Plastic Free July Tina Wu Australian households use around 100kg plastic packaging per year. Scientists predict that by 2050, the amount of plastic waste in tonnes found in our oceans will surpass that of fish. Premier Gladys Berejiklian is facing pressure from the NSW Greens to prohibit the circulation of single-use plastic bags this July, following the Plastic Free July campaign. The campaign originated from the Western Metropolitan Regional Council in 2011, which has gained traction worldwide with over one million participants across the globe. Plastic Free July encourages citizens to refrain from using plastic in their everyday lives...

Rosie Gresham On Monday March 27, the NSW Court of Appeal held in favour of Ku-ring-gai council regarding the proposed merger with Hornsby Shire. The verdict, reached by a panel of three judges, will prevent the merger from going ahead in its current form. Justices Basten and Macfarlan reached their decision on the grounds that Ku-ring-gai had been denied procedural fairness, partly due to a consultant’s report that had been kept secret from the public and the official investigating the merger. They held that the public interest in keeping the report secret was outweighed by the public interest in...