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NSW government ‘chose to ignore’ danger signs before Inner West death (See p. 14)

Woollahra rejects cycleway obstacles HubARTS: Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus The perfect school holiday show to entertain the kids & get everyone out of the house for a few hours (See p. 20)

PUBLISHED DATE 14 APRIL 2022 Published monthly and freely available throughout the Inner City. Copies are also distributed to serviced apartments, hotels, convenience stores and newsagents throughout the city. Distribution enquiries call 9212 5677. Published by Altmedia Pty Ltd. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of content, we take no responsibility for inadvertent errors or omissions. ABN 52 600 903 348 Group Editor & Publisher: Lawrence Gibbons Publisher Assistant: Mal Moody Advertising Manager: Mal Moody 0484 042 615 Advertising: sales@altmedia.net.au News Editor: Daniel Lo Surdo Contributors: Daniel Lo Surdo, Erin Modaro, Patrick McKenzie, Sharlotte Thou, Seja Al-Zaidi, Swagatalakshmi Roychowdury, Rahulesh Ashvin, Marcus Haar Arts Editor: Jamie Apps Contributors: Irina Dunn, Mark Morellini, Renee Lou Dallow, Tessa Pelle, Lucinda Garbutt-Young, Amber Griffin Cover Photo: Pedro Greig. Circa’s Peepshow Designer: Nadia Kalinitcheva Mail: PO Box 843 Broadway 2007 Email: news@altmedia.net.au, arts@altmedia.net.au Ph: 9212 5677 Fax: 9212 5633 Website: cityhubsydney.com.au If you have a story, or any comments you’d like to share with us: news@altmedia.net.au @CityHubSydney

BY ERIN MODARO push at a Woollahra Council meeting to defer construction of a cycleway between Rose Bay and Double Bay has been rejected, with just two councillors voting in favour of the motion. Proposed at a meeting on March 28 by Liberal councillor Mary-Lou Jarvis, the motion requested that the construction on the New South Head Road cycleway be deferred to “address community concerns” and suggested exploring alternative options for the project. The 2.4-kilometre cycleway, which was given council approval in December 2019, will run between William Street in Double Bay and Norwich Road in Rose Bay. The project was first delayed due to last year’s COVID-19 lockdowns and was pushed back again to April so that construction could begin in slower activity months.

 The fact is, there is no ideal solution According to council, the upgrades will improve the cycling capacity of New South Head Road, which has been identified as a “critical east-west cycling connection within Woollahra”. The cycleway will also include a section of shared path for pedestrians and cyclists, that has been the topic of various safety concerns. Councillor Jarvis said that “whilst we are very concerned about the safety of the cyclists, we have a duty in my view to be equally as concerned about the safety of the pedestrians”. Speaking to City Hub, Cr Jarvis added that there is “likely to be an accident” on the path in the future. She voiced her concerns about pedestrians being at risk from electric scooters in a shared space. “At least on bikes you’ve got a bell,” Cr Jarvis said.

A push at a Woollahra Council meeting to defer construction of a cycleway between Rose Bay and Double Bay has been rejected, with just two councillors voting in favour of the motion. Photo: Woollahra Council

“The fact is, there is no ideal solution. And the one that’s before us that we have approved, that our local planning panel has approved, is the best solution,” Cr Robertson said. Woollahra Mayor Susan Wynne said that she was “vehement[ly]” against the motion. “What is wrong with us that we cannot share our spaces to save lives?” Cr Wynne told the council, after sharing a personal story about her twin sister who sustained severe injuries in a past biking incident.

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

Concerns about the safety of the cycleway have been raised in the past, as in November 2021 when the Rose Bay Residents Association wrote a letter conveying “strong resident opposition” to the cycleway plan due to pedestrian safety issues.

‘SO SICK’ OF DEBATE

The motion to defer construction was opposed by Greens councillor Matthew Robertson, who said that he is “so sick of this [cycleway] debate”.

Construction has begun on the cycleway. Photo: Matthew Robertson

Barbara Mortimer, the Member Communication Representative of the Residents Association, said that they are “against the plan to mix the cyclists with the pedestrians” on the Rose Bay Promenade section of the cycleway. “We didn’t think it was best practice to mix very old people on walking frames … with cyclists,” Ms Mortimer said, also noting that residents from retirement homes in the area would be at risk. Infrastructure for cyclists is increasingly becoming a prominent element of the Sydney transport landscape following Transport for NSW’s pop-up cycleway initiative in previous years, which has been especially successful in the inner city. Transport for NSW reported that more than 700,000 trips have been made on the pop-up cycleways, which were developed as a response to increased active transport demand during the pandemic. Some of the temporary cycleways, including the one installed on Bridge Road in Glebe, have been received well by the community, as Transport for NSW reported that 92 per cent of users felt safer on the cycleway than on the street. As a result, the Bridge Road cycleway will become a permanent installation, and upgrades will be made in the future. Construction on the Rose Bay/Double Bay cycleway, which will be jointly funded by council and Transport for NSW, began at the start of April and is projected to be completed by July this year. CITY HUB APRIL 2022

HubNEWS

Anti-protest bill passes parliament previous $2,200 fine, which AttorneyGeneral Mark Speakman called a “small licence fee to pay to cause millions of dollars of havoc”. Last month, Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong accused the government of “ram[ming] [the] Bill into law”, saying that “there’s no such thing as an illegal protest” while advocating for the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association protests, which blocked some of Macquarie Street.

PROTESTOR JAILED

Maxim O’Donnell Curmi, the 26-year-old Blockade Australia activist who scaled a crane at Port Botany last month, was sentenced to four months in prison after his protest shut down the port’s largest terminal. Magistrate Ross Hudson, presiding over Waverley Local Court, fined Mr Curmi $1,500 and issued a jail sentence that will expire on July 24.

 Building movements is how we change the world for the better NSW Parliament has passed a bill that will allow penalties of up to two years jail time and $22,000 in fines for protestors who trespass on major roads or infrastructure facilities. Photo: Jenny Leong.

By DANIEL LO SURDO egislation that will allow penalties of up to two years jail time and $22,000 in fines for protestors has been passed in NSW Parliament, following a spate of mobilisations and actions across Sydney in recent months. The Roads and Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill will apply tougher penalties for people who disrupt traffic

CITY HUB APRIL 2022

or block entry to infrastructure facilities, including major roads, ports and railways.

SEVERE PENALTIES

The Bill comes after protests, including numerous from activist group Blockade Australia at Port Botany, Tempe and Marrickville, caused mass disruptions across Sydney, prompting changes to the

Ms Leong called the passing of the Bill a “disappointing outcome”, adding that “we know that building movements is how we change the world for the better”. Last month, NSW Transport Minister David Elliott warned that harsher penalties for people who “vandalise our economy” could be on the way, saying that he would lobby his cabinet to install “much, much tighter laws and penalties” for action generating major disruption across the city.

Maxim O’Donnell Curmi (pictured) has been jailed for four months. Photo: Blockade Australia

Blockade Australia is planning for new protests from June 27, saying that they “will not be intimidated out of fighting for the political change required to save us all”.

CITY HUB APRIL 2022

HubNEWS

Budget ‘ill-prepared’ for future

BY SEJA AL ZAIDI climate expert has warned that the funding for fundamental science critical for public health and environmental sustainability “has really been missed”, calling Australia “illprepared” for the future. Andy Pitman, the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, said that the spending on the fundamental science that “underpins everything we do” has not been properly addressed.

continue to impede Australia’s efforts in becoming a greener country,” Mr Cormack said. Mr Pitman said that “the fundamental thing we hope to see is a long term strategy to develop the basic science that feeds through to things like forecasting and climate projection”.

The latest federal budget was unveiled last month. Photo: Parliament of Australia

FALLING FUNDING

The population doing a PhD ...

are living below the poverty line It comes after the federal government was criticised this month for failing to deliver any fiscal commitments addressing climate change and aged care support as part of the latest budget. Criticisms have been levied at the Morrison government since unveiling the budget last month, with climate change measures and support for the aged care sector signalled as two key areas that weren’t met with adequate spending.

‘NOTHING’ FOR AGED CARE, SAYS MEMBER FOR SYDNEY

Labor Member for Sydney Tanya Plibersek said that the budget “has nothing for aged care worker pay, nothing for aged care nurses, and nothing for more care time”, adding that “older Australians deserve so much better”. Chris Cormack, the Executive General

Manager of Australian energy supplier Discover Energy, noted that there was no funding for renewable solutions such as electric vehicles, and a complete disregard for the issue of making solar power and panels more accessible for medium to low-income earners. “The government’s continued resistance to give the green light to manufacturers to bring their EV ranges to our shores will

Mr Pitman also addressed the reality of researchers and academics who commit themselves to critical causes like climate change. Public underfunding has remained a consistent trend for these groups, with the federal government’s 2021 investment in science being 0.56 per cent of gross domestic product – a figure significantly lower than comparable countries. “The population doing a PhD in Australia are living below the poverty line for three years to generate the science that saves people’s lives,” Pitman noted. The year-on-year decrease in annual budget allocations toward climate change programs means spending is forecasted to be 35 per cent lower in 2025-26 than it is this year. The federal election will take place on May 21 this year.

Support and Protections for Renters The catastrophic floods that occurred last month have left many thousands of people homeless. This environmental and climate disaster has very quickly turned into an escalating housing crisis. The Greens are calling for increased support and protections for all flood impacted tenants as well as other tenants throughout the state.

GET IN TOUCH IF WE CAN HELP Ph: (02) 9517 2800 E: newtown@parliament.nsw.gov.au W: jennyleong.org 383 King St, Newtown NSW 2042

This regular column is authorised by Jenny Leong MP. Funded using parliamentary entitlements 6

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Renters need just as much support as property owners and businesses to get back on their feet after these disastrous floods. I’ve been working with my Greens colleague, Tamara Smith MP, the Member for Ballina to encourage the government to take extra actions to support and protect renters.

We’ve developed a rental relief and flood response plan that includes amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act to help renters who are facing the extra stresses of having to negotiate rent waivers, bond refunds, potential no grounds evictions as well as searching for somewhere to live. @jennyleong.newtown

The Greens are calling on the NSW Government to step up and put a stop to no grounds evictions for at least the next 12 months. This means that people who want to be able to return to their homes when they’re habitable again, won’t have to renegotiate a lease at a potentially higher rent as the demand for homes is skyrocketing post floods. We believe that rents should be capped at pre flood levels so that the enormous demand for homes doesn’t result in landlords taking advantage of this housing crisis and jacking up the rents.

For renters across the state - including those living in our local community who have seen a massive increase in mould and continue to face unaffordable rents and the threat of evictions we have included new provisions in this Bill that will mean that all renters in NSW will get better protections from unfair no grounds evictions or rent hikes, as well as improvements in the minimum standards of the properties they rent. We’re calling for an end to no grounds @jennyleong

evictions unless in special circumstances, rents to be capped to the CPI or similar and, for rental standards to include a lack of mould and proper waterproofing. More than 30% of people rent their homes. It’s well time that they are given a fair go.

Support our campaign for renters rights and sign our petition in support of rent relief and protections for flood impacted and other renters.

SCAN TO SIGN THE PETITION

Jenny Leong MP Greens Member for Newtown @jennyleong.newtown

WENTWORTH’S INDEPENDENT

Hi, I’m Allegra I’m a business leader and renewable energy advocate. I grew up and went to school right here in Wentworth. And now I’m raising my family in this beautiful place we all call home. Wentworth is home to many talented people – from artists to doctors, from scientists to business people, from teachers to technology entrepreneurs. Together we have built an amazing community. We share a respect for family. We support our local businesses. We value different cultures and beliefs. And we care deeply about the welfare of others and the future of this planet – not just our own affairs. I’m standing up as your independent candidate to represent these views and values. I have the energy and drive to be your voice in Canberra and I’m prepared to take action on what’s important to all of us.

It’s time to step above two-party politics. I’m willing and committed to work hard to represent you and get results. I will listen to the community, consult with experts, and always vote in your best interests.”

I’m particularly concerned to take swift, decisive action on climate change to protect our planet for future generations. I’ll work with experts and scientists and weigh up all the evidence to make informed decisions. And I’m always interested to hear from local people, clubs and associations, so please reach out to me on issues that are important to you. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

AllegraSpender.com.au Allegra Spender

CITY HUB APRIL 2022

HubNEWS

Businesses keep hope during recovery PRECINCT ACTIVATION PROGRAM

Apart from recent reports and summits affirming cross-government support for a revitalised small business and hospitality industry, the City of Sydney has also announced funding programs in the short term. Earlier this year, the City announced a $4 million precinct activation program for businesses and creatives to drive collaborative partnerships. The program requires applicants to list a minimum of five nearby project collaborators and is intended to create “new hotspots” that will draw people into the city following a string of successful al fresco events such as the summer streets program. The City recently endorsed the precinct activation grant guidelines and had them on exhibition until March 22, after which they will be presented for final adoption in April. In June 2021, the City ran the successful YCK (York, Clarence, Kent streets) Laneway collaboration, a CBD activation grant program dedicated to fostering new relationships between ten late-night small bars. Hospitality businesses across the city, including Cafe Freda’s, have been devastated by COVID-19. Photo: Facebook

BY PATRICK MCKENZIE

s Sydney cautiously leaves behind more than two years of intermittent COVID-induced lockdowns and restrictions, the hospitality industry has continued to suffer. The closure of local performance venues and independent hospitality businesses has become a common sight in the beleaguered city, with several iconic venues shutting their doors in the last few months alone. Meanwhile, others have struggled to keep their head above water, continuing to pay fixed costs while staying closed and losing many months of revenue. For David Abram, founder and owner of Cafe Freda’s on Oxford Street’s Taylor Square, the feeling is all too familiar. “Sydney didn’t need COVID to ruin its nightlife, it did a pretty good job of managing that itself … I think we’re all aware that the lockout laws were disastrous for the nighttime economy,” Abram says. Having spent a decade running his current venue’s predecessor, the similarly named, live music venue ‘Freda’s’ in Chippendale, Abram is no stranger to the tribulations of running a successful nightlife-oriented business. “My previous business suffered immensely, I lost millions of dollars of revenue due to the politics at that time,” he says.

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“We’ve been in an environment where the pendulum swung towards ‘no nightlife’ from something that was manageable in terms of the issues that existed in the city prior to the lockout laws being introduced which would have allowed nightlife to continue to thrive.” Abram opened Cafe Freda’s at the end of the Chippendale site’s 10-year lease, both in light of the pandemic and the desire to take on a more exposed location. Building on the stellar reputation established over years of hosting live acts and, since 2017, showcasing the works of local artists, the current venue opened on New Year’s Eve 2020. While business was strong at the outset, given that the cafe occupied a corner of Taylor Square that had laid dormant for several years, challenges emerged. Varying COVID restrictions and eventually the longer 2021 lockdown brought the industry to an all too familiar standstill. Many places have struggled to recover. “I’m from Sydney, I believe in this city. I’ve had a lot of peers who want to engage with an active, cultured and exciting nightlife, and I don’t think that should be something that isn’t achievable in a modern city,” Abram says. Due to COVID restrictions, Cafe Freda’s applied for the NSW government’s alfresco restart initiative in October. The scheme is an extension of a 2020 trial

that was designed to “streamline the approval process for licensed venues applying for outdoor dining”. While the scheme allowed the cafe’s boundaries to be increased, it also walked back their outdoor opening hours from midnight to 10pm from Sundays to Thursdays – a heavy blow to a business model built on offering a vibrant, late night location. Abram recently launched an appeal, via Instagram, for community support on a City of Sydney development application that seeks to reinstate the pre-existing permits.

 I believe in this city “Something which had been designed to help small businesses in the toughest of situations was instead hindering ours,” the post reads. Abram says that being able to regain the approvals isn’t only important for his business, but for showing council and the government that it’s what people in this community want. “When you put in DAs, you only get people who are against what you do, not people who support what you do … publicising it in the way that I did was about me saying ‘I know that the public support is there for us’,” he says. “You’re just up against it because of what Sydney has become since the lockout laws were introduced.”

‘POLITICAL, BUREAUCRATIC SYSTEM’

Abram is passionate about building a community in his business and the hospitality industry at large. “It can be a very isolating thing running a small hospitality business, particularly one which is in the space of trying to drive some culture and community into its space,” he says. “People come up to me and say how much they appreciate what we do. But [it’s hard] when you’re operating in this political, bureaucratic system which has a huge impact on limiting what you can and can’t do. “Small businesses should be able to grow or expand or be versatile, which is exactly what the government and council have been saying all through this time. However there isn’t always a practical nor manageable solution to this,” he says. Abram’s appeal for support was a success. His application received over eighty positive submissions and the permits have been reinstated for six months. “To appeal to the community and people who do appreciate what we do and get what was honestly overwhelming in terms of the positivity we received back makes a massive difference,” Abram says. “You scratch your head sometimes and think, ‘what do I do this all for?’, and that’s what it’s for, to actually have a positive impact on people.”

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HubNEWS

Cycling takeovers targeted for city

BY SHARLOTTE THOU

The Darlinghurst event saw local eateries, including the Lord Roberts Hotel, Stanley’s Bar and Bill and Toni’s Italian, open their doors, alongside drag and fire performances. Claudio Tropea, the owner of Bill and Toni’s, called the festival a “definite success” and said it was “awesome to see [the street’s] energy, consumer confidence and buzz back”.

Sunday cycling takeover involving free public transport into the city, pausing the light rail and closing side streets is being targeted by Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore following the success of the City of Sydney’s summer streets festival. Cr Moore has asked the state government to support closures in the heart of the city on regular Sundays for a cycling takeover practice known as Ciclovía (it’s a Spanish term that originated in Colombia), to help lure families back into the city following the pandemic. Cr Moore said the closure of streets aligns with her long-term vision for “increased pedestrian areas, outdoor dining, and green avenues”, adding that “we’d love to see the city centre closed to traffic for cycling Sundays, similar to other great cities around the world”. It comes as the City of Sydney’s summer streets festival wrapped up in Darlinghurst last month after a highly successful series across the inner city. Cr Moore told City Hub that the festival provided a safe outlet for “people to reengage with their communities”, saying that “expanding outdoor dining remains

 We have had to adapt to the changing environment

Clover Moore photographed in 2014. Cr Moore has set her sights on a Sunday cycling takeover, following the success of the summer streets series. Photo: Flickr

an essential part of what [council’s] doing to support businesses during these challenging times”. She hopes to continue the initiative and has requested $5 million from the state government to repeat the series another four times this year. Cr Moore said that funding was necessary for the series to continue, specifically “contributions made to Transport for NSW for road closures

and pay-per-use policing”, which would be a “huge step” towards ensuring the sustainability of these events.

STREETS FESTIVAL A ‘SUCCESS’

The series was originally designed for local businesses to recover from the pandemic while providing a COVID safe environment for communities to re-engage with Sydney’s streets.

Tropea added that changing public health restrictions had made it “extremely difficult to remain in operation and optimistic about the future”. “Put simply, we have had to adapt to the changing environment and as an iconic Sydney business that has been in existence since 1965, it was difficult to do,” he explained. State Member for Balmain Jamie Parker praised the events, saying “returning streets to local neighbourhoods is a key part of bringing people together while supporting our local businesses”. He also hinted at plans to initiate similar events in his electorate.

Enjoy a whimsical and flavourful Easter at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park

Fall down the rabbit hole at Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park this Easter with their range of family friendly dining options and activities for a guaranteed memorable celebration. Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park has always been a destination for families and friends to come together over key holidays in Australia and they are getting ready to deliver even more delicious food, drink, creativity, and fun to their popular concepts. From Thursday, April 14 to Sunday, April 17, the hotel will host a delightful weekend of events from Easter-themed high teas in The Gallery to Easter Friday Brunch and Buffet Dinners at the famous Feast Restaurant. Stay connected to Sheraton on Facebook, and @sheratonhotels on Twitter and Instagram. Sheraton is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy®, the global travel program from Marriott International. 10

CITY HUB APRIL 2022

Easter Thursday – April 14 Seafood Buffet Dinner at Feast Restaurant The Seafood Buffet Dinner is available from 5:30pm to 8:30pm and is priced at $99 per adult and $49.50 per child (11-12 years old). Kids under 11 eat free. Easter Friday – April 15 Easter Friday Brunch and Dinner There is something for everyone at Feast Restaurant this Easter. For brunch, kids will be dazzled by a world of sweet treats with hot cross buns and activities including a visit by Mr Rabbit, show bag giveaways and an interactive donut wall and waffle chocolate fountain. Meanwhile, adults can enjoy the hotel’s famous seafood buffet dinner with an extended seafood offering. Easter Saturday – April 16 Gallery Easter Family High Tea A morning of indulgence awaits with the Easter Family High Tea at The Gallery. On Easter Saturday, the family can enjoy a themed high-tea buffet with hot cross

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buns, a chocolate fountain, an Easter gift for the kids, colouring-in activities, and a visit from Mr Rabbit. For the adults, bottomless prosecco can be enjoyed as part of the 1.5 hour experience. The Gallery Easter Family High Tea is priced at $99 per adult and $49 for children (ages 5 - 11years) Feast Lunch & Dinner Buffet On Saturday, guests can enjoy Feast’s famous lunch and dinner buffet and elevated seafood offerings which includes blue swimmer crab, balmain bugs and more. It is priced at $129 per adult and $64.50 per child (11-12 years old). Kids under 11 eat free. Easter Sunday – April 17 Gallery Easter Family High Tea A morning of indulgence awaits with the Easter Family High Tea at Gallery. On Easter Sunday, families can enjoy a themed high-tea buffet with hot cross buns, a chocolate fountain, an Easter gift for the kids, colouring-in activities, and a visit from Mr Rabbit. For the adults, bottomless prosecco can be enjoyed.

HubNEWS

Eastern suburbs rally against privatisation

TANYA PLIBERSEK FEDERAL MEMBER FOR SYDNEY

HERE TO HELP

Residents across the eastern suburbs are concerned about bus privatisation. Photo: Supplied

BY PATRICK MCKENZIE andwick and Waverley Councils have consolidated their push against the planned privatisation of various eastern suburbs bus routes ahead of the end of a parliamentary inquiry submission period. The inquiry, which will investigate the modelling, rationale and process of privatising bus services alongside its economic, social, safety, employment and environmental implications and impact on worker pay and conditions, has seen the two councils come out in strong opposition of the plans. Both have launched community campaigns against privatisation and passed motions at council meetings that encourage residents to make written submissions to the inquiry. The NSW government first announced the planned privatisation of remaining Sydney bus routes in October 2019, with those in region nine – which covers the Port Botany, Randwick and Waverley depots – to take place from April 2022.

PRIVATISATION ‘UNACCEPTABLE’

In May 2021, then NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance announced the additional removal of 25 bus routes and route modifications to a further 23 in an apparent effort to funnel commuters to the CBD light rail. Randwick Greens councillor Philipa Veitch has said that the plans are “unsustainable and against the public interest”. Speaking to City Hub following her successful motion at a March

council meeting, which called on the state government to retain public ownership and reinstate all modified and cancelled region nine bus routes, Cr Veitch said that the changes have caused residents to lose direct routes to workplaces and experience “increased waiting times”. “Some routes that were previously covered by a single bus service now require one or more changes. Some buses that previously went all the way to Circular Quay now terminate at Central. This has increased commute times by up to 20-30 minutes in some cases and can involve a walk from a bus to a tram terminus,” Cr Veitch said.

This is just unacceptable “A number of residents have told me that the 10-minute estimated walk time to new bus stops is actually much longer, with seniors having to walk 2030 minutes in some cases. This is just unacceptable.” The motion also called on the NSW government to investigate and fund options for local councils to implement sustainable public transport options. Cr Veitch said that the area needs a “broad-ranging, frequent and affordable public transport service that caters for all in our community”. “A well-functioning public transport service, as well as cycle paths and cycle-friendly streets and roads are just the bare minimum needed to reduce our dependence on cars and make our suburbs more liveable for all,” she said.

As your local representative, I can assist with enquiries or problems you have with Federal Government departments and services like Centrelink, immigration, superannuation, Child Support payments, Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS), Veterans’ Affairs, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the National Broadband Network (NBN), universities, employment, training, Commonwealth funding and grants.

STAYING IN TOUCH To keep up to date with my activities (incuding my mobile offices), issues and events - both locally and nationally, please subscribe to my eNews at tanyaplibersek.com.

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES My office can arrange messages of congratulations for people who live in my electorate and are celebrating their golden (50th) and diamond (60th) wedding anniversaries; and 90th and subsequent birthdays. Please allow for 6-8 weeks for congratulatory messages from dignatories.

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE My office offers Justice of the Peace (JP) services on Mondays (2pm-4.30pm); Tuesdays (10am-1pm); and Thursdays (2pm-4.30pm). Please contact my office to make an appointment.

TANYA PLIBERSEK MP 1A Great Buckingham St Redfern NSW 2016 TanyaPlibersek.com SSO Here to Help 2020 V1.indd 1

02 9379 0700

Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au 1:23:20 PM 11 CITY HUB28/09/2020 APRIL 2022

HubNEWS

The Spender a generation in the making Three years ago, Zali Steggall, a former Olympian and lawyer, took the traditionally safe seat of Warringah from Tony Abbott, ending the former prime minister’s 25-year hold on the north shore and northern beaches electorate. “It showed that communities are willing to think independently about what they stand for, and they’re willing to reject a two-party dichotomy and that we’re open-minded enough to choose our own path,” Spender says of Steggall’s success in 2019, adding that she is also taking inspiration from the victory of fellow independent Kerryn Phelps’ at the 2018 Wentworth by-election.

WENTWORTH WAR OF ATTRITION

While Spender holds an enviable standing in the eastern suburbs community, and is pushing policies she says are “representative of the values of Wentworth”, her campaign doesn’t run just on charm.

Allegra Spender is challenging incumbent Liberal Dave Sharma for the seat of Wentworth at next month’s federal election. Photo: Allegra Spender

BY DANIEL LO SURDO t the 1990 federal election, 10year Liberal MP John Spender was ousted from his seat of North Sydney to the late Ted Mack, a grassroots politician known as the ‘father of all independents’. Thirty-two years later, John’s daughter, Allegra Spender, will contest the eastern suburbs seat of Wentworth as an independent, and hopes to take the seat from Liberal incumbent Dave Sharma. She chuckles at the irony. “He’s behind me,” the younger Spender says of her father. “I remember being on the campaign with him, and going doorknocking with him when I was eight or ten years old, so it’s funny to be on the other side of it.” There are some striking similarities - and differences - between the campaigns of John Spender’s successor, and his daughter. Both were prominent figures in their electorates (Mack was North Sydney mayor and the state member for north shore before taking federal office, Allegra is the daughter of late fashion icon Carla Zampatti) and have been seen as the counter-tide to a Liberal current that has dominated the polls for decades in each Sydney seat. But what differs is the stability of each electorate - Mack’s victory in 1990 crowned him the first (and to this day, only) non-Liberal to hold North Sydney, with the seat seeing just one leadership

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change since Mack left politics in 1996. In Wentworth, which occupies much of the well-heeled eastern suburbs, there have been three different leaders in four years. “It’s now a very marginal seat, and I think it’s because those values of Wentworth are not being reflected in Canberra,” Spender says. Few would’ve conceived it when Malcolm Turnbull held the highest office less than five years ago, and much of the Liberal Party today still wouldn’t care to admit it, but Wentworth is now a bonafide danger zone for the government next month. Sharma rescued the seat back into Liberal hands at the 2019 federal election, but an ultra-thin 1.3 per cent two-candidate preferred margin places the seat totally up for grabs again.

 Those values of Wentworth are not being reflected in Canberra When asked if she thinks Sharma has failed to represent the values of Wentworth in parliament, Spender measures her answer. She says “it’s great” that he supported amendments to strengthen protections for gay and transgender students at religious schools during debate on the religious discrimination bill, but she adds that “he’s not aligned” to the electorate when pushing for climate action at a federal level.

Spender credits this to the “unsettledness” of the seat in recent years, which since Turnbull’s abrupt retirement in 2018, was transferred to independent hands before being returned to the Liberals in 2019.

CLIMATE ACTION THE ‘BIGGEST OUT OF STEP PIECE’ IN WENTWORTH

During Sharma’s first term in federal politics, he has come under fire for failing to drive stronger climate goals and objectives in parliament. Ahead of the COP26 world climate summit last year, the Morrison government committed to a net-zero emissions target for 2050, but repelled calls for more ambitious 2030 targets, instead keeping to its 26-28 per cent reduction, which it projects to surpass in eight years’ time. Spender calls the electorate’s climate values the “biggest out of step piece” from Canberra. “Wentworth as a community is far ahead of where the government is in terms of climate, both from seeing the economic opportunities for Australia of decarbonisation and how Australia can be an energy superpower ... and the environmental lens of handing future generations an environmental situation that they can hold onto and continue.” At a glance, Spender can look to an encouraging precedent of well-known, climate-focused independents winning blue-ribbon seats in a federal election.

Spender is backed by the Climate 200 fund, which seeks to donate to independent candidates pledging climate action in Canberra. The fund, which is convened by Simon Holmes à Court, the son of Australia’s first billionaire, supported Phelps’ unsuccessful reelection campaign against Sharma in 2019, and this year will also be supporting independents in the Sydney blue-ribbon seats of Mackellar and North Sydney, which will also be fascinating battlegrounds come May 21. The 2019 campaign raised $500,000 for 12 independents and included a $50,000 donation from Australian billionaire and Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes. Climate 200’s backing of Spender is a crucial piece in Spender’s campaign to disrupt the status quo, with a war of financial attrition already underway in the east. Spender has turned in over $75,000 for Facebook advertisements in the last 90 days, with almost $5000 spent in the past week. This more than matches up to Sharma’s strong-armed promotional blitz, who has spent over $41,000 in the last 90 days and $14,000 in the past week. When asked what it will come down to for voters thinking of taking her to Canberra, Spender believes that it will be her principles, not her pockets, that will grab the electorate’s attention. “My ability to listen and want to learn from the community and represent the community is why I think Wentworth should vote for me, because I’m willing to listen to the community and I’m willing to reflect the community in how I vote,” she says.

Addi Road Writers’ Festival - Sat 14 May Addi Road Writer’s Festival directors Mark Mordue and Sheila Ngoc Pham.

No one can escape the reality of how strange and difficult these times have been. War, Covid, climate change. And that persistent feeling our digital communications are polarising attitudes to everything from politics to telling a joke. Claustrophobia and oppression can seem the order of the day. Pulling the masks (actual and virtual) from our faces, we might well wonder when it was safe to breathe again versus a need to scream, ‘We just can’t take it anymore!’ Awash in this mental static and bad news, it was art, music and literature that raised our spirits and sustained possibilities. Though the practitioners, of course, have been hammered too. But as surely as sunlight after months of rain, coming together at a community arts event is a tonic, a fine way to refresh our well-being and re-energise our world view. Most especially with an election looming and the future of the country on the line. So it is that Addi Road Writers’ Festival 2022 returns on Saturday 14 May, from midday through till dusk. Birthed last year as a literary and storytelling event, we’re nailing it down as an annual festival on the Inner West’s calendar. We’re back bigger and bolder this year, expanding from Gumbramorra Hall into the Greek Theatre, and maximising the use of the green space between those two venues at the centre in Marrickville.

Our theme this year is ‘New Lines’. New lines of conversation and inquiry. New lines in how we might live better, from responding to inequality to answering existential and aesthetic hungers within us, not all of them easy to pin down. New lines, literally, from authors, poets, musicians, journalists and social justice activists. New lines, too, that might separate us from all the bullshit and division we’ve wading through. New lines in what storytelling can be – and what it can do for us. By its very nature as a community development organisation, Addi Road has a commitment to social justice, environmental action, and grassroots culture. Over the last two years, more people have come to know of us through our food justice programs: from Addi Road Food Pantry operations through to our bushfire and flood relief work, and the civil society organisations we partnered with across the lockdowns. We supplied hampers to those in need through our Food Relief Hub (AKA Gumbramorra Hall), the one-time arts and performing space we repurposed to feed the community. When we gather again at Addi Road Writers’ Festival 2022, we will see the palettes of food and hampers moved to one side: the walk that goes with the talk. Mark Mordue and Sheila Ngoc Pham Directors, Addi Road Writers’ Festival 2022

There will be twelve panels as well as poets, live music, and spoken word artists performing. Here’s a taste of just a few, with much more to come… Drawing Your Own Bed and Lying In It – ‘Autobiographical comics and the graphic art of self-determination’ with Jin Lien Hau; Meg O’Shea; and Safdar Ahmed. / Escape From the Land of Bad Dreams – ‘How poetry can decompose and remake your inner world’ with Prithvi Varatharajan; Robert Adamson; and James Jiang. / Intimate Latitudes – ‘Indonesian literature in translation’ with Norman Erikson Pasaribu; Tiffany Tsao; and Belinda Lopez. / Inside the Confession Machine – ‘Memoir writing in the age of identity politics’ with Eda Gunaydin: Miro Bilborough: and Sheila Ngoc Pham. / The Changing Man – ‘In search of males in books today’ with Tom Patterson; Jack Ellis; Luke Johnson: and Max Easton. We also welcome Uncle Wes Marne, an Indigenous storyteller and Bigambul Elder, celebrating his 100th birthday and the release of his poetry book, Through Old Eyes. And other poets, artists and musicians including Ethan Bell, Felicity Plunkett, Eliza Jean Scott and Locust Jones. Special thanks to Inner West Council for funding support. And our partners Giramondo Books and Harry Hartog Booksellers Marrickville. Full program details will be available soon at our website: www.addiroad.org.au

Images top to bottom, left to right, are: Jack Ellis, Eda Gunaydin, Uncle Wes Marne (portrait by Dub Leffler), Vanessa Berry, Tiffany Tsao, Ethan Bell

NOTE: Koshari Corner, serving delicious vegan Egyptian street-food, is right beside the Hall. Our centre is a family-friendly and pet-friendly environment. Please join us, Sat 14th May from 12pm. addiroad.org.au

CITY HUB APRIL 2022

HubNEWS

State ‘chose to ignore’ signs before death BY SWAGATALAKSHMI ROYCHOWDURY AND ERIN MODARO nner West Council warned the NSW government four years ago about the dangers of the Ashfield intersection where a pedestrian was killed last month. The WestConnex local area improvement report, commissioned by council and released in 2018, flagged the dangers of the Frederick and John Street intersection, warning that increased traffic volume in the area “could increase the exposure to crash risk for vulnerable road users”. The report found that there had been 106 reported crashes, including seven pedestrian accidents, on Frederick Street (between Parramatta Road and Elizabeth Street) from 2010 to 2016, where the intersection lies. Labor councillor Philippa Scott told City Hub that the state government “chose to ignore” the information in the report. “They had this information for four years … now someone is dead,” Cr Scott said. When contacted by City Hub, Transport for NSW said that the government will be “prioritising new linemarking and signage upgrades to improve the advance warning to motorists of the pedestrian crossing”. A further investigation will take place at the area to “assess the feasibility” of other options, including traffic lights. A motion calling on the NSW Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward to visit the site of the Ashfield fatality was tabled at a council meeting this week, which also requested that the state government install urgent safety upgrades at the Ashfield intersection.

‘EXTREMELY UPSETTING’

The motion was tabled by Cr Scott, who also requested that council recognise the “unsuccessful” alterations to the pedestrian crossing at the Frederick and John Street intersection in past years.

The Inner West community held a public meeting following the pedestrian death in March. Photo: Philippa Scott

She will also discuss the calls from a local petition that has amassed over 1,600 signatures for immediate action (including installing traffic lights) in the area. “The people who have signed the petition are experts in their area. They can tell us first-hand how many near-misses they have had at that intersection. Their voices should not be ignored,” Cr Scott said.

 They had this information ... now someone is dead When asked by City Hub, Greens councillor Marghanita da Cruz said that her party, which makes up a third of council seats, would support the motion. Nancy Yang, the granddaughter of the man who was killed at the crossing, said “it is extremely upsetting to know that there were many other incidents … that took place here, yet nothing has been done about it”. “The NSW government … has the responsibility to fix the glaring issues here at this crossing before more tragedies happen,” Ms Yang wrote under the community petition.

Greens councillor Dylan Griffiths, who represents the Ashfield-Djarrawunang ward on council, said that “more should have been done previously to ensure safety for the residents at the crossing”. Cr Griffiths and State Member for Balmain Jamie Parker wrote a letter to Ms Ward last month urging prompt investigation and action on the matter. “Change should have been made many years ago. It shouldn’t take recent tragic events on the Frederick Street and John Street intersection to instigate pedestrian improvements,” Cr Griffiths said via Facebook.

WOMAN CHARGED

A woman from Picnic Point was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death at the Ashfield intersection, with the 48-year-old due to appear before Burwood Local Court on May 24. In response to the tragedy, a community meeting was held last month to address safety concerns at the intersection and was attended by State Members for Summer Hill and Strathfield Jo Haylen and Jason Yat-Sen Li, respectively, Inner

West Mayor Darcy Byrne, and councillors Scott and Griffiths. Ms Haylen told City Hub that the recent death was “just the latest in a series of safety issues that go back for 30 years”, and that “we need prompt action from the government”. Ms Haylen spoke with Burwood Police Area Commander Sean Ryan about the pedestrian death and said that she will continue to work with police regarding issues at the Ashfield intersection. Additionally, Ms Haylen addressed NSW parliament on the 24th of March about the “delays in processing traffic controls across NSW”. She called upon Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Rob Stokes to address the urgency of the situation. Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the safety of the intersection was discussed in “great detail” and added that “mitigation measures” had been documented by Transport for NSW staff following an onsite investigation. When asked by City Hub about the progress of new safety measures on the intersection, an Inner West Council spokesperson said that Transport for NSW had been “receptive to changes suggested by council officers”. Max Phillips, a local who started the online petition to install traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing, said that the intersection is “notoriously unsafe” and considers it “one of the most dangerous in Sydney”. “I was surprised at how many people turned up,” Mr Phillips, who attended the public meeting, said. “Clearly our representatives and the police are taking the issue seriously, and I think they all understood how much community concern there was for this to be fixed.” Mr Phillips added that many residents recognised traffic lights as the “ultimate solution” and said that they wanted to avoid any “cosmetic” fixes to the intersection.

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CITY HUB APRIL 2022

HubNEWS

FOGO to face ‘enormous’ challenges BY RAHULESH ASHVIN AND DANIEL LO SURDO he chief executive of the City of Sydney has warned that there will be “enormous” challenges with implementing food and garden organics (FOGO) waste collection in the inner city. A push to commit to FOGO collection in City of Sydney households during the current council term failed last month, after a motion tabled by Labor councillor Linda Scott was amended ahead of new legislative requirements for council FOGO services expected this month.

legislative requirements for the strategy expected to be confirmed this month, upon which Ms Barone will be requested to present a paper to councillors that will address the possibility of FOGO delivery during this term.

Ms Barone said that the cost of FOGO collection would be the “real issue”, with potential changes to levies and education expenses making the service extremely challenging for council staff. She also cited an infrastructure issue in the collection service, adding that “there’s not enough anaerobic digestion or composting plants to take all this waste”.

 In the inner city, it’s more

difficult than anywhere else

Under a FOGO collection model, food waste would be added to the green lid garden waste bin to be recycled into compost, allowing residents to pay a smaller waste levy and reduce their emissions.

‘REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT’

During the council meeting, City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone said that there are “a number of issues” with

City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone (left) has said FOGO collection in the inner city will face ‘enormous’ challenges. Photo: Government News

FOGO collection in the inner city. “Everyone wants to do it, but I want councillors to understand, that this is really, really difficult, and in the inner city, it’s more difficult than anywhere else,” Ms Barone said. “We literally got to educate household by household, each block of flats almost on its own, needs to sort out its own solution for each block of flats, and

there are thousands of people we need to talk to, so the cost of education to get the behavioural conversion is enormous.” In the amended motion, which was supported unanimously, councillors recognised that the City is committed to developing a FOGO collection service “in line with the NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy”, with

At the council meeting, Greens councillor Sylvie Ellsmore said that she was “disappointed that we are not making the decision” to roll out the service in the council term and to include it in the budget. She hoped that council would “get some specific options” once the report on FOGO delivery is available next month. Deputy lord mayor Jess Scully said that she didn’t “see value in imposing deadlines on our staff that can’t be met”, adding that council had an “intention” to bring forward an options paper that would provide “more room and tools to implement this change”.

PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE OPTUS MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION WITH 5G AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE OPTUS AND VODAFONE MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION WITH 5G AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS 1.

4. 5. 6.

Rooftop Facility, 209-211 Harris Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009 Optus Vodafone Ref: S0969, www.rfnsa.com.au/2009003 The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G equipment and associated works as follows: • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.81m long) • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.75m long) • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.68m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (2.1m long) • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.68m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (1.83m long) • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling and antenna mounts • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within the equipment shelter • The antennas are at rooftop level and there is a slight increase in the overall scale of the facility Rooftop Facility, 48 Chippen Street, Chippendale NSW 2008 Optus Vodafone Ref: S2145, www.rfnsa.com.au/2008003 The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G equipment and associated works as follows: • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.75m long) • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (1.35m long) • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.69m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (2.1m long) • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.68m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (1.5m long) • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling and antenna mounts • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within the equipment shelter • The antennas are at rooftop level and there is a slight increase in the overall scale of the facility Rooftop Facility, 134-138 William Street, Wooloomooloo NSW 2011 Optus Vodafone Ref: S8901, www.rfnsa.com.au/2011002 The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G equipment and associated works as follows: • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.75m long) • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (1.35m long) • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.53m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (1.83m long) • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.53m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (2.78m long) • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling and antenna mounts • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within the equipment shelter Optus and Vodafone regard the proposed installations as Exempt Development in accordance with State Environmental Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007 based on the description above Notification is being undertaken in accordance with Section 7 of Industry Code C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Members of the public may obtain further information on the proposed work, and we invite you to provide written comments about the proposal. Further information and/or comments should be directed to Optus’ representative c/- James McIver, Catalyst ONE Pty Ltd; phone: 02 4022 9533; email: consultation@catalystone.com.au and post: PO Box 1119, Crows Nest NSW 1585 by 26 February 2021.

Request for Tender Fire Safety Upgrade Works

Existing Facility (Level 10), 1-19 Oxford Street, Rooftop Facility, Lakes Business Park, Building 2, Surry Hills NSW 2010 2-26 Lord Street, Botany NSW 2019 Optus Ref: S0209, www.rfnsa.com.au/2010024 Optus Ref: S0490, www.rfnsa.com.au/2019001 1. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G 3. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G equipment and associated works as follows: equipment and associated works as follows: • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.81m in length) • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.59m long) • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.68m • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling long) with three new 4G panel antennas (1.5m long) Addison Road Community Organisation and antenna mounts is seeking • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling • Reconfiguration of existingcontractors equipment on the facilityto and within quotes from suitably qualified and experienced and antenna mounts the equipment shelter • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within carry out fire safety upgrade works• for 26 buildings theis aabove The antennas are at rooftop levelat and there slight increase in the equipment shelter; the antennas are at level 10 plant room the overall scale of the facility site. The upgrade befacility in inaccordance with an Inner West • Optus regards the proposed installation as a will low-impact • Optus regards the proposed installation as Exempt Development accordance with the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Council Development Order and Fire SafetywithAudit of the site in accordance State Environmental Planning Policy Determination 2018 based on the description above (Infrastructure) 2007 based on the description above and includes, but is Street, not limited to, building rectification works, Existing Monopole, 19 Harris 2009 modifications, installation Rooftop Facility, 65-71 Belmore Road, entrancePyrmont andNSW stairway of fire hydrants, Optus Ref: S5576, www.rfnsa.com.au/2009001 Randwick NSW 2031 works, theRef: management and S0041, www.rfnsa.com.au/2031005 2. The proposed demolition facility consists of the addition ofasnewwell 5G asOptus equipment and associated works as follows: certification of upgrade4.works across the site. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.59m long) equipment and associated works as follows: • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.81m long) • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.59m long) • Installation of one (1) new 4G Please panel antenna (2.69 m long) Vanessa James via contact • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.81m long) • Replacement of two (2) existing 4G panel antennas (2.53m long) • Provision for three (3) future panel antennas (up to 1.5m long) stirrupgallery@addiroad.org.au to obtain quoting guidelines. with two new 4G panel antennas (2.69m long) • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling • Site Provisionaccess for three (3) future panel antennas (up to 1.5m long) for quoting will only be possible via appointment on and antenna mounts • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling 10am-4pm. • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within and antenna mounts Thursday 28 April 2022, the equipment shelter • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within • The antennas are at rooftop level and there is a slight increase in the equipment shelter should byfacility the overall scale of the • The antennas are at rooftop levelQuotes and there is a slight increase in be submitted the overall scale of the4pm facility on Thursday 19 May • Optus 2022 regards the via proposed installation as Exempt Development email • Optus regards the proposed installation as a low-impact facility in in accordance with State Environmental Planning Policy totheVanessa James, accordance with Telecommunications (Low-impact stirrupgallery@addiroad.org.au Facilities) (Infrastructure) 2007 based on the description above Determination 2018 based on the description above

142 Addison Road, Marrickville

5. Notification is being undertaken with Section 7 of Industry C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment. Latein accordance submissions will Code not be accepted. 6. Members of the public may obtain further information on the proposed work, and we invite you to provide written comments about the Proudly funded the NSW Government to Optus’ representative c/- James McIver, Catalyst ONE Pty Ltd; phone: proposal. Further information and/or comments should be by directed 02 4022 9533; email: consultation@catalystone.com.au and post: PO Box 1119, Crows Nest NSW 1585 by 26 February 2021. CITY HUB APRIL 2022

HubNEWS

New rainbow pathway for Newtown

BY MARCUS HAAR rainbow pathway in the Inner West may be just around the corner, after a motion to begin plans for a new pathway in Newtown ahead of next year’s World Pride event was carried unanimously by Inner West Council last month.

it makes sense to do all that planning together.” Alternative options suggested in the motion included lighting one of the pathways in Camperdown Memorial Rest Park with rainbow lights, painting one of the existing pathways in the park in rainbow colours, and painting a rainbow pathway outside Newtown Town Hall.

The motion, which was moved by Independent Pauline Lockie and seconded by the Greens Liz Atkins, noted that installing a rainbow crossing in Newtown would be “a visible sign of pride and support for our LGBTQ community”. “Symbols representing our community make it clear that queer people are welcome in our community and, are in fact, to be celebrated,” Cr Atkins told City Hub when asked about the significance of installing the new rainbow pathway. “That’s important, particularly for young people to see, at least in this part of Sydney, that it’s okay to be out.” This follows a previously resolved motion by council in December 2019, where prospects for a rainbow crossing at the intersection of King Street and Enmore Road in Newtown were being investigated.

 Symbols representing our

community make it clear that queer people are welcome

Inner West Council voted unanimously for a new rainbow pathway ahead of World Pride next year. Photo: Supplied

STATE INTERVENTION

Although the motion was then approved by councillors, an installation required the approval of Transport for NSW, who “advised Council that it would not support a rainbow crossing in this location and is also unlikely to approve other locations for on-road rainbow crossings”. “That’s quite a complicated intersection

anyway, there are multiple sets of lights; multiple crossing points; emergency access points; a train station there,” Cr Lockie told City Hub. “What I didn’t want to do was miss our opportunity to have that in place in time for World Pride next year, and also, bearing in mind that we are having ongoing discussions of opening a Pride Centre in Newtown Town Hall,

Two amendments were moved by Cr Mat Howard, who called on council to “submit a request to the Geographical Names Board to rename the public square outside Newtown Town Hall ‘Pride Square’ in advance of Sydney World Pride”, and that the council establish a World Pride Committee for a year, which will be chaired by Deputy Mayor Jessica D’Arienzo, and also include Crs Lockie and Atkins, two LGBTQ Working Group representatives and other relevant members of staff. “This will further centre Newtown and the Inner West as the beating heart of Sydney and Australia’s LGBTQ+ community,” Cr Howard said.

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CITY HUB APRIL 2022

HubNEWS

Hundreds gather for climate action

People gathered outside Kirribilli House last month as part of the global climate strikes. Photo: Swagatalakshmi Roychowdury

BY SWAGATALAKSHMI ROYCHOWDURY undreds of students, teachers and union members gathered outside Kirribilli House last month as part of climate strikes protesting the global response to the climate emergency. The strike was organised in response to the extreme flooding that occurred in parts of NSW and Queensland and called for net-zero emissions and 100 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030.

Cardboard placards flew above hundreds of heads with slogans ranging from “we are missing our lessons to teach you one” to “this is not how I wanted to get wet”, in reference to the floods. “Now more than ever, we need to engage with our community, our families, our schools because climate is going to be an integral issue in our upcoming elections,” said 17-year-old Natasha Abhayawickrama from North Sydney. The crowd outside the official residence of Prime Minister Scott Morrison comprised of school students, teachers, and members of the teaching union, who cried chants of “The youth are rising! No more compromising!” throughout the protest.

‘TOUGH TIMES AHEAD’

Blanche Verlie, a climate justice expert in the Sydney Environment Institute at the University of Sydney, attended the strike. “It’s important for people, especially

young people, to start finding their voice in public spaces on climate issues. With federal elections coming up in the next two months, it is important to raise importance on the issue of climate change, especially considering the floods that occurred recently,” she said. “We teach children the basics of climate strike in school, but we don’t teach them how to do anything about it,” Dr Verlie said. “They have got pretty tough times ahead unless the government implements dramatic changes to our emissions trajectory. “It can be hard to make a precise connection between one climate strike and a policy change. The federal government have not really changed their policies, but they have changed how they speak about climate change,” she said, adding that more needs to be done. “Trying to get our emissions trajectory in line with the Paris agreement would be a great first step towards climate action. That would be to keep our emissions in line with our fair share of what would contribute to climate change to below 1.5 degrees of global warming,” Dr Verlie said when asked about a change she would like to see in the Australian government’s climate policy.

‘TERRIFIED FOR OUR FUTURE’

“Have you ever had to flee from the middle of your house in the middle of the night during a storm, scared out

of your minds when you don’t know what’s going to happen or if you’ll even survive?” asked 13-year-old Elle Oshlack to the crowd. Oshlack lost her home in the floods and had to travel over 700 kilometres with her brother and her mother to speak at the Climate Strike. “I am a climate refugee. As you know, Lismore recently had a mega-flood and my house, which I was born in, and my school in my town have been severely damaged. This is a climate disaster,” she said.

 This is a climate disaster

“This mega flood is an extreme weather event and is the largest one ever in Lismore. It is a climate disaster. We went through the 2017 floods and the terrible bushfires in 2019 and 2020,” she said, adding that it left a massive impact on the broader community. “Extreme weather events are becoming more and more frequent which is extremely scary. But what’s scarier is that fossil fuels are contributing to climate change which makes these weather events worse. What’s scarier still is that we have a government that continues to promote mining of fossil fuels,” she said as the crowd chanted ‘shame’.

“We managed to evacuate at around 2am. Lucky for us, we had a house on the hill to go to. Others weren’t so lucky. Many had to get up on their roofs in the rain, waiting to be rescued. People tragically died, including someone I know,” she said.

“I am terrified for our future. We have leaders who don’t even lead us in the right direction,” she said. “In fact, we are going in the exact wrong direction.”

“Even though my house is ruined, and I lost most of my things, I feel lucky since me, my family, and my [cockatoo] are alive. My chickens sadly drowned.

“Climate change needs to be addressed. I can do all the exams in the world and that is not going to make a difference whereas climate strikes like these can,” she said, highlighting the failure in education systems to bring about active change. “It’s more important than missing a bit of school.”

“I am now staying in the Gold Coast with my family and go to school there since my school got destroyed. Until my house gets fixed, which won’t be for a few more months, I can’t go. I can’t even live with my mum and my brother anymore. This is devastating for me,” Oshlack said, who added that she misses her friends.

Ella Cashmin, a student from University of Sydney, joined the protest, despite having an exam the same day.

The strike at Kirribilli House was just one of the climate strikes in Australia, with other locations including Dubbo, Gosford, Byron Bay, Newcastle, and Wollongong in New South Wales. CITY HUB APRIL 2022

TAKE A PEEP

Circa’s Peepshow transforms circus into a more titillating & visually stunning experience Photo: The Other Richard

lending elements of musical theatre, burlesque, cabaret & acrobatics Circa’s Peepshow is a truly unique experience. Sweeping into the Theatre Royal Sydney from April 20-23 this strictly limited season will see the hallowed Theatre Royal Sydney transformed. Peepshow will take audiences on a playfully exhilarating ride into the beautifully bizarre recesses of their collective minds.

Photo: The Other Richard

BY JAMIE APPS

INSPIRATION BEHIND CIRCA’S PEEPSHOW

Photo: The Other Richard

Speaking to City Hub ahead of the opening night Associate Director and Costume Designer Libby McDonnell talked us through the creative process behind Circa’s Peepshow. “When we made this show we were making it with a particular venue in Berlin in mind,” recalled Libby. “That venue is a beautiful, dark, wooden, red draped cabaret theatre where people come to have dinner and watch a contemporary circus show.” It was this particular venue’s aesthetics and the Circa’s traditional acrobatic circus background that would then influence the direction Peepshow would take. Rather than sticking with their traditional acrobatic circus roots, the team at Circa wanted to incorporate elements of cabaret and burlesque into the show because that was the vibe of the venue in Berlin. Bearing that in mind the show began to develop in two halves according to Libby. “The first half of the show sits in this kind of cabaret, burlesque world and then the second half of the show takes all that information; the generosity, the warmth and cracks it apart...I don’t want to give too much away but the second half of the show is closer to an ecstatic rave that is really, really different. “You finish the first half of the show thinking ‘that was really fun and playful’. Then after the second half finishes, you’ll be thinking ‘gosh, I really want to go out and party at a dance club now’.” Despite Libby’s description of the show being presented in two halves, she was quick to point out that the much-loved elements of burlesque and cabaret are woven throughout the show.

BLENDING CABARET & BURLESQUE WITH CIRCUS ACROBATICS

“The show’s two halves kind of mirror each other but throughout the entire performance you’ll see flashes of contemporary physical performance, cabaret, burlesque and an ensemble of acrobats alongside solo acts.”

We toy with revealing and concealing the body

Obviously with elements of burlesque woven throughout Circa’s Peepshow this show is certainly more catered to an adult audience. However, Libby points out that there is no full frontal nudity

but rather more “playful teasing” as they allude to nudity. “This show is more about playing and teasing as we toy with revealing and concealing the body,” explained Libby. “Circa’s Peepshow is like a classical statue of sorts in that it presents an interesting relationship with the body.” As both the Associate Director and Costume Designer the visual aesthetics and the costumes, in particular, hold a special place in Libby’s heart. A fact Libby revealed when asked about her favourite act in the show. “Asking that is like asking if you have a favourite child,” answered Libby before continuing, “you do, but you should say it out loud.”

INCREDIBLY COMPLEX COSTUME DESIGN

“As the Costume Designer of the show, those elements are personal favourites. There is one costume in particular which

April 20-23. Theatre Royal Sydney, 108 King St, Sydney. $59-$79+b.f. 18

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is used during a ‘quick change’ act that is one of my favourites because it was a unique challenge to create.” Designing a costume for a quick change act wasn’t the only challenge that Libby had to overcome for Circa’s Peepshow. Throughout her creative process, Libby couldn’t simply design visually beautiful costumes because they also had to be incredibly functional due to the acrobatic elements. This means that designing and creating these costumes was a long and painstaking process, which Libby said started back in 2018 but has continued to be refined ever since. “I wanted the costumes in this show to speak to the cabaret and burlesque worlds. But I also knew that the performers had to have a level of comfort and trust in the costumes so that they could do things that are actually kind of dangerous and kind of extreme. “The ability [for the costumes] to do what they technically need to be able to do was really important. So there’s a lot of technical effort that goes into what could be perceived as quite a simple design... Something as simple as a pair of shorts for example has so much technology and time put into them to ensure they don’t cut into the performers for example.” As our conversation with Libby continued her passion for these costumes shone through, “This is such a boring detail unless you are a costume nerd like me but there are sequins that we use that are all individually sewn down flat so that there is minimal rubbing.” This was such an important step in the creation of the costumes because without it there would be “a lot of shredding on the skin” explained Libby.

WHO WILL CIRCA’S PEEPSHOW APPEAL TO?

In closing our conversation with Libby we asked who she sees as the ideal audience for this show. “This show is designed for everybody. There is something for everyone; it’s fun, it’s playful, it’s sexy, it’s sophisticated. All of those things in conversation with each other make this a masterpiece of a show.”

| Tickets & Info: www.theatreroyalsydney.com

COFFIN ED’S NAKED CITY

THE GRUMPY GUIDE TO ELECTION WAFFLE

eeling confused as to where your true political loyalties lie at the forthcoming Federal Election, mentally battered by the onslaught of Clive Palmer’s TV adverts or discombobulated by the opinions of the political pundits? Then worry no more. Here in the clearest and simplest of language is the everyday guide to election slogans, jargon, vote sucking rhetoric and politicking for dummies – set to suffocate us all in the coming weeks. Freedom: The right to voice your opinion by cracking an egg on the head of a well known anti vaxer and then telling them the ‘yokes on them’. The Pub Test: Usually applies to the breath testing machine you blow into with a straw to check you are less than half molo for the drive home. Weaponise: Using any kind of policy, philosophy or political decision to attack your opponent, similar to cracking an egg over their head. A Red Hot Go: As opposed to a luke warm go, it’s a catch cry often employed by minority candidates standing for the Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster and with no chance of being elected. If You Have A Go, You Get A Go: Well, that’s according to Scott Morrison. The reality is that if you have a go, you don’t always get a go and irate voters in a bush fire ravaged area might tell you just where to go! Swinging Voter: Beware of anybody who describes themselves as a ‘swinging voter’. It could mean they are recruiting for a wife swapping party at a discreet suburban location (with a jacuzzi of course).

A Bellwether Electorate: A seat which often indicates which party will win the election although the term derives from a sheep with a bell around its neck – hardly complimentary to the voters therein. Baaaaaaa! ‘Make Australia Great’: The primary slogan of the United Australia Party, which does sound rather familiar. At least Trump recognised that America was once great – greatness for us, according to Clive, is still to come. The Donkey Vote: Often the result of a voter subconsciously using their favourite Powerball numbers whilst listing their Senate preferences.

PROPOSED GAMING MACHINE INCREASE INVITATION FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

Sydney Metro West

Have your say on Sydney Metro West Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest public transport project, revolutionising the way Sydney travels. Sydney Metro West is the new metro railway connecting Greater Parramatta to the Sydney central business district (CBD). It will double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD, transforming Sydney for generations to come. All nine Sydney Metro West station locations are now confirmed at Westmead, Parramatta CBD, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays, Pyrmont, and Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD. Formal project planning for Sydney Metro West started in 2019 and will continue through the early 2020s. Now is the time to have your say about Sydney Metro West station plans in your local area. The Environmental Impact Statement for rail infrastructure, stations, precincts and operations – Westmead to the Sydney CBD is on exhibition between 23 March and 4 May 2022.

More information Visit planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/42176 to view the full EIS. Visit sydneymetro.info to get project updates and sign up for email alerts. Visit sydneymetro.info/metrowest to view the Sydney Metro West interactive portal. Call 1800 612 173 to talk to one of our dedicated place managers. Email sydneymetrowest@transport.nsw.gov.au and we’ll get back to you. Visit our virtual engagement room to learn more about the project and how you can have your say.

Robocalls: You are soaking in a much needed hot bath, the phone rings and you scramble to answer it, tripping over a towel in the process. You pick up your mobile and it’s Clive Palmer talking his usual bullshit. Voting Informal: Generally applies to those who turn up to the polling booth in shorts and thongs, more attracted by the sausage sizzle out front than the democratic process. Spin: Sometimes applied to the rotation of a bottle during a lewd late night party held in Parliament House by Liberal Party staffers. Pork Barrelling: The term originated sometime in the latter part of the nineteenth century gaining a negative connotation after the American Civil War. Not recommended as a means of winning votes in an electorate with a high percentage of vegans. ‘That’s My Time To Party’: The anthem of the United Australia Party although come on, we all preferred ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’. With all their talk about facial recognition surveillance and deprivation of freedom, might I suggest an extension of the title to ‘That’s My Time To Party Like It’s Not 1984’ with apologies to Prince and George Orwell. Music to crack eggs by! “Let me be crystal clear”: Beware of any politician that says this as it probably means they are guided by crystals and other new age hocus pocus. Hung Parliament: The opportunity for a cheap gag about the size of male genitalia but let’s hope women parliamentarians soon outnumber men and the joke not longer applies.

Access information in over 100 languages. Download Sydney Metro Connect from the App store or get it on Google Play.

Dominic Gregory Whitton of The Abercrombie Hotel, 100 Broadway & 8-12 Abercromble Street, Chippendale has applied to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to Increase by 5 the number of gaming machines the Hotel is permitted to operate at The Abercromble Hotel, 100 Broadway & 8-12 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale from 10 to15. The Hotel has prepared an assessment of the impact of this proposed increase on the local community. A copy may be inspected at the LIA PUBLIC REGISTER www.liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au/Pages/gaming/local-impact-assessment-public-register.aspx Anyone wishing to make a submission on the proposed increase must do so to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority within 60 days of the application & LIA being posted on the Liquor & Gaming NSW website to: Business Licensing Liquor & Gaming NSW GPO Box 7060 Sydney NSW 2001 or by email to: submissions.licensing@liqourandgaming.nsw.gov.au

sydneymetro.info 22001-03.22-SB3164

Dominic Gregory Whitton- Licensee CITY HUB APRIL 2022

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RECKLESS COAST: We’re a high energy band where people can let their hair down (See p. 22)

WOLFGANG’S MAGICAL MUSICAL CIRCUS REVIEW

BY JAMIE APPS s we enter into the the second week of school holidays Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus is the perfect show to entertain the kids & get everyone out of the house for a few hours. Designed to amaze people from the age of three and upwards, Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus reinvents classical composer Mozart’s magical music in a skilful and illuminating show featuring Circa’s dexterous daredevil artists and a live accordionist. Speaking to City Hub ahead of the show’s opening Associate Director Benjamin Knapton told us why he feels Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus is such a unique experience. “It’s a combination of Mozart’s music with the acrobatic body and skill of our performers.” Due to it’s use of Mozart’s iconic classical music to score the show Knapton also noted that this show works as an incredibly exciting introduction to the world of classical music for young children. “This show is kind of a sneaky way to introduce kids to classical music. This is a 50-55 minute show where the children sit there and they are listening to Mozart for that entire period of time, so I think it’s a delightful, fun, exciting way to share a love for classical music with young audiences.”

STC PRESENTS ‘BLITHE SPIRIT’ A AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

BY IRINA DUNN oel Coward’s Blithe Spirit is the perfect choice of production to present to audiences starved of good old-fashioned FUN. Coward wrote the play in 1941, perhaps with the idea of taking the mind of the British public off the war. And perhaps this is why the play was chosen for Sydney audiences who had endured isolation and lockdown for so long.

I saw an 80-year-old Angela Lansbury play Madame Arcati in a 2009 Broadway revival and didn’t think it could be bettered. But director Paige Rattray brought Coward’s drawing-room comedy to life, and proved that an Australian production could outshine the Broadway show. During a séance, Madame Arcati falls into a trance, and lo and behold, who should appear but Elvira, Charles’ first wife, played with high camp humour by drag queen Courtney Act. This sets in train a quick succession of amusing incidents, with witticisms flying in all directions, and Elvira flouncing about the stage in a gorgeous satin dressing gown and showing off plenty of thigh. Megan Wilding played Edith the maid, and although she had few words to say, her body language kept the audience in stitches whenever she appeared on stage. For two hours of silly unadulterated fun, treat yourself with tickets to STC’s Blithe Spirit! Until May 14. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. $54-$109+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Despite Wolfgang’s Magical Music Circus being designed with kids at the forefront of his mind Knapton told us that these shows will still be highly entertaining for adults & parents alike. “Some of the best reactions from the show I’ve heard are from parents or grandparents because of the high level of skill that is involved. This show is very fast moving so it really grabs you early and holds you there for the entire 55 minutes. Plus you get to live vicariously through the awe of the children.” April 20-24. Theatre Royal Sydney, 108 King St, Sydney. $29-$39+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.theatreroyalsydney.com

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS BY MARK MORELLINI nthusiasts of movies from the golden years of Hollywood should be delighted that An American In Paris is coming to the Theatre Royal in Sydney. The four-time Tony Award winning Broadway Musical version of the 1951 film is set to captivate Sydney audiences throughout April, May and June. Inspired by the 1928 orchestral composition by George Gershwin, the film starred Gene Kelly and was a huge box office hit, ultimately winning six Academy Awards including Best Picture. The stage production which remains faithful to the classic film is set during the liberation of Paris from the Nazis during WWII and tells the story of an America soldier who falls in love with a French woman. American dancer/actor Robbie Fairchild has played the lead character Jerry Mulligan in more than 500 performances over seven years. Recently Robbie sat down with City Hub to explain that he had huge shoes

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to fill when first approached to play the role made famous by Gene Kelly. “It was daunting because I was singing and acting on stage and I’d never done that before. Gene Kelly was my idol and doing a part which he made famous was amazing since at the time nobody had played the role of Jerry Mulligan besides him. But I’ve never felt like I was compared to him.” The production is described as magical, gorgeous, joyous, and entrancing with exuberant dance, and Fairchild who also starred in A Chorus Line, Oklahoma, and Brigadoon, explained that his role in An American In Paris has been his favourite. “Definitely my favourite because looking at other shows there’s no dancing that’s so hard and you’ll never have to do an 18-minute ballet at the end of a musical. I also sing and act a lot in this show, so I’ll never find anything as challenging as this role - and I love a challenge.” Fairchild is adamant that this musical is suitable for young and old.

“There’s something for everyone. There’s so much to learn from the past and we just don’t have music that sounds like that anymore. It’s like a lesson in genius and I think that’s so inspiring.” Apr 29-Jun 12. Theatre Royal, 108 King St, Sydney. $59-$229+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.americaninparis.com.au

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NEW SURRY HILLS SPEND ‘AN EVENING WITH SHAQUILLE ART GALLERY SELLS AFFORDABLE ART FROM LOCAL ARTISTS

BY TESSA PELLE he Sketch Collective Gallery dedicates its space to showcase the talent of emerging Australian based artists, with most artworks priced between $500 and $1500. After noticing a gap in the market for affordable art pieces, Founder and Director, Caroline Heslop turned her freelance collective office space into a gallery for local and emerging artists. “I’d go to big national galleries all the time, but it felt like what’s the point? I’m going to go in there and fall in love with [the artworks], and I’m not going to be able to afford it. It’s like going into a candy shop and not being able to eat anything,” she says. “We wanted people to feel they could walk into a space that wasn’t intimidating, whether they are first-time art collectors or adding to an existing collection,” she says. Sketch Collective Gallery presents artists from all disciplines and aims to nurture the next generation of Australian creatives. “Someone once said to me, ‘Caroline, there’s so many artists and not enough

galleries.’ It’s two-sided – it’s important that these guys get exposure, and it’s also important for me that every Australian can say they can afford original art,” Heslop says. Caroline says the gallery’s main ethos is accessibility and affordability, with all pieces capped at $5000 and some starting as low as $250. “Our pieces are all from emerging artists or those that are just establishing themselves and getting some traction. So, they’re all priced with that in mind and all our artists set their own prices,” she says. Caroline discovers artists using varying methods, from scouting Instagram to approaching people on the street. “A good old slide into the DMs is my modus operandi and it gets a great reaction,” Heslop says. “One of our artists, his street name is Silly Pear, was doing a commissioned graffiti mural around the corner from the gallery, and I plucked up the courage to bug him and strike up a conversation.” Sketch Collective Gallery, 420 Crown Street, Surry Hills. Info: www.sketchcollective.com.au

O’NEAL’ IN SYDNEY

BY JAMIE APPS n Evening With Shaquille O’Neal will see the Hall of Famer and 4-time NBA championship winner returning to Australia for the first time in over 20 years. During Shaq’s visit to Australia The Star will play host to An Evening With Shaquille O’Neal on August 26. The beloved NBA champion and business mogul will spend the evening speaking on tips for success, offering unplugged and uncensored conversations about his life, and touching on many unspoken moments throughout his decorated career on and off the court. “I’m really excited for this long-awaited tour to come to Australia,” said O’Neal. “It’s my first time back in such a long time and I can’t wait to see you Aussies down under.” Standing at well over two meters tall, O’Neal was a formidable force during his 19-year career for six teams, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year before going on to win four championships and becoming a 15 time All-Star and NBA

MVP. More recently Shaq was selected to be in NBA 75th Anniversary team alongside the greatest players in the league’s history. The sports star later earned a PhD in Leadership and Education and used his newfound knowledge to give back to the community through various philanthropic programs. Shaq has also successfully branched out into the restaurant business among other lucrative business ventures, to gather an estimated $400 million in net worth. Between his work as a sports analyst, and business mogul he has also been DJing around the world at the biggest music festivals under the moniker ‘DJ DIESEL”, and he also has four rap albums to his name. It’s safe to say there will be plenty for Shaq to talk about at these exclusive speaking events. An Evening with Shaquille O’Neal will offer fans insight to O’Neal’s illustrious career with a Q&A session taking place within the seminar. Tickets on sale now at www.ticketek.com.au

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RECKLESS COAST BY AMBER GRIFFIN ith a new era of their band emerging, Reckless Coast is ready to take Sydney by storm. The Brisbane based power trio will take the stage of Sydney’s MoshPit Bar on April 29. This show will see them debuting their new single Do You Want Me whilst simultaneously launching into their tour of the East Coast. With a modern elation that makes you want to dance all night long and a nostalgic hint of Australian Rock-N-Roll, this performance is something you will want to experience for yourself. In a recent interview with City Hub, frontman Jaeden Ogston spoke to us about the highly anticipated new single and upcoming tour. “We’re a high energy band, our shows have a feel-good liveliness to them where people can let their hair down and have fun.” Previously known as ‘Rude Rum’, Reckless Coast has a new refined

energy and consists of three talented individuals: Jaeden the singersongwriter, India the bassist and Jono the drummer. All members of Reckless Coast originate from coastal locations, have a passion for music and a love for being on tour. “Our favourite things about being on tour is all the cool new people you meet on the road and being able to be on stage entertaining people during our shows.” Do You Want Me was written by Jaeden during his late-night shift at a pub as he was tired of the same old routine, with the song lyrics embodying his thoughts on life throughout the shift. “In the end the song came out as a questioning to life, is this what I’m supposed to be doing with my life sort of thing.” Do You Want Me is an addictive and powerful track that is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Deezer

A great start at I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R A M M A R S C H O O L

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Co-educational and secular

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Early Learning to Year 12

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Central location near Sydney CBD

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Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)

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Celebrating diversity and personal achievement

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Join our local school with a global outlook

Find out more and book a tour: igssyd.nsw.edu.au | 9219 6700 admissions@igssyd.nsw.edu.au 22

Uniq lang ue uage s prog ram

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and more. To hear the new single live and support Reckless Coast, you won’t want to miss their upcoming gig at MoshPit Bar on April 29.

Apr 29. MoshPit Bar, 642A King St, Erskineville. $12-$17+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.linktr.ee/doyouwantme

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THE GOOD BOSS

BY MARK MORELLINI rom Spain comes The Good Boss, a comedy which can best be described as a corporate satire. Set over a week, the story centres on Julio Blanco (Javier Bardem) the owner of a scale factory who unashamedly meddles in the business of his employees because he believes that what his workers do may reflect on his company. Julio becomes involved in the marriage problems of one of his team members whilst also trying to help an elderly worker’s son who’s mixing with the wrong crowd. But is he really a good boss or is there an irony in the title of this film? He proudly proclaims, “we’re

FAREWELL, MR HAFFMANN

all one big family” one moment and then states, “if you work for me, you’re my property.” After a violent outburst in the opening sequence of this film heralded as a comedy, audiences may be excused for thinking that perhaps they have entered the wrong cinema. The comedy is slow to emerge with spurts of laughter hugely derived from a retrenched worker who demands his job back. The humour remains mild, and interest may dwindle until the storyline is introduced where he’s having an affair with one of his female employees. Julio Blanco may be manipulative and used to having things his own way, but will the tables be turned once he becomes sexually involved with this young and cunning employee? At a running time of two hours The Good Boss is a long film with many subplots that all come together offering an insight into what may be happening in the corporate world. This is an award-winning film which thrived at the domestic Spanish box office and should be a draw card for lovers of foreign cinema. WWW1/2

BY MARK MORELLINI he historical WWII drama - Farewell, Mr Haffmann - is set during the German occupation of Paris in 1941 when Jews were being rounded up and mercilessly transported to concentration camps. The film doesn’t concentrate on the atrocities being committed to these communities but revolves around three characters and how their decision to defy the Nazi regime’s laws against the Jews ultimately had drastic consequences upon all their own lives. Francois Mercier (Gilles Lellouche) aspires to start a family with Blanche (Sara Giraudeau) the woman he loves. He’s a poor employee of Mr Haffmann (Daniel Autevil) the Jewish owner of a successful jewellery store. An agreement is made. Haffman will leave the shop to Mercier and escape to the free zone with the intention of returning and reclaiming his property once the war ends. “How can you trust me?” Mercier asks. Later his wife confides in Haffmann, “It was a mistake – once he had nothing and now, he has it all.” Haffman quickly returns to hide under the store upon the realisation that his plans to meet up with his family in the free zone have been

thwarted by German patrols. How will Mercier react upon Haffmann’s return? And what’s Mercier’s bewildering plan to conceive a child? What transpires is an unpredictable and gripping drama resonating that fear, power and greed can influence friendships, relationships, and adversely affect people’s decision-making skills. This is a high-quality French production with English sub-titles that should captivate and astound audiences leaving them to ponder afterwards whether they too would change under those circumstances. WWW1/2

AMBULANCE

BY JAMIE APPS lashing lights, blaring sirens, concussive gunfire, cheesy dialogue & epic drone cinematography. Michael Bay’s latest action flick, Ambulance, has it all. A remake of a 2005 Danish film Ambulance sees two brothers embarking on one last bank heist. What starts out as a simple walk in the park to to secure $32 million quickly divulges into chaos which sweeps across the entirety of Los Angeles. After the heist goes sideways Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Will (Yaya Abdul-Mateen) must find a quick escape. In a fortunate turn of events the duo are presented with the opportunity to commandeer an ambulance. Along for the ride are two hostages in the form an an injured police officer and paramedic Cam (Eiza González) - each of whom become importance pieces in a game of chess between the criminals & the police.

It is at this point where the Bayhem truely begins as a cat and mouse game of car chases, gun fights, explosions & chaos spans all of LA. Michael Bay is at his peak in Ambulance with constant action throughout the two and a quarter hour runtime. Whilst Bay is known for his constant camera movement this film sees him playing drone shots as a new toy. The first time Bay uses these shots is spectacular, and prove why he has built such a strong reputation as an action movie maestro. Unfortunately though the drones become a bit of crutch as they are used over and over as the film continues. Ambulance is a film all about the adrenaline filed action and visual feast. The plot, dialogue and performances are simply there to move the film along from once hit of adrenaline to the next. For anybody that knows recent Michael Bay productions this will come as no surprise, so if you go into

Ambulance with that in mind you will not be disappointed. Overall Ambulance is a highly entertaining flick which saw me hooked in for the entire ride with a cheesy grin across my

face. Just head into the cinema with the biggest box of popcorn you can get a hold of, a giant soft drink, switch off your mind & enjoy the spectacle. WWW

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