Avid readers of The Post may have noticed over the course of 2025 that there has been a significant decrease in mention of Hornsby Shire Council in the publication.
The Post was founded in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to the lack of journalistic, meaningful, hyperlocal news for the local areas of Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai.
At the time, the support of Hornsby Shire Council in the decision to create the publication was welcome and encouraging. Since then, The Post and Hornsby Shire Council have had a steadfast working relationship to deliver relevant and important information about the local area to residents.
This relationship has shifted. Over the last year, Hornsby Shire Council has slowly discontinued advertising and rejects any attempt at reestablishing the relationship.
As one of the few hyperlocal publications for the Hornsby area, this decision to no longer engage with The Post is unfortunate and a shame, especially considering the long-standing, healthy relationship there once was between Council and The Post. What’s more, little explanation was given as to the reason Hornsby are not interested in maintaining a relationship.
The Post are a local small business in the Hornsby area, located in Thornleigh. The Post are in the community, for the community, and we hear from the community. Many have come to us with concerns that Hornsby Shire Council are not interested in supporting small businesses, and The Post are more than aware of the issue. We see it ourselves in the way Council have disregarded any outreach efforts.
We pride ourselves on being fair, objective, and independent. We believe in transparency and accountability. We are the only publication on Sydney’s Upper North Shore that is a founding member of the Local Independent News Association. We are bound by editorial standards.
At times we have been called a mouthpiece for the Liberal Party, other times a Labor Party publication, and then a Teal shill. We wear it as an achievement. It tells us that by being accused from all sides, we are upholding our independence.
It is a shame Hornsby Shire Council no longer wish to support a free, hyperlocal publication created solely to benefit the community. It is a shame Hornsby Shire Council are not interested in supporting local businesses such as ours and many others. It is a shame Hornsby Shire Council do not value independence, fairness, and accountability. It is a shame that when The Post began in 2020, Hornsby Shire Council was a large and open supporter of our mission, and Council are now casting that support aside without reason.