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TANYA PLIBERSEK

In the Sydney Electorate this means 112,000 people will receive an average tax cut of $1,915.

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR SYDNEY The Albanese Labor Government is legislating to give every Australian taxpayer a tax cut. Under our plan middle income earners will get a much larger tax cut, and low income earners, who were previously going to miss out altogether, will also receive relief.

Labor has changed Scott Morrison’s tax plan so we give more people a bigger tax cut to help with cost of living pressures.

We have found a way to give a tax cut right up and down the income scale but with an emphasis on middle Australia in a way that is good for the economy, good for cost of living pressures, good for women, nurses, truckies, teachers and workforce participation.

In addition, the Government will increase the income threshold for the Medicare Levy. For a single person earning $30,000 a year, it means they will keep an extra $170 in their pocket.

We've put people before politics. We've come to the right decision for the right reasons: the economic circumstances changed so we changed economic policy.

The Morrison tax plan was designed five years ago, before the pandemic, before the global inflation spike, before interest rate rises and greater global uncertainty.

Current tax rates

New tax rates from July 1, 2024

$0 - $ 18,200

0% (no tax)

$0 - $ 18,200

0% (no tax)

$18,201 - $45,000

19%

$18,201 - $45,000

16%

$45,001 - $120,000

32.5%

$45,001 - $135,000

30%

$120,001 -$180,000

37%

$135,001 - $190,000

37%

>$180,000

45%

>$190,000

45%

Every taxpayer gets a tax cut.

All 13.6 million taxpayers will receive a tax cut. That’s 2.9 million more than under Morrison’s plan. In fact, 84 per cent of Australians get a bigger tax cut than they would have under the proposal Scott Morrison legislated five years ago.

Earnings per annum

Tax cut under Scott Morrison’s plan

Tax cut under Labor’s plan

Around $40,000

$0

$654

Average income around $73,000

$700

$1,504

Around $100,000

$1,375

$2,179

Our plan is a more responsible way to ensure more people get a bigger tax cut to help ease the pressure they are under.

We plan for these changes to take effect on July 1. To find out how you will benefit, please use the calculator on the Treasury website: https://treasury.gov.au/tax-cuts/calculator

A person earning $200,000 still gets a tax cut. They will receive $4,529.

1A Great Buckingham Street Redfern NSW 2016 2

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

(02) 9379 0700

Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au

HubNEWS

The Powerhouse Museum and Labor’s broken promises (See p. 8)

Heritage or development?

Council decision divides local opinion HubARTS: Shakespeare to the Max Modern pop meets medieval tale in smash hit musical, &Juliet.

(See p.23)

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BY JASMINE SIMMONS he high concentration of heritage listed sites in the Inner West, which restricts the development and construction of new homes, has left many of its residents divided.

Every council in Sydney lists individual heritage houses, but broader heritage conservation areas (HCAs) are most concentrated in the inner west, north, and east of Sydney. To illustrate, there are 75 HCAs in the City of Sydney area and 52 in Ku-ring-gai Council, while Liverpool, Fairfield, and Blacktown in western Sydney have none.

At the Inner West Council’s meeting in December, staff revealed that 43 per cent of the municipality is under some form of heritage protection, including all of Haberfield and much of Balmain.

Yet one of the motions on the agenda, to which 6 out of 22 members of the public spoke before the meeting began, was to put four adjacent Californian bungalows in Dulwich Hill on the local heritage register.

The final Council vote was 12-3, with Mayor Darcy Byrne, Deputy Mayor Chloe Smith, and Councillor Phillipa Scott voting to oppose the listing.

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THE HERITAGE ARGUMENT

The proposal has ignited a wider conversation surrounding heritage-listed sites, causing a divide in local opinion.

One of the properties on 11 Macarthur Parade was reportedly the home of John Thomas Ness (1871-1947), who was an influential activist, businessman and politician (including three terms as Mayor of Marrickville Council).

The home was built in the early 1920s, as were the adjacent bungalow homes.

Number 11 is currently listed for sale as a potential development site.

Whilst the decision ensures historic protection over property development, others believe that having too many heritage-listed sites in metropolitan areas are actively contributing to Sydney’s ongoing rental crisis.

Premier Chris Minns, when asked about the HCAs, expressed that the heritage orders were being too often used as “a way of preventing development and saying ‘no’ without being upfront about it.”

One of the Californian bungalows in Dulwich Hill put up for heritage listing. Valcourt, 11 Macarthur Parade.

Photo: Domain

Singling out Sydney’s Inner West, Minns told ABC radio that “it’s virtually impossible for young people to move into that community”.

“They want to live there, it’s close to the CBD, you can cycle, you can walk.

We’re building a $26 billion Metro public transport solution for that community, and there needs to be more density.”

It’s virtually impossible for young people to move into that community At the Inner West Council meeting in December 2023, the debate focused on the two sides: conserving suburban character and preventing overdevelopment, and the restricted access to housing, specifically for young people.

One of the first speakers at the Inner West Council meeting against the heritage motion was Justin Simon, YIMBY Chair, from Summer Hill.

As a longtime resident of the Inner West, Mr Simon has seen “heritage persistently used to frustrate housing construction and worsen affordability.”

Mr Simon went on to say that the size of the bungalows will prevent many townhouses from being developed.

WE CAN HAVE BOTH

Marrickville resident and architect Peter Olive also spoke at the council meeting, saying he believes that the Inner West can protect its historically built environment and also achieve high housing densities.

“We can preserve and adaptively reuse what we already have and increase the density of our suburbs,” stated Mr Olive.

The solutions that Mr Olive offered to the council to increase housing density without destroying historic sites was to maximise floor space ratios for secondary dwellings and to encourage transverse subdivision lots.

Mr Olive also stated that the protection of the bungalows “should be a starting point for a wider discussion on how our built environment intersects with increased density.”

He provided the current example of the community-loved Marrickville library as a retained heritage and adaptive reuse site.

Speaking to City Hub, Mr Olive “With a bit of sensitivity and nuanced planning we can keep our historic housing stock while increasing density.”

“We can have our cake and eat it.”

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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HubNEWS

Before the countdown to Powerhouse Museum’s closure

BY GRACE JOHNSON efore the quiet closure of the Powerhouse Museum on the evening of Sunday 4 February, calls were never louder for the Minns Government to come clean about whether it is breaking a key election promise to keep the original Powerhouse Museum.

Since the announcement to close the museum for 3 years for refurbishments, the government has failed to release precise plans to refurbish site and to redeploy staff to other roles.

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Ever since they were elected, the government’s position on the Powerhouse has smelt fishy Workers and community groups alike are deeply concerned that the government is secretly planning to gut the function of the Powerhouse Museum, much like the former Liberal Government’s plan to demolish and rebuild the museum into a fashion, events and commercial precinct.

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CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

The government is also yet to file a State Significant Development (SDD) application, the process for which can take the better part of a year.

The Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

“So they are closing the museum to do nothing,” the pair said.

Visitor staff had reportedly already received notice of their termination.

Other staff will move to rented offices in Parramatta or to the museum’s storehouse in Castle Hill.

The Public Service Association (PSA), the union representing Powerhouse workers and grassroots community groups, has been on the frontlines of calling for transparency from the government.

“Ever since they were elected, the government’s position on the Powerhouse has smelt fishy and now that stench is overwhelming,” said PSA General Secretary Stewart Little.

“Chris Minns repeatedly promised to save and refurbish the iconic Powerhouse Museum site before the election. Now we see the plan was

apparently to close the museum and leave the whole thing a mystery.”

“ABSOLUTELY UNNECESSARY AND UNJUSTIFIED”

City Hub spoke to leaders of the Save the Powerhouse campaign, Patricia Johnson and Jean-Pierre Alexandre, who emphasised there is no reason to close the museum.

“All the experts say that the museum can be renovated without closing or moving the collection,” said Mr Alexandre.

“It is absolutely unnecessary and unjustified.”

On Thursday 1 February, Powerhouse workers walked out and rally in front of the museum as they hadn’t received the Refurbishment Plan for the museum and the Change Management Plan outlining their immediate working future.

As for Save the Powerhouse campaigners, the fight to keep the museum’s doors open will only intensify.

Ahead of the closure, Ms Johnson had told City Hub, “Even if the government succeeds in closing the museum temporarily, we’re going to redouble our efforts.”

“We’re going to work even harder to get the museum reopened in the form that we know and respect, and which is respected throughout the world as a technology and science museum.”

HERE FOR COMMUNITY We’re NSW’s leading health promotion organisation specialising in community health, inclusion and HIV responses for people of diverse sexualities and genders.

During the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival, we’re here to help locals and visitors stay safe in relation to HIV, sexual health, alcohol and other drugs, and street safety. You’ll find us at lots of events right throughout the season so come up and say hi.

We’re ACON. We’re here for you and we’re here for health.

Photo: Steve Christo

acon.org.au

HubNEWS

City of Sydney flag confiscated A City of Sydney spokesperson previously confirmed to City Hub that they are in the process of commissioning a review of emblems and symbols in the Sydney Town Hall “to ensure that they accurately reflect the City’s aspirations and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage.”

The review into the council’s emblems and symbols was first brought forward by the Lord Mayor in May 2022 and seems to have been forgotten until the week before January 26.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said 1908-flag “does not represent all that we are.”

Photo: Dan Himbrechts, AAP Image

BY ALEX DRISCOLL n the week leading up to Australia Day, staff at City of Sydney confiscated the Council’s traditional colonial-era flag from the office of a councillor, citing an 18-month-old review into the City’s emblems.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the flag “centres colonial maritime history, the impact of which is particularly poignant here in Sydney – the first site of invasion”, and “does not represent all that we are.”

I

The City of Sydney flag is made up of a horizontal triband of white, gold and blue.

The top third of the flag features three designs: the arms of Thomas Townshend, Viscount Sydney, after whom the city was named; the English Naval Flag overlaid with James Cook’s arms; and the arms of the first Lord Mayor of Sydney, Thomas Hughes.

The remaining field of the flag depicts a ship at full sail, referencing Sydney as a maritime port.

LACK OF PROGRESS

First Nations Councillor Yvonne Weldon told City Hub that the flag “bears about as much relevance to our city community as Ferry McFerryface”.

“The Lord Mayor promised to review the City’s symbols and emblems 18 months ago. It’s disappointing that little progress has been made,” she said.

The City of Sydney’s flag was reportedly taken from Liberal Councillor Lyndon Gannon’s office after it was spotted in

his background during a Zoom meeting in December.

Cr Gannon told City Hub, “The motion passed was to review the symbols and ensure our indigenous people are represented in our multicultural city.”

“This should be done, but hiding our current flag, which is the least offensive item, without a review having even begun yet is disappointing.”

The Lord Mayor promised to review the City’s symbols and emblems 18 months ago “Old histories should not be burned or town down, rather they should be challenged and complimented with new ones,” he continued.

The City of Sydney is also set to review the plaques of colonial figures memorialised throughout the city, after supporting Cr Weldon’s motion for ‘truthtelling’ in Sydney’s statues.

NSW Labor must keep its election promise to end no grounds evictions One year into the Minns NSW Labor Government’s first term, we are still yet to see progress on their election promise to finally end unfair no grounds evictions in NSW.

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

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

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

In spite of unending stories of young people being kicked out of their homes in retaliation for requesting basic maintenance, or single mothers for whom a drastic price hike is a de facto eviction notice, Labor has done nothing to expand protections for the 2 million people who rent statewide.

Under current NSW law, landlords do not need to provide a reason for evicting people from their rental home.

Housing security for tenants is at the whim of their landlord - regardless of how long they have lived in a home, how they have treated it, and whether they have always paid rent on time.

According to data from Fair Trading, one tenant is evicted every 18 minutes in NSW.

This grim picture is compounded by the Tenants’ Union of NSW’s Evictions Map, which shows that across the state 13,011 landlords applied for an eviction through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) in 2023 - the actual number of evictions is likely to be much higher, given that not every landlord progresses evictions through NCAT. Tenants who are evicted from their homes face an incredibly bleak rental market in which vacancy rates are at all-time lows and rents continue to rise unchecked. It’s clear that action must be taken now to protect them from this dire reality - and if the NSW Labor Government won’t move to do this, the Greens will.

On the last Parliament sitting day of 2023, I gave notice of a Greens Bill to finally end unfair no grounds evictions for all tenancies in NSW. The Bill would establish clear grounds on which tenancies could be terminated,

alongside penalties for landlords who claim to be evicting a tenant so they themselves can move into a rental home or to renovate it but do not actually do so.

We will be progressing the Bill through Parliament as soon as possible, and urge all members of Parliament to listen to the renters in their communities and urgently pass this overdue reform.

Keep up to date on the progress of our Bill to end no grounds evictions by signing up for updates here: www.jennyleong.org/sign_up

Jenny Leong MP Greens Member for Newtown

SPONSORED CONTENT

GLITTER AND SPARKLE WITH BEACHSIDE PRIDE Compassion, diversity, connection and pride will be at the heart of Randwick City’s 2024 Mardi Gras celebrations. We’re planning numerous events across the City, including a vibrant and colourful performance of ‘Randwick Pride’ at the iconic Coogee Rainbow at Coogee Beach.

“We’re looking forward to celebrating our LBGTQIA+

community with events for all ages. I’m proud of our inclusive and diverse community, which enriches life in our City for everyone,” said Councillor Philipa Veitch, Mayor of Randwick.

Here’s what you need to know to join us for our pride celebrations. The events are free – hope to see you there!

RANDWICK PRIDE AT COOGEE BEACH Live music, fun-filled drag queen performances, speeches and free ice cream (while it lasts!) will be on show at the iconic Coogee Rainbow at Coogee Beach.

When: Sat 17 February, 2pm – 6pm (formalities at 4pm) Where: Rainbow Walkway at Coogee Beach FUTURE DREAMING An exhibition of work by multidisciplinary LGBTQIA+ artists that presents a joyous and empowered future for community. The speculative futures shared use song, memory, costume, popculture, ritual, and manifestation to shape a vibrant collective dream.

Opening night: Fri 16 February, 6pm - with DJ and live performances.

Exhibition opening hours: Sat 17 February to Sun 3 March (Thurs to Sun only, 1pm – 7pm) Where: Randwick Town Hall WISELY QUEER Hear five speakers from the LGBTQIA+ community, who are over the age of 50 talk about their experiences as a queer person. This intimate event will share real-life experiences and stories.

When: Fri 23 February, 6pm onwards Where: Randwick Town Hall RAINBOW FAMILIES SPARK IN THE PARK An extra sparkly Spark at the Park with a drag queen story time will take place at Coogee Beach, perfect for children between 0 – 5 years old.

Where: On the grass behind Coogee Beach When: Wed 6 March, 10.30am

RANDWICK PRIDE COOGEE BEACH 2024

Sat 17 Feb 2 – 6pm Coogee Beach Rainbow Walkway Join us to celebrate Randwick Pride at the iconic Coogee Beach Rainbow Walkway.

Enjoy an afternoon of drag performances, music and free ice cream!

9093 6200 (option 2) randwick.nsw.gov.au/ randwick-pride

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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HubNEWS

Opinion

Labor’s Broken Trust and Promises I

BY KYLIE WINKWORTH had to check it wasn’t the 1st of April when the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Arts Minister John Graham is promising to rebuild public trust in the Powerhouse Museum.

‘Trust is broken’ he said, delicately not mentioning Labor’s 10 broken promises over just nine months in 2023.

‘We’re keeping the museum open’ he announced last September. It is closing on 4 February. ‘We’re committing $250m for the Powerhouse Museum’.

There is only $119m over the forward estimates to 2026-27. He hasn’t said where the other $131m coming from, but it will likely be the sale of the museum’s Harwood building. ‘The PHM will be closed for up to three years’. Not true either. The promised $250m is not in the budget. In fact the budget papers show a completion date of 2033. The government is hoping everyone will have forgotten what the real Powerhouse Museum was like if and when it reopens in 10 years’ time as a creative industries, arts and entertainment centre. That is the real plan, and this is why it is a secret.

‘A Labor Government will release key details of the plans for Ultimo and Parramatta’ John Graham promised last March. Since then - nothing. Labor has maintained the LNP’s iron shroud of secrecy over the plans for the Powerhouse Museum. There is no design brief, no master plan, no exhibition plan, and no museum plan, all of which would normally be in the public domain in any museum development project in the civilised world. A museum by definition is obligated to operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities. This might be why the museum word has been dropped altogether. It’s just Powerhouse Ultimo now; another Labor broken promise.

The Minister’s bright idea to restore trust is to appoint a former NSW Labor minister to head a community reference panel to assure the community the museum will reopen and take feedback on what people want in in the PHM. This will be after the museum is closed and emptied of its defining collections. In effect the Minister is waiting until the house has burnt down before calling the fire brigade. The museum will be in ruins before anyone is consulted. Communities have been through multiple rounds of consultations since the PHM’s sale and demolition was announced by former Premier Mike Baird in November 2014.

Everything the community has said about keeping the Powerhouse Museum open, retaining the internationally significant live steam and transport exhibitions in 8

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

five years is Leo Schofield’s 1001 Remarkable Objects. Who knew audiences would come flooding back to the museum when it focussed on showing the collection? The exhibition was years in development, involved 120 people, and cost $4m in design and production. Now it is closing after just six months, wasting taxpayers’ investment just to pack the collections off to storage, never to be seen for years.

It’s the museum equivalent of closing a Broadway hit musical in the middle of the season when punters are clamouring for tickets and the backers haven’t made a return on their investment. Try and see it in its last days and say goodbye to the real Powerhouse Museum.

Minister for the Arts, John Graham. Photo: Facebook, NSW Legislative Council

situ, and retaining the Harwood building as an integral part of the museum’s operations, has been ignored and misrepresented in multiple consultation reports.

The PHM’s CEO Lisa Havilah has made no secret of her disdain for consultation.

In her 2021 speech on ‘Undoing the Institution’ she said I have never been a supporter of asking people what they want or community consultation. Her advice is to stop asking audiences.

Institutions lead audiences, not the other way around. At the PHM this mantra has delivered a 33% decrease in visitation since she was appointed five years ago, along with a 56% decline in education participation and a 188% increase in the dollar cost per visitor from $32.28 to $92.94. MAAS is the best funded cultural institution among comparable state and national museums, but delivers the worst performance and lowest public impacts.

The CEO’s self-described ‘visionary new paradigm for the museum is demonstrably an expensive failure.

Exhibition costs are up 211% while audiences are down 33%.

Commissioning artists, funding creative fellowships and subsidising artists and creatives has displaced the museum’s focus on audiences, education, the collection and maximising public benefits. The transformation of the

Powerhouse Museum into a creative industries, arts and fashion centre is a flop with visitors and poor value for money.

A tale of political opportunism, waste, asset destruction, lies, broken promises and secretive lobbying In any other cultural institution, failing on every performance indicator with declining audiences and higher costs, the CEO would have been terminated.

The staff at MAAS have already voted no confidence in the management, going by the dire responses in the annual People Matter survey of public servants.

Perhaps the President of the MAAS Trust hadn’t read the survey results or the Annual Report when he thanked Lisa for her dynamic leadership. Perhaps that Arts Minister hadn’t read the Annual Report either. He is rewarding failure by handing the management $68.574 million in recurrent revenue for providing no museum services after Sunday. Total taxpayer funding for MAAS in 2023-24 is a staggering $103,715 million.

The only unambiguously popular exhibition at the PHM in the last

No one at the Powerhouse Museum’s triumphant opening in 1988 could have imagined that only 35 years later the museum would be closed and stripped of its major exhibitions, its most significant collections scattered, and its underpinning narrative and education purpose discarded like an old chip wrapper. A museum built with the highest quality infrastructure for a working life of more than 100 years will be gutted to the bare bricks. What the visionary Wran Government built over ten years of careful planning, integrated design and open communication, the Minns Government is sweeping away in haste and secrecy.

The Labor government that promised to save the Wran legacy is now delivering its destruction.

What’s happened to the Powerhouse Museum over the last nine years is a tale of political opportunism, waste, asset destruction, lies, broken promises and secretive lobbying to evict the museum from the valued property built and endowed by the Wran Government. The breaking of the Powerhouse Museum began in 2014 as an asset grab and a property play, and this is how it is finishing. For the first time since 1893 there will be no museum in Ultimo, nor in the future. Everyone knows the PHM will never reopen in any recognisable form. The former Labor Minister who will be charged with restoring trust is on a hiding to nothing. After two governments promised to save the Powerhouse Museum, all trust is broken. Instead of saving the PHM the Minns government is rushing its pre-emptive closure for no credible reason. Instead of saving the museum it is wasting the legacy and investment of generations of NSW taxpayers. The public interest has come last in this cultural tragedy, along with the interest and trust of the museum’s donors. The looming closure of Sydney’s major heritage museum is a shameful cultural and tourism disaster for Sydney, a world first for all the wrong reasons.

HubNEWS

“No evidence” antisemitic phrases were chanted

BY GRACE JOHNSON ollowing an investigation into a pro-Palestinian rally at the Sydney Opera House last October, NSW Police have said that there is no evidence the phrase “gas the Jews” was chanted in videos circulating online.

However, police also said several people who attended the rally made statements saying they heard the phrase, but investigators could not attribute it to any particular individual.

“The expert has concluded with overwhelming certainty that the phrase chanted during that protest as recorded on the audio-visual files was ‘where’s the Jews’, not another phrase as otherwise widely reported,” he said.

However, there was evidence of “offensive and completely unacceptable” phrases being used at the rally, he said. Other videos showed chants like “F--- the Jews.”

The protest took place on October 9, two days after Hamas militants attacked an Israeli music festival, seeing 1200 Israelis killed and hundreds kidnapped.

Palestine supporters were galvanised by the Sydney Opera House being illuminated with the Israeli flag.

movement which has no tolerance for antisemitism, Islamophobia or anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism

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In the following days, NSW Police launched an investigation into whether any offences were committed at the protest.

After receiving the results of an acoustic and phonetic analysis from an expert at the National Centre of Biometric Science, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said there was no evidence the phrase was used in “significant volumes of audio and video files”.

 We are an anti-racist

For further action to be taken, police would need to be able to attribute the phrases to an individual and claim that they were used to incite or threaten violence.

RESPONSES TO THE FINDINGS

In a statement, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said the “exact words” of the chants were not the main issue. “’Where’s the Jews’ is as bad as ‘gas the

Free Palestine rally outside Sydney Opera House on October 9, 2023. Photo: Dean Lewins , AAP Image

Jews’. ‘F--- the Jews’ is as dangerous and abhorrent as ‘gas the Jews’,” he said.

“This is the issue and no matter what efforts some will go to, to deflect or confuse the public, the issue was and remains violence on our streets and threats to our social cohesion.”

The Palestine Action Group Sydney, the group behind the rally, said in a statement, “NSW police have confirmed today what we already knew: that the video alleging that protesters had

chanted “gas the Jews” outside the Opera House on 9 October was a fake.”

“The Palestine Action Group Sydney has made it clear for over a decade that we are an anti-racist movement which has no tolerance for antisemitism, Islamophobia or anti-Arab and antiPalestinian racism,” the statement continued.

“The struggle to free Palestine is a struggle against the racist apartheid state of Israel, not against Jews.”

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HubNEWS

“No chance” of reaching housing targets

BY JUSTIN COOPER he number of new housing developments across Australia has revealed a decade low, with the NSW Government admitting their ambitious building targets cannot be met.

The target, set out by the federal government in August, would see 377,000 new dwellings built in NSW by 2029.

But latest reports released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed a decrease in the number of new houses being constructed, with dips in both multi-unit and detached housing projects.

In their Buying Activity Data, ABS reported that the building of 23,058 new houses had commenced across Australia. This is down 21.6 per cent to reports at the same time last year, making the September quarter the weakest for new developments in over a decade.

The report also noted that multiple development projects had taken a hit over the past year. Multi-unit projects were down 9.6 per cent, with only 13,916 new developments making it the weakest quarter for the sector.

Additionally, only 103,707 detached ‘single-family’ houses commenced in the twelve months to September 2023, falling by 17.0 per cent on the 124,940 projects in the previous 2022 period.

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RISING CASH RATES AND SUPPLY COSTS

The Housing Industry Association says the rising cash rate, soaring building costs and shrinking homebuyer power are contributing to the lack of and cancellation of new housing developments.

HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt says the new data represents a “slow start to National Cabinet’s ambition to build 1.2 million homes over the next five years starting mid-2024.”

“As fewer new projects begin construction, the pipeline of work that Australia’s home builders have under construction is expected to shrink rapidly this year,” warned Devitt.

Devitt says the total of new projects to commence in 2024, including less than 180,000 new multi-unit and detached properties, will still fall “far below the 240,000 per annum required to meet National Cabinet’s target.”

“Meeting (the) National Cabinet’s target will be largely dependent on the delivery of adequate private housing across the housing continuum. This will also have the biggest impact on the cost of housing and rental availability,” Devitt explained.

“Holding all levels of government to account for improving planning regimes, 10

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

The number of new housing developments has reached a decade-low. Photo: Housing Industry Association, Facebook

reducing red tape, and supporting the development of appropriate infrastructure and a skilled construction workforce, must be a priority this year.”.

“NO CHANCE” NSW WILL MEET ITS TARGET As the housing crisis across Sydney continues to grow, NSW Premier Chris Minns says there is “no chance” that the state government will reach this years target of 75,000 new homes.

The National Housing Accord set the goal for the states, which included 377,000 new dwellings in NSW over the next 5 years.

Minns stated that the target would be “difficult to accomplish in 12 months,” and is now aiming to boost the overall supply of housing options.

Planning Minister Paul Scully said that the Premier was being “up-front with people,” blaming the former Coalition government for the ongoing crisis.

“We’re working off a big backlog that we inherited from the previous government but we’re determined to make sure we get there in the future,” said Scully.

“I think a fair-minded person looking at the current climate would understand that we’re working off less than a standing start to try and make up for the housing crisis we inherited from the previous government.”

The Minns Government is now seeking new reforms based on boosting supply over the coming years but has not specified how many are to be expected.

Following the government’s announcement, NSW Greens Housing Spokesperson Jenny Leong MP expressed the growing need of repurposing buildings and growing affordable housing, especially as much of the state’s public housing is left vacant.

We can’t rely on new builds alone to meet the growing need for affordable homes Posting to Instagram, Leong said, “As labour and material shortages slow down construction across NSW, we can’t rely on new builds alone to meet the growing need for affordable homes.”

Leong pointed out plans from the Queensland Government’s plans to convert vacant hotels and former retirement villages into social housing, a plan which would be viable for NSW. “Rolling out similar measures in NSW would significantly boost supply for those who need it most,” Leong continued.

Housing developments throughout many inner city suburbs have been difficult for councils and developers to begin and complete.

In the Inner West, recent motions in favour of preserving Heritage Conservation Areas (HCAs) have been criticised by the State Government, saying they have limited the density potential for key suburbs near the city.

During the Inner West Council meeting in December, the grants to broaden HCAs were criticised by some residents as limiting construction and housing affordability.

However, some argued that with sensitive planning, construction on HCA properties can be successful in increasing housing density whilst preserving historic sites.

With the housing market continuing to rise rapidly, planning is a major concern ahead of developing high-density buildings around the Inner City, as well as the quality of buildings.

Recently, a 900-home apartment block in Macquarie Park in Sydney’s north, was declared “at risk of collapse” after serious damage to the building’s concrete structures was discovered.

Leong said the incident is an “important reminder of why any plans to rapidly boost housing supply need to take into account the quality - and not just quantity - of new homes.”

“Our communities urgently need affordable, well-connected places to live - and these homes also need to be safe, accessible, and built to a high standard,” she continued.

HubNEWS

Locals call for increased ferry services

BY GRACE JOHNSON he “nightmarish” road congestion in Sydney’s inner west caused by the opening of the Rozelle Interchange has triggered calls for increased ferry services, one of Labor’s election promises.

Labor had vowed last March to create two new ferry stops at Rozelle Bay in Annandale and at Pirrama Park wharf in Pyrmont, and reopen a former one in west Balmain, but no timeline for implementing these promises has been specified.

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Reducing our reliance on cars is a sustainable way to reduce local traffic congestion Heavy traffic congestion has significantly disrupted residents’ commutes, and ferry services, though rapid, are less frequent than increasingly unreliable bus services.

The summer holidays has been a welcome period of respite from traffic jams for residents in Balmain, Rozelle and surrounding inner west suburbs.

East Balmain Ferry Terminal.

Photo: Shutterstock

However, traffic on Victoria Road and other inner west thoroughfares is set to return as people head back.

CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT TO ACT

Graeme Taylor from Action for Public Transport said to City Hub, “With people returning from holidays, the congestion on Victoria Road will return. I think the time for the government to act is now.”

Member for Balmain Kobi Shetty echoed this urgency, saying “the government needs to act quickly to fix this mess

before schools resume in February.”

“The bungled opening of the Rozelle Interchange caused traffic chaos for our community late last year.

After dealing with years of disruption from WestConnex, this is completely unacceptable,” she stated.

“Our community deserves better.”

Peter Hehir, a local resident who lives right next to the interchange and former convenor of Rozelle Against WestConnex told City Hub, “I totally support increasing the ferry services.”

“All peninsular residents would readily endorse any such plans.”

Mr Taylor added that the government needs to invest in buying new ferries to support extra services to the inner west, as current services are “quite stretched”. This would significantly relieve congestion on local roads, as a ferry trip to the city would take only a few minutes.

“Reducing our reliance on cars is a sustainable way to reduce local traffic congestion,” affirmed Ms Shetty.

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www.catprotection.org.au Rehoming Organisation Number: R251000224 CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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HubNEWS

Public housing block will be demolished

BY GRACE JOHNSON public housing unit in Sydney’s inner city that is only 35 years old will soon be demolished as the NSW Government pushes on with controversial plans to rebuild on the site to add 26 more homes.

82 Wentworth Park Road in Glebe has been the site of much controversy in recent times. Residents and community groups are saying the building is too new to be knocked down. Architects have assisted in alternate proposals that centre on renovation rather than demolition, and that would ultimately cost less than the government’s proposal.

Renovations and building on top of the site would also see less disruption to its residents; it would avoid placing people on the state’s already long waiting list for housing.

Despite much protest and even the City of Sydney voting to endorse the community’s alternative plan, on December 13th 2023, the Local Planning Panel met to consider the Development Application (DA), which authorises the demolition and rebuild of 82 Wentworth Park Road.

The four-member panel was divided, but the chairperson’s casting vote went in the Government’s favour.

10 weeks prior in October, Denis Doherty from Hands off Glebe, along with Sydney architect Hector Abrahams, met with the Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) experts.

The proposal created by Hector Abrahams Architects (HAA), engaged on a pro bono basis by The Glebe Society, looked to retain and renovate the existing building with 17 dwellings.

Another 4-storey infill building with 17 additional dwellings would then be constructed in the rear yard area, creating a total of 34 dwellings.

HAA said their proposal would be more cost effective and faster to deliver than LAHC’s new proposal for 43 new dwellings, and would also preserve the heritage and character of Glebe.

LAHC’s proposal also involved reducing the amount of 3-bedroom dwellings, saying that of the 787 dwellings in Glebe that LAHC owns classified as a single dwelling, 28 per cent are currently under occupied.

They go on to say that based on the waitlist data produced by Department of Communities and Justice, 80 per cent of those on the priority waitlist in the Sydney LGA (including Glebe) are suitable for either a studio or 1 bedroom dwelling.

Yet evicting residents, many of which will not be able to return due to reduced 3- or 2-bedroom dwellings, means even more

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Outside 82 Wentworth Park Road.

Photo: Hands Off Glebe, Facebook

people are waiting for public housing. Not to mention, much of the state’s public housing is currently being left vacant, as Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore from City of Sydney has called attention to.

HOUSES LEFT VACANT

According to research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on August 29 2023, there are 2,568 dwellings not in use in the City of Sydney, making up 3.1 per cent of the total dwellings in the area.

All the while, the waitlist for social housing only grows. The latest figures from the NSW Housing Register, published on June 30 2023, show that 55,880 households in NSW are on the waitlist for social housing, 722 of which are in the Sydney allocation zone, and 1,581 from the Inner West.

The LAHC approach is disrespectful and stressful for vulnerable tenants Yet Housing NSW began evicting residents from the site before they even had approval for demolition plans, despite the building being in good condition. The displacement was catastrophic for many. Some of the tenants were forced to sleep rough under the nearby bridge. A few were driven over the edge by the announcement.

The community’s proposal aimed to keep the people in mind.

As Mr Doherty says, “Our, the Community’s, approach is more visionary rather the brutal eviction, demolition and rebuild a leaky building as they have done in other parts of Glebe.”

“The LAHC approach is disrespectful and stressful for vulnerable tenants while our approach is more sensitive and respectful of tenants.”

Mr Doherty said, “How is possible that our scheme is more expensive than theirs when we are not demolishing and excavating the site? Their figures do not add up and we suspect they are more concerned with serving their private contractors than with serving the people!”

“A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE”

Mr Doherty said the community group was recently alarmed when the Sydney Morning Herald published a story on 82 Wentworth Park Road and accepted without criticism figures from the LAHC.

The final decision has been described as a “miscarriage of justice”, with Mr Doherty saying the LAHC did not play fair.

Despite several reminders over the ten weeks to respond to the community proposal, LAHC waited until just four hours before the planning panel met to respond with their objections.

“It is unconscionable that the LAHC did not play fair in relation to the alternate plan for 82 Wentworth Park Road,” said Mr Doherty.

“Instead of sending us a detailed and somewhat erroneous series of objections with time to examine them, LAHC gave us just 4 hours before the planning panel met when they had over 10 weeks to give us an opinion,” he continued.

Furthermore, their report did not fully add up, he says, and the community group has mostly rejected their assessment.

Misinformation about the community’s proposal being more expensive than that of the LAHC’s has spread, seeming to justify the government’s scheme.

He explained, “They costed our scheme as more expensive than theirs even though we do not have to demolish and take away debris and excavate the site. The cost now is $25.3 million but it has been $22, and $25 million in the recent past.”

The decision to demolish was evidently disappointing, but campaign groups haven’t lost hope.

Mr Doherty says, “This is a setback but we intend to continue the campaign to save 82 and to convince the ALP Government in NSW to adopt the new approach to renovating instead of evicting and demolishing.”

“The next stage of the campaign is a direct appeal to Minister Rose Jackson who has the final say on this project.”

HubNEWS

Inquest into death of Jai Wright suspended

BY GRACE JOHNSON he NSW State Coroner has suspended the inquest into the death of Dunghutti teenager Jai Wright and has referred the matter to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP), meaning an officer involved in the crash could receive criminal charges.

On February 19, 2022, the teenage collided with Sergeant Benedict Bryant’s unmarked police car while he was riding a track bike in Sydney’s inner west. He suffered critical head injuries and died the next day in hospital.

NSW Police said the bike had been stolen, along with a black Mercedes and white BMW, about 7am on the day of the collision. At 7:26am, police spotted the vehicles in Newtown and noted they were similar to those reported as stolen.

Officers were reportedly told not to pursue, but CCTV and in-car video footage showed Sgt Bryant swinging the undercover car in front of the bike.

The bike hit a bollard, which acted as a ramp in propelling Jai into the air. He then collided with the front passenger seat of the police car, throwing him several metres into the intersection.

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SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH

Lachlan Wright and Kylie Aloua, Jai’s parents, released a statement, saying they are seeking the truth about the circumstances that led to their son’s death.

“Almost 2 years ago, we received a call, one of the calls that as a parent you never want to receive, about Jai having an accident. We rushed straight to the hospital and we were by our son’s side as he passed away,” they said.

We have faith that we will get justice for Jai “Ever since then, we have been searching for the truth. We need to know the truth so that we can live our lives and move forward.”

“This referral has given us a lot of hope, we have faith that we will get justice for Jai.” “I would just ask all our family and friends to let this process play out because negative comments could hurt future legal proceedings, and believe that at the end we will get our truth and get our justice.”

Jai wright’s father, Lachlan Wright, after the inquest into his son’s death was suspended and referred to the DPP. Photo: Bianca de Marchi, AAP Image

To mark the opening of the inquest on Monday 29 January, a large group gathered at the Coroner’s State Court in Lidcombe to express their support.

Karly Warner, CEO of the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited said: “The Aboriginal Legal Service is proud to stand alongside Jai Wright’s family and community. We share their immense

grief and determination to ensure what happened to Jai never happens again.”

“Jai is one of at least 558 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died in custody and police operations in a little over 30 years since the Royal Commission. Scrutiny and accountability are essential in stopping this national shame.”

“Archaic” concert restrictions lifted at Allianz Stadium

BY GRACE JOHNSON

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he NSW Government has lifted the controversial restriction on concerts at Allianz Stadium to allow 20 concerts per year, saying it will contribute $120 million to the state’s economy annually.

The cap had previously limited the number of concerts in the Moore Park precinct to four per year, following noise complaints after a Rolling Stones concert 20 years ago.

We are taking off the shackles, and making the most of our incredible venues NSW Premier Chris Minns said the change, which was flagged early last year, was a win for the economy and live music.

“For too long NSW has missed out on world-class acts because of an archaic restriction that killed fun in our city and hurt the economy,” he said.

Minister for Music and the Nighttime Economy, Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said, “After successive governments have tied up

our visitor and night-time economy in onerous red tape, we are taking off the shackles, and making the most of our incredible venues.”

Of the 20 major events per year, 2 will be permitted to operate as 10-hour festivals, such as Wave Aid, between the hours of 10am and 11pm.

An 11pm curfew will remain in place, except for the Mardi Gras after-party, if organisers decide to move to the Allianz Stadium.

During the community consultation process, most locals were opposed to lifting the cap, but Minns said there were “tens of thousands” locals who weren’t concerned enough to contribute to the proposal feedback.

“I appreciate that there is going to be opposition to the government’s plans [but] we can’t let a really vocal minority set the agenda for a city that has over 5 million people that live in it,” he said.

CONCERNS ABOUT INCREASED TRAFFIC

Regarding concerns about increased traffic, Minns said it was “a little bit cute” to think that the “middle of downtown Sydney” could be free of traffic.

However, a cycleway on Moore Park

NSW Premier Chris Minns at a press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground, January 17, 2024.

Photo: Flavio Brancaleone, AAP Image

Road as an alternative to one on Oxford Street East has received great community support and could ease the traffic of an area that already gets gridlocked.

Sue Ritchie, the founder of Three Saints Square Project and who submitted the alternative proposal, previously said to City Hub, “Where’s the traffic management plan that goes with that?

It already gets gridlocked there.”

“If people could cycle to the football with the kids, or if they could cycle to the cricket or to other events, it’s another destination that that solution with the dedicated cycleway on Moore Park Road would also accommodate with their plans for increasing patronage of the stadiums,” she continued.

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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HubNEWS

Class action on unlawful strip searches continues

BY JUSTIN COOPER class action on unlawful strip searches at music festivals is set to proceed despite the NSW Government’s attempts to shut it down by “declassing” the representative proceeding.

The group action was filed in the NSW Supreme Court on behalf of hundreds of festivalgoers who were subjected to strip searches by police between 2016 and 2022.

The state tried to argue that such claims should only proceed on an individual basis.

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But the Supreme Court said a class action was the most appropriate way for group members to challenge the legality of and seek compensation for the strip searches, ruling in favour of the Festival Strip Searches Class Action in December.

The Government had previously argued in January last year that under section 157 of the Civil Procedure Act that the class action could not proceed due to a lack of commonality between plaintiff claims.

In addressing the previous notice of motion, Justice Peter Garling explained that the class action would raise similar questions from a common cause.

“I am abundantly satisfied that these representative proceedings should continue because they are the most effective and efficient means of determining the issues raised by the group proceedings,” said Justice Garling.

Furthermore, Justice Garling spoke in favour of the class action’s “alternative” proceedings, as the many individual cases “would not be in the interests of the administration of justice.”

“Accordingly, for these reasons, the Motion was dismissed,” Justice Garling concluded.

The class action on unlawful strip searches will continue despite government’s attempts to declass the proceedings.

Photo: NSW Police Force, Facebook

the search was conducted by a female officer, a male officer briefly entered.

After filing the initial claim, Raya later chose to include and represent hundreds of other festivalgoers between 2016 and 2022 that allege their strip searches constituted unlawful acts including assault, battery and false imprisonment.

Strip searches are invasive, harmful and have a long-lasting impact

“INVASIVE” AND “HARMFUL”

The class action was filed in July 2022 on behalf of plaintiff Raya Meredith, who allegedly experienced an unlawful strip search by NSW Police at the Splendour in the Grass music festival in Byron Bay in 2018.

When entering the festival Raya was pulled aside by police officers and sniffer dogs, requesting they conduct a strip search.

At the 1.5 metre make-shift cubicle, the plaintiff recalls several issues. During the search, Raya was requested to take out her tampon and bend over. Though 14

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

Raya’s case was represented by Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) and Slater and Gordon Lawyers, who have welcomed the court’s decision.

Samantha Lee, a senior police accountability solicitor from RLC, told News Corp that “strip searches are invasive, harmful and have a long-lasting impact”.

“We know that young people are stripsearched at disproportionate rates. We work with many clients who have been deeply traumatised by strip searches,” she said.

“We hope that this class action will achieve justice … and lead to legislative change to ensure strip searches only occur in circumstances of the utmost seriousness.”

CONTROVERSIAL DRUG HARM REDUCTION PROCEDURE

Strip searches are controversial for being often invasive and humiliating in their attempts to reduce drug harm.

Some allege that strip searches target vulnerable populations.

It was recently found that the NSW Police officers strip searched 31 girls (10-17 years) between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2023. Three girls were aged 12 and six girls were aged 13.

In October last year, it was revealed that the number of Indigenous people strip searched by NSW Police jumped by 30 per cent in the by 30 per cent 12 months, with 11 of those searched under 18, including a 12-year-old.

Strip searches and use of drug detection dogs have been criticised by activists and political parties alike.

Greens Legislative Member Cate Faehrmann has been a particularly strong voice against sniffer dogs.

In September, Faehrmann revealed parliamentary documents which state that the average success rate of sniffer dogs has been 25 per cent over the past 10 years. Furthermore, only 47 per cent of police officers had completed the relevant music festival training in the allocated time frame.

Speaking to City Hub at the time, Ms Faehrmann said, “Countless experts have said that this over-the-top policing could be causing more harm than the drugs themselves.”

“This is harassment, plain and simple and shows just how much the police are trying to justify the whole disgraceful, wasteful program.”

The Greens have recently made the push for pill testing to be conducted in favour of strip searches at music festivals, introducing a bill to trial the methods in thesState.

Despite many reports raising concern of the rising search rates and evidential effectiveness of the procedure, Premier Chris Minns has continued to defend NSW Police’s strip search protocols.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has also adhered to his argument that pilltesting was not a one-stop solution for preventing drug-related deaths.

HubNEWS

Mayor slams Rozelle contractors after asbestos discovery

BY GRACE JOHNSON nner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has slammed Rozelle Parklands contractors as “arrogant” and “disrespectful” following the recent discovery of asbestos near the children’s playground.

After extensive testing, a total of 17 samples have returned positive for bonded asbestos. The discovery was first made after a child took home some mulch.

“The former government promised their reward would be a new parkland that met the wishes of the community.”

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The community is right to be outraged about the discovery of asbestos The contractors who built the park, John Holland and CPB, have been ordered by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to remove all contaminated material by February 29.

But the mayor is demanding answers, saying the contractors are “still arrogantly refusing to meet with the local community to discuss the remediation and reopening of the park.”

“Having made a fortune in profits from the Rozelle Interchange, these

COMMUNITY OUTRAGE

Asbestos was discovered in the parklands three weeks after it opened on December 17.

Photo: Bianca de Marchi, AAP Image

internationally owned entities are now trying to wash their hands of the contamination problem they left behind.”

The mayor said he had written to the CEO of John Holland, Joe Barr, and the Managing Director of CPB, Jason Spears, requesting them to meet with him at the parklands. Neither responded.

“Neither of these highly remunerated executives have even bothered to reply, let alone come to Rozelle to take responsibility for the mess they have left us,” said Mayor Byrne.

“This total lack of accountability is a

PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION LOCATED AT POINT PIPER

Telstra plan to upgrade the existing telecommunications facility comprising a rooftop structure at 25 Wolseley Road, Point Piper, NSW 2027 (Lot CP on SP5849) www.rfnsa.com.au/2027002

1. Telstra Corporation Limited (A.C.N 051 775 556) are currently upgrading existing mobile network facilities. The purpose of this installation is to improve 4G and 5G mobile coverage and connectivity for our customers in the in the Point Piper service area.

2. The proposed facility upgrade includes the removal of the three (3) existing panel antennas, the installation of three (3) new panel antennas (each no more than 2.8m long), and the installation of associated ancillary equipment (including but not limited to nine (9) remote radio units (RRUs)). All internal equipment will be housed within the existing equipment shelter to be located at the base of the facility.

3. Telstra regard the proposed installation as a Low-impact Facility under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 based on the above description.

4. In accordance with Section 7 of C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, we invite you to provide feedback about this proposal.

Further information and/or written submissions should be directed to Adi Ananda, Aurecon Australasia Pty Ltd (A.B.N 54 005 139 873) via email to: adi.ananda@aurecongroup.com or via post to: Adi Ananda, Aurecon Australasia, PO Box 23061, Docklands, VIC, 8012 by 5pm on 22/02/2024.

continuation of the disrespectful way they have treated residents around the Rozelle Interchange for the last halfdecade.”

The parklands were promised to local residents as compensation for the extreme disruption caused by the opening of the Rozelle Interchange.

At the time, Minister for Roads John Graham said, “The Inner West, and specifically the Rozelle community, has accepted much more than its fair share of disruption during the construction of WestConnex.”

The asbestos contamination was discovered only three weeks after the opening of the parklands.

Kobi Shetty MP told City Hub, “The community is right to be outraged about the discovery of asbestos in our newly opened parklands.”

“The government need to urgently remediate the parkland and ensure it’s safe and accessible to our community as soon as possible. They also need to look at significant reform to ensure we don’t have to face a mess like this again.”

Echoing the mayor’s frustrations with John Holland contractors, she said, “We have seen an unwillingness from John Holland throughout this project to accept responsibility for the impact it has had on our community, so people are right to be sceptical about whether this will be well managed by the contractor.”

“Our community expected a park that was safe for our children, and instead we’ve been left with asbestos contamination,” she said.

PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION IN EASTLAKES NSW INCLUDING 5G S1745 Eastlakes North: Existing facility on Gardeners Road at the Southern Cross Drive Overpass, Eastlakes NSW 2018 (RFNSA number: 2018008) 1. The proposed facility consists of the addition of new equipment and associated works as follows (including 5G): • Installation of three (3) new Optus/Vodafone passive antennas, 2.2m long, on new antenna mount of the new headframe at a height of 21.6m • Installation of six (6) new Vodafone remote radio units (RRU’s) to be installed on new RRU mount • Installation of nine (9) new Optus RRU’s to be installed on new RRU mount • The removal, replacement and reconfiguration of existing panel antennas and associated ancillary equipment including AAU’s, RRU’s and GPS antenna’s 2. Optus and Vodafone regard the proposed installations as Low-impact Facilities under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 (“The Determination”), based on the description above.

3. In accordance with Section 7 of C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, we invite you to provide feedback about the proposal.

Should you require further information or wish to comment, please contact Lia Drivas at Ventia, (02) 8248 6496, community.consultation@ventia.com or 10 Browning Street, West End QLD 4010 by Friday 23rd February 2024. Further information may also be obtained from www.rfnsa.com.au/2018008.

CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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HubNEWS

Opinion

Navigating towards a fair and equitable society

BY PETER HEHIR he ideologies of capitalism and socialism are perceived to be irreconcilable. Individual freedom and the desire to accumulate wealth without government hinderance is pitted against the recognition of the necessity of the State to provide a humane, fair and sustainable society; one in which we all can flourish.

But are they diametrically opposed?

Without a viable political alternative, Australian politics and indeed that of most of the Western world will continue to lurch between a quasi-democratic imitation of true democracy and a faux form of socialism.

It’s as inevitable as the swing of a pendulum, with a cycle and a repetition that achieves nothing, just the illusion of movement. Motion that goes nowhere.

All the while both systems preside over an ever widening gap between the wealthy and the poor. And neither give voice to the environment.

Hammered out in the early 20th century following the war to end all wars, the social experiment that spawned the emergence of both Stalin’s socialism and Hitler’s fascism rode the crest of a popular wave. Both promised a brighter future. Just as Trump does today. Both rode to power on the back of ‘us and them’. Sections of the population were identified, scapegoated, and targeted by the popularist leaders as the cause of the social malaise. Blame was apportioned and the inevitable mass killings followed.

History proved that both were abject failures.

The denial of the conservatives on both sides of politics to entertain the possibility of a causal relationship between the use of fossil fuels and the climate crisis, is reminiscent of the tobacco industry’s protracted fight for their right to knowingly continue to sell a lethal drug.

The failure of the Liberals, the Nationals and the ALP to realise that without clean air, food, water and a healthy biosphere, both humans and the planet face extinction. We live on a finite planet with finite resources. Continuing to consume those resources for short term gain without regard to the environmental and social impact, confirms our path to oblivion. Primary school students everywhere know that habitat destruction ensures the eradication of species.

And we are destroying our habitat.

Environmentalists, especially the hugely popular David Attenborough, have shone a light on the ever accelerating rate of the decimation of flora and

Neither capitalism nor socialism give voice to the environment. Photo: Pearls and Irritations

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fauna in every corner of the planet.

Attenborough’s footage, from his early black and white film to his current high resolution videos, catalogues irrefutable evidence of the ongoing eradication of species.

Both systems preside over an ever-widening gap between the wealthy and the poor As a result, the majority of the world’s population, especially so those in the educated West, are well aware that the Amazon, once seen as the lungs of the Earth, is disappearing before our eyes.

We know that micro plastics are now at the poles, in the oceans, the deserts and atop Mt Everest. This would have been inconceivable thirty years ago.

There have been many attempts to introduce a third major party here. All have failed. Even the Greens, who it could be argued are the social and environmental conscience of the Australian Labor Party, have stalled.

The ALP is split on what are seen as ideological divisions. But is the Left truly socialist? And is the Right truly democratic?

It’s perhaps more accurate to describe the Left in the ALP as tertiary educated, middle class, white collar and Protestant; and the Right as secondary educated, working class, blue collar and Catholic. Ideology comes a distant last if it’s even considered at all.

Bruce Petty’s 1980’s cartoon of the inner workings of the ALP machine is a superb satirical work capturing the riven nature of so called left wing politics.

Had the ALP not deserted its base and moved away from its blue collar roots The Greens would not exist. In Australia The Greens have taken the moral, social and environmental high ground.

But they are widely seen just as a party of opposition. Quick to point out the

failings but unable to proffer a cohesive set of alternatives. They are almost as internally split as the ALP. Drawn from a broader base, their members are aware of the nexus between fossil fuels and the climate crisis, and they all share an environmental perspective.

But for many that’s where it stops.

In the eighties the West German Greens clearly saw that the mass of humanity and the environment were being exploited. Petra Kelly, Rudolph Bahro and Gert Bastian merged the best of the East/West ideology and gave birth to the following four pillars.

impossible concept to grasp by those on the power side of the master/servant paradigm.

Imagine a political party that campaigned to put those concepts into practice. One that advocated for a sphere of economic activity that brought them all together.

Imagine a ceasefire declared against plants, animals and humans; a workforce drawn from the underemployed where the profits from socially useful goods would be shared at the point of manufacture between those who created them. Where planned obsolescence was recognised as a major design and production problem – one that achieves nothing, except to accelerate environmental degradation.

Socialist? Perhaps. But no more so than the partners in a law firm or a medical practice, or those who collectively pay premiums to an insurer.

In the 21st Century it has to be possible to envisage a society where social justice and the planet’s essential life support systems coalesce. Australia is one of the very few countries in the world free enough to entertain the emergence of such a political alternative.

Surely we would all support any and all efforts to save planet Earth, ensuring that our children still have a home.

Australia’s political Wonderland Original illustration by John Tenniel, text added by Peter Hehir

Nonviolence, which no sane person could argue against. Ghandi’s salt march proved just how effective a tool this could be. Protection of the world’s biomass; again a no brainer. Social justice, which remains an utterly foreign concept to those who are well off. And grass roots democracy – an equally

The activists among us recognise that politics is a numbers game. We also know that we are powerless to act while ever there is no real political alternative to Tweedle dumb and Tweedle dumber.

This article was first published in Pearls and Irritations.

COFFIN ED’S NAKED CITY

THE BANNED AND THE SELF EXCLUDED

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ohn Howard once said: “We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come”. He was referring to refugees at the time but there’s a much broader spectrum to the denial of visas.

Prominent anti-Semites and outspoken racists have often been excluded, as was the case with holocaust denialists, David Icke and David Irving, both from the UK. The notorious American neo-Nazi George Lincoln Rockwell was also refused entry.

Needless to say, both Gary Glitter and Australian-born British citizen, Rolf Harris had no problems obtaining entertainment visas to enter the country, despite ever present whispers.

When it comes to entertainers and creative artists, there have also been some rare incidents where a self-imposed ban has come into play. That was certainly the case back in 2011 when the renowned US graphic artist Robert Crumb pulled the plug on his Australian visit following a vicious tabloid fuelled campaign of vilification against him.

One of America’s greatest cartoonists and all round eccentrics, Crumb was

invited to the ‘Graphic’ Festival that was to include an exhibition of his works at the Sydney Opera House. For perhaps no other reason than raising tabloid fury, the Sunday Telegraph decided to demonise him, drawing attention to his often racy, but by no means obscene comics and admissions of sexual fantasies.

Somebody there didn’t get the joke!

Rather than focus on just that, they chose to validate the outrage by getting an opinion from Queensland based anti

child abuse campaigner Hetty Johnson.

Despite the fact that she had never heard of Crumb, they sent her a tiny sample of his prolific work and she replied that it would be complicit in creating communities that are unsafe for children and should be banned. Her published quote at the time was: “The Sydney Opera House is endorsing the depraved thought processes of this very warped human being. These cartoons are not funny or artistic - they

are just crude and perverted images emanating from what is clearly a sick mind.”

Fearing further vilification and even physical violence when he arrived, Crumb pulled the pin on his tour, effectively banning himself from the visit. He apologised profusely to the organisers and in an open letter to the Sydney Morning Herald he wrote: “I was quite alarmed when I read the article in the Sunday Telegraph. I showed it to my wife, Aline, who said, ‘’That’s it, you’re not going.’’ She got a very bad feeling from the article. She feared I might be attacked physically by some angry, outraged person who simply saw red at the mention of child molesters.

She remarked she’d never seen any article about me as nasty as this one.”

The whole episode was a shabby exercise in assassination-by-tabloid and had little to do with targeting those involved in real child abuse. Ironically the Australian tabloid media has been very slow in investigating and exposing paedophiles and other child abusers here, be they in the Catholic church or even working within the media.

PROPOSAL TO UPGRADE MOBILE PHONE BASE STATION LOCATED AT GLEBE

Telstra plan to upgrade the existing telecommunications facility comprising a rooftop facility at 431 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, New South Wales 2037 (Lot 2 on DP181698) www.rfnsa.com.au/2037007

Potts Point • Darlinghurst • Glebe Redfern • Pyrmont • Surry Hills 17 February – 6 April

1. Telstra Corporation Limited (A.C.N 051 775 556) are currently upgrading existing mobile network facilities. The purpose of this installation is to improve 4G and 5G mobile coverage and connectivity for our customers in the in the Glebe service area.

2. The proposed facility upgrade includes the removal of six (6) existing panel antennas, the installation of three (3) new panel antennas (each no more than 2.8m long), as well as the installation and removal of associated ancillary equipment (including, but not limited to the installation of three (3) new remote radio units (RRUs)). All internal equipment will be housed within the existing equipment shelter located at the base of the facility.

3. Telstra regard the proposed installation as a Low-impact Facility under the Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 based on the above description.

4. In accordance with Section 7 of C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, we invite you to provide feedback about this proposal. Further information and/or written submissions should be directed to Adi Ananda, Aurecon Australasia Pty Ltd (A.B.N 54 005 139 873) via email to: adi.ananda@aurecongroup.com or via post to: Adi Ananda, Aurecon Australasia, PO Box 23061, Docklands, VIC, 8012 by 5pm on 22/02/2024.

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NEW STORE IN TOWN:

AUSTRALIA’S FIRST DISPENSARY With medicinal cannabis being prescribed at higher rates than ever, are we moving towards full legalisation?

BY GRACE JOHNSON ny day now, Sydney will welcome its first in-person cannabis dispensary.

With Mardi Gras celebrations fast approaching, MiDispensary will officially open its doors to the public, as soon as they receive pharmacy guild approval.

Located on the southern side of Oxford Street in Bondi Junction, amidst bustling cafes, lively shopfronts and residential apartments, the dispensary will be the first clinic in Australia to offer faceto-face consultations with an on-site pharmacy specialising in cannabis products.

Their GPs only prescribe medicinal cannabis, and the pharmacy only dispenses medicinal cannabis products through a range of mediums – capsules, chewables, creams, crystals, flowers, lozenges, oils, sprays, and more.

Consultations can be bulk billed through Medicare. Follow-ups are generally carried out at one-, three-, six- and twelvemonth intervals to ensure optimal results.

MiDispensary first opened in June 2021 for telehealth consultations with the mission of reducing the difficulties in accessing plant-based medicines. But behind the store concept is co-founder Eidan Havas, who embarked on the journey of creating his own face-toface clinic and storefront after his own experiences with medicinal cannabis.

Havas, who has defended some interesting characters like prison helicopter escapee John Killick and former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer in his day job as a criminal lawyer, described to City Hub how he first got into cannabis in 2019.

“I was arrested very much publicly for a crime that I was innocent of. As a result of that arrest, I suffered significant mental health issues,” Havas said. “I subsequently commenced proceedings against the state of New South Wales that got settled out of court. But my mental health issues were treated by medicinal cannabis.”

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Eidan Havas at his MiDispensary store in Bondi Junction.

Photo: Mark Dickson Photography

“It really changed my life,” he continued.

“I was a patient at a clinic, and I saw firsthand the issues with accessibility.

And so I’ve ventured on this journey to open up a clinic that, in essence, had a one-stop shop.”

The clinic enables patients to get quality treatment in-person, as well as access to medication on the spot.

“Normally everything is done via telehealth, where you’re just pushed on through fifteen-minute appointments.

Then you’re forced to go to a certain pharmacy, and most pharmacies are not local. Then you order your prescription and wait a couple days for it to arrive,” he says.

“Also, most community pharmacies aren’t going to keep stock because it expires, and they don’t know if someone will actually come get it.”

Since the legalisation of medicinal cannabis in 2016, more than a million prescriptions have been issued.

There’s been a steady increase

too, according to numbers from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

In 2018, doctors prescribedthe drug to just 292 people.

By 2021, this had jumped to 150,117.

The next year, this more than doubled – 316,879 people got prescriptions for medicinal cannabis. (See graph, page 21)

My mental health issues were treated by medicinal cannabis Clearly, there is a rocketing demand from patients. But could the numbers also indicate a growing acceptance of medicinal cannabis as a legitimate form of medicine?

Photo: Dmytro Tyschchenko, Shutterstock

Martin Lane, co-founder of Cannabiz, told City Hub, “The growth of the medical market in Australia is likely to normalise the conversation around cannabis use, at least among the general public, who have either used and benefited from it, or know someone who has.”

Dr Llew Mills, a drug and alcohol researcher with the University of Sydney Medical School, agreed.

“More and more people seem to accept that using it is no worse than alcohol and certainly not as serious as amphetamines or opioids,” he told City Hub.

Graph: Source: TGA

“Cannabis has long been associated with counterculture so opinions will always vary, but I think that generally people are less inclined to see it as the devil than they used to.”

Since the laws changed, and especially in recent years, access to medicinal cannabis has become much simpler. Though some pharmacies, such as Fords Discount Pharmacy on King Street in Newtown, display signs for plant-based medicine, not everyone knows how to legally access the drug. Clinics have certainly streamlined the process, but Havas is hopeful that once people start seeing dispensaries on the street, society will become more open to medicinal cannabis and that there will be even fewer barriers to access.

“It’s illegal to advertise – it’s against the TGA rules – but once we have a MiDispensary on every corner, people will start asking questions, they may pop in, they may get assessed and try it,” Havas told City Hub. “But because we don’t have any clinics and pharmacies that have opened up, we’re behind the eight ball on that. So the public hasn’t been able to recognise this as a potential treatment. It’s just word of mouth.”

According to Havas, we can expect to see a significant number of clinics and pharmacies opening up over the next few years. MiDispensary has already secured another location in Newcastle, which should be ready to go in six months.

“The next locations we’re looking at are Wollongong and Fairfield.”

The medicinal cannabis industry is currently worth about $230 million but with great economic potential - Havas said the industry could be worth five billion in the next five years. There’s also potential for domestic and export markets, and

thousands of jobs created in the process of supporting that growth.

The criminalisation of cannabis costs Australia massively. A study from 2022 found that since 2010, more than 90 per cent of the 700,000 cannabisrelated offences across Australia were for personal use or possession.

That study by the Penington Institute, a public health non-profit based in Melbourne, found that the cost of enforcement is enormous. In the 20152016 financial year alone, more than $1.7 billion was spent on enforcement.

The war on drugs disproportionately targets the LGBTIQA+ community and always has Most of the money ($1.1 billion) went to prisons, many being private businesses. $475 million was spent on policing the drug, and the rest on litigating matters in court, and legal aid and prosecution.

Last year the Greens said that the legalisation of cannabis, according to figures obtained from the Parliamentary Budget Office, would general more than $28 billion in government revenue in the first decade after legalisation.

“This comes from GST, company tax and a 15% cannabis sales tax,” the statement reads. “With a 25% cannabis sales tax the revenue would surge to over $36 billion.”

The $26 billion generated from legalised

cannabis would allow the government to “undertake serious social justice measures”, such as raising the rate of Job Seeker and Youth Allowance payments by $80 a fortnight, or building more than 88,000 additional public housing units over the next decade, giving a quarter of a million people a home.

Greens Senator and Justice Spokesperson David Shoebridge said, “We know that legalising cannabis reduces harm by keeping people out of the criminal justice system, this report shows how it will also bring in tens of billions of dollars of public revenue as well.

“When we legalise cannabis we take billions away from organised crime, police and the criminal justice system and we can then spend it on schools, housing, hospitals and social support.”

Jeremy Buckingham MLC, from the Legalise Cannabis party, described criminalisation as “a wasteful, pointless, and unsuccessful war on cannabis.”

The targeting of vulnerable populations over minor cannabis-related offences in turn continues to feed money to the criminal justice system and policing.

In 1996, California became the first state to legalise the medical use of cannabis under the Compassionate Use Act. Twenty years later in 2016, California fully legalised marijuana in their efforts to cripple illegal operators as well as reduce cannabis-related criminal penalties, which were similarly abundant with racial injustices.

Havas, who is from Miami, Florida, and grew up in America, discussed the steps to legalisation in California.

“When California legalised cannabis for medical purposes in 1996, people were outraged that you could get a prescription and not see a doctor, because it’s all done by telehealth,” he said.

“As time progressed, people saw that the use of cannabis didn’t increase crime or deaths on roads.”

Jeremy Buckingham from the Legalise Cannabis Party. Photo: Australian Greens, Creative Commons

In conversation with City Hub, he also said that drug laws, and cannabis laws in particular, have long been used to police First Nations people.

Between 2013 and 2017, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found that NSW Police pursued 80 per cent of Indigenous people found with small amounts of cannabis through the courts, compared to 50 per cent for the nonIndigenous population.

Only 11 per cent of Indigenous people caught by police were issued with cautions, compared with 40 per cent of non-Indigenous people, often trapping young Aboriginal people into a justice system they might never get out of.

Recent years have also seen outrage over the use of sniffer dogs at Mardi Gras celebrations, which often leads to arrests over tiny amounts of cannabis. Last year, NSW Greens Senator David Shoebridge said, “The war on drugs disproportionately targets the LGBTIQA+ community and always has.”

“Then they became open to it recreationally, and their market developed like that.”

“I don’t think we’ll be legalised recreationally anytime soon, but the point is, if you go to California now, you’ll see a dispensary on every corner.”

Buckingham said, “What we’ve seen in most jurisdictions is a transition from prohibition to medicinal cannabis to recreational cannabis.”

“We’ve seen that in the United States, where now nearly thirty states have medicinal then recreational cannabis. The same has occurred in places in Mexico, Thailand, the EU and Canada.”

Medicinal cannabis is the first step then towards legalised recreational use.

But what might our society look like if cannabis use is legalised?

“I see less people in jail,” said Buckingham. “Less First Nations people in the criminal justice system. And I see thousands of jobs and economic development and revenue.”

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HubARTS

EUROPA! EUROPA! FILM FESTIVAL

Showcasing the best of new and classic European cinema (See p.29)

REVIEW

THE MAGIC FLUTE

BY IRINA DUNN irected by Kate Gaul, this production of The Magic Flute emphasises the “magic” nature of the opera by presenting it as a fairytale.

The humour is underscored from the opening, where the three ladies (Jane Ede, Indyana Schneider and Ruth Strutt) squabble over the handsome young man who has fainted at the sight of a dragon, which is a clever projection of a cut-out on a white curtain stretched across the stage. No longer the cumbersome clunky monster of yesteryear!

Tamino is often portrayed with more gravitas than he is given in this production,

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and Michael Smallwood’s mellifluous tenor reflects his character’s all-too-human moods.

Soprano Stacey Alleaume’s Pamina is richly expressive and assured as the heroine.

Papageno, played by baritone Ben Mingay, looks like a tradie carrying his Esky, while his long-sought-after love Papagena, sung

by Jennifer Black, is dressed to look like both a bird, as is appropriate, but also a vaudeville dancer, with feathers on her head and sticking out behind her in a great show of plumage.

The Queen of the Night, generally regarded as the wicked mother and dressed in

Photo: Keith-Saunders

black, was costumed in a gorgeous silver gown and with a hairstyle reminiscent of Mae West.

Coloratura Giuseppina Grech was truly magnificent in her first appearance in this role, hitting every note in the famous aria with precision and clarity. It was thrilling to listen to her.

Kanen Breen did not disappoint in his portrayal of the villain everyone loves to boo, namely Sarastro’s henchman Monostatos, and I have to ask, if Sarastro is supposed to be the embodiment of reason and light, why does he have such a ghastly hitman to do his bidding?

David Parkin’s Sarastro was deeply impressive as he delivered his lines in a fantastic costume of gold, looking like a resurrected Tutankhamun.

The Spirits, Zev Mann, Abbey Hammond and James Valanidas, had crystal clear voices and a wonderful stage confidence for such youthful singers.

The orchestra under the baton of the Teresa Riveiro Böhm was alive to the sweetest nuances of Mozart’s score, as was the chorus.

Until March 16, Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point opera.org.au

TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS REVIEW

BY IRINA DUNN ased on the genuine letters from Cheryl Strayed’s book which she collated from correspondence she responded to under the name of “Sugar” in an agony aunt column.

When playwright of Tiny Beautiful Things, Nia Vardalos, (also screenwriter and star of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding films) was given a copy of the book, she was moved to tears.

Mandy McElhinney takes on the role of Sugar as she goes about her housework on a set that presents a domestic living space that clearly contains signs of young children.

The roles of the three letter writers are filled by Stephen Geronimos, Angela Nica Sullen and Nic Prior.

Sugar is a funny, candid and honest correspondent as she responds to

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THE ALL NEW SHORT + SWEET SYDNEY

BY RITA BRATOVICH new venue, a new festival director, a new partnership, some new awards, and of course, a whole heap of new and exciting 10-minute plays will give fresh, new energy to this year’s Short + Sweet – Theatre festival.

Known lovingly as the Biggest Little Theatre Festival in the World, this Aussie-made gem has been exported to countries around the globe. It will kick off its 21st year hand-in-hand with TAFE NSW in the gorgeous heritage building, Turner Hall on the TAFE Ultimo campus.

A mere 10-minute walk from Central Station, this spacious, renovated venue will be an inspiring setting for the 10week season of Short + Sweet.

The festival’s first week is a delicious

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tasting platter of one-act wonders. For example: In There’s a Fly in my Soup, a couple eat some soup in a restaurant and end up in full blown battle with a fly.

In The Pact, the idealist notion of motherhood is confronted head on when childless-by-choice Jessy spits the dummy at a gender reveal baby shower.

Grace finds Kylie standing over a freshly dug open grave. She reveals to her newly returned older sister Lala all that happened after Lala fled home to escape their father’s abuse.

In Late for School, Lynn is being interrogated by the police but doesn’t understand why.

She thinks she was just late to class.

Week 1: Feb 15 – 18, Turner Hall, 19 Mary Ann St, Ultimo shortandsweet.org

Photo: Brett Boardman

letters from all kinds of people from all walks of life. She is compassionate but also very direct, sometimes revealing extremely personal details about her own life. As director Lee Lewis notes, the play is “an extraordinary tribute to the tradition of ‘kitchen table wisdom’.”

“I have never read another play like Tiny Beautiful Things,” says Lewis.

“This is not in the tradition of ‘the well-made play’. The story, if there is one for you, rises up through an accumulation of moments… much like life. This is, if you like, a new way of trying to create a portrait of life.”

[Content Warning: course language, sensitive themes] Until March 2, Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills belvoir.com.au

HubARTS

NEW GHOSTS IN THE OLD FITZ

BY JOHN MOYLE round the middle of last year, theatre director Lucy Clements received a call that would change the course of her life.

After mounting 200 shows at the Old Fitz, producing company Redline Productions were moving on and wanted to know if Clements was up for the challenge of taking over.

Originally from Perth where she graduated from WAAPA, Clements specialises in developing and presenting new plays while promoting the roles of women in theatre.

She formed New Ghosts Theatre Company, a production entity that looked to the past for the history of storytelling while creating new stories and experiences.

Relocating to Sydney in 2016, Clements became a resident director at the Old Fitz , and a year later she was taking two shows, The Wind in the Underground and Paper Doll back to Perth’s FRINGEWORLD festival.

“Then the New Ghost Theatre needed to grow and last year I got a great bunch of directors on board and we created a business model and we are looking at a 10-year business plan,” Clements said.

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Lucy Clements and Emma Wright

Shorty after getting notifications that they were taking over the Old Fitz, NGTC called for submissions for 2024 and received over 140 applications.

“We are looking for diversity of content and our first production (Lonesome West) is an exciting and tight text from a known playwright and that will be followed by a brand new production of The Swell which premiered in London last year. Our third play is a new Australian play

called Frame Narrative written by Emily Sheehan.”

Frame Narrative tells the story of a revered filmmaker who is promoting her new film, an adaptation of Mary Shelly’s, Frankenstein. A young critic suggests there must be a dark backstory that has drawn her to the Gothic horror classic. Rumours begin to circulate about the treatment of the actors on set and a tension between the film’s two leading ladies is revealed.

Frame Narrative will be directed by Lucy Clements (Winner Best Director Sydney Theatre Awards) and produced

by NGTC’s Emma Wright.

From early February the Old Fitz will also be hosting late night shows starting with Everything Is Shit, an award winning rock cabaret.

“There is a real diversity of scale there from a one person cabaret through to well known works and we want this space to support all those ideas,” Clements said.

On February 11 from 12pm to 7pm, the Old Fitz Theatre will be taking over Dowling Street outside the pub for A Street Party Named Fitz to raise money for the theatre, and to deliver a day of music, performances and festivities.

The role of independent theatre in Sydney is getting harder with costs rising across all sectors, but nothing helps the passion of its creators more than having supporters, and the best way most can do that is to help the companies find some security by purchasing season tickets.

Old Fitz Theatre, 192 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo www.oldfitztheatre.com.au

SHAKESPEARE TO THE MAX

BY RITA BRATOVICH lready having garnered a slew of awards and sold out shows globally, &Juliet is about to head to Sydney, and the anticipation is palpable.

With a book by Emmy-winning writer of the quirky comedy series, Schitt’s Creek, and featuring the repurposed songs from phenomenal pop-hit guru, Max Martin, the success of &Juliet is virtually guaranteed. However, the show itself may not be as predictable as you think.

The premise works backwards from the unhappy ending of Shakespeare’s tale and asks: what if Juliet didn’t drink the vial of poison? What if, instead of giving her life for Romeo, she took it back and lived it herself on her on terms?

It’s a story for now, and it explores themes of independence, reawakening, identity and love in all its glory and complexity.

“The love that you can have for someone else, you can also have for yourself, you can also have for your friends, for your family. It sort of puts

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other versions of love up on the same pedestal as romantic love,” explains Blake Appelqvist, who plays Romeo in the Australian production of &Juliet.

“That’s a kind of Romeo I can see for a modern day and it’s one that I want to promote for young people or anyone who’s questioning love.”

Appelqvist is hot property in musical theatre world, having had terrific reviews for their (Appelqvist identifies as nonbinary) performances in myriad shows including Bonnie & Clyde, Frozen, Fan Girls, Kinky Boots, Priscilla:The Musical, and The Lovers.

Interestingly, The Lovers is another musical that viewed Shakespeare (in this case, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) through a different lens.

“I think [Shakespeare] really does lend itself to musical theatre — and particularly, actually, to pop music — in that Shakespeare plays are meant to be performed live, they’re meant to be received in the flesh, offline, and same with pop music. Both Shakespeare and pop music, they live in the same world — elevated truth.”

One of the biggest hype factors of this

musical is the inclusion of some of the greatest pop hits of the last three decades, penned by Swedish super songwriter/producer, Max Martin. Despite their strong association with pop stars such as Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry among many other major stars, the songs fit seamlessly into the plot of &Juliet.

“It really doesn’t feel like a jukebox musical by the way that the scenes have been so cleverly written around the songs. And it’s also a testament

to the master songwriter that is Max Martin,” says Appelqvist.

Appelqvist invites everyone to experience this reinvention of an alltime classic.

“If you’re wanting something new and fresh or something that’s a vibrant twist on a love story, or if you’re bored of the same old stories and characters, I think this is the perfect show for you.”

February 27 - April 28, Sydney Lyric Theatre, 55 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont www.sydneylyric.com.au/and-juliet CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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HubARTS

Photo credits: Robert Knapman Photography

Oxtravaganza is a local Darlinghurst festival that gives Mardi Gras season just that bit of extra volume and bounce.

Now in its eighth year, Oxtravaganza has grown from being a wild weekend shopping blitz to a curated two week arts and community celebration.

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BY RITA BRATOVICH hile focused in the glitter zones of Oxford Street and the Rainbow Precinct, the festival can’t help but sashay over into its sister-villes, Surry Hills and Kings Cross. Virtually every shop, restaurant, cafe, bar, gallery and usable space in the district has jumped aboard the Oxtravaganza fun wagon and will be offering something special.

“Oxtravaganza pulls out all the stops” says Festival Curator Lorraine Lock. “I mean, it’s not unusual to find something happening on Oxford St on any night of the week, but Oxtravaganza and Mardi Gras ramp it up to another level!”

The program of over 100 events across 40 venues ensures that everyone in the

community is catered for, even the kids.

Now, you could just be a wafter and wander through Darlinghurst without a plan, allowing the winds of fortune to take you to some unexpected treat, but with so many wonderful things to see, hear, and taste, you don’t want to leave it to chance.

So fire up your project management app, or go old school and grab a pencil and pad, group-chat your pals, gather the kids around, and start making notes.

Here are some highlights.

DARLO BIG DRAG BRUNCH (FEB 24 - 25 & MAR 2): Drag yourself out of bed and head off to one of the many fabulous local eateries for a delicious bottomless brunch with maybe a drag queen or two to boot.

Dozens of restaurants, bars and cafes will be participating with some offering bottomless brunch throughout the week as well.

PHOTO EXHIBITION (FEB 16 - MAR 3): The streets of Darlinghurst and surrounds will become the corridors of one big gallery. Local business shop fronts will display photographs featuring portraits of well-known Darlo identities as well as pics from the past showcasing the best of Oxtravaganza.

ART IN THE ‘HOOD (FEB 16 - MAR 3): The National Art School is one of the oldest art institutions in the country, and its historic campus sits smack in the middle of Darlinghurst. During Oxtravaganza, the NAS will be showing the photographic works of C Moore Hardy, who has been documenting queer life in Sydney for almost five decades.

Just down the road is a very new institution, Qtopia, which has repurposed the heritage Darlinghurst Police Station into an LGBTQ+ arts museum. The

have an ongoing program of works commemorating and celebrating queer history and identity.

SHOP TILL U DROP (FEB 16 - MAR 3): Loosen those purse-strings and unfurl your eco foldable shopping bags, it’s time for some discretionary spending. So many bargains in so many stores, plus DJs, drag queens, and giveaways. Pop over to a popup or pop in to a popular outlet.

FAMILY ZONE (FEB 24): A fabulous day for the family in the safe, child-friendly confines of East Sydney Community Arts Centre. Take a breather and let the drag queens read some stories to the little ones while you get a wellearned massage. Fairy floss, goodie bags, and lots of fun activities. The kids can even learn to put on make-up…you’re never too young.

Oxtravaganza ’24 is going to go off. Be sure and check the website 24

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HubARTS

THE HUBS (FEB 16 - MAR 3): Explore greater Darlinghurst. The famed Golden Mile of Oxford Street is surrounded by rainbow enclaves, each offering a slightly different hue. At the very heart of Darlo is the Rainbow Precinct, in and around Taylor Square, which is becoming quite the destination, with excellent dining, nightclubs, bars, galleries and retail. The recently established Hollywood Quarter is

a micro-precinct that pays homage to its filmic history. Themed hotels, restaurants, bars, venues and lots of nostalgia.

Stanley Street has long been known as a great dining locale with a good selection of unpretentious, affordable restaurants and one of the city’s oldest and most loved pubs, The Lord Roberts.

The Glittering Mile is the monicker given to Darlinghurst Road; it joins Oxford St to Kings Cross and is brimming with culture, lifestyle and queerness.

for updates and get your sensible shoes ready for some serious strolling. oxtravaganza.com CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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HubARTS Bhavani Baumann.

Photo: Supplied

THE FIRST VEGAN PUB IN AUSTRALIA

BY ELIZABETH USHER havani Baumann is well-known in vegan circles, having had various local vegan ventures in recent years, including The Green Lion and Sanga Vegan, plus a stint of ‘unbranded’ weekly catering runs in between. It’s not yet been a year since she opened the instantly popular all-vegan bistro, Mama B’s, at the Chippendale Hotel – aka The Chippo.

But it seems Baumann never wants to slow down; this month she is adding ‘publican’ to her CV and taking over The Chippo completely, with Brett Strauss stepping away after over a decade.

“I’ve always wanted to do a vegan pub, I just didn’t think I was going to get the opportunity,” says Baumann, who is amazed and excited about having the very first all-vegan pub in Australia.

She explains how much work has been involved in the move, such as ensuring all the liquors and spirits on offer will be vegan.

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expanding the current regular shows to five nights of comedy a week, with a mix of theatre sports and stand-up including the already-established regulars, Stand OUT Comedy Club on Wednesdays and Good Girls Comedy on Sundays. Live

bands and dance parties will round out the week on Friday and Saturday nights.

“Obviously, we’ve a lot of space for people to hold their own events as well,” Baumann adds.

The catering menu will also still be available for external functions of any size. Baumann is gearing up to deliver 500 vegan lunchboxes to just a single event at UNSW O-Week this month.

Finally, The Chippo may even become more dog-friendly than it currently is, with Baumann hinting at plans for a “doggy menu” and “dog photo wall”.

And we say thumbs (and paws) up to that.

The Chippo, 87-91 Abercrombie St, Chippendale www.thechippohotel.com.au

With a huge parking station, lots of eateries and entertainment in a trafficfree precinct, the new location in Entertainment Quarter is a boon for lovers of non mainstream cinema, which is what Palace Moore Park is dedicated to showing.

Meanwhile, the old Verona site is set to see a significant upgrade. The submitted design by architect, Scott Carver, allows for the retention of historic industrial features while enhancing the building with contemporary additions.

Two basement levels will be excavated to house cinemas and live entertainment venues. Another two floors will be built on top of the building, making it six levels in total. It’s envisioned as a multipurpose arts, retail, commercial, office and entertainment space that will inject cultural vibrancy back into Oxford Street.

Fallen Leaves special screening.

February 14, 7pm, Palace Verona, 17 Oxford St, Paddington www.palacecinemas.com.au

The Chippo.

Photo: Elizabeth Usher The Chippo. Photo: Elizabeth Usher

“People will be able to drink any wine or whatever without thinking about it… we’ve gone through every single item and what is and what isn’t [vegan].”

Baumann proudly states that, of course, there’s no horse-racing on the screens.

“And there’s no pokies, so there’s no gambling here at all.”

The Chippo has a gig space downstairs, and Baumann intends to turn it into predominantly a comedy venue,

FAREWELL VERONA

BY RITA BRATOVICH alentine’s Day has special significance for the Verona Cinema on Oxford Street. It was on Valentine’s Day, 1996 that Nicole Kidman presided over the official launch of the newly refurbished, four screen Palace Verona complex. And it will be on Valentine’s Day this year that the popular art-house cinema closes its doors and leaves Oxford Street.

In its almost three decades on a small corner in Paddington, the Verona has hosted dozens of international film festivals, single release international and arthouse films, and special screenings and talks. Its original industrial features and intimate size gave the cinema a rustic, esoteric feel. Many a heated post-

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film discussion has occurred in one of the two bars; many an alliance has been forged.

The doors will close after a final screening on Valentine’s Day. The film is the appropriately quirky yet solemn, Finnish feature, Fallen Leaves, from acclaimed director, Aki Kaurismäki. Guests attending the Verona Valentine’s closing event will enjoy a glass of sparkling wine, a heartshaped chocolate, and an exclusive VeronaCinema tote bag.

However, where Palace is closing one cinema door, it is opening another. The new Palace Moore Park complex will officially open in the Entertainment Quarter on March 5 with the presentation of the 35th Alliance Française French Film Festival.

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TACITA DEAN

CONSTRUCTION AND DESTRUCTION AT AT THE MUSEUM OF WHITE RABBIT GALLERY CONTEMPORARY ARTS Tacita Dean

BY JASMINE SIMMONS he Museum of Contemporary Art’s (MCA) summer exhibition, Tacita Dean, is currently on display, featuring the work of one of the most important living artists of our time. The exhibition is presented as part of the Sydney International Art Series and is a Sydney-exclusive curation, bringing together the significant works by Dean over the last decade.

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Born in the United Kingdom, Tacita Dean is based between Berlin and Los Angeles, and is renowned for her wide-ranging art specialties. Her mediums include film, photography, sound, installation, collage, drawing, and printmaking, all used to express her sensitivity to natural phenomena and empathy for a world in flux.

Dean’s process of art-making heavily engages with themes of landscape, history, entropy, mortality, and passage of time.

One of Dean’s principal mediums is photochemical film, which has become extremely relevant in this

digital age. She has expressed that her “relationship to film begins at that moment of shooting and ends in the moment of projection” with several stages of magical transformation along the way. Dean has stated that film image is different from digital image, and extends beyond pixels and electronics into poetry.

The Tacita Dean exhibition is composed of bodies of work made around the world, including Berlin, Los Angeles, Japan, and Australia.

A wide variety of works are on offer for all audiences, including new and recent films, monumental chalkboard drawings, sensuous photography and print series, and early ephemera works.

Throughout the exhibition are a range of highlights to be explored and viewed up-close. These include Australia’s new film installation Geography Biography (2023), Dean’s new film Claes Oldenburg draws Blueberry Pie (2023), chalk series The Wreck of Hope (2022) and Chalk Fall (2018), and a large scale photograph titled Sakura (Jindai II) (2023).

Tacita Dean is an amazing opportunity for local and visiting art enthusiasts to engage with the works of a trailblazing figure right here in Sydney.

Until March 3, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 140 George St, The Rocks www.mca.com.au/exhibitions/ tacita-dean

BY RITA BRATOVICH Blueprint for Ruins brings together the works of Chinese artists in a collective comment on insensitive urbanisation and the legacy of built-in obsolescence. The various works include sculptures, installations, canvases and multi-media, and each in their way, address the emotional impact of rapid urban development and demise.

As China experiences unprecedented economic growth, it is modernising its cities using the same errors in judgement that cities all over the world have used, creating wastelands and ghettos and holding its own extensive history to ransom.

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The artists whose have contributed to A Blueprint for Ruins have used media including metal, concrete, glass, wire, porcelain, resin, as well as the more traditional ink, oil, acrylic and marble in creative responses that range from nostalgic to cynical to humorous. All have a sense of empathy and connection to culture.

Zhang Dali’s Square 9 is a resin sculpture of a person with arms

outstretched with birds perched and pecking at them. It may be a parody of a statue but it also has an inherent melancholy about it.

Chen Wei’s Drunken Dance Hall is an installation that features a room with mirror balls on the ground, empty drink bottles, speakers and coloured lights. It speaks of abandoned hedonism.

One of the most striking works in terms of iconography is Jian Hun Xi’s The Empire, which is immediately recognisable as the dome of the Capitol building in Washington DC. It is a large replica made of raw wood and it has a slight tilt, much like the famous Tower of Pisa. The interior of the dome is like a doll house, outfitted with miniature bedroom furniture; a conspicuous CTV camera, however, negates the concept of domestic bliss.

There are many more works in A Blueprint for Ruins; it’s a reflective, eye-opening walk-through which has relevance to the world beyond China.

Until May 12, White Rabbit Gallery, 30 Balfour St, Chippendale www.whiterabbitcollection.org

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LEGENDARY

LYDIA LUNCH

COMES TO SYDNEY

BY JOHN MOYLE ew Yorker Lydia Lunch is often described as a polymath, with her career spanning performance artist, singer in the band, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, poet, writer, actress and speaker.

Lunch came to prominence in downtown New York during the transformative time of “no wave”, a movement that railed against the desperation of the city at the times and as a pun against the mainstream New Wave music of the time.

Born into a German/Polish family in Rochester in western New York state in the late fifties, Lunch is unique amongst her peers in that she has remained relevant today, due to an impressive work regime and self discipline.

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CHINESE CLASSICS TO CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR

BY RITA BRATOVICH o help welcome in the Chinese Year of the Dragon, Artists By Any Other Name (ABAON) will host two stunning concerts featuring world class soloists, Li-Wei Qin (cello) and Harmonnia Junus (violin) performing with the Odyssey Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jonathon Lo. Legends & Lanterns is a joyous celebration that thrilled audiences when it was presented last year in The Concourse. This year, the concert will be held again at The Concourse as well as at Sydney Town Hall.

The program features much-loved pieces from the classical Chinese repertoire, including the “Spring Festival Overture”, “Galloping Horses”, as well as a special abridged version of Butterfly Lovers’ “Violin Concerto for Violin and Erhu”, featuring Harmonnia Junus and Fuhua Li. These pieces will be complimented by a selection of Western works including masterpieces by Brahms and Strauss and featuring the dynamic talent of Li-Wei playing Saint Saen’s “Cello Concerto”, it is the ultimate show of supreme skill and orchestra artistry.

Li-Wei Qin is a Chinese Australian cellist who has gained renown around the world for his exceptional solo and ensemble work. He has played with the most esteemed orchestras and performed at two Olympic games (Beijing 2008 and London 2012) among many other notable achievements. Li-

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Wei Qin was the 2002 Young Australian of the Year.

Australian-born violinist, Harmonnia Junus is the co-founder and Artistic Director of New York based performance collective, Artists By Any Other Name – an interdisciplinary ensemble centred around classical music and contemporary dance. She is also Artistic Director of Young Artist Exchange, a festival where students and teachers from Australia, China and the United States connect through music and the arts.

Hong Kong-born Briton, Jonathan Lo was appointed Music Director & Chief Conductor at the Australian Ballet in 2023, and is also Music Director of Northern Ballet, and Staff Conductor for the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden. He is a regular guest conductor with ballet companies such as Dutch National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Zurich Ballet and Cape Town City Ballet, and has premiered works by some of the world’s leading choreographers.

Legends & Lanterns is one of the highlights of the 2024 Lunar New Year celebrations and a beautiful example of the rich, multi-textured culture we have in this country.

February 11, 3pm The Concourse Chatswood, 409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood February 14, 7pm Sydney Town Hall, Cnr George and Bathurst Sts, Sydney abaon.org.au

from her work with guitarist Howard S Rowland, one of the original guitarist for the Birthday Party and subject of the current documentary Mutiny in Heaven.

In 1991 Lunch and Rowland recorded the nine-track album Shotgun Wedding in Memphis.

“Working with Howard was fantastic,” Lunch said. “He was a funny and romantic artist who knew all about the economy of sound and I wish that more guitarists knew that,” Lunch said.

“He was a master of sound and wrote beautiful songs.”

Lunch thinks for a moment when asked how she has survived when so many of her New York City colleagues did not make it.

“What’s the choice?” Lunch said. “You have to sell the book.”

Benjamin Skepper

“I have done over 235 podcasts by now and I interview people every week, not only for my own mental health, but to expose people who stubbornly continue to create,” Lydia Lunch, performer said.

“What is exciting for me is that I am bringing Joseph Kechler with me and he is just so charismatic and seductive,” Lunch said.

Like Lunch, Kechler is something of a polymath known for his voice and stream of consciousness monologues and who has recently toured with Sleater-Kinney.

Things quickly turn to the current state of American politics and Lunch is forthright about the current players.

“All of these octogenarians and mentally impaired men have got to go at some stage, and now is the time for them to go,” Lunch said.

Lunch has toured Australia numerous times and has a devoted following

Lunch was as equally sanguine about the demise of New York alternative art scene.

“In the past you only had creativity in an area for a finite amount of time,” she said.

“Once the internet came in things were more dispersed and you got bigger festivals and the elimination of smaller clubs.

“It’s all in a cycle, so who knows where it will go, I don’t follow trends so I don’t know.”

We do know where Lydia Lunch will be in March, and that is in two great small venues in Sydney.

Lydia Lunch and Joseph Kechler March 21, Phoenix, Central Park, 49 O’Connor St, Chippendale March 22, The Great Club, 160-164 Livingstone Rd, Marrickville pressplaypresents.com

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A LESSON IN OTHER KINDS OF LOVE

BY JOHN MOYLE gapi and Other Kinds of Love is a culture clash between ancient and modern Greece from the pen of Luka Lesson, a Greek Australian rapper, hip hop artist and poet.

The play promises to push the boundaries of what you ever thought about Ancient Greece and modern Athens. It examines the different aspects of love as proposed in Plato’s Symposium, which include agapi, the word for love and affection, and in modern times, a girl’s name.

Lesson’s play begins with ancient Greek philosopher Socrates speaking at a banquet about love, and then takes the audience on a journey as time and space collapse to beats, rhythms and spoken word.

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Lesson grew up in inner Brisbane surrounded by his family, grandparents and other Greeks, and it was his desire to explore the culture that has led him to put a modern spin on an ancient culture.

It was in Athens that Lesson came across a Greek hip hop group called Active Member, who had created a new political and social conscience form of the music and story telling that is more about the poet than the rapper.

“I have been lucky enough to be able to collaborate with them over the years and I ended up giving James Humberstone (musical director) a rough guide to low bap and get him to make beats as one component of the show,” Lesson said.

“He did research on the modes and we also have sections about Chaos and

GET SPOOKED

BY RITA BRATOVICH hundering down from the mountains is a group of wild-looking, hirsute men who, far from being threatening, are coming to sooth anxious city souls with their mellifluous voices and celestial harmonies. The Spooky Men’s Chorale is an ensemble of male singers who’s appearances have alarmed then charmed audiences locally and overseas.

Created and led by New Zealand born Stephen Taberner, the choir has been performing in various configurations for more than 20 years. Their repertoire includes Georgian folk songs, deeply moving ballads, unexpected covers, hilarious original ditties and… who knows what.

It’s very entertaining but there are also moments of poignant relevance. In 2022, the choir sang a traditional Ukrainian song,

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Photo: Maja Baska

“Plyve Kacha” which they recorded and uploaded to Youtube. It’s a hauntingly sad and beautiful song and it went viral here and in Ukraine.

The Spooky Men also perform a powerful version of Yothu Yindi’s “Treaty” which is inspiring and a real crowd-pleaser. Don’t be surprised if they then launch into “Dancing Queen.”

This unlikely, un-manicured, motley group of singers has amassed a strong following of devotees, and have released several albums plus merchandise. Despite their rough appearance, they are extremely proficient musicians and take their responsibility to entertain very seriously.

February 17, The Independent Theatre, 269 Miller St, North Sydney February 18, Avoca Beach Theatre, 69 Avoca Dr, Avoca Beach spookymen.com

Photo: James Humberstone

Cosmos, who are primordial gods.”

Humberstone, an experimental musician who works at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, also wrote the music for the two performers in the show, Greta Kelly and May Lyn Chew.

“They are both playing a lot of instruments and triggering the beats.”

Lesson said.

Agapi and Other Kinds of Love is a not

to be missed opportunity to witness one of Australia’s best story tellers use the ancient and the modern to combine these two worlds into an exciting theatrical work.

February 29 – March 1 Lennox Theatre, Riverside Theatres, Cnr Market and Church Sts, Parramatta riversideparramatta.com.au

THE EMPRESS OF SOUL RETURNS TO SAY GOODBYE

BY JASMINE SIMMONS ladys Knight, best known as The Empress of Soul, has announced her Australian and New Zealand Farewell Tour commencing in March.

The seven-time Grammy award winner will play nine shows total and perform her classics, including “Licence to Kill”, “Midnight Train to Georgia”, and “That’s What Friends Are For”.

Over the last fifty years, Knight has established herself as one of the greatest and most influential soul artists in the industry. She has also claimed top hits across Pop, Gospel, R&B and Adult Contemporary, and appeared in film, television, and live performance.

Knight began her career at the age four by performing gospel music at Church. She

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sang alongside her siblings in the music group, Gladys Knight & The Pips, which quickly gained recognition and became highly successful. Knight then went on to produce an array of chart topping hits throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, including “Every Beat of My Heart”, “Letter Full of Tears, and “If I Were Your Woman”.

These hit songs and her naturally gifted talent jump started one of the most desired music careers in history.

“I’m so grateful to be visiting these beautiful places again and be able to share my music with the fans who are so hospitable and embrace us with open arms.”

Mar 19 - April 4 Star Event Centre, The Star, 55 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont frontiertouring.com/gladysknight CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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REVIEW

THE ZONE OF INTEREST

RICEBOY SLEEPS EST

BY OLGA AZAR he Canadian-Korean film, Riceboy Sleeps, opens with a vast and dreamy scene of mountains extending into the distance beneath a shimmery sky and muted sun. A voiceover reveals the story of Seung-yoon, a Korean orphan who forged her own independence, fell in love with a man who was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed suicide, then immigrated to Canada with their stateless (because he was born out of wedlock) son, Dong-hyun.

In 1990s Canada, both face the casual racism of the times, she as a factory worker (with the additional insult of sexism) and he as a first-grader. At school, where the other children tauntingly call

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him Riceboy due to his mother’s version of a packed lunch, his well-intentioned teacher suggests he take on a new name.

Seung-yoon is fierce, and teaches (the renamed) David to be fierce, too, but as he shambles into adolescence he shifts from the country of mom-and-me to the geography of identity and of origin.

Director Anthony Shim draws on his own childhood to convey a tender portrayal of immigration through the prism of a tiny family trying to anchor itself in a new country. There are echoes of the mythic, too, as So-Young (Choi Seungyoon, grave and moving) confronts her own impending tragedy.

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In cinemas now

BY MARK MORELLINI his holocaust-themed historical drama is loosely based on a novel written in 2014 by Martin Amis and is directed by Jonathan Glazer.

It’s a holocaust film like no other, that explores the four-year posting of Rudolf Hoss as the commandant of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in 1943. He lived with his wife Hedwig and their five children in their “dream home” situated right next to the wall which separated them from the camp where murderous atrocities were being perpetrated against the Jewish prisoners.

Cleverly crafted, the cinematography in this film is sublime. Smoke from

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the trains transporting the Jews to the camps and also from the crematoria is seen throughout. Revealing the morbid activities in the camp through sound rather than sight while the family carry on with the normality of life is unsettling. Included are the sounds of manufacturing machinery, furnaces roaring, crematoria, gunfire and human anguish and pain.

The Zone of Interest is a very unique, haunting and breath stopping movie experience set in one of the darkest chapters in history. It’s not a movie for everyone and definitely not one that promises enjoyment.

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In cinemas February 22

REVIEW

PRISCILLA

FALLEN LEAVES F

BY RITA BRATOVICH allen Leaves is the latest offering from Finnish director, Aki Kaurismäki, who has something of a cult following. It’s a film that holds a magnifying glass over a very esoteric segment of Finnish society, allowing us to observe its inhabitants like critters in a petri dish ghetto.

Alma Pöysti plays Ansa, a young, single woman of meagre means. Jussi Vatanen is Holappa, a young man also living hand to mouth and turning increasingly to the nullifying comfort of alcohol. Each is living an unremarkable existence where circumstances force them from one soulless job to another.

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bar one night. They begin a courtship that is as painstakingly slow and awkward as that of two thirteen year-olds. The plot basically follows this slow-boiling romance through a number of bumps and turns.

It’s absurdist and extremely minimalist, yet quite humorous in a dry, subtle way.

There are peripheral characters who add some volume to the story, in particular Holappa’s slightly older friend, Huotari (Janne Hyytiäinen) who gets some of the best comic lines.

This is likely one of those films you can watch repeatedly and discover something new each time.

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In cinemas February 14

BY MARK MORELLINI his movie is based on the book, Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley, and recounts, through her eyes how she met Elvis, their courtship, marriage, and the separation that eventuated after only 6 years of marriage.

The story commences in Germany, September 1959 when Elvis was in the army, shortly after his mother died. It was an instant attraction when Priscilla met Elvis at a party. She was 14 years of age, and he was 24.

Every woman in the world could only dream of meeting Elvis let alone being in a relationship with him. But was this the fairytale romance that everybody envisaged? Priscilla entered his world of womanizing, drugs and alcohol, a dark

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world which ultimately destroyed their marriage.

Performances are excellent from the cast, notably Aussie actor Jacob Elordi who has an uncanny resemblance to the singer and reproduces Elvis’s persona flawlessly. Actress Cailee Spaeny who portrays Priscilla looks much younger than the 14 years of age she portrays in the earlier scenes. This was simultaneously disconcerting and laughable in the romantic scenes she shared with the much older looking Elvis.

Ultimately this was slow paced and exhaustive viewing and audiences won’t learn anything which they didn’t already know about this famous couple.

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In Cinemas now

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EUROPA! EUROPA FILM FESTIVAL

DANCE LIKE THE WORLD IS WATCHING

BY GUY JAMES WHITWORTH ance Life is an exciting new fivepart series, which is hotly tipped to be the must-watch, watercoolerconversation starter, of the season!

The fly on the wall series promises to be both heart-breaking and heart-warming as it follows the crucial final year in the

strength and elegance of the emotive subject matter.

The series was created and produced

by Jade Barnes and Luke Cornish, with Cornish also writing and directing, alongside executive producers Brendan Dahill, David Alrich, Shahn Devendran and Phillip Busfield.

training of a group of young dancers, studying within the studios of the prestigious dance school, Brent Street, located in central Sydney.

The series isn’t just for those who have ever wanted to dance professionally, but for anyone who’s ever had a dream and been prepared to work hard enough to see that dream become a reality.

The dancers portrayed are a varied bunch, diverse in physicality, gender, sexuality and cultural background, adding to why each character has a different reason for wanting to be there and needing to succeed.

The preview trailer, released only a few days ago, has already racked up three and a half million views on various social media platforms. Viewers have immediately connected with the

Of course, it goes without saying, the real stars of the show are the dancers, as adorable as they are ambitious, who must give absolutely everything they’ve got to make the most of the opportunity that they have worked their entire lives for.

Nail-biting, heart-wrenching and ankletwisting stuff!

The series delicately handles the juxtaposition of success and realising dreams against the harsh reality of a demanding and unforgiving career path.

It really is ‘make or break’ in so many ways for these young stars in training.

In order to fully appreciate this series viewers may need to stock up, not only on popcorn, but also leg-warmers and muscle-rub, remember it’s never too late to chase that dream.

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BY MARK MORELLINI he highly anticipated Europa!

Europa Film Festival returns to Sydney for its third year with a specially curated program of 47 films from 28 countries.

There are many award-winning movies screening at this festival and one which should prove to be a hit is the Italian drama Io Capitano which has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Directed by Matteo Garrone this film follows the tense and breathtaking journey that two young Senegalese teenagers partake to start a new life in Italy.

“It’s about the perilous journey that many illegal immigrants are making to head into Europe and it’s very powerful, very exciting and it has a beautiful sensibility. There’s a magic realism to the film as well.”

Spiro has watched over 200 feature films in total for the festival and is proud of the 47 films which he has selected.

When asked which he anticipates being the number one crowd pleaser he pauses momentarily.

“I’d go for the Spanish comedy CoHusbands, which is about two men

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who are strangers and who come to the realisation that they are married to the same woman, when she is involved in a skiing accident. It’s a funny buddy comedy but also a slight take on toxic masculinity and an interesting spin on bromance.”

The festival presents 4k restorations of two widely acclaimed movies which are regarded as masterpieces, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist (1970) and Jean Luc Godard’s Contempt (1963). 4k restorations always seem to be popular choices at film festivals.

“They’re popular because it’s an opportunity to see these classics in a new light. They’re generally restored from the original negatives and it’s great getting these films back on the big screen and looking brand new. The Conformist and Contempt are both visually lush looking films so it’s great seeing them restored that way.”

There’s something in this film festival which should cater to all audiences – younger and older audiences and cinephiles. “If you’re more into edgier arthouse films or mainstream fun films the Europa! Europa Film Festival is one that you shouldn’t miss,” concluded Spiro.

SPIRO’SHOT PICKS BLAGA’S LESSONS (Bulgaria) – a drama about an elderly woman who is caught up in a phone scam. A compelling and gripping movie.

HIGH & LOW: JOHN GALLIANO (France) – a documentary about the rise and fall of this iconic head fashion designer. Caught in a scandalous video

drunk, high and spewing racial slurs which derailed his career.

THE BEAST: (France) – human emotions are viewed upon as a threat in this drama set in the near future where artificial intelligence is in control of society. Exciting and thoughtprovoking.

February 15 – March 10 Ritz Cinemas, 45 St Pauls St, Randwick www.europafilmfestival.com.au CITY HUB FEBRUARY 2024

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Darlinghurst Celebrates Mardi Gras!

16th Feb - 3rd March 2024

Cabaret, Drag, Art, Live Music, Bottomless Brunch, Family Zone, Food & Drink, Retail Deals, Trivia, Good Times!