Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the great results for Country Labor in our recent local government elections on the New South Wales North Coast. I will begin with the Byron Shire, where Country Labor's Paul Spooner and Jan Hackett were elected with a strong groundswell of support for Labor and a progressive council. I know that both Paul and Jan bring their extensive experience to the shire, and it really was their passion for social justice and equity that shone through in the Byron campaign, particularly their emphasis on affordable housing.

In Lismore I would like to congratulate the newly elected Labor mayor, Isaac Smith, and Labor councillors Eddie Lloyd and Darlene Cook. All of them have a long history of advocacy and standing up for Labor values. It is wonderful to see such a strong Labor presence on Lismore council. I also note the retirement at the last election of the previous Labor mayor, Jenny Dowell. Jenny was a much respected and admired mayor, and we all wish you well.

In the Ballina Shire, I want to make special mention of and to congratulate Keith Williams and Nathan Willis. Although Keith and Nathan did not run as endorsed Labor candidates, they are outstanding Labor people and will make their community an even better place to live. Ballina locals know very well Keith's commitment to the community through the Ballina Seabird Rescue and Nathan's as a human rights lawyer.

Now I go to the Tweed Shire. Country Labor proudly ran a ticket with Reece Byrnes, Russell Logan, Marie Rogers and Rob Learmonth. We had a great result with the election of Reece Byrnes not only as councillor but also as the youngest ever councillor elected to Tweed Shire Council. Reece is a lifetime local, born in the area to a local fishing family. I know he has a passionate and strong commitment to the area and will work very hard for our community. In the Tweed Shire, the election date was originally scheduled for 10 September; however, it was delayed until 29 October due to the very sad death of Ken Nicholson, a candidate on Ron Cooper's 'No High Rise' ticket. I would like to pay tribute to Ken Nicholson and acknowledge his advocacy and tireless work for the community across so many important issues over so many years, most recently with the campaign to protect lot 490 at Kingscliff. Ken was a committed advocate, fighting for justice, and he was greatly respected in our community and will be missed very much.

The result of the Tweed Shire Council election is that Tweed has a progressive council with Labor representation—a great result. It is a council that will protect the community from the harmful and environmentally disastrous plans of the Liberal-National Party, which we have seen at all levels of government only put the big end of town first and completely ignore the community. In contrast, our Labor councillors right across the New South Wales North Coast will listen and consult and work closely with our community to get great results for our region. Again, I congratulate all of our successful Country Labor candidates and wish them all the best for the future in their respective shires.