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Articles by Declan Bowring
Outer Western Sydney residents face higher car costs due to public transport scarcity
When Caitlin Webster had her baby earlier this year, she could not leave the house for six weeks. She lives in the car-dependent outer south-western Sydney suburb of Wilton, which is only serviced by one bus route that does not go near her house. Following her caesarean section, she was not able to drive for weeks, leaving her housebound. "I was going a bit crazy," Ms Webster said. The Outer Western Sydney Alliance wants more investment in rapid bus routes.
Transport for NSW's proposed southbound AM peak bus lane draws ire of Sydney's Lord Mayor
A proposal for a southbound bus lane in inner Sydney has drawn criticism from the lord mayor and public transport advocates. Transport for NSW is proposing to convert a southbound lane on Botany Road between Raglan Street and Bourke Street in Waterloo into a bus lane during the 6am–10am peak. The $22 million plan would see the southbound lanes widened at the intersection of Botany Road and McEvoy streets. The middle lane would become a compulsory right-turn lane.
Broadcaster Sarah Macdonald returns to 702 ABC Sydney to present Afternoons show
Broadcaster Sarah Macdonald will return to 702 ABC Sydney in 2027 to take over presenting the Afternoons show. Macdonald presented the station's Mornings show between 2023 and 2024 and now will return to helm the show previously hosted by her former colleague and dear friend, the late James Valentine. She will begin presenting the show from March next year.
Labor councillor becomes Parramatta City Council's youngest lord mayor after Liberal quits party
Parramatta City Council has elected its youngest-ever lord mayor the same day a Liberal councillor quit her party because it was becoming more anti-multiculturalism. Labor councillor Cameron Maclean was elected to the position last night, with the deciding vote cast by Councillor Tanya Raffoul who announced her departure from her party on Monday morning. The 28-year-old newly elected lord mayor told 702 ABC Sydney there was no deal made with Cr Raffoul.
Endangered bogong moths swarming into homes across NSW
Reina Hill is playing the reluctant host to some unexpected visitors in her Batemans Bay home. Since Friday, her house has been swarmed by bogong moths. "I walked out my door and was hit in the face by thousands of them," she said. "I swear there was millions of them layered on various areas under my deck, under my eaves and all around the windows." Bogong moths covering on a house at Malua Bay.
Dolphins spotted west of Sydney Harbour Bridge in sign of improving water health
Early-morning kayakers have been treated to the rare sight of a pod of dolphins frolicking in Sydney Harbour west of the bridge. The pod of around 10 dolphins were seen in waters off Birchgrove by a kayak tour early this morning. "I've never encountered a dolphin that side of the bridge," Tim Griffiths, who runs Cockatoo Kayak Tours, said. "That is a very unusual to have a pod that far up the harbour." He said the pod was swimming up the Parramatta River towards Cockatoo Island when he spotted it.
Dolphins spotted west of Sydney Harbour Bridge in sign of improving water health
5 hours ago Ask someone to list the top five most intelligent animals on Earth, and chances are dolphins will almost always make the cut. However, our modern appreciation of the intelligence of these marine mammals wasn't always the case. Until the 1950s, many people considered dolphins to be a pest and …
Sydney Water workers take industrial action over bungled payroll system rollout
Sydney Water is facing stop-works from more than half its employees after multiple unions moved to take industrial action over a bungled new payroll system rollout that has left hundreds of workers owed thousands. Unions say the new Dayforce system that was rolled out in July has consistently paid workers late or failed to pay penalties and overtime, leading to financial distress among members.
Council pushes on with $24.4 million Norman Griffiths Oval synthetic field
Ku-ring-gai Council has voted to progress with an estimated $24.4 million development of a synthetic turf field at Norman Griffiths Oval in Sydney's north. A council meeting was briefly disrupted by protesters upset by the cancellation of community consultation about choosing synthetic or natural turf for the field. Construction is expected to take place from March next year until February 2028. Tell us about your experience.
Schools trial AI leak detection technology to save water
The NSW government is trialling artificial intelligence to catch the millions of litres of water lost by leaks in schools, TAFEs, hospitals and public housing. The technology analyses reports from smart meters to identify leaks before sending alerts to agencies. Jethro Laidlaw, who manages the water efficiency programs for the government, said this could save 2,700 megalitres of water every year. "The average school in NSW uses about 2 megalitres, or 2 million litres, a year," he said.
Extraordinary Islamic items from Sydney suburbs at Powerhouse Parramatta opening
Tell us about your experience. Tarik Hussein thinks there were only 10 kanuns in Australia when he began playing in 2006. The Sydney musician and engineer says he grew up playing the piano and guitar, and discovered the kanun when he was 17 years old. The kanun is a precursor to the piano, played by plucking 78 strings with the fingers while it lays across the player's lap. The kanun is a centuries-old instrument from the Middle East.
Extraordinary Islamic items from Sydney suburbs at Powerhouse Parramatta opening
Mother fatally stabs her 5-year-old, wounds 2 other children in ‘sickening’ scene: cops An eyewitness has described the moment she saw a horror crime scene in which three children and a woman were all stabbed in the Blue Mountains of …
Norman Griffiths Oval blows out to $24m five years after redevelopment began
Redeveloping a football field in Sydney's north will cost Ku-ring-gai Council at least $24 million, according to a new report from NSW Public Works. The project has been going on for five years and has been subject to several cost blowouts since originally being estimated at $3.3 million. An independent consultant will run a representative survey to assess the community's preference for either natural turf or a synthetic surface. Tell us about your experience.
Sydney Town Hall Square project grinds to halt ahead of planning commission review
Tell us about your experience. NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully has hit the brakes on the City of Sydney's $150 million Town Hall Square project, forcing the project to be examined by the Independent Planning Commission. Mr Scully issued a direction to the council on Thursday, preventing it from determining development applications or demolition orders in relation to the project.
NSW Police faces criticism over LGBTQIA+ nightclub raid
A Sydney NSW MP is referring weekend drug raids on the city's LGBTQIA+ nightlife district to the police watchdog, saying the incident left the community feeling targeted and intimidated. Video taken by James Twigg, who was in one club raided by police, shows more than a dozen officers and a drug detection dog entering an Oxford Street venue on Saturday night. Mr Twigg told 702 ABC Sydney the officers went through the whole venue, prompting many club-goers to leave out of discomfort.
Program: Live music: frantic tour breaks record
Sydney-based band Fathom has broken a world record, by performing nine gigs in 12 hours. The duo only just made it, finishing with seconds to spare in Canberra. They say they were fundraising for Beyond Blue, and trying to support other bands trying to make a living in the live music scene.
Sydney band Fathom attempts world record for most gigs in 12 hours
A Sydney band has pulled off a herculean effort to play nine shows in 12 hours across the state and Canberra in an attempt to break a Guinness World Record. Dream pop duo Fathom had to play more than eight 15-minute shows at venues at least 50 kilometres apart in areas with populations of more than 15,000, and half of them having populations of 100,000.
Sydney band Fathom attempts world record for most gigs in 12 hours
2:35 2 hours ago South Africa Springboks claim victory in historic Baltimore rugby match WBAL • 2h Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium hosted a historic rugby match Saturday night, as the South Africa Springboks faced off against the New Zealand All Blacks in the final test of the series, drawing a crowd of roughly 60,000 fans from across the globe. "I'm so proud to be South Africa!" one fan said.
The Southern Hemisphere's biggest necropolis is bursting at the seams
Robyn Hawes was trying to save the memory of thousands of graves at Sydney's Rookwood Cemetery when she stumbled unknowingly on the names of her own relatives. In 1981, Ms Hawes, with the Society of Australian Genealogists, moved to transcribe 750,000 graves at Rookwood after a road project had removed a swathe of headstones, resulting in four sections being effectively lost to history.
When Maggie lost her son to suicide, she vowed to not let another mother be in her position
Warning: This article contains discussions of suicide. Sydney mother Maggie Pearce says her son Ben was loud, had a lot of friends and was dedicated to his job as a shopfitter. "He was just a beautiful soul," Ms Pearce said. She says her 21-year-old son, who took his own life in 2018, had struggled with drinking.
Opal readers on Sydney Ferries to be switched off for four weeks, union says amid industrial action
Opal card readers on Sydney ferries will be turned off for almost four weeks, the maritime workers union says as they step up industrial action against the private operator Transdev. Sydney Ferries workers have been stuck in enterprise bargaining negotiations with the operator, as the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) pushes for a 5 per cent wage increase and an annual increase to offset inflation.
Sydney inner-west residents call for high-density rethink to protect endangered parrot
Inner-west Sydney residents and NSW opposition MPs are calling for the high-density rezoning of residential land neighbouring endangered bird habitat to be scrapped. A block of low-density housing in Concord next to Queen Elizabeth Park will be rezoned to become as high as eight to 12 storey apartments under a proposal for the area near the Burwood North Sydney Metro Station.
Hawkesbury's Helping Hands marks 15 years serving Sydney's most disaster-prone region
Single mother Linda Strickland was at home in Sydney's north-west with her eight-year-old daughter one night when she heard someone getting into the bins in her backyard. Her daughter Cassidy asked why someone was desperate enough to go through their bins to find food. "How do I explain to her that we allow, we can let people be that hungry?" Ms Strickland said. "I had blinkers on.
Kangaroo mob faces cull as Western Sydney University proposes development of Werrington campus
A mob of over 100 kangaroos in Western Sydney will be culled if a major university gets approval to turn its campus into a mixed-use residential community, local activists are warning. The eastern grey kangaroos live on the sprawling green space on Western Sydney University's (WSU) Werrington campus, which straddles either side of the Great Western Highway and is surrounded by residential suburbs and a juvenile detention centre.
Historian finds Coogee Beach's concrete cylinders held up shark towers
A local Sydney historian has uncovered the mystery origin of a set of concrete supports that emerged from the sand at a popular beach following storms four years ago. In July 2022, a dozen concrete pylons were removed from Coogee beach in the city's east after becoming exposed by rough surf conditions. The supports used to make regular appearances following large tidal events and were believed to have held up a pier that stood on the beach 100 years ago.
Irankunda says Hanson's monoculture comments upset Socceroos during World Cup
Socceroos star winger Nestory Irankunda says One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's comments on multiculturalism upset many of the players during the recent World Cup. The Australian team was competing at the tournament in North America in June when Ms Hanson made a speech at the National Press Club saying Australia should end its policy of multiculturalism in favour of a monoculture. "It really did upset me and it upset a lot of the other boys to see things and hear things like that," Irankunda said.
Think tank calls for rapid bus routes to link Sydney's north-south disconnection
Sydney should aggressively expand its rapid bus network to link up missing north-south connections especially in the city's west, according to a new push by the Committee for Sydney think tank. The plan would see ten new corridors established along existing roads, granting rapid buses exclusive lanes, priority traffic signals and stops at least one kilometre apart.
Melbourne teenager wins World Youth Scrabble Championship for Australia
Dineth Fernando has only been in Australia for just over a year and has already brought home a world youth title for his country. The 14-year-old took out the World Youth Scrabble Championship in Nairobi this week, beating out 140 competitors from across the world. Dineth, who originally hails from Sri Lanka, credits the win to a steady diet of practising 200 words a day from the board game's official dictionary. "All the hard work paid off," Dineth said.
Community groups' disaster recovery work undervalued, Western Sydney University report finds
Community disaster response organisations are facing burnout and need greater recognition from government for the work they do building communities' resilience, according to a new report. The research found local organisations filled gaps in the state's disaster risk reduction efforts, often without adequate government support or recognition as peers. Some of these groups include local charities, community associations and committees that deal with local social services.
Labor MP Liesl Tesch questions social media value after man charged with threatening her
A man has been charged over alleged threats made to NSW Labor MP Liesl Tesch, who says it is not the first time she has been abused in public office. A 43-year-old man was charged yesterday with using a carriage service to threaten the Central Coast MP with serious harm. He was released on conditional bail and will face court in September. Ms Tesch told 702 ABC Sydney the incident had made her question the value of using social media as an MP.
Calls for funding to open historic Blue Mountains tunnel
Blue Mountains City Council wants $15 million to permanently reopen a 134-year-old tunnel that drew sell-out crowds at the weekend. Originally built for a railway to the mountains in 1892, the Lapstone Hill Tunnel once stored munitions and mustard gas during World War II and at one point served as a mushroom farm. Mayor Mark Greenhill says council spent $4 million from a state government grant to clean out the tunnel and install lighting.
Family's plea after time limit prevents daughter from donating organs
John and Anne Apter say their daughter Sheridan was unapologetically herself, but also very generous with her time. "There is no doubt whatsoever that if she could have helped someone, she would have said yes, 100 per cent," Mr Apter said. But in the 35-year-old's final moments she was unable to give one last gift, and Australia's definition of death may have got in the way.
MoshPit Bar closure sparks questions of live music venue government grants
The announced closure of a beloved inner west Sydney live music venue has prompted questions from the NSW shadow arts minister about the effectiveness of government grants trying to stem the loss of music spaces. Erskineville dive bar MoshPit Bar announced this week it would be shutting its doors in November, citing rising operating costs and declining revenues.
Neighbours create 40-hectare wildlife corridor amid Sydney's expanding urban fringe
Neighbours in Sydney's north-west fringe have banded together to create a 40-hectare wildlife corridor using their land that neighbours national parks. Locals say they did it in response to the development of Sydney's urban fringe and a love of nature. A nearby state significant development proposal is seeking to clear trees for a 126-hectare tourism project. Lesley Hulbert remembers when the bird-filled forest behind her home bordering a Sydney national park went quiet.
Guerilla garden removed from inner west Sydney intersection over road safety concerns
Transport for NSW says it removed a guerilla garden on a concrete island in a busy inner west Sydney intersection due to safety concerns for pedestrians and motorists. A collection of small trees in bathtubs, pot plants and a park bench had recently popped up in the intersection of King Street and Enmore Road in Newtown, dubbed by locals as "Newtown Forest".
Fears Luddenham overlooked as opening of Western Sydney International Airport looms
Luddenham is a five-minute drive from Western Sydney International Airport (WSI), but some residents say they are missing out on the benefits it should be bringing them. The New South Wales and federal governments have invested $28 billion to deliver the airport, which will open for freight aircraft on Monday, as well as surrounding infrastructure and the foundation of the city of Bradfield. Luddenham has a population of about 2,000 people.
Sydney social housing experiencing extreme heat due to lack of standards, study says
It gets so hot in Mark Hartley's social housing home in summer in Sydney's west that his TV breaks down. Mr Hartley lives in what he describes as a "fibro dog box" in South Windsor with no insulation, air-conditioning or cross-breeze. "The sound goes, the picture goes. And it's basically all from heat," Mr Hartley said. In one recent summer, the front room reached an indoor temperature of 42 degrees Celsius and stayed above 35C for 11 hours.
Australia's Oldyroos host over-70s football world cup
Tony Mott has photographed every big name in rock, his fingers closing the shutter on The Rolling Stones, Elton John, INXS and Divinyls. But at 70 years old and with a storied career, he's not precious about his digits when he puts on the gloves to play goalkeeper for the over-70s Australian football team. "I've dislocated, broken and done all sorts of damage. I've got no knuckles on one side," Mott said. Tony Mott hails from Sheffield, which has the oldest recognised football club in the world.
Apollo boilerplate to be centrepiece of Powerhouse Parramatta's opening exhibition
A critical piece of the "defining technological achievement" of the 20th century will be at the centre of Powerhouse Parramatta's opening exhibition. Weighing 4.5 tonnes, boilerplate #1224 was a test command module used for the Apollo space program that landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. The boilerplate was subjected to 102 ignition tests to make sure the spacecraft was safe for the astronauts to travel in after the fatal Apollo 1 fire that threatened to derail the entire Moon mission.
Report says growing Sydney's tree canopy would save $1 billion in health costs
Taxpayers would save $1 billion a year in health sector costs if Sydney residents had better access to shady tree canopy and nature, a new report has suggested. The Sydney think tank Committee for Sydney is calling for a series of new greenways and tree plantings across the city to fight urban heat island effects, especially in areas mooted for greater housing density around train stations under the state government's Transit Oriented Development (TOD) plans.
Tiny forests popping up across Sydney as part of effort to restore urban tree canopy
Tiny forests are starting to spring up in small land plots in Sydney's suburbs as locals look to replace the city's disappearing tree canopy and stave off urban heat. Taking advantage of underutilised green spaces in council reserves and school grounds, the trees are planted in enriched soil to quickly grow forests in 200-square-metre plots.
Councillors reject parking meter plan at popular Sydney beaches
Randwick councillors have rejected a plan to introduce hundreds of parking meters at some of Sydney's popular eastern beaches. The proposal would have brought 1,400 paid parking spaces for visitors at beaches including Clovelly, Coogee, Maroubra, La Perouse, Little Bay and Malabar. Residents of the Randwick council area would have had access to an unlimited number of permits to exempt them from meter charges.
'Rockstar' radio producer Yusuke Aso retires after 38-year career with ABC Radio
It's not everyday that Paul Keating calls you during dinner, but for Yusuke Aso it was just Wednesday. The veteran radio producer will retire after a 38-year career next week, but he hasn't forgotten this one exceptional phone call 20 years ago. He had teed the former prime minister to speak on 702 ABC Sydney radio about being appointed to a panel in 2006 to design what would become Barangaroo.
One arrested as police clear out Waterloo public housing demolition protest camp
Police and Homes NSW moved in on a protest camp that had disrupted the start of the demolition of the Waterloo public housing estate in inner Sydney. The 150 homes in Waterloo's south will be demolished first over the next nine months. The site will be transformed from 750 public housing units into a mix of 3,300 private, social and affordable homes.
Proposal to rename Homebush dumped after councillor's conflict of interest snag
A Sydney council has dumped a contentious proposal to rename most of Homebush to Strathfield, after the deputy mayor removed himself from voting on the idea after a perceived conflict of interest was revealed. Strathfield Council were exploring the idea of renaming Homebush and Homebush West south of the railway, which includes hundreds of properties.
Mid-season nightmare as Camden football club loses clubhouse to fire
A south-west Sydney football club has lost its clubhouse and cannot use its home field after a fire tore through the building on Saturday morning. The fire hit in the middle of the season and forced the club to try finding alternative venues for the team. Camden Mayor Therese Fideli said they would do everything in the short term to help the club get back to using the field.
Sydney's 2SER community radio to avoid closure under reduced model
Sydney community radio station 2SER will continue to broadcast beyond July under a reduced funding and staffing model. The University of Technology Sydney will become the sole funder of the station. Former ABC presenter and current 2SER volunteer Robbie Buck says the station needs to secure its future with other financial partners.
Police remove car found crashed into Hyde Park's Archibald Fountain
NSW Police says a French national was "eating Macca's" inside a hire car that crashed into Hyde Park's Archibald Fountain early this morning. About 4am, officers responded to reports that a vehicle had driven into a fountain in Sydney's CBD and found it appeared to have reversed into it. "Half of it was sticking inside, and half it was sticking out, with the driver still inside," NSW Police Inspector Anderson Lessing told 702 ABC Sydney. "Strangely, he was still eating Macca's there.
Parent outrage as Sydney council to demolish community-led childcare centre
Parents are angry about the upcoming demolition of an in-demand community-based childcare centre to make open space for the growing population in Sydney's north. Kelly's Place, which neighbours the Crows Nest Sydney Metro station, faces the wrecking ball at the end of the year. North Sydney Council plans to expand the nearby Hume Street Park into the council-owned land where the 38-year-old childcare centre is located.
Five years later iconic North Sydney pool gets an opening date
Five years after being closed for renovations and a cost blowout of more than $120 million, North Sydney's iconic harbourside pool has been given an opening date. North Sydney's mayor told 702 ABC Sydney the Olympic-sized swimming pool will open on Friday, August 7, marking the end of a closure that began on February 28, 2021. "The 50-metre pool is now, you know, no more concrete cancer, and the same for the grandstand," Zoë Baker said.
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