A major North Shore data centre company has canned its billion dollar Lane Cove project, less than a week after its executives copped sharp criticism for the proposal at a public hearing.

What happened: In April, data centre developer Goodman Group put forward plans for its newest North Shore data centre — dubbed “Project Mars” — sitting at 12 Mars Road on the border of the Lane Cove West industrial park.

The proposal received major community pushback, most recently at a federal public hearing hosted in Lane Cove, where locals claimed they had been shut out of the planning process.

Appearing at the hearing, Senator Sarah Henderson repeatedly demanded Goodman shelve the project due to its proximity to residential development.

Less than a week after that hearing, Goodman Group announced it would be withdrawing the project on Monday.

In an email to the NSW Department of Planning, Goodman Group chalked the decision up to shifts in the “policy and regulatory environment for large-scale data centre development” as well as feedback received from the local community.

Read the full story below.

A 16 year old girl fell from a moving B-Line bus into peak-hour traffic on Monday evening, prompting questions from the NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union regarding the safety of Sydney buses.

What happened: Around 5:45pm on Monday evening, a 16 year-old girl fell through the back door of a B-line bus just north of the Spit Bridge. The bus halted and passengers exited to assist the girl.

Paramedics arrived at the scene and the girl was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital, where she is reported to be in a stable condition.

The NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RBTU) claim the bus was moving around 50 kilometres an hour when the girl fell.

How did it happen: It is not known exactly how the incident occurred. A media release from the RBTU claims the back door “reportedly failed”, and has called on the bus route operator, Keolis, to “urgently explain” the incident.

Northern Beaches and North Shore bus services are run by Keolis (formerly Keolis Downer), a French private transport company.

When asked by the Lorikeet how this incident occurred, a spokesperson for the company said “Keolis Northern Beaches are working with authorities and there will be a full investigation into this incident”.

The bus union’s branch secretary, Peter Grech called on Keolis to answer “whether the critical safety issue has been raised previously”.

Keolis did not respond to the allegations from the union.

Full story below.

Would a reasonable person make a dash across a busy Ourimbah Road? This is the question lawyers, developers and Land and Environment Court clerks spent days poring over, and one which has seen a $44 million dollar project in Mosman denied approval.

What happened: Property developer Metis Group’s proposal to build a six-storey apartment complex in Mosman has been rejected in the Land and Environment Court, after the court ruled its placement within a rezoned “Low and Mid-rise Housing” area was based on an unrealistic walking route.

Metis argued a walk from their Awaba Street apartment complex to the shops at Spit Junction would come in at just under 400 metres, and thus make them eligible for a boost to height under New South Wales low and mid-rise housing policy.

How does it work: Low and mid-rise housing policy in New South Wales allows a boost to housing height around town centres. In the inner area (within 400m walking distance of a centre) developments can go up to six-storeys, and in the outer area (within 800m) the limit is four. 

While the Awaba Street development easily falls within a 400 metre radius of Spit Junction (the town centre, in this case) the crucial part of the legislation is the words “walking distance”. 

Pathfinding: After being rejected by Mosman Council last October, the developer made an appeal in the Land and Environment Court. 

The case before the court focused on defining what exactly “walking distance” meant. In planning documents, the developer put forward a 378 metre route between the apartment complex and the town centre. 

Mosman Council disputed this: they argued the average resident doesn’t just factor in speed when walking, but also safety. In council’s eyes, a reasonable walking route would not cross at an unsignalised section of Ourimbah Road, but use the pedestrian crossing down at Cowles Road. 

Developer route (left), council route (right)

While a minor inconvenience for a pedestrian, this small difference formed the basis of Commissioner Nicola Targett’s decision to reject the appeal, denying Metis Group’s development proposal. 

What now: That may not be the end for the development, however. Prior to the judgement, Metis Group had already begun the process of lodging the development through a separate planning pathway, as a State Significant Development. 

When asked, Metis Group would not comment on the SSD, and said it was “assessing its options”. 

In a statement, a spokesperson said the company was disappointed by the decision, and that it desired more certainty around how state housing policies are applied.

“We want to work with the NSW Government to get more certainty into the legislative test, because as it stands, many other well-located properties across NSW will now face the same ambiguity”.

Read the full story here, or watch our video explainer below.

At News Corp's gas industry-sponsored Energy Nation Forum in Sydney last week, Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan unveiled the Coalition's new energy policy.

Tehan's plan includes the removal of restrictions on nuclear energy.

🤠 That same day: Queensland Premier David Crisafulli was asked whether he'd support lifting the current ban on nuclear energy, which would include lifting national and state restrictions.

He said building a nuclear reactor of any size would require several political terms. The CSIRO estimates it would take at least 15 years for nuclear power to come online in Australia.

🗣️ "Until you get both sides of federal parliament to agree, no one's going to invest in it," Crisafulli said.

⚡ Stable investment: Labor has shown no sign of dropping its opposition to nuclear power. Asked about Crisafulli's comments later at the forum, Tehan said:

🗣️ "National leadership is what's required, and can I tell you, from a Coalition point of view, we want to lead that national debate because my view is, if we lead that national debate, then the states and territories will follow."

🔋 The current path: Renewable energy, including rooftop solar and wind turbines, made up 46 percent of total generation in the National Electricity Market over the last financial year, according to the market operator's own annual report. It exceeded 50 percent in the October to December 2025 quarter.

The CSIRO's GenCost modelling has repeatedly found solar, wind and batteries remain the cheapest form of new electricity generation available in Australia.

⚠️ Beating a dead horse? The Coalition took a nuclear energy policy to the 2025 federal election under then-leader Peter Dutton, who lost the election and became the first federal Opposition leader to lose his own seat.

Watch the National Account's Archie Milligan below: