In 2024, then-transport Minister Jo Haylen announced the government was looking to phase out its diesel-powered watercrafts, replacing them with boats running on green energy. 

That same year, a new fleet of catamarans were rolled out onto the Parramatta River — running from Parramatta Wharf to Circular Quay — with the capacity to run on electricity. 

But the highest capacity service in Sydney’s harbour, the Freshwater Class, running between Manly and Circular Quay, is still set to run on diesel for at least five more years. 

What happened: In 2024, Haylen announced Transport for NSW had “begun market sounding to gather proposals” on electric replacements for these services.

However this week, Transport for NSW told the Lorikeet “the existing Freshwater Class vessels are planned to operate for the next 5 to 10 years and no decisions have been made on their update”.

According to disclosures from TransDev, who operate Sydney ferries, the total network emits approximately 40,000 tonnes of Co2 a year. That’s around 8,000 round trips from Sydney to London. 

Waiting game: While the government hasn’t pulled the trigger on electric services yet, the private sector isn’t waiting around. 

• Back in 2022, NRMA brought out two small, electric boats named Barangaroo and Wallaru onto Sydney Harbour for passenger services.

• Some businesses, like Water Roads, are planning to introduce hydro-foil electric services before 2030. 

Hovering: A hydrofoil watercraft is a boat with wing-like structures (foils) attached to the bottom lifting the hull up and above the water level. These boats hover above the water as they move. 

The plans come as many other Australian cities, such as Brisbane, Hobart and Perth move to introduce more electric services to their waterways.

So far the Water Roads project has been looking at vehicles like the Candela, and the Irish-designed Artemis EF-24. 

Image: Candela

But CEO Sarah Taylor told the Lorikeet they have also been looking towards Vessev, a Kiwi company whose boats are now set to service the Derwent River in Tasmania and Perth’s Swan River.

Image: Vessev

Similar ferry services have been implemented in cities like Stockholm and Belfast.

Thumbnail: Artemis Technologies, Wikimedia user Anton Leddin

A long-standing Gladesville childcare centre is at risk of shutting its doors, as Hunter’s Hill Council moves to sell the land with no clear plan for the centre’s relocation. 

With similar proposed closures in Chatswood and Crows Nest, the news follows a broader trend of affordable childcare options shrinking on the North Shore. 

What happened: The Gladesville Occasional Childcare Centre (GOCCC) is a community-based non-profit that has been running in Gladesville since 1983. In that time they haven’t had to pay rent for the site, which is owned by Hunter’s Hill Council.

• Non-profit childcare centres — such as Kelly’s Place in Crows Nest — typically have this sort of arrangement with their local council. 

A grassroots structure: As a non-profit community centre, the GOCCC is able to provide childcare to local families at a more affordable price. Its governing body is a committee of parents whose children attend. The centre takes care of children from six months to five years old. 

Big plans: In 2025, the council voted to reclassify the land from community to operational land. 

• Operational land is land owned by the council without special restrictions. It means the council can manage the land in the same way a member of the public might deal with private freehold land.

Michelle King, the president of the centre’s parent’s committee, claims she was assured when the land was reclassified there were no plans to sell. 

• “[I said] the reason you're doing this is because you want to sell it,” she told the Lorikeet. “They'd never agree with that, they’d say it's just reclassification”. 

During a Hunter's Hill council meeting in May, plans were announced to sell the land to the City of Ryde.

Neither here nor there: The centre sits between the borders of the City of Ryde and Hunters Hill Council. King claims the parents committee was told during a meeting with the two councils that the City of Ryde had no capacity to find a new location for the centre.

The centre’s 12 month lease will expire in December. 

The Lorikeet asked Hunter’s Hill Council if there was any assurance the lease agreement with Gladesville Occasional Childcare Centre would be continued under new ownership. 

In a statement, a spokesperson said “further discussion with the Gladesville Occasional Childcare Centre will be undertaken once we receive community feedback”.

Why is this happening? 

The Parenthood is a national advocacy group representing parents and carers. The group's CEO, Georgie Dent, told the Lorikeet that while specific circumstances may differ, these closures “are not occurring in a vacuum”. 

“What we are seeing across NSW and Australia is a sector under significant pressure”, she said, specifying “rising operating costs, workforce shortages” and “occupancy challenges”.

“Families should not have to rely on whether a service is commercially viable for their child to access high-quality early learning close to home. Early education is essential infrastructure and governments need to ensure every community has access”.

Hunter’s Hill Council’s decision to sell the land will go on public exhibition on May 23. You can have your say via the council website.

Thumbnail: Gladesville Occasional Childcare Centre, Hunter’s Hill Council

In the last year, Lane Cove locals have grown increasingly opposed to the region’s designation as a hub for Australia’s growing data centre industry. 

Doctor Bronwyn Cumbo, a University of Technology Sydney (UTS) researcher with a focus on the data centre industry, says that as long as communities like this feel ignored, the pushback may just go on. 

What happened: After closing last week, the public exhibition of a Lane Cove data centre on Mars Road attracted 359 letters of opposition. These don’t just come from individual residents, but also sports clubs, schools and scout halls. 

That’s a massive turnout: For comparison, a neighbouring Airtunk data centre, built in 2021, received a total of seven objections when it went through the same process.

Real impacts, understood: Doctor Cumbo told the Lorikeet much of this recent opposition has come simply from increased awareness of what data centres are — and what they do. 

“While [data centres] provide all these advantages for the digital economy … they do have very material, experiential impacts on the people living alongside them”, she said.

Increased scrutiny: The words “data centre” might have been met with a yawn only a year ago, but widespread media coverage and political scrutiny — as seen in the current NSW inquiry into data centres — have drawn attention to the significant local and national impacts they can have. 

As development of data centres has grown in areas like Lane Cove and Macquarie Park, many locals feel as if these projects are being thrust upon them without genuine collaboration or consultation. 

“People have been really frustrated with the process”, Lane Cove Councillor Rochelle Flood told the Lorikeet.

“I've spoken to residents that only found out about [the project] when the SSD was up for consultation … some people only found out when a neighbour door knocked them”.

Connection important: While companies are obliged to go through state community consultation processes, Cumbo says these conversations need to be a “two-way street” to have an impact. 

• “In terms of the industry, they've been talking a lot about data centres to each other. I'm not sure how connected they are to the community”. 

State focus: The NSW Government has been eager to usher in data centre investment, recently announcing the arrival of 15 new projects across the state, three of which will be housed in Lane Cove and Ryde.

While recently released federal guidelines state this investment must come “on terms that benefit the community”, Cumbo questions whether this is occurring in practice. 

"It's government's role to make sure that we live in a democratic, equitable society”, she said. 

“How is the data centre industry aligning with and supporting those core values, rather than how are we trying to shape ourselves so we can bring this industry in?"

A precedent for tree vandalism in the lower North Shore enclave of Mosman is being set: where trees are attacked, more will go up. 

What happened: A 200-litre fig tree will be planted at the site where vandals hacked away at two fig trees in Balmoral last year. 

In December, Mosman Council officers launched an investigation into the “unauthorised pruning” of two semi-mature Port Jackson fig trees along Balmoral Beach. 

• The incident follows another, much larger suspected tree poisoning spree at Balmoral in 2024, where nine mature figs had their roots drilled into.

The council has now ruled that it must do more to protect its tree canopy, moving to plant new trees where vandalism has occurred, and hiring an in-house Tree Compliance Officer to investigate suspected acts of vandalism.

Quick to kill, slow to grow: A new tree — located between the two vandalised figs — will be planted within two weeks. It is expected to reach around 3 – 4 metres within two years, however, reaching maturity comparable to its neighbours may take decades. 

While Mosman would not confirm to the Lorikeet the impact hiring a Tree Compliance Officer would have on its budget, at other Sydney councils these roles will typically garner a salary between 94 and 114 thousand dollars per annum. 

Prove it: Tree vandalism is a notoriously difficult crime to prosecute. Mosman council documents say that finding strong evidence combined with substantial legal and investigative costs mean few culprits will ever see a courtroom, let alone a fine. 

As such, more practical approaches are favoured, such as the erection of banners impeding waterfront views where vandalism has occurred. This approach was also taken in Castle Cove, where 265 trees were chopped down in 2023.

When asked whether vandals would not simply also attack these younger, more vulnerable trees, Mosman Council told the Lorikeet that it “does not speculate on the actions or motivations of individuals”, and that its focus is on “practical steps to deter tree vandalism”.

Thumbnail: Mosman Council

Whether you’re a die-hard quiz addict or simply looking for some casual weeknight fun, we’ve got you covered: here are the best local pub trivia events on the North Shore. 

Reckon we’ve missed your favourite? Send us an email via editor@northshorelorikeet.com.au.

Monday 

Depot Brewery 

Depot Brewery is a small local brewery on the ground floor of HomeHQ Artarmon. Up for grabs are vouchers of $75 and $30 for first and second place, a Depot T-shirt for last place, and free jugs as mini-prizes throughout the evening. The usual host is Holly from Quiz Meisters. 

Time: 6pm – 8:30pm

Where: 1 Frederick Street, Artarmon

The Orchard Hotel 

Prizes are vouchers for $50, $30, $20, as well as smaller drink coupons through the night. 

Time: 7pm – 10pm

Where: 455 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood

Tuesday

Greengate Hotel

Join Chappo — host of Greengate trivia for nearly 30 years — for a shot at winning drink coupons and vouchers up to $100 at this North Shore institution. Keep an eye out for a bonus round question posted to the pub's Instagram earlier in the day.

Time: 7pm – 9:15pm

Where: 655 Pacific Highway

Rag & Famish 

Grab a chicken schnitzel and chips for $20 at this trivia night. 

Prizes are vouchers of $60 for first place, $40 for second and $20 for second last.

Time: 7pm – 9pm

Where: 199 Miller Street, North Sydney

The Great Northern Hotel

Over $200 in bar tabs up for grabs, plus additional on the spot prizes throughout the night. This trivia fills up quick, so bookings are essential. $10 off all steaks.

Time: 7:30 – 9:30pm

Where: 522 Pacific Highway, Chatswood

Wednesday 

Blues Point Hotel

Hosted by cowboy-hatted Craig, trivia at the Blues Point Hotel has special music rounds, picture rounds, and mini-prizes to be won throughout the night for free drinks and desserts. Final prizes are vouchers up to $50. A short walk down from North Sydney Station. 

Time: 7pm – 9pm

Where: 116 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point

Bridgeview Hotel

Run by veteran host Tim, quizzing the patrons of the Bridgeview since 1993. Prizes are drink coupons. 

Time: 7:30pm – 9pm

Where: 580 Willoughby Road, Willoughby

Angler’s Rest Hotel 

For our readers in the deep north, Angler’s Rest in Brooklyn hosts weekly trivia on Wednesdays. Teams of 2 – 6 only, $50 pub voucher for the winner. Topics this week include sport, anagrams and logos, and can be seen weekly via the pub’s Facebook. 

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Where: 216 Brooklyn Road, Brooklyn 

Thursday 

KC's Honky Tonk

Between line-dancing, live music, and a mechanical bull, this small bar in the heart of Crows Nest also hosts trivia every Thursday. Unfortunately, it’s not country themed. A bonus question is posted to the bar’s Instagram page ahead of time. Prizes are bar vouchers, with merchandise to come soon. 

Time: 7pm – 9pm

Where: 6 Burlington Street, Crows Nest

Pymble Hotel 

$50 bar voucher for first place, $20 voucher for second best. 

Time: 7:30–9:30 

Where: 1134 Pacific Highway

Thumbnail: InnQUIZitive Trivia, Depot Brewery

Ryde councillors have rejected staff advice on affordable housing and removed a selection of job types from the “key worker” eligibility list, including bus drivers, cleaners and retail workers.

What happened

A recommendation from Ryde Council staff said councillors should endorse a policy that made affordable housing available to “key workers” in jobs such as law enforcement, nursing, teaching, cleaning, bus and delivery driving and retail.

This was a continuation of the previous policy.

The debate

Some councillors, however, were not happy with the breadth of the list and wanted certain jobs — drivers, retail workers and cleaners — to be removed from the “key worker” policy.

Under the bus

Those in support of the decision to remove certain jobs — seven Liberal councillors and one independent — argued the policy should prioritise what they saw as more important occupations, given the small number of available dwellings.

“When everybody is a key worker, nobody is a key worker,” said Councillor Cameron Last.

“Key worker” definitions are another piece in the complicated jigsaw that is NSW housing policy.

What you do matters

“Key worker housing” is the same as affordable housing, but instead of basing a tenant’s eligibility off income thresholds, it uses their occupation.

Dwellings are reserved for workers in specific industries, typically teachers, police and nurses, but can also include retail, cleaning and transport workers.

The NSW Government leaves it to local councils to define what constitutes a key worker, based on their needs.

In 2025, there were 75 key worker housing units in Ryde. The council has a stated ambition to have 1,000 by 2035.

Twin losses

A coalition of Labor and independent councillors moved an amendment to restore the policy to its original definitions, but was voted down five votes to eight by the council’s Liberal majority voting bloc. 

That failed amendment had also wanted the rate of affordable housing provided by developments in Ryde to be increased from five percent to 15.

“All these developers are implementing the minimum, it’s not right,” Councillor Roy Maggio told the Lorikeet. “I’m in the construction industry and I understand how it works. You’ve got to bump it up to 15 percent.” 

Mayor Trenton Brown argued against increasing the percentage, claiming that giving developers an easier run at projects would result in more overall affordable housing units being constructed. 

The affordable housing policy was adopted nine votes to four.

A director of Chatswood’s Cedar Dough bakery and pizzeria has denied she knowingly underpaid a young worker, claiming the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) had taken the matter “out of proportion”.

The business and company director Jalila Assaf face total fines of nearly $220,000, after the ombudsman revealed on Monday it had commenced legal action. 

The FWO said that in a period of around eight weeks in 2025, the pizzeria underpaid a casual employee $1,288. The FWO said this was a combination of unpaid weekend rates, public holiday rates and casual loading.

Facing court are PE Jayz Pty Ltd, which operates Chatswood’s Cedar Dough bakery and pizza bar, and director Assaf.

Court documents claim an investigation into the business’ compliance with the Fair Work Act began following a complaint. A compliance notice was sent to the business — via email and post — on September 17, 2025. 

This notice directed the business to “calculate and pay to the Employee the outstanding amounts owed” by October 16 and send Fair Work proof of that by October 23. 

On October 14, the business sent an email to Fair Work containing “proof of payment of an amount of $100 to the Employee”, according to the FWO, which claimed this “did not remedy the direct effects” detailed in the notice.

The FWO said it gave the business multiple deadline extensions, and that Cedar Dough  failed to meet the final deadline of November 3. It also alleged the business failed to provide payslips to the employee, which is an offence under the Fair Work Act.

For the alleged failure to comply with the Compliance Notice, PE Jayz faces a penalty of up to $99,000 and Assaf faces a penalty of up to $19,800. For the alleged pay slip contravention, PE Jayz faces a penalty of up to $99,000.

Assaf told the Lorikeet the dispute had been taken “out of proportion” by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

When asked whether she had ever underpaid an employee, Assaf said: “No, I have not.” She blamed any mistakes on accounting errors and said she had employed a new accountant who had “fixed everything”.

Acting Fair Work Ombudsman Rachel Volzke said: “Any employees with concerns about their pay or entitlements should contact us for free advice and assistance.”

Thumbnail: Google Maps, Cedar Dough Instagram

Watch the full video below.

Representing Australia’s electric vehicle capital, Bradfield MP Nicolette Boele claims federal Labor’s pivot on electric vehicle (EV) policy will “leave Australians exposed” to “global price shocks”.

What is changing?

Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) is a tax paid by employers on certain benefits provided to their employees. This includes the leasing of a company vehicle.

Since July 2022, company cars that are zero or low emissions (not including luxury vehicles, deemed to be those over $91,387) have been exempted from this tax.

Employees will typically pay for these leases via salary sacrificing (reducing their taxable income). Depending on the car, this can result in thousands of dollars in savings for the employee.

The scheme also has the secondary effect of pushing more electric vehicles onto the second-hand car market. 

“We either reduce our reliance on petrol and diesel, or we stay exposed to global price chaos,” Boele said in a statement. “[This] announcement shows that this government is choosing to leave Australians exposed.

"All signs point to electrifying our transport sector. The Government should be supporting that aim, not making it harder for Australians to benefit from it.”

Dr. Chalmers and his scissors

Labor has previously cast doubt on the scheme’s future, with a review announced in December. In a media release on Tuesday, Jim Chalmers said the tax break would be scaled down.

In April 2027, the scheme will reduce the price limit of an eligible EV to $75,000 or less. This would take some Tesla and BMW models off the table. 

Chalmers argues that since the scheme was established, many electric vehicles in the low-to-mid price range have hit the Australian market. 

The nitty gritty

EVs valued from $75,001 and $91,387 will receive 25 percent off their FBT bill.

In 2029, the tax break will be reduced to 25 percent for all non-luxury electric vehicles.

A 2026 Productivity Commission report found the tax was effective at getting more electric cars on the road, thereby reducing emissions. But it found its high cost — forecast to be $1.35 billion this financial year — meant the government might not be getting bang for its buck.

• In March, second hand car auctioneer Pickles Auctions told the Lorikeet many of the electric vehicles it sold came from company fleets purchased under the FBT scheme.

Boele describes the current global situation as “a fuel crisis with long shadows”.

Focus on fossils

The MP says Chalmers should instead be looking at mining companies receiving breaks for diesel under the Fuel Tax Credit Scheme. 

The federal Climate Change Authority has identified the need for five million EVs on Australian roads by 2035 — around 20 times current levels — to meet climate targets.

Thumbnail: Michael Förtsch via Unsplash

We’ve put together a list of local independent grocers with produce that’s often cheaper than major supermarkets, and regular specials.

Reckon we’ve missed your favourite spot? Send us an email via editor@northshorelorikeet.com.au.

New Yen Yen Supermarket

A small Chatswood supermarket offering cheap Asian greens — bok choy, gai lan, choy sum — along with some hard to find Chinese produce like Er Jing Tiao and Xinjiang chillis. As with most Asian grocers, they will sell you a bunch of coriander for under a dollar.

Where: 2 Endeavour Street, Chatswood

Box Divvy

Box Divvy is a business setting up local food hubs across Australia, acting as a middleman between buyers and farmers. This week, the St Ives hub has eggplant at $1.33/kg, Roma tomatoes at $5.53/kg and Brussels sprouts at $6.63/kg.

Find your nearest hub on the website’s map here.

Willoughby Fresh 

A small family-owned fruit and vegetable market offering weekly specials displayed out front. Currently selling bananas for $3 a bunch, quarter watermelon for $2 and a tray of six lemons for $4.99.

Where: 67 Penshurst Street, Willoughby

Produce markets

Weekly markets across the North Shore are a great way to source fresh, affordable produce while supporting small farmers. Here are the regulars: 

Hornsby Organic Food Market

When: Every Thursday, 8am – 2:30pm

Where: Hornsby Mall

St Ives Organic Food Market

When: Every Saturday, 8am – 1pm

Where: St Ives Showground

Mosman Farmers Market

When: Every Wednesday, 8am – 2pm

Where: Georges Heights Oval

Northside Produce Markets

When: First and third Saturday of every month, 8am – 12pm

Where: 200 Miller Street, North Sydney

Panetta Mercato Macquarie Centre

The go-to for your pecorino, pancetta, arancini and all the other Italian delights Woolies doesn’t stock. Also sells a wide range of fresh fruit and veg. Great selection of canned fish.

Where: Macquarie Centre, Level 3

Turramurra Wholefoods

A small organic grocer offering monthly specials on items like olive oil, butter, stock and juices. Monthly specials published on the store's Instagram. 

Where: 20 Princes Street, Turramurra

Watch the full video below.

[This story was updated on Thursday May 7, 2026.]

The latest chapter in the Castlecrag towers saga started at 10:49am on Thursday, April 30, when the Lorikeet received an email from the Walter Burley Griffin Society (WBGS).

The society — self-appointed gatekeepers for the legacy of the famed planner and architect — was claiming Conquest, the developer behind the two-tower, 11-storey, 150-apartment project, had not suitably taken Griffin’s legacy into account.

As part of the development application for the towers, Conquest stated that “consideration should also be given to the aims and objectives of the Walter Burley Griffin Society”.

The society says this did not occur, and that Conquest based its “consideration” on a DA previously submitted for the same site by another developer. That DA had been approved, but was for a much smaller project that never went ahead.

“The Griffin Society would like to point out that there is NO similarity between the approved mid-rise mixed-use development (height of up to 15 metres with 38 apartments), and Conquest’s proposal for two high rise towers of 49 metres height with 150 apartments,” the WBGS said in its email.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Walter Burley Griffin was a modernist American architect famous for designing the city of Canberra and, later, the suburb of Castlecrag.

Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin were a power couple of 20th century architecture.

In 1918, the Griffins had become fed up with the numerous problems the Canberra project had encountered, and chose to leave the capital to work on a smaller, more personal project without the suffocating oversight of a federal government.

The couple scooped up 650 acres of Middle Harbour land for 25,000 pounds: adjusted for inflation, about $2 million today. This land would end up becoming the suburb of Castlecrag. The Griffins designed 40 houses for the suburb, though only 14 were ever built.

In response to WBGS claims, Conquest told the Lorikeet it had attempted without success to meet with community groups about the large-scale construction. It said one meeting was arranged, only for the WBGS to cancel “at the last minute”.

The WBGS says it did not attend the meeting as it was under the impression only a company PR person would attend.

“It was a tokenistic gesture,” it told the Lorikeet. “Had they sent an architect or a planner along, that would probably constitute a more appropriate consultation.”

Conquest said it made clear the project’s planning director would also be at the meeting, but the WBGS and the Castlecrag Progress Association, which was also keen to meet, dispute this.

The society said it had invited Conquest’s CEO Michael Akkawi in November 2025 to take a free guided tour of the North Shore’s Griffin Heritage Conservation Area. It said this offer was not accepted.

The Lorikeet asked Conquest on May 4 for evidence the community groups had been made aware the planning director would be at the meeting, and also for information on how Griffin’s vision for Castlecrag had been incorporated into the design, but didn’t hear back by publication.

The main aim of the WBGS is to reduce the tower's height — an unlikely scenario — but it has also previously provided advice on the design of windows, colour palettes and roof tiling.

The views of northside MPs Zali Steggall and Nicolette Boele on a 25 percent “gas tax” have been brushed aside by PM Anthony Albanese, who said on Wednesday any such tax was dead in the water.

Was it ever possible, though, or just a pipe dream held by MPs with little power to influence policy?

What happened: Seemingly out of nowhere, Australians recently began mulling over the idea of a tax of 25 percent on all revenue from exported gas.

Who kicked off the gas chat?

The Australian Council of Trade Unions raised the idea of a 25 percent gas tax last August.  Much of the current advocacy for the policy, however, comes from the Australia Institute, a progressive public policy think tank in Canberra. 

How would it work? 

The gas in question is extracted from offshore projects, the majority of which sit off the coasts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. 

Currently, Australia taxes oil and gas via the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT), introduced in 1988 under PM Bob Hawke. 

It is meant to tax 40 percent of all profits from gas extraction, but there is a widespread belief that tax law in Australia means this profit is low or non-existent in the early years of a new project.

Due to the vast costs associated with setting up gas projects, and the fact companies are legally entitled to write off expenses over a period of time, it can mean companies make smaller — or no — profits while the capital expenditure is clawed back. And that means not much PRRT gravy for Australia.

The current tax system used was designed in the 1980s with onshore oil projects in mind: typically much smaller and cheaper than today, even after inflation is factored in. 

Gas companies also pay a company tax rate of 30 percent on profits, as do all businesses in Australia with a turnover above $50 million (the rate under this threshold is 25 percent).

Those against a gas tax say that by writing off costs associated with the business, major energy companies are only doing what every other company and individual does.

Those in favour of a gas tax claim Australian taxpayers are subsidising major energy companies as they establish offshore gas operations in the years before profits are turned. They also say the natural resources industry should be taxed more heavily than general business.

In the 2023-24 financial year, the petroleum industry paid $1.4 billion PRRT on $69 billion worth of exports.

The Australia Institute claims that replacing an export tax based on profit with one based on revenue would lead to more gas staying in Australia, which would lower prices.

Alison Reeve, Energy Director at the Grattan Institute, said criticism of PRRT was well founded. 

“The way that tax is designed, [it] does not collect very much money,” she said. 

A no from Albo: In a speech given to key mining industry figures on Wednesday, Prime Minister Albanese gave a clear answer on any proposed tax.

“I can confirm that the budget will not undermine existing contracts on gas exports,” he said. In his reasoning, he argued gas exports are “directly linked to our national fuel security” and that “the middle of a global fuel crisis is the worst possible time to jeopardise these partnerships, or the investment that underpins them”. 

Warringah MP Zali Steggall criticised the decision, telling the Lorikeet that “by ruling out a 25 percent gas export tax, the Albanese government is prioritising multinational profits over everyday Australians and small businesses struggling with the cost of living”.

She said the government was ignoring "legitimate concerns shared by economists, policy experts and politicians across the spectrum - including within Labor”.

Albanese’s hint of fractured business and political relationships plays into what some see as fearmongering from those against taxing gas corporations more heavily. In this scenario, the tax burden becomes too great and the companies walk (or row) away.

Reeve said this was unlikely, given the size of the investments such companies had made in infrastructure for Australian projects. 

“They can stay with their investment here and pay the tax, or they can sell their investment to someone who's happy to buy it and still pay the tax,” she said.

“You are not going to get a situation where someone shuts down that facility and stops producing … that wouldn't be doing the right thing by your shareholders.”

This piece has been updated to include additional comment from Zali Steggall.

Thumbnail: Dan Himbrechts via AAP, Gabriel Xavier via Unsplash

Breadworks Cafe

The lamb and pepper pie currently ranks as our favourite pie on the North Shore. The cafe also sells freshly baked cakes, scrolls and friands. Just across the road from Blues Point Hotel.

Where: 118 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point

Hours: 6:30am – 3pm

Flour Shop

Flour Shop, a small Turramurra bakery, opens Friday to Sunday and publishes a new hand-written menu weekly via Instagram. Baked staples — croissants, sourdough, scrolls — remain constant.

Where: 16 Princes Street, Turramurra

Hours: Friday – Sunday, 6:30am – 3pm

Instagram post

Cornucopia Bakery

Based in Naremburn and Castle Cove, Cornucopia sells cheesy bourekas, a variety of sweet pastries and quality meat pies. Our recommendation is the Moroccan lamb pie.

Where: 298 Willoughby Road, Naremburn; 16 Deepwater Road, Castle Cove

Hours: 6 am – 2:30 pm

Maggio’s Cammeray

With biscotti, croissants, cakes and more, Maggios — operating in Cammeray and Ryde — is an institution. Our recommendation is the sfogliatella.

Where: 457 Miller Street, Cammeray, 144 Coxs Road, North Ryde

Hours: 6:30am – 3pm

Slowbreads Roseville

Another high achiever in our search for the North Shore’s best pie, Slowbreads is a family-owned bakery on the Pacific Highway in Roseville. Sour cherry, rhubarb and blueberry danishes; fruit loafs; meat pies and freshly baked baguettes.

Where: 100 Pacific Highway, Roseville

Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 7:30am – 3pm; Sundays 7:30am – 12:30pm

Instagram post

Top of the Ridge Pie & Cakes

A good old fashioned screen-door bakery across the road from Berowra train station, it sells the likes of meat pies, vanilla slices, strawberry tarts and fresh sourdough. 

Where: 1005 Pacific Highway, Berowra 

Hours: 5 am – 5 pm, closed on Sundays

Biga Artisan Bakery

A small Lindfield bakery treasured by locals for its pies, pastries and paninos. 

Where: 9 Hughes Place, East Lindfield 

Hours: 7am – 4:30pm on weekdays, 7am – 3pm on weekends, closed Mondays.

Image: Better Business Partnership

Thumbnail: Beth Macdonald via Unsplash

Less than a year out from the 2027 season kick-off, how are the Perth Bears sizing up?

Key signings include Melbourne Storm’s Tyran Wishart, the son of successful league player Rod Wishart, who will likely play hooker or five-eighth, and goal kicker Nick Meaney, who has signed for three years.

In total, the Bears have announced the signing of 16 players, including Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks second rowers Siosifa Talakai, who played for NSW in the 2022 State of Origin and Scott Sorensen, who has won four grand finals with the Penrith Panthers.

The lineup also includes three Super League UK players: Hull F.C. centre Harry Newman and Leeds Rhinos’ Mikołaj Olędzki (prop) and James McDonnell (second row).

Former Canberra Raiders coach Mal Meninga was announced as the Bears’ inaugural coach in June last year. Last month he set a goal of taking home a premiership in the team's first year. “You’ve got to have ambition,” he said.

What next: The Perth Bears will need to lock down their roster of up to 30 players before pre-season training starts in November.

Meninga has said the Bears are in talks with “a few Rabbitohs players” but that the team was being patient about new signings.

“We want to have money still in our [salary] cap to make sure if a big fish, or a couple of big fish, come on the market, we’re ready to go,” he said. 

Details about becoming a Perth Bears member will be released “in a matter of weeks”, according to CEO Anthony De Ceglie. 

Any crumbs for North Sydney Bears fans?: While the Perth Bears have previously committed to playing one game a year at North Sydney Oval, some key figures have different ideas.

“North Sydney Oval is too small,” former Bears star Billy Moore said on the Perth Bears podcast. “We’ve got to take that [one Sydney home] game every year to the Sydney Football Stadium.”

A tough sell: Perth is competing for available talent with the Papua New Guinea Chiefs, a new franchise that will launch for the 2028 NRL season. 

Wests Tigers captain Jarome Luai has been lured to the Chiefs, in part due to the fact the club can offer players tax-free salaries. Perth cannot match that, but may argue the lifestyle has more to offer.

Travel — flights of up to five hours — will be a key challenge for any players joining either club. 

This is not the first time a rugby league franchise has set up on the West Coast.

In the mid-1990s, the Western Reds played two seasons in the ARL (now the NRL) and one in the breakaway Super League competition, before becoming a casualty of the truce between the warring sides.

Building a loyal and patient fanbase is a top priority for the club, which is setting up shop in an AFL state.

Meninga reckons it will be at least five years before local talent may be brought on to the team. He has announced plans to open an academy in Perth in hopes of laying the foundation for future players. 

On the North Shore, the Bears have strong local support. A foundation club, the Bears were formed in 1908 and won premierships in 1921 and 1922. 

A casualty of the Super League war — a commercial rivalry resulting in a reduction of league teams in 1999 — the Bears merged with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to become the Northern Eagles in 2000. 

The team collapsed and reverted to the Sea Eagles in 2002, leaving the Bears without a cave.