🔵 Does Mark Speakman listen to Green Day?

HEARD THIS WEEK👂

🧸 Future uncertain for iconic Crows Nest childcare centre Kelly’s Place

As Crows Nest expands, one of its oldest community childcare centres, Kelly’s Place, is at risk of being pushed out.

Kelly’s Place has operated along Hume Street since 1988, hard to miss with its signature red and yellow signage. 

As North Sydney Council looks to introduce more open space to the Crows Nest and St Leonards area, the area the centre occupies – on a council subsidised lease – has been marked for an expanded park.

According to those on the daycare committee, the survival of the childcare centre has always been assured. 

But the allure of state government funding, reserved for TOD precincts such as Crows Nest, is pushing council to move quickly. 

Read more below.

♻️ What do your local representatives think of Labor’s environmental law overhaul?

The Labor Party’s “once-in-a-generation” environmental reforms have passed through the House of Representatives with ease. But on Sydney’s North Shore, where crossbench MPs now outnumber the major parties, the package has been met with far sharper criticism. 

What happened: Crossbenchers like Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall say Labor’s Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 has too many loopholes to be effective. 

Even more so, crossbenchers took issue with the lack of restrictions on carbon-emitting projects in the laws. 

What does this mean? These environmental laws set the guidelines for how projects that will impact our natural environment — like gas extraction or solar farms — are assessed: ultimately, whether the government says yes or no to them.

• The proposed laws mean things like endangered species, heritage areas, and significant waterways must be considered in these decisions. 

• However, they do not require consideration of the emissions produced by approved projects that harm the environment.

For Bennelong’s “climate champion” Jerome Laxale, the only Labor member on the North Shore, it has made for difficult terrain to navigate. 

Read the full story below.

🥐 The hunt for the North Shore’s best cinnamon scroll

Apologies for the croissant, they didn’t have a scroll emoji. 😢 

We asked our followers where to find the best cinnamon scroll on the North Shore and tried four places. For us, the ideal scroll is soft and doughy, easy to tear apart, with a good cinnamon swirl and lightly sweet cream cheese icing.

Watch below to see Mel eat a bunch of cinnamon scrolls and give her thoughts.

LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀 

⚡️ “Fool’s journey”: Liberal Senator slams his own party for ditching Net Zero

Liberal Senator Andrew McLachlan has described his federal colleagues as “outliers” who “don’t aspire to a better world”, in an interview with the National Account.

The rogue senator, who represents South Australia, said the Liberal Party’s decision to ditch a Net Zero by 2050 goal had left “the investment community … reeling in horror” and signified to voters that “you’re not going to aspire to a better world”.

“You're basically saying, ‘Well, we're just going to keep on polluting’. And I don't accept that,” McLachlan said.

He said dumping a firm target to reduce pollution was a “fool’s journey”.

Read the full story below.