Steve Krieg, From the Mayor’s desk, Lismore City Council

I was in two minds about submitting this column, as I do not want to support a paper that is not transparent with its readers and puts its ideology ahead of what is good for the entire Lismore Local Government Area and our community.

I write this after last issue’s [Nimbin GoodTimes, February 2025] appalling coverage of the illegal squatters in Pine Street Lismore that three years after the worst natural disaster in Australia’s recorded history is diverting attention and resources away from our recovery.

This paper must be called out on this. These people are not locals and are only homeless by deliberate choice. The Nimbin GoodTimes’ extensive and supportive coverage of these illegal squatters make no mention of the fact that they are predominately overseas travellers, nor is it mentioned that their spokesperson, Rachele Meliani, is a 28-year-old self-proclaimed “social advocate” from Italy who does not think Australian laws apply to her and her fellow illegal squatters.

This of course is a nonsense. What they are attempting to do is generate national headlines for their cause at the expense of those who did go through the heart-wrenching natural disaster. As our community continues to recover, we want people to know that Lismore is a good place to live, work and raise a family. This is not the image of Lismore portrayed by these squatters.

Ms Meliani calls the occupation a “nice social experiment”. We are not an experiment. We are a community trying to recover from a disaster. They should show our community some respect and leave immediately.

As your readers may know, I am not the only councillor concerned about the impact of these squatters. Other councillors, even those on the other side of politics, are opposed to this illegal occupation and the impact it is having on the mental health of nearby residents.

There are even reports of residents coming home to find a squatter in their homes. This is simply not on, yet it is not reported to your readers as it doesn’t fit the narrative of tearing Lismore down.

I was also shocked to see that your supportive page three “news” story did not disclose that the author was a founding member of the left-wing fringe grouping called Reclaim our Recovery that has encouraged the occupation from the start.

I do not mind being criticised when I or Council do something wrong.

On this issue, the Nimbin GoodTimes is wrong and should apologise to our community for it support of this illegal occupation to the detriment of our community. 

This article appeared in The Nimbin GoodTimes, March 2024.