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The tiny forest at Teralba Public School, Lake Macquarie, on planting  in May 2024 (right) and November 2025 (left).

How forests the size of tennis courts transform Australian cities

You’ve heard of tiny homes, but what about tiny forests? It’s a growing movement in Australia, based on Japanese ideas.

  • Caitlin Fitzsimmons

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City of Ryde deputy CEO Michael Galderisi, CEO Wayne Rylands, and governance boss Graham Humphreys.

Sydney council boss and senior staff placed on leave after secret four-hour meeting

The decision was made after councillors were called to a closed-door meeting with just a few hours’ notice.

  • Anthony Segaert and Cindy Yin
Andrew Constance and Peter Dutton in the seat of Gilmore

Council to be stripped of hiring decisions after Constance appointment

The decision to appoint former NSW minister Andrew Constance as the new chief executive of a South Coast council was described “as jobs for Liberal mates”.

  • Alexandra Smith
Laura Jackel.

Looters are raiding Laura’s crumbling home. She’s powerless to stop them

Victims of a shock landslip will probably never return to their homes, but a dispute between council and the state government has left them in limbo.

  • Jessica McSweeney
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Three in four major council projects delivered late or over budget

And the cost of entry to the very late and over-budget North Sydney pool has been revealed.

  • Cindy Yin
Australians think their local councils do better than state or federal governments - but also think they should be the first to go.

Australians love their councils – but still want to get rid of them

We rely on them for roads and rubbish collection – and a new poll shows people think councils are our best level of government.

  • Shane Wright
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Sydney Town Hall.

The major changes coming to NSW local council meetings in 2026

Ratepayers at 128 NSW councils will be barred from speaking at meetings, and if they want to be heard must have their say one week earlier, among other changes.

  • Cindy Yin
Sydney has earned the title of the world’s most tolled city.

What’s up, what’s down: The price changes and new laws coming to NSW in 2026

An extension of the $60 toll cap is the main source of relief at the state level, but there are also new rules over gas, as well as behavioural standards for councillors.

  • Aidan Elwig Pollock
Index image for How much each local council chief executive in Sydney is paid.

The nine Sydney councils where the CEOs are paid more than $500,000

More than four in five chief executives take home more than NSW Premier Chris Minns. Find out how much your area’s top boss is paid.

  • Cindy Yin
Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh at Bondi Beach.

‘This is part of our history now’: How Bondi plans to rebuild after horror

A Sydney council will consider how to memorialise the massacre at Australia’s most famous beach, as the community grapples with the loss of “15 beautiful souls”.

  • Megan Gorrey