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Byron
Shire Symposium Network First Sunday
of each month Details
of first planning meeting - click here Byron Shire Experimenting in Community Decision Making A Byron Shire Symposium Network has been launched on the 5th April, 2009 at Byron Community Centre 3pm. This is an experiment being initiated and monitored by the Sustainability Research Institute, and its main focus is to find if it is possible for a community to establish an agreement on how to make community decisions. Simon Richardson, Byron Shire Councillor, supported the Symposium Network concept by saying, “Important environmental issues can’t be decided upon by government administrators and then thrust upon the People. This is an opportunity to generate a groundswell of community discussion on energy, transport, home design, water, food and community resilience to face the years ahead (Climate Change, Clean Energy, Recession, etc.) that actually result in clear decisions. Any real solutions to these challenges must be owned fully by the People before the media and government administration (local, state and national) can come to the community’s aid. After all, the People are the Government and thus the will of the People needs to be at the forefront of decisions that affect us all. The People just need to agree to a single method that will allow decisions to be made.” Paul Spooner, of the Byron Youth Service and co-founder of the Byron Social Forum, said, “With the assistance of Kerry O’Brien of ABC’s 7:30 Report, the Byron Social Forum was launched in June 2008 to encourage broad based community discussions. The development of the Symposiums is a very tangible effort towards that goal. The Symposiums will allow those involved to move beyond engaging in dialog to hopefully experience a more collective approach to community decision-making.” The first formal partner in the Symposium Network is the Byron Community & Cultural Centre – that will be freely providing the Byron Bay venue for the 1st Sunday of each month. The Byron Bay Community Association President, Jani Collins, said, “We fully support this community effort to unite and learn how to make responsible collective decisions, and are delighted to host the Symposium in Byron Bay.” Byron Shire Council is making available the new Mullum Civic Memorial Hall during the Market Days in Mullumbimby. Venues are also being sought for Bangalow and Brunswick Heads during their market days. Ricardo Johansson, Byron Shire Community Coordinator and United People Trustee (www.upworldgov.org) said, “Non-profit community organizations will be able to introduce themselves, and what they do, to the rest of the community and ask for community assistance in some of their decisions. There will also be scheduled lectures and/or films by various government departments and private enterprises to assist in the development of community projects.” He added, “The Byron Shire Symposium is actually the leading effort in a process that is hoped to be duplicated in each of the other Shires within Australia’s Green Cauldron (Lismore, Byron, Kyogle, Tweed, Scenic Rim and Gold Coast Shires). It can then be extended to all shires in NSW and then Australia and beyond. Therefore, all community organizations within Australia’s Green Cauldron will be welcome to have a presence at the Symposiums so they can see how it’s done and to help kick things off.” The Australian federal government has committed to spending $90 million per year to attract people, whom are referred to as “Experience Seekers,” from all over the world and Australia to visit Australia’s Green Cauldron. One of the main things Experience Seekers want to see and experience is community cooperation as well as the natural beauty of our area. The Experience Seeker will have the opportunity to see how communities can unite and have an open, honest, fair and responsible relationship between themselves and their government via an accepted decision-making method. They can then take this experience, crafted in Australia’s Green Cauldron, home to their many communities and eventually make the world a better place. Mr. Johansson stated, "If we cannot achieve sustainability in communities and government, all other ‘sustainable’ efforts will be in vain. Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, has been a major player in the promotion of Australia’s Green Cauldron concept. Keeping in mind his Midnight Oil’s song ‘Minutes to Midnight’ we have no time to lose.” If you do have an interest in participating in these Symposiums, assisting in the collaborative planning efforts (including the procuring of speakers), or becoming a sponsor, please contact Ricardo Johansson at ricardo@1062.org or 04 1748 9293, and let him know of your organisation’s interest to participate and get an early reservation for the Symposiums. The full year’s schedule is being drafted now.
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