Hawkesbury Gazette Political Satire Team
The Hawkesbury may have finally discovered the one thing more dangerous than rage bating social media, confidential Council meetings and brutal livestreamed debates combined: family group chats!
May 12 2026 heated Council debate over a proposed media policy review unexpectedly drifted into territory usually reserved for awkward Christmas lunches, inheritance disputes and passive-aggressive seating arrangements.
At the centre of the discussion was the revelation that Councillor Mary Lyons-Buckett who moved a successful motion to a engage private consultant to assist Councillors to review their media policy, is related by marriage to the publisher of the Hawkesbury Gazette, a fact openly disclosed during debate by Councillor Nathan Zamprogno.
Suddenly, what began as a discussion about the banning of local media outlets, psychosocial hazards and communication frameworks briefly threatened to become an episode of Family Feud!
Residents watching proceedings were left trying to work out whether the happenings were a governance workshop, a media law seminar, or part of an unusually tense family mediation session accidentally held under the Local Government Act 1993.
Critics of the media review continue to argue councils should not decide who qualifies as “real media,” while supporters say modern communication environments require governance frameworks updates ever 2 years and 5 months with the last Council update being approved in December 2023.
Meanwhile, confused residents simply want to know whether posting photos of potholes on Facebook now qualifies them as: journalists, citizen reporters, or psychosocial hazards.
Do they have to obtain the same Bachelor Communications (Major Journalism) qualification as Deputy Mayor Cr Sarah McMahon to practice the craft?
Or should Council stick to the definition in NSW Evidence Act Section 126J "means a person engaged in the profession or occupation of journalism in connection with the publication of information in a news medium."
Many LinkedIn accounts across the Hawkesbury are now being updated.
At future gatherings of relatives, several Hawkesbury families are now reportedly considering whether local government should be a prohibited topic of conversation alongside religion, and who is on Tinder or Grindr!
Disclosure
The Hawkesbury Gazette discloses Councillor Mary Lyons-Buckett has familial ties to the publisher. The Gazette maintains editorial independence and publishes this disclosure in the interests of transparency.
