Mayor Michael Lyon was elected in December 2021.
Michael Lyon is currently the Mayor of Byron Shire. Michael has been a Councillor for the last 7 years, including 2 years as Deputy Mayor. He has completed degrees in Law and Commerce and a postgraduate CIMA qualification in accounting and business strategy.
Michael’s local experience
- General Manager of Santos Organics in Byron Shire for 6 years, where he converted a failing retail business into a thriving not-for-profit social enterprise.
- General Manager for Mullum SEED, a local environmental charity that supports other charities such as COREM, ReforestNow, Rainforest4 and Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare.
Michael is married with three children and lives in the hinterland in the north of the Byron Shire. He spends his spare time gardening and doing bush regeneration around his property. He loves a game of tennis or chess and enjoys most sports, including AFL and soccer.
Council committee appointments
- Water and Sewer
- Liquor Accord
- Coast and ICOLL
- Floodplain Risk Management.
Michael is also one of Byron Shire Council’s two Rous County Councillors.
Housing initiatives
Michael has been advocating fiercely for housing equity and has fought hard to regulate holiday letting in the Byron Shire. His housing initiatives include:
- The creation of housing above Council-owned car-parks.
- Overseeing an Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme, the first regional Council in NSW to create such a scheme. Combined with a community land trust, the Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme has the potential to resolve the housing crisis in the medium term by leveraging any new rezonings to ensure that a dedication of land is made to lock in affordable housing outcomes in perpetuity.
- Moving the first housing emergency motion by a Council in Australia in 2021.
- Being at the forefront of advocacy for housing solutions.
- Strongly advocating for temporary pod villages to house those affected by the devastating floods in early 2022 and facilitating three such villages in the Byron Shire covering all types of households including those living with a disability.
An eternal optimist and pragmatic decision-maker, Michael is also very interested in the health of waterways and has the goal to regenerate all of Byron Shire’s riparian zones to protect and enhance biodiversity.