CityNews 211202

HOW THE ACT GOVERNMENT IS TURNING BUYERS INTO RENTERS DECEMBER 2, 2021

Well written, well read

Why is the PM dodging the corruption promise?

MICHAEL MOORE

Community voices lost as the capital declines

BRETT ODGERS

When good garden design goes… to pot

JACKIE WARBURTON

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KEEPING UP THE ACT looks at the relentless battle against corruption

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A sharp eye to the sky and the mysteries beyond

By Nick

OVERALL THE question of why time and money should be spent on space while there are still problems to solve here on Earth has never been more relevant.

However, a team of ANU scientists at the Mount Stromlo Observatory are building astronomical technology that not only allows researchers to better understand the nature of our universe, but also opens up vast possibilities for benefiting our home planet.

“People should totally be asking this question,” says Dr James Gilbert, lead engineer of the Canberra-based team of researchers.

“I agree we should be fixing problems on Earth, but it’s important to remember that a lot of space technology is indeed for Earth’s sake, not just for a dream to go live on another planet.”

James specialises in building optical spectrographs used in powerful telescopes – technology able to detect the light content of stars and galaxies thousands of light years away.

The data they collect can reveal what these distant celestial bodies are composed of, how far away they are, how fast they’re moving and much

INDEX

Dr James Gilbert…“Having stretch goals to do something hard, much like with the Apollo missions, is far more effective at pushing the technological envelope than trying to solve individual problems.”

Photo: Nick Overall more, giving astrophysicists a greater understanding of the nature of the universe.

Now, James and his team are working on condensing these large and complex instruments into sizes that can fit on to Earth-orbiting satellites that would allow for even greater discoveries.

But the possibilities of their use go far beyond star gazing.

“These same devices can be put to use just by turning them around back at Earth and it turns out you can tune these instruments to look at signa-

tures of moisture in particular trees,” says James.

“What this means is that by taking advantage of data processing and artificial intelligence, you can begin to see where the risk areas are for bushfires and plan back burning or risk mitigation ahead of time.”

This program, called OzFuel, is just one of the many possible applications that evolving satellite technology can offer, says James.

“With the advent of artificial intelligence and the progress that’s being made in processing images, you can

tell a lot about the condition of natural resources on Earth; water quality, minerals, crop conditions,” he says.

“Before long, your internet will probably come from a satellite rather than via plastic infrastructure, you’ll have a signal connected straight to orbit, even if you’re somewhere in the bush.

It’s his hope that possibilities like these will open up more funding opportunities to accelerate Australia’s and Canberra’s space technology even further.

“When you make a new discovery in science, it makes up for the time it’s taken to get there tenfold,” he says.

“Having these stretch goals to do something hard, much like with the Apollo missions, is far more effective at pushing the technological envelope than trying to solve individual problems.”

Originally from the UK, Dr Gilbert’s research in Australia has seen him recognised as one of the country’s most innovative engineers.

His work on the “Veloce Rosso”, an optical spectrograph for the AngloAustralian Telescope in NSW, opened up new possibilities for planet hunting in Australia.

It forms just one part of the country’s fast-moving frontier of space technology.

“I’m not sure there’s anywhere else in the world these days where it’s possible to witness such a fast birth of an

industry,” says James.

“It’s happening extremely quickly because Australia is in a race to catch up to other nations with more mature space agencies and then hopefully in some areas even overtake them.

“It’s early days but the projection is to create tens of thousands of jobs just in the next few years.”

The Mount Stromlo Observatory itself is home to a range of facilities pushing the boundaries of Australia’s space-faring technology.

One of these includes a chamber able to simulate the extreme conditions of space and puts the instruments being built at the observatory to the test.

“A satellite orbiting Earth is going around every 90 minutes. Every time it goes round it gets illuminated by the sun and heats up, then cools down as it goes round the back of the Earth so it’s exposed to extreme temperature changes,” he says.

James says there may be satellites built here in Canberra orbiting Earth within the next few years – a prospect to him both exciting and profound.

“There’s just so much we don’t know about the nature of nature and not just on Earth but everywhere,” says James.

“It’s all just one giant mystery but we’re quite literally part of it, and it’s about getting closer to this universe we’re a part of.

“For me, well I think that’s a reason to come into work.”

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SEVEN DAYS

Plato has a thought or two about our government IT’S not often one is quoted Plato on commercial radio, but that’s what Leon Delaney did when I called by his 2CC drive program the other day.

We were talking about the Ancient Greeks’ show coming to the National Museum and the popular announcer paraphrased this quote from the Ancient Greek philosopher: “Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty.”

For reasons I can’t sensibly articulate, my mind immediately pictured the leadership of the ACT government and its dictatorial indifference to the voices of its own people.

As they sit around the Labor/Greens cabinet table, what must they feel knowing their policies consign poor people to never owning a house, sick people to wait years for treatment, the hospitals pillaged for cash, the prison a cesspit and so much municipal maintenance to be done. I’ll bet no one is brave enough to raise the gnawing deficit with the “Chief”.

So much social injustice to face up to and fix, yet it is met – year after year – with so much spinning gutlessness. Such are our “progressive” priorities for 19th century trams and heat-island, high-rise towers.

My thoughts started to coalesce about these dodgers this past week when Liberal MLA Jeremy Hanson, in his role as Opposition Whip, bemoaned the prospect of

a derisory 35 days of Assembly sittings slated for next year, much the same as this.

By way of comparison the average number of sitting days in the first and second ACT Assemblies, when Rosemary Follett was Chief Minister from 1989, was around 50 days.

In March, political columnist Michael Moore wrote: “The reason for the Legislative Assembly to sit often enough is to allow appropriate scrutiny of the government.

“With the exception of one year, the eighth and ninth Assemblies significantly reduced the number of sitting days with the chief ministership transferring from Katy Gallagher to Andrew Barr.”

Was this the genesis of our gunshy government, one that avoids transparency, one that dodges accountability, one beset by spin and, well, untruths?

And one often accused of being arrogant, out of touch and wilfully deaf to community voices.

In an opinion piece in “CityNews” this week, Brett Odgers, a former chair and member of the Walter Burley Griffin Society, poses the question: “Given Canberra’s national capital purpose, what roles have national and local communities, the Commonwealth and the National Capital Authority played in the ACT government’s City Precinct and West Basin programs?”

His answer: “Hardly any part at all.”

“The experience of the Walter Burley Griffin Society, the Lake Burley Griffin Guardians and a legion of Canberra organisations and citizens is that participation has been in vain.

residents will be told – sorry, consulted.”

“City Hill and West Basin are presently at grave risk of degradation. The scope and prospects for ongoing community consultations are severely limited by poor procedures, dysfunctional planning and Commonwealth neglect of the national capital idea.”

“Canberra Matters” columnist Paul Costigan is constantly reprising the belief that consultation with the community is about “ticking boxes and tokenistic engagement”.

In last week’s column he wrote: “Changes to the southern suburbs are being advanced with little detail available to the residents in the firing line. Rest assured, when the deals have been done, the

IGNORING the Canberra community isn’t limited to the ACT government. The NCA got a serve from Dr Sue Wareham, president of the Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia), still smarting from the authority’s decision to okay “early works” around the half-billion expansion of the Australian War Memorial.

“Having received an overwhelming message of opposition to the whole redevelopment from public submissions to the ‘early works’ (demolition) inquiry, the NCA is now pretending that most Australians, all except the citizens of Canberra, want the expansion to go ahead,” she says.

“Did the NCA consider the fact that after 99 per cent opposition to the ‘early works’ was not sufficient to put a stop to the project, many people would have given up and not have wasted time doing a further submission to an agency whose decision was already made?

“Is the NCA aware of the AWM’s most recent annual report, which included a visitors’ survey which stated: ‘Of those who attended Anzac Hall exhibitions, 96 per cent were satisfied with this permanent gallery.’

That building is now destroyed. Presumably many of those visitors were not Canberrans.

“In an online national survey in February

2020 conducted by the AWM, only 21 per cent of those surveyed knew anything about the redevelopment plans, only half had ever been to the AWM, and yet that survey was used to boost support for the plans.”

How did Mr Plato’s quote go? “Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy…”

OUR collective loathing of the “white speed vans” may be challenged by a sighting by former Canberra town crier John Berry, founder of the No Smart Phones Group. He was phoning us (on a hard line) to report a silver van checking speeds on Yamba Drive, but no top sign, just the magnetised “go away” signage on the side.

AND on a lighter note, a joke I filched somewhere in the blur of the past week: Q. How many optometrists does it take to change a lightbulb?

A. One? Or two?

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon.

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Dr Shiamala Suntharalingam… “It’s a lovely hobby to have because it brings people together.”

Yogeswary Ganesalingam… “Knitting is really good for the brain. It keeps you young.”

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Knitting therapy is just what the doctor ordered

By Belinda

STRAHORN FOR a group of Tamil seniors who took up knitting just before lockdown, casting on means chilling out and sharing burdens.

Formed on the cusp of the covid-induced lockdown, members of the Canberra Tamil Seniors Knitting Group would meet once a fortnight at a hall in Isaacs to stitch together scarves, blankets, beanies and jumpers.

When restrictions moved their classes over the phone, it didn’t stop the group’s seven members – aged between 70 and 90 – from knitting, laughing and sharing their problems.

“We talk about our problems and we help each other figure things out, we have a real seniors bond,” says group member Yogeswary Ganesalingam, 78, a retired university professor who learnt to knit as a child growing up in Sri Lanka.

Her passion for knitting had to take a backseat when she was raising her own family.

Now a grandmother, she is re-discovering the joy and the camaraderie that knitting brings.

“I’ve made about six beanies for my grandchildren so far,” says the former professor, who moved to Canberra from Sri Lanka with her husband about 12 years ago.

“Knitting is really good for the brain. It keeps you young.”

The group is the brainchild of Sri Lankanborn Shiamala Suntharalingam, who lives in Canberra but works as a GP in Queanbeyan.

Dr Suntharalingam, a GP of 20 years, uses knitting to “wind down” after a busy day at work.

“I make beanies, cardigans, jumpers, baby stuff for friends and family, just whatever I wish to have a go at,” Dr Suntharalingam says.

“It’s nice to come home after work, switch on the TV and make something with my hands that I can wear or give as a present for someone to enjoy.”

When Dr Suntharalingam was asked to give a talk to the Canberra Tamil Seniors Group about the importance of covid vaccinations, she decided to take her knitting along and the idea for a knitting group was born.

“They loved the knitting I brought in and they asked if I would teach them to knit and crochet,” Dr Suntharalingam says.

“Some of the ladies knew how to knit, others

didn’t, so we started from scratch learning and teaching together. We started making beanies, then scarves. One lady who is 90 years old wanted to knit leg warmers so I found a pattern and she made them. Now the ladies are knitting cardigans for their grandchildren.”

During lockdown Dr Suntharalingam took it upon herself to figure out a way she could stay in touch with her knitting students despite social distancing rules.

The 48-year-old quickly turned to using the phone to conduct her classes.

“The ladies telephone me and we get by by going through patterns over the phone or over WhatsApp,” Dr Suntharalingam says.

“My Tamil is not so great and some of the ladies’ English is not so good so one of the ladies translates for me.”

Dr Suntharalingam, who learnt to knit in the UK where she grew up, says the group has become like her family.

“They are all very competitive amongst themselves to get their projects done,” Dr Suntharalingam chuckled.

“Two of the ladies, when we were meeting face to face, would bring along eastern traditional food and I am going to be learning their recipes so it’s a two-way thing.”

Apart from the health benefits, Dr Suntharalingam feels that knitting is also good for the soul.

“When I moved to Canberra in 2012 I didn’t know anyone so I searched for a knitting group and I found the Erindale Library Knitting Group. I got on the bus with my knitting and I went along, I made friends and we still keep in touch today,” Dr Suntharalingam says.

“That’s the great thing about knitting, it’s a lovely hobby to have because it brings people together.”

Dr Suntharalingam says the group has been a lifeline for many of its members.

“Because of the cultural differences, some of the ladies in the group don’t get out a lot, so this helps them do something different.”

Eagerly awaiting the end of lockdown, members of the knitting group can’t wait to resume their lessons in person, where Christmas orders for knitted apparel will be high on the agenda.

“At the moment I’m making a pink sweater for my teenage granddaughter in Canada and I hope to finish it in time for Christmas,” says Ms Ganesalingam.

To join the Canberra Tamil Seniors Knitting Group, email shiamala72@gmail.com

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COP-26 IN GLASGOW... ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION IN CANBERRA

By MICHAEL CALKOVICS, Environmentalist

Great world leaders attended the vital COP-26 event in Glasgow, including US president Joe Biden and, of course including our very own Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.

And I thank everyone as they are all trying very hard to save our PLANET. And us, the citizens, also have to do our part, including myself.

Callam Street, central Woden, looking south from the Hellenic Cub towards Sky Plaza. Many trees have already been vandalised as is most of Woden Park. Looks like the rest are also doomed to go.

Photo by Michael Calkovics

YET WHY ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION NOW IN CANBERRA! While COP-26 was in progress, here in Canberra our own local Labor/Greens coalition government was working full-steam ahead in trashing the urban tree canopy and also entire forests in Molonglo Valley. As well as wiping out parks and tree plantings across our city.

Here in central Woden Valley, the so called local Labor/Greens government is trying to justify the term “climate change”, while virtually every tree in central Woden will be removed and its carbon returned to the

Callam Street, central Woden, adjacent to the Hellenic Club looking north. Photo shows that the large grove of massive eucalyptus trees and other species that once stood in the park next to Phillip Oval has been totally destroyed. And all for what?

Please explain! Also all other trees appear doomed.

Photo by Michael Calkovics

atmosphere. The trees will be replaced with concrete, bitumen and steel.

Has Canberra’s local government declared a “climate emergency”?

If so, is it because Canberra is still too cold?

Or is all this tree clearing designed to destroy all the hard work by those at COP-26, including our own Prime Minister’s awesome efforts.

And what has our federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese got to say?

The local Labor/Greens government has to “practice what they preach”. Otherwise, I for one may just see that climate change is just an urban greenie myth.

Matilda Street, central Woden, looking up from Callam Street towards Bowe Street. The photo shows that these trees and many others are doomed. Photo by Michael Calkovics

No, it’s not in Brazil, but part of the Molonglo Valley in Canberra, Australia. Looking north towards the suburb, which is over the hill, called Whitlam. This now barren area used to be, until recently, a forest of many thousands of carbon-hungry trees. Now the forest has been trashed and carbon returned to the atmosphere. What about the adjoining forests? Are they also to be trashed? Photo by Michael Calkovics

TO BE CONTINUED... Michael Calkovics – Environmentalist Authorised by Michael Calkovics at PO Box 127, Curtin ACT 2605.

POLITICS

Why is the PM dodging the corruption promise?

“IF you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear”. How often have I heard this refrain from conservatives seeking to increase the powers of police?

So why then is the conservative federal government under the leadership of Prime Minister Scott Morrison so afraid of delivering on its election promises of a Federal Independent Commission Against Corruption?

If they’ve done nothing wrong, they have nothing to fear.

ACT senator Katy Gallagher tweeted: “We could’ve had a National Anti-Corruption Commission in place today if the Morrison government senators had allowed debate”. The tweet included a video of her speech in parliament in which she accused the conservative senators of opposing “moves to bring on a bill, standing by Scott Morrison’s 1077-day-old broken promise”.

In politics there are basically three options in dealing with issues. The first is to take strong action, support or implement. The second is to take whatever action is needed to oppose it. The third, and most common, is to delay. That is, say yes, no or delay, normal options used constantly by politicians.

The reason for delay is usually self-evident. As in the case of the federal anti-corruption commission, the Prime Minister needs to be seen to support an approach that delivers

transparency and integrity, but he really doesn’t want one.

Senator Gallagher argued in the Senate regarding “this eight-year-old, tired government, there are plenty of reasons that they do not wish to debate this issue today, or any day”.

She was speaking on the second day of the last sittings for this year.

She cited “the litany of scandals, rorts, waste and mismanagement that this government has presided over”, all of which should have been investigated by an ICAC. Examples given included the Western Sydney Airport land rip-off, and the “pork and ride”

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scheme that ensured public money was funnelled by the Treasurer into seats that assisted the government’s campaigning intentions.

Senator Gallagher pointed out that the Treasurer of the time provided four of the car parks next to urban railways that would suit his own political ambitions.

“That’s the Treasurer”, she added, but “we know the Prime Minister had his hands all over sports rorts and car park rorts”. The government used the Urban Congestion and Building Better Regions funds and “crafted the way that this money gets used

for political purposes, appropriated for political purposes and used for political purposes”.

Here is the nub of the problem. The use of taxpayers’ money for political advantage has become more and more embedded in Australian politics and needs to be rooted out. Once called pork barrelling, it is nothing more than corrupt behaviour.

Ken Behrens can be proud of Katy Gallagher who served as Chief Minister and then Senator, and has continued her dedication for more than two decades of commitment to better the Australian Capital Territory and to better Australia for all Australians.

The attack that Senator Gallagher launched appeared initially to be focused on a failure of senators to act.

However, the focus moved quickly to the Prime Minister and his personal failure in delivering on such an important promise. This is the same Scott Morrison who told Sky News that he had never lied in public life. It does raise the question as to what he might consider a lie.

Does a broken promise fit the category? Or failure to deliver on a promise after more than a thousand days? What about delivering on an

anti-corruption commission but ensuring that it lacks the teeth to be able to investigate the sort of rorts that Gallagher touched on? And all indications are that the rorts she mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg.

The Prime Minister has indicated that the buck stops with him. However, Senator Gallagher pointed out that the way he presided over these rorts was to ensure “ministers are rewarded for the misuse of money like this”.

She added: “When ministers sacked amid scandal get recycled back into the cabinet, is it any wonder that they do not want a debate about a national anti-corruption commission?”

In the meantime, the ACT Integrity Commission has yet to bring down a single report on corruption. The website shows Investigation Reports – coming soon, and Special Reports – coming soon. Where is the delay in this case?

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health.

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BRIEFLY Mini fete at St Ninians ST Ninian’s Market Day will resemble a mini fete, promising something for everyone including a barbecue and drinks in the church grounds in Lyneham, 9am-1pm, on Saturday, December 11. There will be Christmas items, including candles for sale plus craft, clothing, plants and kids’ clothes.

Treasures include Lladro, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton ornaments.

Rotunda at Yerrabi Pond WITH some help from friends and government, the Rotary Club of Gungahlin has overseen the building of a rotunda at Yerrabi Pond. The member for Fenner, Dr Andrew Leigh, will open the Rotary Rotunda at the Christmas Community Celebration, 2.30pm-6pm, Saturday, December 11. It’s a free event, picnickers are welcome and a Rotary barbecue will be available.

Christmas charity stall THE Relay for Life Team, the Bold Bandannas, is holding a Christmas charity stall at the Belconnen Fruit & Veg Markets on the weekend of December 18-19. There will be Christmas goodies for sale, plus homemade jams, hand-sewn items, knitted dolls’ clothes, crocheted hand towels and a limited selection of bric-a-brac.

Community events to editor@citynews.com.au

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NEWS

Nesting boxes ease the wildlife ‘housing crisis’

By Lily

PASS IN February, 10 wildlife habitat boxes were installed on trees along the Queanbeyan River and through the Queanbeyan golf course.

The design of the boxes differed for each of the targeted species – kookaburras, owls, lorikeets, treecreepers, wood ducks, microbats and possums.

“There’s a housing crisis really, for animals that are hollow-reliant,” says Christine Rampling, tree management officer of the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.

She says animals are attracted to urban areas. Possums and parrots thrive because the food source is reliable and abundant, so they move into the roofs of houses or into garages and, understandably, people complain.

“People worry about risks when it comes to trees, so historically we cut them down and that’s immediately taking away that habitat,” says Christine.

While she admits these artificial habitat boxes are not the best solution, they are definitely a good start.

“If we could actually build boxes out of raw timber or keep the cut-down

Christine Rampling, tree management officer, in front Kookaburra in front of a nesting box in Queanbeyan.

A baby kookaburra in a nesting box. of one of the nesting boxes.

Photo: Lily Pass Photo: Lily Pass Photo: Christine Rampling hollows and mount them up in another tree, that would be a way-more successful natural recreation of their lost habitat,” she says.

Christine got the necessary information from Alice McGlashan from Nest Box Tales who trialled habitat boxes on her own property in order to perfect the design over the years.

“She’s got a website where I got the design specifications and it provided me with a list of animal species that are abundant along the river and are requiring extra habitat support,” says Christine.

Putting the habitat boxes along the Queanbeyan River and golf course was a no-brainer.

“It’s just prime real estate for the

animals,” she says.

“It provides a lot of food sources, being near such a reliable source of water as well as the manicured turf; all the manicured turf in the afternoon is covered in parrots and galahs who rip out nice fleshy roots of the grass and feed on that.”

She also stresses that one of the most important features of the boxes is they need to be duckling friendly. A box with an opening big enough for a possum, could also be utilised by an owl or wood duck.

“A big killer of wood duck ducklings is artificial nest boxes that don’t have the features to allow the ducklings to hop out,” she says.

Christine says wood ducklings

leave the box at two days old and they have a maximum jumping ability of 18 centimetres, so if the exit hole is higher than that, the ducklings will be stuck in the box and die.

“It was really important with our nest box design that the hole opening was big enough for a wood duck and was safe for them,” says Christine.

The owl, kookaburra and possum boxes also meet the wood duckling requirements, just in case.

“There’s a pretty fine art to nestbox design and installation as well, we’ve got a lot of work to do in regards to research in this area,” she says.

Christine warns that people may be well intentioned, but mis-designing the boxes can be fatal.

“People make them out of metal or they paint the inside of the box, which means animals can ingest the paint; they mount them on the wrong side of the tree, so at the time of year when you have animals nesting, the days are starting to get really hot and if you’ve got a metal box on the western side of a tree trunk, any little baby or anything born in there will overheat.”

While Christine is happy with the success of the habitat boxes so far, she’s hoping for it to continue.

“I hope it gets busier. I haven’t actually got confirmation that all the boxes are being used yet, but my dream would be a nest box in every fourth or fifth street tree,” she says.

We’re moving.

From Monday 6 December 2021 you can access all Centrelink and Medicare services at the following locations: 5 Fussell Lane, Gunghalin 8 Chandler Street, Belconnen.

Services available at: 13 Lonsdale Street, Braddon are moving on this date.

Opening hours at all locations are 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.

We’re offering a range of options to do business with us. You can: • use your myGov account, Express Plus mobile apps or phone self service servicesaustralia.gov.au/selfservice • book an appointment for Centrelink services to minimise wait times • have a one-on-one digital coaching session to help access our digital services.

To book an appointment call us on your main payment line or go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/phoneus

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events@pedalpower.org.au 12 CityNews December 2-8, 2021

POLITICS / the hard facts of housing

Government housing policy locks home buyers into renting Last week JON STANHOPE and Dr KHALID AHMED highlighted the extraordinary increase in Canberra house prices due to decisions taken by the ACT government to decrease the supply of land for most of the last decade. Here they look at the state of public housing.

WHILE the ACT government’s policy to decrease the supply of land has delivered it abnormal profits, there is a downside.

A significant proportion of Canberra households, including many with moderate incomes, have been locked out of home ownership and locked into renting.

According to a recent ACT government report, in the June quarter 2021, the median rent for detached and attached dwellings in Canberra was the highest of all capital cities in Australia.

The rental vacancy rate has also dropped in Canberra from 1.1 per cent a year ago to 0.7 per cent, which is the lowest rate of any capital city.

The deterioration in rental affordability in Canberra was, considering the ACT government’s land and housing policies, entirely predictable and should come as no surprise to anyone, least of all any member of the government.

One can assume that the owners of investment properties will, understandably, always seek to maintain rental yields, so the increase in the median house price since 2011-12 will, by itself, have added between $250 to $330 a week to rents.

In addition, land tax, which is discriminatory in that it is applied only to rental properties, has increased over that period by $3250 for a median house.

As an aside, despite the government agreeing in principle, a decade ago, to abolish land tax, in its recent Budget it actually provided for an increase in the tax rate and revenue from land tax.

The decision of the government to continue to levy this tax, in a supply constrained market, has clearly not discouraged investors from the housing market. In fact, most landlords have likely passed the increases in the tax directly to tenants. The table (above right) is a snapshot of rental yields and returns in the Canberra housing market.

With annual returns from investments in housing far exceeding those in alternative investment markets, tax policy changes, at either the state or national level, are unlikely to free up investment stock for homebuyers. Indeed, the Budget papers report a strong increase in new housing loans by investors over the year to July.

It is accepted, obviously, that the housing market clearly does not meet the needs of all households. In response, the Commonwealth government assists eligible households, through the Commonwealth Rental Assistance (CRA) program, in meeting the prevailing market rent.

At the state and territory level, public housing, and community housing – collectively called social housing – are meant to provide

The deterioration in rental affordability in Canberra was entirely predictable and should come as no surprise to anyone, least of all any member of the government.

appropriate access to rental accommodation for mainstream households without the means to access the rental market.

• In the 2015-16 Budget, the ACT government announced a $133 million investment in public housing.

• In the 2016-17 Budget, the government allocated $156 million for that year and a further $353 million over four years to public housing.

• The 2017-18 Budget committed $57.1 million “to continue the single largest renewal of public housing in the territory’s history”...

• While in the 2019-20 Budget, the government announced: “The next stage of investment in public housing by investing $100 million over five years”.

• In the 2021-22 Budget, the government has allocated an additional $100 million over four years, with the bulk of it ($80 million) for maintenance of the existing stock.

While it is admittedly not clear where or how or if these large, claimed investments in public housing, approaching in total $1 billion have been made, Canberrans would be justified in believing that the government takes seriously its responsibility for those unable to purchase a home or enter the rental market as affordability has deteriorated.

The reality suggests otherwise.

ACT Housing has reported that it held 11,859 dwellings in 2011. According to data recently published

by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), that dwelling stock declined, by 2015, by a total of 1026 dwellings to 10,833.

Notwithstanding the funding announcements in every Budget since 2014-15, and referred to above, in 2020, there were, according to the AIHW, 10,985 public housing dwellings in the ACT, that is 874 less than in 2011.

What this reveals is that the purported “investment” in public housing is yet to replace the housing stock lost through the redevelopment of the Northbourne corridor and in sites including Civic, Griffith and Red Hill, which resulted in the relocation of more than a thousand households from their communities and services.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ACT’s population was 367,985 in June 2011 and that it increased to 432,380 in June 2020. Therefore, while the population increased by more than 63,000 people, on the data available to us, it appears that public housing stock in Canberra has declined, in that same period, by 874 dwellings.

We find any reduction in the stock of public housing incomprehensible let alone a reduction, in real terms, of this magnitude and wonder how other Canberrans rationalise our collective view of ourselves as a caring and progressive community with this policy.

Next week: social housing

LETTERS ‘Incompetence’ drives up prices THE sheer incompetence of the Barr/ Rattenbury government has been shown once again in relation to the latest report from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

AEMO’s “Price Trends” report forecasts that electricity prices in all Australian jurisdictions, except the ACT, will substantially decrease over the next three years.

In the ACT, by contrast, prices are forecast to increase further over this period. This is on the back of the minimum 11 per cent increase that ACTEW imposed on its customers from July 1, when AEMO had previously forecast that prices in all jurisdictions would also fall in this period. Other jurisdictions saw these price decreases.

The forecast price falls are being driven by the increasing use of renewables, wind and solar energy, backed up by battery storage capabilities and this in itself is laudable.

However, the ACT government, in its rush to become the first jurisdiction to achieve 100 per cent renewable electricity outcomes, happily signed off on a woefully flawed contract with its SA energy supplier.

The net effect of this flawed contract in terms of the current electricity market environment actually requires the ACT to pay more for its electricity supply than less.

Under this contract, price increases will clearly be the norm well into the future.

The ACT Chief Minister and Treasurer are the two shareholders of ACTEW, which is also required to pay an annual dividend to the government.

One might not be so presumptuous as to suggest that there may, therefore, be vested interests in ensuring that ACT electricity prices continue to increase. Perhaps Shane Rattenberry whom is not an avid reader of “CityNews”, might consider a response to the claims in this letter.

Ron Edgecombe, Evatt

All the pubs would be miserably quiet FAIR go, John Noble (Letters, November 18) if we stuck to speculating on topics that we have expertise in, there would be no letters to the editor and all the pubs would be miserably quiet.

Aircraft stay in the sky and weather patterns aren’t always bad so, no one questions the pilot, but the UN and the IPCC have a problem in getting the desired action on emissions.

Do I think we should act on reducing emissions? Yes! As for refraining from asking questions? No way!

We live in a specialised society rife with individualism and with what one author identified as the plight of the individual.

John L Smith, Farrer

Write to us: editor@citynews.com.au

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OPINION / speed limits

Northbourne speed limit should drop to 30km/h Amid the uproar of the speed limit of a section of Northbourne Avenue being lowered to 40km/h, planning professional DAVID JONES* argues it’s still too high.

I MADE a mistake and read the internet comments in relation to the recent 40km/h speed limit implementation on Northbourne Avenue.

They were the usual populist rhetoric; “revenue raising”, “show me the evidence”, “pedestrians should look both ways”.

I assume many of these commenters don’t want to see the evidence, because two minutes of Googling for peer-reviewed evidence will reveal a lot. But I hope this piece may provide some insight regardless.

In the early ‘80s, peer-reviewed evidence began clearly demonstrating the danger that cars imposed on pedestrians, based on the speed the cars were moving.

Research showed that if a motorist hits a pedestrian at speeds up to 30km/h, the pedestrian has a 90 per cent chance of survival. At higher speeds, survivability rates decrease sharply. Multiple studies have demonstrated that when a motorist hits a pedestrian at 60km/h, the pedestrian has almost no chance of survival.

In response to this, around 40 years ago, some European countries began rolling out 30km/h speed limits on residential local access streets. The

intention was to make residential areas safer for the people who live there, safer for children to walk to school, safer for people to socialise with neighbours, walk and ride bicycles.

Australia did not do this. 20-30 years ago, we began lowering local speed limits to 50 km/h only. Hit at 50km/h, a pedestrian has around an 85 per cent chance of death. Canberra only lowered limits to 50km/h on local access streets, with residential minor collector roads still allowing speeds up to 60km/h.

In 2020, the UN mandated that 30km/h limits should be the default for areas where pedestrians are likely to be present.

Many decades after the first speed/ risk curves were released demonstrating that a pedestrian hit by a car at 60km/h was probably going to die, Canberra finally decided that a section of Northbourne Avenue, which sees amongst the most pedestrian traffic on it in the city, both day and night, probably shouldn’t allow speeds of 60km/h.

However, for some reason Australian bureaucrats, including those in the ACT government, believe that they know better than the leading

40km/h on Northbourne Avenue. world health experts, and decided a 40km/h limit is appropriate for areas of high-pedestrian activity in Australia, rather than the UN-mandated 30km/h. Perhaps Australian bodies are better built to withstand being pummelled by an SUV than our European counterparts?

Despite decades of evidence and despite the recent UN mandate, Canberra’s default urban speed limits remain 50km/h, with 60km/h still posted on many residential roads.

Forty years after peer-reviewed research began to consistently demonstrate that 50 and 60km/h speed limits are too dangerous for residential streets, or anywhere pedestrians are likely to be present, Canberra’s Estate Development Code still mandates that new streets must be constructed to design speeds of 50 and 60km/h.

Why? What possible reason does the ACT government have compared to 40 years of evidence and the recommendations of world-renowned health experts?

It deserves mentioning that to achieve lower speeds and safer streets that Canberra so desperately needs, we cannot simply slap lower speedlimit signs up on roads that may have been designed for much higher speeds. In some cases, a “road diet” (lane reduction) and traffic calming will be necessary.

The new 40km/h limit on Northbourne Avenue had many speed-limit signs for each direction of traffic, “40” painted on the road, electronic variable message signs warning of the change, and speed-camera warning signs present. Nearly a dozen warnings over a 500-metre distance.

Those caught speeding in the new 40km/h zone on Northbourne have absolutely no excuse for doing so and deserve every fine they’ve been issued. If that many motorists can be so oblivious to have missed that many speed-limit signs and that many warnings over only 500 metres, then perhaps it’s time the ACT government made licencing requirements more stringent.

However, the ACT government needs to acknowledge two things.

First, that, as it has been implemented, the new Northbourne Avenue

40km/h speed limit has failed to slow Canberra’s less-observant motorists down. Physical changes to the road environment are needed to force them to slow down. This will likely be less popular than lowering the speed limit was, but it needs to be done.

Secondly, 40km/h is still too fast for Northbourne Avenue between London Circuit and Barry Drive. An overwhelming body of peer-reviewed evidence exists that demonstrates that 40, 50 or 60km/h speed limits are not safe where pedestrians are likely to be present.

The ACT government could be opening itself up to a world of compensation claims by continuing to permit these speeds throughout Canberra’s high-pedestrian activity and residential areas. There is also no excuse for ACT’s Estate Development Code to continue mandating local access streets to continue to be built to such design speeds.

Speed limits for Canberra’s local access streets and high-pedestrian activity areas, including parts of Northbourne Avenue, should not exceed 30km/h. *EDITOR’S NOTE: David Jones is a pseudonym. “CityNews” would not ordinarily publish unsigned work, but I felt the issues he raises in regard to road safety were an interesting addition to the public debate.

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CANBERRA MATTERS / housing

Bring back affordable housing to Northbourne RECENTLY, the North Canberra Community Council (NCCC) chair tried a creative way of engaging with local politicians. It worked.

That is, it worked for the residents as they witnessed the realities of ACT politicians being constrained in how they respond to issues – or in some cases, change the subject. As for the politicians involved, it is hard to judge how seriously they take their own spin and worthy words.

The chair had set out a series of contentious issues affecting the lives of residents. He introduced these using prepared images and asked the politicians to respond. The meeting was very focused on things that mattered to residents rather than having to endure self-promotion by politicians.

Special guests were ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee and Tim Hollo, ACT Greens candidate for the seat of Canberra at the next federal election.

Also in attendance was the ACT Liberal spokesperson on planning stuff, Peter Cain, and Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens MLA and Minister for Heritage and the Environment.

As the meeting progressed Ms Vassarotti became the dominant voice of the responding politicians. This should have meant she had ample opportunities to show how she is dealing with (not talking about) the issues raised. Didn’t happen.

On affordable and social housing on Northbourne Avenue, Rebecca Vassarotti committed to looking at that and having more conversations. How long have the ACT Greens been in government?

There is no doubt that Mr Hollo is enthusiastic about how people should be engaged more democratically in the workings of government.

Unfortunately, the reality is he is a member of the ACT Greens who, for the last decade, have enabled the ACT government to treat residents with a lack of respect. The new normal has been a willingness to override their aspirations and good ideas. Mr Hollo may have to look beyond the worthy words and do something to have the ACT Greens connect more transparently and democratically with the city’s residents.

The key issues discussed were: • urban cramming with supersized houses on smaller blocks; the intrusion into established suburbs of monster houses with minimal allowance for greenery and the

gradual reduction of the biodiversity of older suburbs; • the forces working against legislative changes to make the city greener; • the over-development of Northbourne Avenue that is yielding no new community facilities, no new public green spaces, few trees and minuscule biodiversity; • a lack of social housing along Northbourne Avenue when the former had an abundance of wellestablished social housing – instead the government has an ad hoc program whereby suburban green spaces and community sites are

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Ms Vassarotti should reflect on the Queen’s statement that there has been too much talk and not enough action.

The NCCC is urging the government to stop picking fights with residents by using community and parklands sites for small numbers of social housing. The NCCC discussed actions to have the government return to having something like 15 per cent of housing on Northbourne Avenue designated as social housing.

There is an urgent need for a strategic plan on social and affordable housing and for the government to act on this immediately.

Now there’s a conversation the ACT Labor/Greens coalition urgently needs to have with the developers before the next sale of land on Northbourne Avenue. Actions not words, please!

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being targeted for small numbers of housing; • the planning review – residents have nothing positive to say about this; • the lack of compliance management with DA assessments, the problems with DA-exempt developments and protecting the conservation values of nature reserves; • frustrations with ACT governmentstyle consultations – including the constant cherry-picking and rewording of residents’ feedback.

Ms Lee expressed sympathetic words and encouraged the NCCC to keep doing a good job. Not sure if she provided commitments to being any different if she was to form government.

Ms Vassarotti was proud that the Greens were committed to making 30 per cent canopy a reality. They have a plan! There was a lot of talk about having conversations. Despite all the negative feedback, she still believes that the planning review will deliver solutions on the many complex and frustrating planning issues.

On affordable and social housing on Northbourne Avenue, she committed to looking at that and having more conversations. How long have the ACT Greens been in government?

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CityNews December 2-8, 2021 15

OPINION

Community voices lost as the capital declines “The ACT government is, by default, assuming responsibility for the evolving national capital character of Canberra, while the Commonwealth government continues to relinquish, by intent and neglect, its responsibilities,” writes BRETT ODGERS. THE ACT government’s City Precinct and West Basin programs are dramatically changing the shape of central Canberra.

Witness the cranes on the south west slopes of City Hill and the chunk of Lake Burley Griffin West Basin infill.

The prospective outcomes are dubious.

Given Canberra’s national capital purpose, what roles have national and local communities, the Commonwealth and the National Capital Authority (NCA) played in these programs? The answer is hardly any part at all.

The experience of the Walter Burley Griffin Society, the Lake Burley Griffin Guardians and a legion of Canberra organisations and citizens is that participation has been in vain.

The City Renewal Authority (CRA) is inviting stakeholders to participate in the design of a new park on the Acton Waterfront devoid of context: no information about demographic projections, street layout, building plots and heights, dwellings/apartments or accessibility by residents, users and visitors, or even the planned open spaces.

There is no mention of the NCA’s

Acton Peninsula Precinct Draft Structure Plan (2017) or the ANU’s Master Plan (2019), which are contiguous with the Acton Waterfront, or with Griffin’s vision for the Central National Area and Water Axis geometry and natural vistas.

Such dissembling of major project plans by the NCA compromised the recent public consultation procedures for the Australian War Memorial Extensions and their works approval for the lake infill and boardwalk.

The CRA is applying the same staged slicing method to Development and Land Release Plans for the City Hill south-west slopes.

Metro Light Rail Stage 2A is planned to have significant impacts on the south-west sector of City Hill precinct, with the raising of London Circuit and landmark towers, nothing like Griffin’s visionary criteria, and planned to accelerate West Basin development.

Changes should be made to Canberra’s divided and crumbling planning system. For example, the board of the NCA should include an elected representative of the ACT House of Assembly. Their bi-monthly

A postcard image of Canberra in the late ‘60s. meetings are closed to the public, the community is not invited to appear or contribute to the agenda and the minutes of meetings posted on their website provide no elucidation.

A joint National Capital Design Review Panel assesses development proposals, according to design principles of the National Capital Plan, but its membership, work and influence are unknown.

Implementation of the National Capital Plan requires expert resources, corporate memory and vision. There are too many examples of the NCP not being implemented at all, especially by the NCA (think the unsympathetic siting of the ASIO Building, the Australian War Memorial Extensions and West Basin).

Canberra’s role as the national capital in terms of its symbolic layout, monuments, statues, museums

and nomenclature is governed by the Canberra National Memorials Committee (CNMC), effectively run by the NCA. In 2011, federal parliament and in 2019 the government directed the Minister for Territories to reconstitute the CNMC, appoint two ACT residents to the committee and incorporate procedures for expert historical advice, public participation, transparency, memorial selection and site allocation. No such progress has yet been made.

The principal Commonwealth parliamentary guardian of the nation’s capital and overseer of the NCA is the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories. Of the ACT’s five MPs and senators, only David Smith, MP for Bean, is among the 11 committee members. Inquiries and references have dried up, except for

bi-annual reviews or briefings by the NCA. This previously strong committee has become supine and ineffectual.

The ACT government is, by default, assuming responsibility for the evolving national capital character of Canberra, while the Commonwealth government, both executive and parliament, continue to relinquish, by intent and neglect, their responsibilities. The institutions for planning and enhancing the national capital have been allowed to atrophy. Capital champions of the likes of Prime Ministers Bruce and Menzies and Senator Bob Brown are no more.

Regular applications for Canberra to be placed on National or UNESCO Heritage Lists are routinely stalled.

City Hill and West Basin are presently at grave risk of degradation.

The scope and prospects for ongoing community consultations are severely limited by poor procedures, dysfunctional planning and Commonwealth neglect of the national capital idea.

American urban planner Edmund Bacon wrote in 1966: “Griffin’s Plan is one of the greatest creations of man. The great issue is that you don’t wreck it.” Marion Halligan has written: “Canberra could have been the most beautiful city in history.”

Brett Odgers is a former chair and member of the Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc.

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THE GADFLY / Anthony Albanese

Ignore the yapping, there’s something about Albo EVERYBODY’S unhappy with Albo. “​He’s not cutting through,” they say. “He doesn’t have charisma. He shouldn’t be always saying ‘me too’ when Scott Morrison raises fears of China or increases the power of the intelligence agencies. It’s time for a new leader!” ​I must admit that at times I have been among them. I’ve developed such a distaste (to put it mildly) for Scott Morrison that I’ve become like the spoiled brat in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” crying: “I want it, and I want it now!” ​But our system gives the PM the huge advantage of timing the election to give himself the best political advantage. It doesn’t always work out, but for a marketeer like Morrison it’s manna from electoral heaven.

And since he’s the national leader with a puppy-dog entourage, he gets to make “news” and set the agenda while Anthony Albanese follows with second “grabs” and doesn’t look at all like a leader. ​But here’s the thing: do we really want one of those LEADERS like Morrison or Trump or Boris Johnson, or others like the murderous Vladimir Putin or Argentina’s Bolsonaro or Turkey’s Erdogan or Israel’s Netanyahu? How about Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi or take your pick of the Eastern bloc places ending

walked away from a long career in parliament itself.

I like to think that’s because they know that Albo’s the kind of leader who works with a team; that his heart’s in the right place; that he might even turn out to be the Ben Chifley of our time, someone who naturally respects women, who listens when they speak, who’s not obsessed with filling some psychological vacuum from childhood like a Malcolm Turnbull or a Bill Shorten, and will occupy The Lodge, not as a personal victory but as a privilege bestowed. ​T his is a bloke who won 60 per cent of the party’s rank and file over Shorten’s 40, who knew the factions had made the wrong choice but took it on the chin.

His only failing, in my view, is that he’s allowed himself to be “advised” by some of the same geniuses that “advised” Julia Gillard and hid her natural humanity, who “advised” Bill Shorten with his all-too-clever

zingers that made him even more phoney than he really was.

Albo has a set of values that shone through when he was Infrastructure Minister in the last Labor government. Compare that with the blatant pork barrelling of the Morrison gang.

This is the bloke whose transparent honesty and decency could restore our country’s good name after the marketeer has dragged it through the mud.

And best of all, he has a delicious sense of humour. That’s the kind of Australian leader I reckon we need right now.

This is the bloke whose transparent honesty and decency could restore our country’s good name after the marketeer has dragged it through the mud.

in STAN. Did Angela Merkel look like a LEADER before she became Germany’s Chancellor, or even afterward when she quietly got things done and transformed her country in the eyes of the world. That’s from when they had a LEADER called Adolf Hitler. ​A re we really falling into that hateful trap? Have we lost that larrikin Australian way of the swaggie, refusing a lift in the grazier’s Rolls with: “Nah, you can open your own

bloody gates?” Or the basic national canon we used to cherish called the “fair go”. Are we now so desperate for a LEADER that we’ve become the sheep that used to support us on their fleecy backs? ​A lbo is not a LEADER in that sense.

But among all the flak from columnists and the PM’s puppy dogs, we have heard not a single squark from Labor’s frontbench. Indeed, rather than stick around as a thorn in his mate’s side, Joel Fitzgibbon quietly

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OPINION / Yass Valley

Standing up to the government ‘bully’ next door HOW can we lower the cost of housing land in the ACT? The answer is surprisingly simple: follow Walter Burley Griffin’s “Y” plan and allow Canberra to flow in a managed manner into Yass Valley.

Ignoring the “Y” plan and trying to squeeze more people into a very limited space in the ACT pushes up land prices, increases the housing density and results in the dreadful uncontrolled urban sprawl over the border.

This situation is caused by a misguided policy decision many years ago to base a major part of the ACT government’s revenue stream on the sale of land. As the land supply in the ACT dries up, so will the revenue from land sales unless there is an ever-increasing value of the land that is available for sale.

So far, the ACT government has managed to maintain the land-sale revenue stream by controlling competition from far more attractive land within easy commuting distance in Yass Valley.

Somehow the ACT government has been able to hoodwink the Yass Valley Council into thinking that there should be a five-kilometre pseudo

“green belt” in Yass Valley along the border to stop far more attractive land in Yass Valley from competing with land sales in the ACT. How the ACT government managed to exert such control over Yass Valley Council remains a mystery. Perhaps there was a deal done to supply Canberra water to Yass in return for Yass Valley Council blocking development of competing land sales that would be consistent with Walter Burley Griffin’s original “Y” plan.

It looks like the ACT government’s plan is to take random “bites” out of Yass Valley land when it feels it needs more land in the future.

Such piecemeal approach to planning is totally inconsistent with good planning and leads to urban sprawl that, in the long run, will turn Yass Valley into a large urban slum dotted with industry that the ACT government doesn’t want in its backyard.

Canberra is surprisingly well planned, so why is the ACT government not helping the Yass Valley Council implement Walter Burley Griffin’s “Y” plan in a manner that will be

beneficial to the whole community?

The ACT government “vision” statement doesn’t mention integration with Yass Valley and the Yass Valley Council. The council’s vision appears to be based on looking north to the rural local government areas of Lachlan and Goulburn-Mulwaree.

Yass Valley has been like Cuba, stuck in the 1950s timezone when farming was the most important business in the area and Yass was the centre of the universe.

We need Yass Valley councillors who won’t accept being trampled on by the ACT government and who can envisage a prosperous and highly desirable place to live that is the result of capitalising on being on the doorstep of the nation’s capital.

A prosperous vision for the Canberra-Yass Valley area would be based on Walter Burley Griffin’s “Y” Plan.

Under that plan, there would be a high-speed rail link from Canberra to Yass and carefully managed decreasing density urban and semi-rural development towards Yass.

That would make a huge differ-

Yass Valley has been like Cuba, stuck in the 1950s timezone when farming was the most important business in the area and Yass was the centre of the universe.

ence to the prosperity, landcare and environmental management of Yass Valley.

A high-speed Canberra-Yass rail link route already exists on the maps.

It would bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits to the people of Yass Valley and add a major improvement to the transport infrastructure for Canberra.

We need to get our goods and people off the roads and on to more environmentally sustainable efficient transport services such as rail.

It is not clear whether the air travel will return to its pre-covid level, but if it does then it won’t be too long before Canberra’s airport will be saturated and will need to be moved to a new location that allows better runways and facilities.

The Yass area is a logical place to put a new international airport for the nation’s capital. There is sufficient land and open space to have more than one runway direction, longer runways than at Fairburn, and a 24-hour operation.

A new airport would justify the new high-speed rail link, vastly improved Barton Highway and most

importantly, fresh drinkable Canberra water for Yass.

Both sides of the fence between Yass Valley and the ACT need to start looking at the future benefits of managed implementation of Walter Burley Griffin’s “Y” plan.

The outcome of the December 4 council elections is very important to the future of land prices and the availability of affordable alternative living to the current increasingly expensive high-density housing offered by the ACT government.

Let us hope the people of Yass Valley elect councillors with the vision to see the benefits of well-planned development and who can stand up to the “bully” next door.

Bill Ginn’s family has farmed near Sutton since the 1850s. He has worked and lived in multiple countries as a software engineer, international airline captain, university lecturer and community facilitator. He is a Yass Valley Council candidate.

BILL GINN

CANBERRA • QUEANBEYAN • YASS • COOMA • GOULBURN

GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE THIS CHRISTMAS! 100’$ for Thousands is a Christmas fundraiser aimed at helping local families in need across Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass, Cooma and Goulburn.

All money raised goes to a local Salvation Army centre of your choice.

Gungahlin • Belconnen • Canberra City • Fyshwick • Woden • Tuggeranong • Queanbeyan • Yass • Cooma • Goulburn

YOUR DONATION WILL BE DOUBLED THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS

With your help, our goal is to raise $100,000, allowing us to provide 1000 families with a $100 grocery gift voucher to use over the festive season.

So donate today and GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE!

DONATE NOW www.hundredsforthousands.salvationarmy.org.au 18 CityNews December 2-8, 2021

HOME IMPROVEMENT

advertising feature

Home improvement ideas from the experts Fabric library offers eclectic range of styles

WITH the holiday season on the horizon, now’s a great time to think about bringing some of those dream home ideas to life.

From buying some new furniture to rebuilding the bathroom, “CityNews” speaks with Canberra experts who specialise in improving the home. Here’s what they said…

Christmas storage and home office furniture solutions JAMES Fullerton, co-owner of Ex-Government Furniture says they’re getting quite a few desks, chairs and storage options in store at the moment, and it’s good timing.

“We’ve got sit-stand desks, chairs, upholstered chairs, ergonomic chairs and brightly coloured chairs in yellows and blues.”

He says they’re busy at the moment because now everybody’s got their office at home.

“The home office is definitely the key, and trying to do it without breaking the bank. Whether you’ve got three days at

home or one week on and one week off, we’ve got some nice solutions for you,” he says.

There’s also plenty of “nice and neat” cabinets and drawer units for the garage, says James.

“Everybody’s expecting people over this Christmas so it’s somewhere you can put things away for neat storage.”

Ex-Government Furniture, 6 Yallourn Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 6490, visit exgovfurniture.com or search exgovfurniture on Facebook.

THE Art of Frippery at Ebsworth Upholstery features one of the biggest fabric libraries in the Canberra region, with products ranging from casual in style to luxury designer brands, says office manager Robyn Ebsworth.

“There’s beautiful velvets, linens, heaps of different prints – we spend all day working with beautiful fabrics and have access to all the new release products and current trends,” says Robyn.

She says customers can choose from a range of quality products such as lampshades, cushions, throws, rugs, furniture and bedding or can customise products to suit their own taste and ideas.

“As far as custom-made products go we can custom make most things,” she says.

“Say there’s a certain lamp you like and a certain fabric you like and you want to combine them, we can do that.

“This can be done with almost anything – cushions, a bed head, an ottoman, chairs, quilts – whatever you can think to apply it to.”

The range also includes products from Hides of Excellence, ethically sourced animal hides that

Robyn says make for beautiful gifts.

“These include cowhides, reindeer hides, rabbit furs, sheep skins and more and the great thing is that they are all ethically sourced,” she says.

And, with a designer working out of their showroom, Robyn says people are always welcome to ask for advice and ideas from the experienced team.

“We love to facilitate people’s creativity so that they can bring their ideas to life,” she says.

The Art of Frippery and Ebsworth Upholstery, unit 4, 1 Alumina Street, Beard. Call 0434 982708, visit ebsworthupholstery.com.au or theartoffrippery.com.au

www.theartoffrippery.com.au The Art of Frippery offers an electic range of soft-furnishing ranging from casual in style to designer brands. Many of our products are made locally in our Canberra based workshop. The Art of Frippery are also your local stockists for Weave Home, Hides of Excellence and Eadie LifeStyle.

Pick from our collection or choose from our huge selection of fabrics to customise your furnishings to your own personal style.

We can custom make lampshades, cushions, throws, bedding, ottomans and bedheads.

Lamps - Cushions - RugS - Throws - Bedding - Fabrics CityNews December 2-8, 2021 19

HOME IMPROVEMENTS Reliable and experienced plumbing services

Chris has shed loads of building materials

Founded in 1989, PFM Plumbing is an established, wellrespected and trusted business in the Canberra community by offering customers reliable service for all types of plumbing, says owner Pat Morella, pictured.

“PFM Plumbing is equipped with the right tools to find the cause and correct the issue for blocked drains,” says Pat. “We specialise in the replacement, installation and maintenance of hot-water services at properties throughout Canberra and the servicing, installation and replacements of gas appliances including hot-water units, cooktops and heaters.

“We also install all manner of appliances like tapware, hot water systems, toilets and more.”

A licensed plumber and gas fitter, Pat says he prides himself on providing customers with a great experience through his reliability, knowledge and commitment to quality work.

“When tasked with a job, you can be assured I will be there working to complete the task from start to finish,” says Pat. “If required we also have qualified team members to assist.”

Pat says it’s all part of PFM Plumbing’s quality service that they’ve been proudly offering Canberra and the region for more than 30 years.

CHRIS Perkins never knows what building materials will be coming through the front door at Handyman’s Trading Post.

“We’ve got two sheds packed to the brim with new and used building materials,” says Chris, who took over the store in 2015 but has been working there for nearly 25 years.

The store itself has been around for 36 years, and Chris believes it’s the Handyman’s Trading Post staff, from left, Joe, only one of its kind in the Mark and owner Chris Perkins. area. home that day, it might not be there “We have a variety of products but the next day. we do get a lot of doors in such as slid“We get things in daily so you’ve ing doors, french doors, hinge doors, got to get it while you can,” he says. and front and back doors,” he says.

As for the service Chris and his team “We also have doors with brass deliver, Chris says they haven’t had a handles that you can’t source complaint in 36 years. anywhere else.”

“Just have a look at our Google At most furniture stores, Chris says reviews,” he says. it usually takes about six to eight “We treat everyone the same and weeks for customers to get their order we tell it how it is so they know exactly but at the Handyman’s Trading Post what they’re getting before they leave they don’t have to wait. with it.”

“The beauty of our shop is you can see what you’re buying and take it Handyman’s Trading Post, 34 Geelong home right away,” he says.

Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 4036 and And Chris says if they don’t take it email build@htp.net.au

PFM Plumbing, call 0412 628538, visit pfmplumbing.com.au or email pfmplumbing@optusnet.com.au

Building bathrooms with confidence THE community can be confident that The Bathroom Company knows how to do renovations well, says owner Andrew Finn.

Established in 1993, Andrew says they’ve become quite “embedded in Canberra”.

“Our team are specialists in bathrooms, and sit down with clients to listen to what they want in order to design the bathroom they want,” he says.

Offering a smart, stylish and stressfree experience, Andrew says they can help with all decisions, from colour to tiles and baths.

He also says clients will have one dedicated staff member who will help them the whole time.

“We offer a complementary

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shopping service with our designer to assist in selecting the client’s tiles and bathroom fixtures,” he says.

It’s extremely busy at the moment, says Andrew, “there’s about a sixmonth wait for bathrooms.”

The Bathroom Company also custom-makes vanities, is available to do stone work and can incorporate modern modicums such as LED shower lighting or full-body showers, says Andrew.

Their designs complement the home, he says.

The Bathroom Company, 7 Murray Crescent, Manuka. Call 0418 628693, email quotes@bathroomcompany.com. au or visit bathroomcompany.com.au

Smart, Stylish and Stress Free “Claire and the team at the Bathroom Company did an incredible job completely renovating myb athroom including moving thes hower, drains, vanity and some other changes to my house in one project.”

Duncan Gordon

Competitive prices – No surprise fees

PAT MORELLA | 0412 628 538 20 CityNews December 2-8, 2021

M 0418 628 693 E quotes@bathroomcompany.com.au W bathroomcompany.com.au

“Clairea nd the team at the Bathroom Companyh ave delivered a beautiful new bathroom that iseven better than we imagined it.”

Leanne Cook

advertising feature Double glazing products that look good SOLACE Creations’ newly renovated showroom displays a huge range of double glazing products that can keep homes cool in summer and warm in winter, says owner Karen Porter.

“We are not just focused on double glazing and all the benefits it provides, we are also focused on how to make your home more beautiful,” she says.

“A lot of our clients report they’re saving about 60 per cent of their energy bill and they draw on our expertise to custom-design windows to look great with their home.”

The longest running uPVC double glazing company in the ACT, Solace Creations has been helping Canberrans for more than 15 years, says Karen.

“Our dedicated in-house installation team manages the professional installation of the new windows that are all Australian made and meet Australian standards,” she says.

“We’ve got the full service. We visit homes, do a measure and quote, take the old windows out and put the new ones in.

“For those happy to go ahead it’s usually only 4-6 weeks before they’ve got a comfortable home.”

Solace Creations, 17 Townsville Street, Fyshwick.

Call 6260 1621 or visit solacecreations.com.au

YES, WE ARE BACK Australian Native Plants Markets

SATURDAY DECEMBER 4 8.30am to 3pm

Market day returns to nursery Karen Brien, owner of Cool Country Natives is excited to start hosting market days again.

She says prior to covid the market days were happening eight times a year, four in Spring and four in Autumn.

“We have different growers from the local region, they come on to our site and sell their own products and customers can talk to and buy directly from the grower,” she says.

The first market day back will take place on the first Saturday of December (4th), and the second won’t take place until February.

“Normally it’s quiet because it’s hot and dry, but we’ve had so much rain and it’s been pretty mild. We haven’t had one for all of lockdown so it should be quite a good day, and there will be people around,” says Karen.

“I didn’t think they were going to happen again until February but the growers are keen to come in December.”

Cool Country Natives, 5A Beltana Road, Pialligo.

Call 6257 6666, email retail@coolcountrynatives. com.au or visit coolcountrynatives.com.au

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6280 4036 CityNews December 2-8, 2021 21

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Gift ideas to getting Christmas wrapped CHRISTMAS will be here before we know it, but there’s heaps of Canberra businesses offering great gifts that’ll have people wrapped – from flight simulation experiences to walking tours of the capital’s bird life.

Cookie’s pedalling hard until Christmas Eve OWNER of Cookies Cycles David Cook says he’ll be selling his extensive range of e-bikes and scooters all the way up until Christmas Eve. “We’re very glad to be fully back up and running,” says David, who’s backed with more than 35 years of industry experience.

“We’ve got the leading brands in e-scooters, electric bikes, normal scooters and much more on the floor and we recommend getting in quick, because we’re already selling out fast.”

David opened the store in 2015 to “cater for the family cyclist” and says he and the team pride themselves about their in-depth knowledge of the products and their parts.

Chalie & Chums owner Sandy Borgo.

That expertise is transferred into the store’s fully equipped workshop, which David says offers services and repairs.

“We back up and service all products that we sell with our large range of parts and accessories for all products we sell,” he says.

With Canberrans getting back out and about as lockdown ends, bookings for bike repairs are filling up fast and David recommends calling ahead to get a spot.

Cookies Cycles, 227 Flemington Road, Franklin.

Call 6242 0338, email shop@cookiescycles.com.au or visit cookiescycles.com.au

Christmas stock and big sales at pet gift store SANDY Borgo, owner of Charlie and Chums says she has all the essentials for Christmas.

“We’ve got some beautiful patterned baubles and some glass baubles, we’ve got socks in store with animal prints on them for Christmas.”

She also says she has some more novelty items that are both practical and fabulous.

“We’ve got lush dog hammocks for the back of the car, they’re very nice. I’ve had mine for nearly five years now and the cheap ones only lasted three months. It has helped some dogs that got car sickness,” says Sandy.

Sandy says the hammocks are cheaper than if you were to buy them online, and she’s got 25 per cent off some of the other stock in store.

“We’ve also got a couple of handbags, luggage, wallets and a phone purse with pictures of dogs and cats,” she says.

Since the lockdown ended, Sandy says she made sure she’s ready for customers and for Christmas.

Charlie & Chums, Shop 1, 103 South Point Tuggeranong. Call 0402 097580, email charlieandchums@ bigpond.com or visit charlieandchums.com.au

Cookies Cycles owner David Cook.

Great CHRISTMAS gifts for all the family DIRTY DOG DOOR MATS NATIVE BIRD PAINTED COASTERS, PLATTERS, BREAD BOARDS & CHEESE KNIFE SETS

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MORE IN STORE - ANIMAL THEMED GIFTWARE & ACCESSORIES!

www.charlieandchums.com.au 22 CityNews December 2-8, 2021

HURRY IN WHILE STOCKS LAST

Find us at South Point, near Big W Phone Sandy on 0402 097 580

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Jet Flight Simulator Canberra Two ways to fly at Canberra’s only flight education and entertainment centre

B737 Jet Simulator

You be the pilot.

You fly the plane.

High Flying Fun for Everyone

The Boeing 737 experience, left, and ICAROS virtual-reality experience.

Fly all over the world without leaving Canberra JET Flight Simulator Canberra has the perfect Christmas gift for anyone who’s ever wanted to fly, says owner Trevor Vickers.

“Visitors get to operate a full-size replica of a Boeing 737-800 cockpit and can choose from 24,000 airports around the world to fly in or out of,” he says.

“There’ll be an instructor who’s there to point out what all the buttons and levers do and when to use them, but it’ll be you that’s doing the flying.

“Sometimes people want to fly over where they’ve been on holiday, others want to do things like fly under the Sydney Harbour Bridge – it’s all possible.”

But that’s not the only experience they’re offering, says Trevor.

Visitors also have the opportunity for a more

fast-paced, virtual reality experience called “ICAROS” which he describes as a “completely different way to fly”.

“The way it works is that you lie on a frame and just by shifting your body weight it steers you in the virtual world,” says Trevor.

“The sensation is more like flying with a wingsuit or like you’re Superman.”

Whether it’s flying a 737, soaring through a virtual world, or both, Trevor says there’s multiple booking options on their website including gift certificates.

Jet Flight Simulator Canberra, 4 Montford Crescent, Lyneham. Visit jetflightsimulatorcanberra.com.au or call 0438 834026.

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ENJOY A PERFECT RIDE FROM COOKIES • E-SCOOTERS • E-BIKES • BIKES FOR DAD, MUM & THE KIDS! YES WE STOCK: Regular Scooters, Skateboards, Parts & Accessories

LARGEST RANGE OF E-SCOOTERS IN GUNGAHLIN

“COME IN AND VIEW OUR COMPREHENSIVE RANGE” 227 FLEMINGTON ROAD, FRANKLIN 6242 0338 CityNews December 2-8, 2021 23

SHOP ONLINE AT WWW.COEGASUNWEAR.COM.AU WORLD RENOWN SWIMWEAR PRODUCTS NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA

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The durable but light weight anti-slip Toughtek soles provide superior protection from hot sand/concrete, rough surfaces, bindiis, rocks, shells and blue bottles.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS Quick-drying, light and inclusive swimwear COEGA Sunwear is “a really good” swimwear product the Australian market hasn’t seen before, says sales manager Robyn Ebsworth.

She says there’s a range of women’s and men’s swimwear, a children’s range, pool/ beach shoes and a modesty range.

“It is SPF 50+, it’s quick drying and lightweight and the designs give you the ability to mix and match.”

For the children’s products, Robyn says the focus is on sun protection, so they’ve got longer sleeves and a bit more coverage.

The modesty range is for cultures that require full body coverage, so there are tunics and leggings, “it’s pretty much head to toe.”

“Pool/beach shoes are a lightweight shoe with a tough sole that is anti-slip. They protect your feet from hot concrete, hot sand, when you’re playing on rocks, or around sharp shells and blue bottles, your feet are covered.”

Robyn says they’re chlorine, salt water and sand resistant.

COEGA Sunwear. Email shop@coegawear.com, visit coegasunwear.com.au or search coega_australia on Instagram.

Santa and Sesame Street in Canberra for Christmas THE “Sesame Street Circus Spectacular – Christmas Edition” will make its world debut in Canberra, December 1-23, and Santa will be welcoming guests on arrival.

It’s a Christmas festival with dozens of decorated trees, including a “massive” six-metre tree with thousands of lights and “Sesame Street” decorations.

There’s also Christmas-themed games, a “Sesame Street” jumping castle and opportunities to meet Santa.

Managing director of Showtime Attractions Keith Brown says the show is not just for little kids, it’s for anyone who loves the circus, Santa or Christmas.

“The event has been specially created in conjunction with ‘Sesame Street’ New York, and is the perfect way to get the family well and truly into the holiday spirit while creating lasting memories,” he says.

The show runs for 90 minutes and has “exciting and jaw-dropping” circus acts alongside “Sesame Street” favourites including Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie and Super Grover.

“Sesame Street Circus Spectacular – Christmas Edition”, 18 Spitfire Avenue, Majura Park, December 1-23. Tickets at sesamestreetcircus.com.au

Motorcycle champion store in Mitchell The feather and down experts for over 30 years SERVICE FOR YOUR QUILTS, PILLOWS & CUSHIONS

Eco-friendly cleaning and rejuvenation of: • All feather & down products • Woollen, silk, polyester and cotton blankets and underlays

Custom made products to your specifications: • repairing, resizing and re-casing services • add extra feather and down to your quilts, pillows or sleeping bags Monday – Friday: 9am – 3:45pm

Unit 9, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell • www.thermaquilts.com.au Phone: 6241 6859 • Email: shop@thermaquilts.com.au

HAVING represented Australia in several motorbiking world championships, owner of Moto Central Don Murray enjoys sharing his knowledge with new and experienced riders.

His store sells a range of road bikes, off-road bikes and scooters with brands such as CFMoto, BENELLI, Crossfire, Sherco and Beta, as well as Kymco & Lambretta Scooters.

“Currently our most popular adult bike is the CFMoto 150 NK, which is proving to be a big hit with the commuter and delivery crowd,” says Don. “For the kids, you can’t go past the Sherco Electric kids balance bikes in two popular sizes: EB12 and EB16.”

Don says the store also has a fully equipped service centre with the latest, state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment that can service most makes and models of motorcycles and scooters.

“Log-book servicing, tyres and brakes are our specialty,” he says.

Don has been riding motorcycles since he was a kid, and says it was a dream to be able to represent Australia as both a rider and a team manager at multiple Australian championships.

“I love the freedom of being out in the elements, meeting interesting people and exploring new places always seems better on a bike,” he says.

“We are more than happy to get people started on their first bike as well as help them with where to get their licence and help with all the right gear like helmets, jackets, gloves and more.”

Moto Central, 12 Sandford Street, Mitchell.

Call 6248 0229, email sales@motocentral.com.au or visit motocentral.com.au

For all your motor cycles, parts & accessories needs in Canberra

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12 Sandford St, Mitchell | 02 6248 0229 | www.motocentral.com.au | sales@motocentral.com.au 24 CityNews December 2-8, 2021

advertising feature Christmas sales at The Q for next season THE Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (The Q) is excited to be offering memberships, three subscription packages and sales on every show for its upcoming season, says artistic director Jordan Best.

She says packages include Gold, Silver, and 30 and under.

“Gold will save you 25 per cent, Silver 20 per cent and only pay $30 a ticket for our 30 and under subscription,” says Jordan.

“Or become a Q Member for 2022 for only $50, with heaps of benefits, including 10 per cent off at our bars and a cute Q keyring.”

Ask yourself, says Jordan, how far would you go to get what you want? “Find out in ‘Ruthless’, February 24-March 12,” she says.

“What would the world look like if everyone was equal? ‘This Changes Everything’ answers, July 22-30.

“What happens when a young girl hits a ball against the tin wall of her family’s home? ‘Sunshine Super Girl’ will reveal, November 2-5.

“What happens when two sets of parents meet up to deal with an incident between their children? You’ll know in ‘God of Carnage’, November 23-December 3.”

The Q, 253 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan.

Call 6285 6290, search The Q on Facebook or visit theq.net.au

“Sunshine Super Girl”… What happens when a young girl hits a ball against the tin wall of her family’s home?

Photo: Brett Boardman

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God of Carnage CityNews December 2-8, 2021 25

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CHRISTMAS GIFTS

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Neil Hermes… “It’s a great opportunity for people with friends or family visiting Canberra who want to see the best of the city.”

Walking tour shows the highlights of Canberra

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FOR those wanting to see the best of what the capital has to offer in a day, Neil Hermes says his “Highlights of Canberra” tour hits all of the ACT’s premier destinations.

“Say you had one day to explore Canberra and no more time, what would you see? In this tour we answer that,” says Neil.

“There’s visits to new and old Parliament House, the War Memorial, the Royal Military College and plenty of other iconic locations.”

“It’s a great opportunity for people with friends or family visiting Canberra who want to see the best of the city.”

RASCALSTREATS.com.au

New Book For Christmas

He also says the tour is a great way for visitors to learn from some local experts what destinations to see in the capital on other days of their visit.

Neil, an expert local ornithologist, has also recently published a book on the bird life of Canberra, a place he describes as a “city of birds”. “‘A Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of Canberra and the High Country’ has more than 300 illustrated species of local bird and is your guide to any bird that you’re likely to see in your garden around Canberra,” he says.

Visit canberraguidedtours.com.au or neilhermes.com.au

A photographic Field guide to the Birds of Canberra and The High Country.

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26 CityNews December 2-8, 2021

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

INSIDE

When partying is such sweet sorrow

RICHARD CALVER

Critics fete print artist with top award of the year Dylan takes the Tsongas excellence-in-acting award

COVER STORY

By Helen MUSA

ONE of Australia’s most revered print artists has been named 2021 “CityNews Artist of the Year” at the 31st annual ACT Arts Awards evening, held in the Canberra Museum & Gallery.

Dianne Fogwell was singled out for an extraordinary year of work, but also for a lifetime of technical mastery of her art, combined with an Alice in Wonderlandlike imagination that defies pigeonholing.

“CityNews” editor Ian Meikle presented her with a certificate and a $1000 cheque and craft writer Meredith Hinchliffe gave her a finely-crafted stainless bowl from F!nk studio.

Fogwell said she was delighted to receive the award.

“Canberra’s got a lot to be proud of.

We’re a city of creative people… if we don’t take ourselves seriously who else is going to do it?” she said.

Praised by critics as the creator of dream-like realities set within a specific Canberra “wonderscape”, she was singled out for her exhibition, “Transient”, at Beaver Galleries in November, 2020, which captured the eerie light cast by the blanket of smoke and unburnt particles over Canberra during the 2019 bushfires.

Fogwell is embedded in the history of Canberra’s visual arts. She was the co-founder of Studio One print workshop, founder/director of the Criterion Press and Fine Art Gallery and a long-time lecturer in printmaking, graphic investigation and lecturer in charge of the Edition + Artists Book Studio at ANU School of Art. She is also known as a master printer who has editioned prints professionally for prominent Australian artists, including Jason Benjamin, Margaret Olley and Robin Wallace-Crabbe, while maintaining her own art practice.

She has won the Megalo International Print Prize and the Australian Artists’ Book Prize and was recently announced as the winner of the 2021 Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards.

By Helen Musa

AN exceptional Canberra actorplaywright was presented with the Helen Tsongas Award for excellence in acting by Canberra Theatre director Alex Budd at the ACT Arts Awards tonight (November 30).

“CityNews Artist of the Year” Dianne Fogwell… “Canberra‘s got a lot to be proud of. We’re a city of creative people.”

Photo: Holly Treadaway In a busy year, she was an invited artist in the 11th Triennial of Chamalieres in France, won an award of excellence in the inaugural WAMA Art Prize for works on paper in the Grampians, and was commissioned to complete a 45-metre installation for the Geelong Art Gallery.

Fogwell has been an exhibiting artist since 1979 and has been an invited artist to international biennials as far afield as Poland, Belgium, Belgrade, France, London and Korea.

Her work is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Artbank, the Australian War Memorial, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC and the China Printmaking Museum in Shenzhen.

Earlier in the evening at the ACT Arts Awards, the Helen Tsongas Award for Excellence in Acting was presented by Canberra Theatre director Alex Budd to Dylan Van Den Berg.

The awards also featured the Critics Circle’s own awards, which went to photographers Sammy Hawker and Melita Dahl; visual artists, Dianne Fogwell, Stephen Harrison, Sharon Peoples, Janet DeBoos, Wendy Teakel and Marie Hagerty; musical artists Dan Walker, Christopher Latham, Rowan Harvey-Martin, the Phoenix Collective, Canberra Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players and jazz pianist, Wayne Kelly; writers Lucy Neave, Irma Gold, Merlinda Bobis and Sarah Rice; dance artists Michelle Heine, Olivia Fyfe, Alex Voorhoeve, Bonnie Neate, Suzie Piani, Liz Lea Dance Company and Quantum Leap; theatre artists Linda Buck, Dylan Van Den Berg, Josh Wiseman, Pippin Carroll and Rebus Theatre; musical theatre artists Lydia Milosavljevic and Helen McFarlane; and film festival producers Deborah Kingsland, Ketura Budd and Hannah de Feyter.

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Dylan Van Den Berg was singled out by the Canberra Critics Circle for a remarkable year of acting and writing, especially in his play “Milk”, presented at The Street Theatre in June, in which he played a character with a background very much like his own.

“I am incredibly honoured to receive an award in Helen’s memory… awards like this are immensely encouraging for artists and it is a real privilege,” Van Den Berg said on learning of the decision.

In April, he also won the $30,000 Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting for “Milk” at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.

A Palawa writer/performer with family connections to the Bass Strait Islands and the north-east of Tasmania, the multi-talented Van Den Berg has a BA in drama and international communication from the ANU and a diploma in Indonesian from the University of New England, as well as qualifications in improvisation at the State University of New York.

Very much a product of The Street Theatre, where he has performed as a professional actor many times, he came to public attention there in 2019 as Gregor Samsa in Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”, who turned into an The late Helen Tsongas. insect.

In 2021 critics praised both the gentle restraint of his performance as a younger-gen-

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Actor Dylan Van Den Berg… “I am incredibly honoured to receive an award in Helen’s memory.” eration indigenous man and the play, described by “CityNews” reviewer Joe Woodward, as “a matter of cultural necessity.”

In meeting the challenge of playing himself in “Milk”, he has said he objectified the part, declaring: “Just the fact that I wrote it means I removed it from myself”.

Van Den Berg has said that he wrote the play for his baby daughter, Charlotte, to whom he said: “I wrote this play for you and you’ll know where we come from.”

The Helen Tsongas Award for excellence in acting was established by the Tsongas family in the name of the late Helen Tsongas, who died in a motorcycle accident with her husband, Peter Brajkovic, 10 years ago.

Tsongas was a dramatic actor, memorable for tragic roles in “Medea” and “The House of Bernarda Alba”, but equally admired for her comic roles in plays such as “Noises Off” and “The Female Odd Couple” She worked at Arts ACT for many years and then moved to the then Commonwealth Office for the Arts.

She would have been 43 in November.

The Helen Tsongas award takes the form of $1000 and a certificate going to the best Canberra actor of the year, with no restrictions on age or gender, as judged by the theatre panel of the Canberra Critics Circle and will continue over the coming years.

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WATCH IT! / streaming and stuff

Time lord ‘Doctor’ Jodie says it’s time to take flight IN her final outing as the iconic time lord, Jodie Whittaker leaves with her a legacy that proves “Doctor Who” is a role for a woman as much as it is a man.

Whittaker has announced she’ll leave the role next year following the conclusion of the show’s 13th season, which is currently ongoing.

A vocal minority hissed at the idea of a woman playing the titular character when she was first announced in 2017.

Take the hashtag ‘#notmydoctor’ that started trending on Twitter before she even had the chance to prove herself as one example of the outcry.

How terrible, a fictional alien smorgasbord that can take any form might by some strange chance turn out to be female – what an absolute cosmic travesty.

But Whittaker has proved them wrong – bringing a humble charisma to the role and a portrayal worthy of one of the most popular characters of all time.

However, last year the ratings of “Doctor Who” hit their lowest in the UK since 1986, leading to some speculation that it might spell trouble for the time lord.

“Lowest since 1986” is still four million odd people, mind you – the kind of viewership many shows dream of.

If indeed the show is “struggling”, it’s a result of its writing being some of the most hit and miss it’s been in years.

While there have been some gems, the

Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who… proved the critics wrong. show has also exhaustingly milked modern political issues, believing it has some kind of right to preach from a platform where the main character flies around in a magic police box.

What happened to episodes such as “The Empty Child” of the Eccleston era, where terrifying, gas-mask-wearing children haunted the streets of London during the

blitz? Or the emotional “Vincent and the Doctor” from the Smith era, where Vincent van Gogh was taken to the future to see his own museum and the celebration of his art – recognition he never received while he was alive.

These are the sorts of concepts people escape into “Doctor Who” for, not to be bombarded with political messaging that’s

already everywhere else they look.

Don’t get me wrong, there are absolutely some standout episodes that allow Whittaker to shine.

“Ascension of the Cybermen” did some unique work with a popularly established nemesis of the time lord and “Spyfall” threw a James Bond spin into the mix and even saw the doctor take a visit to Australia.

But even these episodes certainly don’t hit the heights of what “Doctor Who” fans have come to expect – certainly not like what was seen in the David Tennant era of the doctor.

Tennant, still widely considered as the best portrayal of the character to date, also had some of the best material to work with.

Take classics such as “Silence in the Library”, where the doctor found himself in an empty, planet-sized library, or “Midnight”, which set the majority of the episode inside a single room and became a creepy guessing game of which person was the alien impostor in disguise.

It’d also be remiss not to mention fan-favourite “Blink”, where viewers were first introduced to the terrifying weeping angels.

Written by renowned British television writer Steven Moffat, the doctor barely featured in the episode at all – only occasionally appearing through a TV screen to

give cryptic warnings to characters that the audience had never seen before.

Ideas like these are how “Doctor Who” reinvents itself and stays fresh – not by cheaply capitalising on modern politics.

It’s just a shame that Whittaker hasn’t had originality of this level to play with during her own tenure.

There’s certainly no shortage of places to stream the adventures of the time lord in Australia.

The new seasons of the show, from its reboot in 2005, can be found on Amazon Prime Video and Stan, but ABC iView is the platform that viewers will be able to stay most up to date with new episodes of season 13 releasing weekly.

But for those wanting to go old-school, right back to the doctor’s early adventures, they’ll have to turn to BritBox. The platform, dedicated entirely to British television, has episodes that stretch as far back as 1963 when the show first appeared on black and white television screens around the world.

Now there’s a time warp.

CINEMA / reviews

usic, M e r o M un...

More F

Sales rocket for wrong reasons

By Dougal

MACDONALD “Best Sellers” (M)

THE CLASSIC BREAKFAST with Holmsey & Jen

5.30AM TO 9AM WEEKDAYS How to listen: 1053 AM DAB Radio • www.2ca.com.au Smart speakers (just say “Play 2CA”) 28 CityNews December 2-8, 2021

THIS warm-hearted dramatic humorous made-in-Canada romance is the first feature movie written by Anthony Grieco, whose movingimage career to date comprises playing characters in a trio of TV series.

Without exactly fitting the mould for any of those genres, it’s amusing, moderately intelligent and emotionally within the boundaries of possibility. Structurally, it builds a story around octogenarian novelist Harris Shaw whose first book about 40 years ago was a best-seller. Now, unbeknown to him, his publisher is experiencing a lean patch and its young owner Lucy (Aubrey Plaza) and her only employee Rachel (Ellen Wong) are scratching their heads to find salvation.

If Harris has another book in the pipeline, perhaps he can help.

Rachel locates him in a small Canadian community where his only response to any telephone caller is “He’s dead; bugger off”.

Which Lucy is not prepared to do.

The debut film of director Lina Roessler confronts publisher and author in an accumulation of petty conflicts that must resolve in something that each can live

Michael Caine in “Best Sellers”. with. The experience is lively. The texture of the challenge makes a certain amount of sense.

Towering above it all is 88-year old Michael Caine playing Harris, a curmudgeon perhaps but also a creative whizzer scared to follow a debut success in case it’s not as good as its predecessor. Lucy shepherds him on the road trip promoting his new book “The Future is X-Rated”. Sales rocket up, but for the wrong reasons. Asked to read from it, Harris complies – with endless repetition of one word – “bullshite” that becomes the book’s leitmotif not for its innate quality but for the fun of the crowd chanting it endlessly in pubs.

There’s much to enjoy in “Best Sellers”.

At Palace Electric and Hoyts Belconnen

“Cry Macho” (MA) “CRY Macho” originates from a novel by N Richard Nash collabo-

rating with Nick Schenk, a long-time collaborator with 91-year-old director Clint Eastwood of whom it might justifiably now be asked: “What? Still making movies?”

Likeable enough, it also poses a corollary question: “Will it be Eastwood’s last?”

He plays Mike Milo, one-time horse breeder and rodeo rider who, in 1979, takes a job to bring a man’s adolescent son away from his alcoholic mom.

Driving from Mexico back to Texas, the unlikely pair faces an unexpectedly challenging journey, during which Milo may find his own sense of redemption through teaching the boy what being a good man means.

The bad guys are only a minor intrusion into “Cry Macho”. Sure, they’re there. But their main purpose is to energise the tempo occasionally to keep it from falling asleep. The film has structural issues for the sharp-eyed filmgoer to find annoying, particularly continuity.

Sere though it is, the landscape looks good. And the casting of Macho is a work of genius. He’s beautiful. He’s a great actor, obeying his cues faultlessly.

Some might consider the film’s most delightful images to be Milo and the boy walking along one on either side of him. If he’s not careful, he’ll end up in the pot. Because Macho is the boy’s pet cock. I’m no poultry expert; I don’t know his breed; but he looks superb.

At Palace Electric and Dendy

DINING / Miss Van’s, Civic

Filling up and feeling good!

By Wendy

JOHNSON THE little story on Miss Van’s website paints the picture of this new (and very exciting) Vietnamese eating house in Marcus Clarke Street, Civic.

“With roots stemming back to rural Laos and Vietnam, our family found their way to Australia by way of food. From humble beginnings with farming, opening a Banh Mi street cart to fleeing refugee camps in Thailand, food has always been a source of livelihood, creating opportunity at every turn. Eat, drink Vietnamese.”

The story sums up owner Andrew Duong’s love of food and hospitality. Many will know Andrew as inspiration behind the wildly popular Lazy Su and Baby Su. Miss Van’s is about filling up your belly and feeling good and the food lives up to that. We did fill our bellies and we did feel good.

The lunch set menu ($39 for four courses) began with two snacks. The lamb on sesame leaf, with ginger and scallion made our tastebuds stand up to attention as did the Lao sausage with Jeow Bond tomato salsa on charred cabbage.

This salsa is commonly found in Laos – think sun-dried chillies, galangal, garlic, fish sauce and other secret ingredients. Bam! Old ways meet new traditions at Miss Van’s and we trembled with excitement when the Vietnamese

Grilled tiger prawns… with tomato curry and shellfish oil. curry cauliflower arrived, one of the dishes inspired by a recipe of Andrew’s grandmother (does food get any better than that?). It was a hot bowl of comfort packed with flavour and simply out of this world.

The second main – grilled flank steak – was beautiful (although we found the long slices of tender beef a wee bit challenging with chopsticks). It was thinly sliced, and sat in a thick (but not too thick), rich, heart-warming gravy and perked up with Thai basil.

We were inspired to explore and so ordered a grilled tiger prawn each ($9), scrumptious with tomato curry and shellfish oil.

There was no way we were going to give “The Dessert” a miss ($11). We shared and ooh-ed and

WINE

Ah, when parting is such sweet sorrow

By Richard

CALVER ON those cards they send around when someone leaves the office, I always write one word: “Devastated”.

For those who are friends and know you well, there’s usually a laugh. For colleagues who you’re glad to see the back of, they usually get the irony.

A recent farewell clearly fell in the first category and a mate is moving to Victoria now the lockdown is lifted here and as well as for our “Mexican” brethren.

I had a farewell dinner for him where five of us toasted friendship, its necessity for mental equilibrium and as a human factor that was not able to be properly reinforced during lockdown.

To match the smoked salmon entrée, we started with a non-vintage sparkling; a House of Arras, made in Tasmania. It is labelled Brut Elite Chardonnay Pinot Noir and is made in the champagne style.

It was delicious with small bubbles, lingering mouth feel and a gorgeous peach and spice flavour. I paid somewhere around $55 for this drop. Another guest had brought a Mumm NV champagne, so it was a good opportunity to compare a French sparkling with the one from down south, yeeha, at around the same price point. The Mumm was darker and the bead heavier. It was also a little heavier on the palate with a bready aftertaste, not unpleasant but not as

finessed as the Tasmanian equivalent.

Was I surprised at this outcome, strangely agreed to by all guests? Well, pas de tout, as the French would say. I knew that House of Arras winemaker EJ Carr’s Late Disgorged 2004 was named sparkling wine of the year in “Decanter” magazine’s January, 2021 issue.

He beat a couple of heavyweight French champagne houses, including Krug and Bollinger. Go, team.

My departing friend ensured that the quality of the wine to go with the main remained high. He brought a St Henri 2018, the Penfolds’ wine that’s been slugging it out for years in the shiraz stakes with the more renowned Grange.

The St Henri’s better value for money, in my view. I knew that a 2018 is going for around $130 a bottle so the choice to say thanks, put it in my cellar and serve the wine I had in mind for the slow-cooked chorizo and sweet potato casserole main course flew out the window.

When young and fruit-driven it is not as complex as its aged counterparts, but it possesses a great silky blueberry taste that makes you forget the weight of the wine at 14.5 per cent alcohol by volume. Bravo for this wine all around, again without demur.

With dessert we had tequila shots so the farewell was as rambunctious as you might expect. There is nothing better in saying farewell to celebrate it with good food and even better wine. And even my bad jokes went down well: Every weekend I say: “Roger, you must stop drinking wine.” Luckily my name’s not Roger.

AND I asked a friend whether he knew how to say “farewell” in French. He replied: “Adieu”.

Photo: Wendy Johnson

aah-ed with every bite. The Vietnamese coffee and salted caramel ganache was decadent (but not overly sweet), the condensed milk ice cream “smooth as” and the wild rice a welcoming crunch.

The lunch menu is petite at the minute but that’s smart. Andrew says it will expand when Miss Van’s has everything down pat.

Miss Van’s liquor licence wasn’t approved when we dined, so BYO (there’s a shop just around the corner) was free. And hat’s off to Andrew for stopping by when we had finished to ask for frank and open feedback (a follow-up email came also).

So often dining establishments don’t bother, but they should because it shows they truly care about all aspects of their hospitality offering.

ARTS IN THE CITY The Choirboys are back in town

By Helen Musa THE Choirboys have been a staple of Australia’s rock ‘n’ roll landscape since their inception in 1978 and, 40 years on, their rock anthem, “Run To Paradise” is as popular as ever. Over lockdown they’ve put down a nine-track vinyl compilation album “Feels Good” and a new original single release, “Home Free”. The band will perform at the Royal Hotel, Queanbeyan, on Thursday, December 16.

Book at royalhotelqbn.com.au THE Luminescence Chamber Singers and Luminescence Children’s Choir will sing carols from Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, South America and Australia at the Wesley Uniting Church, December 17-19. Book at luminescence.org.au ON the same weekend, “Ave Maria” and “The Magnificat” will be performed by Luminescence in versions by Robert Fayrfax, Michael Praetorius and Josquin Desprez.

Also at Wesley Uniting Church, 6.30pm, Saturday, December 18, book at luminescence.org.au CANBERRA’S Tasnim Hossain is one of nine new writers commissioned by Critical Stages Touring for its second season of “Come to Where I Am – Australia”. Produced as 10-minute video postcards performed on location by the writers in the region they are writing about, the dramatic snapshots will screen at criticalstages.com.au on December 8 and 15.

CONDUCTOR Leonard Weiss, who has been busy carrying out his NSW Orchestral Conducting Fellowship, has just conducted his first gig with Sydney Youth Orchestra over three days of recording music at Trackdown Studios and filming overlooking Sydney Harbour.

ROWAN Harvey-Martin will conduct “An Evening of Fairy Tales” with the new ACT Youth Orchestra at the National Portrait Gallery, 7pm, Wednesday, December 8, book at trybooking.com

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GARDENING

Good garden design goes to pot GOOD garden design has a balance of hardscape and softscape and, more importantly, has art or sculpture somewhere in the garden.

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lid on the “tea” as it brews as it can be a little smelly. Keep mosquitoes and flies out of the liquid.

Art in the garden doesn’t have to be expensive. A handmade piece of art gives a depth of enjoyment be it an individual piece that you’ve made or someone else’s creation.

When adding art into the garden, find a focal point and consider multiple views to that space, think about scale, style and colour.

I have large mosaic pots in my garden that I have made myself and move them around to different spaces for a change. Art can also be a bird feeder or something small, so long as it creates visual interest.

THE garden has had prolific growth with consistent rain and the weeds need to be pulled out before they set seed.

The old saying “one year of seed is seven years of weeds” is so true.

Weeds can be put into the green bin or placed in a hessian bag submerged in a bucket of water to steep for a few weeks.

Dilute the subsequent liquid by 10 parts water and it can be used in the compost or the garden. Keep a

ROSES are going to put on a show this year, but the leaves will be looking terrible with black spot and yellow leaves.

The rain is causing this to happen so we have to pick the leaves and put them in the bin and don’t compost them. Keep deadheading roses to encourage more blooms as well.

JUST about all vegetables can be planted now, the last opportunity to get a summer crop before autumn.

Water with Seasol or any seaweed extract every two weeks or so and remember it is a soil conditioner not a fertiliser. Mulching vegetables with sugar cane or pea straw will help retain the moisture in the ground and keep the weeds down as well.

GROWING pumpkins is very satisfying and the yield can be abundant and store well into winter.

They have male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious). The male flowers come first and then the female flowers. The difference between the flowers is a swelling at the base of the females.

Pumpkins need a sunny spot to

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Two of Jackie Warburton’s mosaic garden pots.

Photos: Jackie Warburton grow and lots and lots of space, and lots and lots of compost. They take between 70-120 days to mature in Canberra, generally after the first frost around the end of April, and then they will be ready for harvest.

Golden Nugget is a bush variety with small, tasty fruit and there’s medium-growth Butternut if space is an issue.

not the ground.

NOW’S the time to take semihardwood cuttings of plants such as camellias and spring-flowering shrubs.

Use new growth that’s just starting to harden, that is dark green/ brown stems. Take cuttings about 10cm long, just below a node, remove all the leaves on the botTHE NSW Christmas bush (Cerato- tom half of the stem, dip into some petalum gummiferum) is in flower. honey, plant into It’s a spectacular small tree that can propagation only be grown in a sheltered spot in mix and the garden or pot. Large branches keep mixed with red and green kangaroo moist. paws on the Christmas table make a wonderful display.

AS the weather warms, water in the cool of the day and preferably in the morning or use drip irrigation.

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Your week in the stars

By Joanne Madeline Moore

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General knowledge crossword No. 810

December 6-12, 2021 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

With the Sun and Mercury shining in fellow fire sign Sagittarius, you’re in Ram freedom-bunny mode! On Wednesday, racy Mars and restless Jupiter rev up your adventurous, impatient side. So this week will work best if you experiment and explore, stretch well beyond your comfort zone, and fraternise with a stimulating crowd. But you could receive confusing information about a friend or a planned trip. So do some stringent fact-checking and try to be extra patient.

HAVING THE PRESENCE TO CHECK ON PRESENTS

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Shirley and Eddie were looking to buy Christmas presents for their staff and clients, but their next-door neighbour had alerted them to a possible issue around tax.

Dynamic Mars is transiting through your relationship zone so a problem with a loved one should start to improve, as long as you are proactive about finding a solution. When it comes to your aspirations for the future, don’t just dream about them. You need a practical plan (and the cooperation of others) to turn them into robust reality. The weekend stars highlight intense conversations and creative communication, as you connect with family and friends from foreign shores.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Geminis can easily become confused and side-tracked by the busyness and minutiae of daily life. But the more you concentrate on the needs of others, the better the week will be. With the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Pluto stimulating your relationship zones, you’re in a romantic and flirtatious frame of mind. So it’s the perfect time to pamper your partner with lashings of love and extra TLC. Are you sick and tired of being single? Sparks could fly with a lusty Leo or a sexy Sagittarian.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Attached Crabs – this week’s Venus/Pluto conjunction is perfect for cementing your commitment to your partner, as you find extra romantic ways to show your affection. Singles – give superficial suitors a wide berth. Look for lasting love with a tender Taurus or a soulful Scorpio. And with the Sun and Mercury activating your wellbeing zone, don’t just talk about improving your fitness levels. It’s time to jump off the comfy couch and get physical in the great outdoors!

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

The focus is on friends, as the Sun and Mercury move through your friendship zone. But don’t let your peer group influence you too much. The planets encourage you to be your own person and do your own thing. So your motto for the moment is from this week’s birthday great, singer-songwriter Jim Morrison: “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.” Creativity is high on the weekend, but don’t let your tendency to gossip come between you and others.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Home is where the heart is as the Sun and Mercury move through your domestic zone. So it’s a good time to communicate with family members in creative ways.

Avoid sending mixed messages though (especially on Tuesday). The Mercury/ Jupiter link could send a lucky opportunity your way on the weekend. But you must recognise good fortune when it comes along (and be thoroughly prepared) or it will pass you by. Unhappily single? Love and friendship are linked.

Down

4 To suffer extreme hunger, is to do what?

(6) 7 Name a nautical form of punishment. (8) 8 What do we call a trying experience? (6) 9 Name an alternative term for a forefather or progenitor. (8) 11 What might we call that which is the least definite? (7) 13 To overturn, is to do what? (7) 15 Each player begins a game of chess with how many pieces? (7) 17 To stain or finish in imitation of prized black wood, is to do what? (7) 20 Name a renowned Australian ballet dancer, etc, Sir Robert ... (8) 23 What is a fleet of warships called? (6) 24 Silviculture is concerned with what? (8) 25 Name the stick used to drive the ball in polo. (6)

1 What is an indefinitely long period of time? (4) 2 Which term describes foreigners? (6) 3 What is a heavy horse-drawn vehicle? (4) 4 Name the mythological goddess of flowers. (5) 5 What is something intermediate in nature or degree? (6) 6 The Australian women’s cricket team is nicknamed the Southern what? (5) 9 To bring a charge against someone, is to do what? (6) 10 What does a supervisor do? (7) 12 To go to bed, is to do what? (4,2) 14 To impose as a burden, is to do what? (6) 16 Which term describes that which is the most domesticated? (6) 18 Myanmar is the official name of which SE Asian republic?

(5) 19 What is the handle of a hammer, axe, or other long implement? (5) 21 Name a musical instrument of ancient Greece. (4) 22 Which term implies a mean or average? (4)

FREE SUDOKU EVERY DAY AT citynews.com.au

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

The Venus-Pluto conjunction will help you power through projects with plenty of passion and a practical plan. So don’t waste the opportunity to get things done!

The combination of energy and endurance is a winning double. But avoid being uncharacteristically rash with cash and credit (especially on Wednesday). And is it time to express your humanitarian side? Think of ways you can contribute your numerous Libran talents to a worthy cause within your local community.

Solution next edition

Across

Sudoku hard No. 305

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Pluto (your patron planet) starts the week making beautiful music with Mars and ends the week linking up with vivacious Venus. So your natural charm and magnetism are readily available, as you tap into your inner power and let your Scorpio light shine for the world to see! But are you experiencing financial problems? If you broaden your perspective and think outside the box, then Mercury and Jupiter will help you find a solution via a creative lightbulb moment.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

The Sun and Mercury are moving through your sign this week, which activates your spontaneous Sagittarian side. But avoid overcommitting and promising more than you can actually deliver. The weekend stars encourage you to tie up loose ends before you launch new ventures. The more energy and focus you put into current projects, the less confused you’ll feel. Make it a priority to communicate clearly, do your homework thoroughly and check all details as you proceed.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Avoid being an over-critical and over-committed Capricorn. You’ve got a lot on your plate but don’t struggle on alone. Family, friends and colleagues are happy to help – if you let them. When you pool your talents with like-minded souls, magical things happen! Venus and Pluto boost your charisma on the weekend, so make the most of it and call in a few old favours. If you combine a can-do attitude with a collaborative approach, then you’ll have a pleasant and productive week.

Disclaimer This column contains general advice, please do not rely on it. If you require specific advice on this topic please contact Gail Freeman or your professional adviser.

Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2021

Solutions – November 25 edition Sudoku medium No. 305

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Artistic inspiration is high this week but don’t waste too much time daydreaming.

Do your best to turn creative ideas into a tangible form. Strive to be creative and compassionate (rather than chaotic and confusing). Jupiter and Saturn are both transiting through your spirituality zone so slow down, Pisces, pace yourself, and enjoy looking within. Solo activities – like yoga, meditation, quiet contemplation, drawing or journaling – are essential soul food for you at the moment.

Solution next edition

Crossword No. 809

This week the Sun and Mercury stimulate your friendship and eccentricity zone; Venus, Mars and Pluto fire up your imagination; and Jupiter encourages you to express your authentic self. So it’s time to network within your peer group and extended social circle, as you get your quirky Aquarian ideas out into the world. Be inspired by singer-songwriter Jim Morrison (who was born on December 8, 1943): “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.”

So there they were in my office keen to know what's what before they started buying gifts.

"It's a complex area," I told them. "Let’s look at the situation with your employees first and then we’ll look at your clients.

The definition of employee that we use for Christmas gifts is found in the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act, where an employee is defined to include a past present and future employee.

"Contractors are not regarded as employees and once you have determined that the gift recipient satisfies the definition of employee then we need to determine whether the gift is classified as entertainment or non-entertainment. "If someone satisfies the definition of employee, any gifts provided to their associates, as defined in the Act, follow the same rules. This includes spouses and children.”

I advised that if the gift was regarded as entertainment and cost less than $300, then it fitted within the minor benefits exemption and was not regarded as a fringe benefit. However, it was not deductible nor able to be claimed as an input tax credit for GST purposes.

"Whereas, if it costs more than $300, the first $300 is not disregarded and the full amount is subject to fringe benefits tax, it is deductible and input tax credits can be claimed on that amount," I said. "Included as entertainment are such things, as restaurant meals, air tickets, cinema tickets and admission to amusement parks. “Conversely, in the case of non-entertainment gifts, if they cost less than $300 there is no FBT, the costs are deductible and input tax credits can be claimed. If the cost is more than $300 then the cost is subject to FBT, input tax credits can be claimed and the expenditure is deductible. Items that fall within the definition of non-entertainment include Christmas hampers, bottles of alcohol, gift vouchers, perfume and flowers. Shirley said she didn't realise that such a simple gesture could be so complicated.

"It sure is," I confirmed, "but in the case of clients and contractors the situation is different and a little less complicated.

"Firstly there is no liability to fringe benefits tax provided that they are not given to past employees. Secondly, it doesn't matter whether the expenditure is less than $300 or not. So it is only a question of determining whether it is entertainment or nonentertainment. "In the case of entertainment, the expenditure is not deductible nor can any input tax credits be claimed. While for non-entertainment gifts, the expenditure is deductible and input tax credits can be claimed. “One other thing, if you plan to make donations to assist children in crisis in the third world do not presume that it is tax deductible. Many of these organisations are not listed on the deductible gift register and, as such, donations are not tax deductible.

"So, if you are planning to donate, please check the register first to ensure your tax deduction. If in doubt, ring the organisation to double check.”

If you need assistance on income tax or fringe benefits tax matters, contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 6295 2844.

02 6295 2844 Unit 9, 71 Leichhardt Street, Kingston ABN 57 008 653 683

(Chartered accountant, SMSF specialist advisor and Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892)

info@gailfreeman.com.au | www.gailfreeman.com.au Follow us on Facebook

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