City Hub April 10

Inside:

Caltex given clean-up orders Page 3 Meet the ‘broken hipsters’ descending on downtown Page 6 Eat & drink Page 14 What’s On guide Page 18

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November 2013 April 10,7, 2014

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STUDENTLEAKS

Student union vice-president Tom Raue could be dismissed for leaking documents

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Clean-up order given after Caltex spill Refugees dispatched into Caltex, along with Sydney Ports Corporation, inspected both the north and south side of Botany Bay by boat, and also by foot along the beach fronts. No odour was detected and all beaches were reported clean.”

In a media release, the EPA’s chief environmental regulator Mark Gifford said Caltex will have to undertake an ecological assessment as a result of the notice.

“Our officers and members of the community observed oil on rock platforms and in the sand at Congwong and Little Congwong Beaches,” he said.

“The incident has impacted on the local environment which is unacceptable and as a result we have issued Caltex with a clean-up notice as a further step in our regulatory actions.”

Gifford also stated that this notice could be the first of many issued to Caltex as a result of the spill.

The Caltex refinery has been labelled a ‘serial offender’

An EPA spokesperson said that the authority had investigated the Caltex site four times in the past five years over issues arising from stormwater.

“The extent of wastewater discharge investigation and works already completed to date are an EPA direct requirement resulting from the past incidents,” the spokesperson said. They did not comment on how the Kurnell Refinery’s record compared with other Australian facilities.

The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) claimed that the refinery was a “repeat offender” which viewed penalties for breaches of their pollution license as a “cost of doing business”.

“The oil spill is the latest in a litany of pollution breaches at the Caltex refinery,” the NCC’s chief executive Pepe Clarke said.

“The NSW Environment Protection Authority must take firm action to ensure that the company upgrades its pollution control systems to reduce risks to public safety and the environment.”

If the refinery does not comply with the clean-up notice it will face a $1 million fine. The refinery has breached its EPA license multiple times every year since 2000.

This is not the first incident of pollution to affect the area in 2014, with a mysterious plume of water with high iron content staining a square kilometre of Botany Bay orange in February.

communication wilderness

BY PAUL GREGOIRE Refugee advocates have speculated that around 80 asylum seekers from Villawood Detention Centre were relocated to the remote locations of Curtin and Yongah Hill because of ongoing legal proceedings.

The detainees were given a letter from the Department of Immigration on March 31, which told them they were being transferred because the detention centre is undergoing refurbishments.

“For building works to happen, some detainees will need to be transferred from the Villawood Centre to other detention facilities in Australia,” the letter stated.

Iraj Moghadam, a refugee from Iran, was part of the 40-odd protesters blockading the two coaches, which were used to transport detainees to the airport, outside Villawood on April 3.

“Four years ago I was in Villawood. My friends [are] inside and before yesterday they called me, they have to move…after four years, three years,” he told City Hub. After spending four months at Villawood, Mr Moghadam was granted refugee status.

He said he’d visited his friends

in detention the day before, who were distraught.

The protest was disbanded by police and 40 detainees were transferred to Curtin.

Further protests broke out on April 5 when around 40 more detainees were transferred to Yongah Hill.

Spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition Ian Rintoul said the detainees were being moved even though a new section of Villawood will be opened at the end of April.

“At the moment it’s indefinite, there’s certainly no indication that they will be brought back.”

Curtin is a remote and inhospitable place in outback Western Australia, Mr Rintoul

explains, and it’s often difficult to communicate from the centre, with restrictions on phone and internet access.

“There’s a social issue about it, the fact that people who have been at Villawood have got extensive networks: relatives, family,” he said.

Phil Glendenning, director of the Edmund Rice Centre, said some of the relocated detainees are involved in legal proceedings against the federal government, as their privacy was breached when their personal details were posted on the department of immigration’s website.

“They’ve got court cases pending with regards to their privacy rights that have been breached, so one would wonder the connection between those two things,” he said.

Photo: Kate Ausburn

BY JOHN GOODING Caltex has been issued a cleanup notice by the Environmental Protection Authority after an oil spill from a Caltex refinery in Botany Bay spread to nearby beaches last month.

The clean-up notice requires Caltex to nominate “ecological practitioners” to analyse the extent of any pollution along the shores affected by the spill and monitor their recovery.

Caltex did not respond to questions about whether the incident was damaging to the environment.

But a spokesperson for the company did state, before the clean-up notice was issued, that the “small release of oily water” was due to heavy rain.

“Caltex immediately notified all relevant authorities before containing and dispersing this sheen in conjunction with Sydney Ports Corporation,” the spokesperson said.

“On Tuesday morning

Villawood Detention Centre

Marrickville: boarding house central Published weekly and freely available Sydney-wide.

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BY Paul Gregoire The Marrickville Legal Centre believes many of an estimated three to four hundred boarding houses in the Marrickville area are unregistered, leaving residents in legal limbo when disputes arise.

Legislation passed in 2012 established a boarding house register and gave occupancy rights to residents including access to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

“Prior to that law being brought in, residents often faced arbitrary and immediate eviction,” said Martin Barker, tenant advocate at the centre.

“They wouldn’t be able to get their bonds back. They’d often have their goods taken by the proprietor.”

The Boarding House Act 2012 was the result of 40 years of law reform, he said. “So now there are some protections for people in boarding houses.”

There are 84 registered houses in the local government area. But there are concerns that residents in unregistered houses don’t have access to those means of redress.

Marrickville is sometimes known as “boarding house central” because it has a greater number of boarding houses than any other local government area. Close to a quarter of the state’s 700 registered houses are in the Marrickville local government area.

While the benefits of the act are beginning to take effect, many boarders feel marginalised and live in constant fear of eviction, even if they are in a registered residence.

Lloyd, who prefers to keep his surname private, lived in a boarding house in Petersham for four years until recently.

“It’s like being in a prison but there’s no warder there to protect you. Sometimes you don’t even want to open your own door because of some of the low lives that live there,” he said.

“I had a door that didn’t sit flush when you shut it and these

rats used to come in under the door at night and I’m talking about rats that look like your local alley cat.”

A case worker from the Boarders and Lodgers Project at the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre arranged for 70-yearold Lloyd to leave the boarding house and move into community housing. The proprietor of the boarding house is refusing to give Lloyd his bond back, so he is about to go before the tribunal to dispute this matter.

“We can now get legal aid under this legislation to take them to

A kitchen in a boarding house in Marrickville

court, before you’d appeal to them and you had no legislation there to protect you,” he said.

The Newtown Neighbourhood Centre provides a number of services for local boarding house residents. Paul Adabie, boarding house services manager at the centre, explained that the occupancy rights provided by the legislation don’t provide security.

“If they start to speak up too much they’re still very vulnerable.

There’s no competence in occupants to actually utilize those rights that they have, which are minimal anyway,” he said.

“If you haven’t got an occupancy agreement and you want to go in to the tribunal to get one, chances are as soon as you approach the tribunal you get an eviction notice.”

Mr Adaibe described the life of a boarder as a cycle of poverty and marginalisation. There is a lack of social connections and food security, he said, while rents are on the rise.

Sylvie Ellsmore, co-chair of Marrickville Council’s Affordable Housing Committee, said that living in a boarding house is often only marginally cheaper than private rental.

“So you find the people living in boarding houses because...it’s their only option, and that means that they are open for exploitation,” she said.

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Student leader faces dismissal, bankruptcy motion to dismiss him, which was expected to pass with the necessary two-thirds majority had the injunction not been granted.

The court’s decision confirmed that the ability to remove a board director elected by the student body is within the executive powers granted by the USU’s constitution.

The court awarded costs against Mr Raue, a ruling which if enforced would bankrupt him.

Despite the ruling Mr Raue said he did not regret his actions.

“I revealed a small amount of information because I thought it was important for students and that is my job,” he said. “I was elected to board to act in the interests of students, not the corporate managers of the university.”

Photo: Chris Peken

BY SEAN O’GRADY The University of Sydney’s student union will decide whether to dismiss its embattled vice-president, Tom Raue at a special meeting on April 17, the board has confirmed.

The decision to press ahead with a motion for Mr Raue’s removal follows a Supreme Court ruling in March that overturned an injunction preventing his fellow directors expelling him from office.

Mr Raue filed the injunction late last year, after he leaked documents to the student newspaper concerning alleged police collusion with university staff during industrial action. The information was contained within a human resources report received by Mr Raue in his capacity as a member of the board’s executive. Board members drafted a

University of Sydney Union vice-president Tom Raue

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Evidence obtained by student newspaper Honi Soit shows that USU president Hannah Morris withheld from the rest of the board her recommendation that two Sydney University Senate-appointed directors, Emma McDonald and Simone Whetton, whose terms have expired, be re-appointed. Honi Soit reports that the recommendation has since been withdrawn.

It is widely believed that those appointees would have voted to remove Mr Raue. Furthermore, their continued presence on the Board would have increased the number of votes required to retain Mr Raue from four to five.

City Hub understands that Ms Morris had wished to postpone the vote until the two directors were reconfirmed by the Senate, but pressure from other board directors brought the vote forward before this could occur.

The vote is expected to be close but result in Mr Raue’s removal. His term is due to expire in June.

A student group called “Stand With Raue” has provided strong support, including campaigning on the university’s Eastern Avenue.

Edward McMahon, a member of the group, praised Mr Raue for his dedication to the student body.

“Each of us admires his commitment to transparency between the USU and its members, and supports his prioritisation of student interests over the interests of corporate university managers,” he said.

Supermarket gets green light

BY TRIANA O’KEEFE A council decision regarding the much-debated development application for a supermarket at Harold Park has finally been reached.

The City of Sydney felt it had done all it could to gain reassurance for the community and therefore approved the Mirvac plans on Monday.

The decision came after a one week delay to allow councillors further time to consider the application.

However, on Monday night it was approved despite community angst.

Concern from residents has been raised in reference to various factors of the proposed plan, particularly the use of access roads.

“The proposed road would intersect a well-loved walking, jogging and bike trail which is the main connection between Annandale and Forest Lodge to the Glebe Parklands,” said Andrew Rolfe of the Forest Lodge, Annandale and Glebe (FLAG) community group.

“The trail will also be a major thoroughfare for the 3000 new residents moving into the Harold Park apartments.

Consequently, the residents’ main concern includes how retail traffic on the access road will be appropriately managed

in a safe manner for the trail users.”

Council has confirmed that all retail vehicles will use the new two way ‘link road’ which will be constructed through the Harold Park development site.

Despite council’s efforts to minimise the traffic on Chapman Road, members of FLAG Harold Park are still concerned there will not be sufficient barriers to close off the road to general traffic.

Further issues the community have raised include the proposed supermarket hours and floor space, the impact on parking for local residents, and the size of the community space.

Deputy Lord Mayor Robyn Kemmis acknowledged with regret that council’s powers

only extend so far.

“We are limited in the action we can take and feel that we have done everything in our power to help,” she said.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore reiterated that council had done everything in its power to deliver a positive outcome.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but we worked very hard to get this for you,” she told the public gallery.

The motion was put to the table and carried with a cry of “shame” from the gallery.

Cries of “you’re working for Mirvac” and “Clover’s not getting my vote” could be heard as community members left the council chambers.

“I don’t think I want your vote,” the Lord Mayor retorted.

Community activists have attempted to stymie the development

Meet the ‘broken hipsters’

“The truth is - the success or failure of our city regions and ultimately our survival as human beings depends on how we design our suburbs,”

BY MICHAEL KOZIOL suburb of Ultimo five years ago. As well as tiring he said, stressing that Vancouver’s decision not They’re older, wealthier, and more discerning. of the commute to Sydney, Ms Walsh said the to build freeways was pivotal in its suburban They pick up leisure time as they start to reduce lifestyle and amenities were what attracted the development. their work hours or retire. And they want the couple to Ultimo.

In her opening remarks, Lord Mayor Clover city’s amenities at their fingertips.

“We can walk into the city, I walk to work Moore delivered a strong endorsement of urban Meet the so-called ‘broken hipsters’. [and] we’re close to Newtown, Glebe and the city consolidation, arguing that urban sprawl is The return of empty-nesters from the suburbs itself,” she said. incompatible with combating global warming to the city is not a new phenomenon. With the “We can go very easily to concerts and the art and protecting Sydney’s food basin. kids out of home and a lifetime of savings in the gallery and movies, eating out. It’s a lifestyle that “Our only hope for a sustainable future bank, baby boomers are increasingly choosing to we both enjoy.” depends on putting an end to urban sprawl, relocate to inner-urban areas close to shops, bars Mums and dads are also raising their children increasing densities, and building cities that are and cafes, and the buzz of city life. in the inner city, he said, disproving the old livable and appealing, with amenities that people That has implications for the planning and notion that downtowns “virtually repel families”. want and transport they need,” she said. design of our cities, a Sydney audience heard Despite the market’s shifting preference Cr Moore identified the City’s projects at last month. Brent Toderian, formerly the chief toward the inner city, Mr Toderian reminded the Green Square, Harold Park and Ashmore Estate planner of Vancouver, was invited to speak on audience most growth will still happen on the as contributing positively to density and urban the benefits of good design at a symposium suburban fringe. renewal. hosted by the City of Sydney.

“The boomer generation is as interested in these positive urban elements as the younger generation,” he said, referencing a term coined by others: ‘broken hipsters’.

As a group, they appreciate the advantages of urban density and seek out the lifestyle benefits it offers.

“The millenials, as a demographic, get this: they don’t need to be convinced. Increasingly the older generations get it too.”

Figures published last year by US newspaper the Wall Street Journal showed the trend is well advanced in North America, with more and more over-55s living in condos and co-ops downtown. And it’s having a profound impact on what is considered to be the traditional demographic of inner-city dwellers.

“They’re causing an economic problem for the millenials because they’re pricing up the market,” Mr Toderian told his Sydney audience.

“The boomers have all the money.”

Jeannette Walsh, 63, and her partner Ross moved from Newcastle to the inner-Sydney “It’s a lifestyle we both enjoy”: Jeannette and partner Ross sought out inner-city amenities

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news in brief Wayside’s 50 years The Wayside Chapel will mark its 50th birthday with a street party and a special church service from its CEO and pastor, Graham Long.

A jumping castle, petting zoo, cooking demonstrations and 1960s dress-up booth will adorn Hughes Street, Potts Point from 10am this Sunday, April 13.

The Wayside Chapel provides services for the community’s most disadvantaged members, including homelessness and addiction support.

“It’s been 50 years since Ted Noffs first walked into what was just an apartment building and started the Wayside Chapel,” Rev. Long said.

“Half a century later, the Wayside Chapel is needed more than ever with homelessness and mental health issues on the rise along with an increasing sense of loneliness being felt by people from all walks of life.”

After struggling in the late 2000s, the service raised more than $8 million and reopened in Hughes Street in 2012. Its new areas of focus include responding to loneliness and fighting for Indigenous recognition in the constitution.

Greater support for inner west A specialised support service for the community’s most vulnerable will expand into the inner west including Leichhardt, Ashfield and Annandale.

Canterbury Multicultural Aged and Disability Support Services Inc announced it will extend its footprint to cover neighbouring areas, officially launching under a new name this week.

Labor member for Watson, Tony Burke, attended the ceremony along with newly-elected Liberal member for Banks, David Coleman, and Canterbury Mayor Brian Robson.

The organisation specialises in “linguistically appropriate” care for the frail and disabled, operating in an area that contains some of Sydney’s most culturally-diverse communities.

Chief executive Dr Rosy Walia said she looks forward to meeting relevant stakeholders, building relationships and encouraging referrals from within the inner west.

Back to school on so-called baby boom

By JOHN GOODING Leichhardt Council will lobby NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli for a new primary school in the area, arguing the state government has grossly underestimated the size of the baby boom in Sydney’s inner west.

In a media release, Mayor Darcy Byrne cited “exponential” growth in student numbers uncovered by independent research.

But a close look at the figures shows the growth in school-age children is far from exponential, and will actually peak later this decade.

A spokesperson for Leichhardt Council confirmed that the period of high growth is limited.

“Data shows declines in the future but not a sharp fall from already increased numbers…the numbers

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of primary school aged children are forecast to peak around 2016 and fall slightly by 2021,” the spokesperson said.

“After the 2016 census results are released we will know if the baby boom is in decline and can refine projections for the period after 2016.”

In a media release, the council pointed to research commissioned from “social planning firm” Public Practice as evidence for the viability of a new school.

The release was reported uncritically by the Inner West Courier newspaper, which said “there will be a 33 per cent increase in children aged 0-4 and a 57 per cent increase in children aged 5-11 by 2021”. But it neglected to mention that this increase is for the period 2001 to 2021, not from the current day.

The commissioned research predicts an increase in the 5-11 age bracket from to 4400 in 2016, before falling to 4100 in 2021. It also shows a fall in the 0-4 age bracket from to 3800 in 2016 and 3500 in 2021.

A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education and Training said that the department has not yet “been informed by Leichhardt Council of a specific case for a new primary school”. “[We] established a Leichhardt Local Government area (LGA) Primary Schools Asset Planning Group in 2013 to examine projected needs and plan for government primary schools across the Leichhardt LGA into the future,” the spokesperson said.

“The findings and recommendations of the Planning Group including any need for new primary school teaching space are expected to be reported back to the department in mid-late 2014.”

Cr Byrne staged a public forum on Tuesday to pressure the state government on out-of-hours care at public schools. Women are curtailing their careers because of a lack of available childcare, he told the audience of parents and teachers, and education minister Adrian Piccoli “has his head in the sand”.

“Today’s childcare crisis will be tomorrow’s school shortage,” Cr Byrne said.

Michael Koziol contributed reporting.

opinion

Balmain’s game of thrones

BY JAMES MORROW A fortnight ago Tony Abbott launched his full employment scheme for knights and dames, leading to paroxysms of hairtearing, head-scratching, and cries of “anachronism!”.

But really, was he that off the mark? As modern and right-on as we consider ourselves to be in Sydney, our local politics has more in common with the old European order of ententes, alliances, and hereditary dynasties than it does modern collaborative democracy.

Look no further than the seat of Balmain for proof. In recent years the home of the old Trades Hall – the Dome of the Rock of the union movement – has shifted from being just about the safest Labor seat in town to a principality every bit as contested as AlsaceLorraine and just as likely to go back and forth in coming years.

For those who didn’t take European history at school, a quick revision. In 1870, in the wake the Franco-Prussian War – a war which was won by the Germans to the great surprise of everybody up to and including Otto von Bismarck – the state of Alsace-Lorraine was created in-between the two combatants and promptly gobbled up by Berlin.

Ten years later, the burghers of New South Wales created the seat of Balmain, a political principality similarly caught between two warring powers, one of which – the Greens – managed to win it at the last state election, their sole pickup in a state that went overwhelmingly blue in 2011.

Now revanchism is in the air in Balmain, though electors first get to choose whether to put Verity Firth – her of the House of Firth-Burgmann – up against Jamie Parker, or take a punt on Leichhardt mayor Darcy Byrne. (Hanging over the whole pre-selection is the question of whether Sussex Street decides it likes the will of the people or will turn it over

as it did with Bill Shorten, but that’s another question).

The temptation, of course, is to try and figure out just who are the French and who are the Germans in this situation.

The ALP’s natural analogues would have to be the French, what with their shared love of industrial action and nostalgia for the days when anything less than retirement at 45 on an 80 per cent pension meant the downfall of civilization.

The Greens, of course, are natural Germans, what with their love of order and control and committees.

And when was the last time you saw Bismarck and Lee Rhiannon in the same room?

James Morrow blogs on food, culture and politics at prickwithafork.com

Balmain: a modern-day Alsace Lorraine

More than 1100 public housing dwellings are located in the Leichhardt local government area, particularly in Balmain.

Cr Byrne said there wasn’t much difference in land value between the two areas and that Ms Goward won’t rule out more sales.

“It’s clear that she thinks she can steamroll over the top of tenants without any political consequences,” he said.

Cr Byrne admitted that “state governments of all persuasions” have failed to invest sufficiently in housing construction and maintenance. But he said the current government believes “poor people don’t deserve to live in the inner city”.

“I think Pru Goward’s real hope is to see them all end up in Mount Druitt.”

But Balmain public housing resident Marie* disagreed with that assertion. She said the state government’s decision makes

Photo: Michael Koziol

By Michael Koziol Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne is preparing residents and community organisers for a “big battle” to save public housing in the inner city.

The state government recently announced it will sell hundreds of homes on valuable land in Millers Point, displacing around 300 tenants including many elderly residents.

At a meeting tonight, April 10, Cr Byrne will tell an audience at Balmain Town Hall that Pru Goward, Minister for Family and Community Services, has refused to rule out further sell-offs across the city.

“The obvious and legitimate concern is that having decided the Millers Point community should be decimated and sold off, Pru Goward and Barry O’Farrell will see a similar opportunity in places like Balmain,” the Labor mayor told City News.

“It will be next”, resident says: a public housing block in Nicholson Street, Balmain

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sense because the age of the Millers Point buildings, similar to her own in Nicholson Street, means the upkeep cost is very high.

“Honestly, the maintenance being spent on these buildings is enormous,” Marie said.

“We all pay a charge incorporated in our rent but it’s not enough when you’re dealing with old, decrepit, crumbling buildings.”

Were the government to announce a selloff in Balmain, Marie acknolwedged she wouldn’t want to move. But she said she understands the justification and is certain that the day will come. “[Balmain] will be next. There’s no question about that.

“Provided Housing [NSW] then relocates the tenants, which it’s willing to do, I really can’t see how we can fight that. We’re tenants of the government. You can’t be too militant about it.”

Lisa Smaljov, co-chair of the inner west tenant group, will also address Thursday’s meeting. She will speak about how the changing demographics of public housing tenants since the 1980s has created a structural shortfall in revenue, meaning the government needs to change its approach to housing provision.

“They need to invest in a proper social mix of housing,” she said.

Ms Smaljov called on the government to begin proper maintenance of its properties and cease liquidations.

“Both partiers have sold off properties over the years.”

A spokesperson for Ms Goward said the government has no plans to sell public housing assets in Balmain or Leichhardt, but stressed that nothing has been ruled out. *Name has been changed

Cartoon: Peter Berner

‘Big battle’ looms over public housing: Byrne

Forego the glory, declare the thing open, slip away By nick possum Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered I’ve seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen.

- Woody Guthrie The ICAC inquiry into the Sydney Water Holdings scam makes fabulous reading. The distinct impression we’re getting is that here was a bunch of conscienceless pirates who, with a mere 36 dollars in the corporate kitty, claimed they had a business empire “worth” $200 million. And they had the outrageous front to charge Sydney Water – which is to say the public – for everything from limo hire

and wedding presents for their staff to donations to the Liberal Party.

What sort of people are these, the Obeids and Sinodinoses, whose idea of the good and honourable life seems to be about luxury this and luxury that? It’s almost impossible to imagine Eddie or Arthur enjoying a quiet morning at the art gallery, or fixing some broken furniture, or practising guitar, or even settling down with a good book. If they went to the gallery, they wouldn’t be standing contemplatively in front of something masterful, they’d be trying to figure out how to get it out of public hands so they could make a buck out of it. And then they’d retire to the

They aimed too low: Eddie Obeid and Arthur Sinodinos

restaurant for a power lunch.

Politics is freighted down with people like these, and we have to ask why.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, the idea that you could make a lot of money out of a career in politics was held in check by the very real firewalls that had been constructed between politics, the public service and business. On the Labor side of politics there was also the constraint imposed by socialist ideology, but that’s long gone.

Oh yes, back in the day, it was very widely accepted that certain types of economic activity amounted to what were termed “natural monopolies”.

We’re talking about roads, ports, railways, public transport, postal services, the telephone, fire brigades, town planning, water and sewerage.

These were things that conservatives could agree created the playing field on which private enterprise could operate.

It was just common sense that one didn’t want, or need, competing bus services along the same route.

The public wanted the bus to turn up frequently, and on time, and be clean, cheap and reliable. True, at the margins, there was a place for private initiative – for “mom and pop” bus companies, for example, in new low-density suburbs on the fringe of the city. But it was accepted that as patronage grew, the government operation - with its economies of scale, better access to capital, and

better trained, more flexible, pool of labour - would probably take over.

As for water and sewerage well, that was the preserve of the wonderfully-named Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board, the MWS&DB. Staffed by public service engineers and workers, they designed and built the basic systems we use today. If the job was beyond the capacity of their workforce they put it out to competitive tender. It was a remarkably successful system that delivered excellent infrastructure projects at prices we can only dream about today. That’s the system Australian Water Holdings was trying to break up.

Trouble is, in the Thatcher era, market fundamentalist ideology became all the rage. The old barriers started disintegrating and, from the early 1980s onwards, underlying greed was unleashed and worse and worse people flocked to politics to get a piece of the action.

The trouble with the ICAC investigation is that the commission is shutting the stable door long after the horse has bolted. One way of dealing with the form of outrageous conflict of interest now being exposed is simply to make it legal. And that’s what the O’Farrell government has done with the establishment of Infrastructure NSW. The act of parliament that set up Nick Greiner’s brainchild dispensed with the whole notion of a barrier between the public and the private,

and put what’s left of the public infrastructure and planning sector at the disposal of naked private greed. That’s what WestConnex, for example, is all about. Take a look at the new planning maps of the inner west and you’ll find a spreading stain of “urban activation” zones – hectares and hectares of heritage homes earmarked for compulsory acquisition and on-selling to developers. The tollway operators hope to generate enough new traffic with “vertical sprawl” to salvage a failed business model; the property developers don’t give a damn about traffic or parks, they just want to build high-rise across the old suburbs; the construction giants just want decades of big government-guaranteed profits stretching ahead of them and the Macquarie Bank just wants to make hundreds of millions in fees for setting up the deal.

Where Eddie and Arthur went wrong is that they thought too small.

If you’re going to do looting, it’s better to go big. Make it big enough and it’s gotta be legal.

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Art pairings highlight emerging talent By elise cullen For many iconic artists of our time, mentoring has played a significant role in the development of their practice. The annual Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize, now in its 18th year, follows in the footsteps of this tradition by pairing the great, established artists of today with the talented, emerging artists of tomorrow.

The unique prize model seeks to foster mentoring relationships between different generations of visual artists. Every year the exhibition’s curator carefully selects up to 20 established artists to be a part of the exhibition, who, in turn, invite an emerging contemporary artist of their choosing to exhibit alongside them. Each artist is to select one new work, resulting in an impressive and diverse collection of up to 40 artworks.

From its humble beginnings in the Redlands Gym in 1996, the prize has continued to gain enthusiasm and support from the art world. It now holds a monthlong exhibition at the National Art School.

This year’s curator is one of Australia’s most renowned painters, and a previous Redlands prize-winner. Tim Johnson brings an incredible amount of expertise and creativity to the exhibition.

Local Sydney sculptor Alex Seton. 37, was one of the established artists Johnson selected. Seton, who has received accolades both nationally and internationally for his marble sculptures, challenges the optical perception of everyday objects. From life jackets to beanbags and everything in between, Seton toys with the theme of optical illusion by replicating these objects in an incredibly fascinating way.

Many might be familiar with Seton’s

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works which were featured a number of times in Bondi’s popular annual exhibition, Sculpture By The Sea. For the Redlands Prize, Seton will present Paradise Lost: Paradise Gained, an intriguing sculpture of a deflated palm tree meticulously carved from bianco carrara and Katoomba green marble.

His piece explores the binary of the palm tree representing both a utopian oasis in the west, and the crossing between this life and the next in the east. Both being aspirational, he raises the moral and ethical question: “To what do I aspire?”

Seton, who graduated from Sydney’s College of Fine Arts in 1998, feels incredibly honoured to have been selected by Johnson. But he is even more appreciative to have been given the opportunity to invite an up-and-coming contemporary artist to be included in the exhibition alongside him.

“The prize model gives young artists a chance to gain the attention they deserve and to have the spotlight shone on them,” Seton says.

“It is a chance and opportunity to engage with talented artists and a chance to establish a lineage of ideas.”

Seton invited fellow Sydney artist Tully Arnot, 29, to join him because he truly believes in the work Arnot is producing.

“I chose Tully because his work is exceptional. It’s very thoughtful and subtle. He has astute and discrete observations of materials that create beautiful results.”

Like Seton, Arnot graduated from Sydney’s College of Fine Arts and has a fascination with everyday objects and materials.

“I think art is an exciting thing where you can work with different technologies and different mediums,” Arnot explains.

Hibernating from the extreme cold in Berlin while abroad, Arnot spent a lot of time indoors and begun experimenting with electronics.

“I use Arduino programming. I find problem solving really stimulating. How to make a circuit work - I find that really rewarding.”

Arnot’s work challenges viewers to rethink the way in which they perceive and interact with everyday objects. His Redlands entry, Bottle Song, explores the

feelings of both nostalgia and absence. The ambitious piece consists of 65 empty soft drink bottles of various sizes. Each bottle has a 12-volt fan fixed to the mouth, which is activated by a microcontroller. As air blows over the top of the bottle it creates a tone. Each tone is defined by the size of the bottle and together they create an orchestra of sound.

Arnot says that the unique prize model is a great way to establish lasting relationships in the art world.

“Through this process I’ve gotten to know Alex really well, so I think it’s a really good way to connect established artists with younger artists.”

Both Arnot and Seton encourage

aspiring artists to make contact and engage with other artists.

“Finding mentors or people that you admire and asking about their secrets, or simply their thoughts on things, could be the best way to find guidance in the art world, which I think is relevant in any industry,” Seton explains.

Since initially connecting through the Redlands Prize, Seton has invited Arnot to be a part of his curated sculpture exhibition in June, held at the Anne Murphy Gallery in Brisbane.

Apr 11-May 15, NAS Gallery, Forbes St, Darlinghurst, free, nas.edu.au/ experience/NASGallery

‘Bottle Song’ by Tully Arnot

Meet the Locals

The Devine Grocer

71-91 Spring Street, Bondi Junction, Eastgate Shopping Centre (02) 9387 1359 “Fresh is best” says the Devine Grocer owner Ari Soulis. Mr Soulis and his wife have been in the Eastgate Centre since 1997 and have gained a loyal customer base who appreciate their dedication to producing fresh food and quality products.

At sixty years of age, Mr Soulis describes himself as a workaholic. “Every morning I go to Flemington Markets and bring back only the best products on offer that day.”

What the Devine Grocer offers its customers is produce that is above and beyond its competition. With fresh deliveries every day you are guaranteed to be buying the best in the business.

Head on over to their store at the Bondi Eastgate Shopping Centre to find Mr Soulis passionate about his fresh goods and Mrs Soulis working hard in the kitchen to provide Greek delicacies such as Moussaka and Pastitsio.

Meet the Locals introduces you to local businesses that support a local independent press. By choosing to market themselves locally, these businesses are encouraging people to shop locally. By supporting local business, you are keeping money and jobs at home. So if you support your community, support these local businesses. Together we can keep Sydney unique, vibrant and sustainable.

Harry’s Café de Wheels Bondi

Shop 2 152 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach (02) 9130 4000 harryscafedewheels.com.au The world famous pies and peas of Harry’s Café de Wheels are now available right in the heart of Bondi Beach. A Sydney culinary institution, Harry’s Café de Wheels has been serving late-night diners in the harbour city since the late 1930s.

Sydneysiders used to travel from all over to the café on wheels in the back streets of Woolloomooloo, now that taste experience is right on the waterfront of Australia’s premier beach.

Harry’s pies are made from the finest lean topside and the crispiest pastry but what really makes them signature are the pea and mashed potato toppings. And check out their range of hot dogs, they’re to die for.

So next time surf’s up or you’re so bronzed you have to move on, head up to Harry’s Café de Wheels - don’t forget to try Harry’s Tiger Pie, it’s an experience your tastebuds will savour.

The Australian College of Applied Psychology

Level 5, 11 York St, Sydney 1800 061 199 acap.edu.au The Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP) is Sydney’s leading provider of specialist applied psychology courses. Whether you want to attain a Bachelors, Diploma or Masters, ACAP caters for you.

Since 1983, the Australian College of Applied Psychology has been delivering a wide range of courses covering counselling, psychology, case management through to coaching, social work and even elite athlete mentoring.

Their team of experienced academics coupled with the extensive courses on offer ensures that studying at ACAP really kick starts your career. At ACAP it’s a hands-on experience, they take their philosophy very seriously: “The best way for you to learn about human interaction is to interact.”

With a student body hailing from Australia and beyond, you’ll find studying at the Australian College of Applied Psychology a cultural learning experience as well. And ACAP is located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD at the state-of-the-art Wynyard Green campus.

EAT & DRINK

Le Pub Balmain As I got stuck into an excellent crusty French-bread take on Sydney’s obsession with miniaturisation - Le Petit Dog ($6) with lamb shoulder, lime labne, green chilli jam and coriander - the ladies at the next table mused: “I guess if I order a Grilled Chicken Salad ($18), I won’t feel so bad about the wine.” So expect to find both the venue and clientele much $ - mains less than $15

$$ - mains between $15-$22

INNER WEST Quarrymans Hotel The steampunk update of this Pyrmont stalwart includes a boilerplate bar and repurposed materials, from cracked leather stools to a railway signboard listing two dozen on-tap Aussie brews. Enjoy an easy-drinking Grainfed Brewing Co. Sneaky One ($5.50/reg) or Nail Brewing’s fabulous Rick Disnick ($6.50/reg) strawberry wheat beer, sitting amongst limewashed walls, softly distressed window frames, hipster aprons and Edison light bulbs. First floor dining,The Drunken Fish, offers up tasty small plates like Confit Chicken Wings ($14) on blackened corn, or Berkshire Pork Belly ($14) with cider-stewed apples,

By Jackie McMillan changed from the old Monkey Bar days. The beverage list takes the best of beers from The Heritage, and throws in a decidedly French selection of drinking fun. Enthusiastic staff will happily guide you through how to best consume your Lillet Blanc ($7) – lemon and soda - or Lillet Rose ($7) – orange segments and lemonade. The menu reproduces the best of Gallagher’s sister Le Pub in Sydney’s CBD, with a bit of a Balmain twist. I tucked into a beautiful Whole Lemon Sole ($20) dousing it with my dining companion’s béarnaise, which accompanied his nicely cooked grass-fed L’Entrecote ($26) scotch fillet.

Dishes come with beer matches that see your steak teamed with Kronenbourg 1664 ($6.50/330ml).

Though I’d personally recommend double-parking small ceramic cups of Manoir De Kinkez Cidre Cornouailles ($16/375ml) and Eric Bordelet Calvados ($14) with a Pork Cheek ($16) with crispy pig’s ear, blackberry and cauliflower ‘velvet’.

255 Darling Street, Balmain (02) 9555 5711 lepubbalmain.com.au Pub Bistro, Modern French $$ $$$ - mains between $22-$30

pear, blue cheese, and raspberry vinegar pearls followed by well-cooked Pan-Fried Snapper ($28) on kipflers, chorizo, corn and pickled jalapenos.

214-216 Harris Street, Pyrmont (02) 9660 0560 quarrymanshotel.com.au Pub Bistro $$$ The Merton Hotel With “no pokies, and no gambling of any kind,” The Merton Hotel is “very family-oriented,” explains Bar Manager Jake Dylan. After a Peroni ($7.00/schooner) in the cosy front bar, we head to the bistro armed with the 2011 Botanica Chardonnay ($30/bottle).The menu combines the talents of a Thai Head Chef and a Mexican Sous Chef.We settle for Curry Goat ($23) - tender Booma Boers goat meat in a rich, flavoursome

$$$$ - mains over $30

Caribbean curry.Tableside Pickapeppa Spicy Mango Sauce adds an element of sweetness to the robust flavours, enhancing Jamaican Jerk Chicken ($22) and Pulled Pork Tacos ($14/3) too.The Betel Leaves ($8/3) convince me to return to try the Thai dishes soon.

38 Victoria Road, Rozelle (02) 8065 9577 themertonhotel.com.au Pub Bistro,Wine,Thai, Jamaican $$ Nithik’s Kitchen Hankering for good Indian? This Rozelle gem by Chef Vikram Arumugam (ex-Aki’s) has an innovative and flavoursome menu. Southern Indian Samuthiram ($18.90) is a definite favourite, layering school prawns, crab and rice pancakes with a creamy coconut sauce and a side of Bengalese shrimp, chilli and tomato

Toxteth Hotel “I am a chef and cannot keep calm,” is printed on a nicely thematic union jack affixed to the kitchen. By contrast though, the men inside the glass box are deadly silent, moving like a well-oiled machine. This is lucky because this popular Glebe local is packed with a mixed bag of locals and visitors. A somewhat forlorn music trivia host tries his best to lure diners inside, paste.Tree of Taste ($12.90) gives an oral and artistic demonstration of Vikram’s flavour palate. Great coconut chutney and homemade ghee notches Masala Dosa ($13) above most I’ve tried.Vikram’s curries are all great: from Meen Manga Charu ($25) of barramundi, coconut and green mango, to labour-intensive lychee-stuffed cottage cheese balls Lagaan Ke Kofti ($18) liberally dunked in cashew gravy and scattered with dried fruit.

679 Darling Street, Rozelle (02) 8084 8921 Indian $$-$$$ DARLO, KINGS X & SURRY HILLS Rocafelas “If everyone’s going to evacuate and be scared of the area, I’m staying in,”

but it’s clear my fellow Aussie all-weather backyard compatriots are here for generously portioned tenbuck rump steaks or fish’n’chips, from the Monday/ Tuesday Dinner Menu. I dabble with lightly battered Jalapeno Poppers ($12) with cream cheese, smoky bacon and Baja sauce, and panko-crumbed Brie ($13) with sweet-chilli jam and aioli, before moving onto sliders. Twenty bucks buys you four, and conveniently there are four choices: ‘Zucchini’, ‘Crab’, ‘Buttermilk Chicken’ and ‘Beef’. The latter scrubs up best with good patty char from the fast-paced grill. My meal highlight was Fried Whole Baby Snapper ($24) with sweet and sour apple sauce, leading me to dub this chef Sydney’s battered and fried pub king. Their excellent bottle shop explains why you can pick up a decent drop inside – perhaps the Joseph Chromy Pepik Pinot Noir ($42/bottle) – or maybe just match your favourite fried food with Bilpin Pear/Apple Cider ($8.50).

345 Glebe Point Road, Glebe (02) 9660 2370 toxtethhotel.com.au Pub Bistro $-$$

declares Rocko Tozzi, son of Kings Cross hospitality royalty Antonello Tozzi. He and Nate Johnson are offering up a loosely 70s-themed Italian red-sauce diner where you can eat and drink inexpensively up to the city’s new witching hour of 3am.

Alex Lehours’ artwork pushes you at the Stolen Spiced Rum Dark & Stormy ($14); or there’s Mulo ($16) – vodka, ginger and Ramazzotti – that compliments tasty Meatballs ($14) in rich tomato sauce. Kick on with longnecks in paper bags against simple standout pizzas like Pollo ($16) with chicken, avocado and mozzarella, or light’n’bright Capelli D’Angelo ($16) with rocket, chilli and prosciutto.

1 Kellett Street, Potts Point (02) 9360 0260 rocafelas.com.au Italian, Pizza, Cocktails $-$$

The Carlisle Bar This bar wins my most sexy and clever cocktail title: Rye An’ Gosling ($18) made with rye whiskey, Goslings rum, ginger beer and freshly squeezed apple juice. If Sydney women weren’t drinking whiskey before, they are now. After your fling, retire to the workman’s bar – a ‘steerage class’ lounge suited to tapas snacking. Homemade Haloumi ($14) is out of this world, made with real milk (not powder) by an 86-yearold Greek woman.Tortilla Chips ($16) with guacamole go hand-in-mouth with a Skinny Bitch ($18) cocktail: because excess in denial is the Kings Cross way.

Chef isn’t giving any secrets away about his Spicy Chicken ($16), but will talk you through Prawn and Calamari ($18).

2 Kellett St, Kings Cross (02) 9331 0058 thecarlislebar.com.au Bar, Bar Food, Cocktails $$

EAT & DRINK

Café Del Mar A gently melodic tinkle heralds the arrival of Restaurant Manager Jessica Mead, wafting across the floor in a bright Camilla Franks kaftan. Her welcoming smile and down-to-earth nature suits this little slice of Ibiza, pitched to become the crowning jewel of Darling Harbour. The blue-tiled Mediterranean kitchen produces arguably the ROCKS & CBD Heritage Belgian Beer Café This beautiful beer café, housed in a restored 1914 St Patrick’s Girls’ School hall, is sympathetically integrated with Harry Seidler’s neighbouring Cove Apartments. Start your Belgian beer adventure with silky Stella Artois ($9/330ml) poured in a nine-step ritual that ensures a creamy mousse. “Belgian beers are all about cleanliness,” Manager Gonzalo Burgos explains. My favourites were Leffe Blonde ($9/250ml) with a distinctive clove note that suited Abbey Cheese Croquettes ($15) with pear jam; and Duval ($13.50/330ml) with Duck Rillettes ($18), sharp pickles and rye bread. The house speciality is Moule Kilo Pots ($30).

I take my mussels Roquefort with

Barely outside the Inner West, a circus tent of lighting alerts you to this Korean mecca of meat.

Pull your vehicle directly into what appears to be the centre of the restaurant; get met immediately by a smiling waiter. First timers are directed into one half of the restaurant – ‘The Butcher’ – which also owns two NSW wagyu farms. They deal in whole carcasses, slicing, diced and skewering them into an extensive, white-

Belmore Lebanese Bakery Burwood Road offers up a multicultural melange of cuisines including at least five international bakeries. Owner of Belmore Lebanese Bakery, Eddie Zanbaka tells me: “I am the oldest and probably the most established”. The rhythm of Eddie’s life flows around the feast days and celebrations that bind his local community together. During my brunch a steady stream of regulars pop by for Holy Bread (Qurban) ($5/5).

Baked at high temperature in his store centrepiece - a remarkable

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best food I’ve had in an area better known for family-style dining and the odd tourist trap. Sibella Court’s blue and white colour scheme continues into roughly hewn fabric awnings, shading a balcony overlooking the waters of Cockle Bay. With several styles of seating, it beckons as the perfect place for sundowners. Start with draught Peroni ($9) or craftier Moon Dog ‘Love Tap’ ($10) as the sun goes down and The Star lights come up. While the brand speaks to me of lazy Sunday sessions; down to providing everything you need in one killer cocktail – El Jalisco ($19) featuring Don Julio Reposado, chilli, ginger, chorizo and a Laphroaig rinse – it’s also a credible restaurant. Dining as a twosome, I skipped over shared mains in favour drinking snacks from Crispy Cased Berkshire Pig Jowls ($24); to vibrant Snapper Tartare ($24) set off by fennel and Yarra Valley caviar; to a pretty Blackmore’s Wagyu Bresaola ($28). Make sure you check out the loos…

Rooftop Terrace, Cockle Bay Wharf, 35 Wheat Road, Sydney (02) 9267 6700 www.cafedelmar.com.au Cocktails, Bar, Modern European $$$$

Chardonnay, cream and spinach, alongside Peche Lambic ($13/330ml) fruit beer.

135 Harrington Street, The Rocks (02) 9241 1775 heritagebarandrestaurant.com.au Pub Bistro, Belgian $$$$ Gowings Bar & Grill Despite the glamour, I found this restaurant surprisingly approachable, and frequented by a diverse range of people. A casually dressed woman, relaxing with a novel and classic Prawn Cocktail ($18) for companionship, proves my point.

Entertained by the lively sounds of the upstairs function space, you’re unlikely to feel lonely if you pop in for flavoursome Hot Spanner Crab Cakes ($19) or perfectly handled Darling Downs Black Angus Rib Eye ($48/350g) with condiments on the

Wagyu House

GREATER SYDNEY

By Jackie McMillan

side. Tartare of Yellowfin Tuna ($18) is marvellously simple, whilst a pair of Whole Roasted Quails ($38) prove indulgent. Sides are necessary, and so is dessert – the perfectly pink pleasure of a layered verrine of Berry Mousse ($15).

Level 1, 49 Market Street, Sydney (02) 8262 0062 qtsydney.com.au Modern Australian $$$$ The Flynn What struck me as a sports bar heaved a collective sigh of relief when the throbbing mass of Happy Hour suits gave way to casual, relaxed diners. Pushing through to the cavelike interior, one is rewarded with a spot of Teutonic sophistication with Bar Manager Luke Reimann turning out a Blue Cheese Martini ($19) that highlights Crystal Head Vodka in a way that’d make Dan Aykroyd smile.

plate selection, ranging from mixed to marinated meats, vegetables and seafood. Spoiled for choice, we eventually lean towards marination: Chilli Seafood Sticks ($10/3), Angus Short Rib ($25) and Pork Belly Chilli ($20.64/259g) while bemoaning not bringing more friends! We pay, and they’re loaded into a shopping basket with a unique array of beverages – Baek Se Joo ($22/300ml) mellow Korean ginger and ginseng fermented rice wine, Asabiraki Sake ($35/300ml) and budget-friendly Korean Hite Beer ($7). By the time we’ve walked across the car park, our table is brimming with twelve different banchan – small vegetable sides – from kimchi to pickled cucumber and daikon, bean sprouts with sesame, and ultra-sweet carrot and potato hunks. There’s also a cabbage-based Korean coleslaw, two dipping sauces and lettuce leaves for wrapping your mouth-wateringly good self-barbequed charcoaled selections. Be warned: it’s joyous but very messy.

668-670 Parramatta Road, Croydon (02) 9797 9999 Korean $$

round artisan brick oven – Meat Pizza (Manoush) ($3.50) with lamb, onions, pepper and spice, is crisp and delicious. For lunch on the run try fluffy Za’atar ($3) cooked with oregano and sumac, wrapped around vibrant tomatoes and olives.

339 Burwood Rd, Belmore (02) 9759 2490 Lebanese, Bakery, Pizza $ Sedap Malaysian Kopitiam Part café, part street-side hawker, this addition to Westfield Eastgardens new Banks Avenue dining precinct offers al fresco dining and paved paths. It feels like an artificial land, even on a busy Thursday evening. We relax

into an Ice Coffee ($4) laced with heavenly condensed milk.

Crisp Pork Rolls ($4/each) are wrapped in bean curd and come with a delicious garlic chilli sauce, while Szechuan Ribs ($15.80) are finger licking good. Everyone’s favourite Malaysian dish, Char Kuey Teow ($12) stacks up well with pork sausage. The Beef Rendang ($14.40) is spot on, but Ice Cendol ($6) ‘green worm’ and mung bean noodles on shaved ice might be just for true Malay enthusiasts.

Westfield Eastgardens, Banks Avenue, Eastgardens (02) 9344 7095 sedap.com.au Malaysian $

The Hill Eatery

By Alex Harmon Breakfast at The Hill is quite a stimulating experience.

With plant life draping the walls, brown leather sofas, and repurposed wood benches, there’s a bit of the ‘Little Barbershop of Horrors’ in the air – without the horrors, of course. When it comes to the food, It’s a shoe-in with Gorgonzola-stuffed Zucchini Blossoms ($14); while his Rum Chocolate Manhattan ($22) sets off the Rangers Valley Angus 300-day Grain Fed Steak ($28) a treat. Even the thin Chorizo Artisan Pizza ($19) is a winner, with lashings of piquillo pepper mayo.

2A Bligh Street, Sydney (02) 9223 0037 theflynn.com.au Pub Bistro, Cocktail $$-$$$ EASTERN SUBURBS Elmo’s Restaurant Yes, it’s in a club, but this deceptively exciting restaurant is in a glass box overlooking Coogee Beach. Manager Vinni Dias is an excellent guide (and enthusiast) for the traditional end of this Brazilian-influenced Australian menu that includes Pão de Queijo

it’s all about honesty. The owners believe in the farmto-table philosophy and source all their produce ethically. Although tempted by their breakfast cocktails, a bunch of joggers arrive and order the Green Juice ($6.50), so I jump on the bandwagon.

With apple, mint, cucumber and citrus, I felt healthier just looking at it. Muffins are baked fresh daily and we were treated to Date, Banana and Chocolate ($4.50) straight out of the oven – pretty much heaven.

Mexican Baked Eggs ($18.50) start the day off in good stead; that’s if you can finish it – it’s mountainous, with large envelopes of tortillas. Love Eggs ($16.50) gets it just right with field mushrooms, a fan of avocado, ricotta and poached eggs on sourdough. The Hill is also a bar of an evening, with a strong local following.

With events such as wine tasting, function catering, and décor worthy of a cult-film set, they’re certainly making a mountain out of this North Bondi hill.

39-53 Campbell Parade Bondi (02) 9130 2200 thehilleatery.com.au Café, Breakfast, Bar $-$$

($8) cheese bread and Sydney Rock Oysters ($18/6) with flavoursome ‘kiss peppers’, lime, Spanish onion, coriander and palmito. The latter ingredient is a revelation in Baked Palm Heart, Tomato, Chutney, Pimento & Gorgonzola ($16), too.

Escondidinho de Cogumelos ($15) delivers four types of mushrooms sautéed in garlic and butter, buried under cassava and cheese; but their biggest hit is Moqueca ($34) a red, coconut-enriched fish and prawn stew – oh and eight-buck Mojitos!

Coogee Legion Ex-Service Club, 200 Arden Street, Coogee (02) 9665 8230 coogeelegionclub. com.au/elmos-restaurant/ Brazilian/Modern Australian $$-$$$ The Unicorn Sprinkling some intrigue into the Paddo pub scene, find yourself a nook

this could almost be a small bar. Head downstairs to Easy Tiger, a nightclub that brings ‘70’s American Hustle to the Eastern Suburbs. Cocktails – Negroni ($16) or a Fancy Pants ($16) with amaretto, citrus and apricot - pay homage to this time.You know it’s not ordinary pub food when you can get Activated Almonds ($5) with your beer.Yes, the menu’s on the healthy side, from Grilled Haloumi ($12), olives and capers to Quinoa Salad ($13) with pumpkin, beetroot, Binnorie Dairy feta and optional Chicken ($17). They’re heartier than they sound, but you can still manage some Spicy Pork Tacos ($12).

106 Oxford Street, Paddington (02) 9360 7994 theunicornhotel.com Pub Bistro, Cocktails $-$$

FOOD NEWS Last week I joined a select group of people from Richard Nixon to Jackie Chan, who have been afforded the opportunity to drink Moutai.While their experiences probably came at Chinese feasts with foreign heads of state or distinguished guests, mine was at the launch of Kweichou Moutai. Now if you’re still scratching your head, Moutai is a luxury spirit made exclusively in the Guizhou province of China using sorghum, wheat and water from the ‘Fine Wine River’, which is kept absolutely pure by not allowing any industry near it. Moutai is distilled nine times, and takes at least five years to make.The flavour is complex, and hard to describe. I tried the popular Flying Fairy 53% alc/vol [RRP $125/200ml] and 43% alc/vol [RRP $165/500ml], and identified yeast, wheat, floral notes and something that reminded me of Vegemite.Admittedly the product is a pricy, special occasion item for the average Chinese person. My cleaner Charlie recounted a story of the first time he tried it being after returning to his homeland after a decade in Australia:“Ten years come back to China, very long time – must drink good one!” However the luxuriously appointed

store full of beautiful commemorative bottles, lit using cute Moutai lights, is well worth checking out anyway!

Kweichou Moutai, 398 Sussex Street, Sydney (02) 9212 2288 www.facebook.com/moutaiaustralia

BAR FLY

By Rebecca Varidel

FIORE CAFÉ & BAR Today the Tozzi name might be better known as one of the judges on Australia’s Next Top Model.Yet Tozzi the father has a long history in the Sydney food café and club scene. When Nicola Tozzi arrived in Sydney, he opened thriving Italian venue Caffe Roma, which still operates today after almost 27 years.

In 1992, Tozzi had a hand in Sugareef, an iconic venue that pioneered a new way of nightlife in Kings Cross, the first of its kind in Sydney. His

latest joint is a welcoming wine bar offering platters of casual Italian food such as buffalo mozzarella, salumi or seafood.

Wine by the glass is friendly and casual too: “Whatever is open.” Wine by the bottle is, as you might guess, Italian - such as Vermentino, Pinot Grigio, Lambrusco, and Rustico Chianti - with a spattering of Australian.

13b Burton Street, Darlinghurst (02) 9332 1194 facebook.com/pages/BarFiore/360843700697522

The task of raising a child is daunting to any parent, but how do you toe the line between control and creativity with your kid?

Emily Calder presents this parental dilemma and more, in her hilarious, surrealist production, Cough.

Set in a childcare centre, the play focuses on a group of parents and their children as their lives are thrown into chaos, causing them to question their reality.

“My main message is that childhood is that kind of mix of wonder and occasional chaos, it’s about allowing that chaos to exist as well, because it is so important for creativity,” Calder says.

Based on Calder’s experiences of working in a childcare centre, director James Dalton says the imaginative production is about showing the increasing anxiety of parents in an overly

regulated world.

“The element of fantasy is being presented to trigger the emotional response of anxiety,” Dalton says.

The entertaining production switches between naturalism and surrealism, placing the characters into increasingly absurd situations, where the audience will respond to the different parenting styles.

The play questions the changing nature of parenting, anxiety and the complexities of unconditionally loving tiny humans.

“Children live in this crazy world where they are uncensored with no manners, they are sort of like little animals,” she says. (SOC) April 10-20, 107 Projects, 107 Redfern St, Redfern, $16.50-26.50, 107projects.org

Construction of the Human Heart

Ross Mueller’s 2007 AWGIE Play of the Year, Construction of the Human Heart, arrives at Sydney’s intimate TAP Theatre.

Dino Dimitriadis’ adaptation of the play is a fast, electrifying and dark comedy about two playwrights as they explore what happens when they move from on script to off, while writing their next play.

The play will be performed by Michael Cullen as ‘Him’ and Cat Martin as ‘Her’. Dimitriadis describes the play as a “really interesting entry piece into the theatre, which is incredibly human and raw, as it explores a whole range of emotions.

It’s not your average night or conventional play and has many

different layers to explore, even for veteran theatregoers”.

To help ensure this play was staged, a $5000 Pozible crowdfunding campaign was established to raise the funds for the artists’ fees. This target was reached in ten days.

“I felt it was important that we pay the actors for the use of their time & craft to bring this story to the stage. It is a play that we have wanted to do for years & is now possible thanks to the generosity of the people who contributed to the campaign,” says Dimitriadis. (JA) Apr 16-May 3,TAP Gallery, 278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst, $22-27+bf, apocalypsetheatrecompany.com

Dancing Naked In The Backyard

Photo: David Hooley

Sometimes neighbours can be more than just neighbours, they can be friends, family, a beautiful community. Though, what happens when that community is threatened?

Brave New Word Theatre Company explores the idea of community in suburbia through their deeply moving play Dancing Naked in the Backyard.

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Luke Holmes, artistic director of the company, says the play is an original work about everyday Australians.

“You get close with the people on your street, they become like family, and when threatened instead of shrugging their shoulders, they take it to heart and keep each other safe,” he says.

Inspired by a true story, the production follows thirty-something couple Derwent and Cathy, and their neighbours, as they fight to save their neighbourhood and lifestyle when a development company threatens it.

“More than anything it is about exploring community, the idea of being set in your roots, whether you’ve been living somewhere for fifty years or just five years,” he says.

The relatable characters, suburban setting, and underdog story, present a unique production that reflects Australian culture.

“It is nice to have a more quintessentially Australian play, there is something in the Australian culture that lends itself to close-knit groups of friends and family,” says Holmes. (SOC) Apr 15-26,Tap Gallery, 45 Burton St, Darlinghurst, $15-20, bnwtheatre.com.au

a&e

19 STAGE 20 SCENE 21 SOUNDS 22 SCREEN

Arts Editor: Leigh Livingstone Music Editor: Chelsea Deeley

For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au

The enriching tale of the mischievous Pinocchio holds a nostalgic place in the hearts of many.There have been a plethora of adaptations, however, the new theatrical performance of Pinocchio by Adelaide’s Windmill Theatre will breathe new life into the age-old story.The classic will be modernised through contemporary music, dance and design.

The play, which focuses on themes of reality, truth and eternal love, aims to educate and entertain children, as well as engage, encourage and entertain families as a whole.

Pinocchio’s artistic director, Rosemary Myers, believes that fables, like Pinocchio, will forever play an important role in children’s lives. “I think people love to return to classic stories because in the end, they do have these truths held in them and that’s why they have survived over time,” Myers says.

Like many fairy-tales, the original story of Pinocchio is at times quite dark and explores children’s fears - like being separated from their parents. “Kids do have these very psychological fears,” Myers explains, “but storytelling and fairy-tales are a great place to engage with those fears because it is a safe

place to do so.”

Myers, who describes going to the theatre as like a “mini family holiday” encourages parents to take their kids to see one of their favourite childhood fables and experience it like they’ve never seen it before. (EC) Apr 11-May 4, Sydney Theatre Company,The Wharf, Pier 4 Hickson Rd, (02) 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au

The Urban Theatre Projects (UPT) and the experimental band Tralala Blip deliver My Radio Heart - an innovative theatre piece that brings together audio-visual effects and live sound performance to draw the audience into a mythical game-like mirror of our own 21st century world.

UPT director Rosie Dennis steps outside the familiarity of her Western Sydney roots and reaches out to the often neglected art sphere of regional Australia.

The production has had community involvement since its conception in the work’s Lismore launching pad.They have engaged with Wilson Park School students who have contributed several compositions.

Dennis speaks of the need to go outside of the arts industry and encourages the collaborative

opportunities this creates, especially in the local community with people living with disability.The process took its starting point from the mixed-ability electronic band Tralala Blip and their interest in exploring the challenges of finding love within the routine of modern life.

From this subject matter, along with the new media possibilities sparked by the band, Dennis and her theatre team began devising the narrative.

The production is cutting edge, yet subtle and gentle in its transportive potential. Dennis says, “I think it is the kind of show that will stay with people as they will think back to the images.”

(CK) Apr 9-12, Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Pde, Bankstown, $25, urbantheatre.com.au

Pinocchio

My Radio Heart

Photo: Tony Lewis

Cough

Photo: Donatella Parisini

Photo: Ben Brockman

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Contributors: Alexandra English, Alexis Talbot-Smith, Angela Stretch, Anita Senaratna, Catherine Knight, Cheryl Northey, Ciaran Tobin, Craig Coventry, Elise Cullen, Georgia Fullerton, Greg Webster, Hannah Chapman, Jamie Apps, Jemma Nott, Leann Richards, Lena Zak, Lisa Ginnane, Luke Daykin, Lyndsay Kenwright, Marilyn Hetreles, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Melody Teh, Michael Muir, Michelle Porter, Nerida Lindsay, Rhys Gard, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Ruth Fogarty, Sean May, Sharon Ye, Shauna O’Carroll, Siri Williams, Tom Wilson,Vanessa Powell

From Ether

For the legions of Twitter followers of multi-talented Canadian astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield (1.08 million at last count), this exhibition, a visual representation of his journey set to music, is a must-see.

“His images have a beautiful way of opening one’s mind to the greater world, encouraging empathy and a sense of global community,” says creator, three-time ARIA Awardwinning artist Andrea Keller.

“I also found them to be incredibly artistic in composition...a lot of [his] concepts I ponder and deal with in my own music. It was...a natural coupling of visuals and sound.”

The incredible images Hadfield took on his five-month stay aboard

Audience participation – it’s as old as the hills. Think the colosseum, where a few bored thumbs pointed downward sent the unlucky gladiator out of the contest for good. Then there was reality TV, where no matter how hard and often you voted – somebody remained to carry on next week. Of course, modern politicians have turned riding the wave of audience participation into an art form, with their blessed focus groups. That’s leadership from ‘behind’, thinking the public’s thoughts after them.

Fight Night takes audience participation to a new level. Pushing the boundaries of polite theatre by attempting to read the minds and hearts of the audience, every

THEATRE &

PERFORMANCE PERPLEX A young couple arrive home from holiday to find that things are not quite as they left them.There are some weird pot plants; the electricity has been cutoff, the apartment smells terrible – and where are the friends they left housesitting? So opens Perplex, a lively piece of absurdist comedy from German writer Marcus Von Mayenberg (Fireface,The Ugly One).

“Essentially, the whole play is a riff on philosophy, reality and what it means to be alive,” says director

member holds the electronic power to vote in the palm of their hands.

Created by maverick Belgian collective Ontroerend Goed and direct from a season at the Adelaide Festival, they are old friends of the STC. Plenty of fun but challenging and provocative for those with the ears to hear, there is nothing like a bit of good old audience participation to shine the spotlight on one’s own personal politics.

After all, there is complicity in the press of a button as well as the downward thumb. You’ve gotta love democracy. (GW) Until Apr 13, Sydney Theatre Company, The Wharf 2, Pier 4, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $35-65, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au

Sarah Giles, “and what better place to explore reality than in the theatre, which is the ultimate lie.” A comedy about philosophy, this is a play of freewheeling chaos with the ground continually shifting under the audience’s feet. It makes for engaging theatre. (GW) Until May 3, Sydney Theatre Company, The Wharf, Pier 4, Hickson Rd,Walsh Bay, $30-65, (02) 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au CLYBOURNE PARK The Ensemble Theatre directed by Tanya Goldberg brings to life Bruce Norris’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Clybourne Park. Not for the easily

Graeme Druce and John Cupit are just two 50-something-year-old men who’ve always loved blues music.With 40 years of experience playing a variety of instruments (they play six instruments each), they decided two years ago to give this music thing a proper go. So, Doggn It was formed and luckily it did,

Until April 26, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $28-35, griffintheatre.com.au

the International Space Station as Commander of Expedition 35, will be accompanied by Phil Slater on the trumpet, and Geoff Hughes on guitar.

Keller, after following Hadfield herself on Twitter, found his words to be “so poetic” that they’ve been integrated into the music of From Ether.

The exhibition, taking place at the

Powerhouse Museum, will allow “everyone, regardless of age, [to] marvel at our extraordinary world and gain a deeper understanding of just how breathtakingly beautiful, varied and complex it is.” (SW) Apr 12, Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo, $15-25, powerhousemuseum.com

because they’ve found they’re actually quite good.

“Graham and I had played four gigs… we weren’t quite ready but I entered us in the Sydney Blues Challenge and we won it!” says John Cupit.

Perhaps the judges saw the duo were taking the blues genre to an interesting

place. Defying the traditional blues structures of a three chord, twelve bar turnaround, Doggn It plays, “eight bar blues, ten bar blues, even sixteen bar blues,” says Cupit. It’s just what comes naturally to them.

“After probably having this frustration built up for 40 years, all these songs are just falling out now!” says Cupit.

However, it’s not just blues they’re passionate about, “we just love writing about Australia,” he says, adding, “we’re blues storytellers.”

From singing about what it’s like to wake up in the bush, to living through the depression on the Hungry Mile, Doggn It are a unique Aussie blues band. (MT) Apr 13 (and every two weeks after), The Merton Hotel, 38 Victoria Rd, Rozelle, free, (02) 8065 9577, doggnit.com.au

Doggn It

offended, Norris’s dangerous and delicious writing brings to boil the bigotry that is often simmering just below the surface.The split between the 1959 and modern settings provides a pertinent commentary on gentrification and the way in which history lingers in the dry wall. Nathan Lovejoy is the standout performance. His comic timing in portraying the nervous yet self-righteous ‘50s community leader is truly brilliant. Clybourne Park leaves audiences both cringing behind their hands and in fits of laughter. (CK) Until Apr 19, Ensemble Theatre, 78

Music

Photo: Chris Hadfield

FIGHT NIGHT

Photo: Blueprint Studios

Music explores the often taboo subject of mental illness, breaking down social stigmas along the way. Award-winning playwright Jane Bodie teams up with director Corey McMahon to critique the way mental illness is perceived today.

“Music proves that the central character can be a fully formed person who just happens to have a mental illness,” McMahon says.

Two actors researching a theatre project befriend a seemingly quiet and ordinary man named Adam (Anthony Gee). In reality, Adam’s unexceptional existence is carefully calibrated - a precarious sideways tightrope-walk over his mental illness. Now, Adam’s new friends are at risk of throwing his life dangerously off-balance and there’s every chance they’ll go down with him.

“I think people will get a lot out of it,” says Gee. “It’s not very often that Australian work examines mental illness particularly in the way Jane is, she’s tearing down a whole bunch of assumptions,” says McMahon.

Music features a stellar cast including Anthony Gee, Sam O’Sullivan, Kate Skinner and Tom Stokes. (SM)

McDougall St, Kirribilli, $30-65; Apr 23 & 24,The Concourse, 409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood, $30-65, ensemble.com.au A MOMENT ON THE LIPS Mad March Hare Theatre Company will stage Jonathan Gavin’s awardwinning all-female production.

The play, set during a dinner party, moves backward and forward in time, as seven powerful women confront their jealousies, rivalries and their respective ambitions.

Real life sisters, Sarah and Beth Aubrey, will also play sisters onstage, their first performance together.

Sarah Aubrey says, “I saw the play ten years ago and it’s been in my

head since. I was incredibly moved and excited that there was a play with seven intelligent, well-rounded, articulate women, who weren’t all sitting around talking about a man – a rarity in acting.” (GF) Until Apr 12,The Old Fitzroy Theatre, Dowling St,Woolloomooloo, $21-39, sitco.net.au STITCHING Little Spoon Theatre’s third offering is sure to get audiences talking: the play has been banned in certain parts of Europe. Now the raw, poetic and oddly humorous Stitching finds itself onstage in Sydney.

The show follows Stu and Abby

as they contend with a difficult decision: to keep the baby or not.

Stitching refers to the decisions that have the potential to unravel the fabric of their relationship.

Starring co-founders Wade Doolan and Lara Lightfoot, and directed by renowned Scottish director Mark Westbrook, Stitching promises audiences a poetic and uncompromising play about concerns we seldom see this scrupulously onstage. (RG) Until Apr 12,Tap Gallery, 278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst, $20-30 (Strictly 18+), littlespoontheatre.com

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TALKING THROUGH YOUR ARTS

THE NAKED CITY

Remixing arts and culture

Leatherface let loose!

Time, they say, heals all wounds – especially those suffered in the name of art and more than likely inflicted with a chainsaw!

That’s the buzz we had this week when we noticed that the upcoming Sydney Film Festival had programmed a special screening of a restored print of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic,The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Appropriately the screening will take place at Sydney’s only surviving drivein, - the Skyline at Blacktown - and will mark 40 years of controversy in the way this much maligned masterpiece has been dealt with, both by censors and critics alike. Whilst the movie is still unnerving and disturbing, watching it today, it’s hard to believe it was originally banned by the Australian censor way back in 1975.

Despite the evocative title, the film is surprisingly low on any gratuitous violence, gore or splatter and relies more on what you don’t see to send shivers up your spine. Nevertheless the Australian censor at the time deemed it far too shocking for local audiences and banned it unconditionally. In the ensuing years several attempts were made by distributors to have the ban overturned, including ‘slashing’ over six minutes of footage from the original print.

Finally in January 1984 Filmways successfully appealed the ban and achieved an R-rating for the film, which soon hit the big screens and drive-ins around the country. Whilst a predominantly young audience flocked to see the film, most of the established film critics dismissed it as a low-budget, B-grade shocker, made for a paltry $140,000 with a cast of no-names.

A sequel starring Dennis Hopper surfaced in 1986 and somewhat surprisingly was also banned by Australian censors. This was followed by a remake directed by Marcus

20

Nispel in 2003 and whilst both movies were relatively successful, their runof-the-mill mediocrity only enhanced the reputation of the original. Times change and tastes change and eventually Tobe Hooper’s brilliant slice of gothic Americana achieved the critical accolades that it always deserved.

Shortly after the Australian ban was lifted Sydney’s Mandolin cinema - a popular indie arthouse/grindhouse of the ‘80s and ‘90s - ran a special screening of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

As the cinema lights darkened, the burly Dr William McCoy, a local radio personality and art band singer, burst from the side of screen exit. Dressed as the rampaging Leatherface and wielding a wildly buzzing chainsaw he tore around the theatre, narrowly missing the heads of a packed and now highly shocked audience. As he disappeared stage right, the eerie stench of kerosene lingered throughout the theatre as stunned cinemagoers reacted in almost total silence.

It’s a stunt the Sydney Film Festival could well consider for their Blacktown drive-in screening but given the current OH&S, public liability, and “could that be a terrorist?” paranoia, it’s unlikely they will repeat the episode. Nevertheless their screening is a fitting recognition for a true cinema classic and a smack in the face for those rather silly arbiters of public morality who chose to ban it in the first place.

THE HIT LIST: Bugdens Bookshop, at the top of William Street, Kings Cross has long been a favourite of second-hand book and hunters.

It was always notable for its quirky window displays highlighting current events, politics, and the passing of literary greats. The bookshop recently changed hands and is now known as Grand Days. It has continued the Bugdens tradition with an outstanding window installation to mark the new ownership. The work of artist Justine Muller, it’s an interesting take on the Abbott Government, complete with articulate underwear, and is worth a peek if you are in the area.

leaders to exchange ideas, foster dialogue and collaborate. There are summits being held in five major cities including Dubai, London and New York.

The City of Sydney has demonstrated their support, committing a $70,000 sponsorship. The City spends more than $34 million per year on culture in Sydney.

The soon-to-be-released Cultural Policy details future directions, priorities and commitments on cultural activities and creative enterprise and it incorporates the backing of REMIX. It was in 2009 that Culturelabel published their first eBook on cultural entrepreneurship, Intelligent Naivety. The authors Simon Cronshaw and Peter Tullin explore the strategies designed to turn ideas into reality for generating commercial revenue for cultural organisations. The book is still relevant and has received more than 15,000 downloads.

Storytellers of the Town Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook Confronting images and startling installations feature in Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook’s new exhibition, Storytellers of the Town at the 4A Gallery.

The artist explores forbidden realms, such as death and insanity, in her work. For instance, The Class is a cinematic display of a lecture to the dead. The corpses lie still and white shrouded in the foreground as the teacher paces desperately, attempting to instil knowledge into the frozen forms. The blackboard in the background evokes memories of universal anonymous classrooms, and the whole is a shocking comment on the limits of communication.

The Class is complemented by other presentations of stark realism. Great Times Message, Storytellers of the Town, The Insane, depicts disturbed women telling their stories.

Their hazy images and distraught voices produce a disorienting cacophony of visual and oral noise.

Powerful yet sympathetic, this is an exhibition of an artist who defies the limits of conventional discourse. (LR) Until May 10, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, 181-187 Hay St, Haymarket, free, 4a.com.au

‘The Class’, image courtesy of the artist and 4a Centre for Contemporary Asian Art

The Strictly Ballroom Exhibition Photo: Sotha Bourn

By Coffin Ed, Miss Death & Jay Katz

Product life cycles are shrinking and the desire for the ‘next new thing’ is fiercer than ever. Innovate or die. What’s likely to kill you in the new economy is not somebody doing something better; it’s somebody doing something different.

At the same time as competition is increasing, so is collaboration among competitors.

The intersection between culture, technology and entrepreneurship is where some of the world’s best ideas are emerging. REMIX Sydney is an inaugural platform that seeks to connect the different sectors. The two-day summit at Carriageworks is an initiative of Culturelabel, a group of entrepreneurs who have created a unique online superstore and a training academy.

First staged in London in 2012, to sellout crowds, REMIX seeks to shape the future of the cultural creative industries in major cities by facilitating industry

There are a total of 75 speakers at REMIX with an expected attendance of more than 2,000 global leaders. A few names include, Cronshaw and Tullin; Tom Uglow, director of Google’s Creative Lab; Simon Crerar, editor of Buzzfeed; and Katrina Sedgwick, head of ABC Arts. Topics discussed cover future partnerships and the building of creative businesses.

For many of us imagination is synonymous with creativity. Everyone has imagination.

However, there is an important difference between the two. Creativity in contrast, is the expression of imagination. Creativity is the way a person brings ideas into the tangible world so that others can share and feel them. It involves talent, training, and skill that can be learned and developed. (AS) May 8-9, Culture,Technology and Entrepreneurship, Conference and Master Classes, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, $175-555, culturelabel.com/remix/syd/

Sparkles, spangles, feathers, glitter and bright colours are on display at the Powerhouse Museum’s Strictly Ballroom exhibition.

The show features over 40 costumes by Catherine Martin, original sketches, set photos and clips which chronicle the development of the story.

The Oscar-winning designer says her life is about researching social history and her creations reflect an era of extravagance in filmmaking and culture. Each piece demonstrates devotion to representation of an ethos, in this case the world of ballroom dancing.

The pastel hues, beautiful weaves and exquisite embroidery are monuments to an often ignored artistic skill.

Highlights include the gold jacket worn by Paul Mercurio in the famous dancing scene, the gowns that Martin wore during award season, and most intriguing her four Academy Awards and five Baftas This is a small peep hole into a widely influential and successful production team through the lens of one of Australia’s most popular movies. (LR) Until Nov 9, Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo, $12 (free with general admission), powerhousemuseum.com

Kate MillerHeidke - O Vertigo!

Miller-Heidke’s fourth studio album and her first since leaving Sony, O Vertigo! finds the Brisbane songstress in fine form – and while there are no great departures here, this album is arguably her most accomplished to date.

The vocals – always one of her strongest points – are superb, and musically she’s better than ever. Highlights here include Offer it Up, Share Your Air (feat. Passenger) and the title track.

If there’s a downside, it’s the predictability of tracks like What Was I To You? – an angry ‘you did me wrong’ relationship number with ‘ironic’ sweet melodies.

However, overall a strong album. (PH)

Kaiser Chefs - Education, Education, Education and War With its political, bombastic, anti-war songs, the Kaiser Chiefs’ fifth studio album (and first without former drummer/songwriter Nick Hodgson) is somewhat reminiscent of Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame.

Except this is far less sophisticated, interesting and idiosyncratic than any of Waters’ work.

The Kaisers clearly have aspirations to be more than just knockabout British indie lads, but for this reviewer at least, they’ve fallen somewhat short.

There’s little in the way of biting commentary, clever lyrics and truly memorable songs here. On the positive side, it’s polished, well produced and there are some hummable tunes. (PH)

Art vs. Science

Art vs. Science sticks-man Daniel Williams laughs when quizzed about the video for their latest harmonious triumph single, Create/Destroy: “It’s really funny because we were on set and we all kind of thought, ‘Is this potentially going to be a catastrophe?’”

He continues, “We were trying to create a bit of controversy you know? We can’t all be polite and nice all the time. Like [The Prodigy’s] Smack My Bitch Up video - the character runs around on a campaign of terror for most of the night and then you find out it’s a girl. A kid with a sword – that’s us.”

Attempts to churn public outrage aside, this Sydney trio seem to be generating more adoration than anything else. With the lead single of the EP pumping over the airwaves on a regular basis, the two Dans and Jim have embarked on a national tour to celebrate the release of the single and their latest EP of the same name.

“It was just sort of a jam,” Williams explains of the single. “There was this really long seven-minute bridge that was this weird psychedelic jam thing, which wasn’t really going to work for radio, so we

LIVE WIRE King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: With a tongue-twisting band name, these Melburnian kids have been churning out tunes with no sign of halting. After releasing their album Float Along – Fill Your Lungs last year, they’ve since released an ode to Australia’s most iconic condiment (Vegemite) and released their latest album Oddments to rave reviews.

This show will be a chance to let their fuzzy rock vibes envelope you and see seven dudes crammed onto one stage, rocking their socks off.

kind of left it.

“When Jim came up with the chorus we both demoed it on my laptop at my mums place. I was living there at the time so we just sat down at the dining table working on it while she was doing her taxes or something. It was really weird,” he says.

Birthing songs on his mum’s dining table is something Williams admits is not the regular protocol for the trio, yet it kick-started a creative streak, enlisting the help of revered producer Paul McKercher to develop the remaining four tracks.

“He was just so positive. He drinks a lot of tea, eats a lot of biscuits - he’s a good man,” says Williams.

With the full Create/Destroy EP only released on April 4, Williams admits that the lead single has stirred a few interesting comparisons.

“Some people were like ‘oh it’s like The Alan Parsons Project’. So I listened to a bunch of their stuff and I don’t think it sounds anything like it!

Then someone else said it was like Yes, and I was like ‘Ok, I can’t really see that either but I respect your opinion’,” he says with a tone of amusement.

“I think it’s more like Eye of the Tiger than anything.”

(CD) Apr 11, Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, $25+bf, moshtix.com.au

Sydney Live Music Guide

Thu, Apr 10th,The Roller Den, Erskinville.

John Butler Trio: This band needs no introduction to the Australian music scene. From those early busking days in the depths of Freemantle to numerous accolades over ten years of consistency; John Butler and his blues finesse has won the hearts of many.

It’s as if the numerous lineup changes of the trio are irrelevant.Their February release Flesh & Blood is the work of different hands, yet ultimately a reflection of Butler’s vision.

Fri, Apr 11th, Hordern Pavillion, The Entertainment Quarter.

J-Boog: Tapping into his Pacific Island roots, a unique combination of traditional reggae elements fused with his own unique twist, has proved a successful formula.

It sparked one of his biggest and most loved tunes, the sun-soaked doozie that is Let’s Do It Again and provided him the opportunity to work with artists such as George ‘Fiji’ Veikoso and Morgan Heritage. It’s clear that J-Boog is on the rise and this is a chance to see him,

accompanied by a full band, before people start catching on.

Sat, Apr 12th, Enmore Theatre.

Allen Stone: He’s been likened to soul legends such as Stevie Wonder and Prince, with tunes that have an air of genuine passion sparked from his early exposure to gospel music. Since securing his first television appearance on Conan thanks to his YouTube clip Live From His Mother’s Living Room, he’s been given the spotlight on many an American broadcast.Tonight in an undoubtedly Australian setting, audiences will be able to hear such hits as Unaware

and Sleep from his self-titled album.

Sun, Apr 13th,The Metro, George St. Dave Matthews Band: Grassroots from the U.S. of A., this band have kept their fantastic machine well-oiled for over 20 years in a world of onehit wonders. Eight studio albums and a few Grammy awards along the way, the band are consistent tourers, showcasing their legendary onstage improvisation.This tour will be in support of their latest release Away From The World, their 2012 release and a Billboard chart-topping

scorcher.

Tue, Apr 15th, Qantas Credit Union Area, Haymarket.

Devendra Banhart: An artist that has an undeniable depth in his songwriting.

Banhart has enjoyed an extensive career of eight studio albums and wellknown singles. It’s thanks to him that songs such as Lover and I Feel Just Like A Child are forever etched into the musical consciousness, and rightfully so, with the funky tones and his coarse vocals adding a layer of pure sing-along gold. (CD) Wed, Apr 16th,The Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

The LEGO Movie Everything is awesome in ordinary Emmet’s (Chris Pratt) blocktastic LEGO world. He follows the rules set by much-loved President Business (Will Ferrell) and enjoys his over-priced coffee.

However, a chance encounter challenges Emmet to become extraordinary and join the quest to save the world.

Animal Logic completed the painstaking animation for the The LEGO Movie at their studio in Sydney. The process took more than two years

to make the stop-motion style feel seamless, and it is quite an achievement.

This is a family movie full of familiar characters from the world of LEGO. Special mention goes to Liam Neeson (Taken) in his glorious turn as Bad Cop/Good Cop. Unfortunately, the last quarter diverts from the entertaining simplicity by throwing in a moral to the story. It’s a nice one, but it feels forced.

The corny lines will get chuckles from the adults and the kids will love the action and amusing sound effects. (LL) WWW

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Delving into the Marvel universe for the ninth time, viewers find Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) & Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in the midst of an espionage thriller for control of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Appealing to the market already created by The Hunger Games books and movies, Divergent is more simplistic and edgy, without all the bells and whistles. With similar themes of survival of the fittest and grappling with authority, Divergent is set in a postapocalyptic Chicago society and begins with a coming-ofage ceremony that determines which of five factions young

As an annual superhero blockbuster, audiences know what to expect. However, this film manages to add some very interesting depth to the story and characters, particularly with Black Widow.

The plot is very linear and well

done, avoiding meaningless tangents, (unlike some previous Marvel films), and has huge implications for upcoming Marvel titles (hint: as always, stay after the credits).

Johansson provides the perfect balance of attitude to Evans’ clean cut Captain America.

Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) does a great job at making the villain so cold, unrelenting and fearsome. (JA) WWWW

Muppets Most Wanted

people will fit into.

Main character Tris (Shailene Woodley) chooses the warrior faction called Dauntless and joins the training academy that teaches weapons and fighting.

Drawing on her inner strength she climbs through the ranks while harbouring a dangerous secret, outshining in a test that uses serum to induce a hallucination simulation state.

(MS) WWW

The Muppets return to the big screen in their latest musical comedy Muppets Most Wanted, the seventh sequel in the franchise. Whilst on a global tour, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang inadvertently become involved in an evil mastermind’s crown jewel heist.

Twisted and amusing storylines have Kermit imprisoned in a Siberian gulag and replaced by dead ringer Constantine - the world’s most wanted frog who plans to marry Miss Piggy.

Ricky Gervais is hilarious as the dastardly manager who leads The Muppets into mayhem and celebrity cameos include Tony Bennett, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga.

Delightfully cheesy, this sequel remains faithful to the brand, with an abundance of vibrant and colourful cabaret sequences, catchy songs, endless gags and silly storylines.

Muppets Most Wanted is a great holiday treat for the whole family. (MM) WWW

Any Day Now

Divergent THE RAID 2 Taking place two hours after the prequel ended, The Raid 2 quickly engrosses the audience with incredible actionpacked scenes and gory violence.

This sequel follows the journey of a rookie cop as he goes undercover into the criminal underworld.Writer/director Gareth Evans’ use of advanced cinematography encapsulates the frenetic choreography of each fight sequence.The violence is jaw-dropping.This film is for fans of bloody violence and ferocious fight scenes. (CT) WWWW POMPEII is an action/romance/ disaster film set in 79 A.D.The story centres on a gladiator named 22

Milo (Kit Harington) and his race against time to save Cassia (Emily Browning) from the corrupt Roman senator Corvus (Kiefer Sutherland) and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

The captivating gladiatorial fighting sequences, romantic entanglements, political intrigue and a horrifying natural disaster all ensure audience interest is maintained.

Adversely, Harrington’s British accent is detracting and he’s oddly paired with Browning.

The spectacular 3D and CGI effects utilised in the climactic sequences as the volcano erupts, heightens the realism and delivers a visually stunning film. (MM) WWW NYMPHOMANIAC This four-hour epic chronicles the life

With lush cinematography and lovable charismatic characters Any Day Now reclaims a notso-distant past. Directed by Travis Fine, the film brings to life a true tale of adversity with a sophisticated approach to the period genre. It evokes the 1970s setting without feeling forced or retro.

The film explores a trial in which a gay couple fight to legally save a child with a

of Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stacy Martin) from her childhood to her self-proclaimed realisation as a nymphomaniac.

Told in eight chapters, the episodic nature allows for breaths in what is a very intense and traumatic cinematic experience.

Simultaneously disgusting and compelling, Lars Von Trier explores the affliction of sex addiction from a surprisingly empathic and feminist perspective.

Although highly pornographic, the sex is not erotic nor salacious, only natural and never to the detriment of plot. What the audience is left with is a highly meaningful and genuine film. (ATS) WWW½

disability from his abusive biological mother.

Stars Garret Dillahunt, Alan Cumming and Isaac Leyva deliver tender performances that bring charm and dignity to these characters battling with the strains of marginalisation.

What emerges as most disturbing in this story of a queer family struggling for adoption rights, is its familiarity.

(CK) WWWW WADJDA is a 10-year-old tomboy growing up in the Saudi capital. She enjoys pop music, wears Converse and dreams of owning a bicycle.

Wadjda’s mother worries about her daughter’s reputation and her teachers fear the worst.

However,Wadjda strives for freedom of expression and she learns how to push, gently, against cultural boundaries.

Haifaa Al Mansour, Saudi Arabia’s first female director, (who sometimes directed from inside a van) commands beautiful performances from her mainly female cast; 12-year-old Waad Mohammed is sweet and spunky and easily carries the film. (RF) WWWW

I, FRANKENSTEIN The latest incarnation of Frankenstein’s monster, Adam (Aaron Eckhart), seems to be ‘developing’ a soul.

Two hundred years after his creation he battles it out for the fate of humanity against the forces of darkness led by demon Prince Naberius, played

by Bill Nighy – who is better suited to comedic characters.

It’s a joint American/Australian (Lakeshore/Hopscotch) production filmed in Melbourne and employed a lot of Australians on-screen and off – roughly 500.

Audiences that like a good oldfashioned battle between good & evil with multiple special effects will enjoy this. (MMu) WWW

ALL IS LOST stars Robert Redford in his most demanding role to date, as a man lost at sea. Without navigational or communication systems he manages to skilfully survive the elements but as food and water diminish, so does the prospect of survival.

Redford delivers a tremendous performance in this riveting and incredible story of one man’s endurance when all hope is lost. He plays the sole character and speaks few lines, but conveys the desperation and hopelessness effectively.

The escalating tension will have audiences at the edge of their seats. (MM) WWWW

F R E E W I L L ASTR O L O G Y

by Rob Brezsny

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Freedom is the most important kind of joy you can seek right now. It’s also the most important subject to study and think about, as well as the most important skill to hone. I advise you to make sure that freedom is flowing through your brain and welling up in your heart and spiraling through your loins. Write synonyms for “freedom” on your arm with a felt-tip pen: liberation, emancipation, independence, leeway, spaciousness, carte blanche, self-determination, dispensation. Here’s one more tip: Connect yourself with people who love and cultivate the same type of freedom you do.

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It’s Love Your Messes Week, Taurus. In accordance with the astrological omens, you are authorized to love the hell out of the messes in your life -from the small, awkward knots of confusion to the big, beautiful heaps of fertile chaos. This is not a time to feel embarrassed or apologize for your messes; not a time to shy away from them or ignore them. On the contrary, you should explore them, celebrate them, and even take advantage of them.

Whatever else they are, your messes are untapped sources of energy. Learn to love them for the mysterious lessons they keep teaching you. Love them for the courage and willpower

they compel you to summon.

Love them for the novelty they bring your way and the interesting stories they add to your personal legend.

you plot a project you will be developing for a long time to come, you will have a vision of what it will be when it becomes fully mature.

transformations you have. They can’t be expected to converse with you in your butterfly language. Are you willing and able to speak caterpillar?

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “A snowball’s chance in hell” is an American idiom that’s equivalent to saying “it probably won’t happen.” After all, a snowball would instantly melt if exposed to the scorching fires that rage in the underworld. But what if there’s an exception to this axiom? Let’s call on another American idiom: “when hell freezes over.” It’s another way to say “it probably won’t happen.”

But the truth is that now and then a cold front does indeed sweep through the infernal region, icing its flames. When that happens, a snowball’s prospects of surviving there improve dramatically. And that’s exactly what I predict will happen for you in the coming week.

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): In 2007, J. K. Rowling finished writing the seventh volume of her seven Harry Potter books, *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.* The day it was published it sold 11 million copies. But Rowling had actually written the final chapter of this last book way back in 1990, when she first conceived the story she was to spend the next 17 years working on. She knew the climax right from the beginning. I foresee a similar theme unfolding for you in the coming weeks, Cancerian. As

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When you see your shadow, it’s usually right next to you. It’s there on the ground or floor, a fuzzy black shape that follows you around closely. But today I saw my shadow waving back at me from afar. I was standing on top of a hill, and the sun’s rays created a dusky version of me in the meadow way down below. I think this is a useful metaphor for an opportunity that’s available to you. In the coming days, you will be able to view the shadowy, undeveloped parts of your personality as if from a distance. That means you will have more objectivity about them, and thus greater compassion. You can get a calm, clear sense of how they might be mucking with your happiness and how you could transform them.

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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “You cannot use butterfly language to communicate with caterpillars,” said psychologist Timothy Leary. That’s good advice for you to keep in mind in the near future. You might want to find a way to carry on constructive dialogs with people who have a hard time understanding you. It’s not necessarily that they are stupid or resistant to your charms. The problem is that they haven’t experienced some of the critical

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Are you thinking of linking your fortunes to a new ally? Or deepening your collaboration with a familiar ally? Have you fantasized about bonding intensely with a source that may be able to give you more of what you want and bring out more of the best in you?

These prospects are worth contemplating, Libra. But I suggest you let your connection ripen a bit more before finalizing the shift. I’m not necessarily saying there’s a potential problem. I simply suspect that you need further exploration and additional information before you can make the smartest move possible.

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Saturn has been in the sign of Scorpio since October 2012 and will be there until the end of 2014. (It will make another visit from June to September 2015.) What does that mean? I have a view of Saturn that’s different from many astrologers. They regard it as the planet of limitation, struggle, and difficulty. Here’s what I think: While Saturn may push you to be extra tough and work super hard, it also inspires you to cut away extraneous desires and home in on your deepest purpose. It motivates you to build strong structures

that free you to express yourself with maximum efficiency and grace.

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): When I took an intermediate painting class in college, our first assignment was to imitate an old master. My choice was the Flemish painter Pieter Breugel the Elder (15251569). I worked on reproducing his painting *The Fight Between Carnival and Lent* as precisely as I could. It was tedious and liberating. I invoked Breugel’s spirit and prayed for his guidance. I sank my psyche deeply into his. By the end of the four-week process I’d learned a lot about painting.

Given the current astrological omens, Sagittarius, I suggest you try something similar. Pick someone who excels at a way of working or a state of being that you would like to master yourself, and copy that person for a while. For best results, have fun with it. Play!

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn author J. R. R. Tolkien spent 14 years working on *The Lord of the Rings.* In using a typewriter to produce over 1,200 pages, he relied solely on his two index fingers.

He never learned the ten-finger typing method. I suppose it didn’t matter in the end.

Presumably, his impediment didn’t affect the quality of his work, but only made it harder to accomplish and required him to spend a lot more time. Is there a fixable limitation on your own

ability to achieve your dream, Capricorn? Is there some handicap you could, with effort, overcome? If so, now would be an excellent time to begin.

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “The truth’s superb surprise,” wrote poet Emily Dickinson, may be “too bright for our infirm delight.”

Sometimes we’ve got to be careful about articulating what’s really going on. “The truth must dazzle gradually,” she said. If it hits us too fast and hard, it may be difficult to digest. So did Emily suggest that we should lie and deceive? No. “Tell all the truth,” she declared, “but tell it slant.” This is excellent advice for you in the coming days, Aquarius.

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here’s my report on your progress. You are not struggling to embody a delusional state of perfection as it is imagined by other people. Rather, you are becoming an ever-more soulful version of your idiosyncratic self, evolving slowly but surely.

You are not dazedly trudging along a narrow track laid down by thousands of sheep. Instead, you are lively and creative as you bushwhack a path for yourself through the wilderness.

To celebrate this ongoing success, Pisces, I suggest you get yourself a new power object that symbolizes your inventive devotion.