City Hub 2 August 2018

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Lee Lin Chin on SBS, books, life and style

sydneyupdate

Picture by ©George Fetting

Page 3

ANOTHER SIDE OF Lee Lin Chin REPOWERING NSW

CYCLING WIN

To stop the dangerous impacts of climate change we must dramatically cut electricity related greenhouse gas emissions.

The government finally agreed to let children between 12 and 16 ride bicycles on the footpath.

We still get 77 per cent of energy from coal, which is inefficient and highly polluting.

Our ageing coal plants will need to be decommissioned in the future and we urgently need a transition plan to a cleaner greener supply to avoid environmental disaster and further escalating costs.

In Parliament, I called for changes to road rules that force older children, many inexperienced riders, to cycle on heavy arterial roads with fast moving traffic. An older child can’t even ride on the footpath with their younger sibling, while an adult can. NSW is the only state other than Victoria with this rule.

Studies show we can achieve 100 per cent clean energy without impacting on reliability or access with a combination of solar, wind, hydro and storage.

Many children’s school is within riding distance and encouraging more to bike will reduce congestion and encourage physical activity.

NSW is falling behind other states and I am working in Parliament towards a cleaner, more sustainable supply by 2030.

I congratulate the community on a great campaign to get sensible reform.

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city hub 2 AUGUST 2018

Lee Lin after the news

by John Moyle Newsreaders are not oracles, for the latter tell us what is to be, while the former report our past and present in order that we may inform our future.

The most successful newsreaders are the ones who not only impart the day’s events, but entertain us while building a bond of trust.

Few have met this brief better than Lee Lin Chin, who presented the weekend edition of the SBS World News from 1992 until her recent resignation.

Chin has always chosen integrity over celebrity and, like her uncompromising taste in clothing, she managed the end of her news reading career on her own terms and without regret.

“I decided not to accept a new contract about two months before the end of the existing one,” she said.

While many of her friends were shocked at her decision she herself was shocked at the lack of response by SBS management.

“The Chairman only wrote to me because I wrote to him,” Chin said.

“I don’t know if he only found out because of my email or decided it wasn’t his place to get involved.

That a network could lose one its public faces without internal comment or acknowledgment is shocking enough, but Chin saw this as just the end of a long period of disconsolation with the direction in which the public broadcaster was heading.

“It’s easy to point to the change in management culture as beginning when advertising was permitted by the government,” Chin said.

“We produced quality and adventurous output because we weren’t

constrained by advertisers and we were primarily concerned with observing the charter and being an alternative to the mainstream.”

Disgruntled with management she may be, but Chin wants to be clear there are also a lot of fond memories.

“There was a strong camaraderie that existed in the place all the way until quite recently.”

“Just because I am leaving it doesn’t mean that I am negating my entire experience there,” Chin said.

“I wasn’t attracted to SBS because I was at the time considered a member of an ethnic minority, but I liked SBS as a network that seemed to be doing things that weren’t seen on other networks.”

“It’s not as if everybody working there went around saying they were believers in multiculturalism, we just liked the place, we believed in what we were doing and were proud to be a part of it.”

“SBS was admirable in its uncompromising way it went about its business and I don’t quite know what happened in that it went from that to what we know today.”

Ironically it was SBS’s own youth news outlet The Feed that gave Chin a glimpse of her potential away from reading the news, when the producers cast her in a series of comedic roles.

“They thought they would try me out in a comedy segment and between the two people who wrote and directed it and myself it took off,” Chin said.

“I seem to have discovered an audience online and personally I discovered something I never considered that I could do.”

During her thirty years reading the news Chin has been affected by many stories, including the first Gulf

Lee Lin Chin on life after SBS. Photo by ©George Fetting

War when the entire newsroom stayed behind all night for updates, but she singles one event out as being the most compelling story of her career.

“Naturally 9/11 was the most powerful news story and I remember saying to a floor manager friend ‘The world has just changed’.”

Besides her distinct news reading style Chin became known for her adventurous choice of wardrobe which draws heavily from a select few Japanese designers, and especially Jun Takahashi, Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo.

“Dressing up was something I brought from my life into the newsroom, and it comes from my childhood.

“My mother had seven children and she herself was always well dressed and she did the same with her kids, and I took after my mother.”

Besides collecting an internationally admired wardrobe, Chin’s other passion is reading.

Writers from the American South strike a particular chord, including authors Carson McCullers, Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner.

“Since the day that I discovered Faulkner until today, I go back to every one of his books every couple of years and find new things,” Chin said.

“He’s hard, and that is why he’s a commitment, he makes no concessions in his style.”

Uncompromising even in the choice of her perspex Commes de Garcon outfit for her final news broadcast, Lee Lin Chin now informs her own future as she embarks on a series of productions under her control.

“I have formed a small production company with two others and we are interested in making material for television and online, although some of these may not be on television as we know it,” Chin said.

“One of my happiest memories of SBS is that I have made some really good friends and all of them are going to be lifelong friends,” Lee Lin Chin said.

Council wants refugee action 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 Publisher: Lawrence Gibbons Group Editors: Lanie Tindale, John Moyle Contributors: John Moyle, Lanie Tindale, Peter Hehir, Paul Paech, Wendy Bacon, Andrew Woodhouse, Lilian Sekkai, Rickie Hardiman Arts Editor: Jamie Apps Cover Photo: By ©George Fetting. Lee Lin Chin 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 Lilli Sekkai The Inner West Council has called on the Federal Government to reverse cuts to the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) for asylum seekers living in the community.

In a motion passed unanimously at its meeting on July 24, the Council expressed concern that the cuts to the program, which provides assistance to asylum seekers who are waiting for their cases to be decided, would have a “devastating impact” on people seeking asylum.

“As a multicultural and welcoming community, we totally reject the unnecessary and cruel refugee policies pursued by successive Labor and Liberal governments,” said Inner West Councillor Tom Kiat.

“We need our local representatives… to accept the call to end offshore and onshore detention and to treat refugees with solidarity and compassion, not cruelty,” he said.

Mums 4 Refugees action group National Convenor Dulce Munoz says in the wake of the cuts it will fall on Sydney councils to make sure the community doesn’t leave the most vulnerable behind.

“SRSS services are a life line to thousands, and our community-

Protesters march for refugee rights Photo: John Englart

based organisations – which are already stretched – will not be able to provide the basic needs for people cast off the service,” she said.

At the meeting the Council also voted to call on the Federal Government to implement an improved Community Support Program (CSP) and resolved to promote refugee community sponsorship in the inner west area.

The CSP allows community groups, businesses, families and individuals to “sponsor” a refugee.

Supporters help asylum seekers get visas, assist them

in community integration, and commit to supporting them financially for their first year out on their own.

The program does not come cheap, with the cost for visa applications alone usually topping $30,000.

Recipients must also commit to living in a regional area, limiting opportunities for potential sponsors living in cities.

Praveena Gunaratnam, Convenor for Amnesty International NSW Refugee Network, said “The Federal government is responsible for

Australia’s overall humanitarian program and ensuring systems and programs are in place to support refugees to resettle and integrate in Australia.

“They are accountable to us, the Australian public, which is why we should call on them to implement an improved CSP which would allow Australia to play a greater role in helping people in need,” she said.

According to the resolution, the Inner West Council will specifically ask not to take places from other visa applicants, instead asking for an increase in the overall refugee intake and adequate support and services, limiting the cost for sponsors.

Furthermore, Council will communicate with the Community Refugee Sponsorship Initiative to seek information on how councils can support the initiative’s work further.

Cr Kiat said a well-designed CSP would be warmly welcomed

by Council and the Inner West community.

“I’m proud to be part of a community that acknowledges the scale of the global refugee crisis and wants to help,” he said.

“Council has an important advocacy role to play in the refugee space.” city hub 2 AUGUST 2018

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Sydney Park to be tunneled

BY Wendy Bacon and Lanie Tindale Electricity company Transgrid plans to dig a deep three metre wide trench across Sydney Park to install a cable that is part of a project to increase available power to central Sydney.

If approved by NSW Planning, the project would involve digging into contaminated landfill, removing trees, intruding into the park’s wetlands and disturbing wildlife.

This would further increase environmental pressure on the park caused by WestConnex, which is building an interchange on the southern border of the park.

The project, ‘Powering Sydney’s Future’, has been planned over several years but is yet to undergo a full environmental impact assessment.

The City of Sydney opposes the route through Sydney Park. According to a City spokesperson, the Council was first informed of the project around 18 months ago.

“At that time, the route was notionally along Campbell and Euston Roads within the City of Sydney local government area,” the spokesperson said. Campbell and Euston run along the boundaries of the park.

In June last year, Trangrid published a report which described six options under consideration, two of which involved building a trench along the Euston Rd side of Sydney Park. The report was prepared by AECOM in 2017. None of the options included a route through the middle of Sydney Park.

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city hub 2 AUGUST 2018

Glenys Waddell walks her dog in Sydney Park daily.

Photo: Supplied

AECOM reported that “coordination with Sydney Motorways Corporation is underway and has been an important factor in identifying connection mode options … with joint planning progressing in order to minimise potential future construction conflicts.”

The 2017 AECOM report also stated that the City of Sydney believed options involving significant excavation through former landfill areas as likely to be “highly undesirable and potentially prohibitive.”

Ausgrid, which is currently installing a cable down Euston Road, previously found that taking routes through Sydney Park was “problematic due to issues associated with the rehabilitation of the site (as a consequence of its historical use as a landfill site).” The City of Sydney reiterated these concerns

to Transgrid in March 2017.

A Transgrid map published in June 2017 showed the cable trench running down Euston Road where a new Ausgrid cable is also being installed.

But sometime between June 2017 and May 2018, Transgrid changed their plans.

Transgrid is required to submit its proposals for adding electricity capacity to the Australian Energy Regulator.

City Hub asked Transgrid to explain the latest choice of route. In a statement, Transgrid said that in May 2018 the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) had “approved a revised proposal for Powering Sydney’s Future after TransGrid proposed significant reductions in the project’s cost to ensure energy consumers would not bear any unnecessary cost while securing the energy supply to inner Sydney.”

We reviewed a copy of AER’s decision which approved a cheaper proposal.

The spokesperson later agreed that this decision was not the reason for the change of route, but told City Hub that the route was identified in a May 2017 report. This report also doesn’t contain consideration of an option through Sydney Park.

Transgrid’s statement continued“Transgrid has investigated multiple cable routes” including routes that had the “potential to co-locate within roadways in the SMC’s WestConnex project. Detailed analysis of these options found that conflicting project timelines made co-location impossible. Other options were ruled out for various reasons including electricity network security risks and lack of space in alternative roadways.”

City Hub asked for these detailed analyses but at the time of publication had not received them.

The first public indication of the new route is in a Transgrid Community newsletter distributed to some residents in St Peters during May 2018.

The newsletter includes a map showing the cable going along along May Street to Sydney Park. The cable then crosses the centre of Sydney Park, cutting through the wetland zone and exiting near onto Euston Road.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore told City Hub that she is “very concerned about Transgrid’s proposal to run cables through Sydney Park and [has] asked staff to work with Transgrid to find alternative solutions.

‘Sydney Park is a vital green lung for residents who live in the City of

Sydney and surrounding suburbs and it is already under threat from the State Government’s WestConnex toll road project,” Clr Moore said.

City Hub was first alerted to the project

by Glenys Waddell who has used the park since it opened 27 years ago.

She told City Hub that when another resident told her Transgrid was going to construct a trench through the park, she thought it was a mistake.

“To think that now we’re going to have even more environmental destruction because the Sydney Motorway Corporation won’t allow a cable under their roads just shows that the community is being put last.”

City of Sydney has asked Transgrid to consider alternate options, such as running the cable along Campbell and Euston Roads at the same time as Westconnex construction to minimise further disturbance to the local community. A spokesperson from the Council said they understand that Transgrid are reviewing the route options.

Transgrid said it “is in continuing discussions with the City of Sydney regarding the potential impact of the proposed route on Sydney Park.”

Transgrid did not indicate to City Hub that it was considering routes that do not enter through Sydney Park.

The project requires approval by the NSW Minister for Planning before Transgrid can proceed with the project.

An environmental assessment impact statement will be on public display in early 2019.

Bondi PO returned to sender

By Paul Paech While the rolling surf breaks coming in from the south stay the same from year to year, it’s the constant development of the buildings on the other side of Campbell Parade which renders Bondi almost beyond recognition.

In a welcome decision for locals, Waverley Council’s Development Assessment Panel (WDAP) has sent ambitious plans for Bondi Beach’s Post Office back to the developers with a demand that they give more attention to the heritage values of the site.

“We’re very pleased that the Panel rejected the recommendation from Council’s own planning department that the project be given the green light,” said Bondi resident Tim Murray.

He argues that the questions raised by the Panel about the property’s heritage values will prove difficult for the owner to address.

“It’s not a win yet,” said Mr Murray, who is spearheading resistance to plans to replace the single-storey brick building with a four-storey block of flats and two levels of below-ground parking.

“But the Panel has proved to be a welcome ally for the local community which really loves and values its own community post office which has been busy ever since it opened way back in 1922.”

Bondi Beach’s Post Office is included on the Commonwealth Heritage list, which identifies natural, historic and Indigenous places of heritage significance.

Mr Murray speculated the Panel’s rejection of Council’s assessment shows that heritage is not just a low-priority box that can be easily dismissed.

He said his experience living in China had opened his eyes to the need to protect the

heritage of properties before it was too late.

“Sydney’s recent building boom has shown residents how quickly local character can be damaged and even destroyed,” Mr Murray argued, adding that Council has a clear legal obligation to give heritage matters more serious consideration.

“Developers typically regard heritage as a minor annoyance, but WDAP has raised the bar with this decision,” he said.

“Council is saying that unless property developers engage seriously with a listed site’s heritage issues, their proposals risk rejection.”

At the WDAP meeting, Waverley’s Deputy Mayor Dominic Wy Kanak told the Panel the proposal failed to give sufficient protection to the valuable evidence of Bondi’s Aboriginal culture likely to be uncovered by the excavations.

“With such a high likelihood of unearthing historic Aboriginal heritage, it is risky to hand responsibility to developers who argue that removing trees from the Public Domain is ‘decluttering’.”

Cr Wy Kanak added “This type of development mentality does not give us positive hope the Bondi Post Office developers will properly exercise the onus of responsibility in identifying what might be important archaeological finds during the construction excavation.”

“Under those circumstances, developers never going to identify anything that might interrupt their work,” he said.

Tim Murray is calling on the Minister of Communications and Australia Post to conduct an investigation into the nature of the deals which have been done with regards to the site.

Mr Murray said the Post Office belongs to the Australian public, yet, unlike sales of other

Australia Post selling out Bondi.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

large development sites in Bondi, there had been no transparent public auction of the Post Office.

At the WDAP meeting, developers Taylor Constructions (currently excavating the nearby site between Gusto’s and Ravesi’s on Hall Street) revealed they had already bought the site.

Taylors paid $15 million for the site in May, yet Mr Murray claims public title records indicate that Australia Post only received $10 million.

“I want to know what happened to the other $5 million” he said, adding “Australia Post seems to have issued an earlier option to a private individual at no cost, which was then sold on just a few months later for a cool $5 million profit.” “$5 million represents an astonishing 50% on top of what Australia Post actually got for the property,” said Mr Murray, wondering aloud if any public tender process was used.

Mr Murray claims after the initial option deal the head of the Australia Post General Property Division - which had arranged the deal - then took up a job with CBRE, the property agent which had clinched the sale.

“One sharp-footed businessman has managed to get away with cool $5 million in flipping this public property,” he said, “and one of Australia Post’s senior real estate managers has now jumped ship to one of the agents involved in the sale.”

As the Post Office is within the electorate of Wentworth, Mr Murray is also calling for its Federal Representative, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, to “step up and tell us what he knows about these on-the-nose property deals that would rob Bondi’s vibrant local community of this pivotal public building and business.”

Faced with a rapidly cooling market for new flats and forecasts that development applications for blocks of flats will drop by 50% over the next 12 months, Taylors will now have to decide whether to address the WDAP’s objections or take the chance of going straight to the Land & Environment Court.

After last week’s fiery WDAP meeting, a member of the development team told a resident they needed a stiff drink.

Following the Panel’s decision, they may well need to head into the waves to wash off their their disappointment.

103 Enmore Road, Newtown. T 9557 4818 More info: www.catprotection.org.au

city hub 2 AUGUST 2018

5

Opinion

New Rozelle My private park railroaded health records

Valuable inner city land too toxic. Photo: Sebastian Reategui

By Peter Hehir What does the looming NSW Supreme Court of Appeal decision in the Desane Properties Ltd case mean for the future of WestConnex, Baird’s park in the goods yard and for the Inner West?

Whichever way it goes there is a sting in the tail.

If the decision is overturned then Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) will be allowed to make a compulsory acquisition of the land owned by Desane, using the bulk of the land to replace greenspace lost in other areas of WestConnex development.

However if the Court upholds the earlier ruling that the acquisition is not enforceable, then WestConnex will still proceed, albeit with a smaller footprint, in the Rozelle Goods yard.

With less land to play with, the proposed park will be reduced in size accordingly and Desane, a publically listed developer, will continue with its application to build a multistory development of 180 home units and a commercial complex on its land.

The ugliness and sense of community alienation that pollutes Pyrmont and Ultimo today due to poor planning and over development will have gained a permanent foothold in South West Rozelle.

Whichever way the Court of Appeal panel of judges decides, the residents lose.

They either get a toxic park courtesy of WestConnex, or an equally toxic development on land which was zoned Railway Special Uses B under the Leichhardt 1979 Town Plan.

Clearly the choice is no choice at all.

It’s either the devil or the deep blue sea.

The problem with the park will be the toxic emissions from the 3 unfiltered exhaust stacks.

Most aware and health conscious parents will be loath to bring their darling children to a place where they can run around inhaling some of the estimated 50 tonnes of carcinogenic particulate matter and the nitrogen dioxide that will be exhausted from the unfiltered stacks annually.

Medical scientists say that there is no safe level of air pollution, and that lung cancer is one of the few cancers which can be said to be caused by air pollution, as well as other toxins.

Figures provided by the RMS in relation to the Lane Cove Tunnel show that tunnel users will be exposed to more than 50 times the maximum levels suggested by the World Health Organisation, at the end of the tunnel.

The RMS absolutely refuses to filter the exhaust stacks, stating that ‘filtration doesn’t work’, that ‘it’s too expensive’ and they employ ‘world’s best practice’.

I believe all three of these statements to be blatantly and demonstrably untrue.

The assertion that ‘filtration doesn’t work’ 6

city hub 2 AUGUST 2018

is based on a botched trial – deliberate or otherwise – conducted on the M5 East and flies in the face of the highly successful results obtained from filtered road tunnels in other parts of the world.

In-tunnel filtration is significantly cheaper than the exhaust stack method used by the RMS here in NSW. If filtration equipment to remove both the oxides of nitrogen and PM 2.5, (particulate matter smaller in diameter than 2.5 microns – a micron being 1,000 of a millimetre) is installed during construction as part of the tunnel design, the cost of servicing the filters compares more than favourably with the running costs of the RMS system.

Where it becomes expensive is if best practice is not employed from the beginning, and work has to be redone.

Anyone who has approached the M5 East tunnel portal from the south will be aware of the acrid assault on the nose that instantly causes vehicle occupants to wind up their windows.

What these hapless passengers are experiencing is the heavily polluted air that has been pushed down only 2.5 km of the westbound tunnel, which has particle levels up to 50 times greater than the outside air.

The RMS uses large fans to counter the piston effect of exhaust gases being pushed out of the tunnel by the stream of traffic.

It is an Environmental Protection Authority requirement that there be no emissions at a tunnel exit portal in NSW. But there are no pollution monitors at the exit portal, and in any case the exhaust stack on the M5 East is midway along the tunnel length.

Go figure.

The RMS approach is of course nowhere near ‘world’s best practice’.

It ignores state of the art approaches to same in Spain, Japan, China, Norway and Italy.

Results in Japan have shown that 98% of particulate matter can be easily removed in the tunnel.

The RMS is well aware of the international results but their bloody-minded bigwigs still refuse to admit that they are just plain wrong.

Presumably this is because of the loss of face, or perhaps more likely, because they are acutely aware of the huge cost of retro-filtering existing road tunnels should new standards force backwards compatability.

If Stage 3 of WestConnex does find a contractor and a buyer willing to take the financial risk, it’s only a matter of time before NSW residents’ demands for filtered road tunnels become so loud they cannot be ignored.

It will be a roar even louder than the noise of all the extra traffic churning through our beloved Inner West.

By Rickie Hardiman In the wake of the Federal Government’s decision to create an electronic health record for all Australians unless they choose to opt out, Sydney consumers are scrambling to assess the pros and cons of the program.

Australians have until mid-October to opt out of My Health Record (MHR), a centralised system which allows health service providers to access patients’ data.

Up until now, patients have only had the record created if they chose to opt in.

Patient records are currently scattered in various formats at GP’s surgeries, hospitals and pharmacies.

The Federal Government plans to eventually have all the information on a centralised database.

My Health Record is an online summary of key medical information including allergies, prescriptions, vaccinations, prior hospital admissions and pathology test results.

Consumers can choose to manage their MHR themselves, adding information, choosing security settings and denying access to certain agencies.

Tools to inform Australians about MHR are being distributed to General Practitioners to help them to advise their patients about the system.

General practitioner and former President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Professor Kerryn Phelps said “Like most doctors I can see the benefits of a My Health Record, particularly for people with chronic complex medical condition”.

Sydney health worker Christine described the

“The Government has failed to effectively communicate with the public about what the My Health Record is and the potential benefits it could bring,” she said.

Other critics of the system are concerned with the privacy issues and cyber security, and of provisions in the legislation potentially allowing data to be accessed by a range of agencies.

Leanne Wells warned “We believe Section 70 of the My Health Records Act 2012 needs to be tightened so that access to medical records for nonhealthcare reasons is governed by law and judicial oversight and not left to be subject to agency policy.”

Fears of privacy breaches have been exacerbated by news of hacking and data breaches in the electronic health records of patients in other countries, including Singapore and the United States.

Shadow Minister for Digital Economy, Ed Husic, said he will opt out if government doesn’t improve the legislation.

“People are entirely within their right to opt out if they think this isn’t a good deal for them,” he said.

Another voice of concern belongs to Dr Cassandra Goldie, CEO of the Australian Council of Social Services, who said “We need to see legislative protection of My Health Record information, so that it cannot be accessed by third parties without a person’s express permission or by court order or subpoena”.

Dr Goldie said the Australian Council of Social Services “has expressed serious concerns about the lack of adequate privacy protection in the legislation for the My Health Record system”.

Australians have until October to opt out of My Health Record. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

challenges of working in a system with inaccessible heath data.

“You are not necessarily going to be in your (local) area when you get sick, and the treating doctor would not have access to your records,” she said.

Leanne Wells, CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, a body which supports the opt out system, said “For healthy people, having instant access to personal health information – which is rapidly expanding given the growth in number and capability of health apps – offers an important stimulus to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

However, many consumers believe the potential value in MHR is outweighed by the risk of privacy and data breaches, with 20,000 people opting out of the system in just one week.

The MHR website has experienced significant delays and crashes, with some consumers discovering they already had a record in the system.

Phone operators assisting consumers experiencing difficulty opting out or deleting existing records have warned of long wait times to get help, and advised trying to access the system after the initial interest dies down.

Shadow Minister for Health, Catherine King says “There has been significant and growing community concern about the My Health Record since the beginning of the opt-out period.

The system also causes concerns for teenagers who don’t want their parents to have access to their data.

There are options for those aged 14-18 to keep their medical records confidential under the MHR scheme, but teens need to either change their settings themselves, or ask their doctors not to include certain data.

Catherine King says the government has failed to explain to people how their rights will be respected, or their privacy protected.

“This approach has fuelled suspicion – which could be why tens of thousands of people rushed to opt out in the first week,” she said.

While acknowledging the benefits of My Health Record, Cr Prof Phelps says “Confidentiality is at the core of our ability to do our job effectively.

“In Queensland abortion is still illegal so people who are seeking abortions are concerned that information might get into the hands of law enforcement agencies,” she said.

However current AMA President Dr Tony Bartone commented “We’ve been assured that this is the best level of possible protection that could be implemented, and we’ve got to go with that.”

Since this story was written the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt has announced the My Health Record legislation will be amended so that records will not be able to be accessed by a third party agency without a court order.

DA objections: a guide

By Andrew Woodhouse We all have a common interest in improving our area.

We can’t trust state government or council’s high priests of planning.

The price of our amenity is eternal vigilance in this high-octane living environment.

If we remain tacit, one morning we’ll wake up to jackhammers outside bedroom windows at 7am.

Thus follows a guide to navigating objections to Development Applications.

We look for three things when assessing a Development Approval: The site notice on the building, the expiry date for public exhibition and the value of the DA. If the site notice is missing Council has to put it up.

It’s a brief description but can be misleading.

It is not council’s description: it’s the applicant’s description and is often paints a cosy, rosy picture.

How much the DA costs determines who will decide on it.

It might be delegated to a young, student planner sitting at their desk alone - with their squidgy sandwich and mixed health juice - with the developer constantly phoning them, and their area planner pestering them.

Phone the planner.

They don’t do chit chat.

Ask them straight up: “What are the issues in your professional view about this DA?”

They lap up compliments and can be surprisingly helpful. Take notes. Be very polite to your “new best buddy”.

Sir Frank Lowry AC, head of the US$29 billion global Mirvac developer empire, one told me: “I treat [planners] as gods.”

After chatting up the planner, download all documents, even obscure ones.

Email or call your “new best buddy” if things are missing.

Put your glossy new white DA folder on your shelf or under your (now lumpy) pillow.

Absorb by osmosis.

It sounds cumbersome but relax, you’re under control.

Read the DA file very, very carefully.

Look for the developer’s inconsistencies.

These are common.

Begin formulating objections.

Have a break.

This journey comes with a fruitful ending.

When the going gets tough, the tough get thinking.

Read Council’s Development Control plan 2012 (DCP) and Local Environment Plan (LEP).

There are detailed rules about zoning, apartment sizes, balconies, roof features, privacy controls, retail shops, sex services premises.

Town planning is all about squashing more and more people into less and less space.

DA for dummies Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Then jump right into the DCP. Become an instant expert on provisions about car parking and bicycles, nightclubs (section 3.15), heritage (3.9) footpath awnings (3.2), solar panels (3.6.3) and trees (3.5).

Part 3.4 about “design excellence”

PUBLIC NOTICE

is one of the greatest pieces of protean prose ever composed: it’s your best friend or worst enemy.

There are 30 possible breaches here.

I always end with: “This DA should be rejected. It breaches numerous controls and the overarching Planning

Act, sections 4.15 etc., re: site suitability, sustainability, social, heritage and environmental impacts and the public interest.”

Andrew Woodhouse is President of the Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage and Residents’ Society.

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PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE A MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION AT BONDI BEACH Vodafone plans to upgrade an existing telecommunications facility near the corner of Hall and O’Brien Streets BONDI BEACH NSW 2026.

The proposed works consist of: • Removal of existing 3GIS equipment • Replacement of existing panel antenna and radio equipment with two (2) new integrated BTS units (small cell installations) • Installation of associated ancillary equipment Vodafone regards the proposed installation as a Low-impact Facility under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determinations 2018 (“The Determination”) based on the description above.

Further information can be obtained from Jack Rixon on behalf of Vodafone, (02) 9465 5257, jack.rixon@aurecongroup.com and at www.rfnsa.com.au/2171003 Written submissions should be sent to: Vodafone c/- Aurecon Australasia Pty Ltd, PO Box 538 Neutral Bay NSW 2089 by Thursday 16 August, 2018

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TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE YURONG LANE, DARLINGHURST 30 JULY 2018 to 24 AUGUST 2018 Yurong Lane will be temporarily closed to traffic from Crown Street to Crown Lane on Monday, 30 July 2018 to Friday, 24 August 2018 from 7:30am to 5:30pm.

The lane is closed to allow construction activity.

Traffic controllers will be in attendance at Crown Street and Crown Lane corners to provide local access.

The back-update for these works are from Monday, 6 August 2018 to Friday, 31 August 2018.

For more information please contact Danny on 0415 717 171 city hub 2 AUGUST 2018

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FEATURE

Hallyuwood Down Under

By Riley Hooper Returning for its ninth year in Australia, presented by the Korean Cultural Centre Australia is the Korean Film Festival (KOFFIA).Taking place in Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra, the festival will take place in Sydney from August 9 to 18 featuring the very best of Korean culture through film.The packed program will showcase a range of world class Korean films, from blockbusters to arthouse flicks, with something exquisite to tickle every fans fancy.The past year for Korean cinema has been one of the best, making for a very special year for the festival, with Director of KOFFIA, David Park saying, “the festival is a cinematic experience for people of all tastes, ages and backgrounds, with an enormous range for audiences to pick from.”

The opening of the festival will play feel-good flick Little Forrest and will close with lively Korean arthouse hit Microhabitat.The film won the CGV Arthouse Award at the Busan International Film Festival last year and is the directorial debut of Jeon Go-woon.

Headlining this year’s festival is Keys To The Heart, a story of two men entering each other’s lives to discover they are half-brothers. Bringing Hollywood and Hallyuwood together is A Taxi Driver, which was South Korea’s pick for the foreign language category at the 2018 Academy Awards. Among the genres of the Korean Film Festival audiences can catch thrillers, dramas, comedy, horror and fantasy. In the thriller category, there are four films being played, 7 Years Of Night, Golden Slumber, The Vanished and Forgotten.

Gonjiam - Haunted Asylum

In the drama section, there are seven films being showcased, with the standout being, A Haunting Hitchhike that follows a lonely but hopeful journey of a teenage girl seeking out her long-lost mother. The film is the debut feature from Jeong Heejae and won her the Audience Award at the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival. The other dramas in the line-up are, A Day, Champion, Last Child, Mothers, Stand By Me and Believer.

The fantasy genre boasts two films, Glass Garden and Be With You, a love story blending warmth and sadness together as a father and son struggle to cope with the loss of a wife and mother. On the sunny and funny side of things the Korean Film Festival has four comedies in the massive line-up.

First up is I Can Speak with What a Man Wants, Snatch Up and Midnight Runners rounding out the bill.

Midnight Runners

CITY HUB TOP PICKS FORGOTTEN: In this twisted suspense thriller, a boy who suffers nervous breakdowns is forced to investigate his brother after he is kidnapped and cannot remember anything. Mysteriously leaving in the night the boy follows his brother to see if his brother is really who he says he is.The film stars Kang Ha-neul, Kim Mu-yeol, Moon Sung-keun and Na Young-hee.

Director Chang-jun and producer Jang Won-seok will be guests at the films screening in Sydney and will be presenting a Q&A session after the film.

The film has good suspense and definitely keeps you guessing with a Shutter Island type feel.The first hour is great, is he crazy? Is he not? But in the last forty minutes the film takes a turn for the weird and fails to explain what the hell is going on. Not a bad watch but the ending should be Forgotten. WWW

GONJIAM - HAUNTED ASYLUM: Disappointingly the only film in the horror genre. As a horror fan this was the second film chosen to review and boy was it a surprise.

The film follows the owner of YouTube channel ‘Horror Times’ and six accomplices as they set up to live stream their exploration of the haunted Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. To gain maximum views a few of the group rig up fake hauntings, but is all that is happening fake or is the group cursed? The found footage style South Korean horror is directed by Jung Bum-shik and stars Wi Ha-joon, Park Ji-hyun, Moon Ye-won and more. The film could be compared to The Gallows but ten times better. There were a few jump scares and the cast went well together. WWWW

MIDNIGHT RUNNERS: A South Korean action comedy directed by Jason Kim and starring Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul as two unlikely situational best friends.

The film tells the story of the slow-witted jock and bookworm as they join the Korean National Police University. Well into university the pair witness a kidnapping. The authorities are too busy to make it a priority, dealing with the kidnapping of a business moguls son.

The friends decide to investigate on their own getting them in all sorts of trouble. An innocent comedy that’s a cross between 21 Jump Street and Police Academy. Could have had more action but classic Korean comedy.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Playlist

Presenting the lives and perspectives of five young women from all over the world, Playlist shows female experiences in our society while focusing on young women of colour.

The powerful and pioneering work shows women’s strength in a critical time of sometimes confronting commentaries on identity, intersectional feminism and female empowerment in 21st century Australia.

An extraordinary female cast featuring artists with Nigerian, Tongan-Iraqi, Vietnamese and Croatian backgrounds truly shows multicultural, female capability.

Through pop music Playlist displays

contemporary issues, how we find ourselves and our identity in music and how pop music shapes our cultural and social worlds.

Photo: Robert Catto

REVIEW: Cry-Baby

Hayes Theatre Co, the Potts Point’s gem that specialises in quirky musicals, has hit the mark again, with the Australian premiere of Cry-Baby.

An energetic, exciting, exhilarating production that packs a mighty punch on the small intimate stage, Cry-Baby’s big cast of 14 talented actors compensate with insane running up and down the aisles, and utilising stage trapdoors; in a plethora of ways, it’s bursting at the seams with 50s panache.

Set in America in 1954, the musical Cry-Baby

is based on the book from the writer of Hairspray and the cult classic movie that came out of Universal Studios in 1990, produced by camp master John Waters, starring Johnny Depp.

Skilful choreography by Cameron Mitchells the show utilises the space beautifully, a harmonised score has live band accompaniment and songs range from soft love songs to rock numbers with memorable titles like Can I Kiss You With Tongue? – you’ll cringe at the filthy dirty tongue wrestling. Cupid Slipped A Mickey In My Polio

Music styles ranging from Solange and Fleetwood Mac through to M.I.A, Rihanna, Beyoncé and George Michael ensures there is something to relate and respond to for all audiences.

According to Artistic Director Karen Therese the performers present a truly global perspective on women, culture and feminism.

The genre-defying, brave and transformative work will impact and inspire audiences and artists across Australia.

Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT) has already won a long list of awards honouring their great work and this performance won’t be any different. (LSe) Aug 2-11. PYT Fairfield, 19 Harris Street, Fairfield. $16.75-$27.19+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.pyt.com.au

Vaccine (And Interacted With My Heart), is a historical reference to a post war era that feared Communism, and the bleakness of gas masks, bomb shelters, an air raid alarm, war effort factories and an iron lung are parodied, adding to a richness in the layers of detail.

Cry-Baby is a teen rebel classic, similar to the musical Grease, featuring a romance between rockabilly bad boy, Wade ‘Cry-Baby’ Walker, (Christian Charisiou) from the wrong side of the tracks, ‘poorhouse pinko’, wild and bad, a ‘foster home run away’, from a ‘family of Commo pyromaniacs’ and Allison (Ashleigh Rubenach), a square naive rich girl, ‘in the 11th grade’, whose under the watchful eye of her grandmother, (Beth Daly), clearly the crowd favourite and standout best actor.

Add in some physical theatre exaggerated movements and comic timing, a dose of gender reversal, some well disguised doubling up of roles and above all, the Waters trademark, a stark visual contrast, between the pastel suited squares and the brightly coloured rebels, all stripes, patterns, dyed hair and attitude. (MS) Until Aug 19. Hayes Theatre Company, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point. $69+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.hayestheatre.com.au

REVIEW: Yarramadoon - The Musical It’s a funny name and it’s a funny show.Very funny. Writers/directors/ stars and sisters Eliza and Hannah Reilly use the idioms, quirks and ockerisms they observed growing up in the real country town, Yarramadoon, to create a hilarious, absurd, vaudeville come sketch comedy musical parody with a touch of sentimentality.

The two women play several characters each, making for some hysterical quick costume changes.

They are joined at the side of the stage (and sometimes at the centre) by keyboardist/sound designer/ actor Matthew Predny who is

wonderfully deadpan and almost steals the show with his heartrending ballad as an ibis.Yes. An ibis.

The show is fast paced and for all its raucous humour, actually has a compelling narrative arc.

While their lampooning of small town Aussie stereotypes pretty much treads familiar territory, it’s their chainsaw wit, flawless timing, and confident, charismatic performance that raises this show above any comparisons. The songs are well structured with incredibly clever lyrics and strong melodies, and while no one but their parents would argue that

a&e

either of the sisters has a particularly good singing voice,

19 STAGE 10 Sounds 11 SCENE 11 SCREEN

there is virtue in their delivery.

The downstairs theatre at Belvoir is small and minimal, which is in fact perfect for this show. Eliza and Hannah interact frequently with the audience, and the intimacy of the venue gives it a comedy club/cabaret type feel.

Your cheek muscles will hurt, your sides will ache, you may even end up with damp underwear, but you will have enjoyed every minute. (RB) Until Aug 11. Belvoir Street Theatre, Downstairs, 18 & 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills. $25+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.belvoir.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

REVIEW: Legally Blonde The Musical

Photo: Grant Leslie

This is one of those rare instances where a stage musical derived from a movie is as good as - if not better - than that movie.

And this staging by Packemin Productions at Riverside Theatres totally does it justice.

Legally Blonde: The Musical was written by Heather Hach, with songs by husband and wife team Lawrence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. Don’t let the bejewelled chihuahua and pink colour scheme fool you it’s a deceptively complex and clever musical that relies on a lot of pitch perfect delivery, intuitive comic timing, lots of personality, and a great voice - and this cast has all of the above in spades.

The story in brief, if you haven’t see the film, centres on Elle Woods, a pretty blonde Malibu Barbie incarnate, whose 50s era view of gender roles is challenged when the boyfriend who she thought was about to propose, instead breaks up with her to study law at Harvard. His not-so-subtle suggestion that Elle is not a suitable companion for a serious man prompts her to go to Harvard herself and prove otherwise. Lots of twists and turns, side stories, two cameo dog appearances and everyone ends up with what they deserve.

It is impeccably cast, with Mikayla Williams absolutely outstanding in the lead as Elle. Joshua Keane as Warner has a gorgeous, velvety voice and Kyle Sapsford as Emmett is a perfect mix of pubescent awkwardness and only adult in the room.

Rodney Dobson (Callahan) brings gravity and presence, Jocelyn O’Brien (Paulette) has classic character-role charm.

The sets are clever and effective, the choreography is impressive and the sound and lighting technicians are on point.

This is premium level theatre at a very accessible price. (RB) Until Aug 11. Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church St & Market St, Parramatta. $42-$55+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.riversideparramatta.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 & Lili Sekkai, Joseph Rana.

city hub 2 AUGUST 2017

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REVIEW: Stomp

Stomp transforms the clanging and banging cacophony encountered at a typical construction site into a mesmerising symphony.

Brooms, garbage cans, steel drums, tubes, match boxes, lighters and newspapers become musical instruments in a percussive ensemble. A cast of eight athletic performers turn the contents of a hardware emporium (they even throw in the kitchen sink) into musical instruments as they tap, shuffle, kick, swing and stomp their away across the stage.

Photo: Steve McNicholas

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WRITERS WANTED A Call Out for the Retired, Superannuated and Graduate Students Writers needed on local issues across the City Hub’s five distribution regions.

Must be able to write engaging and accurate copy and meet deadlines.

Please contact City Hub with CV news@altmedia.net.au city hub 2 AUGUST 2018

climate, the overall effect of having eight dancers create a rhythmic storm is uplifting and exciting.

If you have never seen Stomp (think Riverdance or Tap Dogs at a Bunnings Warehouse) it’s worth catching this international sensation during its limited run at the Capitol Theatre.

(LG) Until Aug 5. Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell St, Haymarket. $89.90$109.90+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.capitoltheatre.com.au/stomp/

Xavier Rudd

By Jamie Apps Xavier Rudd’s name has been synonymous with Australian music for decades however he has been missing, in the solo scene, for the past six years. So when City Hub had the opportunity to speak with him ahead of his return tour we obviously asked him about the reasoning behind the hiatus and his emotions leading into the tour.

Rudd explained that the hiatus was not spurred by a slow down in creative output but rather a decision to pursue a collaborative project.

“I did an album with United Nations, which is a nine piece reggae band, in the time since my last solo record. So all of my time has been taken up by that and the subsequent world tour.”

As he now returns to solo touring Rudd said he is “definitely stoked and really thankful” to have fans who are still clamouring for his music. This tour especially is a “blessing” Rudd explained because “I haven’t really done much here for a while, I’m always off overseas.”

The upcoming tour is a celebration of Rudd’s new record Storm Boy. Taking some time away was inadvertently beneficial for this particular record because it allowed Rudd to fully develop songs he had been working on for up to 10 years.

“There are a few really special songs on

this record that I had the idea there for a quiet a while, I had just never developed them beyond that because it simply didn’t feel like the right time,” said Rudd. “I don’t ever force songs. If I’ve got a musical idea often I’ll just wait for the right emotional message or lyrics to support it, so the songs kind of just shape themselves when they’re ready.”

One song in particular that Rudd pointed to as a great example of this process was

True Love. This song will be a central point of the upcoming tour but this tour won’t just be new material.

“This show has a bit of everything, there is a bit of old and a bit of new,” described Rudd. “I’ve also got a brand new band which is really exciting and I feel like this is probably the best live show I’ve ever had.”

Aug 4. Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown. $67.40+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.enmoretheatre.com.au

Trophy Eyes The American Dream

Kuren Melting Conceptually

The third record from Trophy Eyes has them continuing to blur the boarders between punk/hardcore and pop-rock.

This time around with The American Dream the band are taking an introspective look at life as they search for a utopian dreamland free from the vile toxicity spewed across social media today.

With this record the group have chosen to keep the vocal melodies much more subtle and pop audience friendly whilst also introducing string elements throughout the record. These choices make this record a soothing listening experience whilst still having a deep soulful punch behind the lyrics when you listen carefully.

The American Dream should appeal to a wide range of music fans and is sure to see Trophy Eyes have incredible success both locally and abroad.

Definitely check this one out. (JA)

Sydney electronic music producer Kuren has finally delivered his longawaited debut album, and it was certainly worth the wait.

Rarely will a record with a primarily electronic production foundation inspire as much emotion as Kuren has drawn out with Melting Conceptually. The record is incredibly emotive as the producer/songwriter/vocalist bares his soul throughout.

Melting Conceptually continues to explore Kuren’s signature soundscape which ensures that it is simultaneously dark but also incredibly energising. Kuren achieves this by allowing the tracks to swing back and forth between the emotive moments and charging crescendoes which would more typically be expected in electronic club music.

The prime examples from this record which you should go out of your way to hear are, Wake Me Up featuring Sydnee Carter, Mastercraft and Bright Dawn featuring Illy. (JA) WWW1/2

WWWW

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Originally performed in the Edinburgh Festival in 1991 and staged repeatedly off Broadway and on London’s West End, the production has toured globally for more than 25 years. Stomp sold out when it last appeared in Australia in 2014.

In a tilt to modern day diversity, the current cast includes four beefcake construction workers, two women, a chub and a wafer-thin lad. While the directorial decision to have the crew ostracise and bully the smallest member of the cast for comedic value was questionable in today’s

THE NAKED CITY

SPEAKERS CORNERED!

With Coffin Ed “An Entertaining Evening with Nigel Farrage – Politics Needs A Bit Of Spicing Up” – that’s the blurb advertising the forthcoming Australian ‘speakers’ tour of the UK’s Mr Brexit – the latest in a string of right wing celebrities here to cash in on the obviously lucrative talkfest circuit. If you are so inclined, you might grab your ticket now, ranging from a humble $49 student concession to a full blown ‘private dinner’ for $995.

Nigel is here thanks to GME Events, previously known as Filthy Gorgeous Publishing, the folks who brought you Milo Yiannopoulos, and boast on their website: “GME events offer a unique and unparalleled experience by allowing fans the opportunity to interact directly with the world’s leading personalities. GME events are immersive, infinitely shareable, and brag-worthy at the highest level.”

GME’s promoter is Sydney entrepreneur Damian Costas, who also runs the company that publishes the Australian version of Penthouse Magazine. Whether he has a philosophical alignment with the more colourful gasbags of the right or just sees a good business opportunity is open to question. What he does enjoy is a climate of ‘PC’ bashing, Trumpian politics and the

voices of Fox News – all great for today’s box office.

In the past we have seen plenty of left wing and otherwise controversial imported writers, commentators, journalists and ex politicians ply a similar circuit, with their supporters no less eager to fork out good money to partake in what is in many ways an evangelical gathering. Few however have been promoted with the kind of rock star pizzazz that surrounded the Yiannopolous tour and is currently offering a backstage encounter with Nigel Farrage that will sting you a mere $495! Does that include a selfie?

We live in a democracy and supposedly people of all political persuasions have a right to speak, unless of course you are the repugnant holocaust denier David Irving and the Australian Government is never going to grant you a visa. Whether some of the more contentious speakers have a right to stir up hatred as they flit around the country is certainly open to challenge.

The recent visit of gun toting Canadian YouTube rabble-rouser Lauren Southern is a great example. As with the Milo Yiannopoulos road show, hundreds of protestors turned out to voice their opposition, so much so that police protection was necessary and venues were kept secret. Southern’s pre-tour promo stunt and photo opp was to drop into Lakemba and the Mosque, falsely asserting

that this had been the scene of a major race riot and expressing her dismay that only Muslims were visible in the shopping precinct.

Surely somebody could have briefed her better letting her know that the antimulticulturalism debate is almost dead in the water here - with not even One Nation flogging that issue these days. It’s hard to believe some devotees forked out as much as $749 at her Sydney show to have their prejudices reaffirmed. Obviously some hate speak does not come cheap!

You could of course be totally cynical and see the Milo, Nigel and Lauren rock shows as simply another form of entertainment, albeit more in the style of bear baiting, dwarf throwing and throwing Christians (or maybe atheists) to the lions.As more and more promoters jump on the bandwagon to exploit the current political discord prepare yourself for the mega stadium talk show, coming to an arena near you and featuring: DAVID DUKE (ex KKK), RUSH LIMBAUGH (talk show host), BILL O’REILLY (ex Fox News), OLIVER NORTH (convicted felon and NRA President),TED NUGENT (gun freak), BRIDGET BARDOT (convicted race hater), MARINE LE PEN (French Far Right) and many, many more - with a musical interlude from the choir of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Now, who wouldn’t pay good money to see a line up like that!

The Breaker Upperers

From the producers of Boy and Hunt For The Wilderpeople comes the truly hilarious comedy

The Breaker Upperers. The refreshing New Zealand film is directed and written by Jackie Van Beek and Madeleine Sami, who also star in the film alongside James Rolleston, Celia Pacquola and Ana Scotney.

After best friends, Mel and Jen find out they were being two-timed by the same guy they form a small-time business that helps unhappy lovers break up with their other halves. Bitter and keeping their cynicism alive by not getting emotionally involved with anybody else, but when they run into an old victim will having a conscience ruin their friendship.

New Zealand is churning out some quality content at the moment, especially with The Breaker Upperers. The sarcastic blunt harmless humour is pulled off perfectly. The characters are loveable and the storyline ridiculous but amazing.

A must watch for a belly full of laughs. (RH) WWWW1/2

Cement Fondu: Between Suns

Showing contemporary art; hopeful, expressive, raw, sad and extraordinary, Cement Fondu is hosting their third exhibition Between Suns involving awesome artists and including the Refugee Art Project.

Powerful and expressive works at the main gallery are supported by the awesome work of the Refugee Art Project which hosts workshops in Villawood detention centre as well as for refugees living in Western Sydney to help them process their experiences, offering an opportunity for self-expressions and creativity. The artwork is showed in exhibitions like this one, providing challenging insights, educating visitors and drawing attention to refugee issues. The exhibition showcases impressive drawings and paintings as well as a meaningful children’s book demonstrating

controversies, encouraging visitors to overthink and reflect.

A huge variety of artwork including videos, wallpapers and drawings, offer much space for interpretations as well as art for everyone.

The opening event provided great performances including singing, dancing, some drama and a lot of humour and jokes as well as drinks and food.

Hosting special events basically every Saturday like the fundraising event on August 4 or Cement Fondu’s famous jazz night, Between Suns does not only appear as an exhibition, it is a warm and welcoming venue where art and creativity are in focus.

Visitors can buy many art products at the Between Suns art store where most of the profits go to the Refugee Art Project.

This exhibition surely shows pictures tell more than 1000 words!

Until Sep 16. Cement Fondu, 36 Gosbell St, Paddington.

Info: www.cementfondu.org

The Wife Glenn Close’s performance as Joan Castleman the wife of the title - has been vaunted as a career peak by some and she certainly gives everything she has. Unfortunately, she has so much more than the script can accommodate and what we see on screen is an incredibly talented actress paralleling the frustration of her character, a talented writer, in trying to realise her potential in a world that stifles her ambition.

Joan is married to famous writer and soon to be Nobel Prize recipient, Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce). Joan is virtually subservient to her husband, dutiful and patient and even forgiving of his carnal transgressions. By degrees, though, their long marriage begins to crumble under the weight of a secret that cannot withstand the dissonance of Joe being awarded the highest honour in literature. Max Irons plays the aspiring writer and neglected son who is too morose to empathise

with. Christian Slater is interesting but underutilised as the persistent would-be biographer, Nathaniel Bone. Overall, it feels unsophisticated and lands disappointingly short.

WW1/2 city hub 2 AUGUST 2017

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We’re giving city businesses the recognition they deserve.

NSW Business Chamber Business Awards 2018 - Sydney City Region Winners by Category Excellence in Business The Shepherd Centre for Deaf Children

Excellence in Workplace Inclusion Winya Indigenous Furniture

Excellence in Export Hivery

Outstanding Business Leader Jim Hungerford, The Shepherd Centre for Deaf Children

Excellence in Innovation MadeComfy Excellence in Small Business Winya Indigenous Furniture Excellence in Social Enterprise Beehive Industries Cooperative Excellence in Sustainability Winya Indigenous Furniture

Outstanding Young Employee Matthew Woods, Meriton Suites Outstanding Young Entrepreneur Nicole Shelley, Pepper IT Start Up Superstar Mayday Recruitment Business of the Year Winya Indigenous Furniture

Congratulations! These awards recognise the outstanding achievements demonstrated by our local businesses. Everyone in the City of Sydney wishes you the best of luck at the state awards in November.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore sydneybusinessawards.com.au

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city hub 2 AUGUST 2018