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HubNEWS

Female City of Sydney employees out-earn male counterparts (See p. 15)

Omicron spoils NYE across Sydney

BY EVA BAXTER ydneysiders were forced to change plans and businesses cancelled New Year’s Eve events as cases of Omicron soared.

Long lines formed at PCR testing clinics over the festive season, with some clinics closed or operating on reduced hours.

Sonya queued for three hours at RPA to get tested after failing to find a drive through testing clinic which was open.

“I had to wait 3 days for my result from RPA. In the meantime, I had found out I was positive through a home test,” she told City Hub. Sonya and her husband cancelled plans to travel interstate to see family, and cancelled NYE celebrations at their home in Balmain.

She said people need to be cautious this NYE, “as Omicron is so easy to catch.”

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has urged people not to get tested unless they are unwell or have been directly advised.

“It is tempting for some to claim that the

S HubARTS: Six - The Musical Six - The Musical finally allows the wives of Henry VIII to tell the story from their own point of view.

(See p. 20)

PUBLISHED DATE 13 JANUARY 2022 Published monthly and freely available throughout the Inner City.

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Distribution enquiries call 9212 5677.

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ABN 52 600 903 348 Group Editor & Publisher: Lawrence Gibbons Publisher Assistant: Mal Moody Advertising Manager: Mal Moody 0484 042 615 Advertising: sales@altmedia.net.au News Editors: Daniel Lo Surdo, Eva Baxter Contributors: Daniel Lo Surdo, Eva Baxter, Toks Ogundare, Charlotte Feldman, Andrew Chuter Arts Editor: Jamie Apps Contributors: Irina Dunn, Rita Bratovich, Mark Morellini, Renee Lou Dallow, Rida Babar, Olga Azar, Jarrod Wolfhunter, Tessa Pelle, Lucinda Garbutt-Young Cover Photo: Flickerfest. Flickerfest’s trailer gives ode to Baz Luhrman’s iconic, The Great Gatsby Designer: Nadia Kalinitcheva Mail: PO Box 843 Broadway 2007 Email: news@altmedia.net.au, arts@altmedia.net.au Ph: 9212 5677 Fax: 9212 5633 Website: cityhubsydney.com.au If you have a story, or any comments you’d like to share with us: news@altmedia.net.au @CityHubSydney

 This is a system at breaking point pain and disappointment experienced over the past few weeks could have been avoided, and case numbers kept low,” the Premier wrote in the Herald.

“But given Omicron’s hypertransmissibility, the only way to keep its numbers down would be to enforce the most severe lockdown yet: borders shut tight, everyone staying home, workplaces shut down, communities crippled. In short, Christmas cancelled for everyone.

“Rather than harsh, widespread lockdowns, we are isolating at the individual and household level. It’s not easy, but it is by far the lesser evil,” he said.

CLINIC CRISIS

Shadow Minister for Health Ryan Park has criticised the NSW government for failing to have a plan for hospitals and healthcare workers and failing to increase the number of testing clinics.

On December 29th he said, “this is a system that is at breaking point. And this has come about because we’ve got a Premier who refuses to take responsibility for not following the health advice two weeks ago to ensure people remained wearing masks and continued to use those QR codes.

Hemant, owner of the Lodge Bar Balmain, was forced to shut his business due to dwindling customers and Omicron. Photo: Supplied

“The Premier must have known that given the fact Christmas and the New Year appear at the same time every single year, that there was going to be pressure on the health system at this time.”

Park requested that the government call on extra support from the Commonwealth.

“We’re calling on the NSW government to make sure they’re reaching out to the Commonwealth to get additional resources, additional staff to take some pressure off our testing clinics, off our pathology labs and off our hospitals.”

out and have some of the most heavily pronounced FOMO I’ve ever experienced.

FOMOCRON

Watson’s at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park also cancelled their NYE event.

“We have several staff in isolation, making it difficult to fill the roster. We have had countless cancelled bookings due to hesitation from patrons to be in a public space, even given the fact we have such an expansive outdoor space in our beer garden,” Michael Watson, Owner of Watson’s, told City Hub.

Max Altman, 26, from Newtown, said his friendship group leading up to the holidays felt that they were likely to get Omicron, but hoped they wouldn’t get it until after Christmas and NYE. “[…] A widely held view among my friends is just let me stay negative until I get to NYE, then I don’t care, I’m happy to get it over with,” Max told City Hub. Max became one of the unlucky ones when he received a positive test result on Christmas Eve, “the perfect time to ruin both Christmas and NYE.” “It was frustrating to be forced to isolate for Christmas away from my family, but I’m a lot more annoyed by it also affecting my NYE plans.

“I was going to be DJing at a music event run by my friends, and now I have to miss

“With the policies being made by the NSW government, it feels like the two years of sacrifice we’ve made has kind of been for nothing and our public health service that has done the bulk of the heavy lifting over that time period is being stretched beyond breaking point,” he said.

Due to changes implemented on December 30th, health advice now allows people to leave isolation after seven days if they get a negative result on a rapid antigen test on day six meaning Max could attend NYE celebrations.

Hemant, owner of the Lodge Bar Balmain shut his business due to dwindling customers and catching Omicron.

He said he’s been at home and miserable all Christmas.

“Running up to this week I was hoping that we would get an influx of guests and well needed cash, but that’s gone now,” he told City Hub. CITY HUB JANUARY 2022

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HubNEWS

Scully returns as deputy lord mayor

Jess Scully (fourth from right) was voted back in as deputy lord mayor. Photo: Abril Felman/City of Sydney

BY DANIEL LO SURDO ess Scully has retained her posting as deputy lord mayor after she was voted back in at the first meeting of the new council term last month.

With Clover Moore returning as lord mayor following December’s elections, Cr Scully was backed by the Clover Moore Independent Team in a move that secured the incumbent’s return to the position.

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Cr Moore’s Independent Team holds five seats in the 10-person council, with all five representatives, and the Greens Sylvie Ellsmore, voting in favour of Cr Scully at Thursday’s meeting and comfortably defeating newly-elected councillor Yvonne Weldon, who attracted the votes of Linda Scott and Shauna Jarrett. Liberal Lyndon Gannon was unable to attend the meeting.

The makeup of the City’s council chamber will be slightly different this term, despite Cr Moore maintaining a majority and the Labor and Liberal presence remaining the same.

Cr Ellsmore’s election to council adds the Greens into the City after the party had no representation in the past term. Small Business Party frontrunner Angela Vithoulkas, who served on the previous council term, was pipped

by Cr Gannon, who ensured that the Liberals would retain their two seats after the departures of Craig Chung and Christine Forster following the elections.

Crs Weldon and Ellsmore have each taken the positions previously held by Ms Vithoulkas and Kerryn Phelps, the latter finishing her term on council as an independent after a brief allegiance to the Clover Moore Independent Team.

MOORE COUNCILLORS

While Crs Moore, Scully and Robert Kok each resumed their positions at Town Hall, HY William Chan and Emelda Davis were introduced as new representatives for the lord mayor’s team.

Cr Chan enters local government

with a background in architecture, urban planning and sustainable urban practice. He has worked with the City as the UN Sustainable Development Solution Network’s Local Pathways Fellow and is an appointed expert to the City’s Citizens Jury, playing a key role in the 2050 vision for Sydney. Coming onto council, Cr Chan has expressed interest in climate policy and is also an advocate for the City’s startup ecosystem.

The City’s council chamber will be slightly different this term Cr Davis is a Pyrmont local who has advocated for cultural diversity and greater inclusion in her professional life. As a second-generation Australian South Sea Islander of First Nations and Caribbean descent, Cr Davis has worked in multiple levels of government and for non-profits in community development, education, media, training and marketing. Cr Davis is also the chairwoman of the Australian South Sea Islanders (Port Jackson) and is the director for Onyx Management Group.

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HubNEWS

Byrne, D’Arienzo to lead Inner West

BY DANIEL LO SURDO abor has secured both the Inner West Mayoralty and Deputy Mayoralty as Darcy Byrne and Jessica D’Arienzo were voted into the respective positions at the start of council’s new term.

Cr Byrne won election into the mayoralty after outgoing Greens councillor Rochelle Porteous occupied the position from September to December this year, while D’Arienzo – who ran second on Labor’s Ashfield-Djarrawunang ticket – will occupy the deputy mayoralty until September 2022, when a new vote will occur. Cr Byrne had held the mayoralty prior to Ms Porteous and was the inaugural mayor of Inner West Council.

Tom Kiat handing on the seat to Dylan Griffiths.

Owning a majority in the council chamber will be crucial for the Labor caucus, who will be tasked with leading the preparation of a de-amalgamation business case for the Minister for Local Government after voters supported splitting the current Inner West Council back to the former Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville council areas.

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Majority in the council chamber will be crucial for ... Labor Behind the support of the eight-seat Labor bloc, both Byrne and D’Arienzo were comfortably voted to the postings after respective challenges from the Greens Kobi Shetty and Independent and previous deputy mayor Pauline Lockie. Both Shetty and Lockie attracted the votes of the five-seat Greens caucus and the two remaining Independents

BREWING ISSUES

Darcy Byrne (left) and Jessica D’Arienzo (right) have been voted in as Inner West Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Photo: Facebook

(Crs John Stamolis and Lockie) but were defeated behind an all-important Labor majority.

Council will hold its first ordinary meeting in February, where Crs Byrne and D’Arienzo will occupy their postings on the new term.

Cr Byrne was reelected to Inner West Council following a successful campaign in the Balmain-Baludarri ward, where he was returned alongside fellow

incumbent Cr Stamolis and new Greens candidate Cr Shetty.

Cr D’Arienzo was voted onto council in Ashfield following the failed reelection bid of Julie Passas, who was disendorsed by the Liberal Party ahead of the elections.

Cr D’Arienzo took Ms Passas’ seat – who ran as an independent – with the other two positions in the ward remaining with Labor councillor Mark Drury and the Greens, with outgoing Ashfield councillor

Following a reshuffle of the NSW Government cabinet ahead of the 2023 State Elections, Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman was given the Local Government portfolio after her predecessor, Shelley Hancock, decided to step away from cabinet.

Another issue that will continue into the new term will be mitigating the effects of WestConnex and the Western Harbour Tunnel, both of which are raising profound concerns with residents near the Rozelle Interchange. Noise, air pollution, lack of open space and traffic have all been circled as issues stemming from the motorways’ construction and will be key topics for council to grapple with in the coming years.

Calls to expand RAT access of our public health and healthcare workers across the continent by letting market forces decide who can afford to get and use RATs during this health emergency.

“Equity matters, as it does for every aspect of public health. The people most at risk from the pandemic are often least able to afford RATs, if they can find any,” he said.

RATs play an essential role

Health organisations state the overwhelming demand for RATs has inflated their price beyond what many people can afford. Photo: Creative Commons/Marco Verch

BY EVA BAXTER ealth organisations across Australia are calling on the federal government to urgently expand access to rapid antigen tests.

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said free rapid antigen tests are a matter of equity.

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“With the difficulty of getting a PCR test, many people just want to be confident they don’t have the virus before they interact with others,” said PHAA CEO Professor Terry Slevin.

“RATs do, and must continue to play, an essential role in a pandemic that is looking increasingly out of control.

“We cannot diminish the incredible work

Health Services Union (HSU) National President Gerard Hayes said it is disgraceful private companies are exploiting the public’s need for essential health supplies.

“Big retailers profiteering is no different to individuals looting during a crisis. The Prime Minister needs to step in and ensure RATs are free and accessible to everyone who needs them,” Mr Hayes said.

“RATs can provide a quick answer to those who think they may have contracted the virus. However, we cannot expect potentially COVID-positive patients to travel to multiple different shops to find RATs, and then pay through the nose for them.

“Many people cannot afford to make ends meet week to week, let alone budget for $150 or more in RATs for their family,” he said.

RAT RACE

Only people who fall under the new close contact rules can access a free test supplied by the states and half funded by the federal government.

PM Scott Morrison said on January 5th, “the suggestion that tests are not free is untrue. The tests are free if you require one and are required to have one because you are a close contact or you’re symptomatic.

“The challenge at present sits predominantly around the issue of supply, and as I said 190 million tests … both state and federal governments have been out there and we’ve been in the market since August.”

“We’ve been able to ensure that we’ve met all of our obligations and responsibilities for RAT tests to the aged care sector, those sectors that we’re responsible for.

The states are now working to acquire those tests. As you know, in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, they’ve all been moving on that,” he said.

www.addiroad.org.au

Novak Djokovic wins the 2011 Australian Open. Photo globalite, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. (Right) Port Moresby, 2019 with Behrouz Boochani and fellow Manus Island detainees. Courtesy Craig Foster.

Djokovic is out. Now let the Refugees go.

Following Novak Djokovic’s successful appeal against the revocation of his visa, let us not forget the 33 refugees who for a brief few days came alive in the light reflected into the Park Hotel where they’re imprisoned in their 9th year.

It’s vitally important because for a short period, the number one tennis player in the world was caught in the system that mistreats so many innocent people, kills them in fact and if nothing else, that alone shows what we’ve allowed ourselves to become. Year by year, amendment by amendment, Act by Act and decade by decade a privatised detention system has emerged that would have seemed impossible not that long ago.

There was never any need to lock Djokovic up pending legal argumentation. It’s utterly absurd. But disturbingly consistent. And Government rhetoric that he could leave at any time, despite being subject to a 3 year ban that would adversely affect his professional career is chillingly familiar to refugees, for whom the penalty is even greater.

Death.

The concept that the world’s number one tennis player had to be detained, belongings taken, denied visitation on Orthodox Christmas would be comical if it wasn’t so symptomatic of our addiction to mandatory, even indefinite detention. Think about that for a moment.

Indefinite. Detention.

Refugees, Indigenous kids as young as 10, the Biloela family who also had a right to legal appeal and yet have been tortured in lieu, and whistle-blowers. In a cage, on an island, in a room, it’s all the same. Little surprise, then, that we’re not outraged at the torment of an ailing Julian Assange, one of our countrymen, when we do it ourselves.

It gives politicians a false sense of strength, provides a diversion but real strength is holding to a vision of fair and humane treatment for all. One where refugees aren’t locked up for 9 years, Sri Lankan-Australian families stretched beyond breaking point or Indigenous Australians incarcerated at a world-leading rate.

Only those who represent a threat to community should ever be detained but since mandatory detention was introduced way back in 1992, we have learnt to rationalise enormous pain, torment and even loss of life. They’re after our jobs. They’re criminals, welfare cases. They came the wrong way. All lies, but if told often enough, they seem like justification enough. And not even refugees setting themselves alight, or catatonic young children on Nauru can wake us from their nightmare.

You may not even know that new arrivals without any security risks used to stay in community hostels while their status was determined. Today, we jail them at catastrophic human and financial cost, often for up to a decade or more.

I believe in equal standards for all, including of course athletes, but the point is that our standards are abominably low. Lethal, in fact.

Djokovic needed to be locked up no more than the 33 refugees in his now infamous hotel, the Park Hotel in Swanston St, Carlton, Victoria where the owners, like the Mantra in Preston, Kangaroo Point Central Hotel in Brisbane and Darwin Airport before them, are profiting from human misery and suffering.

It’s political posturing, not public interest.

Once we went down this path this was inevitable because, in attempts to be seen to apply the same standards the Australian Government inadvertently exposed the horrific standards that, actually, apply.

The key difference is that whereas many innocent refugees wait years for a hearing, Djokovic’s privilege meant he needed only wait days.

Use of the terms ‘border security’ and ‘strong borders’ are too often euphemisms for scapegoating groups of innocent people to secure votes. We should shudder every time a politician weaponizes them. Enforcing immigration laws does not have to equate to long term suffering, demonisation and physical and psychological breakdown.

And we have legislated away so many of our obligations under the Refugee Convention that it’s risible even to call ourselves a signatory.

members for a decade or more.

Please separate the highly charged issues of vaccines or exemptions distract from the treatment he received because it is vital that we all understand that locking people up and denying them basic rights has become so normalised that even the world’s number one tennis player is not immune.

If Djokovic is held, though he is no threat, imagine the torment and torture that voiceless asylum seekers and refugees face every minute of every day. They don’t have media interest, legal teams or Presidents of countries advocating for them.

Scott Morrison is nothing if not an opportunist and merely the latest Prime Minister to seek political advantage through the threat of ‘borders,’ a skill he honed as Immigration Minister to trigger what I hope is a diminishing sector of the Australian community in a cycle that has been continuing since Federation.

I do hope that Djokovic is emotionally moved to use what is a very brief denial of his freedom to speak out for those who’ve suffered for 9 years, and who lack his profile and voice. If indeed he competes, he might carry their names with him and prolong their tiny window to capitalise on his celebrity.

The privatised, mandatory detention system we have created here and offshore is cruel, oppressive, costly, capricious and unfair, endemically politicised and unnecessary.

The fact that Djokovic was detained in it, opens a critical opportunity to consider the system itself.

At least Djokovic brought attention to the Park Hotel 33. But the real attention should be on the privatised system that profits from treating people like animals, and on why too few of us are outraged at how we routinely destroy innocent lives.

Many innocent people are literally rotting from the inside out, and in the very heart of our cities. You saw it with your own eyes, this week.

Djokovic is not a hero or freedom fighter for discouraging community immunisation. He is a famous athlete who doesn’t believe in vaccines and sought to gain an exemption. I strongly disagree with his views on the pandemic and support a vaccine mandate to play in the Aust Open but, so too, any person’s right to a legitimate exemption.

Craig Foster AM Tuesday, 11 January 2022

Djokovic is out. Now let the refugees go.

addiroad.org.au

The Serbian-Australian community are rightly outraged, as is Serbia itself, and so too should our Iranian, Kurdish, Sudanese, Bangladeshi and Rohingyan communities, to name a few, as we torture their family and community

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HubNEWS

Independents lose Randwick Council seats

BY EVA BAXTER he results of the 2021 local government elections have been finalised and just seven of the 15 elected councillors for City of Randwick Council held seats on the previous term.

Some former councillors were not successful this election, including Independent Anthony Andrews for Central ward, Independent Carlos Da Rocha for South Ward and Our Local Community member Harry Stavrinos for West ward.

Harry Stavrinos requested a recount which was not granted. The Electoral Commissioner was not satisfied that a recount should be conducted on the grounds provided in the request.

Two seats previously held by Independents since 2017 went to a Liberal candidate and a Green candidate.

Labor and Liberal are tied with five seats each, Greens have four, and Independents have just one seat on the council term beginning 2022.

ward again. The ALP came in at 3,472 votes (29.7%) and incumbent Kathy Neilson will retain her seat for the ALP. First time councillor Rafaela Pandolfini will represent the Greens, receiving 3,787 votes (28.9%).

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CENTRAL WARD

Former Labor mayor Dylan Parker will be returning to represent Central ward. He will be joined by Liberal Daniel Rosenfeld and Greens Kym Chapple.

SOUTH WARD

Greens Philipa Veitch beat Our Local Community member Harry Stavrinos by a margin of 92 votes in West Ward. Photo: Creative Commons

Incumbent Independent Anthony Andrews was not re-elected by a margin of 382 votes.

The ALP received the most votes in Central ward with 5,003 votes (36.1%), followed by the Liberal Party with 3,798 votes (27.4%), then the Greens with 2,344 votes (16.9%) and Independents 2,548 votes (18.4%).

EAST WARD

No previous councillors in East ward recontested, meaning the elected councillors for East ward are all first time councillors.

Marea Wilson for the ALP, Joanne McCafferty for the Liberal party and

Michael Olive for the Greens are East ward’s 2022 councillors.

Labor and Liberal tied with five seats each The ALP received the most votes with 3,977 (31.1%), followed by the Liberals with 3,685 (28.8%) and the Greens with 3,487 votes (27.2%).

NORTH WARD

The Liberal party took the lead in votes in North ward, with 4,247 votes (32.4%). Incumbent Christie Hamilton will represent the Liberal party for North

The 2022 councillors for South ward are incumbent Independent Noel D’Souza, incumbent Labor Danny Said and Bill Burst for the Liberal party.

Incumbent Independent Carlos Da Rocha was not elected by a margin of 623 votes.

WEST WARD

Alexandra Luxford for the ALP will retain her seat on council, as will Philipa Veitch for the Greens.

Veitch beat incumbent Our Local Community member Harry Stavrinos by a margin of 92 votes.

The ALP received 3,787 votes (27.8%), the Liberals received 3,527 votes (25.9%), the Greens 3,133 (23%) and Our Local Community received 3,067 votes (22.5%).

First time councillor Andrew Hay will represent the Liberals for West ward.

Parker returned as Randwick Mayor “It is an immense privilege and honour to serve one’s community, not only as a councillor but as mayor of this particular, very very special city,” Cr Parker said at the council meeting. “Any opportunity where I can be of assistance is definitely one that I would like to take up.”

It’s on all of us ... to

constructively work together

Dylan Parker (left) and Kym Chapple (right) were voted in as the respective Randwick Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Photo: Twitter/Randwick Council

BY DANIEL LO SURDO abor councillor Dylan Parker was reelected as Randwick City Mayor while Kym Chapple succeeded outgoing Greens councillor Lindsay Shurey as the deputy mayor last month.

Cr Parker won the mayoralty in

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September, following fellow Labor councillor Danny Said, who was mayor for the previous two years. Parker was reinstated as mayor until September 2023 after receiving nine votes in the council chamber, with the remaining six votes given to the Liberal Christie Hamilton.

Cr Chapple won the deputy mayoralty after sealing nine votes from councillors, sinking Liberal Bill Burst’s tilt for the posting. Chapple will hold the position until September.

“There’s a lot of amazing expertise and knowledge of our community in this room, and I can’t wait to work with all of you,” Cr Chapple said.

“I’m pretty excited to be on a council where we have a majority [of] women councillors and a female general manager, I think that’s a pretty exciting moment for this area.”

PARTY POLITICS

The Randwick elections last month resulted in greater Greens and Liberal representation on council after

Independents Anthony Andrews and Carlos Da Rocha both lost their seats to Chapple (Greens) and Burst (Liberal), the two candidates for deputy mayor.

“In the eyes of most of this community they don’t see Liberal, Labor, Greens or Independent … they just see councillors who, in their eyes hopefully, are working towards a common goal,” Cr Parker said.

“It’s on all of us really to find some way, even though at points we may want to commit what can only be described as violence against one another … to constructively work together for the better of our city.”

For the first time in Randwick’s history, there is a majority female representation (eight seats) on council.

During the extraordinary meeting, finding sustainable outcomes to target climate change was discussed as a key challenge to address on the new term of council.

“Local government has been an incredibly powerful supporter of local communities in the last two years, and when it comes to looking after our neighbours and making real justice happen, I think this is an amazing place to be,” Cr Chapple said.

HubNEWS

Bondi liquor licence request backlash

BY EVA BAXTER he Village Hostel on Lamrock Ave Bondi Beach has lodged an application with the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority for an onpremises licence.

If the application is granted, the hostel will be authorised to serve liquor to customers at the premises during liquor trading hours.

Residents of Lamrock Ave have objected to the application.

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This would adversely impact the community Jonathan McLean wrote in a public submission, “as a nearby resident I strongly oppose granting a liquor licence to Village Backpackers, which is situated in the heart of a residential area with families and young children.

“This would have an adverse impact on the community, and the distribution and consumption of liquor on-premises would further encourage guest antisocial behaviour.

“Guests of Village Backpackers already congregate on the Lamrock Ave and

Consett Ave street front areas and cause disturbance late at night and harass passersby.

“Distributing alcohol on-premises would undoubtedly lead to larger congregations, more disturbance and be a huge disservice to the local community.”

LOCAL IMPACT

In June last year, the Waverley Council Strategic Planning and Development Committee unanimously decided to publicly exhibit draft Social Impact Assessment guidelines.

Resident H Keenan addressed the meeting to speak on behalf of the guidelines, “to date Waverley works on a development criteria based almost solely on permissibility.”

He said senior council staff stated there was no criteria for assessing social amenity.

“It’s time we entered the 21st century and it is surprising that Waverley, so densely populated, has no social policy,” he said.

Social impacts typically include changes to one or more social impact types which are accessibility, accommodation, community, culture, health and

Out of 16 public comments made on the application at time of publication, just three are in support of the liquor licence sought by the hostel. Photo: Google Maps

wellbeing, livelihoods, safety and security, surroundings, way of life.

Mayor Paula Masselos said in the June meeting, “these guidelines highlight the importance of considering social impact of DA’s on the social amenity of neighbouring properties and the locality, and this may include consideration of the cumulative effect of similar developments.”

Out of the 16 public comments made on the application, three are in support of the licence.

Jonathan Charles said, “I fully support this on-premises liquor licence for the

WHAT A YEAR!

backpackers on Lamrock. We all should. […]

“I would expect given the strict requirements of a liquor licence [that] we will find that the drinking is contained within the establishment rather than out on the street. A liquor licence will ensure better self-regulation of patrons.

“Maybe more opposition should be directed towards the developers who are indeed ripping the heart and soul out of community, not the local digs of the backpackers that add to part of the charm and character of what Bondi has always been about,” he said.

Tens of thousands of powerful women, survivors, activists and allies took to the streets this year to say #enoughisenough, calling for an end to the patriarchal power structures that oppress women on a daily basis. Your voices were heard, and this month the NSW Parliament passed vital affirmative consent law reforms.

Pictured here marching with Saxon Mullins and Dani, Chloe and Erin from Youth Against Sexual Violence.

We’ve been campaigning for better public housing for years. I met some strong humans while shooting this documentary series for SBS “Could You Survive on the Breadline?”, shedding light on the horrendous state of public housing in NSW and the failures of governments which are forcing so many to live below the poverty line. Watch it now on SBS OnDemand.

It was so amazing to join with so many to march down Oxford Street before joining the official Mardi Gras Parade at the SCG back in March, calling for an end to discrimination against the LGBTIQ+ community. We will continue to stand against dangerous religious freedoms legislation and attacks on trans teachers and kids.

This month the NSW Parliament debated long awaited voluntary assisted dying laws. The Greens strongly supported this bill and have a long history of advocating for this vital reform.

Our office was pleased to support our community with almost $400,000 in grants this year.

Scan the code for details.

During the months-long lockdown in Sydney, our office joined with so many local volunteers and community groups from Addi Rd, to Counterpoint and Viral Acts of Kindness, who worked hard to ensure no one went hungry or without support. It’s time for governments to step up and take responsibility for food insecurity in NSW.

Authorised by Jenny Leong MP. Funded using parliamentary entitlements.

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HubNEWS

Masselos returns as Waverley Mayor

Paula Masselos (left) and Elaine Keenan (right) were both reelected as Waverley Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

Photo: Facebook

BY DANIEL LO SURDO ncumbent Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos returned to her posting this week after support from fellow Labor councillors and the Greens helped to defeat Liberal challenger Will Nemesh for the mayoralty.

Cr Masselos achieved a majority through the support of the four Labor councillors (including herself) and Green Crs Dominic Wy Kanak, Elaine

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Keenan and Ludovico Fabiano. Cr Nemesh earned the votes of the Liberal caucus but was absent from the meeting and therefore unable to vote for himself, with Cr Sally Betts saying that “he may or may not be here depending on if he gets home from hospital”.

Cr Masselos reaffirmed the stance of council upon being reelected as mayor.

“We are committed to supporting our

community and our local economy, and protecting our environment and neighbourhoods,” she said.

“We will be working very hard and fast to ensure that we can deliver as much as possible during our truncated term for the benefit of Waverley.”

Cr Keenan was re-elected as deputy mayor after similarly gaining the support of the Greens and the Labor caucus. The Greens councillor was voted as deputy mayor in 2019 along with fellow Lawson Ward representative Cr Masselos. The pair have led council throughout the pandemic, and hope that important work can continue to be achieved in the new term.

We have so much to be

proud of and excited about

“Council is delivering the biggest capital works program in Waverley’s history,” Cr Masselos said.

“We have so much to be proud of and excited about including the restoration of Bondi Pavilion and the Boot Factory building, our path to net zero carbon emissions, the Bondi Memorial Project, the COVID-safe management of outdoor

public spaces and our commitment to supporting local infrastructure.”

Cr Masselos also signalled her excitement to continue leading council alongside Cr Keenan, saying “I look forward to working with her and our progressive councillor colleagues for the benefit of our Waverley community”.

Both councillors will hold the positions until 19 September 2023, when a new mayoralty and deputy mayoralty vote will occur.

ELECTION RESULTS

December’s Waverley elections forged no changes in party representation on council, with the five Liberal, four Labor and three Green elected councillors identical to the results from 2017.

Liberal councillor Angela Burrill joined Crs Masselos and Keenan in the Lawson Ward, to form the same representation as the previous term.

The Liberal party amassed 43 per cent of votes, Labor received 27.4 per cent, and the Greens tallied 27.3 per cent.

Cr Keenan secured the final seat in the ward after tallying over 2,100 more votes than fellow candidate Charles Hunter.

Sydney Liberals keep council seats

BY DANIEL LO SURDO ity of Sydney candidates Shauna Jarrett and Lyndon Gannon have both been elected to retain the Liberal’s two-seat presence following the departures of previous party representatives Craig Chung and Christine Forster.

Election results released by the NSW Electoral Commission comes after the Liberals, who control the majority in both NSW and Federal Parliament, made a strong push behind lord mayoral candidate Shauna Jarrett to ‘refresh Sydney’ after 17 years of incumbent Lord Mayor Clover Moore being in office.

While Cr Moore and her Independent Team retained the lord mayoralty and their majority on council, Crs Jarrett and Gannon will enter the council chamber prepared to increase city accessibility for residents and businesses while growing partnerships with the state government.

Ahead of the December local elections, Jarrett took aim at Cr Moore’s prioritisation of cycling lanes, arguing that a more harmonised approach was needed to ensure that all visitors and inhabitants could move freely around the city. During the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple pop-up cycleways were

through better investment of the City’s budget, while also reducing red tape and accelerating approval processes to ensure that businesses can thrive in the city.

In their COVID-19 Recovery Plan, the Liberals suggested introducing entertainment and incentives for office workers to return to the city, while also waiving application fees for businesses seeking to trade after 5:00 pm.

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Liberals suggested

introducing entertainment and incentives for office workers

Shauna Jarrett (left) and Lyndon Gannon (right) will both represent the Liberals on the City of Sydney Council. Photo: City of Sydney Liberals

commissioned by the City to encourage transport options that could be used in open spaces with ample ventilation.

While speaking to City Hub in November, Cr Moore said that pop-up cycleways would be made permanent following community consultation and conversations with the state

government regarding the safety outcomes for the transport option.

COVID-19 RECOVERY

The City Liberals also plan to enhance the performance sector and return the 24-hour economy following COVID-19.

The party believes this can be done

Cr Jarrett has circled changes to the city’s car parking operations while in office, proposing free parking for weekends and after business hours while targeting greater investment in electric vehicle charging stations as part of the City’s continued focus on sustainability.

The Liberals have targeted the City’s operating surpluses as an avenue to absorb costs lost through parking reform, while also will look to capitalise on opportunities afforded by council’s budget for the benefit of the community.

HubNEWS

Elevate pushes on despite Omicron

COVID-19 SUPPORT

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COVID-19 DISASTER SUPPORT PAYMENT Scan here to access support payments for workers adversely affected by a state public health order.

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TESTING CLINIC LOCATIONS The Elevate Sydney festival struggled to reach capacity crowds. Photo: Facebook/Elevate Sydney

BY DANIEL LO SURDO he Elevate entertainment and cultural celebration held on the Cahill Expressway this month failed to lure capacity crowds as Omicron continues to warn off Sydneysiders from large events in the new year.

In November, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the event would help get hospitality and tourism “back on their feet” but has fallen flat after COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations surged in the new year.

The event began on New Year’s Day and ran until January 5, with the Sydney Festival beginning the following day.

All 30,000 free tickets issued for the event were fully booked within a week of becoming available last month, yet attendance numbers have not reached capacity following the surge of COVID-19 and the cautionary approaches being taken by many Sydneysiders to avoid exposure to the virus.

Elevate included performances from The Wiggles, Marcia Hines, Peking Duk and Lime Cordiale, while also offered panel discussions with Olympians Emma McKeon and Mariafe Artacho del Solar, NRL player Tom Trbojevic and netball goal shooter Caitlin Bassett. The event also included a light display created by 500 choreographed drones over Sydney Cove to tell a story of Sydney’s past, present and hopes for the new year.

The festival billed as a “celebration of what makes our city great” came after NSW registered 23,131 new cases in the recording period up to January 4, rendering one in four tests positive. In

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the four weeks up to January 5, there have been almost 11,000 positive cases in the inner city, with over 125,000 tests administered.

Tickets continued to be released in line with reviewed venue capacities.

While the surge of Omicron deterred many from gathering for New Year’s Eve celebrations, large crowds gathered at the Sydney Cricket Ground ahead of the Ashes Test, which began on January 5.

GNAWING ISSUES

Last month, Mr Perrottet reintroduced mask mandates for indoor areas, public transport and domestic commercial aircrafts following a surge in cases prior to Christmas, as Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant continued to urge those experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 to keep away from public gatherings and connect virtually with friends and family.

Perrottet said the event would help get [businesses] ‘back on their feet’ Omicron has continued the strain on the health and aged care sector, with some frontline workers who are close contacts being forced to return to work prior to completing their seven days of isolation. There were more than 550 positive COVID-19 aged care residents in NSW, with interim guidance from federal authorities advising aged care facilities to roster on close contacts with no isolation period when shortages cause high impacts to services.

Scan here for a list of COVID testing locations.

COVID-19 BUSINESS SUPPORT Scan here to access financial support for businesses and not-for-profits impacted by the recent COVID-19 restrictions.

VACCINE ELIGIBILITY Scan here to find out when and where you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

THANKS TO YOU, we are saving lives and stopping the spread of Covid-19. We’re all in this together, so let’s continue to keep each other safe.

TANYA PLIBERSEK MP Federal Member for Sydney

1A Great Buckingham St, Redfern NSW 2016 T: 9379 0700 E: Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au

CITY HUB JANUARY 2022

11

HubNEWS

Israeli funding clouds Sydney Festival

Oarsome Christmas Day for rowers

BY TOKS OGUNDARE arly on Christmas morning, while most are still having visions of sugar-plums, a group of die-hard rowers from across Sydney’s rowing clubs gathered at the Opera House for the annual Christmas Day row.

Waters beyond the Sydney Harbour Bridge are normally off-limits to rowers due to the busyness of the harbour.

However, on Christmas Day when there is no commercial traffic on the harbour before the first ferry at 6:50 am,

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Protests gathered outside the Opera House last week to protest the Israeli embassy’s sponsorship of the Sydney Festival. Photo: Toks Ogundare

BY TOKS OGUNDARE people I say thank you – history will he Sydney Festival’s opening night remember this.” last week was overshadowed by There has also been a growing movement protests after about 80 people in support of the festival, as more than gathered outside the Sydney Opera 120 entertainment industry figures House to oppose the festival’s decision signed an open letter rejecting the to accept $20,000 from the Israeli boycott. “While we all may have differing embassy to stage Israeli choreographer opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Ohad Naharin’s work Decadance. and the best path to peace, we all agree that a cultural boycott is not the answer,” The Disrupt Sydney Festival protest the letter says. was organised by Palestinian civil society groups that have spearheaded a boycott of the festival, calling for artists ADDRESSING ISSUES on the festival’s lineup to support the The open letter was published by USBoycott, Divestments and Sanctions based organisation Creative Community (BDS) movement, and demand that for Peace, which presents itself as a Sydney Festival divests from the funding counter to the BDS movement driving partnership. the Sydney Festival boycott.

The boycott has led to KISS frontman at least 30 individuals Gene Simmons was and groups pulling out  On behalf of the among the big names of the lineup, including Palestinian people I say criticising the boycott, comedian Tom Ballard, saying that “the arts thank you hip-hop artist Barkaa, should be free of Hope D, Good Morning political pressure”. and Marcus Whale.

Speaking to The Project on Thursday, Assembled at the entrance to the boycott organiser Jennine Khalik festival, speakers at the protest focused addressed concerns that the controversy on the motivations behind the boycott, was putting artists in a difficult position drawing attention to Palestinian following the strains of the pandemic. prisoner Hisham Abu Hawwash who, “Twenty per cent of the festival has on Tuesday last week, ended a 141withdrawn over a $20,000 sponsorship, day hunger strike to protest being which is 0.01% of Sydney Festival’s imprisoned without charge by Israeli income,” she said in the interview. “They authorities. are choosing the sponsorship over artists.”

Co-organiser Fahad Ali said that the success of the boycott “should serve as Sydney Festival’s artistic director Olivia Ansell said at the official media launch, a lesson for Sydney Festival”. that the festival administration and the “We stand here today with nearly a board remained concerned about the fifth of their program having been controversy. completely destroyed,” he said at the

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rally. Ali expressed gratitude to the artists who have withdrawn from the festival: “on behalf of the Palestinian

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CITY HUB JANUARY 2022

“It’s sensitive, something being created to bring artists together, so we can see a myriad of perspectives,” Ansell said.

“It’s early,” said Mr Tietjen, “which is probably why people go, because they can do it and be home in time for Christmas with their families.”

LOTS OF FUN

Mr Tietjen has attended the Christmas Day row every year since 2009.

“The numbers vary from year to year,” he said. “But this year I was quite surprised by the number of boats that were out.”

This year’s race was joined by around thirty boats from various Sydney rowing clubs, as well as school rowing clubs.

Some rowers feared that the recent It’s a lot of fun ... it’s just surge in COVID-19 cases would prevent something special the race from going ahead.

“It’s a lot of fun, even though all you’re Sydney’s rowing clubs journey to this really doing is rowing to the Opera House part of the harbour to experience the and back. It’s just something special.” stunning views from the water.

The Christmas Day row came as NSW “We all congregate out the front of recorded 6,288 new cases of COVID-19 the Opera house,” Glebe Rowing Club on the 25th of December, one day after President Mark Tietjen said. “Which mask rules were reintroduced across when you’re in such a small rowing boat the state. There were zero deaths, 388 is quite an amazing feeling.” hospitalisations and 52 in intensive care.

Rowers met at the Opera House for a Christmas Day row. Photo: Mark Tietjen

Some rowers take the Christmas spirit to another level, wearing Santa costumes and kicking off the day with a glass of champagne.

The festivities conclude with an informal race to the Harbour Bridge before the first ferries arrive. The race this year was won by Glebe with “a very comfortable handicap”. Rowers normally head home by a quarter to seven.

It follows concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant, with many Sydneysiders opting to forgo large events, including suburban Christmas carols, parties and church services in fears of being exposed to the virus.

The city’s annual New Year’s Eve celebrations also suffered a downturn in patrons, despite the decision to push forward with the traditional 9:00 pm and midnight fireworks on Sydney Harbour.

HubNEWS

Parklands Bill to face inquiry

BY DANIEL LO SURDO he controversial Greater Sydney Parklands Bill introduced by former Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes was sent to a Parliamentary inquiry in November following talks that the proposed legislation would harm the community through privatisation and excessive commercialisation.

Impassioned speeches in the NSW Legislative Assembly were mirrored by the concerns of the Alliance for Public Parklands (APP), which represents the five foundation parklands fearing the contents of the Bill, including Centennial Parklands, Western Sydney Parklands and Callan Park.

“Post-COVID, people have built a deep bond with their public places. They want control over them and want them secured and shielded from exploitation,” Member for Balmain Jamie Parker told the Legislative Assembly last month.

“We are concerned that there is no adequate mechanism to fulfil the principal objective, which comes to the issue of conserving, restoring and enhancing the natural environment of the parklands estate.”

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In October, City Hub reported that the Bill will allow commercial development leases for up to 50 years in Sydney parklands. This would amend the provisions placed in the Callan Park Act, which ensures that leases longer than 10 years must be shown to parliament and can be rejected if they are seen to be against the public interest.

 This is far more complex ... than coffee carts at Callan Park The Draft Exposure Bill was open for feedback until the end of October, whereby the APP lobbied residents and communities to flag their concerns to the State. The Parliamentary inquiry will take place in January and will be chaired by Legislative Council Member Robert Borsak.

“This is far more complex an issue than coffee carts at Callan Park, which the government seems to narrow their narrative around,” APP spokesperson Suzette Meade said.

“We hope the upper house inquiry into the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Bill will shine a light on so many

The Greater Sydney Parklands Bill will go to an NSW Parliamentary inquiry this month.

Photo: Creative Commons

unanswered questions about the governance of public parks.”

LOOKING FORWARD

The APP has called for the draft legislation to be abandoned entirely and has asked the community to discuss green space, biodiversity and habitat issues in their letters to the inquiry. Individuals are invited to submit their comments through an online questionnaire, which will

remain open until 19 December.

Submissions will close on the 16th of January and the inquiry will begin on the 27th.

A federated, community model for Sydney Parklands has been suggested by the APP as an alternative model to the Greater Sydney Parklands Bill.

Under this approach, each designated park would have its own Trust Act, which would manage and advocate for their individual priorities.

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HubNEWS

Liberals retain Woollahra Council majority PADDINGTON WARD

BY EVA BAXTER he results of the 2021 local government elections have been finalised and there has been no change in the representation of parties sitting on Woollahra Municipal Council.

The Liberal party has won eight seats, Residents First Woollahra (RFW) won five seats and the Greens won two.

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 RFW saw a positive swing of +10.3 Residents First Woollahra and the Liberal party went head-to-head for second seats in Bellevue Hill ward, Double Bay ward and Vaucluse ward, with the Liberals winning a second seat in each of the three wards.

However, RFW saw a considerable positive swing of +10.3 since last election.

In contrast, the Liberal Party saw a much smaller positive swing of +1.3 and the Greens saw a considerable negative swing of -9.0.

BELLEVUE HILL WARD

Bellevue Hill ward elected incumbent Isabelle Shapiro for the Liberal party,

Liberal Dixie Coulton just missed out on a seat, with the margin between unelected Coulton and Nicola Grieve at 170 votes.

Paddington is the only ward where both RFW and the Greens beat the Liberal party in votes.

RFW Harriet Price, Greens Matthew Robertson and Liberal Peter Cavanagh have all been re-elected as councillors for Paddington ward.

RFW won the majority of votes with 2,046 (35.1%), the Greens came in next at 1,914 votes (32.8%) and the Liberal party trailed close behind at 1,874 votes (32.1%).

The margin between the last elected candidate Peter Cavanagh and the un-elected candidate Liberal Georgina Jarvis was 1,720.

DOUBLE BAY WARD

VAUCLUSE WARD

The Liberal party retains its eight-seat majority, Residents First Woollahra keeps five seats and the Greens remains at two. Photo: Woollahra Municipal Council

incumbent Lucinda Regan for RFW and Sean Carmichael for the Liberal party.

The Liberals won 3,119 votes (56.5%) to RFW’s 2,400 votes (43.5%).

The margin between the last elected candidate Sean Carmichael and the last unelected candidate Michelle Falstein for RFW was 1,597 votes.

COOPER WARD

Cooper ward’s representatives will be Liberal Sarah Swan, incumbent RFW Luise Elsing and Green Nicola Grieve.

Liberals picked up 2,754 votes (46.7%), with RFW winning 1,727 (29.3%) and the Greens 1,411 (23.9%).

Double Bay’s 2022 councillors are all incumbents, Liberal Toni Zeltzer, RFW Mark Silcocks and Liberal former Deputy Mayor Richard Shields.

The Liberal Party won 3,147 votes (55.1%), and RFW picked up 2,569 votes (44.9%).

The margin between the last elected candidate Richard Shields and the last unelected candidate RFW Karin Olah was 1,547 votes.

The Liberal Party picked up their highest majority in Vaucluse ward with 3,788 votes (63.2%). incumbent Liberals Mary-Lou Jarvis and former mayor Susan Wynne will represent Vaucluse again, along with RFW Merrill Witt.

RFW won 2,209 votes (36.8%).

The margin between the last elected candidate Susan Wynne and the next un-elected candidate incumbent RFW Claudia Cullen was 2,151 votes.

‘Really positive’ light rail resumption

The inner west light rail has been suspended since late October. Photo: Sydney - City and Suburbs

BY DANIEL LO SURDO nner west light rail services will resume in February after former NSW Transport Minister Rob Stokes confirmed that repairs to all 12 cracked trams will be finished by October.

The state government will supply the network with trams from the CBD line for

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services between Central and Lilyfield in February before extending to Dulwich Hill in the following months, allowing inner west residents greater certainty after the service was suspended in late October last year.

“It’s really positive that we’re going to get some sort of service restored on the light rail earlier than expected,”

Inner West councillor Kobi Shetty told City Hub. “I’m really glad that we have some positive news because it’s been a massive disruption to an already disrupted year.”

The announcement comes after the light rail bus replacement services were labelled inconvenient and unpredictable by inner west residents.

everything possible to mitigate the impacts on the Inner West community.”

I’m really glad that we have some positive news

“We need to make sure that as a governing body that we’re advocating really strongly for the residents when there’s anything that’s inconveniencing them this much,” Cr Shetty said.

Transport for NSW Chief Operations Officer Howard Collins said that he was “[ninety-five] per cent absolutely sure” that the light rail would resume in early February, with four trams scheduled to operate between Central and Lilyfield every 15 minutes. It is expected that the speed and efficiency of the CBD line trams will be similar to the original inner west trams.

“School students, commuters and businesses along the light rail corridor are being massively affected by the closure of the line,” Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne told City Hub. “With no confirmed timeline for the reopening of the service to Dulwich Hill, the new council will need to do

During its inaugural term, Inner West councillors had tabled countless motions related to local concerns regarding statebased infrastructure projects, including WestConnex, the Western Harbour Tunnel and the Rozelle Parklands. It’s now anticipated that the light rail network will be a fixture of the new council term, which began in December.

“It’s a big priority for the council to continue with that advocacy piece, to make sure that we’re pushing the state government to not only fix the issues with the light rail that we’re seeing at the moment, but really work to increase and improve the public transport around Sydney.”

CRACK TO BASICS

The cracked inner west trams will be repaired at a Pyrmont depot, with works involving adding new components to the floors of the vehicles to prevent future cracking. Collins maintains the belief that the NSW government will not pay for the repairs.

HubNEWS

City of Sydney defies trends

BY EVA BAXTER his year the City of Sydney calculated its sixth gender pay gap report and found the organisation’s total gender pay gap was 3.4 per cent in favour of women.

More men are employed by the City, with 1057 male employees to 774 female in 2020-21, yet the average total pay for women is $108,815 to men’s $105,226.

According to federal Workplace Gender Equality Agency data, Australia has a national pay gap of 20.1 per cent in favour of men.

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 We will continue our

commitment to gender equity Women’s workforce participation fell about 3.5 percentage points in the first two months of the pandemic, and the hardest hit sectors were those traditionally dominated by female employment.

New Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows a rebound in female employment figures post-lockdown, with women surging back into the workforce faster than their male counterparts, and jobs held by women up 22 per cent over the

past month compared with 0.6 per cent for men.

WORK TO BE DONE

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the results of the report are particularly encouraging given the negative impacts of COVID on women in the workforce.

“Women make up more than 40 per cent of our workforce and almost half of our leadership roles. Addressing the pay gap has helped the City attract and retain talented women including our CEO Monica Barone, who leads an experienced executive team with a 50:50 gender split.

“While women represent less than a third of all councillors and mayors serving on the 128 councils in NSW, it’s a testament to our progressive city that every council table since 2012 has had a female majority.

“But there’s still work to be done.

We will continue our commitment to gender equity and be held accountable by reviewing and reporting our pay gap each year. It’s one of a number of important ways we can support women in our workplaces and in the community,” she said.

The City of Sydney was the first local government organisation to monitor and publicly report on gender pay equity. Photo: City of Sydney/Katherine Griffiths

A spokesperson for City of Sydney told City Hub, “the City of Sydney strongly believes that gender pay equity is achievable and worth striving for.

It allows organisations to hold onto talented staff, creates more opportunity to promote women into senior positions and, as the research shows us, gender balanced leadership teams perform better.”

The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 requires all non-public sector organisations with more than 100 employees to report annually against a number of gender equality indicators, including remuneration.

Councils are not required to do this, but following a council resolution in March 2015, the City began measuring and reporting on its gender pay gap.

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

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

Existing Facility (Level 10), 1-19 Oxford Street, Rooftop Facility, Lakes Business Park, Building 2, Surry Hills NSW 2010 2-26 Lord Street, Botany NSW 2019 Optus Ref: S0209, www.rfnsa.com.au/2010024 Optus Ref: S0490, www.rfnsa.com.au/2019001 Rooftop Facility, 209-211 Harris Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009 1. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G 3. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G Optus Vodafone Ref: S0969, www.rfnsa.com.au/2009003 equipment and associated works as follows: equipment and associated works as follows: The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G equipment and associated works as follows: • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.81m in length) • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.59m long) • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.81m long) • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.68m • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.75m long) long) with three new 4G panel antennas (1.5m long) and antenna mounts • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.68m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (2.1m long) • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.68m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (1.83m long) and antenna mounts the equipment shelter • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling and antenna mounts • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within • The antennas are at rooftop level and there is a slight increase in • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within the equipment shelter the equipment shelter; the antennas are at level 10 plant room the overall scale of the facility • The antennas are at rooftop level and there is a slight increase in the overall scale of the facility • Optus regards the proposed installation as a low-impact facility in • Optus regards the proposed installation as Exempt Development Level 1, 149 Oxford St, Bondi Junction 2020 | 1/299 Elizabeth St, Sydney 2000 accordance with the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Rooftop Facility, 48 Chippen Street, Chippendale NSW 2008 in accordance with State Environmental Planning Policy Determination 2018 based on the description above Optus Ref: S2145, www.rfnsa.com.au/2008003 Ph Vodafone 0409 813 622/9281 3230 | E admin@legalexchangelawyers.com | Whatsapp +61 409 813 622 | Weechat alextees (Infrastructure) 2007 based on the description above The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G equipment and associated works as follows: Existing Monopole, 19 Harris Street, • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.75m long) Pyrmont NSW 2009 Rooftop Facility, 65-71 Belmore Road, Optus Ref: S5576, www.rfnsa.com.au/2009001 • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (1.35m long) Randwick NSW 2031 • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.69m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (2.1m long) Optus Ref: S0041, www.rfnsa.com.au/2031005 2. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G equipment and associated works as follows: • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.68m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (1.5m long) 4. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.59m long) • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling and antenna mounts equipment and associated works as follows: • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.81m long) • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within the equipment shelter • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.59m long) • Installation of one (1) new 4G panel antenna (2.69 m long) • The antennas are at rooftop level and there is a slight increase in the overall scale of the facility • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.81m long) • Replacement of two (2) existing 4G panel antennas (2.53m long) Rooftop Facility, 134-138 William Street, Wooloomooloo NSW 2011 • Provision for three (3) future panel antennas (up to 1.5m long) with two new 4G panel antennas (2.69m long) Optus Vodafone Ref: S8901, www.rfnsa.com.au/2011002 • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling • Provision for three (3) future panel antennas (up to 1.5m long) The proposed facility consists of the addition of new 5G equipment and associated works as follows: and antenna mounts • New ancillary equipment including remote radio units, cabling • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (0.75m long) • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within and antenna mounts • Installation of three (3) new 5G panel antennas (1.35m long) the equipment shelter • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.53m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (1.83m long) • The antennas are at rooftop level and there is a slight increase in the equipment shelter • Replacement of three (3) existing 4G panel antennas (2.53m long) with three new 4G panel antennas (2.78m long) the overall scale of the facility • The antennas are at rooftop level and there is a slight increase in • NewSupporting ancillary equipment includingpeople remote radio units,living cabling and antenna mountsHIV aged over 45, through with the the overall scale of the facility • Optus regards the proposed installation as Exempt Development • Reconfiguration of existing equipment on the facility and within the equipment shelter • Optus regards the proposed installation as a low-impact facility in in accordance with State Environmental Planning Policy care,asdisability, and withhealthcare services inaccordance NSW Optusmaze and Vodafone of regardaged the proposed installations Exempt Development in accordance State Environmental Planning Policy with the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) (Infrastructure) 2007 based on the description above (Infrastructure) 2007 based on the description above Determination 2018 based on the description above Notification is being undertaken in accordance with Section 7 of Industry Code C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment 5. Notification is being undertaken in accordance with Section 7 of Industry Code C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment.

Contact Positive Life NSW on (02) 9206 2177 or 1800 245 677 (freecall) Members of the public may obtain further information on the proposed work, and we invite you to provide written comments about the 6. Members of the public may obtain further information on the proposed work, and we invite you to provide written comments about the proposal. Further information and/or comments should be directed to Optus’ representative c/- James McIver, Catalyst ONE Pty Ltd; phone: proposal. Further information and/or comments should be directed to Optus’ representative c/- James McIver, Catalyst ONE Pty Ltd; phone: 02 4022 9533; email: consultation@catalystone.com.au and post: PO Box 1119, Crows Nest NSW 1585 by 26 February 2021.

02 4022 9533; email: consultation@catalystone.com.au and post: PO Box 1119, Crows Nest NSW 1585 by 26 February 2021.

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CITY HUB JANUARY 2022

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HubNEWS

New Year’s Eve clouded by scams

BY TOKS OGUNDARE evellers desperate to secure last-minute tickets to watch the Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks were being targeted by fraudsters focusing their efforts on the sold-out events via Facebook.

Concerns over Sydney’s surging COVID-19 cases forced thousands to change or cancel their plans - many forgoing ringing in the new year at some of Sydney’s most iconic indoor New Year’s Eve venues in favour of tickets to the outdoor vantage points, which have become hot commodities on Facebook’s resale market.

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 One scammer [claimed] to be raising funds for an ill family member Locals looking to obtain tickets in online community groups have voiced concerns about being approached by ‘fake Facebook accounts’ attempting to sell tickets to the free events, one scammer claiming to be raising funds for an ill family member.

This year, tickets were essential for most vantage points around the harbour, with residents encouraged to stay at home if

New Year’s Eve tickets were targeted by scammers. Photo: Creative Commons

they do not have a vantage point ticket or venue reservation.

ENJOYING THE EVENING

Close to twenty of the most popular spots to watch the fireworks in Sydney are now subject to paid ticketing by the NSW government. The ‘pay to view’ model was introduced by the government in 2011 in a few locations

and has now been expanded, despite causing community outrage.

The City of Sydney however, who pays for the 9:00 pm and midnight fireworks, is not charging for tickets to the six vantage points it controls in Elizabeth Bay, Glebe, Darling Point, Milsons Point and Pyrmont.

Tickets to popular viewing areas sold out quickly after being released in November. Demand remained high

despite NSW reporting a record 12,226 cases in the 24 hours to December 30.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison parried concerns that a spike in cases would follow the celebrations.

“What I would like people to do tomorrow night is enjoy the evening,” Mr Morrison said at a press conference last month.

“I would like them to be looking forward into 2022.”

Forest Lodge Apartments wins award

BY EVA BAXTER he Ironbark apartments in Forest Lodge have been awarded for excellence in affordable housing by the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA).

The Ironbark apartments, completed in June 2020, were the final piece of the Harold Park precinct urban renewal redevelopment.

The judging panel was unanimous in its view that Ironbark was this year’s winner of excellence in affordable development and commended it on being “indistinguishable” from the ‘for market’ buildings which surround it.

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 the entire approach ... makes it a standout Lisa Sorrentino, Head of Development at City West Housing (CWH) told City Hub this was a conscious design choice, “as we own and operate our buildings as affordable housing inperpetuity, we are careful to ensure that not only are our buildings fit for purpose for our residents, but that they integrate within the local communities in the built form and operations.”

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All 75 apartments are affordable rental housing in-perpetuity with incomebased rents ensuring the residents are not in housing stress by paying more than 30% of their gross household income.

The design focuses on long-term liveability and operations.

CWH partnered with GoGet to provide residents with free car-share memberships and low rates, Valiant Furniture to furnish an apartment for a resident in need using rental furniture, and Tangerine and MyConnect to provide access to competitive rates for internet and free utilities connections.

housing would be a negative impact to the local community and would create additional anti-social behaviour.

“We commenced open communication with the local strata managers and were able to determine that there were existing sensitivities and issues unrelated to affordable housing, and that anti-social behaviour exists in communities no matter how much money a household makes,” she said.

DESPERATE DEMAND

NEIGHBOURS

The judges commended CWH on handling challenges with neighbours in the development process.

Sorrentino said, “as Ironbark was the final piece of the redevelopment of the Harold Park masterplan, many neighbours were unfamiliar with the original masterplan approval and incorrectly thought the site was being reserved for a new dog park.

“Once construction commenced, a number of complaints from neighbours

All Ironbark apartments are affordable rental housing in-perpetuity with income-based rents ensuring residents don’t pay more than 30% of their gross household income. Photo: Supplied

were raised, many with the incorrect assumption that subsidised affordable

In terms of what makes Ironbark excellent, Sorrentino said, “for me, there is not one design element that makes it excellent, rather the entire approach to development and operations makes it a standout.

“It gives to the community in many ways, from housing our important front-line workers, baristas, and aging community members to contributing to the local character.

“The demand for affordable housing far outweighs supply with City West Housing having a pre-qualified list of over 500 households,” she said, “more fit for purpose affordable housing buildings are desperately needed.”

HubNEWS

Opinion

Inner West road deaths avoidable Road crash statistics show that the risk of death to a pedestrian struck by a car travelling at 50 km/h is 80%. This risk reduces to 32% at 40 km/h and 10% at 30 km/h.

Popular opinion is on the side of lower speed limit A growing awareness of the safety benefits of lower speeds is seeing major cities including Paris and London introduce 30 km/h speed limits. The NSW government is pushing for 40 km/h limits in high pedestrian zones and trials of 30 km/h zones are currently running in Manly and Liverpool.

CAR CITY Memorial at the corner of Marion and Flood Sts, Leichhardt. Photo: Andrew Chuter

BY ANDREW CHUTER pair of recent pedestrian deaths in Sydney’s inner west are a sad indictment of our cars-first transport planning.

In October in Leichhardt, mother-of-two Valentina Gioia, was hit by a van while crossing the road in front of MarketPlace on Marion St.

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In December, a 3-year old boy was hit by a Toyota Kluger in front of a small children’s play area in quiet Glebe St, Glebe.

Both these deaths are being investigated but what we can say with certainty is that one of the easiest ways to immediately bring down the high rate of deaths and serious injuries on our roads is to set lower speed limits.

The specific case of Valentina Gioia in Leichhardt is made even sadder when it turns out that exactly 4 years prior to the day of her death, the Inner West Council passed a motion from Councillor Marghanita Da Cruz to reduce the speed limit on Marion St and introduce associated pedestrian safety measures. The reduced speed limit was later refused by Transport for NSW.

Today, visitors to Leichhardt will notice that while there are raised ‘wombat’ pedestrian crossings on Norton St and a 40 km/h limit, there is a 50 km/h limit on Marion St directly in front of MarketPlace where Gioia lost her life.

The 2017 Da Cruz motion makes mention of concerns from locals of ‘road rage’, narrow misses, cars screeching to a halt and animal fatalities in front of MarketPlace.

Discussing speed limits, Da Cruz said: “Good road design uses structural elements that reduce speeds to improve pedestrian safety. We must also keep in mind that NSW has over 10,000 serious or permanent road injuries a year requiring hospitalisation.”

Popular opinion is on the side of lower speed limits. A recent national survey conducted by the Heart Foundation found that 64% of Australians want lower speed limits on local streets.

The senseless slaughter will continue however without asking big questions: what sort of city do we want to live in? Do we want Sydney to be a city for people, or for cars?

Andrew Chuter is the president of the Friends of Erskineville

Opinion

Rushcutters Bay skatepark saga is not over

BY CHARLOTTE FELDMAN r Andrew Woodhouse has written and been quoted in City Hub regarding his role in saving Rushcutters Bay Park from the construction of a concrete skateboard facility being built there. Mr Woodhouse omitted to mention the Darling Point Society, which has been fighting against this plan on behalf of residents for four years, with petitions, objections and public surveys. The Darling Point Society gathered a petition of 2,600 signatures opposing the plan which was tabled in Parliament by the Hon. Gabrielle Upton on 26 June 2019.

Woollahra Municipal Council has 15 councillors and they voted 13 - Nil in favour of the concrete structure being constructed in our precious green space.

The Darling Point Society has fought against this proposal since 2017 and the reasons why we object is quite long.  Noise impact  Safety  Location  Maintenance and supervision  Tree damage due to compaction of roof plates, lack of air and moisture  No parking

The slab and piers plus a complex superstructure may result in 1 cubic metre of concrete per 1 sqm. This is estimated to weigh close to 2,940 tons when considering one cubic metre of concrete weighs 2,400 (slightly over a ton), equal to the weight of 1,940 cars.

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Council should investigate other sites

The Darling Point Society objects to the planned skateboard facility in Rushcutters Bay Park for a variety of reasons including location. Photo: Supplied

 No supervision of facility  Lights  Loss of green space  Disruption to wildlife  Mixed frequentations  Cost of building, approx. $1.4m.

SKATE SCRAP

The $1.4 million contract has been awarded to CONVIC a company specialising in building skateparks.

The planned facility is the size of an Olympic swimming pool which will take up 1,225 sqm of open green land.

We agree that youth recreational facilities are needed in the Eastern Suburbs and the Society already recommended nine other suitable sites in the Municipality where a skateboard park could be successfully built without interfering with green space, only to be ignored by council who are determined to go ahead with their plan. The Society feels council should investigate other sites in the East for a large variety of physical and recreational facilities in a safe and friendly facility.

City Hub has previously published various articles about the skateboard facility in Rushcutters Bay Park.

Charlotte Feldman is the President of the Darling Point Society Inc. CITY HUB JANUARY 2022

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HubNEWS

City of Sydney transforms streets to enjoy those things and support local businesses in a covid-safe way.

“Now we want to make even more space for people on our high streets, with special street closures that will make it possible for people to shop, dine and spend time outdoors.

People will be able to dine al fresco

The first high street to get the treatment is Stanley Street, East Sydney on January 15th.

Photo: Google Maps.

BY EVA BAXTER he City of Sydney is transforming a series of village high streets into spaces for walking, shopping, and dining for one day only this month and in February as part of the City’s Community Recovery Plan.

The City will provide acoustic roving entertainment and chairs and tables around the street, and a food court style arrangement of up to 150 tables and 475 chairs will be arranged at each

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street closure.

The first high street to get the treatment is Stanley Street, East Sydney between Yurong Street and Crown Street on January 15th.

“Having brunch with friends, a wine after work or grabbing a quick bite and watching the world go by are some of the best moments of urban life,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore told City Hub, “outdoor dining on our footpaths and on our roadways make it easier for us

“Retailers will bring their goods onto the street and people will be able to dine al fresco while enjoying music and performances,” she said.

The City is encouraging businesses and hospitality venues to host special events in-store such as talks, exhibitions, workshops, product demonstrations, cultural programming or a special promotion or offer.

COME TOGETHER

The Sydney Summer Streets aim is to give local business an opportunity to drive customers and patrons to their venues and potentially extend trading onto footpaths and outdoor settings.

The City plans to recover from the

economic and social impacts of COVID-19 with a staged approach over the next 18 months outlined in the Community Recovery Plan.

The Community Recovery Plan included a survey of community members, businesses, and organisations which identified using public outdoor space as an alternative to indoor venues and a way to build confidence and bring people back.

Local activations and events were identified through the survey as one of the most useful ways to assist business.

“The Omicron surge has blunted people’s enthusiasm, but by encouraging mask wearing, vaccination and hosting outdoor dining and events outdoors, we’re creating safer ways for people to support their local high street and favourite businesses,” the Lord Mayor said.

Darlinghurst Road/Macleay Street, Kings Cross between Bayswater Road and Hughes Street will be transformed on the 22nd and Redfern Street, Redfern between Regent Street and Chalmers Street on the 23rd.

Glebe, Surry Hills and Pyrmont will see one of their high streets transformed in February.

COFFIN ED’S NAKED CITY

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REALITY REINVENTED

hen television began in Australia back in 1956 it was all very innocent and polite – a technological and entertainment novelty rather than a force for social change. We had variety shows, the Three Stooges, Our Gang, Disneyland, a bunch of American sitcoms, a nightly news service and the ‘epilogue’ at midnight when stations shut down until the following day. Roll on some 66 years and that initial innocence has long gone, replaced by a furious ratings war in which so called reality shows have become the flagship of the commercial stations.

Dating, cooking and home renovation have been the mainstays of these modern shows but lately we have seen the emergence of programs in which human beings are asked to push their physical endurance and mental stamina to the limit. The global franchise Survivor has now been running for some 20 years and embodies all the qualities of a classic reality show – conflict, conniving and, constant twist and turns. Contestants are required to bust their guts but a certain dysfunctional camaraderie prevails.

On the other hand the forerunner of most of the current shows was probably Man Vs Wild in which British adventurer Bear Grylls was dropped into an ultra remote wilderness area and survived entirely on a diet of fried snake with a side serving of scorpions.

As a former SAS trooper he used his extensive training to conjure up a multitude of survival solutions and a small fortune in TV exposure in the process.

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Not surprisingly we have seen the emergence of similar homegrown shows like Channel 7’s SAS Australia, in which a bunch of disparate local celebrities are put through physical and psychological torture by former UK solider and marine Ant Middleton and his cohorts. Many of them like Schapelle Corby and footballer Barry Hall (who gets set on fire in the new series), are there to seek redemption, which can only come after you have been dropped from a helicopter into an ice cold lake. It’s apparently a ratings winner, and a good pay day for the celebs, but the cynical will see through it as total bollocks. And

will bossy boy Ant stop referring to this fine country as “Oshtralia’!

Few of us will ever be in a situation where we are stranded in the middle of nowhere and have to live to on a diet of lizards and grubs. So how about a series of reality shows that relate entirely to the current COVID dominated urban experience. In the new hit reality show, Smile – You’re On COVID Camera, a group of fully clothed contestants, embark on a 24 hour treasure hunt to amass as many points as they can. The winner receives a 12 day cruise on the Ruby Princess, a Pete Evans biocharger and two weeks in a quarantine hotel of their choice.

The tension is palpable as our six anointed players set off to grab a six pack of toilet paper and the two limit serving of barbecue snags from Coles. A bit of old style argy bargy as the last rolls of bum fodder are ripped from the shelves at Woolies. It’s a real struggle to find a Rapid Antigen Test in Sydney but one lucky contestant manages to swap an autographed tennis ball from Novak Djokovic for the last remaining at a servo in Edgecliff.

It’s now the push for big bonus points with the much sought after PCR Test. Our players drive all over Sydney to find a testing station that’s open and a queue that doesn’t stretch to Wollongong. It’s a long, long wait but one very enterprising contestant manages to drop from a helicopter (courtesy of SAS Australia and our old mate Ant) and be first in line for the test. Take that ‘Oshtralia’ – we have winner!

FLICKERFEST RETURNS AFTER INDUSTRY’S HARDEST YEAR Bondi Beach’s annual short film festival, Flickerfest, will ring in it’s 31st year with over 200 works. This year’s event will run Friday, January 21 until Sunday, January 30, 2022.

BY LUCINDA GARBUTT-YOUNG eginning as a local event in 1991, Flickerfest is now a popular debut festival for Australian and international films alike. It’s seen Oscar and BAFTA winning artists begin their careers, and is an Academy Award qualifying festival.

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with each other, yet they’re thwarting each other from getting what they want.”

The Home Team film still

“There are forces that keep the situation and therefore the series in an orbit,” Cartwright said. “Writing is kind of counterintuitive… you want your characters to hit every point of resistance upon the way.”

For Flickerfest Director Bronwyn Kidd, the event is about providing a platform for emerging short film makers, while giving audiences a great experience.

“I think being a dedicated short film festival, we really allow a platform for celebrating the form of short film, which… is an art form that is unique.

There’s a real skill to being able to make a great short film,” Kidd said.

“I really hope people come along and are astounded by the incredible talent and incredible storytelling... there’s so many short films here that I love and I’m so excited to share them with audiences.”

With over 3,200 entries this year, the Flickerfest team worked to curate a program that showcases high calibre work from around the globe while also encouraging young artists.

“Being able to celebrate the next generation of filmmakers is critical for the growth of our industry,” Kidd explained.

DIVERSE FILM SELECTION The program is divided broadly into international and Australian screenings, with a focus on both skill and diversity.

This year’s festival features 47% female directors, a range of LGBTQI works and a mix of professional and emerging film makers.

There’s also a dedicated Indigenous Spotlight, screening in honour of Survival Day on Wednesday, January 26 at 6:30pm..

“We’re in Australia, it’s important to celebrate our culture. We’ve got eight Indigenous short films in the mix,” Kidd said. “I hope that within the Australian program that we’re sharing with our

It’s the experimental works like Cartwright’s which, according to Kidd, are what Flickerfest is all about.

“The really great thing about short films is that they’re free of commercial concerns, so it’s not about box office, it’s not about who’s in it, who’s famous… it is very much about that creative voice and about passion and about telling a story that is fresh and contemporary,” she explained.

AUTHENTICITY IN CINEMA

Filmmaker Frazer Bull-Clark’s work Set Times explores authenticity through the mode of short film.

When co-writing on musician life in the Inner West, he explored characters and setting intimately. audiences, we’re allowing a diverse range of voices to come through. We are a platform for those voices and for encouraging our own stories on the screen.”

 Being a dedicated short film festival, we really allow a platform for celebrating the form of short film, which… is an art form that is unique One such story is The Home Team, a bizarre and beautiful pilot that explores cult behaviour. The short film features a romantic plumber and his wife who

have been part of a suicide space cult for over 20 years. As the only remaining members, they’re celibate, wearing capes, and trying to recruit new members.

Creator Luke Cartwright, a graduate of AFTRS, explained that the idea began when we read about survivors of a cult in Southern California known as Heaven’s Gate.

“I just began to imagine what their life would be like now,” he said.

Cartwright said he was driven by finding tension between characters which would translate on screen.

“What I was really doing was thinking of these characters and creating a circumstance and qualities and desires in all the characters that would sort of clash, yet keep them together,” he said. “Glenn and Glenn Rose, the main characters, are a couple, in love

“It was really important to me that it felt genuine,” he explained. “I like the idea of including a mixture of actors and nonactors.”

Bull-Clark also felt his lead actor needed to be a musician.

“The music show that you see in the film is an actual gig that Freya [the lead actor]’s band performed that we shot documentary style. I’m a fan of films that move between those different modes of fiction and documentary and there’s a bit of slippage between them.”

To ensure the safety of audiences Flickerfest will monitor the changing environment around COVID-19 closely, including requiring full vaccination status for those over 16 years of age. Much of the event will take place outdoors, with indoor capacity limited to 75%, which Kidd said she hopes will give audiences confidence to “come along and really enjoy these incredible stories.”

Tickets for this year’s Flickerfest can be purchased at www.flickerfest.com.au CITY HUB JANUARY 2022

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SHORT STACK: After six years Australian punk band Short Stack are coming back (See p. 22)

REVIEW

SIX - THE MUSICAL

THE WEDDING SINGER I

BY MARK MORELLINI erm your hair and dust out your double denim and bright coloured 80s outfits, as the stage production of the hit 1998 Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore comedy The Wedding Singer has arrived in town!

This musical comedy is a nostalgic piece faithful to the film which tells the story of a wedding singer who falls in love with a waitress. Stephen Mahy who plays the role of the slimy street poster boy Glenn Guglia explained that he wants people to come along, let their hair down, party and have a great time.

“We take you back to the MTV era. There are iconic songs from the movie and many original ones that pay homage to the 80s. A lot of the choreography also pays homage to that Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Madonna and boy band style of music.”

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The production boasts a cast of 20 performers on stage and a full 8-piece band. Mahy has played diverse roles on shows including The Jersey Boys, Miss Saigon, Grease and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He usually plays the romantic lead, but how’s he settling into the role of the villain?

“My character is power hungry, a cheater, womaniser, misogynistic and he thinks the sun shines out of his backside – he’s everything that I’m not!

It’s quite creepy like some of the things my character does I come off stage and go, ‘Yuk! that was gross!’ but it’s also so much fun to play. If I don’t get booed at the end, I’m not doing my job properly,” laughed Mahy.

The Wedding Singer should appeal to audiences who lived the 80s, but a whole new generation of theatregoers should also come along. “The 80s are back. We’re now seeing teenagers with the 80s fashion wearing the denim, the rolled-up sleeves – there’s a drug reference and a bit of swearing but other than that it should be enjoyed by anybody from 16 to 80 years of age.”

Jan 5-23. State Theatre, 49 Market Street. $109-$149+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.weddingsingermusical.com.au

BY IRINA DUNN n the age of the #Metoo movement, Six - The Musical finally allows the wives of Henry VIII to tell the story from their own point of view.

Inspired by Beyoncé, Hamilton, and 1980s disco, inter alia, the six wives belt it out in song and dance as they compete to become the lead singer on the basis of their sufferings at the hands of the ruthless king, for whom succession was an obsession.

With the music, lyrics and book coauthored by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the show was first presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017

by Cambridge University students.

In chronological order, each queen tells her story.

Catherine of Aragon (Phoenix Jackson Mendoza) describes how, after failing to produce a male heir, Henry places her in a nunnery and turns his attention to Anne Boleyn (Kala Gare). She, too, fails to produce a male heir, although her daughter Elizabeth will eventual become Queen and reign for 44 years.

Jane Seymour (Loren Hunter) next attracts Henry’s gaze, which soon turns to Anna of Cleves (Kiana Daniele), then Katherine Howard (Chelsea Dawson).

The last queen, Catherine Parr (Vidya Makan), ends the competition and unites the group by reminding them that they do not need Henry’s love because they are all individuals with their own voices.

Photo: James D Morgan - Getty Images

“They always said we need your love “But it’s time for us to rise above “It’s not what went down in history…

“We’re taking back control” The fabulous all-female on-stage band comprises musical director Claire Healey playing keyboard, Debbie Yap on guitar, Jessica Dunn on bass and Ali Foster belting out the powerful beat on drums.

By the end of the night, the audience was on its feet, stampin’ and a’cheerin’ and a hootin’ for the six ladies on stage with their great voices and powerful message. And btw, the gorgeous costumes by Gabriella Slade were an inventive mix of Elizabethan glam and Soho glitz.

Until Apr 2. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point. $49-$145+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

44 SEX ACTS IN ONE WEEK

BY IRINA DUNN heridan Harbridge has a glass of champagne in her hand two days before rehearsals for 44 Sex Acts In One Week takes a 10-day break.

This is the third attempt to stage the play after COVID stopped the earlier seasons.

The play was written as a play by Ngunnawal writer David Finnigan, but during a Zoom reading, Harbridge thought it would be a good radio play to record during the pandemic.

She thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to be making the sounds and letting the audience imagine the sex rather than having to put it in front of their faces?”

When the lockdown lifted, she and her colleagues started staging 44 Sex Acts as a radio play, using fruit to do all the romantic scenes.

When asked about the challenges for her as director, she says, “Well, fruit is very messy. It’s so funny, and there’s all this ridiculous sex in it as part of the Romcom.”

She says it has been a pleasure to direct the show

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because it combines her two favourite things: “high-brow art and low-brow art running at the same time.”

Written before the pandemic, the play is about an apocalypse hurtling towards the world and this runs in parallel with a cheesy romcom. “That’s why it’s so delightful and tantalising to stage.”

Her big decision was trying to decide how much to emphasise the pandemic side of the play. “How much escapism do you give audiences, or do you expose what we’ve been through and give them nihilism.”

Harbridge researched what English audiences wanted after the end of WWII and discovered it was Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, a comedy about death.

In this “spirit”, she says, “We don’t want to ignore what we’ve been through but we want to release the pressure and laugh.”

Harbridge likes to be “completely stretched” as a writer, actor and director.

She says she is a really good dramaturg, and is always doing “brand new Australian works”.

“I’m really proud I have been seen as an asset in

creating new work. That’s the most interesting art to me.

I have a lot of energy and that’s why I have had such an amazing run. That’s my itch that’s got to be scratched.”

Most of all, she says, “I want audiences to be delighted by how playful theatre can be and life should be.”

Jan 12-16. Seymour Centre, Cnr City Rd &, Cleveland St, Chippendale. $39-$55+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.seymourcentre.com

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LIZZIE BORDEN’S STORY THAW - HARNESSED IN ROCK MUSICAL FORM BUT NOT HANGING

BY RENEE DALLOW egs On The Wall is presenting their next spectacular, death defying performance piece, Thaw, 20 metres above Sydney harbour, as part of Sydney Festival. Witness as a 2.7 tonne iceberg dangles, like a diamond, from The Opera House. On this iceberg will be a female aerialist dancing free form as the ice gradually melts beneath her. Perilous?

Yes! This is Legs On The Wall after all.

Legs On The Wall is a physical performance group with an Aussie cultural identity and a fearless bravado that has seen them perform both nationally and internationally since 1984.

Their shows have a political leaning and they’ve dealt with everything from gender bias to workplace accidents and unionism. They have performed at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Beijing and London Olympics as well. In 2006 they received The Helpmann Award for best

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BY MARK MORELLINI udiences who are tired of conservative theatre will no doubt be lining up to purchase tickets to the new rock musical Lizzie, which is the reimaging of the true story of Lizzie Borden who in 1892 allegedly axe murdered her father and stepmother.

Marissa Saroca who plays the role of Lizzie explained that this is the first time the production has been brought to Australia and it will be presented with a more localised Australian flavour.

“It’s a queer story and I fell in love with the music and the story of this woman and the relationships around her and how they interact with each other. The situation of that time was different for women. Some of the reasons for Lizzie allegedly committing the murders had to do around the potential assaults from her father and also around the fact that her stepmother wanted Lizzie written out of the will.”

Some people may think this is a revenge story, but Saroca regards it as a survival story. “If you do believe that Lizzie murdered her parents it was in a survival almost self-defence kind of way to free herself of the abuse that was happening to her. Our story doesn’t comment on the moral aspect whether she was right or whether that’s a decision anybody should make in that situation. It’s up to the audience to have those thoughts for themselves.”

When asked whether this is a comedy, drama or horror story Saroca explained

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that the musical has all of these elements. “There is a campiness, over dramatised music theatre rock element but what this team has done is the honouring of Lizzie in this story and not the sensationalised violence committed by a woman. There’s a lot of care in the treatment of the story. It’s not controversial in the way we have approached it” The cast of four also includes Stefanie Caccamo, Ali Carter and Sarah Ward backed by a band of five musicians.

“Through the four very different characters I think this musical shows a very wide range of humanity and how people respond to traumas and circumstances.”

Saroca believes that this show should have mass appeal. “It’s a rock musical so if you don’t usually go watch musical theatre but you’re into rock bands and live music and you’re into a ‘less pretty type of thing’ then you’ll be interested from that angle. If you’re queer or wanting to see a queer love story this will be an exciting thing to see from that perspective and if you like true crime, we’ve got that too.”

When asked whether people may confuse her when out and about with the axe-swinging character she plays on stage Saroca laughed. “I’m very lovely in real life!”

From Jan 13. Hayes Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point. $56-$78+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.hayestheatre.com.au

visual and physical performance.

Thaw may be Legs On The Wall’s most ambitious show yet and is all about climate change. The iceberg will be suspended from a crane while the performer remains harnessed. She will have a safety line attached though and so is protected. According to producer, Cecily Hardy, “There is intricate rigging involved which takes weeks to perfect and a lot of training just to do the aerial work. The woman is harnessed but not actually hanging from the iceberg.Then there’s the psychological preparation.

Training happens first on icebergs made of wood and foam before graduating to the ice. The actual iceberg, in the meantime, is kept in deep freeze.”

This has Houdini written all over it!

Jan 14-16. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney.

Tickets & Info: www.sydneyfestival. org.au/events/thaw

Photo: Shane Rozario

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BY JAMIE APPS fter six years away from the Australian music scene Australian punk band Short Stack are coming back with a brand new album & concert tour.

Due for release on February 25 Maybe There’s No Heaven will see Short Stack display their growth & maturation as both artists & men. Speaking to City Hub before Christmas, drummer Bradie Webb reflected on how this album came to be, the maturation process of the band, how the shackles have been removed from their creativity & their excitement for the tour in June.

Six years ago, whilst they were at the top of the Australian music industry, Short Stack suddenly & shockingly chose to step away the limelight. When asked why they made this decision Bradie said, “quite honestly I think the three of us needed some time to look at where our lives were heading. All we’d ever really

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known was playing in a band, which is kind of weird to think about, but in a ridiculous way we were kind of child stars.” Given that Short Stack were so popular at the time we asked Bradie whether that was a difficult decision to make.

“Yes & no,” Bradie answered before elaborating. “It felt right to step away because it felt like we had run out of creative juices. We were also a little bit frustrated with the way the band was viewed.... We felt like everyone was wanting us to be a different band than what we actually were... I have zero regrets.”

Given that a significant amount of time has passed since their last record Bradie, Shaun & Andy are much more mature artists & men now, which has meant the music has also matured.

As Bradie said with a chuckle perhaps the most noticeable change being that

Photo: Pat O’Hara

SHORT STACK RETURN AFTER SIX YEARS

“Shaun’s voice has dropped a few octaves from when we were 16.” On a personal level though Bradie also explained that he was particularly proud of his improved drumming saying, “I think I’ve doubled my skills in the last five years.”

Finally as Short Stack look ahead to their tour in June the excitement & nerves are continuing to rise inside of Bradie & his fellow bandmates.

“We’re pretty nervous, to be honest, because the reaction to our music being

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

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Co-educational and secular

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Early Learning to Year 12

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Central location near Sydney CBD

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Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)

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Celebrating diversity and personal achievement

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CITY HUB JANUARY 2022

Photo: Daniel Boud

released has been a bit overwhelming.

Now it feels like there is a lot of pressure on the three of us.”

As Bradie explained that pressure comes from the significance of Short Stack in the lives of their fans. Due to this Bradie said, “to be able to play again now & connect with those people again is a really special opportunity that you can’t turn down.”

As we closed out our conversation Bradie also had something very important to say to the fans of Short Stack over the years.

“I want to say a very very sincere thank you, because in a way I never truely appreciated what we might have meant to some people. Until now. I work with children now & have realised how tough it can be to be a teenager who is going through really hard times at school or at home.

So I just want everyone to know that I really appreciate the love & support through the years.”

July 15-17. Max Watt’s.

116-122, Building 220, The Entertainment Quarter, Lang Rd, Moore Park. $79.90+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.shortstackband.com

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KING RICHARD, THE MAN BERGMAN ISLAND BEHIND VENUS & SERENA WILLIAMS

BY JAMIE APPS ports films can often be derided for being over formulaic & contrived, much like the subject matter of King Richard (Richard Williams) often was during the rise of the undisputed greatest female tennis players ever Venus & Serena Williams.

Portrayed by Will Smith this film follows Richard Williams, & his famous

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daughters, throughout their formulation years as young girls honing their skills as child tennis prodigies. Even before their birth Richard Williams had grand plans, and a very precise path mapped out, for their careers of his youngest daughters. It is this plan & his often outspoken, self aggrandising nature that saw Richard often derided in the media as his daughters fame grew.

Smith’s portrayal of Williams is a very sympathetic one, as we see a loving father who’s entire life has been guided by poverty, racism & violence.

King Richard attempts to straddle a fine line between formulaic sports drama & touching biopic, which is does quite well. Obviously there are moments when the film feels like it a sports drama with the sisters overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds but the levity & emotion of the biopic elements elevate this film to another level.

King Richard serves up an ace which Venus or Serena would have been envious of.

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BY PATRICK MCKENZIE here’s a world outside of your own asshole,” the groom-to-be tells Amy (Mia Wasikowska), a friend of the bridge at the fictional wedding set on the very real island of Fårö, the final home of revered filmmaker Ingmar Bergman – and the setting of Chris’ (Vicky Krieps) new screenplay where Amy is the protagonist.

The ‘story-within-a-story’ that is intertwined with Mia Hansen-Løve’s Bergman Island is that of fraught love at an idyllic wedding, parenthesised by the meditative tale of a screenwriter (Krieps) and director (Tim Roth) couple coming to grips with their creativity and differing opinions on filmography of the titular auteur.

The groom’s description, targeted not at Wasikowska’s character, but at her borderline fetishistic treatment of Bergman’s life and works brings welcome

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self-awareness to a subject that HansenLøve has an apparent reverence for.

In essence, both parts of the story deal with apathy in relationships, and passion spurned by indecision and frustration; Amy tries to rekindle love with a withdrawn childhood crush and Chris, her author, struggles through writing it – “Like getting blood from a stone,” she puts it in cliche. All the while, her requests to Roth for creative advice are dismissed and she longs for their daughter.

However, despite a wealth of emotional meat on the bones, little beyond the shared setting and peppered references that give viewers a crash course on the likes of Through A Glass Darkly and Scenes From A Marriage give much by way of thematic resonance. Though, for better or worse, an ambience of peacefulness is in abundance.

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‘I’M WANITA’ AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

BY MARK MORELLINI aking it big in the music industry is not quite as easy as it may seem as 47-year-old Aussie Country singer Wanita, also known as Australia’s Queen of Honky Tonk, discovered.

This inspiring documentary won the Best Australian Documentary Award at the Sydney Film Festival and will be screening in cinemas. Audiences will be introduced to a woman who has lived in Tamworth for 25 years and who has entered a few talent quests. Her talent cannot be denied, and she believes that this will be her final chance to realise her dream - to achieve success in Nashville.

This close-up and personal (and at times ugly) documentary offers a candid look at her life. A woman who ran away from home at the tender age of 17, worked as a prostitute for 18 years to make ends meet,

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suffered with alcoholism and wants to be remembered as a renegade. Her comment to those who believed she was living a fantasy? “Fuck everyone!

Fuck everything! I’m going to Nashville to record my next album!”

Basically a good person, vulnerable and soft hearted, Wanita married a

Turkish man who had no faith in her potential to become a successful singer in Nashville. Her daughter also believed she was living in a dream world.

This is an absorbing documentary that shows the energy and determination a singer instilled in her never-ending dream of becoming a famous county singer in Nashville. The cameras follow her around as she plans her visit to the US to find fame and fortune and to meet her idol, county singer Loretta Lynne. Old photos and videos and interviews with family and friends offer an insight into who exactly Wanita is – a strong and resilient woman who is passionate about her singing.

Audiences will warm to Wanita who may have a foul mouth at times but unquestionably has a heart of gold, determined never to give up on achieving her goals.

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CITY HUB JANUARY 2022