Opinion: Published in Byron Shire News 

8 March

Tamara Smith
Member for Ballina

Koalas are a national treasure – so why are we forcing them into extinction locally?

Koalas are one of our most precious iconic species, an animal entwined with our national identity around the world. The upcoming Gold Coast Commonwealth Games uses a koala as its mascot but in NSW they are a vulnerable species, rapidly declining in numbers due to native forest clearing and logging and face ever increasing habitat destruction from roads and urban sprawl.

Media Release

9 March 2018

Member for Ballina and Greens Education spokesperson Tamara Smith will visit Taree this Sunday 11 March to take part in a forum about education and climate change.

Ms Smith will visit fellow Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham at Johnny Martin Oval in Taree between 9am and 1pm who will have on display a huge inflatable ‘Earth Ball’.

Media Release

8 March 2018

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith has welcomed efforts by Ballina Shire Council to try to preserve an historic fig tree in Castle Drive, Lennox Head.

Media Release

7 March 2018

Member for Ballina Tamara Smith MP today asked the Planning Minister Anthony Roberts during Question Time if his government would act on the concerns of the Byron Bay community about the social, environmental and economic impacts of the mega development application for West Byron.

Media Release

5 March 2018

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith today visited the Sydney Startup Hub as a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly Committee on Investment, Industry and Regional Development.

The Committee is conducting an inquiry into support for start-ups in regional NSW.

“I toured the Startup Hub facility, and was able to speak informally with regional start-up operators there,” said Tamara Smith.

Media Release

2 March 2018

Greens call on Woolworths to exit Westower Tavern pokies

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith has today called on Woolworths to phase out pokies at its Westower Tavern venue in West Ballina.

This follows allegations by whistleblowers that staff at Woolworths-owned hotels have been spying on gamblers in order to boost profits.

Federal Independent MP Andrew Wilkie says whistleblowers have revealed that Woolworths’ hotels keep databases of customers who gamble, including their habits and behaviours.

Media Release

28 February 2018

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith has welcomed news of the withdrawal of the Bangalow Food Hub development application.

28 February 2018

Tamara Smith
Member for Ballina
Greens Education spokesperson

I welcome the NSW government backing down from its plan to prevent students who didn't reach minimum standards in NAPLAN Year 9 results from getting their HSC.

I spoke at a protest against this policy in Sydney last year and it is good to see results from the campaign that teachers, parents and unions launched last year against this move.

Media Release

15 February 2018

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith says she supports legislation which would make country of origin information on seafood products compulsory.

"This legislation is in line with the foodie ethos in the Northern Rivers area where we have a strong interest in buying local food," said Tamara Smith.

16 February 2018

Media Release

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith is congratulating Woolworths Mullumbimby for choosing to end providing single use plastic bags to shoppers from 4 April this year.

“The Mullumbimby branch will be among the first Woolworths stores in New South Wales to be single-use plastic bag free from 4 April, ahead of other stores which will be ending single use plastic bags by 30 June.”