At our Annual General Meeting on 13 October, members heard a year in review that sorts promises from progress. Here is what changed for Ballina’s environment, what is still on paper, and where BES goes from here.
On Tuesday 13 October, members of the Ballina Environment Society gathered at C-Space in Ballina for our 2026 Annual General Meeting. President Sarah King’s report covered a year of submissions, Ward Committee questions and letters to Ministers.
Your 2026 to 2027 BES committee
Sarah King was re-elected President, with Susan Fitzpatrick as Secretary and Jason Shrieves as Treasurer and Public Officer. Len Gazzard, Katherine Marchment and Claudia Caliari were elected as general committee members, and Margreet Wiegers continues as Digital Media Officer. The Vice-President role is still vacant.
What changed on the ground
Some of the year’s work has turned into real outcomes for the Shire:
Richmond River. In March, BES, Richmond Landcare and other river advocates called for a Richmond River Commissioner. On 2 September the NSW Government announced it will appoint a Richmond River Catchment Coordinator, the first role of its kind in NSW. The announcement included $500,000 to investigate restoring tidal flow to the Tuckean Swamp, which is what the science has recommended for years.
Offset plantings. In response to BES questions at Ward Committees, Council confirmed offset plantings well above its own minimums. At the pump track, 150 native trees were planted where 40 were required. At the Ballina Waste Centre, around 1,400 trees (including about 400 koala food trees) were planted before clearing began, so the habitat was never lost.
Climate. Council’s Power Purchase Agreement now supplies 100 per cent renewable electricity to its large sites. In September, councillors voted to keep the 2030 net zero target for Council operations after BES spoke against a motion to scrap it.
Campbell’s Pond, Cumbalum. After sustained community advocacy with BES support, the pond is now on Council’s asset register and is monitored more often.
Promised, but not yet delivered
A coordinator is not a commissioner. The new Richmond River role has no statutory authority and is a two-year trial, so the real test is whether its Catchment Improvement Plan commits to dated, funded works on the ground.
On flooding, BES lodged a ten-point submission on the CSIRO Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative final report. We’ve been told every point will be assessed through a $3 million feasibility study led by the NSW Reconstruction Authority. That is a substantive response. But more than four years after the February 2022 floods, no flood mitigation works have been funded. Assessment is not delivery.
Raised, but not yet taken up
Some of our proposals haven’t landed yet:
A Farm Plan Register for NSW. This is BES’s own policy proposal to record farm pollution risk property by property, starting with a pilot in the Richmond catchment.
A required native planting palette in Council tenders, and public reporting on whether offsets are delivered.
A published list of the roughly 75 common weeds that fall outside Rous County Council’s responsibility. 36 of them are toxic or harmful to people or animals.
An overall pest animal management program for the Shire.
These are the gaps we will keep working on.
Priorities for the year ahead
Every BES priority for 2026 to 2027 asks for a decision, a date or a delivered outcome, not another round of assessment. They include:
working with the new Catchment Coordinator from day one
pressing for the Tuckean Swamp restoration to go ahead
progressing the Farm Plan Register
supporting the extension of Council’s net zero target to cover scope 3 (indirect) emissions
pushing for all-electric new development
Our biggest challenge: people
BES turned 43 this year, but our work is carried by a small group of volunteers. Finding people to join the BES committee and to represent BES at Ward Committee meetings is a constant struggle. Growing our volunteer base is the single change that would most increase what BES can achieve.
We were proud to be nominated for the Environmental Award at the Ballina Shire Australia Day Awards for the third year running. Congratulations to this year’s winners, Lennox Head Landcare and Partners.
Thank you to every member, partner organisation, Council officer and councillor who worked with us this year.
Download the full President’s Report
BES runs entirely on volunteers. If you have a few hours a month, skills in research or writing, or could represent BES at a Ward Committee meeting, we’d love to hear from you. Get involved with BES.
