Ideas for investigating developments in your area - an open Frontyard workshop
On November 27th, I will give two workshops in investigative skills at 'Not-Only-Artist Run Initiative' Frontyard that will be free and open to anyone.
Planning
№ 2 in Public Land is Our Land
Paddo Bowls Inquiry 2008 - First media report 2014
First media report of the 2008 Inquiry into Paddington Bowling Club
Woolworths supermarket - not welcome on my corner
Today's a sad day for many in our neighbourhood because a Woolworths supermarket, which many in our community didn't want, has opened its doors at the end of my street on the boundary of Newtown and Erskineville in inner Sydney.
Fairfax smoozing Packer puts independent journalism under pressure
Fairfax's SMH journalists have been amongst the few to probe the NSW O'Farrell's government backing of James Packer's plan for a new hotel casino in Sydney. Reporter Sean Nicholls broke a story about how the government had changed the rules for "unsolicited proposals" in a way that made it easier for Packer to avoid a competitive tender. So I was shocked when I opened the SMH on Saturday and found a plug for a story by Packer pitching his casino plan labelled as an 'exclusive' and 'news'. There were several independent reports inside the paper, but online, Packer's free promo was number three while other pieces were buried further down the page.
№ 7 in Packer’s Sydney Casino
Packer's Casino Present
In late October, New Matilda began our series on James Packer's proposal for a new casino in Sydney. I worked on this series with Lawrence Bull.
Communities planning rights under attack from NSW government
A big issue in the NSW state election in 2011 was the Part 3A planning law which handed development consent for many major projects over to the Minister for Planning backed up by selected panels of experts. Councils and communities felt betrayed by Labor and hoped for something better from the Liberals, who promised to return rights to the community. Now eighteen months later, those same communities and Councils are fighting proposals put forward in an O'Farrell government Green Paper that look even worse.
Big Plans For NSW Development
A promised overhaul of NSW's planning framework has drawn the ire of resident and environment groups, whose contributions have been scrapped in favour of cosier relations with developers.
Meet The Inner-City Coal Seam Gas Drillers
When I first heard that there were plans for a coal seam gas company was planning to drill a short way from where I live in Inner City Newtown, Sydney, I could barely believe it but I found out that it is deadly serious.
What Will The Libs Do About Part 3A?
In the lead-up to the NSW 2011 State election, Nicole Gooch and I published a number of stories about the notorious Part 3 A leglislation which took power of planning decisions away from Local Council and gave it the Minister for Planning and panels appointed by the Minister. After the election, the new Liberal and National Party government is repealing Part 3A but it is not yet clear what form its replacement will take.