Ballina Shire Council agenda items address SES, balloons

Ballina Council is in for a big line-up tomorrow, with one agenda item claiming the Ballina SES have been forgotten by the state.

Banning balloons on our public beaches and making sure the Ballina SES isn’t forgotten by the state are just two of the many issues up for debate during Ballina Shire Council meeting tomorrow.

Check them out below:

Balloons at events on public land

An interesting motion could see balloons prohibited on Ballina’s public land, including beaches and parks.

In a motion brought forward by Councillor Kiri Dicker, council could revise existing polices to prohibit all balloon use in cases where the event occurs outside from January 1, 2023.

The release of helium balloons would be prohibited effective immediately if the motion is passed.

Cr Dicker said the move came off the back of bans on lightweight plastic bags and cutlery.

“While not included in this legislation, balloons are arguably one of the most damaging types of single use plastics, this is because they can travel long distances by air, ending up on our beaches and waterways,” the councillor’s agenda comments read.

“When burst, balloons are often mistaken for food and ingested by dolphins, fish, turtles and seabirds.”

Ballina Shire Council has already requested a proposal to include a ban on the use of gas filled balloons on land under its control though it did not result in any further policy change.

NSW is the only state in Australia where it is still legal to release up to 20 helium balloons without a fine.

Cr Dicker noted the motion would not affect small gatherings such as birthday parties but rather weddings and similar.

Push for Indigenous naming

Another motion could see Ballina place names sit side-by-side with their original Indigenous names.

A motion by councillor Rod Bruem would see protocol put in place to use Indigenous language in the naming of Ballina Shire roads, public places and geographic features.

The process would involve a partnership with Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council, and consultation applied to a targeted number of new streets and public places

The motion hopes to establish an agreed set of Indigenous terms that can be used to name roads, bridges and public places.

Shovel ready new Ballina SES site

The much-needed Ballina SES upgrade will once again be brought to the forefront of council’s minds.

Councillor Eva Ramsey has brought forward a motion to push the status of the upgrade to shovel ready by increasing efforts to obtain the planning approvals and prioritising the project.

She also urged council write to NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to highlight the urgency of funding.

“On 13 June 2022 the NSW Government announced the allocation of $132.7 million towards investing in infrastructure, resources, and staffing. This funding includes approximately $50 million to upgrade a number of determined critical priority unit facilities across NSW,” she said in her agenda comments.

“Unfortunately, there appears to be no mention of Ballina SES in this funding announcement.”

Ballina Shire Council have already allocated a site for the new SES complex, due to the site on Angel Beach Dr being in “extremely poor condition” and too small.

“Council needs a commitment from the NSW Government that will give our community confidence that we have not been forgotten about in this recent funding announcement,” Cr Ramsey wrote.

Council staff have noted the draft 2022/23-2025/26 Delivery Program and Operational Plan includes $2.5m which may be “insufficient” based on recent construction costs increases.