Riley Thompson, Founder and Reporter

The short version

I grew up in Penrith and did the thing everyone does, which is assume the important news happens somewhere else. Then in 2023 a development application went through near my parents street, and I went looking for coverage of it, and there was none. Not a short article. Nothing. The local paper that used to have five reporters had none, and the council meeting where it was decided had two people in the public gallery, both of whom worked for the applicant.

I started going to the meetings. Not as a journalist, because I was not one, but because I wanted to know what was happening. I took notes and put them on a community Facebook group, and people started asking me what happened at the next one, and then the one after that.

The Penrith Star started in February 2024, essentially because the notes had become too long for a Facebook post. I read the agendas, I sit in the gallery, I ask the questions that get asked when someone is actually in the room, and I write it up so that it explains what a decision means for your street rather than simply reporting that it happened.

I am one person, I am not neutral about this place, and I say so. What I am careful about is being accurate. If a story names a business or a person critically, they hear from me before it runs. If I get something wrong, the correction goes on the article with the date. That is the deal, and it is the only thing a small outlet really has.

Why this site exists

The local paper I grew up reading went from five reporters to none, and the council meetings stopped having anyone in the public gallery. Decisions about roads, development and rates were being made with nobody in the room. That is the entire reason this site exists.

How the site is put together

One reporter, a council agenda, and a lot of hours. Stories that affect a named business or person go to them for comment before publication. Sponsored content is labelled at the top and never looks like a news story.