Grassroots - Journalism students at the Sydney Morning Herald
Journalism students from the University of Technology, Sydney teamed up with smh.com.au to cover grassroots issues during the state election campaign. Grassroots gave a voice to communities who might not otherwise have been heard and keep readers in touch with what was happening at a local level.
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Government accused of neglecting Hunter health
A leading Newcastle doctor has criticised the State Government for not doing enough to prevent higher than average rates of death and disease in the Hunter region.
Residents query donations
Inner-west residents say a factory that made donations to the NSW Labor Party has been granted permission to extend operating times.
Libs on warpath in Pittwater
The Liberals are fighting to claim back Pittwater from independent Alex McTaggart.
Concern over new police powers
Legal bodies fear Labor's proposed laws will unfairly target young people and the homeless.
Bookies edge out pollsters
Forget the pollsters when it comes to predicting election results. Punters are the ones in the know.
Language barrier in election messages: poll
State politicians are not reaching Australians for whom English is a second language, a poll of voters in Strathfield shows.
'Erin Brockovich of Seaforth' preferences Coalition
A woman who sees herself as the "Erin Brockovich of Seaforth" and who is standing as an independent in the crucial marginal seat of Manly is directing her preferences to the Coalition.
Willoughby mayor denies accusations
The Mayor of Willoughby claims he is being defamed by allegations that he received donations from developers in previous election campaigns.
Manly on knife edge
Preferences will make all the difference in the tight race between the Liberal and independent candidates in the crucial seat of Manly.
I'm no patsy: Dubbo candidate
Local Nationals call him "the Phantom" and his own campaign manager admits he won't win, but the Labor candidate for Dubbo, Adrian Hough, is keen to shake off the "dummy" candidate label and become the youngest member of the Iemma Government.
Elderly welcome Labor's check-up call proposal
Elderly public housing tenants have welcomed Labor's plan to telephone older residents, who are living alone, every day to check up on them.
Rural water policies lack vision, Dubbo MP says
While Labor and the Liberals have been busy selling the idea of a desalination plant and recycled water schemes to Sydney residents, the independent member for Dubbo says both parties have offered little in the way of a solution to rural NSW's water crisis.
Parents told to pay for info on school
Parents at an inner-western primary school are outraged they have to foot an $800 bill just to find out why their school has run out of classroom space.
The Grassroots team
Journalism students at the University of Technology, Sydney have teamed up with smh.com.au to cover grassroots issues during the state election campaign.
Critics condemn plan to build South Nowra jail
Prisoner advocates have criticised the State Government's plan to build a $130 million jail at South Nowra, saying the expansion of a failed prison system is a waste of money.
The Green, Green grass of Homebake
Politics mixes with music as Greens seek out the youth vote.
Greens complain about Balmain Lib's leaflet
The Greens have lodged a complaint with the NSW Electoral Commission over a Liberal Party leaflet they say is misleading voters.
Greens want state to buy private railway stations
The Labor MP for the South Sydney seat of Heffron, Kristina Keneally, has criticised a proposal by the local Greens candidate for the State Government to buy two privately-owned train stations on the state's most expensive railway line to cut the cost of fares.
Crown Street reservoir becomes heritage battleground
The preservation of heritage sites has become a burning election issue for one inner-Sydney suburb, as candidates tussle over a planned redevelopment on the popular restaurant strip, Crown Street.
Greens target youth vote with young candidates
The Greens is aiming to capture the youth vote, with no less than 10 candidates in their 20s standing for the legislative assembly.
Cash-starved Dubbo hospital faces closure
Lourdes Hospital in Dubbo may have to close if the NSW Government does not provide funds for a $12 million redevelopment.
Domestic violence: the hidden issue
Rising domestic violence emerges as an issue in the seat of Tamworth.
Young Aborigines don't expect much from election
Young Aborigines in disadvantaged towns don't believe their votes will really count in the upcoming NSW election.
Oxford Street's political facelift
Candidates standing for the seat of Sydney have one thing in common: they all want a facelift for Oxford Street.
Greens announce eclectic candidates
The Greens have formally announced their candidates for the state election - and their list of 93 lower house and 21 upper house candidates is as eclectic as it is large.
Desal plant will be built, may not be used: Debus
The State's Environment Minister says a desalination plant does not have to be used, but will be built regardless.
'Name and shame' gets thumbs down
Under reforms to the State Government's domestic violence policy, a specific new offence of domestic violence will be written into the state's criminal legislation, distinguishing the crime from assault charges.
Clean coal debate heats up
The two leading candidates for the seat of Marrickville were divided on the controversial issue of clean-coal technology at a forum on climate change in the constituency this week.
Labor, Greens at loggerheads over coal terminal
The Government and the mining industry are being criticised over a proposed Newcastle coal loader.
Candidate teachers allowed to keep working
The NSW Government has pulled a plan to keep teachers from their jobs when they run as candidates during the state election camaign.
Smithfield voters fret about city's water future
They may be living in a safe Labor seat, but residents of Smithfield in western Sydney are sceptical of both major parties' ability to secure Sydney's water future.
Greens propose 'land bank' for public buildings
The NSW Greens has offered a solution to private developers taking over publicly owned land, proposing a "land bank" for important public buildings and areas that would forbid private property developers from knocking them down in pursuit of profits.
Government leases heritage site to private school
A private school has been offered a lease on a publicly owned historic site in Sydney's inner west.
Residents target education minister
Teachers at a primary school in Carmel Tebbutt's electorate forced to hold classes in storerooms, a parents' group says.
Students encouraged to 'rock enrol' for election
Young Australians are being encouraged to "Rock Enrol" in a joint effort by the Australian Electoral Commission and youth radio station Triple J to increase voting rates by young people.
Plans to breathe new life into Cooks River
The Opposition has promised $5 million to manage the Cooks River catchment area and to study the effects of population growth on the river system.
Independent urged to stand again in Willoughby
An independent Sydney mayor who almost unseated a Liberal shadow minister at the last state election is being urged by fellow councillors to contest the election again.
Focus on desalination plant 'short-sighted'
Scientists and environmental groups have criticised the two major parties' policies on water conservation, saying they were "ignoring the elephant in the room" and that a desalination plant was "short-sighted".
Twins vote, twin views
Twins to vote for the first time: one knows who she will support, the other only knows who she won't support.
Labor denies desal pipeline plan is worrying people
The member for the safe Labor seat of Heffron denies residents worried that a desalination pipeline will be built down their streets if Labor wins the March election.
For first-time voters, it's a matter of 'who cares?'
Last weekend, the UTS Grassroots team spoke to first-time voters across NSW. We found disillusionment, lack of information and an interest in issues such as environment and education, rather than the party leaders.
Art school row inspires independent candidate
A distaste for the art of politics has driven a 23-year-old independent candidate to campaign against a Labor heavyweight in Marrrickville.