Penny Sharpe
A national park would be good for koalas. What about the humans?
In the stretch of coast and hinterland from Kempsey to Grafton, the fates of thousands of people hinge for better or worse on the NSW government’s imminent decision about the Great Koala National Park.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Latest
Despite ‘smell issues’, NSW plans to mandate household food scraps collection
Australia is unlikely to meet national goals like halving the amount of organic waste going to landfill by 2030. But efforts are stepping up.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Exclusive
Forestry
The government promised a koala national park. Then the loggers moved in
Forests on the North Coast are earmarked for a national park to protect “the best patch of koala habitat in the world”, but the area is still being logged in epic proportions.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
How you can apply for a subsidised home battery from tomorrow
NSW households can claim up to $2600 towards the cost of installing a battery to store solar energy and as much as $400 to connect to a virtual power plant.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
It has been called NSW’s ‘friendliest city’. The mayor says that might be about to change
Broken Hill has endured 10 days of rolling power outages after a storm cut the outback city off from the electricity network.
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
Farming
‘Lost more than half our forest’: Why NSW is a global hotspot for deforestation
NSW landowners cleared land equivalent to almost twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory over the five years to 2023.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Exclusive
Plastic
How the NSW plastic strategy could change your daily takeaway coffee
Forcing cafes to accept reusable cups, banning the release of helium balloons and phasing out plastic lollipop sticks are among ideas the government is considering.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
The path to parliament runs through councils. Here’s why the Liberal blunder matters
The local government nomination debacle has possibly derailed what could have been the next generation of NSW parliamentarians for at least four years.
- by Kayla Olaya
Exclusive
Energy
Revealed: Sharpe signed off on rewrite that helped keep Eraring power station open
Just months before it announced the deal to extend the life of Eraring, the NSW government asked the electricity grid operator to undertake more conservative modelling.
- by Max Maddison
Exclusive
Royal National Park
Royal National Park a haven for native species, environmental stocktake shows
The biggest ecological survey to date for Australia’s oldest national park and adjoining areas found previously unseen mammal species.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Pollie’s submarine joke sinks at Qantas’ Parisian soiree
Labor minister Patrick Gorman’s zinger about French submarines had Australian diplomats in Paris holding their breath.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and David Estcourt
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/penelope-gail-sharpe-6fyb