Weekly 5 November 2015

IT TAKES REAL INSIGHT TO KNOW REAL VALUE

When you look beyond face value, you can truly see the worth of a home.

Number of bedrooms, property size and location are just the starting point. Here at P. Smith and Son we also analyse the desirability, market trends and community infrastructure to uncover a homes true value. These crucial insights are the P. Smith difference.

:HXVHDVSHFLDOLVWSURJUDP53'DWDWRUXQVSHFLFUHSRUWVIURP$XVWUDOLDVPRVWFRPSUHKHQVLYHXSWRGDWHDQGDFFXUDWHSURSHUW\GDWD7KHVHQGLQJVFRPELQHGZLWKRXUORFDONQRZOHGJHHQVXUHV\RXUKRPHVWUXHPDUNHWYDOXHLVLGHQWLHG

Weve been selling houses in Tweed since 1876 and our agents all have immense local knowledge. This only adds further insight to the data. Without this knowledge, your property may be overvalued, leading to no interested buyers; or under valued, leaving you short changed.

Contact us on 02 6672 1007 or [email protected] for a free property appraisal.

$850$25

02 6672 1007 www.psmithandson.com.au

logo here

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Contact us on 02 6672 1007 or [email protected] a free property appraisal.

IT TAKES REAL INSIGHTTO KNOW REAL VALUE

When you look beyond face value,When you look beyond face value,you can truly see the worth of a home.you can truly see the worth of a home.

INDE

PENDENT

LOCALLY OWNED

PAP

ER

Letter ofthe Week

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6 LOCAL NEWSThursday November 5, 2015

MURWILLUMBAH ST WHARF ST

QUEE

N STCOOLANGATTA

90 Griffi th St,Cnr Warner St

5536 6708

TWEED HEADS2/71-73 Wharf St

Opp Tweed Centro5536 8688

MURWILLUMBAHMain Street,Palm Plaza

6672 1441

TWEED HEADSSOUTH

Blundell Boulevard5513 1307

Curtain Features:

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DRY CLEANING & LAUNDRYDRY CLEANING & LAUNDRY

Success in fight for injured workers rightsWithin weeks of this column highlighting the unfair diffi culty faced by injured workers whose condition worsens after they have received a lump sum compensation payment, the

state government has acted.

Four weeks ago lawyer Erin Woodward, workplace

injury compensation specialist at Stacks Law

Firm, said in the Legal Light that the governments

legislation was working against supporting workers

injured in the workplace.

Her comment came after a decision in the NSW Court

of Appeal that could prevent thousands of seriously

injured workers obtaining a second lump sum

compensation payment if their condition worsened

over time.

The judges ruled in the landmark Cram Fluid Power

v Green case that under the 2012 amendments there

could be only one claim for each injured worker even

if their condition substantially worsened over time

after the initial lump sum compensation payment.

This could happen in particular with spinal injuries

that can worsen over time, even after an operation.

Ms Woodward called on the government to amend

the Workers Compensation Act so that if an injured

workers condition worsened they should be assisted

and compensated to adjust to this new level of

disability caused by the original work injury.

On October 26 the Minister for Innovation and Better

Regulation, Victor Dominello, announced legislative

changes that will enable injured workers who made

a claim for lump sum compensation prior to 19 June

2012 to make one further claim if their condition

signifi cantly deteriorates.

The Government has acted to clarify the law,

providing certainty for injured workers whose

claims are affected by the Cram Fluid decision, Mr

Dominello said.

The new regulation, which commences in November,

will address a potential disadvantage for injured

workers who made a claim prior to 19 June 2012,

on advice that they could make a further claim if their

condition deteriorated.

Injured workers within this cohort will be able to

make one further claim. There is no time limitation for

making the claim or restriction on minimum increase

in a claimants level of permanent impairment, Mr

Dominello announced.

Ms Woodward said this was good news for injured

workers, and anybody in this situation should seek

legal advice from lawyers specialising in workers

compensation.

The government has recognised the terrible impact

the 2012 amendments to the Act had on injured

workers whose condition deteriorated after their initial

compensation payment, she said.

These people need ongoing and often increasing

levels of assistance and it was not fair to cut them off

and ignore their worsening disability.

Responsibility for comment is taken by Stacks Law Firm

72

53

0

Kel Connelly Lawyer

02 6672 1855stacklaw.com.au

For a consultation call

Your compensation partners

THE LEGAL LIGHT! Climate change rally IT WAS a packed house at the Regent Cinema on

Saturday, November 31, for a screening of This

Changes Everything, a fi lm about global action on

climate change.

People are really concerned about this issue. Ken

Rippin, manager of the Regent Cinema said.

There was more than triple our usual numbers despite

clashing with the Tweed Valley Festival. I will also schedule

extra screenings for those who missed the fi lm.

Attendees signed a petition urging the Tweed Shire

Council to do more on climate change and in particular to

revise its divestment policy. The event was organised by

Tweed Climate Action Now and the Caldera Environment

Centre in the lead up to a midday rally in Knox Park on

November 28. Rallies will be held around the world on

November 28 to urge real action at the United Nations

emissions summit in Paris.

Greg Reid, a spokesman for Tweed Climate Action Now

said there was no hero coming to the rescue on climate

change.

This problem will only get worse until ordinary people

take the lead and demand real action, he said.

Independent scientifi c analysis of current emission

policies has warned that global warming will go far beyond

the internationally agreed, two degree limit.

Greenhouse gases persist a long time in the atmosphere

and accumulate heat, Mr Reid said.

This means it is the choices we make now that will affect

us for decades to come. In Murwillumbah the average

number of days over 35 degrees has quadrupled since

the 1960s and offi cial estimates project this will double

again by 2050 and triple by 2070 as the climate becomes

increasingly unstable and extreme.

YOUR THOUGHTS: Are you concerned about climate

change? Send your letters to [email protected]

Why are we waiting?, Tweed NBN is coming TWEED REISDNETS waiting

for the National Broadband

Network to reach their homes can

expect planning and building to

start next year.

Planning for the NBN roll-out will

start for some areas in the Tweed as

early as this year with construction in

2017.

Tweed Shire Councils General

Manager Troy Green, said the

announcement was brilliant news for

the Tweed.

This will signifi cantly increase the

telecommunications infrastructure

and allow for high speed broadband

for most residents and businesses,

Mr Green said.

The roll-out will be the fi rst Fiber to

the Node (FTTN) technology offered

in the Tweed by the NBN.

The NBN is currently commissioning

fi xed wireless technology in some

more remote and rural areas in the

Tweed, offering rural residents faster

broadband speeds than traditional

ADSL technology.

With FTTN now included in the plan

and the successful launch of its fi rst

long-term satellite, the NBN is well

positioned to allow most premises

in the Tweed to access high speed

broadband.

NBN CEO Bill Morrow said this was

another big step toward the goal of

connecting eight million homes and

businesses across Australia by 2020.

Today we have provided forecasts

for the next three years of the build,

Mr Morrow said.

This is exciting news for the suburbs

and towns added to construction.

Access to fast broadband can

provide a range of benefi ts for homes

and businesses such as improved

opportunities to work from home,

better access to online education

tools and more options for on-demand

entertainment.

The full list of areas included in the

plan and when construction is due to

start is available at www.nbnco.com.

au/3yearplan

Justine lives locally with her husband Craig and their twochildren. Justine is passionate about the North Coast and is working hard to make our community an even better place to live, work and raise a family. As our local Member of Parliament, Justine understands the North Coast and is always ghting to make sure we get our fair share.

A local who understands the North Coast

Justine ghts for usBefore becoming our local MP, Justine was a police officer and cares about justice in our community. Justine supports a Gas Field Free North Coast and continues the ght against the Nationals pro-CSG policies. Justine ghts for us in Canberra against the Liberal and Nationals agenda of unfair cuts, broken promises and cruel tax increases.

KEEP IN TOUCH

[email protected]

(07) 5523 4371

twitter.com/jelliotmp

facebook.com/JustineElliotMP

Justine Elliotf e d e r a l m e m b e r f o r r i c h m o n d

Justine Elliot gets results for our community including: $900m for Pacic Hwy upgrades from Banora Point to Tintenbar;$115m invested in 205 projects in 90 local schools; Sporting projects: Tweeds Arkinstall Park ($5m), Byrons Regional

Sports Complex ($9.5m), Casuarinas Surng Centre ($2m); andCommunity projects: Jack Evans Boat Harbour ($1.8m), Lennox

Head Community Centre ($2.7m), Margaret Olley Centre ($1m), Murwillumbah Community Centre ($1.5m), GP SuperClinic ($7m).

Gets results for our community

FIGHTS FOR US

ADADADADVEVEVEVERTRTRTRTISISISISEMEMEMEMENENENENTTTT

Authorised by Justine Elliot 107 Minjungbal Drive Tweed Heads South107 Minjungb

72527_p7

www.tweedvalleyweekly.net.au

LOCAL NEWS 11Thursday November 5, 2015

7273

2

THE CANE crushing season

is running smoothly across the

Tweed with predictions for a

bumper harvest, according to

Sunshine Sugar CEO Chris

Connors.

Speaking with The Weekly, Mr

Connors said he expected the

Condong Mill to crush about 550,000

tonnes by November 25.

He also highlighted a strong season

compared to past crops and a positive

future ahead for the Sunshine Sugar

company.

It has been a very positive season

compared to more recent crops that

were affected by extreme weather

events. The 2012 season yielded only

300,000 tonnes. he said.

The overall crop for Sunshine

Sugar looks to be getting close to 2.15

million tonnes, again a big change

from some of our recent seasons

(900k) which was the worst on record.

We expect that crushing will fi nish at

Condong this month and Broadwater

and Harwood on December 17.

Mr Connors said there were already

positive signs for next season

(weather permitting in 2016), including

an end to some of the worst growing

conditions on record.

The growers and businesses

resilience, through what has been

some of the worst growing conditions

on record, certainly deserves the

reward, he said.

Clarence Cane Growers and NSW

Cane Growers manager Pat Battersby

said Tweed cane farmers were upbeat

for the fi rst time in a long time.

Were about 75 per cent through the

harvest and farmers are positive, he

said.

Mr Battersby said the Tweed cane

industry was bouncing back from

three consecutive January fl oods.

A lot of farmers will take years to

recover, but theyre upbeat about the

current season and future, he said.

Sugar prices recover

THE PRICE of sugar continues to

show signs of recovery, according

to Sunshine Sugar CEO Chris

Connors, who said quality and

sustainability remains high on the

companys agenda.

Raw Sugar prices have been in

doldrums for the last twelve months

dropping as low as ten cents a pound

but we have seen some recovery in

the recent months with the March

expiry now trading at over 14 cents

a pound which is an increase of over

$140 a tonne since August, he said.

Our marketing and hedging

program has again been a positive

part of our business and we will again

deliver well above our benchmark

against Queensland Sugar (QSL).

Mr Connors said the sugar market

has been extremely competitive with

imports and aggressive marketing

campaigns from competitors. The

domestic market has been impacted

over the last two years initially by

imports when the dollar was high and

an aggresive marketing campaign

by our competitors Sugar Australia

(Wilmar), he said.

Sunshine Sugar is 100 per cent

sustainable and Mr Connors said the

only 100 per cent certifi ed growing,

milling and refi ning sugar operation

in the world. Customers know that

from the grower to their door they

are dealing with a quality controlled

product its something we are very

proud of, he said.

Bumper harvest as sugar market sweetens

Sunshine Sugar Condong Mill employees (left) crushing operator Chris Hicks and crushing assistant Craig Willis.

Tweed sugar ships to Asia

THE TWEED Shire Council has given a green

light for the Condong Mill to increase truck loads

by fi ve per cent, which Sunshine CEO Chris

Connors said was supporting the business in a

competitive market.

The whole business is continuing on its effi ciency

drive through our continuous improvement programs,

Mr Connors said.

One of the important parts of those programs was

the recent approval by Tweed Shire Council of a

concessional mass management scheme (fi ve per

cent). We were looking for a scheme to put us on a

level playing fi eld with our Queensland counterparts

who have a 10 per cent concession. Councils approved

delivering a system that supports the local industry

rather than impeding its sustainability and supports its

effi ciency drive.

Mr Connors said there had been some positive

outcomes following a restructure at Sunshine Sugar, in

which the milling and refi ning operations were merged.

The exchange of technology and knowledge with

Manildra (50 per cent partners) has been enlightening

and we are both learning a lot from each other.

In further news, Sunshine Sugar is exporting sugar to

China and Japan.

For the fi rst time for over ten years we have exported

raw sugar through the Brisbane terminal with cargo

going to China and Japan, he said.

The FTA with Japan has been quite benefi cial. Even

in dealing with these export cargoes we have tried to

be different bringing customers into the heart of our

business meeting our growers out in the paddocks and

getting the real feel of who they are dealing with.

Its amazing what a little snooze can do.snooze.com.au

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ADVERTTISISEMENT

Authorised by Justine Elliot 107 Minjungbal Drive Tweed Heads South

KEEP IN TOUCH

[email protected]

(07) 55 234 371

@JElliotMP

JustineElliotMP

JElliotMP

Justine ElliotMember for Richmond

Im very proud to work with our community and represent your local concerns in the Federal Parliament.This has seen more than $1.5 billion in federal funding delivered for our region withme as your local MP. This includes;

$7m for the South Tweed GP Superclinic $5m for the Arkinstall Park Sports Centre $1.5m for the Murwillumbah Community Centre $349m for the Sexton Hill Highway upgrade $1.8m for the Jack Evans Boat Harbour $1m to build the Margaret Olley Centre $3.3m for the upgrade of Kennedy Drive

72526_p48

WKLY-06-01_1WKLY-06-02WKLY-06-03WKLY-06-04WKLY-06-05WKLY-06-06WKLY-06-07WKLY-06-08WKLY-06-09WKLY-06-10WKLY-06-11WKLY-06-12WKLY-06-13WKLY-06-14WKLY-06-15WKLY-06-16WKLY-06-17WKLY-06-18_rWKLY-06-19WKLY-06-20WKLY-06-21WKLY-06-22WKLY-06-23WKLY-06-24WKLY-06-25WKLY-06-26WKLY-06-27WKLY-06-28WKLY-06-29WKLY-06-30WKLY-06-31WKLY-06-32WKLY-06-33WKLY-06-34WKLY-06-35WKLY-06-36WKLY-06-37WKLY-06-38WKLY-06-39WKLY-06-40WKLY-06-41WKLY-06-42WKLY-06-43WKLY-06-44WKLY-06-45WKLY-06-46WKLY-06-47_rWKLY-06-48

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Weekly 5 November 2015