Mosman’s only skate park is simply too radical, the local council argues, as they prepare to spend half a million dollars to make the park more accessible to younger and beginner skaters. 

What happened: A council report claims that, since being constructed in 2005, the skate park isn’t getting enough use because it is too difficult for casual skaters.

What they said: At their August meeting, councillors chalked this up to the depth of the bowl. 

After some chuckles in the chamber, councillor Friedrich clarified this was from watching her grandchildren use the park, and that she does not regularly shred at Balmoral.

What will it look like: While no plans have been released as to what the renovated park will look like, Council’s Open Space Manager Steven Smith told the Lorikeet that Engadine skate park, which was redeveloped in 2024, sets a good example. 

“It's nothing too high or hard, enough to have a good roll around for a beginner, up to someone who knows what they're doing”. 

Read the full story here.

In June, Mosman Council released its plan to establish 4,700 new homes at the state government’s behest. If you looked closely at the imagery provided for this plan — which would fundamentally alter the face of Mosman village — a few small details stood out as strange. 

A make of Toyota ute that doesn’t seem to exist. Indecipherable language printed on road signs. Pedestrians with one too many limbs. All the tell-tale marks of generative AI imagery.

From correcting grammar in emails to generating planning imagery, AI is being used by  local governments. But how should that use be policed and regulated? North Shore councils are currently grappling with this question.

AI: The AI revolution has been swift and forced. Most North Shore councils are playing catch up. Only North Sydney and Hunters Hill have a formal policy in place guiding the use of AI. Others are in the process of drafting or receiving feedback on their policies. 

All say that AI is used to some degree by council staff.

The approach of each council ranges from “cautious and responsible” to “proactive and considered”. 

Professor Kimberlee Weatherall, co-director of the Centre for AI Trust and Governance at the University of Sydney, recently conducted a study of how local and state government entities use automated decision making and AI. 

She told the Lorikeet it was likely that even if a council didn’t have a formal policy, AI was still being used by staff “in a shadow sense”.

“[They] use it on personal devices. They'll use it in unapproved ways”.

North Sydney’s policy requires the use of a private, secure AI platform and for clear records and disclosure of AI use. 

Staff are also required to undertake training in “AI capabilities, limitations, ethical considerations, and privacy obligations”.

What is it used for? North Shore councils told the Lorikeet their use of AI was limited to grammatical corrections and formatting of text. Ku-ring-gai said it was used for research purposes, while Willoughby used it for “preparing summaries, analysing information” and “supporting customer service processes”.

When asked about the use of AI generated imagery, Mosman Council said it was produced by “planning professionals” and was “designed to assist the community in understanding what such a built form may look like under the masterplan”. 

Asked about the specific example of Mosman's masterplan, Weatherall said that use of generative AI in this context could be useful, but emphasised the importance of transparency. 

While the Mosman Masterplan described images as an artist’s impression, it didn’t say whether AI was used in their creation.

Cost-cutting: The ability to cut costs by outsourcing work to AI may be attractive to many councils, particularly those facing dire economic circumstances. 

Weatherall said this may result in rate revenue being paid to big tech rather than local workers. 

Read the full story here.

To mark one hundred years since the opening of these two lower North Shore reserves, North Sydney Council is currently running an exhibition exploring their history. It runs at Stanton Library until September.

Watch the full video below.

Less than a week after it reopened, North Sydney Olympic Pool was forced to close on Friday due to an on-site power issue. 

What happened: Pool-goers were surprised to find the gates of North Sydney pool shut once again on Friday morning, with a “temporary closure” signpost out front. The closure was due to a power issue identified the previous evening. 

According to a spokesperson for North Sydney Council, contractors and technical specialists had been working throughout the night to resolve the issue. Despite this, the pool remained closed through Friday, but reopened on Saturday morning. 

While perhaps a negative omen for the newly reopened pool, temporary closures are not out of the ordinary for public pools, and can occur for repair works, management of chlorine levels or a “code brown” incident. 

Full story below.

As more Australians start driving electric vehicles — July saw another record month for sales — kerbside chargers for EVs are becoming a more common sight across the North Shore. But how do they get there? How fast are they? Whose job is it to maintain the infrastructure? And does the council get a cut? 

What happened: The municipality of North Sydney is set to receive 27 new EV chargers at 15 locations across Cammeray, Crows Nest and Neutral Bay.

The proposed chargers have a 22W current, meaning they’re not designed for rapid charging but for residents who have more time to plug in and top up.

How many chargers are installed and where they go is decided by the company building the chargers, though they must seek council permission.

EVX operates charging stations across NSW and Victoria and is behind the new stations in the North Sydney LGA. It determines the best spots for chargers and covers the cost of installation, operation and maintenance.

The company would pay council an annual permit fee of $475 per EV charging space. As all chargers require two spaces, the 27 new chargers would net council about $26,000 a year. 

Who for: EVX CEO Andrew Forster said charger demand in North Sydney was mostly due to people living in terrace homes or apartments who can’t install chargers, but that some workers would also take advantage. 

“We’ve got a few years of really good data now that show in these particular parts of areas adjacent to high density areas … we’re seeing a lot more demand than anticipated,” Forster said. 

Prices at public EV charging stations are typically higher than at-home charging, due to fees paid to internet providers, the local council and the operator’s cut. 

Where do they go: EVX initially proposed 39 locations, 12 of which council rejected. The remaining 27 will now go out for public consultation. 

See the full list of locations here.

$20.6 billion in federal funding goes to independent and Catholic schools, on top of the fees parents already pay.

The private school funding formula assumes wealthy parents will contribute, so hitting the target means getting government money on top of fees, not instead.

Why do we let this happen?

The National Account's Archie Milligan has the rundown: