the Minister.

The natural as art.....

Caged Beauty (above) and Swimming Upstream (below)
Photographs taken at Bundjalung National Park by the talented scml displayed at Panoramio

Guttermen Adam Walters and Peter Meakin = Public Enemies #1 & #2

What right did low-life, Adam Walters (above left), a gutter newsperson with Channel 7, have to invade and dispossess another individual of their civil liberties?

Answer: NONE!

Walters deserves all the sh*t that he cops as a consequence of his efforts.

However, Walters did not act alone in his small-minded exercise.

Channel 7's news boss, Peter Meakin (above right), gave Walters the green light to air the item so he, too, stands condemned.

Pics from The Daily Telegraph and ABC News

McCaffery says councils don’t buy Minister’s Joint Regional Planning Panels spin

18 May 2010

Councils don't buy Minister's JRPP Spin

NSW councils are not surprised that the Department of Planning will hand back some of the planning powers seized by the Joint Regional Planning Panels.
After less than 12 months of operation, the Department is set to hand back power for a number of types of development applications currently determined by the Panels.
President of the Local Government Association of NSW Cr Genia McCaffery said that councils were not surprised that the Department of Planning was not finding the processing of large, complex developments approvals as easy as they had expected.
"We have been saying from the beginning that this was not simply a matter, as the Minister at the time claimed, of councils being too political to do their job regarding larger scale developments.
"The Panels took over a role that was handled – generally very well – by NSW councils, duplicated existing structures and added another layer of bureaucracy to the process.
"The then-Minister's line was that state panel members would be less susceptible to outside pressures than councillors – optimistic at best and naïve at worst.
"The only difference is that the panel members aren't accountable to the local community.
"That they are already ready to hand back some of those powers shows just how wrong they got it."
The JRPPs were also trumpeted by the State Government as a way to speed up the DA process. Minister for Planning Tony Kelly has claimed that the JRPPs took only 114 days to approve, as opposed to councils, who he claimed took 249 days.
However this figure is a glaring, self-serving exaggeration.
That figure was the average gross determination time. However, when time taken for delays due to referrals to state agencies and for applicants to provide missing information is taken into consideration, councils were only responsible for 120 days of the process.
"It's a complete double standard," said Cr McCaffery.
"The majority of hold ups in council determinations were caused either by delays in State agencies, or incomplete or inadequate information supplied by the applicants.
"Minister Kelly claims that Panels are taking a long time to determine applications because the larger development proposals were more complex.
"When they were pushing to strip local communities of their input into planning decisions, they certainly never conceded that councils were dealing with exactly those problems.
"In the past, our planning system made sure that local views were a key point to be considered.
"The Panels have disenfranchised our communities, and I think it's already causing a lot of distrust and friction."

Cr. Genia McCaffery President, Local Government Association

Balfastards rule on Clarence Valley Council

Say NO! to these Clarence Valley councillors
in 2012

because they said
YES to McDonalds in YAMBA

in 2010

Pat Comben

Grafton
Attitude
a town doesn't tell council what to do
residents are rabble and i'm a reasoned man
i'm an important person - let me spell that for you, i*m*p*o*r*t*a*n*t

Margaret McKenna

Grafton
Attitude
there' s nothing special about Yamba

Grafton's better-er

youse residents should be happy to pick up red & gold litter on yer morning walk

Maccas is the health food of the nation

Ian Dinham

Yamba
Attitude
i'm telling you i don't want to vote for this DA - honest!

but i'll happily vote 'yes' anyway because it's never my fault if i raise my hand for the developer

Jim Simmons

Maclean
Attitude
please listen to me bleat that i share all your concerns about this DA and don't punish me for being one of Comben's sheep

Craig Howe

Grafton
Attitude
eh? duh? wha? yes sir, mista developer

and throw the mayor in for good measure

because his vision's lacking and his leadership's non-existent

Richie Williamson

Some background on McDonald's versus Yamba here.

Pics are from Clarence Valley Council website

What NSW Greens Said About McDonald's in Yamba

Communities or McCommunities?
Tuesday 18 May 2010

Greens support Yamba residents fight against McDonalds NSW MLC Sylvia Hale, Greens spokesperson on Planning, said the Greens support Yamba residents' overwhelming opposition to the proposed McDonalds in Treelands Drive, Yamba.
"Surely, part of Clarence Valley Council’s purpose is to represent the majority of its citizens and to promote the health of the people in Clarence Valley,” said Ms Hale.

"Communities should have the right to say 'No' to McDonalds. In Sydney, Ashfield Council rejected a McDonalds. The Newtown McDonalds went out of business because no one went there. And McDonalds hasn't even tried to set up in Byron Bay.
"I am sure McDonalds will no doubt come up with its usual spin: ‘We are so healthy now, we have salads, we support 'Clean Up Australia Day' and we offer rainforest coffee beans’.

“Like all big multinational companies, McDonalds have moved with the times and are greenwashing their image. "The local community, however, is too smart to be conned by the spin."McDonalds burgers are high in saturated fats, salt and sugar, foods that contribute to obesity and health problems."The Clarence Valley has great local produce and fresh seafood in abundance. Why would anyone would want to eat McDonalds ‘Fillet o’ Fish’ sitting on a plastic seat in a red and yellow box instead of local Yamba prawns, chips and salad?"As for the jobs argument, there are many young people working in restaurants and cafes in Yamba. Most of them will be acquiring much more useful and more complex kitchen skills than offered by a minimum wage, low skill McJob. "Yamba should not be forced to conform to the worst of suburban shopping mall or highway truckstop culture."That’s the reason why locals are fighting so hard on this.

“Yamba was voted one of Australia’s best towns. It’s no surprise most locals are passionate about keeping it that way. I hope the community wins their struggle,” Ms Hale concluded.

http://sylviahale.org.au/news/communities-or-mccommunities