A huge thank you to all the community members and supporters who worked tirelessly to promote the NO SEP campaign. Thanks especially to the many community leaders who stepped up and helped lead the campaign to bring this SEP idea to an end for Byron.

I can confirm that Byron Councillors have unanimously voted yesterday to dump the SEP.

It was always a square-peg proposal in a round hole. Despite several Councillors attempting to put lipstick on a bad idea, it was still a bad idea for Byron. We have always said: Byron is not Sydney. We have very different and important local dynamics, which sadly some State and local leaders just did not fully appreciate.

It was always an inappropriate proposal for a town already struggling with late-night CBD issues such as security, crime, noise, lack of late transport, dangerous out-of-town roads, poor lighting, and stretched first responders and emergency medical staff.

Even after Councillor Asren Pugh guaranteed that no extra venues would trade after 12am, in the end it was impossible to guarantee this to a concerned community due to the complexity of liquor licensing in this State. Ministers suggested before last year’s vote that a bespoke SEP could be made to work in Byron, but the 24-Hour Economy Department told Council this year that it was not possible to guarantee this—and they also wanted noise restrictions further relaxed, which would have caused an even greater community backlash.

In the end, Council Officers and Councillors decided to support the vast majority of the community and visitors and scrap the SEP trial proposal. That is great news—but it must also be said that this was a poorly run process that wasted a lot of people’s time and caused many community members real concern about what the future might look like under a SEP.

Strong work was done by Councillors who did not support the SEP and thank you to them. Including Councillors Hauge and Lyon.

Asren Pugh has resigned his post as a Councillor in the last couple of days. We wish him well for all his hard work on many issues, including the much-anticipated rail trail. He has cited work pressures as the reason. Ultimately, Asren drove the YES SEP community campaign, and in the end it became a train wreck.

Mayor Sarah Ndiaye had good intentions when she started this process to help the town’s creatives and musicians, but in the end it was a poorly run process by Council from start to finish.

We all support a more vibrant Byron—but it needs to be well planned, properly funded, and aligned with community expectations.

At yesterday’s meeting it was agreed to explore more daytime and early-evening events in the CBD rail corridor, which sounds like a good initiative—once again, if it is well planned and properly consulted.

As Sarah said yesterday, a lot of great community information was collected along the way that can help plan a better way forward for Byron, so it is not known only as a party town—which was the real danger if the SEP had gone ahead. We need to promote all the great things about our region: eco-tourism, the natural beauty of the area, the future rail trail now one step closer, environmental excellence, wellness and health. All great reasons for visitors and locals to enjoy being here.

The hard work continues with some valuable time lost unfortunately. Th next step is for the community, its leaders, and Council to come together and map out what we really want for Byron as we move into a positive and progressive future—one built around what is best for the whole community, not just a select few who drive the alcohol agenda.

Asren said we need to get used to the fact that music venues and festivals make their money from alcohol and that this is unavoidable. Sadly, he is mistaken, and that old mindset needs to change. With domestic violence, crime, and road trauma, Byron doesn’t need more alcohol—it needs less.

The next steps also need to include our leaders pushing the State for real funding to fix our current issues. The State acknowledged these problems as far back as 2014/2015, and their own report at the time recognised the issues and promised funding and solutions. Sadly, it never eventuated. As a community, we now need to unite and fight for our fair share of State tourism earnings to fix these issues once and for all: crime, security, lighting, public transport, roads, and more. Please take the time to let the relevant State Ministers and the Premier know that waiting over 10 years for a fix is long enough.

You will read more in the press and hear more on radio and TV over the coming days, but I wanted to get this message out first: a big thank you to all of you who worked so hard to STOP this SEP.

Thanks again—and let’s call this campaign and petition closed for now, with a hard fought victory.

Thanks,
Anthony