Everything you want to know about the new mobile-phone detection cameras but were too afraid to ask… FEBRUARY,021
Homeless can’t be heard above the spin
PAUL COSTIGAN
Chairs, a bike… what Katy gave away next
IAN MEIKLE
ALL SMILES
Meet the sheeple people protesting in Canberra
KEEPING UP THE ACT
LEIF SVENSSON says digital technology is changing how dentures and dental implants are created
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NEWS / Umbagong District Park
Well written, well read
Cover photo: Holly Treadaway. Since 1993: Volume 28, Number 6. Phone: 6189 0777
Residents kick up a stink about park sewage units By Nick
OVERALL A RESIDENTS’ action group who say they weren’t told about the installation of sewerage units in their local park and district are calling for a halt to the project out of concerns for health, biodiversity and indigenous heritage. Four Odour Control Units (OCUs) are about to be built by Icon Water in the Umbagong District Park and in the surrounding area as part of the Belconnen Trunk Sewer Project. The units are designed to reduce “odour issues” through ventilation and are required due to increased sewer flows from new suburbs in Gungahlin. While convenor of the action group Chris Watson said he understands the necessity of the units, he and other locals of the Umbagong Protection Society are rallying to see them built elsewhere. “Thousands of square meters of land will be removed to make way for these units meaning we’d lose many trees, especially in the park, it would be a tragedy,” said Mr Watson. “This park can’t be thought of as public land for sewage or business, we
Members of the Umbagong Protection Society, from left, Jon Stirzaker, Chris Watson, Richie Allan and David Proctor. Photo: Nick Overall want people to relish and understand this lovely area.” The units are 20 metres long by seven metres wide by 4.5 metres high, with a ventilation stack reaching 14 metres high. Land surrounding the units must be cleared to make way for truck entry and maintenance. Icon Water said it will replant double the trees it removes to accommodate the impact. The park, bordered by Holt, Latham and Macgregor, survived a residential development in 1994 after another action group that Mr Watson was also a part of protested against the project. Despite this, the area has since been zoned as public land allowing it to be built upon. While Icon Water said multiple forums of public consultation were
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undertaken, a number of nearby residents said they weren’t informed about the project until after its approval by the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate. “I only became aware of the development last year when I went online and I found the concentrated areas of emissions expected from the units,” said David Proctor, who lives metres away from the park development site. “The highest emission zone from these units happened to be circled right around my house and that certainly got my attention.” Another nearby resident, Jon Stirzaker, said he too was not made aware of the development before its approval. “I’m on the other side of the road and we got no notification whatso-
ever,” he said. The OCUs reduce the corrosive effects of hydrogen sulfide in sewerage pipes by filtering odours from the gas and discharging it into the air. Mr Watson is concerned about the health effects on nearby residents from these emissions which he said Icon had provided no safety information on, nor a risk management plan in the event of a unit’s malfunction. Icon said continuous hydrogen sulfide monitors will be installed at the inlet and outlet to ensure the system is performing as designed. The development is also a concern for cultural director of the Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (TOAC) Richie Allan, who said the clearing of the land would cause a loss
of biodiversity and Aboriginal heritage. “We’re losing more and more of our cultural identity, more land is going,” said Mr Allan. “It makes sense to leave it so that the future generations can enjoy this habitat, so they can enjoy coming and seeing a eucalyptus tree and a yellowbox. “You can’t do that when you have these developments that clearly could be elsewhere. “Where are the Australian people looking after Australian history?” he said. “If you call yourself an Australian, this belongs to you; if you call yourself a Canberran, this belongs to you and once it’s gone it’s not coming back.” The park also features axe-grinding grooves in the volcanic tuff of the creek bed near the development site, which Mr Allan said served as another reminder of the indigenous significance of the area. Icon Water said its consultation process involved four registered Aboriginal organisations. The Protection Society hosted a rally in late November to protest and are now calling for a moratorium on the project until further consultation is undertaken. “We would like to have a public Assembly inquiry with the appropriate committee that considers health problems, biodiversity and indigenous implications,” said Mr Watson.
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SEVEN DAYS
Chairs, sofa, a bike…what Katy gave away next WE will probably be seeing more of Katy Gallagher as she clocks in to get rubber-stamped again as the shoo-in Labor senator for the ACT at this year’s federal election. But while the wider electorate may not see much of her between polls, hers is not an unfamiliar name to the 925 members of the Buy Nothing Lyneham Facebook group. In fact, she’s something of a poster girl for the group, borne of the philosophy to: “Give, receive, lend, share and show gratitude in hyper-local gift economies, where the true wealth is the connections between real neighbours.” In other words, this is a members-only environment where “locals post stuff they want to get rid of for free – old books, a kid’s cot no longer in use, an unopened packet of rice that’s due to expire next week, some leftover paint, and so on,” says my inner-north snout. Except, it’s said that in the former chief minister’s case, she is wont to give away expensive things that seem almost new. “In the last few months, she’s given away an up-market bike (‘hardly used’), some brand new armchairs she didn’t think worked when put in her home, an Ikea sofa-bed (‘very handy for sleepovers’), as-new sporting goods and a ‘rustic’ wine cabinet,” my snout attests. Then there’s bags of leaf mulch, a prized bucket of Lego and a bat-and-ball game called Spikeball
Katy’s cornucopia… some of the items the senator has given away, from left, top to bottom: A rustic wine cabinet, a bicycle, bags of elm tree mulch, a large Ikea forest print, an Ikea sofa bed, a Spikeball set and an exercise bike. “People can’t believe their good fortune and she must be chuffed to be giving something back to the peasants. “It’s funny, though. Every time someone talks to me about Buy Nothing Lyneham, it usually starts with: ‘Did you see what Katy Gallagher posted?’ or ‘has Katy posted anything today?’” With tongue firmly in cheek, one waggishly wonders if this “Robyn” Hood largesse could be seen through the prism of the Electoral Commission’s rules around bribing voters. “All Katy would need to get elected here is a commitment to post more on Buy Nothing Lyneham,” sniffed my snout.
GROWING old disgracefully, the irascible John Miller gave Australia Post a stellar serve recently. He’d ordered a rapid antigen test kit weighing 0.12 kilograms from a Melbourne supplier. The Australia Post shipping information reported the parcel “received and ready for processing” at 6.19pm, on December 30. It was delivered to his Stirling address at 2.05pm on January 11. “The distance between Melbourne and Canberra is 660 kilometres by road, which means the parcel was speeding to its destination at approximately 2.4 kilometres an hour during that time,” he says.
“It arrived an hour and a half after the plane my grandson was on had left Canberra airport for Brisbane. This was the test he was required, at that time, to complete before travelling.”
jobs that most Tasmanians are not willing to do. She submitted her application, but seemed far too qualified for the job; she has a liberal arts degree from the University of Tasmania (Sandy Bay) and a master’s degree from Monash University (Melbourne). For some years she had worked as a social worker and also as a school teacher. The citrus farm owner studied her application, frowned, and said: “I see you are well educated, and have an impressive resume. However, I have to ask, have you had any actual experience in picking lemons?” “Well, as a matter of fact, I have,” she said. “I’ve been divorced three times, owned two Holdens, voted twice for Tony Abbott and once for Scomo.” She started work yesterday. Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon. There are more of his columns on citynews.com.au
AND to finish on a joke, columnist Clive Williams shared with me: “Lemon pickers needed”, the newspaper advertisement read and Sally Mulligan, of Launceston, Tasmania, read it, and decided to apply for one of the
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HelpingACT founder Mohammed Ali and his broken-down van… “The generosity is on perfect display, that is what Australia is about and that is what Canberra is about.” Photo: Nick Overall
NEWS / HelpingACT
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Conked-out charity van gets a helping hand By Nick
OVERALL CHARITY organisation HelpingACT has supported hundreds of Canberrans through tough times with its free food delivery service. Now, Canberrans are supporting it. After a busy period during the pandemic, which saw the need for services triple, the charity’s famous van finally conked out, leaving it without a means to deliver supplies to the poor and homeless. But in just under a week almost $10,000 and counting has been donated by the community to replace the vehicle through an online fundraising campaign. HelpingACT founder Mohammed Ali says he is “honoured” by the generosity. “We set up a GoFundMe page with $20,000 as the goal and in five days we’ve already reached half of that,” he says. “The generosity is on perfect display, that is what Australia is about and that is what Canberra is about.” Previously a biochemist, Mr Ali started HelpingACT three years ago after retiring from the public service, saying the idea had been a dream of his for a long time. Since then the organisation has delivered tens of thousands of dollars worth of food and supplies to those in Canberra needing help, including to local organisations such as the Early Morning Centre, Havelock Housing, the Uniting Church and Companion House. “The main focus from day one has been to help vulnerable people and families no matter their colour or background – no discrimination,” says Mr Ali. “We provide food completely free and we operate in a way that the needs of all people are taken care of, no matter what they eat.” Mr Ali keeps a garage full of supplies at his own home so that he’s ready to provide to those who need it, no matter what time of day or night they call.
He says that growing up in a struggling middle-class family is part of what inspired him to help others. He also describes a three year teaching assignment in Africa, which allowed him to see poverty and helplessness “up close”, as an eyeopening experience. “One of the principles we operate on is never saying no to anyone,” he says. “Whether it’s night time, Saturday or Sunday our volunteers are always ready to help.” In December, Mr Ali celebrated 30 years living in Canberra, having moved to the capital from Pakistan in 1991 and raising a family that now extends to three grandchildren. He says that being able to help the community he’s raised his family in is an “honour”. “Since January 1 we have provided more than $7500 of food to families in need and throughout 2021 we provided more than $54,000 of food,” he says. While the delivery service quickly took off when it first started, Mr Ali says that the need during the pandemic tripled. “We went to houses where everyone had covid, we left food on the doorstep and rang them to let them know it was there and made sure it was contactless,” he says . “It’s been so tough for people – a lot of the people we were helping were those who got sick and who lost their job. “We are still feeling that increased demand as a result of the pandemic.” The rapid increase in the charity’s operation has taken a toll on the van that Mr Ali himself donated to the cause when he first started the initiative. However, with donations rolling in he says he and the team are excited to purchase an even better vehicle and that they can’t wait to get back on the road. “Our work is so much easier because of the support and trust that the people give to us,” he says. “Australia is such a generous nation and Canberra is such a generous city.” Donate to the fundraiser at helpingact.org/ donate
NEWS / mobile-detection cameras
Don’t touch that mobile phone, they can see you Mobile-detection cameras can see if you’re on the phone, a tablet or smart watches and they’re being tested in Canberra. But how do they work? Reporter LILY PASS has that answer and more… THE ACT government has begun testing a mobile-device detection camera on the Majura Parkway. The testing is to ensure the technology works in the ACT road environment, and is an early step towards wider deployment of the cameras throughout Canberra. The initial testing process on the Parkway could take up to eight weeks, and there is a sign up a few hundred metres before the camera to let people know that it is only a test, and no fines, infringements or warning notices will be issued. Later in the year as more cameras are rolled out around Canberra, there will be a three-month grace period and a communications campaign to warn drivers, and to help them change their behaviour. Here, Transport Canberra deputy director-general Ben McHugh gives some insight into Canberra’s new mobile phone detection cameras.
Q. How does it work? A. The technology is clever, so it takes a photo of the vehicle and then runs an algorithm over the image to detect whether there’s a possibility of the driver holding or using a device,
purely identify the image and the car that’s involved in that incident, and the fine goes back through our normal systems, in similar ways to how we would issue infringements and notices associated with speeding cameras.
and then goes through a validation process. There’s a requirement within the technology that all of the faces and images are blurred out, so that the privacy of the operators is maintained.
• Messaging, social networking, accessing apps or the internet, the fine is $589 and four demerit points. • Using a hand-held device to make or receive calls, $487 and three demerit points.
Why the Majura Parkway? The testing is just to make sure the technology works on our network, on one of our higher-speed roads, so that is why we chose the Majura Parkway, because it is one of our busier and higher-speed roads.
• Using a mobile device to make or receive calls as an L or P-plate driver, $487 and three demerit points.
How is it set up?
How far can it detect? That is subject to the technology that we choose and, at the moment, we’re in a procurement process, so we can’t really disclose that. Generally speaking if you think about it, the camera sits up above the roadway and takes a picture down towards the vehicle and through the front windscreen into the driver’s seat of the car to see if there’s a device in the hand of the driver, so within 20 or 30 metres would be the maximum range that it could actually take that photo.
How accurate is it? It’s highly accurate, and it’s been tested and acquired in other jurisdictions
Mounted to a trailer, the mobile-detection camera is on a pole that extends up from the trailer, shooting down towards the road. Photo: Transport Canberra for a number of years now. In NSW they’ve been using similar pieces of equipment for some time, and obviously they’ve refined the quality of the technology to make it highly accurate.
we’re targeting around five. Some may be portable and some may be permanent, but that’s yet to be finalised.
Is it targeting people on phones?
We’re just testing the one at the one location.
Tablets, phones and smart watches, devices that would require you to touch or hold them, which is a demonstration of the lack of control of the vehicle.
How many cameras to come?
How will fines work?
That’s subject to the outcome, but
The cameras and the technology itself
How many test cameras are there?
It’s actually mounted to a trailer, it’s on a pole that extends up and out of the trailer and then it swings around and shoots down towards the road, so it does look different to most of the other technology out there like speed camera vans.
So, what is allowed? A mobile can be used to make and receive calls, as a navigation tool, and to play music or audio as long as it’s secured in a mounting device or connected through Bluetooth. A mobile can’t be touched or held, and that includes resting it on your body. If your mobile is not mounted, you can only answer calls through voice activation or steering wheel controls.
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POLITICS
Cartoon: Paul Dorin
Pre-poll irony as PM raises the issue of trust THERE is an irony in the Prime Minister talking about “trust” in the lead up to the 2022 election. Emerging from the pandemic, opening Australia, the state of our finances and inappropriate or corrupt practices are issues that will all play out in the coming year. However, trust is fundamental to maintaining a healthy democratic system as has been observed internationally with different governments struggling to handle the pandemic, the Delta and then the Omicron variants and the issue of vaccinations. The high vaccination rates in the ACT and across Australia are a good indication that, compared to other nations, Australians still have a relatively high trust in governments. However, there are other issues that demonstrate the whittling away of political trust since the Morrison government came to power. From the time of Prime Minister John Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello, the conservatives pinned their colours on the absolute requirement for Australia to have a financial surplus. Under their market-driven policies, for example, car manufacturers such as Ford and Holden disappeared from Australia and we became more and more reliant on global markets. Manufacturing in Australia that has been lost over the last few years looks nigh on impossible to reclaim. It has been lost to ideological ineptitude. Within a period of weeks, under the influence of the pandemic, the Liberal and National parties had done a complete backflip. Suddenly borrowing was a sensible path. And it would not mean increases in taxation. This was a remarkable about-face, saying one thing one day and the opposite another. Despite this, voters are asked to trust the government and to give the Liberal and National parties yet another term. Even more telling is the track record of the government on poor behaviour and allegations of ministerial corruption. Despite promises leading into the last election, there is still no Federal Commission Against Corruption. Instead of working to deliver on their promise, the Morrison government found ways to delay. Looking at the record of scandals and the
propensity to “tough it out”, it is no wonder that they lacked the courage to proceed with such a Commission. Nor did they have the courage to be straight enough to say they have backed down on the policy. Either way, it is a fundamental issue of trust. Voters gave them the chance to introduce an anti-corruption commission and they have abused that trust. No-one enjoyed the lockdowns. NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, followed by the Prime Minister, saw a political opportunity and declared a change to his predecessor’s policy from “community responsibility” to “personal responsibility”. An over emphasis on personal responsibility suits some, but invariably undermines publichealth outcomes. This has been true in issues such as wearing seat belts, drink driving, setting speed limits, dealing with tobacco harm and regulations of the building industry. The outcome of this emphasis on individual responsibility was an astronomical increase in COVID-19 cases followed by increases in hospitalisations and deaths. How long are voters’ memories? The Prime Minister, who is asking for our trust, is also the person who delayed vaccinations, was not able to purchase and distribute enough rapid antigen tests and whose poor handling of the pandemic was really largely hidden by the success of the states and territories. Well, that is, until the premiership in NSW moved from the “liberal” approach of Gladys Berejiklian to the much more conservative approach of Dominic Perrottet. Failure on the issue of trust is a key driver for the growing interest in independents in the Senate and the House of Representatives, who have helped restore trust as they play a stronger and stronger role in accountability. The coming year will be a landmark year in Australian politics. The extent to which voters can trust those standing for election and our democracy will play a key role in the election and the associated policy outcomes.
visits, says Leif. “Because the digital process is shorter than the traditional method it means that these savings can be passed on to the customers,” he says. Leif is an experienced clinical practitioner and is a global trainer and lecturer in intraoral scanning. Having taken 3000 intraoral scans, Leif says digital scanners are a “game changer” in the construction of dentures: “They have meant that the process is very With world-first processes and comfortable, no goo and, boy, is it increased accuracy in digital smile Leif Svensson. accurate. construction, patients no longer have “We have had patients who have refused to have to endure uncomfortable “gooey” mould impressions dental treatment for fear of that gagging feeling. After and multiple fitting appointments – halving the time of they had been scanned they couldn’t believe how easy getting their dentures and implants. it was!” The clinic, founded by Chris McCarthy 40 years ago Leif says that according to the Australian Institute of and located in Colbee Court, Phillip, has a long history Health and Welfare, Australian adults have an average of in denture making, says Leif, who is giving the clinic a 4.5 missing teeth. high-tech makeover. “If we understand these numbers, we also know that Using leading digital scanning technology, Leif says people have two options for their missing teeth – an that being fitted for a denture or implant is easier and implant or denture. Each of these procedures now can less invasive than ever. “The digital intraoral scanner simply hovers inside the be done effectively and affordably with the latest digital scanning technologies. patient’s mouth taking a ‘panoramic-style’ 3D image,” “Getting the gaps filled with a correctly fitted denture says Leif. or implant can be life changing.” Scanning at under 10 microns accuracy, which is one thousandth of a millimetre, the scanner provides the highest quality of image of a patient’s mouth that is sent Affordable Dentures and Implants, 65 Colbee Court, Phillip. To book an obligation-free digital scan and consult call to a lab and, using 3D printing technology, a patient’s 6190 8828 or visit affordablesmile.com.au dentures or implants can be finished in as little as two
CityNews February 10-16, 2022 11
CANBERRA MATTERS / social housing
The homeless can’t be heard above the spin ACT Labor/Greens vanity projects versus social housing – who loses? The majority of candidates going to ACT elections talk about how they will be progressive on issues that matter. But once elected, the reality is something else. For an indicator of what matters to this government, look no further than the constant spin about its top priority – the infrastructure projects associated with the extension of the tram to Woden. Besides health, hospitals, education and urban issues, the issues that should be “the” priorities for a government claiming to be progressive must be delivering all the social housing required and providing shelter for all the homeless. There’s no doubt that some of the refurbished and newly built social housing houses and units are looking good and are welcomed. That is, those not being built on what is classified as community open spaces or sites previously set aside for community facilities (housing is not community facilities). At a moment’s notice, the ACT government can produce the spin on how much it is spending over a number of years on housing and helping the homeless. Its spin doctors prepare these statements along with the advice for their ministers.
For an indicator of what matters to this government, look no further than the constant spin about its top priority – the infrastructure projects associated with the extension of the tram to Woden. Growing and renewing public housing? Between 2011 and 2020, the ACT’s population increased by 63,000 while public housing stock declined by 874 dwellings. Photo: Paul Costigan Don’t look up! Otherwise they would see how their disingenuous spin does not match the reality of what is happening with the number of homeless increasing and the lack of social housing continuing to condemn people to desperate actions. The current investment in redevelopment and providing new social housing are belated efforts to catch up with a decade of under-investment. The priority in spending remains the various projects associated with the tram south to Woden (more on that in a piece to come). The government won the last
couple of elections because of the failure of the opposition to appeal to the electorate – for reasons that would require more space than is allowed for here. The winning parties list many things as their mandates. The reality was they were the best of a bad lot and people had to vote for someone and too many of the other candidates were not credible. The ACT Labor/Greens coalition has a mandate to govern. That mandate includes ensuring that everyone in this town has a roof over their heads. On this they are not successful. Please re-read the 2021 researchbased pieces in “CityNews” by Jon Stanhope and Dr Khalid Ahmed (via citynews.com.au, published online on November 24, December 1 and
December 8). Their findings are devastating for voters who thought that the ACT Greens and ACT Labor were committed to “Building a Better Normal” (whatever that was supposed to mean). To paraphrase from their work: Between June 2011 and June 2020, the ACT’s population increased by more than 63,000 people, meanwhile in the same period, it appears that public housing stock in Canberra has declined by 874 dwellings. This government has its priorities wrong! The emphasis remains on spending big on developer-driven vanity projects such as West Basin, the tram going south over Commonwealth Bridge to Woden, the convoluted reasons why Woden has to have a new site for an interchange, and the behind-the-scenes plans to “urban intensify” suburban areas and green spaces alongside the southbound tram. The losers from this government’s priorities are those without adequate housing in a city that can afford to have all citizens housed. The policies of the last decade have been more about ideological egos of political leaders and their favoured lobbyist colleagues.
If the current politicians crave vanity projects, delivering on topquality social housing and having a city with no homeless people would be something to rave about. Instead of spruiking how much is to be spent on these issues, the challenge is for all in this government to make it clear when Canberra’s social housing problems will be solved and when will volunteer groups such as Canberra Shelter be no longer required. If the ministers for homelessness and social housing have not delivered on these issues by the next ACT elections, they will go into those elections as ministers who have failed the vulnerable of Canberra – let alone those voters who thought they were voting for progressive politicians. Paul Costigan is an independent commentator and consultant on the visual arts, photography, urban design, environmental issues and everyday matters. Read more of his columns on citynews.com.au
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Inner South Canberra Community Council Welcome to our February column. ISCCC has finalised our Inner South Canberra District Planning Strategy: Future directions for our district 2021. You can find a copy on our website: www.isccc.org.au We have given it to the ACT Government for consideration in its current Planning Review and development of district plans. Our plan will enable our District to accommodate an additional 12,000 people by 2040. We believe this will be achievable without losing the desired character of the low-density residential areas. Best wishes,
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raising London Circuit, and the status of the Light Rail development itself. We will likely hold public forums on these issues.
The 2022 Narrabundah Community Festival, hosted by ONCC, is on Saturday 2 April, 10am to 2pm, at the Tennis Courts and Community Gardens, Kootara Crescent, Narrabundah. The Festival will highlight the (re)opening of the tennis courts and feature the usual community stalls, music and a barbecue.
Deakin Residents Association
Forrest Residents Group FRG is planning a members’ meeting but challenges still exist as to how (virtual or otherwise) and which speakers. We as a group continue engaging in matters impacting Forrest, including large and contentious sites/proposals, the ISCCC District Planning Strategy and the impact of light rail proximity.
Yarralumla Residents Association A community forum on the Yarralumla Brickworks development is planned for May 2022 and the Draft Estate Development Plan should be completed by mid-year. The development will be in 8 stages and unlikely to commence until late 2022 or early 2023. We are considering workers’ car parking issues, and building on the ridge overlooking Cotter Road. The National Capital Authority accepted many of our suggestions regarding the proposed redevelopment of the old CSIRO/Forestry School site in Banks Street, Yarralumla. It refused permission for 275 apartments (up to 5 storeys), a 130-bed aged care facility, and a hotel plus commercial space. However, the NCA does support residential and community facility uses and is prepared to consider a revised proposal with buildings of a maximum 3 storeys and attic. The NCA Report can be found on the YRA website: https://yra.org.au Our Christmas campaign to dress up Yarralumla streets with red bows was very successful. Thanks to generous financial support from the Southern Cross Club, we put bows on trees at Yarralumla shops, road entrances to the suburb, pocket parks, and outside some community housing. YRA is considering emerging Light Rail Stage 2 issues, including densification along Adelaide Avenue and Cotter Road,
The ISCCC submission to the NCA on raising London Circuit argues that the NCA should refuse Works Approval for this project. It questions claims that the RLC proposal complies with the National Capital Plan and will contribute to ‘future proofing’ ACT transport. The project will not improve connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians nor improve access to Lake Burley Griffin. The ISCCC notes the significant adverse impacts (traffic, noise, parking, travel time, pedestrian access, greenhouse gas emissions and road damage) during the extended construction period. The loss of CBD parking spaces will adversely impact workers, shoppers, businesses and theatre-goers. Griffin-designed landscape and vistas will be lost. NCA consideration of RLC should await a full response to the Auditor General’s report on Light Rail Stage 2A and only in the context of a fully documented Works Application for Light Rail Stage 2. The ISCCC submission can be accessed at https://www.isccc.org.au/isccc/wp-content/ uploads/ISCCC-RLC-response.pdf
Kingston Barton Residents Group The ACT Government has announced the Request for Tender for a lead consultant for the new East Lake urban renewal project. The consultant will provide a Place Plan and Listening Report by 31 August 2022 and a Planning Report by 30 June 2023. The Government’s initial target is 650 residential dwellings in 2025-2026. KBRG will advocate for a high quality development consistent with the ISCCC District Planning Strategy. KBRG participated in a meeting of the ‘new’ Community Panel for the Kingston Arts Precinct in December, following the ACT Government’s termination of its contract with developer Geocon. Outcomes are still awaited on two large redevelopment proposals near Kingston Shops (Giles Street by Geocon, and Leichhardt Street by Morris Developments).
Griffith Narrabundah Community Association
In October 2021 GNCA lodged an objection to a DA for demolition of a single dwelling at 77 Captain Cook Crescent and construction on the site of 3 community dwellings, in the Supportive Housing category in an RZ1 zone. The DA was approved subject to several conditions and GNCA appealed to ACAT on the ground that the revised proposal did not meet mandatory planning requirements. On 12 January Housing ACT advised ACTPLA that it had surrendered the DA, and ACTPLA asked GNCA to withdraw our appeal. We declined because we had seen no evidence that HACT had withdrawn the DA. Unfortunately, the relevant form, which would have provided the reason for the withdrawal, was not lodged. HACT has recently lodged two other DAs for three dwellings on single blocks in RZ1 zones, at 18 Lockyer St, Griffith and 32 Sturt Ave, Narrabundah. We have sought a meeting with HACT to discuss its plans for community housing in our region, and await a response.
Oaks Estate Residents Association
The OERA will hold its AGM at 2pm on Saturday 19 February at the Oaks Estate Community Hall. All residents are welcome.
Red Hill Residents Group
While accepting the benefits of development and tolerant of temporary disruption, residents continue to report serious issues throughout Red Hill. There are challenges around traffic and illegal/ dangerous parking, especially in Monaro Crescent. The intersection of La Perouse Street and Carnegie Crescent has frequent traffic accidents, an issue being addressed by the Safe Streets to School group. This has been exacerbated by increased construction activity, and wear and tear caused by heavy vehicles/trucks resulting in large potholes. We await further advice on the additional parking requirements for The Parks, which is nearing trade capacity. Yarra Rossa is on track for ‘practical completion’ early in 2022, with similar parking and road degradation issues. The approvals surrounding the continued use of public land for parking (opposite Canberra Grammar on Monaro Crescent) have also been questioned by some residents.
The Inner South Canberra Community Council receives support and funding from the ACT Government Inner South Canberra Community Council (ABN 49 382 179 224) Authorised by Gary Kent, Public Officer, PO Box 3310, Manuka ACT 2603
www.isccc.org.au
OPINION / Norfolk Island
Need to pee? Call a bureaucrat in Canberra! EMERITUS Prof Roger Wettenhall AM, who enjoyed a long and stellar academic career at the University of Canberra, has died just short of his 92nd birthday. Roger was deeply respected and admired and was held in great affection by those of us who worked with and knew him. He will be dearly missed. In 2016 I enjoyed the privilege of coauthoring with him a paper published in the “Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration”. The paper was titled “Governance Challenge: Australia’s Indian Ocean Island Territories”. At the time of writing that paper I had not long returned from a term as administrator of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and was genuinely touched and humbled when Roger asked me to collaborate with him on the paper. Much of Roger’s scholarship and writing in his academic career was related to the governance of small, isolated territories and nations. Roger would, in conversation and his writing, refer to these places as “monuments to 19th century British-style colonisation” or as “the surviving relics of the British Empire”. In an essay he published in the “Island Studies Journal” in 2016, under the heading “Decolonizing through integration:
Roger Wettenhall. Australia’s off-shore island territories”, he characterised Norfolk, Christmas and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as emanations of Australia’s coloniser phase and questioned whether Norfolk, Christmas and the Cocos Islands continued to fit the definition of a colony. I believe they do. However, regardless of whether they satisfy the formal definition of a colony, Australia is so derelict in meeting its responsibility to the residents of these places that the point is primarily one of academic interest. I, too, have a long association with Norfolk Island including a term in the early 1990s as official secretary and deputy administrator. Therefore, I know how sorely Roger will be missed by those Australian citizens who are residents of these non-self-governing “relics of the British Empire” who yearn for a right to a genuine say in the management
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It is an interesting coincidence that, as we in Canberra have been apoplectic about being denied a democratic say in access to euthanasia, that the Commonwealth government quietly suspended the Norfolk Island Council for three years. and governance of the places they call home. It is an interesting coincidence that in the last few months, as we here in Canberra have been apoplectic about being denied a democratic say in access to euthanasia, that the Commonwealth government quietly suspended the Norfolk Island Council for three years. In other words, the people of Norfolk Island, having in 2015 suffered the repeal of self-government, have had no say for seven years in the formulation or delivery of state-type services such as health, education, justice, the environment, let alone euthanasia, but now also have no say in issues such as mowing the grass, filling in potholes or collecting the garbage. The council is now run by public
servants from Canberra while the delivery on Norfolk Island of statetype services, such as health and education were, at the end of last year, hand-balled by the NSW government to Queensland. The change of overlord and service provider has, of course, caused massive disruption to the residents of Norfolk Island while it appears that the government of Queensland didn’t even blush when offered 20 pieces of silver, by the Commonwealth, to step in and take over the task of lording it over the locals. It is reasonable, I think, for each of us to stop for a moment and ask ourselves how we would react if we were advised that a unilateral decision had been taken thousands of kilometres away by people we didn’t vote for or employ that (say) the existing ACT school curriculum was being abandoned and that full responsibility for educating our children had been transferred somewhere else. What do you think we would think or do about that? However, there are no options available to the people of Norfolk Island. They have, unlike the residents of Hong Kong, no democratic rights at a municipal or state level. None.
Absolutely none. Admittedly, they are required to vote in the electorate of Bean, here in Canberra, in Federal elections. Unfortunately, the only community of interest that exists between our two communities is that neither of us has any interest in the other. Canberra does, of course, provide the public servants who dictate to the people of Norfolk Island how they are to live, so we do have that connection. On that note, I was recently in conversation with a friend on Norfolk Island and asked him what it was like living in a part of Australia, the nation that invented the fair go, in which you have absolutely no say in how your community is governed and your life regulated? He told me that it was upsetting and at times very unsettling. He said, for example, that he had recently got out of bed in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature and on the way to the toilet stopped in a mild panic unable to recall if he first needed to ring someone in Canberra for permission!
BRIEFLY Free junior band looks for members THE not-for-profit Queanbeyan Junior Brass Band is inviting interested families to its information session at St Stephen’s Hall, 2 Morisset Street, at 5.15pm on Tuesday, February 15. The band says it offers free music tuition and free instrument rental with the aim of enhancing a child’s experience and joy of music. Contact the band at qjbrass@outlook.com or call or text 0415 526572.
Pre-loved clothing sale THERE’S a sale of pre-loved clothing at St Ninian’s Uniting Church Hall, Lyneham, 9am-1pm, February 11-12. Organisers are promising “good, end-of-season clothing”, linen, bags, footwear and children’s clothing.
Speaker worth hearing GUEST speaker Colin Campbell will provide up-to-date information on hearing impairment at the next meeting of the Narrabundah Probus Club at the Harmonie German Club, from 11am on February 15. Anyone with an interest is invited to come along.
View before the lake CHRIS Anderson will talk about life in Canberra before Lake Burley Griffin at the next meeting of the new Yerrabi VIEW Club at Eastlake Gungahlin at 11.30am, February 17. Interested ladies are welcome to attend. RSVP to 0412 617085 or june3@iinet.net.au by February 13.
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LETTERS
Plastic, plastic everywhere, but who cares? I HAVE been contemplating the ACT government’s rush to replace single-use plastic items with wood or bamboo and, in some cases, metal. Now consider that Australia is importing 172 million single-use rapid antigen test (RAT) units (the US is importing around a billion), which includes 122 million units for Victoria. I’m not sure how many the other states are getting. And then there are the plastic face shields, needle holders, plastic bottles of hand sanitiser and other plastic PPE, but where is the method to dispose of all of this mostly single-use plastic? Where are the environmental Greens and their concerns for all of this plastic flooding the world? I can guarantee much of it will end up in landfill. Ray Zak, Macgregor
How’s dope law working? ON January 31, 2020, progressive members in our Legislative Assembly introduced new rules around personal use of cannabis in the ACT to help people get support and stay out of the justice system, and to calm the whinging minorities who saw incarceration a plot against them and a festering sore. Key rule changes were: if you’re aged 18 and over in the ACT, you can possess up to 50 grams of dried cannabis or up to 150 grams of fresh cannabis, presumably not getting busted, and grow up to two cannabis plants per person, with a maximum of four plants per household, also presumably without getting busted. My question is: “How’s it been working after this length of time” and considering the current Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Bill, will you now please introduce a new set of ACT vehicle number plates with modern wording “Canberra the ‘dope’ Capital of Australia”? John Lawrence via email
Locals are the losers WITH so many anti-vaccination mandate, non-mask-wearing and non-socially distancing visitors bedding down and roaming around Canberra in early February, it is worrying that some retail and hospitality businesses might find that locals hunker down even more (“Police warn of more
protests”, citynews.com.au, February 3). Has Senator Seselja stood up to his Trump-like Coalition colleagues about the ways in which they continue to inflame these anti-vax rallies and the many misguided beliefs and behaviours that underpin them? Sue Dyer, Downer
Things we know we know THERE’S no point in Greg Cornwell’s lament that the song is ended (“The carnival is over, we may never meet again”, CN January 22) unless he analyses the cultural changes that have occurred in his lifetime. The standout is so significant that it has been termed a revolution. Beginning with the contraceptive pill, the sexual revolution has accomplished abortion rights, no-fault divorce, manipulation of human life (IVF), same-sex marriage and transgenderism. Only Catholics, Muslims, Orthodox Jews and Evangelical Protestants oppose it because our civilisation had to become the first in history whose mind-moulders deny the natural moral law. Or, as Solzhenitsyn explained so simply in his 1983 Templeton Prize address, that “we have forgotten God”. Moral relativism has led us to the point where freedom is a matter of personal autonomy often governed by feelings, whereas previously it was about responsibility to the moral law, albeit accomplished in greater or lesser degrees. The inevitable casualty of the revolution has been the type of family that all the longest-lasting cultures in history (Jewish, Confucian and Islamic) have held in high regard. Our birth rate is 1.5 births per woman, somewhat inflated by a much higher birth rate amongst migrant women, but well below the 2.1 replacement rate. Therefore, we are highly dependent on migration for our skilled workforce (just look at our health institutions) and yet we have voices calling for a halt. Lately, the ideology of diversity, inclusion and equity (wokeness) has arisen, and it is demolishing education and business. It is not compassionate to tell the poor a lie by ignoring reality; that is an insult. If we had stopped to ask Putin and Xi Jinping they could have told us that Communism tried that and it doesn’t work! No matter how frequently our unofficial mind-moulders (media) tell us differently, there are some things we know we know. John L Smith, Farrer
Time to move with times TIME to move with the times Greg Cornwell (“The carnival is over, we may never meet again”, CN January 27). You sound like a grumpy, old man… “total confusion about global warming”. What? No more pining for the Ardath days, and have faith in the young – I’m sure The Seekers do. Jack Kershaw, born 26/11/42, Kambah
Emails keep coming FOR the last few months I have been receiving “newsletter” emails from Senator Andrew Bragg [a senator for NSW]. Having no idea how I got on to his mailing list, I was intrigued to be addressed as “Dear Chia-Hui”. When the second of these emails arrived I replied to the sending address – which is also the contact address provided on the senator’s web page – pointing out the error, which strongly suggests that a mail merge program has been misconfigured. I received no response, and am still receiving cheery emails touting Senator Bragg’s supposed achievements. While I am well aware that many politicians would struggle to differentiate a computer from a transistor radio, some basic quality control regarding the activities of their staff is not too much to expect, particularly since said staff are almost certainly paid for by the long-suffering taxpayer. I would contend that any politician incapable of something as simple as correctly addressing emails to constituents should not be entrusted with anything more complex than the flight plans for a paper aeroplane. Melodie Neal, via email
Failing housing minister ANYONE who has lived near public housing knows this story only too well (“Tenants live in fear of trashed unit”, CN January 27). Anyone growing up in Canberra when I did will remember what public housing was and should be: a home for low-income people, employed or otherwise. Instead, it’s become just another adjunct to our ever-burgeoning welfare system, with all the dysfunction that goes with that. Here in Canberra, this problem is exacerbated by a housing minister who shows no consistency, all too often fails to enforce even minimal standards and, frankly, appears not to know what she is doing.
She hides all these failings behind the convenient cover of privacy legislation. This means that, all over this city, you will find ghettos calling themselves public housing – you know the scenario: poorly maintained, often trashed and all too often tenanted by some of the most obnoxious people you could come across and, worst of all, with little to no accountability to us, the tax and ratepayers who pay for all this. As a result of this poor management, perfectly respectable public-housing tenants end up being unfairly maligned. Sure, the management of public housing is more complex these days than it used to be. But does this really excuse trashing perfectly good dwellings, including the one in question that was only built in recent years, and turning respectable suburban areas into slum areas. Michael O’Loughlin, via citynews.com.au
Fit for what, Albo? IN my view Anthony Albanese MP should think deeply about his bodily fitness undertaking in preparation for the next election, and possibly the prime ministership. Of course, trying to improve one’s health is commendable, especially given the workload at national level. But one should never forget that arguably the greatest leader during World War II, Winston Churchill, gave the very frequent example to the world that he survived on a daily “diet” of virtually no exercise, the inhaling of Cuban cigars, a half or more bottle of scotch, the very rare gifts of persuasion and courage, and a form of English known as Churchillian. I believe it was the Hercule Poirot character who wisely said along the lines of: “It’s the little grey cells that determine…” Colliss Parrett, Barton
Climate’s road to nowhere IN Letters (CN January 20), Dr Douglas MacKenzie’s scientific explanation on global heating, while correct, does not really provide a solution to climatic change. The problem is complicated by a network of circumstances. For example, it is quite obvious that human population growth has made a massive impact on global warming, and as such is inextricably linked to climatic change. However, reducing or reversing the growth of population is difficult to achieve
given that while per-capita greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced, the population’s demands for oil, gas, coal and other fuels mined or drilled from below the earth’s surface, which when burned, will discharge carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, have not reduced. While talks are underway regarding the climatic change, unsustainable human population and its build up of generated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will continue to contribute to a dangerous increase in greenhouse gases, resulting in environmental damage. It does not seem possible to redress these issues. If anything, it leads one to get bogged down further in a road that ends without leading to much room for improvement. Myriam Amar, Phillip
It’s up to you COLUMNIST Paul Costigan criticised a property sold in Ainslie (CN January 6), which had the garden cleared out shortly afterwards, with “this sort of event should not be allowed”. If you purchase a property then you have the right to do what you want (so long as it’s legal), as this is the core concept of ownership! If I don’t want a garden to maintain, a lawn to mow, a fishpond to clean, trees to prune and leaves to gather up, then I don’t have to. I for one don’t want more dictatorship in Canberra about how my property should be due to a handful of individuals kicking up a fuss as it’s not fitting in with their utopian world. Having a garden though is my choice, but I also need paved/concrete areas for practical reasons that include prevention of erosion, parking the car/trailer, drainage routes in heavy rain, a barbecue/entertaining area, footpaths and stairs, as I’m on a hill. Individual circumstances, location, affordability, practicality and most importantly a respect for freedom of choice is what I see as lacking in the Democratic People’s Republic of Canberra as opposed to more regulation. Bjorn Moore, Gowrie
Write to us editor@citynews.com.au
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MUMS AND BUBS
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Tips to help with the hardest job you’ll ever love BEING a mum can be busy and demanding – and sometimes it’s hard to find the right advice, service or product when the need arises. This week “CityNews” has made things a little easier by compiling this handy guide to expert services, products, entertainment and activities for mums and mums-to-be.
Chiropractic support for mums and bubs UNIVERSAL Chiropractic provides assistance for optimal foetal positioning, postural asymmetry, developmental delay and low muscle tone. Dr Kathy Knight, who has been working as a chiropractor for 21 years, says the most rewarding part of working with mums is seeing the relief on their faces when they can breastfeed without pain. “When you know that it’s changed the trajectory of a life, that if we hadn’t helped then that relationship may have broken down. Breastfeeding is more than just the nutrition in the milk, it’s the bonding, it’s the onset of communication.” The team can help pregnant mothers with pelvic pain and support them if their baby is breech. “We look after them through their pregnancies, we’re there to try and help,” she says. Once the baby is born, Kathy helps to support their growing bodies. “We support them through those particular milestones that we see during the first year of life, and even off
Dr Kathy Knight. into school with things like learning and behaviour.” Universal Chiropractic, 6 Chifley Place, Chifley. Call 0411 125637, email kathy@ universalchiropractic.com.au or visit universalchiropractic.com.au
Culturally safe and accessible maternity care WINNUNGA Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Service’s midwifery program aims to remove barriers that prevent women from accessing maternity care by providing culturally safe, non-judgemental and flexible care, says CEO Julie Tongs. “We focus on the clinical, cultural and spiritual needs of Aboriginal clients, families and the community and the midwifery program welcomed 68 babies into the community in 2020 and 2021,” says Ms Tongs. “The midwifery team offers antenatal and postnatal care, community at home support, baby health checks, breastfeeding support, immunisations, and a range of women’s health Winnunnga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Centre services. and communtiy services CEO Julie Tongs. “Our midwives work closely with ACT hospitals, and assist in ensuring “It is vitally important for high-risk clients continuity of care between Winnunga Nimto have access to Aboriginal specific, culturally mityjah AHCS and hospital services”. appropriate midwifery services, as many choose Ms Tongs says Winnunga also has a not to access mainstream services without comprehensive child immunisation program support.” they encourage patients to access. “This also allows us to follow up on our Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and patients’ progress with postpartum recovery, Community Services, 63 Boolimba Crescent, and to assist them with any needs in relation to Narrabundah. Call 6284 6222 or visit caring for their infants,” says Ms Tongs. winnunga.org.au
Providing exceptional chiropractic health care throughout pregnancy and beyond Dr Kathy Knight combines a wealth of experience, qualifications and certification in neonatal and postnatal health care to provide an individual plan for you and your infant: Pregnancy-optimal foetal positioning Newborn wellbeing, unsettled crying & fussiness Caraniofacial asymmetry & plagiocephaly Low muscle tone & vestibular imbalance Sensory integration Retained primitive reflexes Developmental delay
Call for appointment today 5105 3624 or 0411 125 637 kathy@universalchiropractic.com.au | f @universalChiro universalchiropractic.com.au | 6 Chifley Place, Chifley 18 CityNews February 10-16, 2022
WINNUNGA NIMMITYJAH ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (Winnunga) is a multiaccredited Aboriginal community controlled and managed primary health care service located in Narrabundah ACT. We provide integrated client centric wrap around services, which focuses on the clinical, cultural and spiritual needs of Aboriginal clients, families and the community, including programs for Mums and Bubs. The Midwifery Program aims to remove barriers that prevent women from accessing maternity care in mainstream services. The Program maintains strong working relationships with each hospital which allows for seamless transitions of care. Following the birth of baby, the Program provides up to six weeks of postnatal care in the client’s home assisting mothers with feeding, weight monitoring, emotional wellbeing assessments and mother-crafting/health education.
The Midwifery Program has developed strong links with the Winnunga Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program. Both programs work together to provide holistic care for first time Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander mothers, or mothers having an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander baby, in the Canberra region. The programs complement each other and ensure mothers feel prepared and supported through their pregnancy and early parenting stages, up until the child is two years of age. The ANFPP provides information and education to mothers using a strengths-based approach, which builds individual capacity to identify solutions to problems. Mothers feel empowered as they learn how to work with their strengths, realise the power of their own actions and gain a greater sense of control over their lives.
ALL OUR SERVICES ARE FREE OF CHARGE • WE MAY BE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH TRANSPORT Winnunga AHCS is a national leader in accreditation, was one of the first Aboriginal community controlled health services to achieve dual accreditation under RACGP and QIC standards. Winnunga AHCS has been at the forefront of setting a national agenda for quality improvement in Aboriginal community controlled health and continues to advocate locally and nationally for best practice standards in operational and governance areas of Aboriginal health services.
CLINIC hours | MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9am-5pm
Ph: 6284 6222 | 63 Boolimba Cres, Narrabundah www.winnunga.org.au
MUMS AND BUBS
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MOTHERLY Instincts stocks Australian and NZ designer and boutique maternity and breastfeeding wear, “that will make you feel and look beautiful”, says owner Samantha Fooks. “We offer fashion that is both stylish and practical, but most of all is made to last,” she says. Motherly Instincts also offers a formal-wear hire service, for those one-off occasions. “We work very hard to give people a reason to come and shop with us, whether that be expert advice, encouragement to try on styles with no pressure to buy, having a children’s play area to entertain older kids, comfy chairs to feed your baby in, we offer it all,” she says. Samantha has owned the business for 10 years, but has been working in women’s clothing since she was 15. She says she loves being able to provide local mums with a place to come and try on clothes during an exciting time in their life. “As your body changes, it is so hard to shop online and know which sizes and styles work for you.”
“BUMP It Up” are fitness classes in Canberra for pre and post-natal women, says Canberra Fitness Centre owner Jacqui Ambrus-Bonazzi. Jacqui says she enjoys helping women during pregnancy to understand and navigate the changes that happen to their bodies. “They can exercise and build strength to be able to help with their pregnancy, but also the labour and beyond as well,” she says. “It’s really nice watching women have that confidence and feel empowered that they can exercise during pregnancy and do it safely.” Jacqui says they also have the Canberra Fitness Centre, that is more for the average person. “We have something for everyone, for men, non-pregnant women, and some of our mums bring their teenage daughters,” she says. The exercises are still hard, but there’s no ego. “That gets left at the door, Everyone’s really supportive of each other and no one is going to care what you look like or if you’re wearing the latest gear.”
Motherly Instincts, 3/52 Wollongong Street, Fyshwick. Call 0401 844695 or visit motherlyinstincts.com.au
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Profs Noel Edge and Lexi Con on a scientific voyage through the alphabet.
Take a ‘thrilling’ scientific tour of the alphabet FAMILIES can enjoy a thrilling voyage through the alphabet in The Queanbeyan Performing Art Centre’s upcoming production of “The Alphabet of Awesome Science”. In it, “Professor Lexi Con” has curated a curious collection of her favourite words (one for every letter of the alphabet) with each word providing “Professor Noel Edge” with a jumping off point for 26 quirky scientific demonstrations. Together, this dad-joke quipping, prank-pulling pair of polished professors strut their stuff in a performance that’s described as equal parts explosive, messy, spectacular, hilarious, fascinating and gross. And, every show is completely different, with audiences determining the order in which the letters are revealed and explored. The professorial pair have just 52 minutes to complete their alphabetical, scientifical countdown, just two minutes per experiment. “The Alphabet of Awesome Science”, The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, April 5-6. More info and tickets at theq.net.au
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CityNews February 10-16, 2022 21
MUMS AND BUBS Get support after big life changes OWNER of Phynix Initiative, Tammie Horton says “we do mental health first-aid training, resilience training and recovery coaching.” She started Phynix Initiative in 2018 out of a home office, and since then has expanded into offices in Narrabundah. “I have my own lived experience of mental-health concerns, have done since I was a teenager. I’ve experienced anxiety, depression and post-natal depression, probably undiagnosed after my second was born but definitely diagnosed after my third child was born,” says Tammie. Supporting people is her passion. “My absolute pasPhynix Initiative owner Tammie Horton. sion is to help people who are struggling, to Phynix Initiative, Suite 3-4, Level 1/59 not be. If they have to live with longBoolimba Crescent, Narrabundah. term mental illnesses then we can help Call 1300 749649, email them manage that, to live their best life info@phynixinitiative.com.au despite the challenges.” or visit phynixinitiative.com.au
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WENDY JOHNSON
Play shows the Vietnam War as women’s work By Helen
MUSA IT’S been 51 years since then-prime minister William McMahon announced Australian troops would be withdrawn from Vietnam and 48 years since the US officially ended its involvement, but the memory of that conflict still lives on. Now a new play on the war with a different slant is coming to the Courtyard Studio. “In Their Footsteps” is based on oral histories, conducted by US playwright Ashley Adelman, of five American women who served in Vietnam. The play has enjoyed productions off-Broadway and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but this is its first Australian airing. Unlike its famous forbear, the 1980 play “Tracers”, about male veterans’ experiences in Vietnam, this focuses on the oft-hidden work of women in Vietnam – and the characters are real-life people. I caught up with its director, Carly Fisher, founder of Theatre Travels, which she formed in 2018. An academic graduate in drama from
The cast of “In Their Footsteps”. UNSW with a masters in PR and advertising, Fisher says she’d always wanted to run her own theatre company with the idea of giving more opportunity for women in the creative and management roles. Her focus has been firmly on “verbatim” theatre, and her aim is to show what’s trending internationally to bring it to Australian theatres and thereby, ultimately, to help young Australian female writers create new work. “Making contacts in the industry can be challenging, so I shared our news on Facebook and put the message out that we were interested in producing people’s work… over 450 scripts came in from 14 countries. We chose eight plays and one of them was
‘In Their Footsteps’, which focuses on the female American experience,” she says. “This play documents the female experience in the Vietnam War and is beautifully woven, with a timelapse approach that shows what happened then and what are the memories now – how it impacts today.” All five women, she says, are very much alive and they’ve spoken to them on Zoom. “In Their Footsteps” tells the story not of military, but of civilian service, and Fisher finds the juxtaposition of the two most interesting, saying: “It’s remarkable how many people served in Vietnam that we’ve never heard of, like the librarian – I didn’t even know there were librarians in Vietnam.”
Rowena Robinson in the role of intelligence specialist “Lucki” Allen. So, given the distance of the Vietnam War, can young people relate to it? “Definitely,” Fisher says. “The experience of women in war is a universal experience, as is the feeling of not being heard, of not feeling safe, all that remains true.” While all of those women would have been young when they served in Vietnam, she deliberately cast actors from ages 40 to 76. “I didn’t want that youth perspective,” she says. “Rowena Robinson plays intelligence specialist ‘Lucki’ Allen, a university student who was drafted, but in the play she also
captures the emotions of friends who didn’t return or who were scarred, like the gymnast who came back without hands.” Another cast member, Linda NichollsGidley, plays librarian Ann Kelsey, who comes from a military family and Sonya Kerr plays Jeanne Christie, known as “Donut Dollie”– you can guess what her job was. Nola Bartolo plays recreational services officer Judy Jenkins Gaudino and Suzann James plays nurse Lily Adams. “It’s not a typical verbatim show where people sit on black chairs,” she says. “We’ve deliberately set it somewhere like a community centre or a university, a space where people can chat.” Fisher, who comes from a family of Holocaust survivors, has a lot of questions about the female Vietnam vets. Why, for instance, although 67 women died serving in Vietnam, do only eight of their names appear on the US Vietnam Memorial? And how can we have forgotten them? So how does the play end? “It’s not a depressing piece of theatre,” she says. “Although it’s full of hard memories, there are happy memories, but it ends quite pensively with a question and a call to see what women do in the history books.” “In Their Footsteps”, Courtyard Studio, February 25-26. Booking at canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.
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10 – 12 FEBRUARY
CityNews February 10-16, 2022 23
DINING / Two Blind Mice, Curtin
See how they run… this new place IT’S fabulous to see young entrepreneurs rise through the ranks from junior hospitality roles to owners of exciting ventures. Sam Carlini, who has been in the industry for a l-o-o-ong time now, having started as a young teenager, is living the dream with his new Two Blind Mice pub at Curtin shops. Locals and Canberrans are loving it. Two Blind Mice is casual, but stylish; serious-about-food but not snobby and suburban but cool. The menu is intriguing, with new creations and European twists and turns on classics, such as the feast-for-the-eyes beef tartare, hand cut and created with eschalots, chives and chilli. A perfect, bright egg yolk sat on top and the tartare was circled with potato crisps ($22). Before the tartare we shared a simple but sensational potato and four cheese pizza ($24) – thinly sliced potato, mozzarella, gorgonzola, ricotta and parmesan with rosemary sprinkled
The feast-for-the-eyes beef tartare, hand cut and created with eschalots, chives and chilli. Photo: Wendy Johnson about. The pizza menu is divided into rossa and bianca bases with the dough perfected after much trial and error. Sam and his fiancée built the impressive (and massive) pizza oven themselves over seven days. Fish-and-chip fans will be delighted
with the presentation and flavours of the Two Blind Mice version ($35). The whole butterflied snapper is crumbed but not overly so, the tartare sauce creamy with just the right tang and the side salad fresh and featuring colourful radish, fennel, orange and dill sprigs.
Equally impressive was the generous serve of butterflied prawns ($26) with the piquant, spicy chermoula, dill and pickled chilli. My friend summed up his dish with a loud and enthusiastic “Huzza!”. Like many Two Blind Mice menu options, this was gluten free and dairy free. Two of us shared the super-moist, spiced half chicken ($30) with sweet-peppery kohlrabi and celeriac rémoulade and a decadent, smooth gravy. We celebrated the salty shoestring fries. Our least fave dish was the grilled broccolini, although it was challenging to pinpoint why. Perhaps the miso butter was a tad strong ($16). We’re often too stuffed for desserts but there was no way we were passing up the salted lemon tart ($17), with burnt meringue and vanilla mascarpone. A glorious ending. The wine list is inspiring with a good range by the glass ($10 to $14). Our Mada Rose 21 (Canberra District) was $60 a bottle. Two Blind Mice has indoor and outdoor dining. The music selection suits the place, and the volume is just right. Massive windows ensure great air circulation inside. Hat’s off to Sam for hiring some young locals with no industry experience and training them up. Two Blind Mice is ironing out “new operation kinks” and soliciting and listening to customer feedback. Good on them.
usic, M e r o M un... More F
Language walk gets a boost By Helen Musa
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THE ninth annual International Mother Language Day walk beside Lake Burley Griffin will go ahead this year and, with the cancellation of the Multicultural Festival, Canberra’s multiplicity of communities plan to join in. According to the president of the International Mother Language Movement committee, Ziaul Hoque, expressions of interest have already been received from a samba group and the Ukrainian, Mon and Chinese communities, as well as the many groups who usually take part in the celebrations of the UNESCO-designated day which falls on February 21 – although for convenience this year’s walk will take place on Sunday, February 20. Starting at the International Flags display near Questacon, at 10am, language-lovers plan to walk along Lake Burley Griffin, cross Kings Bridge and end at the Police Memorial near the Carillon, where there will be performances and a picnic. Participants are encouraged to bring language banners and dress in traditional costumes to showcase languages and cultures. More from imlm.21feb@gmail.com, call 0411 031942 or visit imlm21.org.au
24 CityNews February 10-16, 2022
STREAMING
Funny side to sad Tony, who doesn’t really give a stuff By Nick
OVERALL THINK back to the 2020 Golden Globes where comedian Ricky Gervais came out swinging at the Hollywood elite in a hilarious opening speech. Gervais, famed creator of hit sitcom “The Office’’, left no stone unturned. From slamming Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating habits to Apple’s sweatshops in China, the room was slack jawed with a takedown that left some of the attendees wishing he hadn’t received an invitation. But to many viewers at home, this tell-it-how-it-is style of comedy was seen as a refreshing moment in an industry that is otherwise swallowed by Ricky Gervais. sanctimonious virtue signalling. “Everyone is watching Netflix. The [Golden Globes] could just be me coming out, going, ‘Well done Netflix. You win everything. Good night.’ But no, we got to drag it out for three hours,” unleashed Gervais in his speech. “You could binge-watch the entire first season of ‘After Life’ instead of watching this. That’s a show about a man who wants to kill himself ’cause his wife dies of cancer and it’s still more fun than this.” And what a show it is. Gervais, who writes, directs and stars in “After Life” has crafted himself a premise where he can let loose on the world in the same vein as his Globes’ speech and the series now has its third season streaming on Netflix. It’s the story of Tony, a happy-go-lucky guy who loses all faith in the world after the death of his beloved wife. While initially wanting to end it all, Tony soon discovers he has a new “superpower” – saying and doing whatever he wants without caring who he offends. Watching Tony play with his “superpower” is hilarious, especially in one scene where he says to a school bully what everyone has always wanted to. However there’s a humility and deeper message that works its way into “After Life” which makes it more than just a fun slice of cynicism. As the show goes on viewers see the character forced to come to more peaceful terms with the new life he leads, wrestling to find meaning in what he believes is a meaningless world. In many ways, it makes “After Life” a fitting show for our challenging times. It can be pretty easy to lose faith in humanity these days, especially amidst current events, but “After Life” tells its audience that meaning and kindness is really out there if one is willing to look. Everyone can use a laugh right now so why not stream a sitcom? Netflixers looking for some levity can also find it in “Schitt’s Creek”, which follows the misfortunes of a wealthy family who must adjust to life after being stripped of all their money. The lead writer was given the idea of this sitcom when questioning what would happen to a family like the Kardashians if they were to suddenly lose their fortune and be forced to live in the real world. There are a few other certified comedy classics on the platform, including all nine seasons of “Seinfeld”. Throughout the show’s 180 episodes, it somehow managed to put its characters in almost every awkward situation one can think of and makes it easily rewatchable – from waiting for a table to free up at a restaurant to being sentenced to prison. Prefer the other ‘90s sitcom about friends hanging out in a New York apartment? “Friends” can be streamed on Binge, including its reunion special which brings the cast back together after the show’s original ending almost 20 years ago. Travelling overseas and a little more into the obscure, Britbox has got a classic political satire that bonks bureaucracy on the head with “Yes, Minister”. It follows the career of Jim Hacker, Britain’s Minister for Administrative Affairs. No, that is not a real parliamentary position but, yes, it may as well be with how hilariously redundant it is. What about something more local though? Rob Sitch, who wrote the classic Aussie flick “The Castle”, was also the head creative of “The Hollowmen”, a sitcom set here in Canberra and streamable on Stan. Not unlike “Yes, Minister”, it spares the pollies of Parliament House no mercy in a satire that sees them fumble around issues which hit brilliantly close to home – for Canberrans, quite literally.
THEATRE
When the task of comedy gets serious By Helen Musa
SHAKESPEAREAN comedy is known to be difficult to stage, but Canberra’s Shakespeare by the Lakes is giving it a go with the coming production of “As You Like It”. It’s not the first time the play has been done on the lake – I remember an actor friend sliding down an embankment at Aspen Island into the waters of Lake Burley Griffin during an earlier production. This time around, they’ll be a little more distant from the water. Previewing in a paid event at Verity Lane Markets on February 15 then opening free to the public at the Patrick White Lawns on February 19, they’ll perform a mixture of free and paid shows at locations as varied as Tuggeranong Town Park and Eastlake, Gungahlin. With a top cast directed by well-known professional Tony Knight at the helm, it’s looking good and, as I found, the two leads, Natasha Vickery as Rosalind and Jake Fryer-Hornsby as her opposite number, Orlando, are taking the task of comedy very seriously indeed. The pair studied acting at the WA Academy of Performing Arts together and it was Vickery who recommended Fryer-Hornsby to Knight for the role – now they’re having to really get up close and personal. Vickery has the lioness’ share of the action in what is universally regarded as Shakespeare’s greatest female role – “because of her intelligence and her independence, and because she has a huge capacity for love,” she says. Briefly, after meeting the love of her life, Rosalind, banished by her uncle and joined by her beloved cousin Celia, escapes to the idyllic Forest of Arden where Rosalind’s banished father lives. For protection she adopts men’s clothing, but Orlando is there, too, and the plot thickens. In “As You Like It”, Shakespeare takes the battle of the sexes to an extreme level. Rosalind, a girl character played in Elizabethan times by a boy, dresses up as the boy Ganymede, who then pretends to be a girl in a lovemaking game – it’s a triple whammy when it comes to gender bending. “Luckily, I’m a woman so one layer is taken off,” Vickery says. Brought up just around the corner from NIDA, where her mother worked for many years, she first met Knight when she was a little girl. Rosalind’s capacity for love extends to her cousin Celia, but they do have some fearful rows, a good opportunity for Ylaria Rogers in the role. It’s Vickery’s view that Rosalind keeps up the
A rehearsal shot of Jake Fryer-Hornsby as Orlando. Photo: Tony Knight pretence of being a boy for so long because she has more freedom that way – “when Shakespeare puts her in men’s clothes she’s free, she’s just enjoying it too much”. Incidentally, Knight is trying a bit of genderbending, too, having cast mum Karen Vickery as the melancholy Jaques who proclaims the famous words, “all the world’s a stage”. Fryer-Hornsby, a West Australian who was partly schooled in Tampa, Florida, now lives in Sydney and does a lot of outdoor acting, including regular stints in “The Wind in the Willows” at the Botanic Gardens, where he usually plays Otter. Although still quite young, he’s something of a Shakespeare veteran who, on graduating, joined Bell Shakespeare company‘s “Players” troupe and got to play all his dream roles – Iago, Hamlet, Romeo, Mercutio, but never Orlando. “I’d never come across Orlando before, a blessing really, because it’s really nice to approach the character from the start,” he says. In the play, Orlando has been cast out by his older brother Oliver after their father dies, but even without the benefit of wealth, he is a natural gentleman and when freed from the court, he finds a world that will accept him. “That gentlemanly quality is innate within him,” Fryer-Hornsby says. It’s the love game between him and Rosalind that constitutes a good deal of the play, but does he know that Ganymede is really Rosalind in disguise? “Yes, he does realise what’s going on at some point in the play, but he always gets to go along with the game,” Fryer-Hornsby suggests, but they’re still working out how to make that convincing. “As You Like It”, February 15-March 6, bookings and all program details at lakespeare.com
Eclectic films in free, streaming festival ARTS IN THE CITY
By Helen Musa THE Japanese Film Festival is back with a free, streamed festival of 17 films featuring an eclectic mix of past favourites, cult hits and hot film festival award-winners such as “Aristocrats”, a drama questioning the state of contemporary life, named 2021 Luxembourg City Film Festival Grand Prix winner. Online February 14-27. Register at japanesefilmfestival.net TICKETS are on sale for the Four Winds Festival, April 15-17, in Barragga Bay, near Bermagui. Lindy Hume, creative director of this year’s event, has lined up an impressive festival under the theme of “Common Ground”. Residents of the Bega Valley or Eurobodalla Shire regions and holders of an Australian government issued pension card, full-time student card or DVA Gold Card are eligible for 2022 Access Pass membership (via fourwinds.com.au). WESLEY’S Music Centre’s lunchtime concert series is up and running, this time with pianist Sam Row, who will perform “Suite Bergamasque” by Debussy and “Sonatine” by Ravel at the Forrest centre, 12.40pm-1.20pm, Wednesday, February 16. Book at trybooking.com or by phone, 6232 7248. CANBERRA artist Emma Beer, the youngest artist to present a solo exhibition in the ANU Drill Hall Gallery’s history, has developed a show, “Zooper Dooper”, in response to the scale and architecture of the exhibition space. Until April 10. THE Australian String Quartet will begin its first national tour this year at the James Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery, at 2pm on Sunday, February 20, with the world premiere of Australian composer David Paterson’s new “String Quartet”, Benjamin Britten’s “Three Divertimenti” and Beethoven’s Razumovsky quartet (the Eroica). Book at asq.com.au or (08) 83133748. AT last, after last year’s covid-related postponement, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” is going ahead at Canberra Rep Theatre (Theatre 3), Acton, from February 17 (preview) to March 5. Book at canberrarep.org.au or 6257 1950.
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CityNews February 10-16, 2022 25
GARDENING
Visit the world of rare banksias By Jackie
WARBURTON THE peak of summer is here and in our local bushlands and grasslands there are many indigenous plants flowering such as poa grasses, straw flowers, gum trees and banksias.
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Summer is one of the best times to visit the Botanic Gardens, where there is a canopy of large bush forest trees and plantings that provide a great shaded bush walk with wide paths for wheelchairs and prams. At the moment, the banksia garden is my favourite. A relatively new addition to the landscaped gardens, there are some really rare and unusual species to look at. BUSH foods are a hot topic and it’s interesting to learn their uses for culinary or medicinal purposes. Some local nurseries stock a small selection of local bush food to grow and try at home, but if you want to find out what grows well in our environment, there is a bush-tucker garden at the National Arboretum showcasing traditional Ngunnawal plants, berries and grasses.
Banksia… there are rare and unusual species to see Hibiscus syriacus… a tough plant that grows well in at the Botanic Gardens. Photo: Jackie Warburton our environment. Photo: Jackie Warburton The garden is situated in the Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park garden, which was created in 2018. A favourite I am trying at the moment is Mentha australis or Native River Mint. This is local to the south-east of Australia, has a similar flavour to peppermint and spearmint and can be used to freshen a jug of water or the base of ice cream. I grow my mint in a pot just because I don’t trust mint! I don’t
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want it to escape and, so far, it is growing well. THERE will be more growth in the garden that we have been used to in past years and pruning, tidying or clearing the path needs to be done now. Sometimes we can’t always wait for the right time of year. Thin out overgrown growth and increase air flow around the plants to prevent mildew and fungal issues down the track. Staking plants such as chrysanthemums and dahlias will need to be done repeatedly for the next month to carry heavy flowers. Dahlias are terrific cut flowers and the more flowers that are picked, the more will come. TRANSPLANTING brassicas – broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower – that have been grown by seed can be done now. The soil needs to be turned over and have good drainage. Growing brassicas in the cooler months will lessen the impact of cabbage moth and cabbage white butterfly infestations. Make sure the pH is high and is around 6-7. If it is lower than that, add dolomite lime straight away and water in. Brussels sprouts will need staking so give them room to grow.
They are a long-season crop and require a high-nitrogen fertiliser every two to three weeks, but don’t over-feed them as you don’t want leggy plants that are top heavy. Short, stocky plants no more than 60-70cm high are ideal… brussels sprouts, salt, pepper, butter, yum. FOR a tropical look in the summer garden, try a deciduous hibiscus syriacus, a tough plant that grows well in our environment. They grow in full sun and are available in single or double flowering. The flower colour can range from white to pink. Hibiscus can be hard pruned, growing to one to three metres tall. Unfortunately, black small beetles around three millimetres in size attack them by chewing holes in flowers causing a premature drop of the flower buds. A little damage is okay, but if the insects breed up and really destroy the flowers then neem oil can be applied as a systemic insecticide. Also try some diatomaceous earth around the base of the tree in winter to early spring. jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au Read more of Jackie Warburton’s columns on citynews.com.au
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Your week in the stars By Joanne Madeline Moore
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General knowledge crossword No. 816
February 14-20, 2022 ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
Expect an especially romantic Valentine’s Day week, as love planet Venus connects with Mars (your ruling planet) and there’s a Full Moon in fellow fire sign Leo. Attached Aries – pamper your partner with a special surprise! Single Rams – it’s time to indulge your creative passions via an exciting new project. Your motto for the moment is from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
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TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)
Bodie and Tegan are saving for their first home but with low interest rates, their savings aren’t growing.
Happy Valentine’s Day! You’re feeling romantic as you lavish attention – and money – on your partner, wear your heart on your sleeve or play out a secret fantasy with your new lover. However, with the Full Moon heating up your home zone, tread carefully with a fragile family member. It will be easy to say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time, so try to be a super-tactful Taurus. The Venus/Mars conjunction will help most Bulls be extra diplomatic.
GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)
It’s a good week to focus your mind, research a subject that has always fascinated you or enrol in a course of study, as the Full Moon fires up your brain power. Jupiter and Uranus also push you to consider more adventurous options, especially at work. But don’t take your nearest and dearest for granted, Gemini! Your motto for Valentine’s Day is from writer Ursula Le Guin: “Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone. It has to be made like bread, remade all the time, made new”.
CANCER (June 22 – July 23)
The Full Moon shines a bright spotlight on self-esteem, finances, core values and trust issues. It’s also time to don your detective cap and turn on your x-ray vision, as you zero in on the cause of a problem and come up with a satisfactory solution. With Venus and Mars pairing up in your relationship zone, make it a priority to do more for your nearest and dearest. Your mantra for Valentine’s Day is from writer George Sand: “There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.”
LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)
Lions love to hog the limelight and be the centre of attention – especially when the Full Moon’s in Leo. But this week (with the Sun, Saturn and Mercury all moving through your relationship zone) the focus shifts from you onto the significant people in your life. Perhaps it’s time for your partner or your best friend to shine? Your quote for Valentine’s Day is from Scottish writer William Barclay: “Love always involves responsibility and love always involves sacrifice.”
VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)
Your days are often organised with military precision. But this week there’s a fiery Full Moon, plus Mercury (your ruling planet) moves into unpredictable Aquarius. So strive to be more spontaneous as you toss your usual timetable out the window and stretch your adaptability muscles in unfamiliar directions. Whatever happens, expect the unexpected and prepare to pivot! Unhappily single? You could meet your soulmate via an introduction from a friend or family member.
Down
4 What is a spot as on the sun, in the skin, or the like? (6) 7 Name a large heavy kind of terrier. (8) 8 When one charters something, one does what? (6) 9 What is a series of underground tunnels and caves? (8) 11 Which term describes those who row boats? (7) 13 Name a common wild duck. (7) 15 Horace Lindrum was the world champion professional player of which table game? (7) 17 Who denies the existence of God? (7) 20 Which sportspersons take part in the Tour de France? (8) 23 What is a small close-fitting knitted cap? (6) 24 What is drivel more commonly known as? (8) 25 To steal someone’s possessions, is to do what? (6)
1 Name another term for a prima donna. (4) 2 To bring back in thought, is to do what? (6) 3 Which radiance surrounds the head of a sacred personage? (4) 4 Helen Porter Mitchell was more readily known as Dame Nellie ... (5) 5 What, in grammar, is a group of words containing a subject and a predicate? (6) 6 Name a lord, entitled to allegiance and service. (5) 9 Which piece of apparatus takes photographs? (6) 10 What is the quality of being free from vanity? (7) 12 What are mothers-of-pearl? (6) 14 Name a meeting of people seeking to communicate with the spirits of the dead. (6) 16 Who “asked for more”? (6) 18 What are used for chewing food? (5) 19 Which word designates a view or a picture? (5) 21 Name another term for a walking-stick. (4) 22 What do we call an examination? (4)
LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)
Many Librans are love junkies who adore celebrating Valentine’s Day. Romance is your special thing! Attached Libra – celebrate your partnership with a candlelit dinner at home. Unhappily single? Maintain your unshakeable belief in romance and destiny. As actress Loretta Young said, “Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.” Wednesday night’s Full Moon highlights group activities, professional networking and your friendship circle.
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Across
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Sudoku hard No. 308
They contacted me wondering if there was anything else they could invest in, such as shares? “Because they are a risky asset, when investing in shares, I normally recommend a five to seven-year minimum investment term," I advised them. "So that would not suit you. However, there is the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSS) that should see you achieve better returns because of the tax savings.” Tegan said: “I had heard of that, but didn’t realise that it could apply to us. How does it work?” I said: “Firstly, you need to be eligible. You need to buy a home in Australia that you will live in for at least six months in the first year that you own it and it must be the first home for both of you. As I understand it, you satisfy those criteria. “You make contributions to a super fund that can accept FHSS contributions. You make these either by salary sacrifice or by personal contribution, but the employer superannuation guarantee contributions that your employer makes on your behalf cannot be withdrawn. You can also make non-deductible contributions. “The tax that you currently both pay on your salary is at the rate of 39 per cent including Medicare levy. This shows how it works without including earnings. The super fund earnings are determined by the Australian Taxation Office on withdrawal, currently 3.01 per cent taxed at 9 per cent in your situation compared with the 0.5 per cent you might receive from a bank, which would be taxed at 39 per cent.
Saving outside super
Using FHSS
Invest $10,000 (equivalent before tax amount)
Pay $10,000 to super
Savings after tax $6,100
Savings after tax $8,500
Savings after 3 years $18,300
Savings after 3 years $25,500
Tax on withdrawal $0
Tax on withdrawal $2,295 3 year benefit from FHSS $4,905
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)
Wednesday night’s Full Moon sees you swing between being sexy and secretive; and being passionate and possessive. You could also be thrust into the public spotlight, so make sure you’re putting on a good show. But are you stuck in a career slump? If you resist changes at work, then you’ll just be left behind in the backwash. Look for creative ways to adopt fresh ideas and pivot in your professional life. And make sure you include loved ones and colleagues in your plans.
“There are, of course, rules around this. The maximum that you can save in a year is $15,000 and the current maximum that you can withdraw is $30,000. There is legislation before Parliament increasing this to $50,000. When you are ready to withdraw your contributions, you apply to the ATO for a release authority, which will advise you how much you can withdraw. "As you can see, if you both save $10,000 a year for three years you will each be at least $4905 ahead by using FHSS plus the aftertax earnings up to the cap that you are approved to withdraw. Tegan said: “Wow, that is almost $10,000 between us on savings of $60,000. That is so exciting. Thank you, Gail.”
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)
Take off your rose-coloured glasses! With Venus transiting through earthy Capricorn, approach love in a practical and realistic way. Your Valentine’s Day quote is from fellow Sagittarian, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift: “The perfection of love is that it’s not perfect.” Then lucky Jupiter – your power planet – forms a fabulous aspect with entrepreneurial Uranus. So it’s time to be more adventurous, extend your horizons and experiment with innovative new possibilities.
If you want any information on FHSS or any other tax or super related matter contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 6295 2844.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)
This Valentine’s Day, with Venus and Mars visiting your sign, it’s the perfect time to flutter your eyelashes (or flex your pecs) and ask for what you want. Then sit back and reap the romantic rewards. Singles – don’t settle for second best. Be patient and wait for your perfect match to appear. (As actress Keira Knightley observes: “I think every girl is looking for her Mr Darcy.”) The Sun, Saturn and Mercury encourage you to become more financially literate. Knowledge is power!
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 2022
Solutions – February 3 edition Sudoku medium No. 308
PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)
On Valentine’s Day, with Venus in your hopes and wishes zone, find a dream you can share together. “Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but of looking outward together in the same direction.” – Antoine St Exupery. Wednesday night’s fiery Full Moon stimulates your wellbeing zone. So it’s time to be more proactive about your health, fitness, diet and daily routine. Jupiter and Uranus rev up your restless side on Friday when you’ll be in the mood for a weekend getaway.
Solution next edition
Crossword No. 815
Prepare for a wild week as the Sun, Mercury and Saturn sashay through avantgarde Aquarius, and adventurous Jupiter connects with unpredictable Uranus (your ruling planet). So it’s time to tap into your Gypsy Soul and channel your Inner Bohemian! You’re impatient to make some snappy decisions but resist the urge to be too impulsive. With the Full Moon revving up your relationship zone, consider the effects your words and actions will have on those around you.
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)
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