Date: 26 June 2026

Hawkesbury City Council has announced it will lift the media ban imposed on Hawkesbury Radio, effective 1 July 2026.

In a statement published on 25 June, Council said Hawkesbury Radio had engaged in productive discussions and had taken steps to address the conduct of individual staff members that led to the original exclusion, as well as implementing measures to guard against a recurrence. Council said it was satisfied with those steps and looked forward to welcoming Hawkesbury Radio staff and representatives to future Council meetings and events.

The ban on the Hawkesbury Gazette remains in place. Council confirmed the Gazette’s exclusion from all Council premises for media purposes — including Council meetings — continues.

Hawkesbury City Council imposed bans on both outlets in May, citing obligations under section 19 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Council alleged a pattern of conduct including harassment, defamatory material, and repeated inaccurate reporting that it said posed a risk to the health and safety of councillors and staff. The move attracted scrutiny from the local government minister and the Office of Local Government, which confirmed at the time it was investigating whether the Council was acting within the law.

The Gazette has previously contested the framing of the ban as a workplace safety matter, arguing it amounts to a restriction on media scrutiny of a public institution.

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