CITY HUB December 2020

DECEMBER 2020

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Reflecting back on ‘The Worst Year Ever’

Page 18

If you took a break from PrEP during COVID-19, get back on it safely.

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HubNEWS

Fight for Sydney’s heritage (See p.7)

Premier palliates pork barrelling

BY ALLISON HORE SW premier Gladys Berejiklian has admitted tens of millions of dollars in council grants were distributed in a way which was beneficial to the Liberal party, but said she saw no issue with the process.

The Stronger Communities fund was originally established to help merged councils with infrastructure needs after controversial council amalgamations.

However, after a series of successful legal challenges to amalgamation the money was repurposed as a general fund for local government projects.

The grants scheme has been subject to an ongoing inquiry after questions were raised as to the process by which over $252m in grants to councils were allocated in the 9 months leading up to the last state election.

The Greens say more than 95 percent of grants went to councils in seats under coalition control. Many noncoalition mayors claim they were not made aware the grants were available, not told how to apply and not informed of the selection criteria.

In a press conference on Thursday Ms. Berejiklian conceded the distribution of the grants amounted to “pork barrelling” but she denied it was something to be concerned about and was “not unique” to her government.

“It’s not something the community likes, but it’s an accusation I will wear,” she said.

“It’s not an illegal practice.

Unfortunately it does happen from time to time by every government.”

Pork barrelling is a process by which the government spends money on projects specifically to please voters or legislators and win votes.

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HubARTS: Pippin With it’s vaudeville, circus stylings Pippin is a very surreal play, perhaps fitting in 2020.

(See p. 20)

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DOCUMENTS DESTROYED

However, non-liberal parliamentarians were not reassured by the Premier’s insistence there was nothing to see here.

Greens MLP David Shoebridge, who is chair of the inquiry into the grants, fired back at the admission saying “the people of NSW expect public money to be spent according to need, not to make sure the Premier and her party get re-elected.”

“This is public money, meant to be spent where it was most needed, not where it is most politically

Premiere Gladys Berejiklian admits to pork barrelling but denies it’s an issue. Photo: Getty Images & Pixabay

advantageous for the Coalition government,” he said.

“This is an extraordinary admission from the Premier which shows the level of arrogance and contempt for the people of NSW at the heart of the Coalition government.”

The NSW Government came under further scrutiny when it was revealed crucial documents relating to the grants scheme were systemically shredded or deleted.

Unfortunately for the Berejiklian government, the information wasn’t lost to the ether. Through a forensic document recovery process the information was able to be retrieved from the Premier’s IT systems.

Labor and the Greens claim these documents prove Ms. Berejiklian was directly involved in approving the grants despite her denial. One unsigned and undated document, prepared by Ms. Lau for the Premier, listed seven projects in coalition seats all recommended by coalition MPs. The document included space for the Premier to add her comments.

For local governments which missed out on the grants, the Premier’s dismissive attitude towards the concerns about approvals has hit on a sore spot.

COUNCILS MISS OUT

In October, the Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown councils sought help from barrister Bret Walker for legal advice on filing a class action on behalf of all councils they say were “improperly prevented” from applying for grants.

Inner West Council mayor, Darcy Byrne,

claims his council was not even made aware of the grants.

Mr. Byrne says the Inner West council would have been entitled to $20 million if the funds had been allocated on a per capita basis to amalgamated councils.

“Communities right across the state have missed out on vital money for local infrastructure simply because they were not in areas held by members of the NSW Government,” he said.

It’s not something the

community likes, but it’s an accusation I will wear Now, the Inner West council has asked the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet for an “independent forensic review” of the department’s records to find all documents relevant to the process by which funds were approved by the Premier.

“The release today by the Premier of some of the documents through which she approved $141 million in grants through the Government’s disgraced Stronger Communities program, demonstrate that she has lied to the people of NSW about her role in creating and administering the slush fund,” said Mr. Byrne.

“It’s absolutely outrageous that the NSW Office of Local Government has been converted into a clearing house for a secret Berejiklian Government slush fund.”

The inquiry into the community grants scheme is ongoing.

CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

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HubNEWS

Moore Park car park again

BY ALLISON HORE dvocacy group Saving Moore Park have called the move to resume on-grass parking at Moore Park “extremely disappointing.”

Despite a commitment to end on-grass parking at Moore Park, the eastern part of the parklands was opened up for parking for the T20 cricket match between India and Australia.

But Saving Moore Park don’t believe the on-grass parking was necessary for a major event with capacity limited by COVID-19 restrictions. While the SCG can hold 48,000 punters during ordinary operation, at the moment there is a cap of 23,000 people.

On the day of the T20 match, under 18,000 people were in attendance.

Without opening up the grassed area for parking there were already 4,000 available parking spaces in the vicinity of the venue.

In a letter to planning minister Rob Stokes’s senior policy advisor, Michael Waterhouse from Saving Moore Park called the number of car parks available for the event, given the number of attendees, a “dramatic oversupply.”

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He noted that on-grass parking didn’t take place during the recent rugby league games at the SCG which drew crowds of a similar size.

In September ministers from across the political spectrum signed an open letter calling for a commitment to ending ongrass parking at Moore Park.

COMMITMENT “REVERSED”

The state government’s Moore Park master plan, which was put together with extensive community consultation, aims to progressively remove on-grass parking at the site. But Mr. Waterhouse says the choice to resume on-grass parking at Moore Park is a sign Suellen Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of the Western Sydney Parklands authority, has “reversed her commitment to removing car parking”.

Moore Park is not a car park A series of photographs posted to Facebook by Saving Moore Park show the grass at Moore Park looking dry and patchy after the T20 match and the weekend’s heatwave.

Waverley Council Update

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CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

On-grass parking at Moore Park for the T20 cricket match at the SCG. Photo: Saving Moore Park

“Moore Park is not a car park,” said Mr. Waterhouse.

“Adding insult to injury, whereas Moore Park East is visibly suffering from two car parking events at close to or at capacity and two days of extreme heat, this afternoon, the neighbouring rugby field, looking lush and feeling wonderfully soft underfoot.”

In a letter to his supporters in August Mr. Greenwich, warned of the resumption of parking on Moore Park when events returned to the SCG. He said he worries that the space being

used for parking again would make it much more complicated to stop.

“Alarmingly, I have heard that the football codes and SCG Trust got the government to agree to resume Moore Park car parking once events return to the precinct,” he said.

“If event related car parking in Moore Park is reinstated after the pandemic, it will be difficult to remove it.”

The SCG’s website continues to list the on grass parking as an event day option with a fee of $30 per car.

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HubNEWS

Assange assembly

the plight of Assange. He said if the charges against himself are dropped it would help Assange’s case. As someone who served as a uniformed officer, and doesn’t consider himself anti-war, Mr. McBride was much more an insider to what was going on.

“That’s why my case is important because we kind of go in quantum leaps,” he explained.

“Julian, obviously is a very clever guy, but he’s always had this image of an outsider.”

Despite Julian Assange’s outsider status, it hasn’t stopped his work receiving mainstream recognition. In 2011 Wikileaks, with Assange at the helm as its editor, received a Walkley Award for outstanding contribution to journalism for its release of the Iraq war logs, in particular, video of the US helicopter attack which led to the deaths of the two journalists.

Nine years on, the ABC’s Mark Willacy received the highest Walkley for his work on the Four Corners episode, ‘Killing Field’, an expose into Australian war crimes in Afghanistan.

Julian Assange’s father, John Shipton, speaks to Assange’s supporters at Town Hall. Photo: Allison Hore

BY ALLISON HORE or one year, supporters of Julian Assange have gathered on the steps of Sydney’s Town Hall every Friday night. On the 53rd week of their demonstration, they were joined by a special guest- John Shipton, Julian Assange’s father.

Although it was the anniversary of their gathering, organisers say the occasion was “not a commemoration” but “a commiseration”.

In 2010, Assange’s website, Wikileaks, published almost 400,000 United States Army field reports from the Iraq war between 2004 and 2009. The files recorded more than 60,000 civilian deaths, including the deaths of two Reuters journalists who were listed as “enemy killed in action”.

Assange now sits in a British prison and faces extradition to the United States over his indictment with 17 spying charges and one charge of computer hacking regarding his publication of the classified documents. Assange’s lawyers say the case is “politically motivated” and say he would be unable to receive a fair trial in the United States.

Supporters of Assange, some of whom gather at Town Hall each week, are calling for the Australian government to get behind Assange to stop his extradition and bring him home to Australia.

The dedicated group of Sydney-siders were joined by Mr. Shipton, who had

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CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

travelled all the way from Europe to express his appreciation and gratitude to the protesters, most of whom are strangers to him. He has become a key figure in the movement to free Julian Assange and has attended demonstrations around the world.

Mr. Shipton told City Hub he wanted to acknowledge the “tremendous and ongoing support” of the protesters and to express his appreciation for their efforts. Despite being locked up, Mr. Shipton said Assange is aware of the supporters who gather around the world to raise awareness about his plight.

“Everywhere around the world Julian is aware- or was aware- now he’s only aware in as much as that it filters through to the jail. But I tell him about the supporters,” he said.

The Sydney protesters are just a handful of the hundreds of thousands of supporters Assange has around the nation, and overseas.

More than half a million people have signed a petition on Change.org calling for Assange to be freed and showing concern for the legal precedent it would set for a non-American journalist to be extradited to the USA for exposing American war crimes. In February this year the petition was tabled in the house of representatives by independent MP Andrew Wilkie. It was the largest ever “e-petition” to be tabled in the house.

Mr. Shipton said the emotional toll on

Assange has been “terrible” and said it “just doesn’t stop”. This, “plague of malice”, as Mr. Shipton calls it, has been brought on by four governments around the world, he said- the United Kingdom, the United States, Ecuador and Sweden.

What keeps me going is the emails I get from friends and supporters When asked about whether his son’s plight had taken a toll on the family, Mr. Shipton said “after here, I can go home and have a meal, and I can sit with friends and we can exchange feelings about life.”

“Julian is in a cell for the next 23 hours, he only gets an hour out and then he’s back in the cell, so we don’t have any toll on us.

But Julian carries, for all of us, the toll.”

THE DANGER OF MISINFORMATION

David McBride, former British Army major and Australian Army lawyer who made information about Australian war crimes available to the ABC between 2014 to 2016, also attended the event. Mr. McBride knows better than most people what Assange is going through. In 2018, he was slapped with criminal charges in relation to his whistleblowing. He is still awaiting trial.

Mr. McBride told City Hub the outcome of his trial may have implications for

Mr. McBride said support from the community has helped to get him through what has been a remarkably difficult time.

“I’ve been very close to the edge a number of times in my struggle, what keeps me going is the emails I get from friends and supporters,” he said.

He said he was “extremely grateful” for the activists’ efforts to show support to Assange and, more broadly speaking, standing up for the rights of whistleblowers.

“I saw a similar thing down in Canberra when I was first going to my first court cases, it was freezing cold, and there were these people outside with placards, and it really warmed my heart to think the future of Australia is in pretty good hands,” “People got it, and they cared enough to come out.”

He encouraged people to keep speaking out in support of whistleblowers and to continue calling out corporate and government misinformation, which he says is “so prevalent”..

“The world is in danger, and it’s largely in danger from misinformation and because enough people don’t really care. But if people do, we can reverse that trajectory,” Mr. McBride said.

“If you’re thinking ‘do I send another email’, ‘do I come out on Friday afternoon’, the answer is yes, it really helps people like me and you do what we do.

HubNEWS

Saving Glebe Island Bridge O

BY ALLISON HORE nce a world-first feat of engineering and a testament to ingenuity of industrial Sydney, the Glebe Island Bridge has been allowed to fall into disrepair over the quarter century since it has been decommissioned.

Now, community groups and local politicians are ramping up their efforts to save it.

The now-disused Allan truss road bridge connects Rozelle to Pyrmont and has a swing opening mechanism to allow vessels to pass through. It opened in 1903, making it among the first electrical powered opening bridges in the world.

The bridge was decommissioned on the 3rd of December 1995 when its behemoth neighbour, the Anzac Bridge, opened. It stands as one of the last remaining swing bridges of its type in Australia, alongside its sister bridge the Pyrmont Bridge.

To mark 25 years since the bridge’s closure, supporters of the bridge gathered at its Pyrmont end on Thursday evening to share their visions for its future. The event was organised

by The Glebe Society, a community group formed in 1969 who “ensure that heritage, environment and community of Glebe is conserved”.

This bridge is all about the future of our city

Weighing in on the bridge’s plight were Greens member for Balmain Jamie Parker, Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne and Deputy Lord Mayor for the City of Sydney Jess Scully.

Ms. Scully said while a quarter century since the bridge’s closure is a “sad anniversary”, instead of seeing it as a day of remembrance for a community asset that once was the community should see it as “the first day of the rebirth of the bridge”.

“There’s a whole generation of people who’ve never seen this bridge swing into action. There’s a whole generation of people who don’t know anything but the perilous journey of crossing [the Anzac Bridge] to get from the Inner West to the city,” said Ms. Scully.

“We see the possibility of this bridge as something that will unlock potential for communities here for generations to come.”

“DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT”

Despite its heritage significance, and official recognition, the bridge has been

An illustrated postcard depicting the bridge as it looked in 1915. Photo: City of Sydney Archives

allowed to fall into disrepair. It has received little maintenance and has been left with the swing span in the open position for many years to allow for the mega yachts docked in Rozelle Bay to pass through.

City of Sydney councillor and passionate advocate for Sydney’s heritage, Philip Thalis, called the government’s treatment of the bridge “a policy of demolition by neglect” and said the government seems to have no interest in keeping the bridge.

A 2009 structural assessment found the bridge in “very poor condition” and a 2013 report commissioned by the NSW government showed further deterioration. It suggested the landmark poses a hazard for vessels passing by it and there were talks of knocking it down.

A cost-benefit analysis at the time by ACIL Allen Consulting showed it would cost $12 million to fix the bridge so it was no longer dangerous to maritime traffic, and more than triple that to demolish it.

In a move which saved the bridge from the wrecking ball, Glebe Island Bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 2013. The listing came after the heritage minister for the Liberal government at the time, Robyn Parker, broke party ranks to back the protection of the bridge. She noted that the Glebe Island Bridge and the Pyrmont Bridge were the last remaining structures of their kind in the state and “were considered great feats of engineering for the period”.

Jamie Parker said he “doesn’t often give praise to Liberal party members” but says Ms. Parker’s commitment to saving

the bridge is one of the key reasons it’s still around today.

“She took that courageous decision, which politicians don’t usually like to do, to go against many in her party and say ‘we’re going to heritage list this bridge’,” he said.

CONNECTING THE CITY AND INNER WEST After being allowed to decay for decades, the Glebe Island bridge is in need of extensive maintenance and repairs before it can be used again. But the community groups and politicians advocating for the bridge to be saved can see its potential as a thoroughfare for cyclists and pedestrians.

Representatives from peak bodies Bicycle NSW and Walk Sydney say the bridge would be a more direct route across the bay and provide a key active transport link. Mr. Parker agrees, saying the government’s decision on what to do with the bridge is representative of the city’s transportation future.

“This bridge is all about the future of our city, are we going to have a city that focuses on pedestrians and cyclists, or are we going to have a city that focuses on the car,” he said.

“It’s so important that we fight hard for this bridge, not only for its 117 years of service to our community, but for what it holds for the future of our city.”

With major redevelopments in the works on both ends of the bridge, Mr. Parker says it will provide a “desperately important link” between the city and Inner West. He said the planned Metro station at White Bay and the Blackwattle

Bay state significant precinct cannot reach their full potential without this link.

“Now it’s an opportunity for us to create a cycleway link- at least- from Rozelle to Pyrmont into the city, and its reverse.

And we’re in a really fantastic moment in history for it,” he explained.

“That metro station at White Bay cannot be a success if it doesn’t link here to Pyrmont and into the city. Any redevelopment at Blackwattle Bay cannot serve the people of Sydney if it doesn’t connect to Rozelle and the metro station being proposed there.”

DOLLARS AND DEVELOPMENT

Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne said the government’s dismissive attitude towards the bridge is emblematic of a dismissive attitude towards heritage in general. Only last month NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet made headlines for standing up in parliament and declaring the heritage listed White Bay power station was a “shocking building” that “should be knocked down like the Sirius Building” Mr. Byrne was critical of those comments too, calling them an “obscene threat” which would “constitute a crime against the heritage of Sydney”. He said the lack of understanding of the value of the power station was the same attitude the government had taken to the Glebe Island Bridge.

“This government when they look at the inner city of Sydney and the Inner West, they only see one thing. They see dollar signs, and development opportunities,” he said.

Continued on page 8 CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

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HubNEWS (Continued from the page 7) The treasurer softened on the power station after taking a tour of the site with Mayor Byrne and planning Minister Rob Stokes to learn about its history. But he doubled down on his dismissiveness of Sydney’s heritage in a tongue-in-cheek op ed he penned for the Sydney Morning Herald titled “ten iconic buildings I’d bulldoze”.

Fortunately for the power station’s future, planning minister Stokes has a much more sympathetic view towards the building. He said the department is working on a strategy for the precinct due to be completed in early 2021 and he hopes the power station will be a “centrepiece” of those plans.

Speaking of his colleague, Mr. Perrottet, Dr. Stokes said he “makes an excellent Treasurer but would make an appalling heritage architect.”

The planning minister’s support of the power station gives community groups hope he will see the potential in Glebe Island Bridge as well. Mayor Byrne noted arguments for preserving and reopening the power station and the bridge are the same- their enormous heritage value and unlocking the economic potential of the Bays precinct.

“The government’s looking to regenerate our economy after the economic crisis and there’s no better way to do that than to open up the bays precinct to the people of Sydney and the world,” he said.

Deputy Lord Mayor, Jess Scully, speaks to heritage advocates in front of the Glebe Island Bridge. Photo: Allison Hore

“Our challenge is to activate and energise that next generation who’ve never experienced this bridge, a human scale crossing of our harbour, just a stone’s throw from the city to the Inner West.”

Mr. Kerr agreed that young people have a role to play in the protection of the city’s heritage and built environment. He said the “decisions, campaigns or unfortunate complacencies experienced today, greatly affect those that will be inheriting these spaces and environments that we presently create.”.

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE What could a future for this iconic piece of Sydney’s history look like? One young Balmain local has taken it into his own hands to show how an urban renewal project focusing on the bridge might look.

Christopher Kerr recently graduated from his Masters in architecture at UTS. During his studies undertook a project of advocacy in relation to architecture alongside fellow student Jordan Bamford. That, together with his work with a Balmain architect specialising in designing for Inner West heritage conservation areas, led to the birth of the Glebe Island Bridge Renewal (GIBR).

Inspired by the revitalisation of the New York High Line in the USA, his vision shows an “inclusive”, green, pedestrian and cycling bridge where “visitors experience nature, art and design”.

Mr. Kerr created the project with the aim of building awareness about the bridge’s plight and to show how it could be revitalised “for the betterment of the community”. He said he was always interested in the bridge and, walking along the waterfront, he thought it was a shame it was in disrepair and not “incorporated into the public space of Sydney”.

“Having grown up in Balmain, I have developed an appreciation for heritage items and the charm that they bring to suburbs,” he told City Hub. 8

CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

“For those wishing to contribute positively to the built environment and the public space of Sydney, it would be great to start conversations, share this campaign and attend future events to help renew this important historic bridge,” he said.

The the Glebe Island Bridge Renewal (GIBR)’s visualisation of how the bridge could be revitalised.

Photo: Christopher Kerr

“Items that hold or contribute positively to the local context should not be demolished in favour of redevelopment in an attempt to achieve the highest profit margin.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

Moving forward in advocating for the bridge, Mr. Parker said “next year will be critical”. The Department of Planning is putting together a master plan looking at the bridge and how it can work with the redevelopment of Blackwattle Bay and the Metro Station.

Mr. Parker said he would be working together with all stakeholders, including the planning minister, to advocate for the bridge.

“I’ll be inviting all of us to work together, councils, community organisations, citizens,

to bring together the weight of our collective persuasive tools to tell this government that the bridge should stay,” he said.

They see dollar signs, and development opportunities Ms. Scully reiterated the City of Sydney’s support for the bridge’s survival. She said many people have worked tirelessly over the past two decades to ensure the bridge avoids demolition, and the key was ensuring the next generation were also involved in the process.

“We as the community can be stronger, we can come together and collectively imagine the possibility that this bridge can unlock,” she said.

To do this, Mr. Kerr thinks starting conversations, sharing the campaign and getting involved in future events is key.

He has created a petition on change.org to help get the word out about the GIBR. When there are enough signatures the petition will be presented to local council members and Transport for NSW. The future of the Glebe Island Bridge remains uncertain. While its heritage listing offers some protection, director of Conservation at the National Trust NSW, David Burdon, told ABC Radio Sydney it’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card from the wreckers.

“We like to think that when a building is on a heritage register, or on a list, that it is protected. But unfortunately it’s not the case, and there are a number of cases where heritage listed buildings have been knocked down,” he said.

But with so many people throwing their weight behind the campaigns to save it, the bridge is certainly not going down without a fight.

HubNEWS

Bronte Cutting upgrades

TANYA PLIBERSEK The Bronte Cutting before the temporary walkway was added in 2018. Photo: Waverley Council

By ALLISON HORE pgrades have been proposed to improve pedestrian safety along a historic tram cutting which makes up part of the popular Bondi to Bronte coastal walk.

Waverley Council are finalising plans to replace the temporary walkway along a 500 meter stretch of the Cutting where pedestrians would typically have to walk out on a road shared with vehicles accessing beach parking.

Improving pedestrian access along the road is significant, as over one million people use the Coastal Walk from Bronte to Bondi every year and as many as 500 people per hour use this section of the walkway during peak periods, according to council estimates.

“The popularity and the flow of traffic through this narrow section of road has given rise to safety concerns for those using it and a permanent footpath is the most appropriate solution,” Waverley Mayor, Paula Masselos, said.

The decision to proceed with construction of permanent path comes at the conclusion of a two-year pilot period of a temporary walkway. The trial involved replacing the 21 car parking spaces, and some parking meters, on one side of the Cutting with a pedestrian walkway.

While there have been no recorded cases of crashes between vehicles and pedestrians in the last five years, Waverley Council said pedestrians having to contend with open car doors and cars trying to parallel park along the narrow road decreases the amenity of the road.

Council says the new walkway will increase safety for both pedestrians and motorists.

Upgrades will include replacing the pilot footpath with a permanent one, extending the footpath to McPherson street and installing lighting along Calga

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Place. Existing footpaths on Calga Place to the north of the cutting will also be widened.

TROUBLED ROAD

The Cutting was built in 1910 to provide access for the tram line to Bronte which opened in 1911, the sandstone walls were put up a few years later to stop beach sand from blowing up onto the tram lines. Trams along the line were decommissioned in 1960 and were replaced with a bus service.

The tramway cutting is now used as a long, narrow car park for Bronte Beach.

Since the council acquired the Bronte Cutting car park from the surf life saving club it has proved troublesome to the council.

From failed attempts to monetise the carpark with automatic boom gates to rumours council rangers refused to fine people parked illegally due to the workplace health and safety risks posed by the lack of footpaths, the pedestrian safety concerns for leisure walkers was just one issue the historic thoroughfare has faced.

You wouldn’t want to

fall through someone’s windscreen Motorists and pedestrians aren’t the only people making use of the Cutting.

Some rock climbers note the spot is excellent for bouldering, with popular rock climbing and bouldering website, The Crag, recommending the spot is “best avoided when the parking lot is full, as you wouldn’t want to fall through someone’s windscreen.”

People who wish to have their say on the upgrades can register for an online info session through the Waverley Council’s website. The consultation period will run through until December the 21st.

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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.

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Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au 28/09/20202020 1:23:20 PM CITY HUB DECEMBER

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HubNEWS

From feast to famine 2

BY FRANCIS EDWARDS 020 has been a year of firsts. But not all of the year’s firsts have been positive. This year, many families have struggled to put food on the table for the first time, while others have found that very job even harder than they already did.

No longer can ‘food insecurity’ be swept aside as something that only impacts developing countries. Being unable to source, store or prepare nutritious food is also a problem many Australians face.

Australians have a sense of unease about the future Dr Sue Kleve, of Monash University and the Australian Household Food Security Research Collaboration says that food insecurity can come in two forms.

“People can be chronically food insecure, or their experience might be more transitory,” she said.

“This second form is usually the result of a short-term shock like a natural disaster or pandemic.”

In both cases, the most common cause

is financial hardship. It doesn’t require advanced mathematics to work out that when income is low and expenses for essential matters like accommodation, energy and transport add up; spending on more ‘discretionary’ items like food, must slow.

So, it should be no surprise that, in a year where rates of unemployment and financial stress have continued to rise, so too have the numbers of food insecure Australians.

Mission Australia’s Western Sydney Area Manager, Julie Jasprizza-Laus adds that since August they’ve seen increases to the number of people accessing emergency food relief – pantry packs and supermarket [food] vouchers – from their Mt. Druitt facility.

FOCUS ON FINANCE, NOT FOOD

However, what may be surprising, is that for many jobseeker/jobkeeper recipients, 2020 has brought some – albeit slight – relief from the chronic worry of where their next meal would come from.

“Although government assistance is providing much needed temporary relief, charities and food insecure Australians

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Many families are struggling to put food on the table for the first time. Photo: Pexels/ Anna Shvets

alike have a sense of unease about the future as governments plan to withdraw or reduce the additional payments,” explains Ms. Jasprizza-Laus.

And, as Ms. Jasprizza-Laus predicts, the impending Christmas and school holiday period will see continued increases in the number of people struggling with multiple mouths to feed. And, without stable employment, there’s less money to do it with.

So, what does a solution to food insecurity look like?

It looks like one that doesn’t actually focus on food at all.

It looks like a re-calibration of baseline welfare payments. This would help those who are chronically food insecure to, for once, be able to reliably afford not only fresh produce, but the fuel for the car to transport it, the fridge to store it and the energy to power equipment that cooks it.

As government assistance is slowly wound back, we may need to rest on hope that the impending festive season is full of feasting, not fasting!

CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

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HubNEWS

Renters mental health hit hard by COVID-19

Renters have been hit hard by the pandemic. Photo: Pexels/Andrew Neel

BY ALLISON HORE ore than half of renters in Australia have experienced worse mental health outcomes during the pandemic as a result of their living situation, new data reveals.

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A survey of 15,000 tenants revealed factors such as loss of income, inability to pay rent, insecure leases and eviction risk- coupled with lockdowns and social isolation- led to “widespread” mental health effects among renters.

The data comes as part of a report into the experiences of renters during the COVID-19 pandemic released by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute on Friday. It was put together by twenty leading researchers from across Australia.

Professor Emma Baker from The University of Adelaide was the lead author of the publication. She said the pandemic has served as a reminder of how important housing is to people’s mental wellbeing.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a stark reminder of how we are housed, where we are located, the quality, security and amenity of our housing, impacts on our health, wellbeing and economic productivity,” she said.

According to the 2016 Census, 27 per cent of Australians were renting their home. In Sydney, renters make up an even greater proportion of the population with more people renting than owning their home outright. According to a 2018 report by the Committee for Sydney, around 65 percent of residents in the suburbs of Redfern-Chippendale, Potts Point-Woolloomooloo and Pyrmont-Ultimo were renters.

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CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

A “COMPLEX GAME OF CHICKEN”

Early on in the pandemic enforced rental moratoriums and reductions were ruled out, with the government instead encouraging renters to come to individual agreements with their landlord. But not all renters felt comfortable with this, reporting they had contractual obligations or feared negative repercussions.

“Many tenants do not feel that they can ask for rent reductions out of fear of negative consequences, most frequently eviction,” said Akshay Vij, a researcher from the University of South Australia.

I did not enjoy the

complex game of chicken that my old landlord wanted to play “This suggests that current tenancy protection measures could potentially be strengthened to safeguard the interests of existing tenants, and to redress the imbalance of power between tenants and landlords in the country.”

Only 17.5 percent of those renters surveyed asked their landlord or agent for a rent reduction. But even those renters who made the effort to reach out were often met with less than compromise on the part of their landlord.

Dulwich Hill local, Brandon, told City Hub he lost his job at the start of the pandemic. When a colleague quit and JobKeeper was rolled out, Brandon was able to get his job back. During his ordeal he tried to negotiate with his landlord for a reduction in his rent, but was rejected.

“We didn’t want to move but with our landlord not budging on rent when we tried to negotiate, we were forced to leave,” he explained.

“I do think that there are landlords out there who are fair, but I did not enjoy the complex game of chicken that my old landlord wanted to play.”

Brandon wasn’t alone in his struggle to negotiate with his landlord, according to the AHURI survey, roughly one-inthree requests for rent reduction were declined by landlords and agents.

INCREASING INEQUALITY

Lower-income households had particular difficulty negotiating rent with their landlords and often reported their property was unsuitable for work or study from home arrangements. Almost a quarter of renters with an income below $31,000 said their landlord or agent were “not helpful at all”.

Peter Phibbs, a researcher from the University of Sydney, said the daunting process of negotiating rent reductions only exacerbated existing stresses felt by renters.

“While the freeze on evictions was a good initiative, the arrangements for negotiating a rent reduction were not clear to all key stakeholders,” he said.

“For some tenants, the stress of negotiating rent reductions added to the other financial stresses that the pandemic generated.”

Fortunately, Brandon and his partner were able to find a new place just around the corner from where they were renting- for $175 a week cheaper. He says since moving out the property he was renting had been relisted by the

agent at the same price he had been trying to negotiate to.

FULL TOLL YET TO BE REVEALED

Rebecca Bentley from the University of Melbourne said renters have been particularly vulnerable to the effects of the economic shutdown. She noted over 50 percent of renters reported experiencing worse mental health during the pandemic and attributes this partly to the insecurity and financial strain felt by renters.

“Financial strain and affordability and security concerns for people in the rental housing market have the strongest association with people’s odds of reporting worse mental health,” she explained.

Brandon, who has been diagnosed with depression, says he is “in a good place now” but the stress of losing his job and trying to negotiate with his landlord took a huge toll mentally.

“Thankfully I had a support network in my partner and her family,” he explained.

“But my mental health was not great, having the lack of empathy from my landlord while being suddenly out of work sent me in a bit of a downward spiral.”

But the economic stress of the pandemic is yet to be fully realised by some tenants.

Access to savings and superannuation as well as temporary government measures such as a higher JobSeeker rate, JobKeeper payments, rent deferment, and eviction moratoriums mean, for some, the worst is yet to come.

“JobSeeker, JobKeeper and rental assistance will provide some relief to tenants, however, longer term solutions are required,” said Ms. Bentley.

HubNEWS

Pandemic “exacerbates” domestic violence

BY ALLISON HORE he COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many people in many different ways. Of course, there’s the obvious health and economic impacts that come from isolation and social distancing, but some of the impacts have been more hidden.

One of those hidden side effects is domestic violence, which Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore says has been “exacerbated by the impacts of Covid-19, including lockdowns and financial hardship.”

This year the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence focused on addressing the growing number of cases of violence against women during Covid-19 restrictions.

Jess Hill, author of See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Abuse, agrees the pandemic has the potential to exacerbate violent or abusive home situations.

“All of us are experiencing a unique moment where a lot of our distractions have been cancelled. Most people aren’t working in offices. We are spending more time with family and less with friends so that isolation is intensifying,” said Ms.

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Hill, who has been writing about and researching domestic violence since 2014.

In July the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) ran an online survey of 15,000 Australian women about their experience of domestic violence during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All of us are experiencing a unique moment where a lot of our distractions have been cancelled Two-thirds of women who experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner since the start of the pandemic said the violence “had started or escalated” since March. Further, more than half of the respondents who experienced emotionally abusive, harassing or controlling behaviours said this had intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COUNCILS JOIN THE CAMPAIGN

To mark the 16 Days Campaign the City of Sydney council ran a number of events including domestic violence prevention training by the Women’s and Girls’

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to concerns about escalating domestic violence. Photo: Pexels/ Pixabay

Emergency Centre, a webinar for the service industry to increase understanding of domestic and family violence and a free online talk by author Jess Hill.

The Inner West council also ran a number of events throughout the 16 Days Campaign. Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the council have partnered with a number of local community groups, organisations, networks and key national associations to create a series of workshops and campaigns to address domestic and family violence and educate on respectful relationships.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in six women and one in sixteen men have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or previous partner and 42 percent of people accessing homelessness services have experienced domestic violence.

Ms. Hill said domestic violence can take many forms and it is important to know the signs that it is happening to you or someone you care about.

“If you see behaviour from a friend’s partner that is degrading, controlling, surveilling, paranoid or morbidly jealous, these are dangerous red flags abuse is happening,” she said.

This crisis does not end with 2020 Let’s be honest. This year has been tough.

We began 2020 at the height of the worst bushfire season we have ever seen and were only just coming to grips with that devastation when COVID-19 turned our lives upside down. As we head into the final weeks of the year, it is so tempting to pull the door firmly closed on 2020 and never look back.

But that would do us all a great disservice. We learned so much this year. We achieved so much together.

We found out who we are as a community in times of crisis and uncertainty and now we must give ourselves a moment to reflect.

In our community where so many are renters, young people, artists, creatives, international students and non‑citizens and so much of our community is about vibrant and busy bars, cafes, cinemas, venues and retail outlets, things were and still are particularly terrible. @jennyleong.newtown

So many lost their income and now battle with insecure housing. It would have been so easy for people to focus only on their own struggles.

But that’s not what you did. You came together. You turned up for each other and that’s what we must continue to do as the impacts of this pandemic continue to unfold in the years to come.

During the lockdown you volunteered with local services and mutual aid groups to get food and company to those who needed it the most. The artists and creatives amongst us stepped up to entertain us and provide us with hope. Our local businesses put their losses aside and gave free meals to frontline workers, international students and anyone else who needed it. We also stood strong and loud to show that even in the midst of a pandemic we must not shy away from racial justice ‑ we made it clear that Black Lives Matter. As a community, we wrapped our arms around each other.

many, the crises we face are not over.

In the coming months and years, the climate emergency will cause more extreme weather, more rent debts will accrue with the return to inadequate Newstart payments and struggles for equality will continue.

That’s why we must continue to show kindness, to come together and demand our governments do better - that they invest to address the housing crisis, that they provide our most at-risk with a liveable income for all, that they act to avert the climate emergency.

This is who we are as a community.

Let’s continue to stick together in 2021 and beyond.

Jenny Leong MP Greens Member for Newtown

It is vital that we recognise that for @jennyleong

@jennyleong.newtown

CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

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HubNEWS

Waterloo Metro Quarter

Front row fireworks for frontline workers

BY KIRSTA CHEUNG t’s a Happy New Year for Sydneysiders as the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks will be going ahead for 2020 despite the pandemic.

Looking a little different to the previous years, many safety restrictions will be put in place to keep everyone safe.

In September, the City of Sydney handed the reins of the event over to the NSW Government, who will also be footing the bill for the event. Sydney’s Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said it would be impossible for the council to manage the event under the public health orders.

Here’s how the NSW Government fireworks event is set to look.

The 9pm child-friendly fireworks have been cancelled. But, the iconic

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Concept art for the Waterloo Metro Quarter residential building. Photo: Mirvac

BY ALLISON HORE of homes promised and only half the promised community space will lans proposed by Mirvac and be delivered. WPHAG also noted John Holland for the Waterloo two thirds of the development’s Metro over station development floor space would be set aside for promise a sleek, modern precinct commercial space and the Iglu which would benefit the whole student housing complex. community. But local housing advocacy groups say the proposal is filled with Under Mirvac’s plan, only 5 percent “broken promises”. of the units in the towers will be affordable housing and 70 apartments The detailed plans for the $900 million would be set aside for social housing.

Waterloo Metro Quarter were revealed in early November. The precinct will WPHAG told City Hub they question who include a 17-storey office building with the developer is actually considering a capacity of up to 4000 workers, a when they say the project would 24-storey apartment building and a benefit the community as it would have 25-storey student accommodation little value for predominantly elderly building set to be operated by Iglu. community that currently reside in and around Waterloo Public Housing Estate.

“The Waterloo Metro Quarter will be an important hub “Is it the community with residents that currently lives Is it the community that and office there or will be there workers just a currently lives there or will in the future,” a few minutes’ train spokesperson said. be there in the future? ride to the CBD,” WPHAG questions said Department why the NSW of Planning executive director of key Government went through a lengthy sites Anthea Sargeant. and expensive community consultation With residences and offices in the process if they were going to “throw” precinct supported by a childcare the community’s wishes “into the bin” center, retail laneways, dining and and change the plans “at the whim of public open plazas for a range the developer.” of community uses, Mirvac chief “The community has called for more investment officer Brett Draffen social housing, more aged care said the project would provide better facilities, more community spaces, outcomes for the “whole community”. and more green space since the very beginning,” WPHAG said.

PLAN FULL OF “BROKEN PROMISES” “These are the outcomes they are Mirvac and John Holland said looking for, none of which is being they had worked closely with local delivered by this development.” community groups to create the “placeThe Waterloo social housing estate, making strategy” which supports its which is located next to the Metro development proposal. precinct, is also facing a massive But the Waterloo Public Housing Action redevelopment which would see Group (WPHAG) said their plan is full of the 2000 existing social housing “broken promises”. residences replaced with 6000, They said only one third of the number mostly privately owned, residences.

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allow up to 3,000 people into these ticketed events as long as there is no more than one person per two square metres, or four square metres per person where there is no assigned seating.

RESTRICTED ZONES FOR CBD

While social distancing measures are in place for indoor events, designated colour zones will serve to keep everyone safe. A designated Green Zone will be established for Circular Quay and at vantage points, this means only residents who live inside the zone, and those with confirmed bookings at venues will be allowed to enter the CBD. While a designated yellow zone will be established around the green zone for larger gatherings of people.

Boats on the harbour overlooking the Sydney Harbour fireworks in 2008. Photo: Wikimedia

midnight show will go ahead. Albeit, shortened from its usual twelve minutes to a seven minute show to discourage large crowds gathering at the harbour front.

You’ll be allowed into the Sydney CBD on December 31, but only if you have a New Year’s Eve permit.

Frontline workers will be given priority in getting tickets for exclusive access to the best fireworks viewing vantage points.

The NSW government say it’s their way to say ‘thank you’ for keeping the community safe throughout the year.

These exclusive viewing areas include the Opera House, Mrs Macquarie’s chair and Campbell’s Cove. Frontline workers should apply for these passes from Service NSW. If you are not a frontline worker, you will be able to enjoy the fireworks display by reserving tables with restaurants and harbour cruises. Current restrictions

Public transport will also be available and will run with additional services to get revellers home after midnight, with green dots stickers on the seats to maintain social distancing.

New Year’s Eve

celebrations will be a symbol of hope and optimismy

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said “2020 has been a tough year for everyone, New Year’s Eve celebrations will be a symbol of hope and optimism for the next year.”

For those who can’t get a ticket to the fireworks, you can still say goodbye to the year with celebrations at home as the fireworks will be televised live on ABC. As of December 1, you’re allowed to have up to 30 people come to your house at a time.

HubNEWS

Inquiry into deaths in custody

BY ALLISON HORE lack Lives Matter protesters gathered at the Domain on Monday to call for the establishment of an independent body to investigate Indigenous deaths in custody.

Attending the rally were families of a number of Indigenous people who had died while being held in police custody.

They are calling for a new, First Nationsled body to be established to investigate deaths in custody, rather than internal investigations by police.

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Too often it isn’t a prison sentence, it’s a death sentence

Speaking at the rally was Leetona Dungay, whose son David Dungay Jr died in Sydney’s Long Bay Jail in 2015, led the march from the Domain to NSW Parliament house.

“The NSW government refusing to lift his finger to hold anyone accountable for the black deaths in custody, it must stop,” she said.

“The system of police investigations

for prison guards must stop. The police arrest of our aboriginal adults and children must stop.”

David Dungay Jr was held down by 6 correctional officers and injected with sedatives after he ate rice crackers in his cell. He had been due to be released on parole just three weeks after the incident occurred.

At the end of a four year long inquest into Dungay’s death the coroner declined to refer the officers involved in the death to prosecutors or other disciplinary bodies. Ms. Dungay says she has spent the past four years grieving over the fact her son never came home.

“Year after year the government and police and judges keep putting more and more aboriginal people into prison,” “But too often it isn’t a prison sentence, it’s a death sentence. Just like it was for my son.”

UPPER HOUSE INQUIRY ONGOING The rally coincided with hearings before the NSW Upper House as part of an inquiry into the high rate of incarcerations and deaths in custody among First Nations people.

Leetona Dungay (left) at the Black Lives Matter rally on Monday. Photo: Allison Hore

The inquiry, which began in October, resumed on the 3rd of December.

Makayla and Taleah Reynolds, sisters of Nathan Reynolds, an Indigenious man who died of an asthma attack in a NSW prison in 2018, also attended the rally.

On the same day, the sisters presented evidence about the mishandling of their brother’s death before the inquiry.

Despite a recommendation from a prison nurse, Nathan Reynolds did not receive an asthma assessment or plan of management from healthcare workers at the prison where he was being held.

While only making up 2 percent of Australia’s population, 27 percent of the country’s prison population is Indigenous.

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council said about a third of inmates in adult prisons were on remand, and many were not given prison sentences upon conviction.

This implies many people are being held on remand for low level offences.

Over 400 Indigenous people have died in police custody across the nation since the 1991 royal commission into deaths in custody.

Not one person has ever been convicted.

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FEATURE

LOCKDOWN VS. LOCKED IN: THE FIGHT FOR SYDNEY’S NIGHTLIFE

Protesters march in Sydney against the NSW lockout laws in 2017. Photo: Facebook/Keep Sydney Open

BY SHAREN SAMSON he streets of Sydney’s nightlife are hushed on a Friday evening.

A queue of traffic illuminates the footpath on the corner of King Street and Missenden Road.

Each set of car headlights passes by with varying degrees of brightness. This is only one reminder of being in a club: to be blinded with golden flashing strobe lights, entranced by the DJ on deck, packed like sardines you can almost taste the sweat on the dancefloor.

This is a distant memory during COVID-19, a fierce challenge to the night-time economy.

Few young people roam the strip of pubs out in Newtown. Some dawdle into queues marked by fluorescent orange cones. Others walk right by, unphased by the stillness of a pub on what’s meant to be one of its busiest hours.

Stickers on the pavement show guests where to stand. The word ‘SAFE’ is made bold, reminding guests of the risk of being outside.

Going out on a Friday night has lost its buzz. There is a clinical energy that comes with going out during a health pandemic. The queue is being watched cautiously. The security guard paces back and forth asking guests to scan the QR code for entry.

Anyone who lines up past these cones is told to take a walk. Stringent capacity rules are enforced during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The night-time economy has suffered immensely during

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CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

the health crisis, slowing the city’s pace, putting people on edge in fear of the unknown.

Sydney’s nightlife has been put to a halt and now resumes at a slow, almost eerie pace. Its impact has stripped business owners and artists of making a living, as nightlife is far from an essential industry in a time like this.

This past year, health orders have strangled Sydney’s nightlife in its already fragile condition.

This is a Friday night during a period of lockdown.

But lockdown wasn’t the first blow to Sydney’s nightlife which was only just beginning to recover from lockout laws.

DEATH OF THE DANCEFLOOR

From lockout to lockdown, the industry has been begging for help.

Before the pandemic, the night-time economy was worth $27 billion. This figure could have reached a huge $43 billion without the constant red tape over the past several years.

A report by Deloitte Access Economics revealed that Sydney’s night time economy is worth over $27 billion every year, supporting 230,000 Australian jobs. The report also estimates the nighttime economy could be worth up to $43 billion. A $16 billion annual deficit is the result of the underperforming night-time economy in New South Wales.

The blows of lockout and lockdown are deeply felt by those whose lives are built on the night-time economy.

When you step into the Marly Bar a small amount of light dimly illuminates the room.

The doorway lets in a glimmer of light each time a car passes by. At 11P.M. on a September night, the room is stagnant.

Tables are stretched two metres apart.

Bodies are tightly huddled side-by-side upon high stools.

From lockout to

lockdown, the industry has been begging for help

Tucked far away in the left side corner of the Marly Bar is nightclub DJ Andrew Levins. He bops his head to and fro to the sounds of the night’s mix. He looks down at the Pioneer DJ controllers in front of him, arranging his set for his audience all seated at their tables.

Dancefloors are dead during COVID-19.

It is forbidden to get up and dance. The floorspace is a passageway to the bar, or a means to find your way in or out.

Living in a health pandemic, Sydney has no dancefloor.

The current restrictions indicate that pubs can only operate with strict seating and capacity rules enforced.

Andrew Levins has been a DJ since he was a teenager scouring through council pick up scraps for used vinyl equipment.

Now, he’s played at Splendour in the Grass and supported artists like Flume on tour worldwide. His love for the arts can also be seen in the music charity Heaps Decent which he co-founded alongside Diplo and Nina Las Vegas.

The DJ was the in-house chef of GOODGOD small club, a victim of the first challenge to the night-time economy.

GOODGOD was home to those starting out in the music industry. The intimate underground setting is known for pushing the growth of artists and collectives like Flume, What So Not and Cloud Control. The small club’s sticky dance sessions also delivered international acts like Toro Y Moi, Mount Kimbie and Diplo in the early 2000s.

Now, GOODGOD’s doors are shut for good.

Live performance, theatre, music, festivals, retailers, hospitality and transport are all part of the nighttime economy’s spectrum. The tight regulation of Sydney’s night-time economy has resulted in loss.

Lockout laws were delivered in 2014 in response to the tragic deaths of Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie. The two young men died only nine months apart for the very same reason- one punch assaults in Kings Cross.

Violence fuelled by binge drinking urgently needed to be addressed.

Lockout laws were the result.

Now, as the Marly Bar night continues, DJ Levins lip-syncs to Rae Sremmurd’s synth heavy, tropical sounding track ‘Guatemala.’ The rhythm is laid back, the type of song you’d listen to on a tropical beach soaking in the sun on your skin.

The Latin style song sings of taking a private jet out for a romantic getaway.

FEATURE Warm red and orange spotlights rotate counter-clockwise upon his small, cornered workspace.

His eyes move from his laptop to the controllers as he selects the next track for transition. ‘Guatemala’ is upbeat, booming through the speakers guarding DJ Levins from the rest of the guests on a night out, tethered to their stools.

Posters and stickers are sprawled across the walls with edges lifted and ripped from past shows. “SAFE IN NEWTOWN” “AFTER PARTY” and “FREE ENTRY” are some of the words in bold block letters on A4 sized posters on the wall.

Rainbow postcard-sized flags are hung as a banner above the bartender as they serve Hawke’s Patio Pale on tap to a young man who patiently waits, staring and scrolling on his phone.

From lockout to lockdown, the industry is begging for help.

POLICE PRESENCE IN SYDNEY’S CLUBS The regulation on Sydney’s nightlife has stripped the industry of its vibrancy.

A sense of uncertainty exists for artists, business owners and venues in how the night-time economy can be brought back to life after the scrutiny of its regulators.

From restrictions on when you can enter to where you can sit or stand, Keep Sydney Open’s Director Tyson Koh has felt frustrated for the past six years. He is concerned about all the regulations on the city’s nightlife.

“Whether it’s where you can stand or where you can drink, it’s quite maddening. It’s something international visitors remark upon a lot, the feeling of being constricted when you’re trying to do the most basic thing.”

Phillip Wadds has dedicated his life’s research to the crossover between nightlife, violence, policing and the study of alcohol and other drugs. Now a Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales, Wadds is passionate about the vibrancy of a city’s nightlife.

The lively energy is not something

When the lockout laws were introduced, the pub was a sensation.

“This pub used to do astronomical numbers. People would go out till 12AM in Kings Cross and say, lets go to the Gladstone and stay out till 3AM.” Despite its early success, Johnson says the impact of lockdown has been devastating.

With the restrictions and cautiousness of the public, Johnson explains that “people aren’t leaving their postcodes like they used to.”

DJ Andrew Levins playing live in Sydney. Photo: Instagram/Andrew Levins

Sydney has been carrying through the industry’s archaic rules. Frustrations over the night time economy have boiled over as the city only had two months of eased lockout laws before New South Wales was sent into lockdown.

We need to ensure the

jewel in our crown continues to shine both day and night

Wadds has felt the frustration firsthand, and now plays a crucial role as a member of City of Sydney’s Night Time Advisory Panel. The academic is a key advocate in explaining the importance of movement in nightlife precincts like the Marly Bar. Andrew Levins has experienced life as a DJ before, during and after lockout laws were introduced. Now stretching to lockdown, Levins explains how clubs don’t need a DJ like they used to, yet when an opportunity arises, he “totally appreciates being thrown a bone.”

A majority of Levins’ income came from his life as a DJ. Each announcement

by Sydney’s regulators to tighten the rules held Andrew Levins back, working to support his wife and two children.

The war of lockout and lockdown has devastated businesses and artists in the night-time industry.

“I do know I have no money now,” Levins explains in frustration.

Newtown’s Marly Bar queue on a Friday night. Photo: Sharen Samson

“DJing is 80% of my income, probably more.”

The road to recovery is uncertain for Sydney’s nightlife. There are still many questions about how the industry can be revived and what the government is going to do for artists like DJ Levins.

DJ Levins senses that people don’t let their hair down in Sydney because of the overpowering presence of police on a night out. He thinks the presence of the police demonstrates the lack of dialogue between club owners and state authorities.

“There is a safer way for police, DJs and clubs to be safe together. But I don’t think intimidating people by walking around looking for people causing trouble is the way to go. It’s awful.”

DJ Levins said that even during lockdown, at roughly 75% of his gigs, “cops come in and they just ruin the vibe.”

Whether it’s where you can stand or where you can drink, it’s quite maddening “They will maybe do a funny dance move and someone will go, oh, that person’s intoxicated. And then the security guy will talk to them and the cops will come in and then suddenly they’re out of the club.”

Phillip Wadds urges Sydney, both regulators and patrons of the night-time economy, to learn lessons and strike a balance of what matters most.

Wadds believes that Sydney can’t have safety with vibrancy in its nighttime economy. He believes this is key for regulators to remember moving forward.

On another side of Sydney, situated to the right of Regent Street is Chippendale pub The Lord Gladstone.

Director Benjamin Johnson purchased The Lord Gladstone due to its exemption from Sydney’s lockout laws. He hoped to garner community spirit in a suburb many Sydneysiders rarely visit for a night out.

CAN SYDNEY’S NIGHTLIFE BE REVIVED?

In late September 2020, the NSW Government announced more than 15.7 billion dollars in health and economic support measures during COVID-19.

This includes significant assistance for small and medium sized businesses, including those in the night-time economy sector that are among the hardest hit by the pandemic.

The ‘24-Hour Economy Plan’ focuses on grants for live music, licensing trials for microbreweries, less red tape for business and an extension of opening hours.

The night-time economy is now a priority in recovering from COVID-19.

The report looks to the night-time economy’s revival through enhancing the vibrancy of the sector’s core businesses.

These core businesses include pubs, bars, festivals, theatres and live music.

The report explains that in a post pandemic world, “the conversation must be widened to take on a more forwardthinking and holistic view of the city’s nightlife.”

Sydney’s regulators are at a point of re-thinking how they night-time economy operates. The goal is to enhance the city’s vibrancy of the day all throughout the night.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet explains that although Sydney is one of the best cities in the world, “we need to continue to do everything we can to ensure the jewel in our crown continues to shine both day and night.”

Nightlife is key to a lively city.

Its ability to bring together culture and subcultures, smoothen social interactions and provide fun and entertainment is the goal for Sydney moving forward.

Dua Lipa’s ‘Break My Heart’ sings of staying at home and doing better alone.

In a health pandemic, social distancing and a revamped 24-hour economy may be exactly what Sydney needs.

DJ Levins dreams of liveliness on Sydney’s dancefloor.

The plan for a vibrant city hopes to revive Sydney’s nightlife from its fragile state.

CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

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GOODBYE & GOOD RIDDANCE 2020 Reflecting back on ‘The Worst Year Ever’

BY SAM WADE ow the is it December already?

Didn’t we start this shit awful year sometime last week, spent a good century in lockdown and now time has the sheer bloody audacity to tell us ‘yeah, nah it’s Christmas now. Jingle Jingle you fucks.’

I’m not into it.

2020 has been difficult and I have some feelings about it. I mean. It had so much potential. Fresh decade. Fresh start. Leaving the tail end of the 2010s behind. So many people had those roaring 20s new years parties to ring it in. All sequins, brie and Bellinis. Sparkly nights of hedonism thinking the year would be all flappers and Jazz.

They danced a drunken Charleston and pretended to be their greatest Gatsby while the country was still on fire.

BLACK LIVES MATTER AND ‘CIVIL UNREST’

BUSHFIRES

As we closed out 2019 and welcomed in 2020 it seemed almost the entirety of our country was alight with bushfires.

Colloquially known as the ‘Black Summer’ the most recent bushfire season saw some 186,000 square kilometres of Australia blackened, with 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 houses) destroyed and 34 people killed.

The plume of smoke from these devastating fires ultimately made its way across the Tasman, over New Zealand before finding a home in Chile.

Remember that? When Australia was so on fire that the smoke (and our porcelain bulldog of a Prime Minister*) fucked off overseas. Yeah, that was January.

We wore masks because the air was full of the burnt remains of 5000 koala habitats. The responsibility of which was shifted from the Federal Government to the State Government to the Rural Fire Service (RFS) to the Greens actively starting fires and ‘not allowing for critical back burning’ despite not being in charge since… ever. They have never been in charge. You know who was in charge?

GLADYS #KOALAKILLER BEREJIKLIAN

Yeah. Not her year. Between actively furthering the extinction of one of our most beloved mammals and landing herself in deep deeeeeeep shit with ICAC (you know, not because she and her Government have consistently eroded environmental 18

CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

Image: Supplied

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regulations and funding which caused the bushfires, or the fact that they seem to have a fetish for demolishing stadiums so their mates can rebuild them at a profit… or the fact that the shite rail was brought in over budget and over schedule, but because she failed to disclose her ‘friend with benefits’ who she was also funnelling taxpayer money to) - she’s had a rough go. Poor Gladys. I imagine it’s difficult to sleep when you’re as bent as a contortionists orgy.

In October, as part of her evidence to the ICAC inquiry, Berejiklian admitted that she had been in a “close personal relationship” with controversial former MP Daryl Maguire from 2015 until August 2020. As a result of this revelation, a vote of no-confidence was taken in parliament against Berejiklian. She narrowly survived the vote in the lower house with 47-38, and in the upper house with 21-20, after a deciding vote from the Liberal president.

Then, and let’s not fuck about here, in March we copped a plague. A full-on pandemic. COVID-19.

COVID-19

I don’t know how you make that funny.

I guess because the hot takes of ‘it’s a spicy flu’ kinda do a poor job of masking the fact that our way of life has changed in a way that exposed that the very little that we held to be stable, was.

There’s a collective trauma there. Seeing industries, jobs, livelihoods collapse because we couldn’t go out and connect face to face any more. Because it wasn’t safe to hug your friends and family.

Because we needed to wear masks to stop this fucking virus from spreading.

Because breathing became deadly.

No amount of homemade banana bread takes the edge off that. I haven’t seen a

Tik Tok trend that really makes 1.5 million people dying easier to stomach.

In Australia we’ve amassed 27,965 cases and only 908 deaths. Figures which in compassion to the rest of the world are astoundingly good. Over in the US they are seeing those types of numbers on a daily basis. In fact just last week they had over 229,000 cases reported in a single day with a total death toll approaching 300,000 since the outbreak.

It’s worth saying that we likely did so well in large part thanks to the benefit of our isolated geography, but our political leaders also jumped on the case hard and fast. Although Victoria did have one major bungle, and just this past week NSW also let a couple of international travellers slip the net at Sydney airport.

Ultimately though we survived. We adapted. We learned to work from home.

To have dinner dates over Zoom. People got JobKeeper, JobSeeker, JobMaker and heaps of other three word slogans to help keep their heads above water. We all managed to thrive in our ‘new normal’.

Unless you work in the arts, hospitality or freelance in which case the government sent a giant gift-wrapped bouquet of ‘lol get a real job, fucken poors’ before cracking another tin and binging their favourite telly show.

Long, sad irony filled sigh.

I mean, look, for all the bullshit, we did pretty bloody well. We never reached the level of cases and deaths that consumed the Americas and Europe.

Pat on the back us, but it’s easy to forget that the pandemic is still raging and people’s lives are still hanging in the balance. That again, things we thought were stable were not stable.

That some things needed to change.

In May we watched as the full weight of police brutality against minorities was caught on camera. Actually, that’s not really accurate, is it? People got fucking murdered by racists. They got murdered because the racists have gotten away with murder for so long they felt comfortable murdering people on camera.

The streets filled with protests.

Demanding, pleading for change. They were met, by and large, with the police brutality they were protesting against.

Those protests carried through June, July and August. All the while our leaders wrung their hands and said people should be nicer about how they asked not to be murdered.

2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION In, November, after what felt like the longest political campaign/screamathon pity party, America voted to yeet the rotting carcass of the conman formerly known as President Trump from the White House.

The world breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Because the last four years have been exhausting. The constant barrage of hate-filled rhetoric and political incompetence became normal, and normal becomes permissible. It emboldened our worst instincts to divide and see the world as either us or them.

Which if this year has taught us anything, it should be that we’re all in this shit show together. That we can affect change and take our lives into our own hands, that we have to take on a level of personal responsibility both in service of ourselves but the society we live in.

As we look ahead to Inauguration Day on January 20, we can only hope the USA can get back on track with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at the helm.

HAPPY NEW YEAR? So here we are, in December, about to do another New Years and ring in 2021.

Hoo-ray.

Let’s all work at making, rather than hoping, it’ll be better than this sweaty, smokey, sneezy, limp shouldered, vitriolic, vacuous, preening, parsimonious utter cunt of a year.

COFFIN ED’S NAKED CITY

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GIFTS THAT KEEP ON GIVING!

he Government wants us to go out and spend, spend, spend but many are tightening their belts in anticipation of a horror year financially in 2021. Just what will happen to the usual Christmas splurge over the next few weeks remains to be seen, likewise the storming of department stores on boxing day for the traditional cut price sales. Perhaps the whole giving of Christmas gifts this year needs to take on a totally different perspective, one that recognises the world at large and not just family and friends.

Already we have seen some novel suggestions like Tourism Australia’s promotion to give a holiday or a home grown experience as your Christmas gift this year.

To quote their pitch: “This holiday season, why not give the gift of adventure, inspiration and unforgettable memories? Give your loved one an off-grid getaway, an epic skydive or a meal that lingers long after you leave the restaurant. Australia, we’re living in the best gift shop in the world.”

It’s hard to say how children will react when there are no large packages around the Christmas tree, only an envelope with a gift certificate for a day out at the Big Merino in Goulburn. Forget about the latest Nintendo crap, now’s the time to instil some much needed austerity and a greater sense of our cultural heritage.

It is of course a shame that Australia’s de facto territories like Manus Island and Nauru don’t fall within the charter of Tourism Australia. There are many in the

Blinky Bill T-Shirt: The Deputy Premier John Barilaro would be a most deserving recipient following the great koala stoush in State Parliament. In fact, send one to every politician in Macquarie Street and request at least one day of wearing over the holiday period.

Headless Body In Topless Bar T-Shirt: Just the gift for Miranda Devine after her recent sojourn at the New York Post and her services to the tabloid media and reelection of Trump.

community who would willingly throw in for an extended holiday in these tropical paradises for select members of the Federal Government, i.e. those unyielding supporters of off shore detention. No Hawaiian jaunt for ScoMo this summer but a complimentary two weeks, beach front in beautiful Nauru.

So let’s embrace this spirit of Christmas giving in the so called new normal. And here’s a selection of gift suggestions, appropriate for some of our best known Australians: Trump Toilet Paper: With Trump soon to leave the White House this novelty item has lost all cache and is bound to be going cheap. Why not send a six pack to Pauline Hanson, the crew at Sky News After Dark or any of Trump’s most vocal supporters in this country.

Rolf Harris Wobble Board: Draw your own conclusions here but I could certainly see George Pell entertaining fellow clergy at the Vatican with this now somewhat despised artefact of Australiana.

CD of Twisted Sister’s Greatest Hits: Personally autographed by Dee Snider and what better present for the man who has everything, Clive Palmer. Throw in DVDs of Titanic and Jurassic Park and Clive will have plenty of festive time to contemplate some of his past follies.

Dr Jack Kervokian Gift Certificate: Inscribed “Good For Only One Visit”, many would see it as a tasteless gag but let’s face it there are some public figures we just can’t stand. Best not to include your return address on the envelope when you post it!

Opinion

Can you trust a politician?

BY JOHN MOYLE ot on your Nellie,” said Peter Hehir, convenor, Rozelle Against WestConnex (RAW).

Mr. Hehir is referring to an encounter with Labor leader Jodi McKay when she was shadow Minister for Transport.

“At a large public meeting held at the Birchgrove Tennis Courts in the lead up to the last State election, Jodi McKay gave a cast iron guarantee, that if elected, the ALP would not build the Western Harbour Tunnel,” Mr. Hehir said.

“She stated repeatedly that the ALP opposed the Western Harbour Tunnel.”

When questioned by Mr. Hehir, who pointed out that about 40% of the Tunnel had already been approved and would be built as part of the Rozelle interchange, Mr. Hehir said “she ignored the question and just said over and over again that ‘The ALP opposes the Western Harbour Tunnel’.”

Feeling that the record needle was stuck, Mr. Hehir then opted for a different approach by asking “What do you propose to do with the 40 per cent of the twin three-lane tunnels that were about to be built and would sit idle under the Balmain Peninsula if the ALP did win?”

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HubNEWS

Mr. Hehir said Ms. McKay never answered his question.

What a difference a few months makes in politics.

Recently Jamie Parker, Greens member for Balmain, released a statement titled “Labor Opposition Flip Flops on the WHT”.

“I was really disappointed to hear that the NSW Labor Opposition has hit the reverse on their election promise to oppose the Western Harbour Tunnel,” Mr. Parker said.

“During a petition debate on the floor of the NSW Parliament, Labor MP’s said that they no longer oppose this project, but do want more transparency over it.”

Why am I not surprised? The lack of transparency refers to an astonishing attempt by the NSW Liberal Government to hush the report on the concentration of toxic chemicals in the excavated sludge from the channels dug in the bed of the harbour for the tunnels.

Due to more than 150 years of heavy industrial activity and storm run-off, Sydney Harbour is regarded as one of the most polluted harbours in the world, even more so than New York and Tokyo.

Some of the chemicals lurking in the

The WestConnex interchange at Rozelle. Photo: Transport Roads and Maritime Services

approximately 140,000 cubic metres of sludge to be dug up and taken to White Bay to for treatment include dioxins, hydrocarbons, tributylin, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, heavy metals and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS).

These reports are now publicly available.

“Why am I not surprised?” Mr. Hehir said.

“The promise that Jodi McKay made is just another example of the depths that ALP and coalition politicians will sink in order to win votes.”

The seat of Balmain was once one of the safest ALP seats in NSW, but claims of corruption and dysfunction in the ALP saw them lose the seat and the State election in 2011. Jamie Parker won the seat for the Greens in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015 and 2019 with increasing margins.

“The Western Harbour Tunnel will be approved and if Berejiklian is true to form the announcement will be made about a week before Xmas,” Mr. Hehir said.

CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

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HubARTS

PLASTIC FACE:

“This project was the reason why we stayed sane in 2020!”

(See p.22)

PIPPIN

REVIEW

MOLLY SWEENEY

Yannick Lawry, Grace Naoum, and Matt Abotomey

M

olly Sweeney, written by Brian Friel is a powerful play coming to Flight Path Theatre in Marrickville this December.

The play, produced by Clock And Spiel Productions, is a riveting story of a woman given the chance to have her eyesight restored, while exploring the marvel of medical miracles.

The play will star Grace Naoum as the title character, with Matt Abotomey playing Frank Sweeney and co-producer Yannick Lawry playing Mr Rice.

Hailey McQueen and Yannick Lawry of Clock and Spiel Productions have commented

on the show, saying “Molly Sweeney is an elegant tale which meets our post-COVID desires to express gratitude for all we have, mourn what we have lost with dignity and choose a future which connects to all our true values and embraces others without projecting our needs onto them.”

The play has been widely praised by both critics and casual audiences, making it a show that cannot be missed as Sydney returns to a post-COVID way of living. (RBa) Dec 10-13. Flight Path Theatre, 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville. $23-$30+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.flightpaththeatre.org

MY BRILLIANT CAREER

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laywright Kendall Feaver has taken on the stage adaptation of the Australian classic written by Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin when she was a just 21 years old.

Feaver brings accolades to her current work, including the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting (the largest such competition in Europe), as well as the NSW and Victorian Premiers Literary Awards in 2019.

The play is directed by award-winning Kate Champion, who last directed the sell-out success Every Brilliant Thing by British playwright Duncan Macmillan for the Belvoir Theatre in 2019.

In the lead role is Nikki Shiels as Sybylla Melvin, the courageous young woman who, despite facing rural poverty, drought, her father’s drunkenness, and the drudgery of farm labour that lead to her having a breakdown, rejects a suitor who might have alleviated her circumstances. She is left with a determination not to marry.

Little did Franklin know that her work would come to be

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CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

s Sydney’s theatres slowly emerge from their COVID induced slumber there was perhaps no better elixir to bring life back into the scene than the flashy, magical affair that is Stephen Schwartz’s Tony Award winning musical, Pippin.

Telling the story of a young man, the titular Pippin, at a cross roads in his life the musical injects acrobatics and flashy circus fair into the tried and true musical format. Will Pippin (Ainsley Melham) follow in the footsteps of his father Charlemagne (Simon Burke) or will he strike out on his own to find his own “corner of the sky”?

With it’s vaudeville, circus stylings Pippin is a very surreal play, perhaps fitting in 2020. However, it is also one which is incredibly entertaining. Particularly when Kerri-Anne Kennerley astounds

regarded as the “first Australian novel.” It received glowing reviews when first published in 1901 and was reprinted six times in three years.

Some readers will remember the extraordinary interpretation the inimitable Judy Davis brought to the role of Sybylla in the 1979 Gillian Armstrong film.

Nikki Shiels has a lot to live up to but, judging by the performance that won her “Best Female Actor in an Independent Production” in the 2018 Sydney Theatre Awards for They Divided The Sky (Daniel Schlusser Ensemble/25A), she will more than hold her own.

Don’t miss this reimagining of a great Australian feminist novel. (ID) Until Jan 31. Belvoir Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills. $33-$83+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.belvoir.com.au

audiences with her acrobatic first appearance and then later when Melham is set free to unleash his incredible voice.

Pippin is a flashy affair with just enough substance to carry it through. Thanks to its unique concept of a ‘play within a play’ audiences will have lots of fun here as they are mesmerised but the acrobat performances, soaring music and delightfully funny fourth wall breaking quips from the Leading Player (Gabrielle McClinton).

Certainly worth venturing out into the post-COVID theatre experience, with masks mandatory throughout the performance. (JA) Until Jan 31. Sydney Lyric Theatre, 55 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont. $69.90-$169.90+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneylyric.com.au Photo: Brett Boardman

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Photo: Brian Geach

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21

HubARTS

PRINNIE STEVENS

BY JAMIE APPS rowing up Prinnie Stevens says she lived in a fantasy world of music and performance, but today that fantasy world has become her reality.

In a year when everything seems like a weird fever dream or fantasy Stevens explained to City Hub that 2020 has actually allowed her to return to her roots to rediscover the true beauty and meaning of music.

Ahead of her upcoming Music For The Soul tour Prinnie recalled how she first came to be involved in music as a creative outlet.

“I think music found me.

I didn’t find music,” she explained. “It was kind of involuntary.

I’ve been singing and dancing since I was four years old. Even though nobody else in my family was musically inclined they quickly realised ‘ ok we need to get this girl into music and dance lessons’ because they couldn’t shut me up.”

From that moment on Stevens has been involved in a raft of different creative mediums ranging from, singing, dancing, and cabaret right through to musical theatre. As she went on to explain during our conversation the reasoning behind this career path stems right back to her earliest inspirations.

“I grew up in the time of the Michael Jackson Remember The Time video, Janet Jackson, J-Lo,

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PLASTIC FACE

BY JAMIE APPS aunching a band wearing masks is perhaps the most 2020 thing ever. For Sydney group Plastic Face they have done just that after gaining inspiration from the “bananas” year and experiences that we have all endured over the last 10-12 months.

Consisting of Pete Stals & Will Coleman, Plastic Face is far from the first time these two have worked together but with everything that has happened this year Pete explained to City Hub that now felt like the perfect time to unleash this “new baby” onto the world.

“We’ve been comrades for about 15 years. In that time we’ve played in so many different bands across so many different genres, played tons of shows both here at home and abroad, and ingested copious amounts of good times,” said Stals. “I’d say we’ve written about 500 songs together but the crazy year that was 2020 gave us a few months to simply write and polish off some little gems of pop music for this new venture.”

When Stals speaks about being given time to focus on Plastic Face he is somewhat burying the lead. As the pandemic arrived on Australian shores and borders began closing he was in New Zealand, living in an ashram in Golden Bay. So he had to quickly flee back home, subsequently seeing himself placed into a mandatory two week quarantine with

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nothing but music to occupy his time.

From that period of isolation came Plastic Face’s latest single, HiiViSiON. “While in quarantine Will sent me this ‘COVID beat’ and I had a ‘COVID chord progression’ that I’d been playing over and over again. So the song was born from those, it isn’t necessarily about something or someone it’s more of a state of mind.”

Without Plastic Face Stals doesn’t know how he would have persevered through 2020.

“This project was the reason why we stayed sane!”

Throughout the year we’ve all been wearing masks as we go about our day-to-day lives.

So we had to ask, was this the inspiration behind Plastic Face donning masks?

“We’re two incredibly good looking guys and people would be stopped in their tracks by the brightness of our good looks.

So we decided to put the masks on and simply get on with it and let people focus on the music instead,” Stals answered very tongue in cheek before revealing the true reasoning. “We’re constantly reinventing ourselves and evolving. So the masks allow us to not be pinned down to one look, which is the same as the music because we don’t like to be pigeon holed into one genre. I think wearing masks gives us that freedom to express ourselves.”

Follow Plastic Face on Instagram at www.instagram.com/plasticfacemultiverse

PAPAYA TREE - MORTUARY MAGIC

T

he latest collection from Papaya Tree, Mortuary Magic, is a modern-day triumph that captures everything it means to be alive in 2020.

Papaya Tree makes the most of a challenging year by channeling their emotion into singles like Out In The Wash and Corona Crooner.

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CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

Each song on the EP is designed to capture a different expression of love, from love lost to love imagined and love contained in friendship.

Drawing its name from the band members’ time spent as morticians, this EP is as original as the group itself.

A unique blend of classic jazz and contemporary indie, Mortuary Magic strikes a sound that will resonate with a wide variety of audiences. (EE) WWWW

and Whitney Houston. So for me it was all about being a triple threat as a singer, dancer and actress. All of those artists took music, performance and their videos to the next level.”

Obviously being inspired by such icons of entertainment Stevens realises she has “huge shoes to fill” in order to come close to them. Luckily though, by following in their footsteps the impact of 2020 was slightly lessoned for her as she had so many different outlets.

There was also one other unexpected benefit of the restrictions brought in by COVID. Stevens was able to return to her roots with a stripped down version of her show for the Music For The Soul tour.

“COVID changed my live shows by forcing me to shift to a small setup, which is actually closer to where I started in cabaret,” Stevens explained. “These shows are just myself with a piano, but it has actually led me back to the bare essentials of music, piano, me and great songs.

“Before COVID I would have an eight piece band with two backing vocals and everything was electric to create those bigger pop sounds. But now I’m getting back to basics with the soul and the acoustic and I’m really enjoying this setup because I feel like it’s easier to tell the stories when it’s broken down in that way.”

For Stevens these shows are “for all of us to heal in some way and start to get back to normal.”

Dec 18. Foundry 616, 616 Harris St, Ultimo. $54-$81+b.fTickets & Info: www.foundry616.com.au

MOUSSA DIAKITE - KANAFO

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n the latest album from 71-year-old Malian guitar superstar Moussa Diakite, there are more feel-good tunes than ever before. Having already shaped much of West Africa’s music scene, Diakite is ready to make the whole world a better place.

For anyone who just wants to put on a song and instantly feel happier about life, Diakite’s Kanafo is the album for you.

With upbeat songs like Danaya and inspiring singles like Sossogoby, a song

about taking pride in your heritage, this sophomore album from Diakite sounds like sunshine.Each of the album’s tracks feature masterful musical ability and a strong dose of positive vibes. So if you’re looking for a new soundtrack for your life, give Kanafo a try. (EE) WWWWW

HubARTS

NSW GOVERNMENT PLEDGES TO TRANSFORM THE GUNNERY

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he NSW Government has pledged $5 million in funding to see The Gunnery in Woolloomooloo transformed into a state-of-the-art facility to showcase the incredible artists of the area.

The significant investment will ensure the legacy of The Gunnery as a landmark and destination venue for visual art endures long into the future. It is also hoped that the revamped space will highlight the import role of the arts for the NSW economy, while also injecting life into the city and lead the recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This cultural infrastructure project will deliver upgraded artist studios, adaptable multi-use

spaces, and expanded galleries, as part of a program of work that will support artistic excellence and meet the needs of the community,” said NSW Minister For the Arts, Don Harwin.

In response to the announced funding Executive Director of Artspace, Alexie Galss-Kantor said, “Artspace is extremely grateful for the NSW Government’s support and recognition of the critical role that art plays in imagining new futures.

This timely support will see the transformation of Artspace in The Gunnery into a more agile and resilient 21st century centre for innovation in contemporary art.” (JA)

Dunn & Hillam Architects, Architect’s render of The Gunnery featuring artwork

by Dennis Golding, ‘Cast in cast out’, 2020, detail, courtesy the artist.

HAPPIEST SEASON

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ot your conventional Christmas cinematic offering, but there are endless laugh out loud moments in this romantic comedy surprise hit of the year!

“Come with me to my parent’s house for Christmas. What’s five days? How bad can it be?” Harper (Mackenzie Davis) suggests to her lesbian lover Abby (Kristen Stewart).

Well for starters Abby has to contend with Harper’s family of nutty stereotyped

eccentrics, her ex-boyfriend and exgirlfriend, and worse still Harper has not come out to her family! Will their relationship be pushed to the limit since Harper is too afraid to show her family who she really is?

Kristen Stewart, who found success in the Twilight franchise, has steered away from the small and arty film roles of recent years to star in this gay-themed comedy that hysterically examines

family values, the consequences of the choices that we make, and ultimately the importance of being true to one’s self.

A clumsy and cheesy fight sequence as Stewart’s character looks on in the final act felt awkward, misplaced, and

underwhelmed momentarily, pushing silliness to breaking point. However, the sugar-sweet conclusion audiences were anticipating fulfilled all expectations.

(MMo) WWW

OLIVER SACK: HIS OWN LIFE A CHRISTMAS GIFT

FROM BOB A

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hen Oliver Sacks was asked whether he was primarily a doctor or writer his response was, “equally first!”

This insightful documentary details his life from early beginnings. Born in England in 1933 to Jewish parents who were medical professionals, he was separated from his parents during WWII, later found love in chemistry, and moved to America in 1960.

Much of his early life was fraught with unhappiness and confusion. When his mother discovered he was gay she screamed, “You’re an abomination – wish you’d never been born!”

Sacks neglected sleep, healthy eating, and delved into drugs. He was self-destructive and played with death.

Achieving spectacular results with people who

experienced neurological disorders, Sacks showed strong empathy towards his patients.

He was the best-selling author of compilations of his medical cases but was stonewalled by professionals who claimed he was utilising his patients to write stories.

Ultimately, he received accolade from the medical world and a film called Awakenings was produced in 1990 starring Robin Williams, based on Sack’s published memoirs.

This is quintessential viewing for movie-goers who have an interest in the medical world.

A collage of photographs, filmed footage, and interviews with neurologists, authors, professors, family, and journalists all assimilate to illustrate the life and work of a very remarkable man. (MMo) WWW1/2

Christmas Gift From Bob is a heart-warming Christmas film about a man and his cat, based on the international best selling books.

The film follows the story of James and his best furry friend Bob as it relays the importance of the relationship between people and their pets, and how these furry friends can help individuals through the toughest of times.

A Christmas Gift From Bob is a family movie, however, viewers must be warned that it does get emotional.

The film is easy to follow and highly entertaining, while also being a good way to teach young children about Christmas spirit and bring the whole family together.

Being the festive sequel to A Street Cat Named Bob, it matches up nicely and is

a great way to ring in the Christmas season. (RBa) WWWW CITY HUB DECEMBER 2020

23

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