The vast majority of our community say NO to a Late Night SEP
Apologies for the delay on a petition update and thank you again for getting behind this campaign. Your support is making a real difference.
Where the raw numbers sit now with the two petitions;
- 1,160 people say NO to a late-night Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP)
- Only 220 say YES to a SEP
That’s over 80% of our community clearly saying NO to extended alcohol service after 12am – for all the safety, security, noise and liveability reasons we’ve been raising from day one. It’s a strong, clear community mandate.
Response from the NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison
I’ve now received a written response from the NSW Roads Minister. The response is noted as being also from Premier Minns. Its taken 3 months and repeated prompts.
- The Minister thanked us for highlighting the serious transport challenges in our shire and acknowledged recent suggestions for extra buses. But they will not help outlying villages unfortunately.
- Importantly, the Minister noted that Council should take the SEP and road safety risks to the Local Traffic Committee, which includes representatives from Police, TfNSW and our local MP Tamara Smith.
This is exactly the kind of scrutiny we have been calling for. Several extra buses, as currently proposed, do not and will not meet existing demand, let alone cope if more venues are able to serve alcohol beyond 12am via a late Night SEP. The revamped Cheeky Monkeys by Merivale will add 550 patrons alone to the current 1-2am exodus and attempts to find a safe way home with zero real public transport options.
Media coverage & transport reality check
I was quoted again this week in The Echo – thank you to Aslan and the Echo team for their ongoing support and balanced coverage.
My position on transport remains crystal clear:
A few extra late-night buses will not get everyone home safely to our vast hinterland regions at 2am, 3am or 4am. Suggesting that they might is not good enough. It simply does not pass the “pub test” or the “duty of care” test for Council.
Byron Echo this week SEPpy story
View also SEP update on our website People of Byron
Meetings with decision-makers
Campaign leaders have now had a number of meetings with:
- Council and the Mayor, and
- The Minister for the 24-Hour Economy in Sydney
At those meetings, we have been very clear about the road safety, transport, noise, security issues as well as the expected strain on emergency services associated with this ill-conceived Late-Night SEP proposal for Byron.
We believe the message is getting through – but the real test will be the upcoming Council officer reports on risks and mitigation strategies, which are due to go to Councillors for their consideration before they vote on a SEP trial at the Council Meeting on 27 November. These reports should be publicly available before the meeting.
Community meeting update
Given the degree of high-level engagement now occurring, it’s been decided that a final large community meeting will not be held at this stage.
However: If the Council officer reports still support a late-night SEP, our campaign leaders will likely revisit holding a community meeting before 27 November and ramp up public action again. For now, the focus is on direct pressure on decision-makers and strong, visible community opposition.
Upcoming TIAC meeting – Late Night SEP & transport
I also plan to raise the SEP and transport issues at the Transport & Infrastructure Advisory Committee (TIAC) meeting on 20 November, where it is expected to be an agenda item (as requested by myself and seconded by Cr Elia Hauge).
Mayor Sarah Ndiaye chairs TIAC and three other Councilors attend, along with four community representatives. We understand that Mayor Ndiaye and Councillors Pugh and Swain are currently still supportive of the late-night SEP.
Please take the time to write to them directly and let them know you are:
- Strongly opposed to a late-night SEP in Byron
- Concerned about road safety, transport gaps and community impacts like noise and security
- Expecting them to represent the clear community view – over 80% NO
You can contact these Councilors by email at:
sarah.ndiaye@byron.nsw.gov.au
asren.pugh@byron.nsw.gov.au
janet.swain@byron.nsw.gov.au
What you can do now;
1. Share the petition with friends, neighbours, work colleagues and business owners. Its easy to reference the Echo as it has a half page advert each week in November with the QR code for the petition. Achieving near 2000 signatures will be an enormous statement from our concerned local community and visitor who love Byron too.
2. Keep our NO vote above 80% – every new signature strengthens the message.
3. Email the Mayor and key Councillors and ask them to:
- Put road safety, security and community wellbeing first
- Reject any late-night SEP that extends alcohol trading beyond 12am
4. Stay tuned – once the Council reports are released, we will send another update on next steps before the 27 November Council meeting.
Thank you all again for standing up for a vibrant AND safe Byron.
Together, we are showing very clearly:
We do support vibrancy initiatives for Byron but our community says NO to a late-night SEP and extended alcohol trading after midnight.
State Govt decision makers need to fund much needed measures for Byron such as lighting, public transport, additional security etc WITHOUT imposing a Late Night SEP with additional alcohol after 12am.
Kind regards,
Anthony Stante
Road Safety Advocate