City Hub 28 February 2019

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HOLY HELL

Lendlease ordered to halt demolition

BY WENDY BACON The NSW Land and Environment has ordered construction company Lendlease not to begin demolishing the Sydney Football Stadium until March 8.

The order is a setback for the Gladys Berejiklian government, which is desperate to get the roof off the stadium before the election on March 23.

With the Labor opposition, Greens, local Councils and most NSW citizens opposed to splurging $730 million on tearing down one stadium and building another, disappearing the roof would help neutralise the issue by making destruction appear inevitable.

Justice Nicola Pain found that demolition of the stadium was “imminent” and that it was in the “public interest” to delay demolition for two weeks. By then, she will have decided the case taken by Waverly Council and local community group Local Democracy Matters which argues that the Minister for Planning Anthony Robert’s consent to Stage 1 works was invalid.

Lendlease did not oppose injunction Justice Pain’s reasons for granting the injunction leaves no doubt that the decision to take legal proceedings was justified. She finds that Wavwrley Concil and Democracy Matterts have raised serious questions about the consent and that there is a prima facie case that the Minister’s consent is invalid.

Sandra Duggan, senior counsel for INSW, vigorously argued against the injunction. She maintained that the challengers should provide evidence that there would be “irreparable damage” if the roof were removed.

Justice Pain rejected the argument that the applicants should be expected to call an engineer, when the facts were in the hands of INSW. She found that if the roof came off, any reversal would require “additional time and costs” to restore the situation and that “whether it is impossible is unknown”.

Although Lendlease refused to give an undertaking not to demolish the stadium, it did not oppose the injunction. INSW argued

When Justice Pain suggested that Duggan was “splitting hairs”, it was obvious that she was unimpressed by the argument. So it was no surprise that she agreed with the applicants’ barristers that you cannot separate the stadium from the consent to demolish it.

She accepted the evidence of Waverley Council and Local Democracy Matters spokesperson Chris Maltby that they had acted properly and without delay in bringing the proceedings with “no benefit directly from the proceedings if successful”.

Chris Maltby, spokesperson for Local Democracy Matters outside Land and Environment court showing order to journalists. Photo: Wendy Bacon

that because both Waverley Council and Local Democracy Matters declined to give an undertaking for damages and because Lendlease could potentially claim $ 46,000 a day for delay, the injunction should be refused.

Again, Justice Pain disagreed, concluding that this was a case in which an injunction should be granted on ”public interest” grounds without an undertaking. She did not find that a claim from Lendlease for delay was inevitable or payable.

It emerged during the case that INSW was always aware that a legal challenge could occur. The contract with Lendlease allows the government to terminate the Stage 1 works for a cost of no more than approximately $1 million plus the cost

of work done. This suggests that a post-election cancellation of the project by an incoming Labor government would be relatively straightforward.

In what seemed to be a last ditch argument, Duggan argued that the impending demolition was irrelevant because the case is about the validity of the Minister’s consent, not the stadium.

She even suggested that the political issue of the merits of the stadium had been already resolved by a parliamentary inquiry.

Local Democracy Matters barrister Tim Robertson SC and Waverley Council’s barrister Philip Clay SC argued that the stadium was the subject matter of the proceedings and could therefore never be irrelevant.

Complex legal arguments Rather than accept INSW’s position that the stadium controversy was irrelevant, she found that the stadium redevelopment “generated considerable public interest and controversy is clear from the amount of material placed before me”.

The case against the Minister alleges three breaches, each of which is relevant to consent for a major State project of “public importance”. The first breach is whether the consultation period was shorter than it should have been; the second is whether site contamination was properly considered; and the third is whether the Minister failed to consider whether ”design excellence” was exhibited by the proposal as required.

You cannot separate the stadium from the consent to demolish it Justice Pain must now resolve complex legal arguments about the alleged breaches. It’s difficult to predict the outcome. Since December, the NSW government has known that senior counsel Robertson and Clay viewed the consent as invalid. It’s fortunate that Waverley Council and Local Democracy Matters exercised their civic duty to ensure the Minister complies with the law, especially in a case of such public importance.

Wendy Bacon is a past Professor of Journalism at UTS. She blogs at Wendybacon.com

Small Business Party plays big Published weekly and freely available Sydney-wide.

Copies are also distributed to serviced apartments, hotels, convenience stores and newsagents throughout the city.

Distribution enquiries call 9212 5677.

Published by Altmedia Pty Ltd. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of content, takes no responsibility for inadvertent errors or omissions.

ABN 52 600 903 348 Group Editor & Publisher: Lawrence Gibbons Production Manager: Michael Hitch Contributors: Michael Hitch, Wendy Bacon, Allison Hore, John Moyle, Peter Hehir, Vanessa Lim, Irina Dunn, Kyle Huwaldt, Remi Trauernicht Arts Editor: Jamie Apps Advertising Manager: Georgina Pengelly Cover Photo: Jeffrey Feng Photography. Mardi Gras Parade 2018 Designer: Nadia Kalinitcheva Advertising: sales@altmedia.net.au Mail: PO Box 843 Broadway 2007 Email: news@altmedia.net.au, arts@altmedia.net.au Ph: 9212 5677, Fax: 9212 5633 Website: altmedia.net.au If you have a story, or any comments you’d like to share with us: news@altmedia.net.au altmediagroup

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BY JOHN MOYLE When City of Sydney councillor Angela Vithoulkas founded the Small Business Party last year she initially intended just to run for the Upper House; that is, until she found two outstanding candidates who were determined to have a tilt at the House of Representatives.

Both Fiona Douskou and Aaron Le Saux are political newbies who had their political ambitions awakened when they experienced first-hand how state issues have impacted on small businesses in their local areas.

“I have always had a passion for politics and living in Potts Point have seen a lot of things, and while I enjoy the community, I think there are improvements to be made and I can do that while being in politics,” Fiona Douskou, candidate Sydney, Small Business Party said.

“I respect the diversity from the area and would protect that.”

Ms Douskou lives in an area where small business, night clubs and bars have been decimated by the lockout laws and the seat of Sydney has seen the impact of the light rail and WestConnex construction.

“If we just had some proper planning and economic

(Left to right) Small Business Party founder Angela Vithoulkas with lower house candidates Aaron Le Saux and Fiona Douskou. Photo: Harry Finch

impact statements done before construction we could have prevented the devastation to small business and the community,” Fiona Douskou said.

Ms Douskou is also fighting the impost of payroll tax of 5.45 per cent on company payrolls of over $850,000.

“We see that payroll tax and avoidable red tape is what is really preventing small businesses from focussing on

their core services and being able to thrive,” Fiona Douskou said.

Aaron Le Saux is a small business owner and homeowner who has been impacted first hand by both the light rail and WestConnex.

Now the party’s candidate for the seat of Newtown, Aaron, with his partner, owns a popular wine bar in Surry Hills, and until recently also called the suburb home.

That was until the light rail and WestcConnex impacted on both business and home, eventually forcing them to move to Stanmore, where they found that their new house could also be under threat from the M4 and M5.

“I have a personal connection to what we are fighting for,” Aaron Le Saux, candidate Newtown, Small Business Party said.

“We found that small business didn’t have a voice and the residents didn’t, so that is why we are going with two platforms, one for small business and one for the community.”

Mr Le Saux says the lockouts have just moved a problem that is now impacting on Newtown and that a planned clearway for King Street “is going to make it even worse”.

Both Ms Douskou and Mr Le Saux are using oldfashioned door knocking and pamphleteering and a strong volunteer army, along with Instagram, to get the message to the community.

Standing against strong incumbents means that a win is unlikely, but the message that the Small Business Party means business will have been made. city hub 28 FEBRUARY 2019

3

The race for Maroubra

By ALLISON HORE With less than a month until the state election, the race for the seat of Maroubra is reaching its final leg.

Labor has held the seat of Maroubra since the electorate’s inception in 1950, making it a very safe seat for the party.

Labor’s margin was broadened from 1.6% to 2.3% after a change in the electorate, when Coogee was lost to the seat of Coogee and Daceyville was gained from the seat of Heffron.

The district of Maroubra is in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. It covers the Randwick and Botany Bay local government areas, including the suburbs of Botany, Banksmeadow, Daceyville, La Perouse, Chifley, Malabar, Matraville and Maroubra.

Since 2005, the seat has been held by Michael Daley, who was a local councillor at the time of his election. After Luke Foley stepped down following sexual assault allegations from an ABC journalist, Mr Daley took leadership of the party.

Community backlash Mr Daley was born and raised in Maroubra.

His parents, brothers, sisters and their respective families all still reside there. Before going into politics, Mr Daley worked as a customs officer before completing his degree in legal studies and being admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW. The future of Port Botany’s Yarra Bay and Molineaux Point will be on people’s minds come polling day. The Berejiklian government’s plan to build a permanent cruise ship terminal on the site was met with a backlash from the community.

The terminal would accommodate up to two mega cruise ships with a capacity of around 5,000 people.

“If Yarra Bay was spoilt or lost altogether, its current users would move to our other, already

following his controversial move to Mosman and retirement from politics.

In the last state election, he returned to the Liberal party, running unsuccessfully for the seat of Macquarie Fields.

Despite not being a local to the area and Maroubra being a safe Labor seat, Mr Farmer feels good about his chances.

“For far too long the area has been taken for granted,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

“When I was asked to run, I said I will be a ‘small l’ Liberal and a big people person.”

And with the Liberal party taking shots against the incumbent for undisclosed developer donations during his time as councillor, perhaps he has reason to feel confident with the state election less than four weeks away.

Michael Daley. Photo: Supplied

Pat Farmer. Photo: Supplied

crowded beaches,” says community group Save Yarra Bay on its website.

“It makes no sense in such a fast-growing city as Sydney to sacrifice a precious recreational asset like this beautiful beach.”

marathon runner Pat Farmer, told the Daily Telegraph he also thinks the state government should rule out building a cruise ship terminal in Yarra Bay and instead turn the area into a national park.

He thinks the logistics of the project make it too difficult to go through with.

“For one, they would have to put in another breakwall … and if they do that it would run into the port’s shipping lanes,” he said.

“Everybody’s hit the panic button but there’s no way in the world from an engineering point of view it could ever happen… The best way to put the concern to bed is to turn it into a national park. That way, nobody can touch it.”

Mr Farmer is a veteran candidate for the Liberal party.

From 2001, he held the seat of Macarthur in the Australian House of Representatives before losing the preselection for the seat in 2010

I said I will be a ‘small l’ Liberal and a big people person Mr Daley does not support the government’s proposition, telling the Sydney Morning Herald that “Sharing Garden Island occasionally is the best option for everyone”.

“We will have no cruise ship terminal in Yarra Bay. It will destroy the environment – the last remaining beach on the northern side of Botany Bay.” Liberal candidate for Maroubra, the ultra-

Candidate profile: Noel D’Souza

Noel D’Souza. Photo: Supplied

By KYLE HUWALDT Running as an independent in the race for Maroubra is former Mayor of Randwick Noel D’Souza.

Mr. D’Souza has lived in Matraville for 35 years, where he attended public school and eventually worked as a local chemist. He considers himself a family man and someone whose previous occupation led him to “look after the community”.

In 2012 he was elected to the Randwick City Council, where he served as councillor for six years. In 2015 and 2016 he won back-to-back elections for mayor of Randwick under the 4

city hub 28 FEBRUARY 2019

Labor party. But in 2017 he was forced to resign from the party for not backing their caucusedendorsed council candidates while he was mayor.

While certainly considered an underdog in the election, Mr. D’Souza hopes that his candidacy will take advantage of the attention given to independent candidates over major parties in recent elections across Australia.

“It’s a David and Goliath task, but in saying that everything is achievable,” Mr. D’Souza said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

When asked what he thinks the main issues are in Maroubra, Mr. D’Souza stressed the importance of developing Maroubra’s infrastructure and transport.

D’Souza is in favour of extending bus routes and repaving and expanding road networks. He also stressed the importance of advocating for indigenous peoples’ rights, subsidized housing for low-income workers, and easy-access shelters for domestic violence victims.

Ultimately, D’Souza believes that the major parties are neglecting their jobs and the people that elect them to positions of power. As an independent candidate, Mr. D’Souza believes he is not tied to political obligations to his party and can more freely focus on community needs.

“The current opposition candidate [...] has lost his way. He is focusing on his political career rather than serving the people he represents,” D’Souza told City Hub. When asked what the major parties are neglecting in Maroubra, he simply said, “the people”.

“Serious questions” to answer In the 2015 election the Liberal party managed to take out 35% of the primary vote, which rose to 39% on a two-party preferred basis.

It was reported that during his time at Randwick City Council between 1995 and 2008, Mr Daley did not declare a conflict of interest in at least three cases. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said he had some “serious questions” to answer.

But these allegations have always been denied

by Mr Daley.

“In my 23 years in public life, I have always acted with integrity and propriety,” he said in a statement to SBS News.

“As a Randwick councillor, I moved to strengthen rules regarding assessment of development applications more than a decade before it became law in NSW. I was opposed by the Liberals.”

With such good numbers supporting him, and a big dose of self-confidence, Mr Daley may well be heading for a political victory on 23 March.

Candidate profile: James Cruz

BY REMI TRAUERNICHT Running for the Greens is James Cruz.

Mr Cruz grew up in Maroubra, attended the local primary school in South Coogee, then graduated from Marcellin High School.

Cruz has worked in a library for the last eight years, as well as studying Information Technology at TAFE. Mr Cruz says it’s the sentimental value of Maroubra that made him decide to run for the seat.

“My mother and I moved to Maroubra when I was four, so I grew up there and have been living or working in the area for about 25 years,” Mr Cruz says in his profile on the Randwick Botany Greens webpage.

Mr Cruz isn’t new to the campaign trail.

He also ran for Maroubra in 2015, receiving 4,107 votes. For him, finding a solution to the energy price issue is of key concern.

“I will stand up for the issues that matter to people in Maroubra: the need for genuinely affordable housing, fully resourced public schools, and the need for more renewable energy to bring down the price of power,” he explains.

His campaign’s foundation consists of how to counteract current environmental issues that have a detrimental effect on the finances of Australian citizens. He believes using solar panels for electricity could be both fiscally and environmentally beneficial.

Mr Cruz also believes that the housing situations needs to be addressed. Due to his

James Cruz. Photo: Supplied

upbringing in public housing in Maroubra, he has first-hand experience with its problems.

He also feels that people of colour and those who live in poverty are not represented in parliament and wishes to change that. For him, the major parties are part of the problem.

Over the past few elections, Labor party candidates were elected, but with a few weeks to go before the election, Mr Cruz believes anything could happen.

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5

ACON acts to end abuse

BY MIKE HITCH Australia’s largest LGBTIQ Health Organisation, ACON, has teamed up with the Department of Social Services (DSS) to deal with domestic family violence (DFV) in the LGBTIQ community.

The DSS has provided $340,000 in funding to bolster to nationalise Say It Out Loud (sayitoutloud. org.au), a website produced by ACON in 2016 that provides support, information and resources to the LGBTIQ community.

The funding will help Say It Out Loud reach all corners of Australia, as there are no LGBTIQ domestic violence services or projects outside NSW and VIC. Associate Director for LGBTI Health Programming and Development at ACON, Kai Noonan, says, “Nationalisation of Say It Out Loud was a necessity due to increased demand for information from other states and territories, and said that other vital services and information would become available with the expansion. It will build the capacity for services professionals in the DFV sector.”

A national resource Noonan says that existing research indicates that LGBTIQ people are victims of DFV at similar rates to women in the general population.

The extra funding can only make the job easier “Currently 55% of visitors to the Say It Out Loud website are in states other than NSW. This shows a need for the site to expand to include information that is relevant nationally.

“One of the integral changes to the website will be state- and area-specific service and support options for LGBTIQ people experiencing domestic or family violence.

“Currently the Say It Out Loud website focusses

physically abusive tactics that are LGBTIQ specific.

Senior Legal Education Solicitor at Legal Aid NSW, Alex Davis, battles domestic abuse at the front line and said that empowering victims through knowledge, and understanding the actions and intersections of LGBTIQ DFV, is the key to ending and preventing these forms of domestic abuse.

Associate Director for LGBTI Health Programming and Development at ACON, Kai Noonan.

Photo: ACON Health Limited

on intimate partner violence. We plan to expand the site to incorporate more information on sexual assault and family violence and have a sub-page with information for LGBTIQ young people, with all the information they need to get help and support.”

Other changes will include an updated “selfassessment tool” and a safety and planning tool for community and service providers, as research conducted by ACON in 2017 indicates that professionals in the DFV sector feel that they are not trained to deal with LGBTIQ matters, or that their services are not LGBTIQ inclusive.

It’s easy to understand why professionals feel they are still in the dark with this niche of domestic abuse.

Firstly, service options for LGBTIQ victims are limited. While there are support services for women, these services are normally delivered for victims with a heterosexual framing which can be

unhelpful in an LGBTIQ relationship.

And while there are also support services for male perpetrators, these too are delivered with a heterosexual framing and do not encompass support for male victims.

Secondly, stigma / stereotypes and DFV can intersect and impact the ability of LGBTIQ people to identify and address unhealthy behaviours in their own relationships. In some cases, the simple idea that “men can fight back” or that “women aren’t inherently violent” can agitate abusive behaviour in gay relationships.

In other cases, victims are verbally and financially abused, and therefore feel powerless in seeking help.

For example, a partner may withhold hormones from a trans or gender queer person, or tell a bisexual person that bisexuality doesn’t exist or that they need to “pick a side” and threatening to “out” someone as gay or HIV positive, are all non-

Unpacking the issues “The best thing you can do is triage them [abuse victims] into seeking help. It’s about empowering people through access to information and knowing where they can get support for different parts of their issues,” she said.

“It’s also about understanding that all of the same issues with domestic abuse that happen in heterosexual relationships also happen in LGBTIQ relationships, except on top of that, you’ve got people not feeling comfortable reporting abuse.

This may be due to stigma, or because other services such as Police still have out-dated views, and sometimes the abuse is not registered as “abuse” due to a different dynamic.

“DFV intersects with so many things. People may need housing, a DVO or even financial help.

Within one problem, you’ve got criminal law issues, DVO issues, you’ve got civil law issues, and you’ll have family law issues, as well.

“We work closely with organisations like ACON in understanding how to unpack the legal and socio-domestic issues, and then we find out who can help with what. The extra funding can only make that job easier!”

If this story has raised any concerns for you or someone close to you – you can contact: ACON for advice and information: 02 9206 2000 Legal Aid NSW: 1300 888 529 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 Lifeline: 13 11 14 Relationships Australia: 1300 364 277

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7

Opinion

On common ground

BY PETER HEHIR And so it begins. Glad the Impaler has hit the airwaves, telling us all how successful she’s been at raiding the public pantry and flogging off the spoils.

On the other side of the political divide, Jo Halen is busy telling her Summer Hill electorate just how much WestConnex is on the nose – but conveniently neglecting to mention that the ALP is right behind WestConnex, with Daly Tweeting on 21 March 2013; “We want WestConnex”!

Ms Halen’s flyer states, “Jo Halen and Labor will invest in the public transport our city needs to get moving – not more polluting tollroads like WestConnex”. Wow! How brazen is that!

In Birchgrove, Jodi McKay, the Shadow Minister for Transport, while touting for the Balmain ALP candidate, tells anxious peninsula residents that the Western Harbour Tunnel won’t proceed – while blithely ignoring the fact that at least 40% of it has already been approved and that the contract has been let!

Promises, promises, promises When pressed, all she could parrot was “The ALP opposes the Western Harbour Tunnel”… “The ALP opposes the Western Harbour Tunnel”…

So three more weeks of promises, promises.

More mudslinging as Berejiklian puts the boot into Daley, attempting to tag him with the corruption label, conveniently forgetting her role as Transport Minister in the Darley Road Dan Murphy’s affair.

Meanwhile Sydney’s population continues to grow, our roads become increasingly clogged and demountables sprout like wildflowers in the desert after rain.

Hospitals are overcrowded, waiting times in casualty often reach up to eight hours and the queues for anything but life-threatening surgery grow ever longer.

Peter Hehir being arrested. Photo: Holly Gorman

Nurses in day surgery recovery wards are overwhelmed. Since November, MRIs for knees can no longer be bulk billed if you happen to be over 65. Yet another senior’s present from the economic rationalists.

The needs of Sydney’s people must be placed before profit Human induced climate change is still denied with sceptics in both State and Federal Parliaments trumpeting Trumpian rhetoric, while tollroads like WestConnex consume concrete at a staggering rate. Concrete produces up to 8% of all global C02 emissions, raises the core temperature of cities, and ensures precious rain water is ushered out to sea, taking with it tonnes of plastic debris.

With fish kills and dying rivers and charges of

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city hub 28 FEBRUARY 2019

gross mismanagement of water licences, the State is sorely hurting and is in desperate need of care, not short-term “fixes” that line the pockets of multinationals and the parasites who feed off them, ultimately worsening the amenity that Sydney could once boast about.

We crave genuine leadership that benefits us all – leadership that hasn’t been bought and paid for through donations to both of the major political parties.

Instead we get leadership – or rather the lack of it – that leaves us all impoverished, with continued degradation of both the built and natural environments.

On Sunday 3 March, there will be a gathering in Hyde Park North. People from all walks of life who see the amenity and lifestyle of this great city being seriously harmed are coming together.

The six years of NeoCon rule has done untold

damage, institutional damage from which we may never recover.

I’d love to think that we are as mad as hell and that we aren’t going to take it anymore!

That we can all see a connectedness in all of this. That much that ails us has a common cause.

That we need to turn things around. That the needs of Sydney’s people must be placed before profit.

Concepts like UrbanGrowth and organisations like the Greater Sydney Commission are antipeople. They are pro hi-rise, anti-environment and can only ever diminish us all and the city that we live in.

We deserve better The failure of successive governments to recognise the structural heritage and the historic precincts that are threatened all around us is our failure. That we have a duty to demand that our homes and neighbourhoods are protected.

There is so much to decry. But there is common ground. A recognition that privatisation isn’t the answer. That the bottom line isn’t a God. An acknowledgement that Neo-Conservative economic philosophy has no place in the 21st century, here in Sydney or anywhere else for that matter. That it’s as discredited as the radiating tollroad “solution” to our city’s traffic chaos.

We deserve better. Better than Berejiklian. Better than Daley. Better than politicians who put their hands where they shouldn’t.

We need representatives with the vision and moral fibre of Ted Mack. But there are precious few standing on the hustings on the 23rd who aren’t muzzled by the parties who got them elected.

So come along to Hyde Park North next Sunday at 1pm and rub shoulders with others who, like you, really do care.

“Don’t Kill Live Music” rally

BY VANESSA LIM Singers, musicians and music lovers voiced their united outrage towards the NSW state government’s new music festival regulations.

The new regulations that were implemented on 1 March 2018 has left the music community unsure of its future owing to a high-priced fee festivals will have to pay for safety at their events.

An Australian Festivals Association Board Member and Fuzzy events director Adelle Robinson assured the crowd that their safety was the most important consideration for her at music festivals.

Ms Robinson said, “I’ve certainly never run an event without developing a comprehensive safety management plan. Safety is always at the forefront of my mind.

Festivals care about safety “Festivals care deeply about safety, but what the government is trying to do is not about safety; it’s about trying to control an industry through the Liquor Act. “I support best practice. In fact, I support raising the bar for best practice, but in NSW, the music festival license is not doing that.”

John Graham, Labor’s recently appointed Shadow Minister for Music, expressed support.

He said, “Tonight’s rally is important because it’s the City of Sydney coming out to say that we don’t want to kill live music. It’s of major importance to the city. It’s important to us and it’s an important part of our community.”

Lead singer David Novak of the local band Polish Club, which performed at the rally, also weighed in on the importance music has for him.

He said, “It’s an issue close to our hearts, and being a Sydney band, we would not have been able to get anywhere near the state we are in

Ms Robinson said, “One of the key messages that came out of the Premier’s expert panel recommendations for improving festivals’ safety was to provide certainty for the music festival industry, and at this they have truly failed.

“My industry has never felt so uncertain.

Promoters don’t know how they’ll be classified under the new license and were yet to see a full set of regulations with guidelines despite the fact that it’s supposed to be coming in next week.”

Despite the attempts of the industry and its supporters to reach out to the NSW government to stall the regulation, the government has been unresponsive.

Mr Novak said, “They’re well within their rights to try and make it a safe place. I’m all on board with that, but it requires dialogue. It’s a two-way street and so far throughout this whole situation there has not been dialogue.

Protesters at the “Don’t Kill Live Music Rally” in Hyde Park. Photo: Vanessa Lim

right now without the help of venues putting on shows and having small festivals.

“That’s being crippled by the NSW government so it’s kinda a no brainer for us to be involved with this.”

The lack of definition given by the NSW government in the new music festival regulations has worried festival owners concerned about whether they will be deemed fit to hold a festival.

Ben Tillman of the event company Yours and Owls, and the owner of the “Farmer and the Owl” Festival, is unsure of his future in the music industry.

“There’s just so much uncertainty. It completely changes the processes we have to go through. It opens it up for the government to have the legal ability to just have a discretionary model where

they can tell us what to do without having any written down policy to back it up.”

“This makes it impossible for us to do our budgets and potentially that means events won’t go ahead because they’re slapped with last-minute extra costs that we won’t be able to afford.”

If we lose the festivals as well that’s a crisis for the music scene Mr Graham said, “There is no definition at the moment and that’s a big concern. We’ve seen contradictory evidence such as when the Premier came out and said the Blues Festival is a low-risk festival but NSW Health said it was high or extreme risk. There is no consistency here, no system in place.”

One-third of festivals could leave “You have to reach out to the people involved in these things and who are responsible for the safety of these people because, at the end of the day, it’s not the government that’s responsible, it’s the festival’s venues, but no one’s talking to them.”

Labor’s organisation, “Labor Loves Live Music,” has attempted to resolve the issue, without much success.

Mr Graham said, “When we’ve sat down and talked to industry – and that’s exactly what we have done and the government has not – we’ve been told up to a third of festivals could leave.

“Now that’s a disaster. We’ve already lost hundreds of venues and thousands of jobs. If we lose the festivals as well out of NSW, with them literally fleeing the state, it’s a crisis for the music scene in NSW.”

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Local hero: John Brooks

BY IRINA DUNN Retired engineer and regional planning consultant John Brooks has been the Convenor of the Blackwattle Cove Coalition since 2008.

This forum of various community groups and organisations get together to share information about planning matters affecting the Bays precinct and surrounds and to comment on new developments such as the Fish Markets and the Star City residential tower.

The groups in the coalition include Pyrmont Action, the Glebe Society, the Coalition of Glebe Groups, the Ultimo Village Voice and the Coalition of Ultimo and Pyrmont Associations.

The chambers of commerce and industry have also become involved.

“The Blackwattle Cove Coalition was set up initially because we wanted to do things with Wentworth Park,” Brooks says. “We gained better looking fences around the park, and got the arches opened by arranging for the removal of the storage rooms beneath the arches.”

Advisory panels The Coalition meets regularly to talk about planning, transport and other issues affecting the precinct and to decide who will write the submissions and do other work such as lobbying.

The real challenge is trying to get someone to think long-term about these issues” Many of the coalition’s members sit on community advisory panels such as those set up by the Star City residential tower and the new Fish Markets.

Brooks says that since 2009, the State Government has been dominated by what he calls “silo” administration, “with each department sitting in its own area and planning its own plans, as a result of

View from Glebe across Blackwattle Bay to marina and Sydney Fish Market. Photo: L. Johnson

which there has been piecemeal development”.

In 2014, when the NSW government initiated UrbanGrowth NSW, it was described on its website as “a public sector agency that works with government, private and community partners to facilitate economic development, including the renewal of urban places across metropolitan Sydney”.

However, as Brooks points out, UrbanGrowth lacks the overarching authority needed for comprehensive planning development, traffic control and public transport across the entire precinct.

Turning to the Fish Market, Brooks says it is in its present location for two reasons.

Firstly, it is the principal food quality assurance location for fish in NSW. Secondly, it is a major tourist destination, and the new complex is trying to reflect that. The visitations will increase from

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three to six million people pa, and the Blackwattle Cove Coalition is concerned that no traffic or public transport plans have been made for this anticipated doubling of visitor numbers.

Brooks says, “We’re trying to get the message across to Sydney that when this brand new fish market opens you won’t be able to park when you get there and you won’t be able to catch public transport there”.

The party boats presently located next to the Sydney Fish Markets will be moved out of their present moorings when the new Fish Markets open. The government, without any consultation with the community, approved a lease in Bank Street right under the Anzac Bridge for the new moorings.

The public waterfront park which has been there for a long time will be turned into a marina,

reducing scarce outdoor space in Pyrmont even further. Because the party boats operate at all hours, residents are concerned about the potential noise problems, as well as the parking, refuse and waste disposal problems associated with marinas.

The second major problem for Pyrmont/Ultimo residents is the Star development.

Again, there is no masterplan for traffic.

“All of a sudden we find out that the Star is going to develop a 60-storey residential tower, and there are no plans for public transport in its redevelopment,” Brooks says. “The council says our planning restricts the building height to a certain level, but the State Government steps in and says go ahead, and it’s very frustrating”.

Building heights are normally controlled by the City of Sydney Council, but once the State Government declares a project to be a State Significant Development, councils lose the power to restrict the building height of any development.

Still no traffic plans “The Star has briefed the community many times,” Brooks says, “and we say ‘we don’t like this’ and they say ‘we’ll fix that’ and ‘we’ll fix the traffic’, but there are still no traffic plans.”

In the context of an election, there are 93 electorates in NSW, and 91 don’t care about the Bays precinct, Brooks points out. “That’s probably the realpolitik of the whole thing.”

The two electorates which cover the Blackwattle Bay area are Sydney (Alex Greenwich) and Balmain (Jamie Parker).

“These two independents don’t have a lot of clout,” Brooks says, “but at least they are likely to be re-elected because the major parties are on the nose.”

“The real challenge is trying to get someone to think long-term about these issues, which politically is very hard, because no bank will cash an election promise.”

FEATURE

By Rita Bratovich It’s the queer highlight of the year and an internationally recognised event that attracts thousands of tourists, and it will wind through the centre of Sydney like a glowing serpent for the 41st time this Saturday.The 2019 Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will feature almost 200 floats, involve 12,500 participants and emit a radioactive level of fabulousness.

“It’s certainly much bigger than it’s ever been before and I think the floats are just getting better and better each year,” says Greg Clarke, Creative Director of Mardi Gras. Clarke has the monumental task of designing the festival and parade, ensuring diversity and quality in the program without ruffling anyone’s feathers. He is assisted by a tight creative team, including a parade panel who assess hundreds of entries for criteria such as relevance to the LGBTQI community and message, as well as visual impact.

“This year’s theme is “Fearless”, and I do know a lot of the floats have embraced that fearless theme,” says Clarke.“Being strong and courageous and owning your own identity.”

The order of the floats in the parade is vital to the overall success. Clarke has to distribute the 200 odd floats so that there is variety, flow, momentum, safety, and a sense of cohesion.The parade day itself is a behemoth of planning and orchestration requiring a selfless commitment of over 1500 volunteers.

“We couldn’t do this parade without volunteers,” says Clarke bluntly.“They’re all along the parade route making sure the audience and the participants are safe - you just couldn’t do anything of that scale without the volunteers. It’s wonderful because they become a part of the parade as well, they talk to the audience, and it’s really good, it’s a really wonderful night.”

Markham Lane was taken to watch the second Mardi Gras parade in 1979 when he was only eight years old. He saw a cowboy on a horse that was strung over with fairy lights, and he said out loud: “One day that’s going to be me!” Last

Sparkles & Spirit Photo: Supplied

by Rene Rivas

year, Lane led his own float, Colours Of Our Community, in the 40th Mardi Gras parade.

Mission accomplished. It was such a good feeling that he’s doing it again this year.

Last year was Lane’s first parade as a participant and organiser and it was a huge learning curve. On the back of a pledged sponsorship deal, Lane commissioned bespoke LED lit adornment from a designer in New York for 80 float participants.At the last minute, the sponsorship fell through and Lane had to foot the nearly $10,000 bill himself.

“This year we decided we weren’t going to spend that much on costumes again and we were going to get everybody to come in and help contribute to creating them,” says Lane.

With a design team and workshops, it’s much more a group effort all round this time.The field is 80 strong again, split into six groups each representing

a colour of the LGBTQI rainbow.

The Colours Of Our Community float includes participants from interstate as well as overseas (up to 22 countries are represented). Many joined via Facebook and the entire group will meet for the first time at 12pm on the day of the parade where they’ll be given a basic run-through: “Here’s the music; here’s how you make formation; here’s your position in the parade.”

Lane says it is a very basic routine, so they won’t require rehearsal. His main objective is to reclaim some pride after a slide featuring last year’s Colours Of Our Community float was shown at this year’s parade briefing with the caption: Do not create any gaps in the parade.

He’ll be focused on keeping strict formation this year.

“I’m shooting for best float!”

Some of the most spectacular, humorous and imaginative parade entries are not floats but individual costumes, and many of the most iconic Mardi Gras costumes have been the creation of preeminent designer, Rene Rivas.

“My house is like two drag queens just had a big fight,” says Rivas, describing his home at this, one of his busiest times of the year.“I think I’ve got glitter in my hair, I’ve got sequins somewhere in my ears.”

This year he is making around 20 costumes significantly less than usual - to be worn in the parade, the VIP area and various other events.

There are lots of secrets beneath the papier mache, feathers, and crinoline: harnesses, frames, padding.

Very big costumes require a sort of cage on wheels.

“It’s like you have two Woolies trollies together,” explains Rivas.“And the person has to pull it, like a baby walker.”

As you can imagine, that’s hard work up the incline of Oxford Street.Adrenalin, the intoxicating atmosphere and two Baroccas help Rivas get to the end, but he’s usually exhausted, bruised, and sore.

Then there’s the invisible menace - wind. For the 20th anniversary parade, Rivas wore a huge sun headpiece.

“My God, that was heavy, but the wind… I flew for a metre and a half! And the people they had to grab me and hold me,” he says.

Now he ensures there are vents in any large headpieces, wings, capes etc.

For Rivas, his costumes are his voice and his truth. They are a unique expression of strength, triumph, individuality and a way to share joy and creativity. His advice to the wearer is: “Make sure you are comfortable with yourself and be who you want to be at that moment in time.”

Mardi Gras Parade: Mar 2, 7pm for parade route and details visit: www.mardigras.org.au www.coloursofourcommunity.com www.instagram.com/rivasdesigner

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11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Sonya Kerr. Photo: Sylvia

Seed Bomb

Sydney based playwright Daniela Giorgi has always loved country themed magazines and has had a persistent dream of leaving the city and moving to the country. Her newest play Seed Bomb is set to open in Newtown’s Old 505 Theatre early next week, promising to take

audiences on a wild and thrilling journey. The piece follows the life of Kat, a young woman with high ambitions to leave the big city, and how her life is turned upside down when she meets a group of urban warriors.

Seed Bomb writer Daniela spoke about her fantasy of leaving the city of Sydney behind, “I don’t think I could ever live out of the city, but, I’ve always had a fantasy of living out on a country property.” After realising that she would never move away herself, Daniela thought, “I’m not going to live out of the city, so I’ll get a character to do it.”

Seed Bomb, however, is not simply a story of a young woman choosing to stay in the city she loves. Daniela explains how much deeper the writing goes, saying, “It came from that sense of how do you become happy with where you are, yet still have that sense of joy and fantasy about life, despite living in the big city.” Daniela then added, “I was trying to bring the wildness into the city. I was trying to bring these crazy people who aren’t afraid of anything, meeting real normality and then exploring what happens there.”

Seed Bomb is an emotional, thrilling and wild comedy that is sure to inspire every single audience member. (MB) Mar 5-9. Old 505 Theatre, 5 Eliza Street, Newtown. $25-$30+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.subtlenuance.com

The Caretaker

The Caretaker, an original play written in the 50s by renowned playwright Harold Pinter, will be given a new life as it premieres in Sydney’s Glen Street Theatre. Codirected by Nicholas Papademetriou and Alex Bryant-Smith, who both also star in the piece, The Caretaker boasts a newly designed set and an intricate commitment to the detail of

the original text. The play follows the lives of two brothers, each polar opposites of each other, and the journey they take when they open their home to an outsider.

“It is a very hypnotic and funny and dramatic night. The situation of the characters is really quite funny.” Nicholas Papademetriou said.

The rehearsal room for The

a&e

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Caretaker has been filled with a variety of artists, all playing a variety of roles in both the production team and the cast. Nicholas, who co-directs and also plays the character of Davies, spoke of the creative process in rehearsals, “it’s been a very interesting and free experience…everyone’s felt free to give their opinion which often you can’t do.”

Although the team working on Glen Street’s The Caretaker have been busy constructing a brand-new and innovative set, Nicholas and the team have chosen to stage the piece as closely as possible to the original text.

“The most important thing is just to actually always stick to the text and not to add anything extra that isn’t there,” Nicholas also added, “it’s an amazing piece and a dream role for me.” (MB) Feb 28 - Mar 2. Glen Street Theatre, Corner of Glen Street and Blackbutts Road, Belrose. $32-$55+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.glenstreet.com.au

12 STAGE 14 SCENE 15 Sounds 15 SCREEN

Don Quixote The remarkable ballet, Don Quixote is coming to Sydney to astound audiences with its feisty and delightful story, inspired by the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha.

This four-act performance will deliver “passionate, fiery and exciting ballet” which will be sure to entertain the audiences.

Ballet dancer of 25 years, Rebekah Petty said, “I would love the audience to enjoy following the story we tell. There are so many wonderful sub-stories within the ballet, but the love story between Kitri and Basilio is a vibrant, spirited story.”

As a professional dancer for nine years, Petty has had an array of experience performing as Odette/Odile from Swan Lake, The Evil Queen from Snow White and Medora from Australia’s premiere of Le Corsaire, to name a few. “[In Don Quixote] I play the principal female, Kitri,” she began. “My character is very fiery, spirited and flirtatious. I have to say, her personality is similar to my own, so I have truly enjoyed expressing myself through Kitri! Most times we are on stage, we play a character unlike our own. I believe this is why Don

Rebeka Petty.

Photo: Michael Lean

Quixote is one of my absolute favourite ballets because I identify with her so much!”

Choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music by Ludwig Minkus, the score will take audiences on an emotional rollercoaster from wonderful, powerful sections to slower more romantic tones.

“I absolutely love this ballet and hope our audiences will too. It’s vibrant, it’s passionate, it’s full of Spanish flavour and enjoyed by all ages. I can’t wait to bring Victorian State Ballet’s Don Quixote to the Concourse very soon!” Petty concluded. (JM) Mar 2-3.The Concourse, 409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood. $52-$42+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.theconcourse.com.au

Bianca Del Rio It’s Jester Joke The queen of mean is back down under and she’s taking no hostages as she hits the road again after three consecutive sell-out Australian tours.

Bianca Del Rio’s brand-new comedy show It’s Jester Joke sees the “Joan Rivers of the drag world” tell tales of her world travels and the outrageous circus that is her life, while pondering what it means to “take a joke” in the social media age.

“I think it’s important to remember that everything is a joke. I’m a joke! I’m a 43-year-old man in a wig, there’s nothing serious about me!”

Del Rio told the City Hub’s resident drag fanatic, Alannah Maher.

The limitless insult humour of this “clown in a gown” may not always strike the right chord with the Twitterverse, but that’s the last audience she has in mind.

“I’m not attacking a certain group or a certain people, it’s just my insane observations,” said Del Rio. “I’m not trying to convert you, and god forbid I’m not going to explain myself to a 13-year-old girl from Arizona who has some issue with my eye makeup, please!”

The winner of the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and one of the biggest breakout stars from the television phenomenon, Del Rio is a tireless hustler - with a memoir, a line of eye makeup removers and two movies in the Hurricane Bianca series to her name (and a third in the works, whenever she finds a break in her touring schedule).

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

However, Del Rio said the thrill of a live audience keeps her doing stand-up.

“A live audience is my favourite thing and that’s how my ‘career’ so-to-speak started, working in bars… if you can deal with drunk people at 1 am in New York City on a Monday night then I think you can handle anybody… enjoy the ride with me.” (AM) Feb 28-Mar 1. State Theatre, 49 Market St, Sydney. $91.62.

Tickets & Info: www.ticketmaster.com.au

Contributors: Emily Shen, Irina Dunn, Jade Morellini, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Olga Azar, Rita Bratovich, Sarah Pritchard, Shon Ho, Riley Hooper, Erika Echternach, Joseph Rana, John Moyle, Madison Behringer, Allison Hore, Renee Dallow, Renee Dallow, Alannah Maher.

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13

Confessions Of A Mormon Boy past 20 years with only minor modifications (e.g.Trump jokes) and that familiarity allows him room for a bit of spontaneous improvisation.The show still resonates with new audiences.“[…] it’s more timely than ever,” says Fales.“Believe it or not, every time I do the show I learn something new about my own story.”

His own story includes a trial by ecclesiastical leaders for being homosexual, during which he was asked if he had ever sexually abused his son. It’s the kind of ugly accusation that was raised during Australia’s Marriage Equality poll, and something about which Fales is vocal.

Six generations of family devotion, two years in a “We must fight for our rights as parents, as missionary position, a traditional heterosexual marriage partners, as contributing members of society. We that produced two children, and a set of teeth ivory must end all this spiritual abuse and religious hunters would frantically load and cock (their guns) for; violence... and political bigotry.” yet none of this could suppress the gay man trapped in Far from being angry and sombre, though, his show a Mormon’s body, Steven Fales.After journeying to hell - is energetic and optimistic. meth addiction, prostitution, self-loathing - and back “I wrote a song called You & Utah that is filled with Fales found redemption through humour, song, and hope and irony. I sing and quip lines from all kinds of candid storytelling in his one-man performance memoir, Broadway Shows. […] I purposely did not write a oneConfessions Of A Mormon Boy, which he is bringing to man musical, but Confessions tips its hat to everything Australia for the first time as part of Mardi Gras Festival. from Les Mis to Cats to Evita to Carousel... to all those “I have inside jokes for every kind of audience from beloved Mormon hymns that I actually still miss…” religion (Mormons to Jews), politics (Republican to With an element of unpredictability: Democrat), and sexual orientation (gay to straight), but “We’ll see what Aussie audiences bring out in me. the gays are gonna laugh and groan and sigh and gasp at I’ll tell you, the Brits found some things far more things only they can relate to - especially the kinds of deliciously cheeky than Americans. I wanna see what sex we are capable of having! Ever had your pleasure Aussies consider cheeky! Woof!” (RB) centre gaskets blown, guys and gals? Well, let me remind Until Mar 9. Giant Dwarf, 199 Cleveland St, you of what that feels like!” says Fales.

Redfern. $35+b.f. Tickets & Info: He has performed “Confessions” consistently for the www.giantdwarf.com.au

REVIEW: 37 Ways To Say I’m Gay

Wayne Tunks has a keen eye for idioms and personality types. His scripts focus on relationships and personal journeys more than plot. This current play which is part of the Mardi Gras Festival is literally what it says - 37 short vignettes that describe different ways in which characters deal with sexuality, either their own or someone else’s.

A troupe of 12 actors take turns in small groups and perform brief, self-contained scenes, sometimes funny, sometimes dark, sometimes poignant. It’s fast-paced and very entertaining, with lots of different angles explored. The cast varies in age, gender and nationality, which brings variety and range to each scene, and the stories have been organised to give a good emotional dynamic. There’s a clear rapport among the cast (not surprising as many of the actors have worked together in other Tunks productions) and their congenial familiarity is infectious.

Performed in the relatively new theatre, Limelight, the play is minimalist, using only occasional incidental props, and large, movable crates for set elements. The all black, box-like interior of the space allows plenty of room for imagination and also

sharpens focus on the players in the absence of any other distractions.

If you’ve ever had to come out, had someone come out to you, know someone who is gay, or if you just enjoy incisive, humorous, energetic, sketch-style theatre, then there are 37 ways you’ll enjoy this play.

(RB) Until Mar 9. Limelight On Oxford, 231 Oxford St, Darlinghurst. $26-$35+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.limelightonoxford.com.au

THE NAKED CITY

THE SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM DEMOLITION SPECTACULAR!

With Coffin Ed You have to feel for architect Philip Cox, as despite a temporary legal injunction, the wrecking ball hovers ominously over his Sydney Football Stadium – a mere 30 years since his innovative design was first realised. It’s almost akin to watching an innocent man on death row, waiting in vain until the final day of execution. Little wonder that Cox was quoted recently in the Sydney Morning Herald, stating that the impending demolition shows “a certain philistinism” in NSW. Last year in this column I recalled the fate of Sydney’s once magnificent T&G building, which when constructed in 1930 was the tallest ‘skyscraper’ in town with no less than 12 expansive floors.When it was opened by the then premier Jack Lang, amongst considerable fanfare, he declared that it would stand as an icon of the city for another 100 years or more. Less than five decades later and it all came crashing down to make way for a soulless edifice of concrete, glass and steel.

Flashback to Sunday, January 24, 1988, and the same sense of civic achievement abounded with the ‘Sydney Football Stadium Opening Spectacular’ and a proud Labor Premier in Barrie Unsworth. Needless to say, the night time entertainment extravaganza was the hottest ticket in town with a roster of performers that included Julie Anthony, Dragon, the Eurogliders, Sharon O’Neil and US superstar Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., better known as John Denver. It was a different era of course with the major sponsor of the event,Winfield cigarettes, looming large at every opportunity.

The Berejiklian government now seems indecent in their haste to

Meatloaf is welcomed by the Premier and takes to the stage to reprise his memorable performance at the 2011 AFL Grand Final.

Images of the brand new $800 million plus stadium are projected everywhere as kiddies besiege the Winfield bikini babes handing out free chocolate fags.There’s a real feeling of reconciliation in the air as a repentant Rolf Harris is welcomed to the stage to perform a special wobble board version of the national anthem. Gary Glitter and R Kelly have had to cancel but there’s still an impressive list of big name artists to rev up the crowd, as a massive Mexican wave envelops the stadium.

All the time a giant clock is counting down to that ground zero moment when one lucky punter, chosen through a statewide ballot, gets to press the button that implodes the once much loved Sydney icon.Yes there’s the mandatory fireworks, a massive laser display and a parade of former Rugby League legends. knock down the 30 year old stadium and the Labor Party equally In the temporarily reconditioned VIP boxes, the booze is flowing freely determined to halt the madness and consider how the $730 million amongst both the pollies and the performers. Finally, it’s left to a highly allocated for the redevelopment might be better spent. In the meantime, inebriated TV breakfast show performer to announce that Armageddon many of those opposed to the destruction have been plagued by an has finally arrived and “it’s time to get the frigging hell out of here folks!” imaginary yet nevertheless totally nightmarish scenario – THE SYDNEY Within minutes the crowd has evacuated to a safe area in Moore Park, FOOTBALL STADIUM DEMOLITION SPECTACULAR! complete with jumping castles for the kids, free pill testing and It’s a Sunday night in Sydney and all roads lead to Winfield Stadium with multicultural food trucks.The button is pressed and the once mighty the temporary ban on cigarette advertising temporarily lifted for the stadium implodes in a massive whirlwind of choking concrete dust - one night.The old football arena is about to come tumbling down but that can even be seen from the International Space Station. not before the ‘powers to be’ extract every bit of kudos out of Unfortunately, the disintegration takes out half of the neighbouring what those noisy protestors see as a monumental act of vandalism. Sydney Cricket Ground as well.Whoops!

It’s standing room only - hey all the seats have long been ripped Never mind, an extremely drunken politician is heard to say as the out - and there’s a real buzz in the air as international superstar jubilant crowd disperse.“We’ll knock that fucker down as well!”

Housed in a characteristically 1940s art deco warehouse in Sydney’s leafy suburb of Camperdown is Artsite Gallery – an independent Australian contemporary art gallery within the Camperdown arts precinct.

Headed up by Director Madeleine Tuckfield-Carrano, the gallery has a strong focus on local emerging and mid-career artists.

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The curators at Artsite select pieces for each exhibition with extreme care and consideration.

Each artist’s work is exhibited in two large dedicated exhibition spaces with precision and intent, each piece complementing the rest. Unlike larger and more commercial galleries, Madeleine and her team invest a huge amount of time and commitment into promotion and supporting

their local artists. At their core, Artsite aim to foster and encourage the promotion and exhibition of Australian works.

Over the month of February and as part of Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, Artsite will be exhibiting BOOTY by Australian artist Jamie Cole. The pieces have been inspired by artists such as Warhol and include both paint and mixed media works. The pieces exhibited are raw and sensual and feature

representations of “popper” bottles, or “leather cleaner”. Jamie Cole commented on these pieces saying, “to have poppers and orgasmic sex on the walls of the gallery is huge for me…it´s timely…and, political, given that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is proposing an interim ban on Amyl nitrate.”

(MB) 165 Salisbury Rd, Camperdown.

Info: www.artsite.com.au

Tricia Taylor - Capturing The Light The beauty and power of Sydney’s coastline has been captured on canvas by master pastel artist Tricia Taylor, and will this weekend be displayed in a gallery located adjacent to Sydney’s most iconic beach.

With the inspiration of painting en plein air, meaning in the outdoors, Tricia has captured the light along the coastline

By Jamie Apps As a child of the 90s you undoubtedly heard, and most likely loved, Hanson’s Mmmbop. Now as the trio of brothers celebrate their 25th anniversary in music they are bringing Mmmbop and a plethora of other songs to Sydney’s iconic Opera House for an incredibly special collaborative performance alongside an orchestra.

City Hub spoke with Taylor Hanson recently about crafting the upcoming String Theory show and the band’s longevity.

“I’m excited about bringing this symphony tour to the Sydney Opera House because that’s truly a

from Coogee to the Heads and beyond.

Taylor’s plein air artworks and her studio pieces will be on display side by side so you will see the development from life studies to canvas.

“Painting from life en plein air is really important to me. Being surrounded by the sights, smells, sounds you feel one with the landscape as you capture the light.”

Thought her artistic career Taylor has travelled the globe tutoring others and exhibiting her own works. Now that she has settled in Sydney it’s time for her to host her first solo exhibition here.

Feb 26 - Mar 10.

Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Dr, Bondi Beach. FREE. Info: www.triciataylorart.com.au

bucket list venue so bringing that show to that stage is a future landmark for sure.”

Not only is the Opera House a venue which the brothers have long dreamed of playing the String Theory show itself is something they had always hoped to be able to create at some point in their lifetimes.

“Performing with a symphony orchestra was one of those things you hope to be able to do in your lifetime, so we’re really proud and excited to be doing it with this show,” explained Taylor.“In some respects, we have new nerves now that we haven’t had before, you want to deliver every night because you’re standing alongside an orchestra of other musicians who you’re performing with.”

It wasn’t until recently when the brothers hit their 25 year milestone that they finally realised that a symphony orchestra show could finally become a reality.

“The idea of contrasting pop rock-n-roll with classical collaboration had been percolating since the early 2000s but it finally came to fruition after the 25 year anniversary and we began to take it seriously.”

This desire to finally take the leap and create Sting Theory was driven by a desire to continually challenge themselves after such a long time in the music industry. Little did they know it would be a

much tougher process than originally expected, for a number of different reasons.

For the brothers, the first of two big hurdles they would have to jump would be the logistical burden of translating their music into “symphonic charts and compositions” which could be “clearly read and interpreted by many different symphonies around the world.”

The second challenge would then be to determine exactly which songs should be included in the show.

No easy task with 25 years worth of material to comb through.

“What we came to focus on was that the show would really focus on the lyrics, the story and telling that story through the songs,” explained Taylor,“The show has some brand new music, there’s some music that’s from the catalogue and then there’s some really deep cut songs which had been written but never released to a broad audience.”

By taking this approach Hanson have created a show which they describe as “a powerful musical statement” which “brings together the full power and scope of a symphony with the focus of pop craftsmanship all in one dynamic performance.”

Mar 4-5. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point. $99-$129+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Hand Habits - placeholder Hand Habits is set to release its new record placeholder tomorrow. What started as a private songwriting outlet for Meg Duff, the founder and leader of Hand Habits, rapidly grew to become an entire album.

As a whole, placeholder has a soft, melancholy tone. Each song has an interesting electronic, folksy feel -- a sort of modern take on an old genre.

With a nearly palpable wistfulness, every song is packed with subtly strong feelings sure to elicit an emotional response in listeners.

Specifically, jessica and what lovers do would make the perfect background songs for dramatically gazing out of the window and pretending to be the protagonist of a sad movie.

(EE) WWW1/2

Belly Of A Drunken Piano Stewart D’Arrietta is set to take audiences on a passionate, demented and intense rock journey through the rich catalogue of music from the legendary Tom Waits with his show Belly Of A Drunken Piano.

By mining some of Waits’ most memorable hits such as Martha, The Piano Has Been Drinking, Big In Japan and Hold On as well as adding in a few of his own compositions

D’Arrietta is able to showcase Waits’ vast musical history but also bring the show to life with his own trademark raw vocal style and laconic humour.

D’Arrietta is an award-winning composer and musical director who has performed right around Australia, and the world, at The Montreal Jazz Festival, EX Theatre Tokyo, Soho Playhouse New York, Union Square Theatre

The Guilty

This is a single location procedural thriller that proves you don’t need bombastic action sequences, blood and gore, and classic jump scares to create an atmosphere so taught you should

shoot an arrow off it.

Gustav Moller makes his debut as director and also co-wrote (with Emil Nygaard Albertsen) the screenplay, set in a police emergency phone room and

New York and The Riverside Theatres London.

With this extensive career under his belt, D’Arrietta is more than capable and qualified to undertake such an ambitious and exciting show.

Mar 7. Camelot Lounge, Corner Marrickville Rd & Railway Parade, Marrickville. $42.90+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.camelotlounge.com

focused almost exclusively on one character,Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren). Holm is a policeman, relegated to the phones after an incident that occurred out in the field for which he is awaiting a hearing.The story unfolds in real time during a night shift. Holm’s takes a number of calls - both on the emergency line and privately on his mobile.Through the calls (we hear both sides of the conversation) we learn details about his personal life and get insight into his character and mindset.Then, just before the end of his shift he receives a call from a woman who has been abducted.

It’s genuinely gripping. (RB) WWWW

Bondi Cinema Club With summer now behind us Bondi is set to become known for something other than its iconic beach thanks to Bondi Cinema Club.

Beginning this coming Tuesday a series of monthly screenings of the best arthouse and independent cinema is set to take over the Bondi Pavilion. Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of film with this specially curated program. Enjoy filmmaker Q&As, special events and the theatre bar to talk film with other film lovers.

The program will open with a screening of Golden Globe winning and Academy Award nominated film The Wife to celebrate International Women’s Day. Rounding out an exciting double feature alongside The Wife will be a screening of the short film Woman With An Editing Bench by Tziga Vertov,

Catherine Deneuve Umbrellas of Cherbourg

presented director Karen Pearlman and producer Richard James Allen.

Some of the other notable films set to screen throughout the year are Shoplifters, JIRGA and Blackklansman.

The cinema club has been set up by filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts.You must join the club to attend screenings however it’s a bargain $80 for 10 screenings, with some screenings being double features.

To join the club, read the full program and see trailers for the films head to www.cinemaclubfilmprojects.com city hub 28 FEBRUARY 2019

15

HARVEST GRAPE STOMPING

Grape stompinG tHe CitY! HARVEST GRAPE in STOMPING ABOUT THE COMPANY

Urban Winery Sydney is Australia’s first true urban winery and the home of A.Retief wines. Bringing the country to the city it includes a fully functioning winery, cellar door and wine bar. It’s a meeting place where visitors can discover and enjoy locally produced NSW wine.

ABOUT THE COMPANY Harvest Grape stompinG HARVEST GRAPE STOMPING Urban Winery Sydney Australia’s first Urban true Winery urbanSydney winery Harvest. It’s the ultimate is time of year in a winery. is the only

ultimate time of a being winery.

Urban and Harvest. the home ofthe A.Retief wines.

Bringing the country to thewinery, place in theIt's city where you can be part ofyear it all. in After greeted in the is only place the to city where you can your groupSydney is taken on the a functioning tour through thein facility experience the art of the wine city Winery it includes a fully winery, cellar door and making process, right from being stomping the grapes to sampling wines partIt’s of a it meeting all.

After greeted in the winery, yourduring different winebebar. place where visitors can discover stages of the maturing taken on aprocess. tour NSW through the facility to experience and group enjoy is locally produced wine. the art of the wine making process right from stomping the aBoUt tHe CompanY HARVEST GRAPE STOMPING grapes to sampling wines during different stages of the Urban Winery Sydney is Australia’s firstyear true urban and Urban the home of the Harvest.

It's the ultimate time of in a winery winery. maturing A.Retief wineprocess. label. Bringing the country to the city, it includes a fully functioning Winery Sydney is the onlybar. place the city you can winery, cellar door and wine It’s a in meeting place where where visitors can discover

TOUR INCLUSIONS & FEATURES be part of it locally all.

After being in the winery, your and enjoy produced NSWgreeted wine.

• Tour of the urban winery group is taken on a tour through the facility to experience • Opportunity to hop experienCe in the tubs to stomp the grapes Grape stompinG inClUsions the art of the wine making process right from stomping the right from the tanks and barrels • Sampling Tour of thewines urban winery grapes to sampling wines during different stages of the •• Exploring Opportunity to hop in thestructure tubs to stomp grapes the aroma, andthepalate-feel of each process. maturing • Sampling wines right from the tanks and barrels • Enjoy a shared NSW charcuterie and cheese platter • Exploring the aroma, structure and palate-feel of each wine bottle ofcharcuterie A. Retief wine to take home TOUR INCLUSIONS & FEATURES •• Souvinere Enjoy a shared NSW and cheese platter

• Tour the urban • of Souvenir bottle ofwinery A. Retief wine to take home LOCATION • Opportunity to hop in the tubs to stomp the grapes Bringing the country to the city we are located in The priCe per person, inClUDinG Gst • Sampling wines right from the tanks and barrels Park; 10 minutes from Entertainment Quarter, Moore • $100 per adult • Exploring the aroma, structure and palate-feel of each Sydney’s city centre 15 minutes • Participants must be and 18 years and over from Sydney Airport.

• Enjoy a shared NSW charcuterie and cheese platter

PRICE PER of PERSON, INCLUDING • Souvinere bottle A. Retief wine to take homeGST BooKinGs $100 per Classes runadult seasonally, each day from the second week of March for four weeks.

LOCATION *Classes Participants must 18 years and over will be held frombe 11.00am – 12.30pm and 1.00pm – 2.30pm Bringing the country to the city we are located in The with booking deadline 3 hours prior to start time.

BOOKINGS Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park; 10 minutes from Classes run seasonally, frombythe second week 10 people).

Private individual and group each tours day available request (Minimum Sydney’s city centre and 15 minutes from Sydney Airport. of March for four weeks. Classes will be held from 11.00am – 1.30pm and 3.00pm – 4.30pm with booking loCation PRICE PER PERSON, INCLUDING GST Bringing the country to the city we are located in The Entertainment Quarter, deadline 3 hours prior to start time.

Private individual $100 per adult Moore Park, 10 minutes from Sydney’s city centre and 15 minutes from and group must tours be available by and request. * Participants 18 years over Sydney Airport.

CONTACT BOOKINGS

Classes seasonally, each day from the second Fore:more information on our otherweek experiences and private event space: 2 8097 9978 enquiries@urbanwinerysydney.com.au t: +61run +61 www.urbanwinerysydney.com.au 2 8097 e: enquiries@urbanwinerysydney.com.au of March forinformation, four weeks.t:visit Classes will9978 be held from For more

www.urbanwinerysydney.com.au 11.00am – 1.30pm and 3.00pm – 4.30pm with booking deadline city hub328hours FEBRUARY 2019prior to start time. Private individual 16 and group tours available by request.