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city hub 16 JUNE 2016

The City of Sydney betrays business

BY LAWRENCE GIBBONS The City of Sydney is about to break the law. Under new legislation enacted by the NSW State Parliament in February of last year, the City’s CEO is required to create a roll of all businesses that are eligible to vote in upcoming Council elections. Whether a business owns, leases or occupies their premises, as long as they pay more than $4,000 per year in rent, the City needs to ensure that they are contacted and enrolled.

The deadline for most businesses to register for the vote is July 14th. City elections will take place on September 10th and the City must present its final roll to the NSW Electoral Commission 60 days prior. According to City Councillor Christine Forster, “I am hearing many businesses have not been contacted.”

One such person is the former City of Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Dixie Coulton, who leases space in a law office in the CBD. The high profile barrister was enrolled to vote as a non-resident in the last council elections and she stood for Lord Mayor in 2012. According to Ms Coulton, “I was on the roll last time and I was a candidate. I have been working in the same premises and I haven’t received notice. It is mandatory for the City to actively get people on the rolls and it seems that’s not what they’ve done.”

In the final weeks before the rolls close, many local businesses remain unaware that the deadline for enrolment is fast approaching. According to Ms Coulton, “most people are unaware that the deadline is in July. The whole process seems to be skewed so that businesses are not properly enrolled.”

Last August the City outlined a $12 million program to ensure that the City fulfilled its legal obligation to contact and enrol every eligible business in the local government area, including an extensive advertising campaign across a variety of media outlets.

As the deadline approaches, no large ads appear to have been booked in the local press, on outdoor bus shelters, on smart poll banners or in the various electronic media including radio, television or the Internet. The City’s homepage does not notify businesses of the impending deadline.

Amidst a federal election campaign, the City’s campaign has been all but lost.

Also as part of the City’s $12 million campaign, in August Council undertook to engage an independent contractor to door knock all businesses in the local government area “to ensure the City directly contacts all occupiers in business-rated rateable land.” According to City of Sydney Councillor Angela Viltoulkas.” The City had originally intended to door knock businesses to let them know about the registration process and getting the roll established. It was then decided that buying databases was cheaper.

And writing once to that “database” with a confusing packet of forms was seen as enough. After that one personally addressed letter all other forms of communication has been through advertising and letterbox drops of what could be considered spam. Just postcards that aren’t marked to anyone’s attention.”

According to Councillor Viltoulkas, “The current business enrolment process for the September election seems to be deliberately set up to

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City of Sydney Councillor Angela Viltoulkas

fail. After spending millions of ratepayer’s dollars the City of Sydney’s information campaign is just not getting through, distorting any democratic response from small business” Ms Coulton believes the City is acting improperly, “Rightly or wrongly government has given the business the vote and there is a directive for the City to do all it can to ensure every business is enrolled. The City has a duty to act and they haven’t done so. It seems to be in the current administration’s political interest not to comply with the Act. It is this administration that fought against the business vote and they are not doing all they could to promote it. A pro-business Lord Mayor would have done a lot more to ensure business was enrolled.”

In September of last year, Lord Mayor Clover Moore vociferously objected to the new business enrolment requirements stating, “To enforce the law that mandates all businesses vote, and many vote twice, the City will have to spend an initial $12 million plus ongoing costs. That is $12 million of public money to pay for a political gerrymander designed to reduce the value of our vote and influence over our local area. This flawed legislation, apart from its predatory political intent, will leave future elections vulnerable to legal challenge. So rather than governing, future city councils could be tied up in court.”

Ms Coulton believes that the enrolment forms being used by the City are confusing and might in fact lead to legal challenges, since they appear designed to disenfranchise business owners. In order to enrol non-residents are required to fill in three different forms. In Melbourne, businesses are only asked to submit a single form. Form B asks tenants to provide details of their property’s rateable lot number. When the City of Sydney was asked why tenants were required to provide their rate details when the Act does not require the City to collect this sort of information, a City of Sydney spokesperson said, “If a tenant is unsure they can contact the City, who can provide these details.”

When a call was placed to Council’s information line, an operator indicated the City was unable to release rate details to tenants, advising non owners could leave this particular field blank. When asked why the City was requiring lot numbers and rate details on a form for tenants in the first place, the operator apologised for any confusion.

The City of Sydney has refused to provide an update as to how many businesses have been contacted and how many non-residents have submitted the various forms in order to enrol, stating that information will be released after the deadline passes. Councillor Viltoulkas is frustrated: “I have asked the City several times in writing about the number of businesses that have actually registered and to date I have been met with an unwillingness to provide the number. Surely that figure is available, relevant and an important measure of the campaign’s success to date. There is still time to rectify and amplify the message.

We need to know that figure now not after the horse has bolted and the register has closed.”

How many businesses are ultimately enrolled could substantially effect who is elected as Lord Mayor in the upcoming Council elections.

Councillor Forster believes that Clover Moore would not be standing for re-election unless she was fairly certain the number of businesses on the roll will be minimal. This seems to be the prevailing opinion amongst people on Clover Moore’s team. At a recent event, Councillor Jenny Green stated, “the impact of the business vote will be nowhere near as great as the Liberals anticipated.” Perhaps the councillors on the Clover Moore ticket are privy to information the City refuses to release to opponents or the general public.

Ultimately, it is unlikely that the roll will approach anything close to the 80,000 plus businesses that were estimated to be eligible to enrol last year. If the City of Sydney fails to produce a comprehensive roll of business voters and is seen to have obfuscated the process of ensuring that every business is enrolled, the repercussions could be destabilising for the next Lord Mayor, whoever she turns out to be.

If the City of Sydney fails to produce a comprehensive roll of business voters and is seen to have obfuscated the process of ensuring that every business is enrolled, the repercussions could be destabilising for the next Lord Mayor, whoever she turns out to be.

Sydney Light Rail project steam rolls Aboriginal heritage site

BY JORDAN FERMANIS On Monday 9 May without much fanfare, the excavation of the Aboriginal heritage site to make way for the CBD and Southeast Light Rail Project at the Randwick Stabling Yard was completed.

The site is well known as being the largest archaeological find of Aboriginal artefacts in the Sydney region, with more than 22 000 items discovered.

The preliminary 2013 Environmental Impact Assessment identified that the construction of a station at Randwick would “most likely” uncover Aboriginal artefacts.

Despite this prior knowledge, Transport NSW was unable to successfully preserve the site in full as the plan to construct the $2.1 billion light rail project along the planned route went ahead.

Senior Archaeologist Jacob Czastka for Tocomwall, one of the four registered Aboriginal advisory parties for the site, says the response from the NSW government has been disappointing.

“They went ahead, the stop work order was refused. And they excavated and destroyed the site. It’s that simple,” he said.

Discoveries of Aboriginal significance in NSW are dealt with by the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), Section 9 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. This legislation seeks to conserve culturally significant sites for Aboriginal people.

In December 2011 a report commissioned by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities found that destruction of culturally significant Aboriginal heritage sites was common.

“In a number of jurisdictions there is a high rate of issue permits authorising harm and destruction of Aboriginal heritage as a result of development approvals, permits and consents. Only a small number of prosecutions for unauthorised destruction of Indigenous heritage were reported,” the report said.

Jacob Czatska agrees, saying that excavation of the site at Randwick was not surprising and that in his experience, very few sites of Aboriginal cultural significance are protected.

Photo supplied by Jordan Fermanis

“This is quite common practice. Regardless of what the scientific or cultural values are the end result is usually destruction.

“In 17 years of doing heritage, predominantly Aboriginal heritage in Australia, I’ve never ever heard of a project being canned because of Aboriginal heritage. Regardless of the significance,” he says.

The discovery of Aboriginal artefacts represents one of a number of concerns some groups have for the planned route of the light rail project. Earlier in the year City Hub reported that the removal of significant trees along Anzac Parade had also been completed to make way for the light rail as part of “state significant infrastructure development.”

Jacob Czatska says that Tocomwall will have a meeting with Acciona Infrastructure Australia, who are responsible for building the light rail on the 21 June and intend on inviting Bidjigal elders, traditional custodians of the land where the artefacts were discovered.

“The voices of the traditional owners tend to get buried by people that really don’t have a right to speak about country.”

“There is a perception that people shout ‘sacred sites’ and everything gets preserved. But the reality is very different, you’ve got people that have no rights to their own culture,” Czatska said. city hub 16 JUNE 2016

3

Who is Geoffrey Winters?

BY MICHAEL FORNO There is nothing particularly unusual about a Sydney Law School alumni gaining pre-selection in the Liberal Party. But when they’re 27-years-old, openly gay and indigenous, people take notice.

Geoffrey Winters is the Liberal candidate in the historically safe Labor seat of Sydney held by Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek.

Mr Winters’ story is nothing if not unorthodox. Born in Orange, he was raised mostly by his single mother. She worked tirelessly to put him through private school. His father is indigenous and separated from his mother when he was a child. Mr Winters was raised and still is a practicing Anglican.

Geoffrey Growing up he experienced bullying and racism first hand. He was taunted at school about his Aboriginal heritage.

Having graduated from high school in Richmond, he studied law at University of Sydney and became president of the Law Society.

His strong sense of justice, particularly regarding indigenous affairs, saw him practice law with indigenous law firm Chalk & Fitzgerald.

His path to politics was laid early having joined the Liberal Party at 16 years of age.

While his membership to the Liberal Party surprises many, he insists that such thinking is shallow and flawed.

“People are obsessed with the idea that somebody who has a male partner, who has aboriginal heritage, could be a member of the conservative party,” he told SBS. Mr Winters believes people are wrong in thinking that his background is at odds with his Liberal Party membership.

On the contrary, Mr Winters believes that it is the Liberal Party whose indigenous affairs policies have been most successful in recent years.

He argues that the Liberal Party is right in encouraging economic growth in indigenous communities and that the Labor Party is misguided in thinking it has a monopoly on doing the right thing when it comes to indigenous policy.

Mr Winters isn’t an anomaly as an openly gay Liberal candidate in the Sydney area, at either state or federal level, nor does he think there is any dissonance between being gay and being a Liberal candidate.

He strongly supports marriage equality and hopes one day to marry and raise children with his partner, supporting the Liberal party position for a plebiscite on the issue.

Winters’ pre-selection serves as a Winters clear message that being gay is not a barrier to candidacy for federal parliament.

For over 10 years, Winters and his partner have rented in Forest Lodge, making him accutely aware of an increasingly unaffordable rental market.

However he rejects the policies of both Labor and the Greens on negative gearing, saying that he would have had to pay even higher rent if it weren’t for negative gearing.

Despite the near 50-year Labor stranglehold on Sydney, Mr Winters believes he can make headway against Tanya Plibersek.

Winters made headlines yesterday after it was revealed by Fairfax media that the Greens would preference votes to the Christian Democrat Party lead by Fred Nile and not the Liberal Party. However Winters says that members have become complacent in such safe seats and that this election will be a genuine three-way contest between Liberals, Labor and the Greens.

“I wouldn’t have put my hand up if I didn’t think I could win,” he says.

Mr Winters insists that his pre-selection is not tokenism on the part of the Liberal party, and if he is right he could serve as an agent for change within the party.

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5

Green voices: Local campaign targets Inner West Courier

BY CHARLOTTE GRIEVE A group of inner western Sydney residents have banded together to launch a campaign targeting the “unnecessary” plastic wrapping of their local newspaper, the Inner West Courier.

The campaign titled “Unwrap the Inner West Courier” (UTIWC) has attracted a passionate response from the community since going live in March. With a 222 strong following on the campaign Facebook page, the group launched a change.org petition just over a month ago that already has 388 signatories.

“We’ve been really amazed by how many people have got behind us and said yes I’d love to see it unwrapped. It’s a surprisingly passionate community who want to see the paper plastic free,” said Neva Frenchville, a spokesperson for the campaign.

According to UTIWC’s petition, “Sydney’s landfill is almost full” and with new reports of over 8 million tons of plastic being dumped into our oceans each year, plastic wastage is becoming a leading environmental concern.

Every week, News Corp wraps more than 80,000 Inner West Couriers in plastic, amounting to more than 4 million pieces of plastic each year.

“You could cover Tasmania with a year’s worth of plastic used to wrap the Inner West Courier,” said Ms Frenchville.

Not only does the plastic fail to protect the paper from the rain, plastic-wrapped couriers are a nightmare to recycle.

“Once they’re left outside for a couple of days they are essentially a soggy mess of paper wrapped in plastic, you can’t really recycle the paper when it’s in that state,” Ms Frenchville told City Hub. Regardless of the rain, many people don’t want the Inner West Courier delivered to their home, resulting in thousands of plasticcovered copies going to waste each week.

“We were quite surprised to find out how many people actually would rather not receive it but that’s not the aim of our campaign,” said Ms Frenchville.

Image supplied by Neva Frenchville

These are the reasons that the community campaign is pushing for both the paper to be unwrapped and delivered in a more effective way.

“Regular mail isn’t plastic wrapped – people’s letter boxes keep it dry when it rains. Why doesn’t the Inner West Courier just fold their mag so they can pop it in people’s mailboxes?” said Jessie Mawson, an inner west resident.

Candlelight vigil at Taylor Square marks Orlando shooting

By JORDAN FERMANI AND CHARLOTTE GRIEVE Hundreds gathered for a candle light vigil that was held at Taylor Square in Darlinghurst on 13 June.

In a sign of solidarity for victims of the Orlando massacre that killed 49 people and injured 53 on Sunday, Taylor Square was covered in rainbow flags as people came to show support for victims of the most deadly mass shooting in modern American history.

Another vigil was held at The Hub in Newtown and gay flags adourned Sydney Town Hall.

Similar public displays were held in Melbourne and Brisbane. Using the #Orlando, thousands of photos and messages of support have been

LGBTIQA communities around the world; as ordinary people, out having fun, were targeted due to their sexual orientation.

The attack (that has been labeled a terrorist attack by some) occurred just after Orlando celebrated Gay Pride Week the weekend before.

The attack also came two weeks before the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York, which are considered to be one of the most important events in the gay rights movement in the U.S. during the 1960s.

Almost immediately, the attacks became the focus of the debate between the presidential nominees from both parties. Donald Trump took to social media to claim these attacks were proof of the need for stricter immigration laws in the US Vigil in Taylor Square

uploaded onto social media as the the shooting receives worldwide condemnation.

The shootings in Orlando were committed by a lone gunman, Omar Seddique Mateen, who was born in the United States to Afghan parents.

The massacre took place at a gay night club, Pulse, and has sparked outrage and sadness from 6

city hub 16 JUNE 2016

while Hilary Clinton reitterated the need for gun reform to prevent mass shootings.

Whilst the gay community is in mourning after the attack, attention on LGBTIQA issues in Australia have been thrust into the spotlight ahead of the coming election with renewed calls for marriage equality.

The News Corp editor, Catherine Zuill, has defended the newspaper’s use of plastic, claiming they have been looking into the use of biodegradable plastic as an alternative.

“The company is looking at using biodegradable plastic that meets Australian industry standards – they will not settle for anything less which is why it is taking a bit longer than hoped,” she said.

However, a new report from the United Nations has said that these plastics do little, if anything, to protect the planet. “The problem with biodegradable plastic is that it only really degrades once it reaches 50 degrees Celsius or more, which obviously is not the average environment. This plastic is not the way forward,” said Ms Frenchville.

Members of UTIWC and the community reject this alternative, claiming that News Corp have a number of free papers that don’t use plastic wrapping.

“We know that it can happen. They [News Corp] also do the Manly Daily, which is another free paper, and they never wrap it. So we know that they can have papers that are unwrapped. We know that they will shift,” said Frenchville.

Mounting pressure by the community campaign is already showing results. In the middle weeks of May, the Inner West Courier was unwrapped for two consecutive weeks. Heavy storms resulted in re-wrapping but this week, the Inner West Courier is unwrapped once again.

One resident revealed that the Southern Courier has followed suit, “A huge thank you to the unwrap crew. Your campaign must be having a real impact as look what I found in the front yard this morning, yes the Southern Courier unwrapped!” wrote Ian Lisser.

The group is pleased with the results but is seeking confirmation of a longer term commitment from News Corp and Catherine Zuill to permanately unwrap the paper.

Council Amalgamations –

What now for constitutional recognition of local government?

BY ADRIAN ROOK The question of whether to recognise local government in the constitution was last put to the Australian people 28 years ago, in a referendum brought by Labor Attorney General Lionel Bowen. The overwhelming majority voted ‘no’. At the time the campaign against the changes argued that the recognition would be an intrusion by the federal government into state and local government matters.

However with the Baird Government’s controversial forced council amalgamations, the issue of local government has become a significant political issue.

The amalgamations have found opposition even in some of the Coalition’s traditional supporters, such as Toni Zeltzer, the Liberal Mayor of Woollahra.

In emphasising their opposition to the amalgamations, both Labor and the Greens have reiterated their support for constitutional recognition of local government. A referendum was planned to be held under the government of Julia Gillard but was pushed back when Kevin Rudd returned to the leadership and then called off by Tony Abbott after his election.

This creates a bleak political reality for the future of the proposal, at least in the short to medium term.

The requirement that a referendum for constitutional change receive a double majority of the voters nationally and of the states effectively necessitates a bipartisan approach.

Professor George Williams of the Gilbert and Tobin Centre for Public Law at UNSW says that local government should be represented in the Australian constitution.

“That local councils should be mentioned in the Australian Constitution as our third arm of

Protesters rally against council amalgamations

government. This should also provide a means by which the Commonwealth can fund local government activities,” Prof Williams said.

The purpose of constitutional recognition of local government was never about stopping Baird’s unpopular changes but about acknowledging councils as a third tier of government, and ensuring that the Commonwealth could directly provide councils with funding. Despite this, it could raise headaches for the Coalition, and they will likely attempt to keep the matter stalled.

At this stage, constitutional recognition of local government shares some similarities with the debate around an Australian republic. Whilst supporters regard it as almost an inevitable outcome, the path towards achieving it remains unclear.

Prof Williams said that although he supports constitutional recognition for the local councils, he stopped short of saying that the Constitution should not be in a position to prevent amalgamations of the kind we are seeing in NSW. “I do not believe that the Constitution should prevent amalgamations of this kind. Such matters should be left to state legislation,” Prof Williams said.

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Community Information Sessions Public exhibition of the drafts of the new Biodiversity Conservation Act and The current biodiversity certification scheme is being expanded to improve biodiversity assessment early in the planning process. amendments to the Local Land Services Act This will provide certainty to developers and the community about potential future development areas. It will also achieve better environmental outcomes than by the current assessment.

Thesite-by-site NSW Government is committed to engaging with the community Key biodiversity certification include: of the drafts of the new Biodiversity throughout the publicchanges exhibition » Allowing developers to apply, rather than only planning authorities.

Conservation Act with and amendments to the Local Land Services Act. » Aligning applications other development assessment processes. » Certification will be encouraged for proposals declared to be of strategic biodiversity or development importance.

You are invited to attend an open community drop-in session at any

time to find out more about the proposed reforms.

Biodiversity from the Office Encouraging Strategic Representatives of Environment Heritage,biodiversity Department Assessment Method strategic biodiversityandcertification of Primary Industries, Local Land Services and Department of Planning certification proposals Biodiversity certification proposals Incentives for to planning authorities A new category ‘strategic’ be assessed through the andwill Environment will be available discuss the details of theof reforms. will encourage them to consider biodiversity certification will Biodiversity Assessment Method There is also an opportunity to provide feedback and have your say. biodiversity impacts of future land be established. Only planning (BAM). This new approach will use changes for certain proposals declared strategic. These are proposals likely to have significant environmental and Date community benefits from assessing and A demonstration of the Ultimo Community Centre 16 June protecting biodiversity impacts early BAM is available online at in the planning process.

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Federal funding for WestCONnex COMMENT BY PAULINE LOCKIE Many people are confused about whether WestCONnex’s Federal funding has been paid, and whether it can be stopped. So we put together this quick guide as to what’s been paid, what the pollies have said, and what can be done to halt what’s left.

What’s the situation right now?

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) announced in May that it would investigate Tony Abbott’s decision to commit $3.5 billion OF Australian taxpayer’s money to WestCONnex.

This Federal funding consists of a $1.5 billion grant and a $2 billion concessional loan. Not all of this money has been paid.

What’s left of the grant: The payment schedule shows that after the Federal election on 2 July, at least $300 million will still be unpaid.

What’s left of the loan: The latest Federal Budget shows that come election time, only $38 million of the $2 billion will be paid.

This means that in total, over $2.26 billion of WestCONnex’s Federal funding will still be outstanding after the Federal election. This has been confirmed by Malcolm Turnbull’s Minister for Major Projects, Paul Fletcher, in press releases and interviews.

Why is Labor saying the money’s gone?

We don’t know. But Labor has repeatedly stated that the Federal funding has been paid, or will be by the Federal election. Neither is true.

At a Labor event in Arncliffe on 31 October 2015, Anthony Albanese stated incorrectly that, “Already $2.75 billion dollars in the form of a loan and a grant has already been paid for the project. Prepaid.”

Albanese staffer and former Leichhardt mayor Darcy Byrne reiterated this at a public meeting at Balmain in April 2016: “The loan’s out the door. $1.25 billion of the $1.5 billion is also out the door, and the last $250 million will be spent in this financial year,” he said.

After promising Labor would provide, “not one dollar” to WestCONnex if elected on 2 July, Albanese then told a public meeting in Balmain on 19 May 2016 that this wouldn’t apply to the existing funding, stating that: “$1.2 billion of the $1.5 billion [grant] has already been forwarded…The $2 billion [loan] has been signed as a legal document between the Commonwealth and the state government… it happened more than a year ago, that that has been put in a fund,” said Mr Albanese.

When asked in a press conference on 30 May if Albanese’s promise would apply to the Federal funding already promised, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten again claimed incorrectly that the money was gone:

WestCONnex Action Group protest against construction

“The truth of the matter is the funding for this project’s already been paid…the truth of the matter is the government’s paid the money…The funding’s already gone and Labor won’t repudiate any contracts, full stop.”

On 9 June, Albanese tried a different tack on FBi Radio when he claimed the loan wasn’t “about WestCONnex”: “There’s an additional $2 billion that isn’t really about WestConnex alone. That’s really about the state government’s triple-A credit rating. So that’s not money that contributes to construction…that loan has been proceeded…the money’s been paid,” he said.

Can the funding be halted?

Yes, if the Federal government chose to. Premier Mike Baird and his Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, have acknowledged as such: “If [Labor] want to cancel or not proceed with the [WestCONnex] loan, that creates challenges… threatening to tear up contracts and intergovernmental agreements shows an attitude of putting politics ahead of key infrastructure,” Mr Baird said.

“We saw in Victoria…with the contracts signed, that [Labor] pulled out of the East West motorway…Absolutely, it’s going to take longer [to build WestCONnex if Federal funding is halted],” said Duncan Gay.

With a Federal audit now underway, halting the funding to protect Australian taxpayers is the prudent thing to do – especially given the catastrophic failure of toll roads like the Cross City Tunnel, Lane Cove Tunnel, Clem7 and Airport Link.

This funding also represents over half of the money raised for WestCONnex so far, as the Baird Government has only sourced $3.3 billion in other funds – $1.8 billion from NSW taxpayers, and $1.5 billion in loans from Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac and Credit Agricole.

The history of Federal funding for WestCONnex June 2012: Tony Abbott promises the Coalition will provide $1.5 billion in Federal funding to the M4 East (which later becomes part of WestCONnex) if they win the next Federal election.

January 2013: Anthony Albanese, then Minister for Infrastructure, provides $25 million to “advance the WestCONnex project”.

March 2013: Julia Gillard announces Labor will commit $1 billion in Federal funding to WestCONnex, with conditions. Labor want the M4 to remain toll free, and for WestCONnex to include direct links to the port and CBD. May 2013: Labor increases its funding commitment to $1.8 billion.

May 2014: Tony Abbott’s first budget includes the $1.5 billion he promised for WestCONnex, plus a $2 billion concessional loan “to accelerate delivery of [the New M5 and St Peters Interchange]”.

October 2014: Andrew Jaggers from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development confirms the payment schedule for the $1.5 billion grant to a Federal Senate committee. He says $500 million has already been paid, and “$250 million is to be provided in 201415, $450 million [in] 2015-16 and $300 million [in] 2016-17.” He confirms the $2 billion loan hasn’t been paid.

October 2015: Alex Foulds, a senior official from the same Department, confirms that $750 million in Federal funding has now been paid, and the payment schedule remains unchanged. The $2 billion loan has still not been paid.

November 2015: The NSW Government signs an agreement with the Federal Government for the $2 billion concessional loan.

May 2016: The Federal Budget outlines the payment schedule for the $2 billion loan. Only $38 million of the loan will be paid by 30 June 2016, with the remainder to be paid over the next four years.

Justice Action launches newspaper

BY LUCAS BAIRD A prison advocacy group launched their national electionthemed newspaper in Sydney last Friday night, 10 June.

The Justice Action paper, named Just Us, is aimed specifically at prisoners and their issues; the paper will be circulated to prisons around Australia and will be exclusive to these premises.

The paper contains statements from the Greens, Labor, Liberal, Palmer United, Socialist Alliance, and Australian Sex parties aimed at incarcerated voters. The paper also encourages inmates to send content to include in future issues.

Coordinator of Justice Action, Brett Collins, was pleased with the turnout to the event and said that everyone there recognised the importance of Just Us. Mr Collins explained that this paper was needed because prisoners were not fully informed. He said this was because politicians and society viewed inmates as “disgraced” and “less of a human being”.

“Just Us is an attempt to draw a line in the sand, which says: on this line, there are residual rights remaining for these people who are excluded,” Mr Collins said.

Mr Collins said that Just Us will only be around for the election season due to difficulties with distribution and costs. Mr 8

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Parramatta Jail

Collins said that in NSW alone, they were sending Just Us to 32 different prisons; totalled at around six thousand copies.

A panel discussion on prisoner rights accompanied the launch. Editor of The New Daily, Quentin Dempster, hosted the discussion which was attended by federal candidates for the Greens, Socialist Alliance and Australian Sex Party.

The candidates were the Socialist Alliance’s Peter Boyle, the Green’s Sylvie Ellsmore, and the Australian Sex Party’s Ross Fitzgerald One topic the panel discussed was the privatisation of prisons in Australia.

Mr Boyle said that the American case study of privatising prisons should be enough to ward off Australia from doing the same.

“We don’t have to have a crystal ball because we can look at what is happening in the United States,” Mr Boyle said.

He said that private prisons in the United States that put prisoners to work was “slave labour” on the account of their low pay.

Mr Boyle also issued displeasure with the economic incentives incarceration provides for businesses once a prison is privatised.

FEATURE

Artisan Trades Make A Resurgence

BY Alannah Maher Many may blame the rise of the hipster for the sudden prominence of ‘artisan’ goods overtaking our marketplaces. From endless taps of craft beers sprouting up at every pub, to markets overflowing with homemade wares in every corner of Sydney on any given weekend.

But not all of this should be dismissed as a bit of froth and bubble. The City Hub has sought out some enthusiasts of traditional trades, whose craftsmanship has opened the doors for the people of Sydney to experience the pleasures of the artisan.

From a store that offers traditional cut-throat barbering by day and old-fashioned cocktails by dusk, to a school where just about anyone can forge blacksmithing skills, and a couple who left their day jobs to pursue business in bespoke leather goods.

Be A Blacksmith Operating out of the historic Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops in Redfern since March this year, Be A Blacksmith has been introducing people to the world’s oldest trade.

“The cool thing about blacksmithing…they were once one of the most important people in the town because they literally made the tools for every other industry…they were responsible at key stages of just about every part of life before the industrial revolution,” course instructor Matt Mewburn enthused.

Mewburn has become involved in teaching “just about all” the Be A Blacksmith courses since founder Guido Gouverneur discovered him demonstrating at a gathering for blacksmiths and knife makers.

The range of classes on offer have been sharing the art and skill of metalwork with people from all walks of life, from retirees to the odd teenager. Mewburn remarked that many of the people taking up the weeknight courses are city workers, and considering his own unconventional path to fulltime blacksmithing (abandoning a corporate career to pursue his craft), he finds it quite humbling to help others find enjoyment in the craftsmanship.

Be A Blacksmith hopes to revive interest in traditional metalwork with courses covering everything from sculpture, to hand engraving, to axe and knife making. For anyone uncertain of where to begin, Mewburn recommends the Blacksmithing Fundamentals course, the most recent group learnt the nitty-gritty of metalwork while making custom BBQ kits. “[Although] I don’t think anyone shows up to the Fundamentals course because they need a BBQ tool set,” Mewburn added.

The Barbershop Another artisan trade that has been enjoying it’s own reinvigoration of sorts is the traditional barber.

“The modern gent is switching from going to get his hair cut at a hairdressers to going to see a barber again,” observed Mikey Enright. With more than 25 years experience in the bar industry under his belt, Enright had a business idea that would bring two traditional trades together to create something unconventional.

At its flagship store on York Street, The Barbershop is more than it appears. The parlour-style barbershop up front exudes the nostalgic atmosphere of a bygone era. Head through the partition doors at the back of the store and you’ll find yourself in a refined, dimly lit bar serving only the finest selection of gin.

While the York Street venue is “more a bar than a barbers”, the popularity of the old-fashioned grooming service soon prompted the opening of the sister store at Barrangaroo, which is “more barbers than bar”.

“Its all the smaller elements of a barbershop that make up the experience…I also think that the banter in a barbershop is important,” said Enright. “What I

The Barbershop.

Photo: Chris Peken

Zaya & Geordie from Hands Head Heart

Be A Blacksmith

wanted to do was create a bar atmosphere within a barbers.”

With a nod to vintage styles of the “late 1800’s to the 1940’s” and the addition of modern comforts such as WiFi and phone charging ports, Enright has created a relaxing atmosphere for the person who gets a haircut once a year to the patron who frequents once a fortnight.

Enright assures that his venues are not boys only clubs, with many women enjoying a sharp haircut, and all are welcome in the bar, where he always recommends a neat martini.

Over the coming year The Barbershop plans to host grooming sessions with the assistance of Oscar Hunt Tailors of York Street. Closer on the horizon, patrons can expect the launch of Enright’s own specially developed gin scented hair paste and hand soap. Stay tuned to their website and Instagram for announcements.

Hands Head Heart Cultivated from a couple’s love of learning and desire to create, Hands Head Heart specialise in the craftsmanship of three core elements: iron, timber and leather. It is the way they have embraced

contemporary purposes for traditional leatherwork that has garnered the most excitement however.

Geordie and Zaya saw their passion grow from hobby to lifestyle, eventually deciding to ditch their day jobs and establish their business in January this year.

“Leather is almost in my DNA,” explained Zaya.

Growing up in Mongolia, she spent her childhood occupying herself at her mother’s small shoemaking and leather goods factory, finding any opportunity she could to make something.

After a chance meeting in the frozen tundra of Siberia during a charity motorcycling event in 2013, Geordie and Zaya are continuously learning from

each other, with Geordie having complementing skills in traditional crafts.

They tell their backstory through their goods ¬– smartly designed, detail oriented products such as travel wallets, tool rolls and belts. “Our stuff always looks better once it’s been around for awhile,” said Geordie.

The pair are constantly developing new product lines, such as wallets, with each product thoroughly researched and tested before being released. They are currently fielding enquiries through their website, with their full e-commerce store launching shortly.

BE A BLACKSMITH

Courses range from $250–$880. Info & bookings: blacksmithingclasses.com.au

THE BABERSHOP Barber services $25-$55. Luxury experiences available (and don’t forget the bar).

Info & bookings: thisisthebarbershop.com, 02 9299 9699 (York St), 02 8096 1481 (Barrangaroo).

HANDS HEAD HEART

Various products & prices. Enquires & soon to be launched e-commerce store: handsheadheart.com city hub 16 JUNE 2016

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Flame Trees

Hot Brown Honey

Juanita Dunca. Photo:Dylan Evans

strong understandings, whether it be [on] feminism or their place, and so many stereotypes’.”

The Opera House can expect a heavy dose of femme fatale when Hot Brown Honey makes its Sydney premiere over a five-night season later this month. Having sold out their festival circuit in Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne, Bowers has been delighted by the response their political cabaret is receiving.

“We’ve got some amazing responses,” she said.

“There’s even an older generation of women [responding] too. There’s so much they’ve gone through all their lives and seen so much political change...”

But Sydney won’t be the last stop on the tour.

The show will see its first international stage at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, where Bowers is excited to share the Hot Brown Honey message.

“We just really push. I suppose it’s kind of a story of empowerment as well, so the whole aim of the show is to make us, and audiences, empowered enough to go and make change.

That’s our goal.” (CB) Jun 22–26.The Studio, Sydney Opera House. $39.90.Tickets & info: sydneyoperahouse.com

Away

Away by Michael Gow continues to resonate with Australian audiences as it interweaves stories of the personal and the national.

It reminds us that for all the nostalgia that we hold for 1960s Australia, we cannot ignore the turbulence of the time. In this, the story builds a link to the present, telling the story of an Australia attempting to grapple with national, social and personal anxieties.

But the state of the national psyche also acts as a backdrop to the personal stories of Tom and Meg. Away tells of Tom and Meg’s coming of age as each confronts the sudden transformation that they must

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There is probably nothing scarier in Australia than bushfires, we go through the fear each summer. Flame Trees examines that fear a bit closer.

This new play is about one woman’s fight for redemption.Ten years ago Tess confessed to lighting a bushfire that destroyed part of the town and killed her best friend. She’s been to jail, she’s out, and now she’s coming home to face the music. Set in a small country town inspired by Peak Hill near Forbes, it examines small town mentality. It’s about strength, family and determination, about fighting for yourself and fighting for forgiveness – and about fire and the fear that it brings.

Flame Trees’ creator Wayne Tunks is an awardwinning writer who wrote for Neighbours during 2010 and 2011. He not only penned Flame Trees but produced it and also acts in it.

“I’ve always been strong on storyline.You need a good foundation before you start fleshing it out with action and dialogue, otherwise you don’t have a good story,” he said.

10 STAGE 12 SCENE 13 Sounds 14 SCREEN

Tunks plays Nathan, Tess’s older brother who is mentally handicapped.

“Nathan is a little slow, but he’s a lovely guy who loves people and probably trusts people a bit too much. I originally did a lot of research because it’s important to make sure the character is true, not some two dimensional character, but a real life adult man who has the intelligence of a child,” explained Tunks.

“It’s an iconically Australian story and I wanted to pair it with an iconically Australian song. Cold Chisel’s [‘Flame Trees’ has] always been rattling around inside my brain. When I thought about the show, I thought there’s no other title I could use,” Tunks concluded. (MS) Until Jul 2. The Depot Theatre, 142 Addison St, Marrickville. $22-$32.

Tickets & info: thedepottheatre.com

make from childhood to adult. In this, Away speaks to the timeless themes of family, community, awakening and forgiveness.

Georgia Scott and James Bell have been cast in the roles of Meg and Tom. The production also features Sarah Woods, Berynn Schwerdt,Angela Bauer, Michael Cullen,Amy Usherwood, Danielle King, Christopher Tomkinson, Christopher Stalley, Eloise Winestock, Lizzie Schebesta and George Banders.

Together, they promise to deliver a powerful and inventive new production of this seminal Australian work.

The cast of strong performers boasts well for this 30th anniversary production of Away. (RP) Jun 22–25. York Theatre, Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St, Chippendale. $35-$42.

Tickets & info: sportforjove.com.au

Photo: Maryna Rothe

It’s not a revolution if there’s no dancing. Or at least that’s what Kim ‘Busty Beatz’ Bowers believes.

When it comes to performing, the South-African born Busty is the real deal – a writer, creator, musical director and sound designer – it seems as though there’s nothing she can’t do.And it’s with that exact sentiment Hot Brown Honey was born.

Written by Bowers and Lisa Fa’alafi, the fiery cabaret boasts a powerhouse cast of six First Nations women. “[Lisa and I] went,‘Wow, there’s just not enough colour in this country’,” recalled Busty.“Also, we make really kooky and political work and there’s just no opportunities for that to be put out there.”

With six seasoned performers fronting the stereotype-smashing show, audiences are treated to an exhilarating night of poetry, dance, music, comedy, circus, and even striptease.

In their approach, Busty admits to treading waters carefully at first.“In the beginning…we [didn’t] want to intimidate or to be too full on, you know, that sort of stuff, which we got over quite quickly,” she laughed.“We kind of realised [we were] gonna make this work, no matter what.We had a notion, we had a clue.We were like,‘There’s a lot of women like us in this country, who have very

Arts Editors: Jamie Apps - Alannah Maher For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au and don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter at @AltMediaSydney

Contributors: Carmen Cita, Craig Coventry, Greg Webster, Alicia Sim, Peter Urquhart, James Harkness, Leann Richards, Lisa Seltzer, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Sarah Pritchard, Athina Mallis, Leigh Livingstone, Joseph Rana, Shon Ho, Jacqui Rothwell, Emily Shen, Andrew Hodgson, Irina Dunn, Cindy Aravena, Jacob Aguilar, Caitlin Burns, Zeiya Speede, Rita Bratovich, Chantal Walsh, Raffael Piccolo.

Although the story could be told anywhere, Disgraced opens in a New York loft apartment, with the hues of a Manhattan skyline softly filtering through the windows.

The set by Elizabeth Gadsby and lighting by Damien Cooper is lush – showered in privilege, belying the toxic shards that lie below the surface. This could only be New York, where dreams are made and Amir (Sachin Joab) is living the dream. A high-flying lawyer in a prominent Jewish law firm, he’s happily married to artist Emily (Sophie Ross).

To climb this ladder, Amir has renounced his Islamic heritage, but it is not just a matter of convenience – his apostasy is both considered and deep, born of the bigotry he experienced as a child. As the play unfolds, Amir’s internal cracks become more and more evident. An activist Islamic nephew, an Afro-American colleague and her Jewish art critic husband each apply their own pressure, and Amir is the fault-line. Disturbingly he

finds the religious and racial bigotry he so loathes within himself, and so self-loathing follows. Its destructiveness inevitably becomes self-destruction.

Sarah Goode’s direction steers this play firmly through a series of revelations. As the pace quickens the sense of unease grows. Her attention to almost mundane detail, especially in the scene transitions, gives the audience time to ponder before the next twist.

This is a brave and troubling play, pushing past the cliché’s of correctness and probing the flaws in what we would like to call our ‘tolerant, liberal, multi-faith’ western democracy. The final image of Amir silhouetted against the New York skyline is uncomfortable and ambiguous, as are the intricacies of living in a post 9/11 world. (GW) Jun 16–18 (Thurs-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm + 8pm). Riverside Theatre, Cnr Church and Market Streets, Parramatta. $39-$59.

Tickets & info: riversideparramatta.com.au

Bell Shakespeare and Griffin Theatre Company are bringing a 350-year-old French play kicking and screaming into the 21st century. The Literati, penned by acclaimed Australian playwright Justin Fleming, draws inspiration from Molière’s Les Femmes Savantes, which originally premiered in 1672.

The play follows the love of Juliet and Clinton as it attempts to overcome the strong, highbrow disapproval of Juliet’s mother and sister. Griffin’s Artistic Director Lee Lewis and

award-winning playwright and actor Kate Mulvany inject it with enough sassiness and silliness, that it feels right at home on a Sydney stage.

Theatregoers will witness the pursuit of eternal, all-encompassing love, as well as the impediments that come with it, in the audacious world of The Literati. (CB) Until Jul 16. SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross. $38-$60.

Tickets & info: griffintheatre.com.au

Katrina Retallick

Photo: Prudence Upton

Review: Disgraced

In a beautiful alignment, Katrina recently became a new mother herself. “It’s a lovely thing to be performing this show knowing what I know now,” she said, referring to her 19-month-old daughter.

“Before having her it would have all been very hypothetical…”

With the music of Baby being notoriously complex, Katrina and co-star David Whitney have snuck in some extra rehearsals with Musical Director Steven Kreamer “to do the music justice”.

Audiences will soon forget the cast are holding scripts as they melt away into this forgotten musical gem. (AM) Jun 20–22 (Mon 2pm + 7.30pm, Tue-Wed 7.30pm). Hayes Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Avenue, Potts Point. $42.

Tickets & info: neglectedmusicals.com.au or hayestheatre.com.au

Neglected Musicals presents: Baby Neglected Musicals are proud to bring Neil Gooding’s 1983 Tony nominated show Baby to the Hayes Theatre.

Telling the story of three couples, each newly expecting a child, and each with very different reactions – Baby is a sincere and comedic romp through the impact a pregnancy can have on a relationship.

Having rarely been staged outside of its time, Neglected Musicals are confident that their script-inhand rendition will strike a tune.

Starring previously in two Neglected Musicals

STOLEN Jane Harrison’s acclaimed play tells the story of five Aboriginal children ripped from their families and tracks their journey from the harsh children’s home to a life of segregation.

While there can be no single story or representation for the Stolen Generations, Harrison’s text remains contextually and historically important.

The National Theatre of Parramatta has enlisted the help of renowned Indigenous performance maker Vicki Van Hout for this special production. (CB) Until Jun 17. Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church & Market Streets, Parramatta. $35-$49.Tickets & info: riversideparramatta.com.au TREE OF LIFE Treehouse Theatre brings young refugees to the stage to share stories of wonder and strength.

While many of the stories are of trauma, many are quaint stories about life in another country, or about the funny

productions (See Saw, On The 20th Century) Katrina Retallick brings her comedic and musical performance experience.

Retallick plays the pragmatic Arlene, a 43-year-old woman who has been married to husband Alan for 20 years; with their children grown, Arlene is excited to “have her life back” when a surprise pregnancy interrupts her plans.

“There’s definitely a big heart to each of the three couples,” said Katrina. Joining Arlene and Alan are university juniors Lizzie and Danny, and the athletic Pam and Nick who are struggling to conceive.

things they’ve experienced since living in Australia.Through performing skits where these young people take on the roles of the adults involved in their personal experiences – from doctors to terrorists – Tree of Life depoliticises the refugee experience. (AM) Jun 23–24. Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, 1 Powerhouse Road, Casula. $20-$30.Tickets & info: treehousetheatre.org.au FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD Based on the much loved literary classic by Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) is the story of beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Nicole Harwood), who attracts the attention of three very different prospective husbands.This production features original folk songs and lovely choreography for the country dances.The powerful lead role is played admirably by Harwood, and it’s a sweet

but predictable ending when she ultimately finds true love. (MS) Until Jun 25. Genesian Theatre, 420 Kent St, Sydney. $25-$30.Tickets & info: genesiantheatre.com.au HEATHERS:THE MUSICAL Teen angst gets a body count in this musical take on Heathers, the cult 80s black comedy film about the brainy and beautiful Veronica, who hustles her way into her high school’s cruellest clique and starts taking down the popular kids with the help of her mysterious new boyfriend.The directorial debut of Australian cabaret darling Trevor Ashley, with hilarious songs and narrative tweaks, this tribute is thoroughly camp whilst maintaining the dark elements.

(AM) Until Jun 26. Playhouse Theatre, Sydney Opera House. $59.90-$89.90.

Tickets & info: sydneyoperahouse. com or 9250 7777

A MAN WITH FIVE CHILDREN Nick Enright’s A Man With Five Children explores the impact of reality TV, documenting families’ lives through all the ups and downs.The play follows the lives of five individuals over the course of 28 years, filming them one day each year from the time they are seven.

Director Anthony Skuse describes this piece as visually and aurally arresting.

(AMal) Until Jun 26. Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton Street, Darlinghurst. $30-$45.Tickets & info: darlinghursttheatre.com TRIBES An emotionally gripping play about the human condition and an insight into how people who are hearing impaired connect with others, within and outside the deaf community.

Director Susanna Dowling has seamlessly adapted Nina Raine’s play for local audiences, interweaving Australian

nuances and humour into the story of a seemingly normal family, who believe they are being more inclusive by not ever communicating in sign language the only deaf family member, young Billy.

(ASim) Until Jul 2. Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall Street, Kirribilli. $66-$73.Tickets & info: ensemble.com.au or 02 9929 0644 THE BIG DRY Inspired by the American Dust Bowl of the 1930’s, this play follows two boys waiting for their father to return, the world is getting increasingly more difficult for them when a young girl enters their life.A beautifully written and suspenseful drama with an evocative soundtrack.This co-production with the Australian Theatre for Young People and Ensemble Theatre is a rare chance to see young actors in such a sophisticated piece of theatre. (MS)

Until Jul 2. Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall St, Kirribilli. $66-$73.

Tickets & info: ensemble.com.au or 02 9929 0644 ALL MY SONS Written almost 70 years ago,Arthur Miller’s great post-war play could not be more topical. Joe Keller (John Howard) is the self-made businessman who embodies the American dream. Keller’s wife Kate (Robin Nevin) refuses to give up hope that her son, a pilot missing in action, will one day return. Chris (Chris Ryan), the other son, has safely returned from the war but his inner demons lie closely below the surface. He has fallen in love with his brother’s fiancée, but their marriage will spell the end of his mother’s forlorn hopes. (GW) Until Jul 9. Roslyn Packer Theatre, 22 Hickson Rd,Walsh Bay. $76-$104.

Tickets & info: sydneytheatre.com.au or 02 9250 1777 city hub 16 JUNE 2016

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THE NAKED CITY

COCKTAILS IN THE LOO With Coffin Ed, Jay Katz and Miss Death In the more affluent precinct of Wolloomooloo, over on the wharf, Sydney’s hi-flyers, are sipping and slurping on all manner of expensive cocktails – throwing them back with all the abandon that a platinum Amex card demands. In the more downmarket environs of Tom Uren Square, a different type of cocktail is being thrown – a ‘molotov’.

That was the scenario some months back when flaming molotovs were hurled into the Square, lighting up the night sky and terrifying homeless men sleeping within just a few metres. Security cameras recorded two separate attacks, with masked assailants involved in both. Just what their motives were remains somewhat of a mystery, with speculation that it involved some kind of drug turf war. More recently the police invited select media to be present at a major drug bust in Forbes Street during which nine people were arrested and charged with allegedly suppling a variety a variety of illegal drugs.

Whether the molotov throwing was directly connected with the drug bust also remains somewhat of a mystery, as the police have yet to charge anybody with the firebombing. What it does highlight is a rapidly deteriorating climate in one of the most socially neglected areas of Sydney, right on the doorstep of the CBD. Homeless men, who once sought the security of Tom Uren Square, are now reluctant to bed down in the area, despite the assurance that there will be regular police patrols. Since the major drug bust there have been further arrests, the latest involving dealers selling ice within twenty metres of the local police station.

Drugs of course have been regularly available on the streets of Woolloomooloo for years with Walla Mulla Park a regular stop-off point for anybody looking to score. Rundown and neglected public spaces are the ideal location for this activity. Avoided by most well to do residents their homeless occupants are generally too intimidated to dob in a dealer for fear of any recrimination.

The Wolloomooloo Police Station, with its sinister two way glass and roll down shutter facing Cathedral Street, looks like the kind of fortified

Open Marrickville

where they will enjoy a free lunch while learning Marrickville in Sydney’s inner west is a rich about the significance of the olive tree in traditional tapestry woven with threads from up to 57 different cultures. It is one of Sydney’s most eclectic Greek culture. Attendees can head to the Chrissie

enclaves, where people from all over the world live and work side-by-side.

Residents celebrate its diversity annually with the Open Marrickville festival. Over 10 days, locals and visitors alike can discover a mix of contemporary events, exhibitions and celebrations inspired by the area’s multicultural history. Rhythms, Colours, Flavours of Peru opens the event at Marrickville Town Hall with a whole day of Latin American food, film, music, and story telling.

Foodies shouldn’t miss Festival of the Olive, CODE IN THE PARK This free event for VIVID Ideas is all about inspiring everyone to learn the basics of coding, and to transform thinkers into creators. Head along for an afternoon full of music, art, projections, installations, inspirational panels, talks, interactive demos and a coding lesson for beginners from Australia’s leaders in tech, creativity and innovation. Encouraging diversity, this event is for everyone, regardless of skill level or experience. RSVP is essential. (AM) Jun 18, 2–5.30pm. aMBUSH Gallery, Level 3, Central Park, 28 Broadway, 12

city hub 16 JUNE 2016

Cotter Gallery for inspiring and insightful works by talented artists from refugee backgrounds as well as the premiere of Faraway…So Close to Homeland, a documentary covering the plight of 10 Syrian refugees.

Head to the website to download the festival program and get ready to take your senses on a trip around the world. (CB) Jun 17–26. Various locations across the Marrickville Council area. Info: marrickville.nsw. gov.au/openmarrickville

Chippendale. Free. Bookings & info: ga.co/events or 0432 233 384 THE MNEMONIC MIRROR Generated as a response to the comprehensive downfall of linear memory among the minds of tomorrow, The Mnemonic Mirror is an artist led project. The exhibition looks hypothetically at how certain types of thinking have been replaced by other methods and technologies.Very simply, this exhibition is about the way we use our minds and how that has changed over generations, for better or worse. (AH)

bunker you would find in a township like Soweto. Unmanned at night, it’s desperately in need of a major makeover to make it more community friendly, free of its current foreboding presence. Staffing it 24/7 would also go a long way to maintaining safety in the area, but that seems to be an economic decision.

The entire area of Walla Mulla Park and Tom Uren Square screams out for a major redesign and rethink, that caters for both the homeless population and the residents of the 600 strong housing estate. Back in 2011 the City of Sydney Council spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a cosmetic revamp of Walla Mulla Park which can only be described as an absurd waste of money.Today both the Park and the Square can only be described as squalid, the perfect environment for an epidemic of drugs.As horrendous as the hurling of ‘cocktails’ in the Loo was, at least it’s brought some media attention to what is an urgent situation that both the Council and State Government have seemingly turned their backs on.

THE HIT LIST: If you are enjoying the new highly acclaimed ABC series Cleverman, you might like to visit the atmospheric bar owned by Hunter PageLochard’s character Koen West.With much of the series shot on location around Sydney it’s not surprising that the producers used the King’s Cross Hotel’s very funky Dive Bar rather than a studio set.The bar has been closed for a number of years but on Saturday June 18 it hosts a rerun of the iconic Sounds Of Seduction, with Jay Katz, Miss Death and guest DJ Soup from 9.30pm until 3.00am. Check out the American style ‘dive’ bar décor to some very eclectic dance sounds, with anybody from the ‘Hairy’ community especially welcome!

Jo Davenport – Mapping Hill End

What is a map anyway? Mapping Hill End explores cartography as an open-ended process. Completed over the course of a 2015 residency, each painting in the exhibition is a map of Hill End in the NSW countryside.

Writing of black work across and after the middle passage, theorist Katherine McKittrick suggests that “black women necessarily contribute to a representation of human geography”, even if it is not often recognised as such. Just as is true world-over, it was an encounter with indigenous cartography that sparked Jo Davenport’s interest in maps as documents that mediate space and, ultimately, Mapping Hill End. Working with oil on linen canvas, Davenport melds topography with representations of the sensory or ambient character of Hill End. One recurring motif takes this quite literally, as map-like grids of paint are choked by sprawls of colour and motion, bursts of sunlight and wind.

But despite all this, and despite her project’s genesis in black thought, Davenport’s work often seems avowedly academic. Mapping Hill End takes its own path, but one has to question whether it speaks to theory more than it speaks to the world, and one question to take through the exhibition is surely what relationship cartography has to geopolitics and to history. (ZS) Jun 16–Jul 9,Tues-Fri 9.30am-6pm, Sat 10am5pm. Arthouse gallery, 66 McLachlan Avenue, Rushcutters Bay. Free.

Tickets & info: arthousegallery.com.au

Until Jul 1; Mon–Fri 12-6pm, Sat 12-4pm.

UTS Gallery, 702 Harris Street, Ultimo.

Info: art.uts.edu.au HOSSIEN VALAMANESH – CHAR SOO This video installation places the viewer at the centre of a four-way intersection in an Iranian Bazaar. Filmed with stationary cameras placed at eye level, the viewer stands at the centre of a crossroad, passively observing. Char Soo, translated as “four sides”, provides a nexus for Valamanesh – literally, in terms of being the main intersection in the bazaar, but also to anchor

Valamanesh’s thought as he explores themes of boundary and translocality. This work is presented at Carriageworks in collaboration with the Sydney Film Festival. (ZS) Until Jul 17, 10am–6pm. Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh. Free. Info: carriageworks.com.au/events/char-soo/ HEAVY ARTILLERY Prominent themes in this group show are identity and tradition and the modernist impact on both.

Furthermore (with all artists hailing from China and Taiwan) the restrictive atmosphere in which Chinese artists live

Jo Davenport in her studio.

Photo:Vivien Allender

results in work which is subtly subversive and intricately planned. For example: He Xiangyu’s contribution, ‘Tank Project’ (2011– 2013), is a life sized leather replica of a Chinese tank – the creator sneaked into an army base to obtain accurate dimensions.

Heavy Artillery showcases the craft, the cunning and the imagination of artists who need to navigate the perils of political indoctrination and censorship. (LR) Until Aug 7 (10am-5pm, Wed-Sun).

White Rabbit Gallery, 30 Balfour Street, Chippendale. Admission Free.

Info: whiterabbitcollection.org

traditional headline show, you can expect to see both bands do guest vocals on each other’s hits and many (many) more surprises to be revealed.

Sat, Jun 18, Luna Park Banoffee: Fresh off a national tour as part of the Laneway Festival, Melbourne’s multi-disciplined artist hits the road again for her final shows before heading off overseas.

Sat, Jun 18,The Museum Of Contemporary Art Set Mo: Sydney duo Set Mo (Nick Drabble & Stu Turner) had a massive 2015 with their breakthrough single ‘White Dress’ being one of the most played songs on Australian radio station Triple J. With new track ‘Comfort You [ft. Fractures]’ now hitting the airwaves it’s time to perform for fans once again.

Sat, Jun 18, Chinese Laundry Liz Martin: Country vineyards come to Sydney this weekend with a special selection of superb whites and reds to taste before heading inside to the intimate Lennox Lounge for a relaxed session of jazz, pop, folk and electronica tunes from Liz Martin and her band.

Sun, Jun 19, Riverside Theatre Patrizio Buanne: Over the past decade Buanne has won a nation of admirers, smitten by his velveteen baritone and smouldering Italian good looks. A true performer on and off the stage, Patrizio has a natural ease and affability, charming all who he encounters.

Mon, Jun 20, State Theatre

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By Jamie Apps As a species, our inquisitive nature is what has seen us make big discoveries and leap forward both economically and socially.The ability to conduct research and satiate this biological urge is often hindered by money, but for two of the artists performing at this years SIMA Winter Jazz series, the Churchill Fellowships helped them overcome this hurdle.

Both Sandy Evans and Peter Dasent were given their grants to do niche research into their areas of passion. For Evans it was North and South Indian traditional music, particularly how it could be blended with jazz. For Dasent his focus was on the work of composer Nino Rota, who was the composer for 17 of Federico Fellini’s films.

In Evans’ case the grant allowed her to travel to Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to work with India’s leading musicians. After completing her journey and research Evans was able to develop her show Kapture, which originally

Project Montreal – Patterns

Peter Dasent

started out as a dance piece about Nelson Mandela’s cellmate Ahmed Kathrada’s writing.

The show has since been expanded to a full score that brings together ideas from jazz and Indian music around this important central theme. Kapture “doesn’t get to be performed very often so we’re really excited to perform it for SIMA,” said Evans.

For Peter Dasent his interest in Rota was piqued after he was given a cassette of La Dolce Vita, which he found himself “playing in the car all the

Within the first three songs from Project Montreal’s debut album, you can see this artist has had an incredibly wide range of influences, from pop to electronic, to rock.

With all of these influences the record could easily have descended into a chaotic, jumbled mess, but thankfully each style is incorporated sparingly and right where they are needed.This creates a very unique and captivating listening experience, involving an incredibly emotional and gripping lyrical performance as well.

While the concept of introducing electronic production techniques alongside traditional instruments may be off-putting to some, there are a number of songs in which you will barely notice their use. Other tracks on the album though are much more electronicly slanted, and will thus skew towards a demographic that is used to this style. (JA) WWW1/2

time” as it became his “fall back when I couldn’t decide what to listen to”.After then doing as much research as was possible in Australia, information surrounding Rota was extremely limited at the time, thus Peter’s decision to apply for the Churchill Fellowship so pursue his research.

When Peter found out that his proposal had been accepted, he said he and his wife were both “gobsmacked, and danced around the room”.

Dasent will be performing the Bravo Nino Rota show with his band The Umbrellas during the Winter Jazz Series. Peter described the show as “a concert with a little bit of theatricality and Fellini in there” which is “something special when they improvise over Rota’s classy Italian music”.

Until Aug 27. Seymour Centre, Cnr Cleveland Street and City Road, Chippendale. $15-$45+b.f (multi-tix packages available).

Tickets & info: sima.org.au

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – PersonA

A bit of the old world and the new play along together on the piano of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros in their most recent contribution.

Person A comes from a place of experimentation that defies genre, plays with it and leaves it somewhere far behind. Delicate and light,‘Hot Coals’ slowly introduces the listener to the many facets of the ten tracks, bouncing along with gaiety and promise.

It is lovely to hear the piano distinguish itself within the mix, working with other sounds, enhancing, announcing and at times carrying the melody away in its fantastical imagination.We ramble along much like an adventure into a land of dreams where connections are not always obvious and the intangible strings which the listener can not see, hold it all together.

Changing it up seemingly at random, the listener must continue to listen to find out where they are going. (SP) WWW

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Alexander Gavrylyuk: This highly sought after piano virtuoso has won numerous awards including the Horowitz International Piano Competition and the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition. Performing his new Russians and Romantics concert in Sydney this week will see Gavrulyuk test his technique and musicality live.

Thu, Jun 16, City Recital Hall Slumberhaze: Boasting pop melodies, dark undertones and a seamless integration of live instruments with synths and hip-hop beats, Sydney’s Slumberhaze are slowly capturing more and more people to their audience. Having just released the final EP of their trilogy, the band are now on stage celebrating.

Fri, Jun 17, Waywards Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen: Over their 15 years touring together, the group has developed their own distinctive Euro-Roots sound and a high calibre live show that has seen them play to huge audiences from the Sydney Opera House, to Budapest, to London’s West End. Performing tomorrow night as part of the VIVID festivities will have the group blending their live show with the creativity of VIVID’s light installations.

Fri, Jun 17, Kings Cross Hotel Northlane & In Hearts Wake: In the five years since the two bands last toured together both have grown exponentially and are now both hailed as two of the countries biggest.This weekend sees the idea that both bands have had floating in the back of their minds finally come to fruition and shatter the mould of a

SIMA Winter Jazz Series - Sandy Evans & Peter Dasent

Licence No. 173676c

Sydney Live Music Guide LIVE WIRE

By Jamie Apps

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Hot Docs Film Festival The prestigious Canadian festival Hot Docs is the largest documentary film festival in the world and is coming to Sydney to educate and enchant audiences with a unique program of 24 films from 15 countries.

Artistic director Richard Moore has brought the finest documentaries from all over the world for this inaugural festival screening at the Palace Cinemas.

The ideology that “documentaries are what you watch on television” has changed amongst movie-goers.“Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore changed that way of thinking when he came on the scene many years ago,” explained Moore.“Documentaries are not confined to television.There has been a small niche market for documentaries for years and film distributors can see this.”

“This festival is for a Palacey [Palace Cinema] type of audience – a thinking audience. There are so many different subjects to choose from and special interest groups should come out of the woodwork.”

“Two documentaries which I highly recommend are Diving Into The Unknown, which is a captivating underwater cave rescue adventure, and The Sex Temple, a raunchy and hilarious story about a queer guy who rebuilds and transforms his burnt down theatre into a swinger’s club.”

As to whether Australian audiences should embrace this festival? An enthused Moore replied, “I bloody well hope so – it’s a great program!”

(MMo)

A Ballerina’s Tale

TOP PICKS A BALLERINA’S TALE (USA) – Documents African-American ballerina Misty Copeland’s rise to fame and the hardships she endured. Introduced to ballet at the age of 13, this award winning dancer succeeded in a classical ballet world where dancers traditionally have the “skin colour of a freshly skinned apple”.

A LIFE OF ITS OWN:THE TRUTH ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA (AUSTRALIA) – Should this drug be illicit in Australia? An investigation reveals that properties of cannabis have a proven therapeutic value for people suffering from epilepsy and cancer. Real life cases and interviews with medical experts make this unmissable viewing.

INGRID BERGMAN: IN HER OWN WORDS – A revealing look at the incredible life of a screen legend who reshaped the film world through her award-winning movies. Clips from her films, private screen tests and rarely seen footage from her own homemade films translate into exceptional viewing.

Jun 21–Jul 3. Palace Verona, 17 Oxford St, Paddington. $19-$150 (10 films). Tickets & info: hotdocsoz.com

The Conjuring 2

St Peter’s and the Papal Basilicas of Rome 3D This documentary is of incredible cultural interest and takes audiences on a mesmerising journey through time and space in the four Papal Basilicas in Rome: St Peter’s, St John’s in the Lateran, St Mary Major and St Paul Outside the Walls.

Millions of pilgrim tourist travellers who visit the eternal city each year are drawn in and disorientated by the unique architectural style and regal splendour of these historic Christian art forms.

Narrated by an art historian, this insightful documentary delivers an abundance of information about the evolution of the Basilicas over the

LAND OF MINE In the aftermath of WWII, German soldiers are ordered to clear the Danish coast of two million land mines laid by their countrymen.With little training, a group of young prisoners are placed under the command of a Danish sergeant (Roland Møller) and sent to locate and disarm some 42,000 mines on a remote beach. Director Martin Zandvliet delivers a powerful and suspenseful film that examines the brutality of vengefulness and the power of forgiveness. (CCov) WWWW MILES AHEAD In 1978 gifted jazz musician Miles Davis (Don Cheadle), lives as a recluse in his New York City town house, refusing to put out any new music. Hounded by Colombia 14

city hub 16 JUNE 2016

centuries and the lives and stories of the popes and artists including Michelangelo and Bernini.

Showcased are the astounding beauty of the sculptures, mosaics, wall paintings and magnificent floorings which adorn these buildings.

This visually stunning and stylish documentary, which incorporates breathtaking aerial views of Rome, is suitable not only for Catholics, but also for moviegoers who have a passion for history and art and who may also be contemplating a trip to Italy. (MMo) WWW1/2

Records to send in session tapes he has been working on, Davis will not have a bar of it. Somehow after a party held at Davis’ home the tapes disappear, causing him and desperate journalist Dave Brill (Ewan McGregor) to go on a wild goose chase to get them back. (AMal) WWWW NOW YOU SEE ME 2 The illusionist superhero team are back to pull off another great deceit, this time aimed at a technology organisation headed

by Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe). Despite an all-star cast including Mark Ruffalo as FBI agent Dylan Rhodes; overall the film lacks creativity, the plot is in two seemingly incongruous parts

– a story from Rhodes’ past as an unconvincing double agent, and the illusionists’ attempt to convince the public of their benevolence through grandiose public acts. There’s not much to take away. (JF) WW GOD WILLING Audiences should be delighted by this smash-hit Italian comedy. When surgeon Tommaso (Marco Giallini) discovers his son plans on joining the priesthood, he goes undercover to learn more about Father Don Pietro (Alessandro Gassman), the ex-crim priest who he claims has “brainwashed” his son. A friendship develops and Tommaso ultimately becomes a better person,

The Conjuring 2 has real life paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorrain Warren (Vera Farmiga) return to the big screen with another of the “true stories” which brought them to prominence in the 1970’s.

After investigating the infamous Amityville, the Warren’s became the leading figures in the field and as such were the highest on the list when across the pond in London a family is tormented by something unseen.

The Enfield Poltergeist, as it has come to be known, is one of Britain’s most famous cases, which saw single mother Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Conner) and her four children, in particular daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe) tormented.The terror slowly builds

attempting to salvage every aspect in his life that he has tarnished. An enjoyable film which expresses the fundamental virtues of religion, but not in the classic sense. (MMo) WWW IS THIS THE REAL WORLD A coming of age film which centres on a rebellious 17-year-old boy who, on the verge of manhood, has difficulties finding his place. Mark Blazey (Sean Keenan) throws away a scholarship at a private school and moves with his troubled family to a coastal town. He attends a new school and tries hard to fit in and keep out of trouble, but continues breaking the rules amidst first love.This low-budget and simplistic Australian film deals with real issues which confront today’s youth in

throughout the film, beginning with simple sleep walking before progressing to sounds in the dark of night and ultimately escalating to the full possession of Janet, which as my girlfriend said will have you “never looking at nuns the same”.

On a technical level Wan’s direction and camera work is brilliant at building dread through movement and what it does, or doesn’t, show. Jump scares are few and far between which makes them quite impactful when they are employed.

Overall this is a nice haunted house flick, although it does somewhat overstay it’s welcome at a lengthy 133 minutes. (JA) WWW

a world full of high expectations.

(MMo) WWW

steadfast direction by Jodie Foster.

(MMo) WWW1/2

MONEY MONSTER Lee Gates (George Clooney) is the host of an unconventional finance program called Money Monster, which informs viewers about preferred investment possibilities.When an alleged “glitch” in the share markets causes an investment firm to lose $800 million, one man who loses $60,000 holds Gates responsible.

Televised to millions of viewers, he takes the studio crew hostage, the catalyst to an on-air investigation led by the producer (Julia Roberts).

Momentum builds rapidly in this extremely unnerving and topical film arising from a stirring script and

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE A comedy out of New Zealand written and directed by Taika Waititi (Flight of the Conchords). Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is a Maori boy who has been in and out of foster homes his whole life until he finally winds with Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and Hector (Sam Neill).The film transpires into a police chase to capture Ricky and Hector as the fugitives navigate the Kiwi bush.

Dry, dark humour pervades most of the film – however the heartwarming friendship between Ricky and Hector is hard to ignore. (JF) WWW

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