City Hub 18 July 2019

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Seaside sculptures walking away

BY ALEC SMART Sculpture by the Sea, the annual three-week artists’ trail that takes place between late October and early November every year on the seafront walkway between Bondi Beach and Tamarama, is threatening to leave the area after this year’s event.

It will end 22 years of incredible artworks set imaginatively into the landscape, most of them enormous and astonishingly inventive, which never fail to attract thousands of visitors.

The alleged issue at the heart of Sculpture by the Sea’s decision to seek alternative environs to showcase their work is a new concrete footpath in Marks Park, funded by Waverley Council.

Located approximately half-way along the coastal route above Mackenzies Point, Sculpture by the Sea insist the path, currently under construction along the northern perimeter of Marks Park, impacts negatively upon their exhibitions.

In a press release issued on 11 July, the founding director of Sculpture by the Sea, David Handley, said: “Waverley Council’s decision is devastating for Sculpture by the Sea and destroys Marks Park as a window to the world for the hundreds of thousands of people that come to see the artworks set against the iconic backdrop every spring.

“We have informed Council this is likely to be the last exhibition. It is too late to cancel for 2019, although nine sculptures will no longer be able to be exhibited and 12 will be greatly compromised..”

Services for disabled outweigh aesthetics Waverley Council spokesperson responded: “We do not accept the assertion that an accessible path close to eight sculptures could ruin an event that includes more than 100 sculptures along

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A new path along the north edge of Marks Park,Tamarama, has angered Sculpture by the Sea. Photo: Alec Smart

our 2km stretch of coastal walk from Bondi to Tamarama Beach.”

Waverley Council General Manager, Ross McLeod, was also sceptical. “Council’s view is that services for people with disabilities outweighs some inconvenience and potential aesthetic impact over a small portion of the Sculpture by the Sea event which will still be free to use the park.”

Mr Handley countered: “Marks Park will no longer offer the pristine backdrop suitable for a major international exhibition … The path totally puts a kibosh on the exhibition and rips the guts out of it.

We are in a state of disbelief. It’s unbelievable.”

City Hub visited the Marks Park construction site and can sympathise with why the sculpture people are angry at the new path’s intrusion into some of their exhibition space. Nevertheless, considering the park is used all hours of the day, 12 months a year, and Sculpture by the Sea runs for three weeks a year through Oct-Nov, it seems haughty for the sculpture people to dictate to Waverley Council the route of their footpath.

Most importantly, the new path provides access to wheelchair-bound people to enjoy seafront views, where previously they were inhibited by grass and stone steps.

The proposed alternate path that Sculpture by the Sea published on their webpage would have guided the disabled around the outer fringes, between foliage. It appears they would be little better off than the last 22 years of the sculptures still restricted from Marks Park.

Are the event organisers insisting the short-term needs of able-bodied sculptors trump the all-yearround needs of the less-able to utilise the park and foreshore?

Lucrative offers elsewhere Perhaps the issue here is more about pursuing potentially lucrative financial offers by moving the event further afield.

Waverley Council provided $145,000 to Sculpture by the Sea in 2018, but it must be tempting to solicit more lavish offers elsewhere.

Handley himself announced: “In order to continue providing the cultural, social, education, access, tourism and economic benefits that Sculpture by the Sea offers each year, we are calling for expressions of interest from coastal councils in Sydney and around Australia to be considered as a new home for the exhibition.”

After Sculpture by the Sea’s announcement that

they were abandoning Bondi, politicians from the Northern Beaches, Sutherland Shire Council, Inner West Council, Bayside Council, Wollongong, Central Coast Council, and several seaside Victorian towns, including St Kilda, Geelong, Mornington Peninsula and Lorne, expressed interest in hosting the annual exhibition.

Is this dispute really about Sculptures pursuing better financial offers to relocate elsewhere?” However, Sculpture by the Sea founder-organiser David Handley hinted he’d made up his mind when he told the Manly Daily that Manly “could put on a wonderful exhibition” and that he would “like to work with a council that is welcoming and that respected what the artists provide to the community”.

Nevertheless, Waverley mayor John Wakefield said his council had a “firm, long-standing commitment” to Sculpture by the Sea and would continue to provide them $150,000 funding per year, should they opt to remain.

Sculpture by the Sea were contacted by City Hub, but they declined.

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WestCONnex dodges air quality conditions

By WENDY BACON The M4 East Tunnel was opened by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport Andrew Constance about nine months after its original start date, although several important conditions imposed by NSW Planning have not been fulfilled. The failure to meet these conditions exposes Inner West residents to potential health risks.

While some drivers report a smooth shorter ride through the tunnel, most drivers, including trucks, are opting instead for the untolled Parramatta Rd. There was huge opposition to the M4 East before it was approved in early 2016. Approval was a fait accompli however as the NSW Government had already given the construction contract to CPB Contractors.

Rob Stokes MP, Minister for Planning, granted approval making much of tight conditions, which have already been breached on numerous occasions during the construction phase.

The NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Impacts of WestConnex also confirmed that there were problems in the Westconnex and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) complaints system, meaning many problems were never satisfactorily addressed.

M4 East fails to meet conditions Much of the community concern was around the issue of air quality. To allay these concerns, conditions were imposed around its monitoring. One of these conditions was development controls limiting the height of buildings around unfiltered stacks at either end of the tunnel. These controls were supposed to prevent the construction of more high rise buildings nearby. There is evidence that polluted air ricocheting off higher buildings can disrupt its dispersion into the atmosphere. These risks were not modelled during the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process.

While the Ashfield area around the Eastern ventilation facility is mostly low rise, there are already high rise buildings around the Western stack at Homebush. City Hub became concerned about the

High-rise flats shouldn’t be built near WestConnex entrances due to exhaust pollution. Photo: Alec Smart

potential for more approvals and drew the attention of Strathfield and Inner West Councils to the issue early in 2017.

Under Condition E18, the RMS must assist relevant councils in developing air quality assessment processes to be included in a Development Control Plan to be used in considering planning and building approvals for new developments in the area adjacent to the ventilation outlets.

The M4 East tunnel is open but where are the air quality controls? The controls are supposed to take into account the height and width of buildings that could be affected by the pollution plume or affect dispersion of air through building wake effects. The conditions stated

that the RMS was expected to pay for the work to develop the controls.

From the point of view of the safety of residents, one would have expected that NSW Planning and Councils would regard this matter as requiring action during the construction phase of the project, so that buildings were not approved that could carry unforeseen health risks.

But instead the issue of the development controls has limped along extremely slowly to the point when the tunnel is open and there are no controls in place. In response to questions, a Strathfield Council spokesperson informed City Hub on July 16 that three or four buildings have been approved near the Homebush ventilation stack since the M4 East was approved. These buildings could house hundreds of residents, adding to the hundreds already living in high rise buildings near the Homebush stack.

Air quality monitoring?

A similar situation is developing around the stacks in St Peters and Arncillfe being constructed for the New M5, scheduled to open in 2020. The issue was raised at the Parliamentary Inquiry into Impacts of Westconnex. In response to questions from Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann, RMS told the Inquiry that meetings were first held with the Inner West and Strathfield Councils in May 2017.

It then went on: “Following further communications with councils, which indicated that neither council required direct input into the scope of the modelling works, SMC [Sydney Motorway Corporation] engaged ERM Australia [Environmental Resources Management] to undertake the required air quality modelling, which is required to inform the preparation of the development controls.”

CIty Hub asked Strathfield Council if this was correct. The answer was that Council “could not confirm either way.”

However, Strathfield Council also confirmed that it had not yet received the ERM modelling or a draft development control plan.

City Hub also asked the Inner West Council if they agreed to no input but have so far received no answer.

Transurban also failed to comply with conditions which mandate that one month before operation, a multilanguage newsletter explaining air monitoring arrangements will be distributed to residents living near the tunnel exits. No forwarding instructions have been left on the decommissioned real time air quality monitoring site.

In April 2019 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Transurban also failed to comply with conditions that provided extra bus lanes or an alternative public transport option within the project. It was on this basis that the M4 East was approved and those bus lanes and their impact on Parramatta road were also taken into account in assessing the traffic volumes and likely levels of air quality.

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Investment fuels clean energy

By JOAN HENSON Students worldwide have urged adults to strike on September 20, for extensive government investment in job guarantees for fossil fuel workers, facing renewable energy-induced unemployment.

The Maritime Union of Australia Sydney (MUAS) has joined School Strike 4 Climate’s (SS4C) Sydney campaign, advocating a just transition, while imparting the economic and moral toll of climate disaster on frontline workers.

Last Wednesday 16-year-old SS4C activists, Varsha Yajman and Daisy Jeffrey, asked members of various unions, who were packed into an MUAS conference room, to help craft a just transition demand. This would support their three existing demands for averting climate crisis, including: “stop the Adani coalmine”.

Miners’ backlash at the anti-Adani campaign is viewed as a key reason for the swing towards the LNP in QLD during the recent federal election.

“We can’t elaborate on the process which is going to carry those communities through,” Ms Jeffrey said. ”That’s something we really need the unions to take and run with, so once that demand is heard, we can take that to parliament.”

Ms Jeffrey said the Domain is the expected strike location, as police estimate a turnout of 60 000 people.

MUAS and the National Tertiary Education Union’s (NTEU) UTS, USYD, UNSW, Victorian Division and NSW Division, have all passed

resolutions supporting the global strike.

In March, 30 000 youth walked from Town Hall Square to Hyde Park in the first global climate strike of 100 countries.

Frontline workers want decent, moral jobs Tommy-John Herbert is an MUA member, wharfie, and ex-fossil fuel worker. He said he had worked in the fossil fuel industry under decent working conditions, fought for “tooth and nail” by the MUA, giving him the ability to experience the “most extreme, interesting environments”.

Seafaring on the Malacca Straits, away from synthetic lights, he saw lava “seeping from a volcano, that lit the whole sky”.

Whales would even swim by the vessel.

A governmentappointed commission could develop a transition of the coal industry by 2038 But dredging beach ecosystems left him “morally torn”, as factoring in environmental impacts meant “accepting that you will be destroying something.”

“I was in the same position as some of these workers now… it was the only job available and it was what I was trained to do.” Given the chance, Mr Herbert said, most workers would want to work in jobs that are morally agreeable.

Victoria’s Star of the South project, which would be Australia’s first offshore windfarm, has been hailed as a gamechanger by the MUA in its ability to potentially introduce 12 000 manufacturing and construction jobs in renewable energy. Mr Herbert sees it as a chance to “kickstart” the movement.

Australia behind in planning transition In a May 2019 article for The Conversation, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures researchers, gave four steps for Australia to prepare a successful transition, as there is no national energy transition plan and “little planning” towards one.

Australia could learn from Germany, where a “government-appointed coal commission developed a pathway for the full closure and transition of the coal industry by 2038”. This included a “social compact between key parties”, including unions, coal regions, industry associations, scientists, and environmental NGOs. The ALP went into their failed federal election bid with a plan to establish a Just Transition Authority.

Researchers said that the plan lacked Germany’s “coordinated exit” and covered only power generators, not coal mining, which would be more challenging due to a prevalence of lowskilled workers.

The good news is that Victoria is a “global leader on regional level adjustment” in its Latrobe Worker Transfer Scheme.

Sydney University’s Dr Penny McCall Howard, is the MUA’s

Tommy-John Herbert wants a just transition for colleagues in the fossil fuel industry.

Photo: Joan Henson

historian. She said the MUA is “talking to the Latrobe Valley Authority and the miners’ union, about how we can help workers from the Latrobe Valley, and the coal-fired power stations there, transition [to the Star of the South]”.

Ms Howard added that the new Queensland publicly-owned clean energy scheme, CleanCo, demonstrates “where we need to go in terms of renewable energy, because it’s got better planning and much more authority to do that, and also just transition elements”.

In the meantime, union members have been spurred by the struggles of their colleagues and bravery of school

strikers. Feiyi Zhang, an Australian Services Union (ASU) member and homelessness sector worker, has seen the impact of climate change-induced drought in far western NSW. Ms Zhang said local communities need more support, as they “aren’t able to sustain the economy within the local town”, and her colleagues must work above quotas to attend the resulting social crisis. While she has always been politically active, these factors led her to join a September 20 organising committee, to work with School Strike 4 Climate.

NSW energy minister, Matthew Kean, was contacted for comment.

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city hub 18 JULY 2019

5

A new start for Newstart?

By ALLISON HORE Over 80 people living on the Youth Allowance and Newstart have registered to meet up with their local MPs this week to share their stories and call on them to immediately raise the rate of Newstart and Youth Allowance.

The meetings, which will be held across the country, are part of a national week of action for the Raise the Rate campaign. Bev, from Sydney’s inner west, is one participant taking part. As a person living on Newstart, she said she knows first-hand what it’s like to live below the poverty line.

“I know many people are caught in this cruel web. The reasons people find themselves here are beyond their control,” she said.

The week of action comes as the Labor Party comes under fire for seemingly backflipping on their promise to support a review of the Newstart allowance.

Earlier this month a motion to commit to increasing Newstart by $75 a week was put to the senate by Greens senator Rachel Siewart.

The motion was supported by the Center Alliance, One Nation and Jacqui Lambie Network.

But, senators from both the Liberal party and the Labor party voted down the motion. This is the second time a motion to raise Newstart has been voted down by both major parties.

Major parties lack political will Ms. Siewart said in a press release that she believes that the increase is “long overdue” and would “be a real boost to our stagnating economy”.

“We know that an increase to Newstart would go straight back into the economy, spent on goods and services,” she said. “But for over twenty five years both the major parties have lacked political will and refused to increase

“It’s so low that it is preventing people from getting work - they can’t afford the clothes, the transport or essentials - and it’s so low that it’s causing real hardship for many, many Australians,” she said to the senate.

“We didn’t win the election, and the responsibility for taking action over the next three years rests squarely with government..”

In his first speech as shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers also dismissed suggestions that Labor should follow through on their preelection promise to review Newstart. He said that proponents for raising the rate of Newstart Newstart recipients said they would have to “accept the reality that we are three years away from another election” and felt the low allowance left them that he didn’t believe a review from Labor would be effective in shifting the policy. socially isolated “If people want to see a boost to Newstart, they have to convince the government,” he said.

But for Newstart advocates, Labor’s response Jeremy Poxon of the Australian Unemployed is not good enough. Mr. Poxon told City Hub Workers Union (AUWU) told City Hub that the current level of Newstart can have a that Labor’s decision, as the “so called party of detrimental effect on both the physical and the workers,” to vote alongside the government mental health of recipients. against a review to Newstart is “incredibly “According to a recent survey we conducted disappointing” for the AUWU. of our members, 61% said they can’t afford “As an opposition party, Newstart recipients enough food on Newstart. 33% said they’ve, at desperately need the ALP to stand up for us one time or more, been unable to afford rent,” and oppose cruel Coalition reforms that are he explained. eroding our right to social security as well as “We’ve also been hearing reports that our our dignity as human beings,” he said. members are suffering from extreme depression “It’s becoming clearer and clearer that and loneliness on this punitively low entitlement advocates cannot passively rely on the major - 98% said they felt Newstart had them socially parties to grow a heart and commit to a isolated.”

Newstart raise - we need to keep organising communities and building our own power and Newstart socially isolating pressure from below.”

But ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher told To mark the National Week of Action, Ms. the senate that, while she agrees the payment Siewart will introduce another member’s bill to is too low to give recipients a decent quality of the senate later this week. Whether Labor will life, it is not Labor’s responsibility to commit to vote alongside the coalition again remains to be a review. seen.

A report by ACOSS released last year revealed that 64% of people on Newstart receive it for more than one year. And of those, 15% of people live on it for more than 5 years.

The long-term unemployed are also disproportionately made up of people of disadvantaged backgrounds, with 29% of those on Newstart for more than a year having a disability, 11% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and 21% of culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Senator Rachel Siewart pledges to raise the rate for Newstart recipients.

Photo: Grace Turco via The Greens

Newstart. Instead the Government is spending $158 billion this week on tax cuts that will disproportionately benefit people on high incomes.”

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city hub 18 JULY 2019

Flawed inspections Builders’ battles belittle betterment in Zetland flats

19 Gadigal Avenue apartments, Zetland, after their evacuation. Photo: Vanessa Lim

By VANESSA LIM The Zetland apartments evacuation over the building’s serious defects has raised concerns on the lack of inspection laws for building developments in Australia. At the moment in NSW, state government laws only require developers to get their work certified during construction and there is no requirement for inspections.

Geoff Hanmer, the Adjunct Lecturer in Architectural Construction at UNSW and Managing Director of ARINA, said inspections were necessary during the development process to minimise potential defects.

Fixing might cost dollars in construction, but thousands of dollars later if it goes unchecked “We’ve got a certification regime with but no inspection regime and that’s very concerning.

Now there no one is really looking over the builder’s shoulder. They’ll get certifications for various components of the building but it basically means somebody has filled out the form and signed it.

“That doesn’t mean to say that any inspection has gone on and, in many cases, people certify their own work.”

City of Sydney council is now monitoring the Zetland apartments at 19 Gadigal Avenue and has done a few inspections. “We became aware that a residential apartment building at 19 Gadigal Avenue, Zetland was evacuated by the building owners in late 2018,” a Council spokesperson said. “A City of Sydney officer inspected the building in February, 2019 and found the building to be vacant with extensive and severe water damage.”

While the City of Sydney conducted inspections, Geoff Hanmer explained that inspections were most effective during the building process used to be common practice when sites were built, but since the Building Code of Australia, a progressive movement that moved away from traditional patents in the mid80s, inspections were no longer required.

“We now often have situations where the building is designed by an architect to get development approval and then the builder becomes responsible for construction and delivery of the building.”

Globalisation contributes to building defects Growing demand for high rise apartments, which are more challenging to build, and the globalisation of building material supplies, also contributed to the increase in building defects.

“You could get tiles from all over the world effectively,” Hanmer said. “We don’t know anything about the ingredients in the tiles. The

government has made no effort to respond to globalisation.”

Hanmer explained: “All governments in Australia were told 18 months ago that there was a serious problem and they were given a series of recommendations in the Shergold Weir report. In the 18 months, the governments around Australia have done basically nothing to implement the recommendations for this report so as a start they should all get on with doing that. They should do it in a nationally consistent way.

“Each of the states is making things up on their own and basically, they are avoiding doing anything.”

The total damage costs of 5 million dollars will not be able to be paid by Zetland apartment owners who only have an insurance pay-out of 1.7 million dollars.

“It’s a tragedy for the owners of those apartments and the problem is that as we’re finding that the owners have no effective recourse because the company that built the building has been wound up,” Hanmer revealed.

“There’s no-one really left to sue; the problem occurs when we build buildings incorrect in the first place. Once we’ve built the building it’s very difficult to recover from that. Fixing up something that might have cost a few dollars in construction, might cost hundreds of thousands of dollars if it goes unchecked.”

Wound-up builders = noone left to sue A City of Sydney spokesperson further explained the reason behind the evacuation: “The water damage caused the failure of the internal fire-rated construction throughout several apartments. The fire-rated construction is required to separate individual apartments and common areas during a fire.”

Fire-rated plasterboards also known as Fyrchek, which were used between apartments, were wet due to water ingress, causing structural damage.

While there is no inherent issue with fire-rated plasterboards in buildings, water ingress seeped into the plasterboards, causing them to break down.

“Construction with Fyrchek is fine as long as it doesn’t get wet,” Hanmer said. “If it is a brick wall between apartments, and it got wet, it would retain its integrity. If it was a reinforced concrete wall between apartments and it got wet, it would maintain its integrity.”

Even though water ingress issues catalysed structural damage for the Zetland Apartments, it still can cause mouldy walls, furniture and clothes.

Hanmer explained that poor detailing and cutting costs were often the cause of water ingress.

“The common failure in Sydney is the balconies and terraces where they rely on a waterproof membrane underneath the tiles to keep the water out from the floor below. People often economise on the membrane and the details around the edges of it, which result in leaks.”

BY ALEC SMART Whilst cracks appearing in new apartment buildings are dominating news and analysts point the blame at dodgy builders, lax inspectors, corrupt developers and poor governance by the NSW Government, a vicious feud continues between two of the most powerful forces in the construction industry – the ABCC and the CFMMEU. In 1997 Australia’s commonwealth and state governments agreed to adopt a National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry to establish agreed principles and standards of behaviour.

A Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry resulted and in February 2003 the commission made multiple recommendations aimed at reforming industrial and safety practices and improving productivity.

Additionally, an independent agency, the office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner (ABCC) was created to oversee application of the National Code.

According to the ABCC, they are “an Australian Government agency responsible for ensuring that building work in Australia is carried out fairly, efficiently and productively - for the benefit of all employers and workers in the industry, and for the benefit of the Australian economy as a whole..”

CFMMEU issued a statement: “It just demonstrates what we have been saying all along, which is the ABCC is not about industry reform, it’s not about productivity, it’s not about freedom of association, it’s a taxpayer-funded culture war against unionism in the industry.”

And yet, according to the results of multiple Federal Court cases, the CFMMEU are no angels.

For example: in January 2014 the SMH reported “Officials from Australia’s powerful building unions are being bribed by corrupt companies that need their support to win multimillion-dollar contracts.”

In January 2015, the Federal Court found the CFMMEU engaged in “co-ordinated and strategic action ... resulting in deliberate contraventions” on construction sites.

A fortnight later Nigel Hadgkiss, Fair Work Building and Construction director, wrote in the SMH that “The CFMMEU has a proven track record of using bogus safety issues to get on to a site to pursue its industrial agenda.”

In December 2016 Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reinstalled the ABCC with new powers; if firms didn’t comply, they were prevented from obtaining Commonwealth work.

The Conversation reported: “In this legislation,

Although construction powers are bitter rivals, relentless building work continues. Photo: Alec Smart

City Hub reported in February 2018 that the ABCC were warning construction companies they faced a ban from obtaining federal government contracts if their worksite employees flew a Eureka southern cross flag or displayed union-affiliated symbols.

Reducing unions’ power to inspect and operate on building sites jeopardises safety and rights One wonders why the ABCC devoted energies to the banning of a flag that many Australians respect as a symbol of democracy and rebellion against tyranny.

The Eureka Rebellion in December 1854 began in opposition to British Colonial powers and unfair laws.

Rebecca MacFarling, CEO of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka on the site of the rebellion in Victoria, where the original Eureka flag is still displayed, told City Hub: “We believe that the Eureka flag is owned by all Australians and represents the origins of democracy, inclusivity and diversity in our modern nation.”

“A taxpayer-funded war against unionism” The new anti-flag regulations were widely interpreted in the construction trade as an attempt to stifle support for the powerful Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU). CFMMEU is Australia’s main trade union in the aforementioned industries and affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Australian Labor Party.

the union-busting and potential for civil rights infractions that characterised the introduction of these laws into parliament by the Abbott government in 2013 remain mostly intact. “..Reducing the power of unions to inspect and operate on building sites and by persecuting unionists in a quasi-criminal tribunal, a revived ABCC jeopardises safety protections for construction workers and waters down workplace rights in the industry.”

Federal Court penalties against CFMMEU In August 2018, the CFMMEU released a statement calling for the abolition of the ABCC. “The ABCC does nothing about wage theft, sham contracting and safety short cuts that kill workers, that’s left to us, the CFMMEU. Then they waste more money attacking us for doing our job.”

Federal Court judgment penalties awarded against the CFMMEU in cases brought by the ABCC have now exceeded $8 million.

The Morrison Government is reintroducing the Ensuring Integrity Bill, criticised as a ‘union-busting’ measure, originally rejected in 2017. Under the Bill any person with a ‘sufficient interest’ will have the power to apply to the Federal Court for the disqualification of a union official.

ACTU president Michele O’Neil warned that the proposed laws were a dangerous attack on democracy.

“If unions are shut down or silenced, who will stand up to the powerful, make sure workers get their rights and fight to improve workers’ rights?” she said. “The Morrison government has overseen raids on journalists and is now attacking working people’s freedom to run their own unions.” city hub 18 JULY 2019

7

FEATURE

By Madison Behringer

Sailing Solo

Sydney is home to some of the best opera and live theatre venues in the world, with companies such as Opera Australia and Sydney Theatre Company offering audiences brilliant performances and experiences time and time again. In companies such as these their subscriber base often stretches far and wide, however outside of this group there are many people who find it difficult to access live performance platforms.

One of the groups that were identified as being less engaged in live theatre and opera were young people between 15 and 20 years of age.

Despite interest in the live arts within this age group, young people find it difficult to access the platforms and as a result, aren’t attending as many shows.

In another vein, Opera Australia conducted a survey amongst first-time attendees or people who had never been to the opera before and found that 21% of people cited “no one to go with” as their reason for not attending.

Seeing a need for facilitated engagement to the live arts for these groups, Opera Australia and the City Of Sydney, alongside Shopfront Arts Co-op, have created programs to encourage and support theatre and opera-goers in order to get these groups back into engaging with the arts.

Playwave Playwave.

Photo: Supplied

Playwave.

Photo: Supplied

Developed in 2018 by the City Of Sydney and Shopfront Arts Co-op, Playwave is an initiative with the goal of connecting young people with the best of Sydney’s art and culture. Playwave’s Director of Young Audience Development Valentina Corona said, “There were three main areas that we identified out of our research that were the major barriers for entry to young people, and that’s what we call ‘payment, place and people like us.’

To combat these barriers, Playwave offers three distinct programs: Firstly, their online membership platform, offering young people between the ages of 15 and 20 unprecedented discounts on ticket prices and access to a huge range of events and content.

Secondly, Playwave Creative.Young people can register online to get involved if they’re interested in engaging in the arts further than simply attending shows. They’re able to create digital content, review performances and often have the opportunity to interview artists and creatives.

Lastly, Playwave Experiences. This program’s main aim is to get young people engaged and give them a soft entry point into Sydney’s live arts culture.

Playwave Experiences is the youngest arm of the Playwave platform and Corona says it was created with a specific goal in mind.

“It was really born out of the intention to really overcome the ‘people like us’ barrier. It’s really

about creating those VIP experiences for young people.”

This August, Playwave Experiences is teaming up with Sydney Theatre Company with two opportunities for young people to access exclusive behind the scenes content from STC’s productions of Lord Of The Flies and Cosi. The first will see Lighting Designer, Alexander Berlage, and Composer and Sound Designer, James Brown, in conversation with STC’s Resident Director, Jess Arthur. Playwave audiences will then have the opportunity to open up a conversation with the creatives and ask their own questions.

“Cultural experiences are invaluable to the development of creativity and to the critical

thinking skills of any young person, so making the arts accessible to them will impact every facet of their lives,” says Corona.

Playwave Experiences also offer a range of curated events for young people such as foyer parties, scavenger hunts and meet and greets with artists. These events are all designed to engage and welcome younger audiences, creating a more accessible platform for them to enter into Sydney’s art culture.

Corona summed up the Playwave mission statement by saying, “Playwave was really born out of an idea of what if we bundled up the existing offering of the live performing arts sector in Sydney and delivered it in a way that is familiar to young people.”

Opera For One After discovering that 21% of first-time or never been before opera audiences cited “no one to go with” as their reason for not attending shows, Opera Australia saw the need for a new inclusive program.

Creating an opportunity for opera lovers to connect with one another, Opera For One encourages audience members to head along to shows on their own, offering them an exclusive opera experience.

John Quertermous, Head of Marketing & Tourism at Opera Australia says,“We’ve introduced this program for those who would otherwise feel too intimidated to attend a performance on their own.We want everyone to feel they are welcome to the opera, whether they have someone to come with or not.”

Opera For One pre-show experience.

Photo: Rhiannon Hopley

Opera For One ticket-holders are greeted with complimentary drinks and canapés one hour before the performance starts, with the opportunity to mingle with other audience members in a relaxed social setting. Before being seated together in premium spots, the group is treated to a pre-performance talk by a member of the Opera Australia creative team.

The Opera For One program aims to support and encourage anyone interested in attending the opera, whether they have someone to go with or not. The program seeks to engage a wider audience range while providing an enjoyable VIP experience for opera lovers attending on their own.

Playwave Experiences (Lord Of The Flies at STC): Aug 7, Roslyn Packer Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. $25+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.playwave.com.au Opera For One: Various Dates, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. $189+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.opera.org.au 8

city hub 18 JULY 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW: Skyduck - A Chinese Spy Comedy

The promo image is a little misleading - this is a solo show, although Sam Wang’s energy and characterisations will convince you you’re watching more than one person. With only a few props and simple back wall projections, Wang creates a hilarious sequence of scenarios around

a fictitious (or is it?) Chinese/American/ Australian aerial/cyber war games intrigue.

Captain Yan and Agent Chang are Chinese secret operatives who have been charged with stealing sophisticated and powerful flight simulation software from the Americans. This is Operation Skyduck. They devise a plan that involves infiltrating the Royal Australian Aerobatic Squadron whose leader is more sports-coach and choreographer than military warrior. They are foiled, however, when American NSA hero Commander Kendrick, discovers their plan and sabotages it. Or something like that.

It’s a corkscrew plot with gripping tension broken only by ping pong balls, a knitted doll, tiny fighting figurines, and wooden crate come Transformer.

Wang weaves seamlessly through Mandarin (there are subtitles on the wall), English with a Mandarin accent, ‘strayn accent, and an American accent. He also has great physical humour, with his body and facial gestures often making the subtitles redundant.

There’s a healthy dose of pop culture references with 1990s blockbuster movie mentions and lots of K-Pop and karaoke playlist background music.

Wang uses classic tropes and cultural stereotypes in a non-abusive, clever, hysterically funny, hour-long skit that has no higher purpose than to make you laugh. (RB) Until Jul 20. Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills. $25+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.belvoir.com.au

Catch Me If You Can - The Musical

Catch Me If You Can (2002) is a thrilling crime/chase film based on the autobiographical book by Frank Abignale Jr. It tells the utterly incredible story of Abignale who, from age 16 to 21, went on a spree of fraud that included impersonating a doctor, lawyer, and airline pilot, and passing around $2 million in counterfeit cheques. He was pursued by the indefatigable FBI agent, Carl Hanratty in a chase that crossed international borders.

It’s hard to imagine how such an action filled, panoramic story could be converted into a stage musical, but it has been, and with Tony Awardwinning success.

Making its Sydney debut at The Hayes Theatre, Catch Me If You Can The Musical retains all the characters

and narrative elements of the film but presents them in an innovative way as a 1960s style variety show.

“There are some wonderful pieces of music - obviously very big kind of brassy 1960s old Hollywood kind of sound in there, which makes for some great numbers with all the air hostesses and the nurses and the doctors…but you’ve also got some beautiful tender moments where Frank and his father can have a moment together,” explains Jake Speer who plays Frank Abignale Jr. While the film focused on the chase, the musical focuses more on emotional dynamics.

“It really is a story about a boy looking for a family and a father figure and a sense of love and belonging,” says Speer.The film was a huge hit and Speer is aware of its looming shadow.

“You’ve kind of gotta do a lot of extra work to wipe the slate clean

and bring something different to this very well known, very well told story.”

When you have big Hollywood movies with big Hollywood stars, that’s obviously intimidating, but I think every actor brings their own energy and attitude to a role, and I think simply by being ourselves we bring something different to the part.”

Speer believes the intimate space of The Hayes will work well with the whole variety show concept. The audience will feel like they’re a studio audience, and their proximity will “amplify the emotional journey of the characters.” (RB) Jul 19-Aug 18. Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point. $59-$69+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.hayestheatre.com.au

REVIEW: We Are The Himalayas “I know you’re scared.You damn well should be… this place is dreadful.”

The extraordinary story of Anna Larina.

Punished for being a wife.

We Are The Himalayas is a new work by Mark Langham, presented by Brave New Word Theatre Company, expertly transports audiences into the chaos, tension and heartbreak of the Russian Revolution.The play follows Anna Larina, the wife of the esteemed architect of the Russian Revolution, Nikolai Bukharin as she is celebrated as the loving spouse of the golden child of the revolution, and then betrayed as she is deemed a traitor.

Lead actress Charlotte Chimes gives a breathtaking yet fierce performance as Anna, alongside her counterpart Ben Mathews, whose conviction and intensity brings the Russian figurehead back to life.

Langham’s script writing is finely crafted, guiding audiences through moments of whipsmart comedy to feverish violence. The set design stimulates the claustrophobic gulags which Anna Larina was confined in. The intimate theatre design features a highly minimalistic, industrial set which captures the period in history wonderfully.

Sound and lighting further enhance the immersive theatrical experience, as we hear other prisoners communicating via the pipes.

Other notable performances include that of Steve Corner, who plays Lavrenty Beria as he exposes the duality of Stalin’s rule, through a terrifying portrayal.

Emilia Stubbs Grigoriou exhibits a haunting performance as a prisoner while her cellmate Chelsea Klein provides moments of light and

a&e

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Photo: David Hooley

shade through an endearingly witty stage presence.

The play has been shortlisted for the 2019 Patrick White Playwrights award and is an example of the stellar pieces emerging from Australians independent theatre scene today. (KJ) Until Jul 21. Fringe HQ - Downstairs Theatre, 28 Bayswater Rd, Potts Point. $25-$30+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.bnwtheatre.com.au

Arts Editor: Jamie Apps For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au and don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter at @AltMediaSydney

Laser Kiwi Imogen Stone, Zane Jarvie, and Degge Jarvie are Laser Kiwi, a comic circus act from New Zealand.That is a much too simple description of this high octane, lolly-coloured trio whose fast, hilarious, street-performance style act requires incredible skill, precision timing, and good jokes!

“It’s a mixture of prop comedy, sketch comedy, stand-up, clown and straight circus as well. So it kind of throws you from one genre to the next,” says Imogen Stone who is “an aerialist and hand balancer by trade.”

“We’ve definitely got different skills. Degge is a very good physical comic - almost verging on clown, excellent timing, and he’s a world-class juggler as well. Zane is more like a spoken comic, so he does a bunch of stand up, and he can carry a show so he’s definitely the leader on stage, and he’s also an object manipulator, so, juggler. And then myself […] I do more of the physical comedy and clown as well.”

The trio has performed together since 2014, although brothers Zane and Degge have been performing since they were kids. The group’s name comes from a design that was submitted when New Zealand had considered changing its flag. It featured a kiwi shooting a laser beam from its eye.

“We felt like it really encompassed how we felt about all our ideas in the show; that they’re kind of brilliantly silly and done well to really inspire other people,” explains Stone.

The show is in sketch format with around 21 scenes ranging from 30 seconds to eight minutes.

It’s high on comedy, but includes aspects of street performance, circus and “a very small tasteful, non-threatening amount of nudity.”

This is Laser Kiwi’s first time in Sydney.They were invited to be part of Bondi Feast and Stone says they are all looking forward to performing in the intimate, gorgeous Parlour Tent.

“We’re looking forward to being part of a small community focused festival. It’s run by the Waverley City Council, so we know that the people who are putting it on have a focus on what’s best for the community.” (RB) Until Jul 20. Parlour Tent 1 Queen Elizabeth Dr, Bondi Beach. $30+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.bondifeast.com.au

Contributors: Irina Dunn, Mark Morellini, Olga Azar, Rita Bratovich, Joseph Rana, Madison Behringer, Allison Hore, Renee Lou Dallow, Alannah Maher, Katherine Rajwar.

city hub 18 JULY 2019

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REVIEW: Persuasion The Genesian Theatre Company loves their period dramas.And why not? They do them so well. Jane Austen’s novels provide much source material for them and their latest production sees Persuasion realised on stage.

Adapted by British director/author,Tim Luscombe, the stage version of Austen’s novel allows her colourful characters to live and breath in 3D.As usual,The Genesian Company delivers on sets and costumes, showing attention to detail without allowing any aspect of the design to be intrusive. Director,Trudy Ritchie extracts key emotional elements from the actors and ensures that all performances are balanced and complementary.

In the lead role of Anne Elliot is Rose Treloar who has a commanding presence, is forceful and independent yet still vulnerable and lovelorn. Kendall Drury is Frederick Wentworth, the object of Anne’s desire, who is typically obstinate and proud but hopelessly sentimental. Jane Austen’s novel relishes in comically unsympathetic characters and these present some of the most entertaining performances of the play. Angela Johnston is delightfully self-interested and sulky as Mary Musgrove, while Nick Fitzsimmons is her perfect counterpart as the long-suffering husband, Charles. Natasha McDonald has a wonderful “pinched face” expression and

excellent line delivery. Tom Massey plays the rotund, ineffectual Sir Walter Elliot with vaudevillian aplomb. The entire cast performed brilliantly: Charlotte Robertson, Elizabeth Elliot, Vitas Varnas, Elias Parker, Jodie Sibley, Catherine Waters, Rod Stewart Incidental music is used astutely and of course, the unique, antique setting of the Genesian Theatre simply adds charm to the atmosphere.

Always a good night out. (RB) Until Aug 17. Genesian Theatre, 420 Kent St, Sydney. $25-$30+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.genesiantheatre.com.au

THE NAKED CITY

DAGS IN SPACE With Coffin Ed There’s a certain irony as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, we also recall the 40th anniversary of Skylab plunging to earth in the wilds of Western Australia.The latter was clearly an affirmation of the old adage, ‘what goes up must come down’, much to the joy of the many treasure hunters who managed to salvage bits and pieces of NASA’s redundant space station.That, of course, is another story – what is of interest this week is the enthusiasm being expressed by supporters of the local space industry.

It’s timely of course given the current moon landing nostalgia and the fact we now have a bona fide Australian Space Agency.Yet some of the optimism expressed, like establishing our own space tourism industry, is open to question – as is much of the futuristic space talk, both here and in the US. Donald Trump is certainly gung ho about the US landing a group of humans on Mars although his tweet in June of this year is somewhat perplexing:

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more and more space junk could end up falling to earth, with a good chance that some of it will drop into outback Australia. Guided camel back scavenging tours could be a huge money maker and the thrill of finding a piece of some burnt out Russian satellite could be akin to unearthing gold. It could easily become a huge tourist attraction and when no space junk had recently fallen, we could conveniently step in by scattering a few ‘replica’ items.

Closer to town, one of our capital cities could be the perfect environment to host the ‘Moon Conspiracy InterActive Experience.’ Housed in a giant television studio, patrons could dress as astronauts, hit golf balls around a simulated lunar environment and bounce off a special trampoline-like surface. Filmed in slow-mo and converted to fuzzy black and white, they would leave with a DVD of their encounter and a bag of edible chocolate coated moon rock.

Finally why all this talk of Mars, when the desert areas of this country are some of the most hostile environments known to man. A ‘Mars’ resort in the remotest part of the Great Sandy Desert would be a huge drawcard,

especially considering it wouldn’t take seven months to get there. The area would have to be cleared of any visible wildlife and holidaymakers would stay in a row of authentic looking space domes. Simulated dust storms would

keep all activity indoors and with no TV, no Wi-Fi and definitely no mobile phones, patrons would be forced to make their own entertainment although Scrabble and Monopoly would be provided.

Guru Dudu’s Silent Disco Walking Tours

We Professionally install:

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“For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon - We did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!”

The moon a part of Mars? That’s sheer ‘covfefe’. Interpret that as you will but many would agree if there is, in fact, a manned mission to Mars, ‘Captain Trump’ should lead the expedition, provided there is no return journey.

Here in Australia, you would think we would have other priorities, firmly affixed to the ground, rather than shooting stuff off into space. Energy needs, dried up rivers, urban congestion, increasing homelessness etc. – surely top of the list before we start our own space tourism industry.

“Where the bloody hell are you?”

Hurtling around the world in some souped-up spacecraft, 100km up at a mere 4000kph! Somehow I don’t think so, at least not in the next decade or so. Let’s leave that self-glorifying venturism to Richard Branson and Elon Musk and perhaps look to some more ‘grounded’ space agency enterprises.

Over the coming years, it’s predicted

city hub 18 JULY 2019

Running across all 10 nights of Sydney’s Bondi Feast this year is Guru Dudu’s Silent Disco Walking Tours. Despite the title, the tours are more like an hour-long dance party through Bondi, with audiences being adorned with wireless headphones and taken on the tour of a lifetime.

Based on the science of ‘play therapy’, Guru Dudu’s Silent Discos are all about getting participants to loosen up, connect with each other, and ultimately have a huge amount of fun.

Dani Cabs (or Dani Disco as he is more commonly known) runs and leads the tours that will be exploring Bondi this month.This will be the first time Guru Dudu bring their tours to Sydney and Dani is ready to take participants to the best

disco they’ve experienced, saying,“It’s not so much a tour of the city, it’s more a party in the city.We use the city as our backdrop and our dance-floor.”

Dani encourages every Silent Disco tour group to be in the moment and dance their butts off in whichever way they like.

“It’s an idea of not holding on to inhibition and ego and letting that sort of drop by the wayside so that you can kind of reset your frame of mind,” said Dani.

Participants of the Silent Disco tours definitely don’t need to be dance professionals, with Dani assuring that even the most introverted of people will have the time of their lives.

“What you get is singing, dancing, play and a sense of community from a whole bunch of strangers that you’ve never met before – it’s a beautiful thing.You get to be a superstar for an hour!” (MB) Until Jul 21, Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Dr, Bondi Beach. $25+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.bondifeast.com.au

Davisson Brothers Band

By Jamie Apps Whilst physically there may be thousands of miles between Australia and the hills of West Virginia music ties these two communities together. In particular, it is the music of American country rockers the Davisson Brothers Band which does just that.

When the Davisson Brothers made their debut tour in Australia just last year they were overwhelmed by the response and immediate connection they had with the audience and community.

“It was amazing to see people so into the music and so appreciative. It blew us away to be that far from home and have that many fans out there singing all of the songs word for word,” lead vocalist Donnie Davisson told City Hub, “That is what you work your entire life for, it’s a dream come true, it felt like being at home which is the greatest feeling you can have.”

For Donnie, the reason for this

strong connection stems from the cultural similarities between the two disparate communities.

“All of the folks that I got to meet and spend some time with at the festival campground had a lot in common with us. We’re all good, honest, hardworking country folk who like to have a good time.”

Ever since that debut tour of Australia, which focused only on

festival performances, the Davisson Brothers Band have had Australia firmly within their thoughts and creative process.

Thanks in large part to their irregular touring schedule and the inherent time differences explained Donnie, “A lot of the time when we were travelling through the night I’d be talking to Australians on social media… I’m

trying to write something for all of my Australian friends and fans because a lot of them are like family now, I just need to make sure it’s right.”

During the upcoming tour, the band will once again be performing at a music festival but they will also be touring around the country performing in theatre spaces. It is this change of scenery, which is actually a return to their roots, that has the group so excited for this tour.

“It’s going to be fun to widen the path and separate this tour from strictly playing outdoor festivals,” said Donnie before elaborating, “We grew up playing in nightclubs and theatres with our Dad, so we know how to spice it up for those environments. The outdoor show is very different from our theatre show, but the energy is always there no matter what.”

Jul 25.The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Rd, Marrickville. $51.50+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.factorytheatre.com.au

Sum 41 - Order In Decline

The seventh studio album from Sum 41 hits shelves week and highlights the group’s growth throughout the span of their career.

The record opens with a strong emo punk track, Turning Away. From there though Sum 41 continues down their steady path of maturation as they explore a heavier, faster and more metal approach to their music.

Fans of Sum 41 already know that the group can easily deliver upbeat punk songs, but throughout this record, they prove that they can also

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Show

Taiwan Film Festival The second Taiwan Film Festival arrives in Sydney and when audiences experience the high-quality array of films, they may ponder why this film festival didn’t originate earlier Film festival attendees should warm to the exhilarating program which boasts 10 feature films and six short films screening over four days.

International film festivals recognise the cinematic achievement in Taiwan, which has produced many prominent directors over the years including Ang Lee and Hsiao-Hsien Hou. From human dramas to comedies and documentaries, all these movies highlight the incredible talent in Taiwanese filmmaking which has flourished over the years and justifiably garnered global accolade.

Festival-enthusiasts should take advantage of the seven screenings on the weekend, perhaps having marathon screenings and saving with the multifilm passes which are on offer. (MMo)

Apollo 11

There are many highlights not to be missed.

Ohong Village: When a man returns to his village after finding no success in the city he re-invents himself, but alienates his father in the process. The film asks, is an urban success a myth? Opening night film followed by a Q&A with director Lung-Yin Lim. It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Show: Quirky and fun, this satire takes audiences on a hysterical journey through the darker side of Taiwanese television, which also details the ‘dog-eat-dog’ nature of commercial TV. The Scoundrels: A former basketball star’s life deteriorates when he becomes involved with gangsters.

Connected to a crime which he didn’t commit, he retaliates. Themes of trust, brotherhood, and betrayal.

With the 50th anniversary of the most momentous journey ever undertaken looming, director Todd Douglas Miller decided the timing for a documentary on the subject couldn’t be better. What he and American archivists weren’t expecting was to stumble upon a cache of unprocessed 65mm footage of Apollo 11’s launch, as well as more than 11,000 hours of uncatalogued audio recordings.

The resulting film contains no narration and little in the form of interviews. Instead, we are immersed into the tense atmosphere as the crew and Mission Control navigate each and every critical step of the perilous journey, as well as being exposed to the media millions experienced in July 1969, and footage of the fascinated crowds.

Science fiction is great fun, but this science fact makes your heart beat faster and your breath shallow, knowing that what you are seeing really took place.

How on earth did they manage it? (CCov) WWW

indulge both the heavier side and emotional guitar ballads just as easily.The group does this by touching on a breadth of topics, ranging from politics to life as a single parent.

With a career spanning 22 years Sum 41 have essentially done it all by now. For fans of the band, you will find touchstones to each and every era of the group throughout Order In Decline. Conversely, for new listeners, this is the tightest the group has ever sounded so you’re jumping in at a fantastic time. (JA) WWW1/2

Nina Wu: When a young actress gives all for a successful film career which doesn’t eventuate, her dream of fame and glory turns into a nightmare.

Jul 25-28. Event George Street Cinemas. $18-$50+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.taiwanfilmfestival.org.au

PARTICIPANTS NEEDED TO DISCUSS HOW MEN TAKE CARE OF THEIR HEALTH

Researchers want to learn about the needs, preferences, and interests of men; concerning their physical activity, healthy eating and mental health.

Who can get involved?

Men (28-64 yrs), living in Sydney and pant size of 38" or greater.

What is involved?

Attend a focus group with 8-10 other men to discuss men's health.

Complete a brief questionnaire.

Where and how long?

Moore Park, Building 1.

2 hours and light refreshments will be provided.

Contact Elizabeth to get Involved Elizabeth.marin@uts.edu.au or call 02 9514 5210

(ETH18-3184)

city hub 18 JULY 2019

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city hub 18 JULY 2019