CityNews 221201

HOW THE BARR GOVERNMENT CRUSHES HOUSING DREAMS

KHALID AHMED expose the political hypocrisy around land release

HOW MUDDLE-HEADS MESSED UP A PLAYGROUND

PAUL COSTIGAN wonders what thought went into the multi-million-dollar playspace in Coombs

Seniors urged to have a say in their card’s future

MICHAEL MOORE

Pollies should be careful what they wish for HUGH SELBY

Elvis brings a new lease of life to movie exhibition

HELEN MUSA

Viva la difference when it comes to chablis

RICHARD CALVER

MAGGOTS & me

Well written, well read ACT Australian of the Year and maggot farmer OLYMPIA YARGER has a simple solution for smart waste management

season is here!

Olympia puts maggots to work to help the world

By Belinda STRAHORN

MAGGOT farmer Olympia Yarger wants to use her profile as ACT Australian of the Year to promote greater awareness of smart waste technology as a means to reduce our carbon footprint.

Through her start-up, Goterra, the Canberra-based insect farmer has revolutionised the way food waste can be turned into fertiliser and food for livestock.

On a Canberra property, Yarger has installed six shipping containers full of maggots that break down food scraps collected from schools, cafes, hospitals and hotels.

The maggots’ waste becomes fer tiliser and the insects themselves become livestock feed.

Yarger’s innovative system is re sponsible for processing more than 35,000 tonnes of waste, saving more than 66,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

She said the insect farm itself is run robotically.

“The shipping containers have a robotic system inside and the insects sit inside that in a racking system and that moves them around to feed and keep them at a climate-controlled

now expanded to employ 56 staff, most of whom are Canberrans.

One of the by-products of the maggot-farming process has been an attempt to extract oil to make soap, Yarger said.

“We are trying to learn about how we can valorise extraction so we can do something with the oils, so we have done a lot of oil extraction and we have made soap and different things like that,” she said.

Recently named the 2023 ACT Aus tralian of the Year, Yarger intends to

an environmentally responsible way.

“Nowhere in the world is innovating in waste,” Yarger said.

“It’s an area that doesn’t get a lot of attention because in our society we just want waste to go away.

“For me, this award is a platform to speak to and bring attention to the challenges we have, because we have largely ignored our utilities and infra structure in the conversation around innovation.”

She laments the fact there’s still a long way to go before we reach an

acceptable level of environmental sus tainability when it comes to process ing our own waste.

“Ninety-five per cent of the world’s food waste goes to landfill,” she said.

“The only state in Australia that has really great food organics man agement in SA. All of the other states are lagging in the infrastructure and capability to manage food waste across their states.”

Farming maggots for a living is a long way removed from what Yarger thought she’d be doing when she left

“I just wanted to work with sheep,”

“I had my wool-classing certificate and did a bunch of those sorts of things, but I thought that was what farming was, and that wasn’t a very mature approach to agriculture really if you think about it.

“Agriculture is about creating new efficiencies and production systems with animals and plants.

“The things that attracted me then were regenerative farming practices, circular farming practices and sus tainable farming practices and that’s still true today even though we are farming insects in boxes.”

A self-confessed climate-change advocate, Yarger said: “For me this is all about climate action. We need technology out in the world today to deliver a circular economy or we are

not going to make it.”

Yarger has set her ambitions to wards addressing sewerage waste among other things.

“We are not doing much innovation in sewerage, and we are not doing much innovation in the things that ac tually cause a lot of pressure to supply chains and ecosystems,” she said.

“So I want to talk about the impor tance of building innovation into plan ning so that we can actually realise outcomes that are better than what was yesterday.”

Canberra born and raised, Yarger has retained strong ties with the re gion throughout her life.

“I was born at Woden Valley Hos pital, and my gran still lives in Nar rabundah at the house my grandad built,” she said.

“He was a bricklayer in Canberra and he built quite a lot of houses in Red Hill and Narrabundah.”

She also holds the rare distinction of having a fly named after her by the CSIRO.

“Dr Bryan Lessard, who is also a Canberran, discovered a new species of soldier fly in the Daintree and he named it Hermetia Olympea,” Yarger said.

As ACT Australian of the Year, Yarger is also in the running to be named the 2023 Australian of the Year when the awards are announced on January 25.

Advertising account executives: Damien Klemke, 0439 139001 Tim Spare, 0423 381691

Arts editor: Helen Musa, helen@citynews.com.au

Production manager: Janet Ewen

Graphic Designer: Mona Ismail

Proof reader: Glenda Anderson

Olympia Yarger at work in Hume… “My gran still lives in Narrabundah at the house my grandad built.”

Photo: Belinda Strahorn

brings out the adjectives

which he then wrote:

“I’m looking for help with my book”

“You want to book a table?”

Marion the restaurant is named after

and it looks out from Regatta Point. The writers’ group decision is a mystery.

In trying to dream up a name for a new arts and entertainment section while a bright-eyed sub-editor at the Adelaide “Advertiser”, I ran a selection of brilliant but oblique ideas past my unimpressed features editor, who sagely said: “Just tell people what it is”. We called the section “Arts and and its gender-particularity.

“No, my book’s not about a table, it’s about the Ottoman empire!”

“The Ottoman? But that’s in Barton.”

In a comment on the “CityNews” website, music critic Graham McDonald wryly saw a silver lining.

“It could be the start of something which could really put Canberra on the map,” he

“Think of all the other institutions and organisations that could benefit in the same way as the (now former) Canberra Writers’ Centre has done.

“The National Gallery of Australia could be renamed Betty (after Betty Churcher), the National Film & Sound Archive could be reborn as Snowy (after the long ignored and forgotten Snowy Baker) and perhaps the Railway Histori cal Society could be called Thomas.”

Anyone got one word to describe the ACT government? (editor@citynews.com.au)

THE Yarralumla Residents Association responded to the Assembly standing committee inquiry into the 530-page Planning Bill 2022 draft with a virtuous three pages that it summarised, saying: “Overall, the Planning Bill is virtually impossible to comprehend owing to the breadth of the

desired planning objectives, the impreci sion in the definition of principles and requirements, and the convoluted, complex, interrelated matrix that forms the approach to governance and decision making.”

AND this photo from John McEwen, of Red Hill with the caption: “The Great Wall of La Perouse Street”.

FORMER chief minister and Liberal senator

time recently. His holiday in Europe turned into “something of a nightmare”, when he became seriously ill. So unwell, in fact, he flew gingerly home with a nurse in the next seat and headed straight to hospital.

“But I am now back home and recovering steadily,” he wrote.

“Still a bit breathless and not very mobile, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.” Go, Gary.

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

WHY would you name a writers’ group after a restaurant?

Marions, Marions everywhere… Marion Halligan, left, Marion Mahony Griffin and Marion Morrison (aka John Wayne).

How muddle-heads messed up a playground

THURSDAY, October 27 was the day that Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry officially opened the grand, designed playground in Coombs.

Ruth Park is named after the New Zealand-born, Australian author Rosina Ruth Lucia Park AM (19172010). There’s a sculpture of a muddleheaded wombat in the playground to celebrate one of her children’s books.

She wrote tirelessly throughout her life, producing novels, children’s books, autobiographies and scripts for film and television.

This playspace will be listed for many awards and is already popular with families from across Canberra. The price has been declared to be around $7 million, although with many elements of the design and construction not disclosed, it is more likely around $10 million.

With the other elaborately designed parks in nearby Whitlam and Denman Prospect, these new suburbs have the most expensive and superdesigned playgrounds in Canberra.

This playground is popular. The complexity of the design and layout has encouraged a huge number of families to spend time there with children who are swamped with choice. On the weekend, the immedi ate and nearby streets are packed

provided a few parking bays only, so narrow streets have become contested spaces and, at times, dangerous with kids running out to cross the street.

Then there’s the obvious question –where’s the toilets? There aren’t any.

Parents are seen quietly walking with kids down the path towards the shrubbery. The issue of toilets for children and parents got scrambled thanks to the painful consultations and the weird decision-making processes involved with this park.

For all sorts of logical reasons and according to good playground planning practices, this playground

Why this site? That answer would involve the long and tortuous expla nation of the opaque workings of the former Land Development Authority and the now Suburban Land Agency. There were other options.

The muddle-headed agency bureaucrats and their on-anotherplanet politicians had muddied the consultations so much that the nearby residents were forced to object to proposal after proposal that did not make sense. They were doing this while joining with others to advocate for community facilities and better playgrounds in the Molonglo area.

Residents who took up residencies nearby had done their research. The space beside the pond was originally designated as a thin linear green space with trees. Now, thanks to mentally confused politicians, it is a massive playspace that in a sensible world would have been built else where – nearby.

If it was on one of those more suitable larger sites, it would have had toilets and ample car bays. The nearby residents are now dreaming of what used to be quiet weekends.

The planning minister who changed the planning rules for Molonglo was Andrew Barr. According to his

professional naivety, developers (not government) are to provide community facilities, shops and parks (with toilets).

As a consequence of this neo-liberal, free-market approach to planning and the nature of his hollowed-out rules, the Molonglo developers were relaxed about selling houses on the promise that community stuff would come sometime in the future – maybe.

On top of that, the present mess being made by the agencies involved in Canberra’s urban development, answer to Andrew Barr as Chief Minister and the grand poo-bah of ad hoc planning. This chief minister has continued to repeat the same planning blunders over and over again for more than a decade now – as if the results would one day be any different.

Ruth Park in Coombs is a great playspace. Just that it could have been so much better for everyone if someone intelligent had intervened and had a larger site selected.

Paul Costigan is a commentator on cultural and urban matters.

The new $7 million playground at Coombs… with many elements of the design and construction not disclosed, it’s more likely to have cost around $10 million.

Photo: Paul Costigan

A second opinion on hearing loss

An elderly woman with hearing loss came to my clinic for a second opinion, after she had recently been to a hearing aid sales person. I found the cause of her hearing loss was simply the fact that she had build-up of wax in her ears, the salesperson had failed to inspect them. You might be surprised how often this happens!

Here are some things to do to avoid getting ripped off:

1. A visit to the GP may save you from being ‘sold’ something when your only problem is wax in your ears.

2. Look for someone who is independent and can offer you unbiased advice, not just give you a sales pitch.

3. There are a range of hearing aid prices. Finding the right hearing aid might save you money and it will also give you the best chance of success.

4. Hearing aids can be expensive.

Recently I was told by two different patients that they were quoted $16,000 for a pair of hearing aids. This seems a ridiculous amount of money to pay and is most likely not appropriate for the majority of people (or possibly anyone).

5. If you are a pensioner or partpensioner, or a DVA gold or white card holder, you should carefully consider if you want to use the free-to-client government hearing aids or if you’d like to top-up to a different hearing aid.

The free-to-client hearing aids are appropriate for many people, however if you have great difficulty hearing background noise (for example in restaurants) then you might trial the top-up hearing aids, but only if you can afford them. There are a range of top up options and prices, if you are disappointed after a trial, you should return them and trial the free-toclient hearing aids.

If you get the feeling the person you’re dealing with is just trying to sell you something, then take a step back and get a second opinion.

“In an unregulated market there is a lot of opportunity to take advantage of people. Yes you have read correctly, there is no licensing of people who sell hearing aids.”

– Dr Vass

not a sales pitch

Seniors urged to have a say in their card’s future

OLDER people ought to be recognised for their life-long contribution. With minimal exceptions, older people have made significant contributions to society through their work, raising families and community contribution.

As part of the process of review ing the ACT Seniors Card, the government argues that it “is part of an Australia-wide scheme which recognises the contribution of older people to society and supports them to be active in the community”.

Surprisingly, the review is taking place mid-term without an election in sight. It is an opportunity for senior Canberrans to have a say in the status of the Seniors Card.

The Seniors Card is available to people 60 years or over who are permanent residents and living in the ACT and who are not in paid employ ment for more than 20 hours per week. It ought not be confused with the federal government pension card.

There are nearly 400 businesses that provide support for people with the Seniors Card. The same card facilitates savings on a wide range of government goods and services includ ing registration and public transport.

Emma Davidson, ACT Minister

for Veterans and Seniors, is behind the review that will be conducted independently. The review includes a survey of users or businesses that can be completed online or in person at one of four libraries in Canberra. Participation is welcomed through until early February.

The government is seeking understanding around four areas. The first is “the experience using the Seniors Card day to day, includ ing for discounted transport and other government fees”. Second, the government seeks information about “what benefits the community receive from the Seniors Card and things that could be included in the future”.

Additionally, they are attempting

to understand “ways in which the Seniors Card can be more accessible (such as through digital wallets and other technologies)”. Finally, there is the usual catch all: “any other ways in which the Seniors Card can be improved”.

Such moves by the government are often a silver cloud with a grey lining. To what extent is the government intending to use this survey as a way to save money?

The “more accessible (such as through digital wallets and other technologies)” reasoning raises the question of getting rid of the creditstyle card and handling the whole process electronically.

This is a Seniors Card. While many

current seniors are really adept within the digital world, there are still many who are not so familiar with the use of the latest technologies. Therefore it’s important that any transition to digital wallets and other electronic systems needs to be gradual.

Encouraging more businesses to be involved with the Seniors Card is part of the goal of the government as part of this process. Businesses currently supporting the Seniors Card, or have supported it in the past, are encour aged to take part in the survey. Ideas that provide both an incentive for busi ness and a benefit for card holders will enhance the usefulness of the card.

Hopefully, even more businesses will be part of the system which “recognises the contribution of older people to society and supports them to be active in the community”.

One of the goals of the card is to encourage older people to get out of their homes and to build better connections. Connectedness is a key element of ensuring healthier people. Nowhere is this more important than in older people.

Minister Davidson has also emphasised this aspect in launching a program of small grants supporting

veterans and their families. The focus is on older people and our veterans in aiming for better health outcomes. She explained that “fostering the connection and social inclusion of our veterans and their families is so important for their wellbeing”.

She explained that the idea of the grants is to provide a mix of initia tives, which “are encouraging active participation in sports and recreation, positive mental health and wellbeing, and creativity for veterans and their families”.

Expressing appreciation for the contribution that older people have made through their working lives is really important. Ensuring the most effective policy around the Seniors Card is one important way of achiev ing this.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.

Top novelist shares the secret of his inspiration

By Lily PASS

WRITING doesn’t come from inspiration, inspiration comes from writing, says Canberra author Chris Hammer.

And he should know, the former journalist has just published his seventh book, the crime thriller “The Tilt”.

Hammer is a leading writer of “Aus tralian noir” and says the secret to a successful writing career is “you have to love doing it, and you have to want to get better”.

“I wrote two non-fiction books some years ago, ‘The River’ published in 2010 and ‘The Coast’ in 2012. It was actually a good stepping stone for me in retrospect, from journalism into fiction,” he told “CityNews”.

“The River” won him the ACT Book of the Year Award.

For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV’s current affairs program “Dateline”. He has reported from more than 30 countries on six continents.

In Canberra, his roles included chief political correspondent for “The Bulletin” magazine and current af fairs correspondent for SBS TV.

He says that “The Tilt”, his fifth crime fiction book emphasised the dif ference in journalistic writing.

“I think what stood out to me most in comparison of both styles, narra tive writing is a sustained effort over a long period of time,” says Hammer.

“Making things up, of course, is to tally different from journalism. Jour nalistic writing is often very short hand and quite cliched. It’s almost like

you have to totally relearn the way you use language in a narrative book, but there are advantages in having been a journalist.”

He says journalism demystifies writing, and that has led him to dis cover and believe that inspiration comes from writing.

“Often you’re writing away and it’s only been half an hour, and inspira tion comes,” he says.

APPRENTICE ROOF PLUMBERS

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“The other thing that I think jour nalism helps with is you get used to be ing edited and you don’t get too proud about it. You understand that what the editor is trying to do is turn your piece into a better book.”

Hammer’s debut crime-fiction novel “Scrublands” was published in 2018, then “Silver” in 2019, “Trust” in 2020 and “Treasure & Dirt” in 2021.

“I’ve been writing full-time now since before ‘Scrublands’ came out. I actually lost my job around that time,” he says.

“I was working for the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ and ‘The Age’, and I was working on video, but they de cided there was no future in video so they essentially canned most of the video team.

“I was very lucky; around that time

I got a fantastic book contract which took me totally by surprise. After the non-fiction books I just didn’t think you could make enough money writ ing books in Australia, but now I’m one of the few exceptions.”

Hammer says he doesn’t miss jour nalism, but he also doesn’t have any regrets about his career.

“People ask if I regret not starting to write books 20 years earlier, but no, I really enjoyed being a journo and I don’t know if I could’ve done it 20 years ago. I don’t know if I had the skills or the patience,” he says.

“The highlight for me are the times when a story just crystallises while I’m writing it, when an idea comes to gether and the words are just flowing.”

Hammer says he gets a coffee, and that’s all he needs to begin writing.

“I do have a place at home where I can write, but I actually like writing away from home,” he says.

“I write a lot when I’m travelling –planes, airports, trains – whenever I go to Sydney I catch the train rather than drive, and I find that to be really productive. I think it goes back to my years as a travelling journalist.

“I find it quite stimulating actually having a bit of activity around. News rooms can be very noisy places. The person at the desk next to you might have filed and be yelling and mucking around, but you’re on a deadline and have to concentrate.”

Hammer says he signed off on the last edits of “The Tilt” at the start of July.

“There’s a three-month gap between finishing the editing work and the book coming out, so I’ve got to make the most of that time and I’ve started working away on the next book; hope fully it comes out around the same time next year,” he says.

“It’s another crime fiction book, I think again featuring Mel and Ivan,” the principal characters of “Treasure & Dirt” and “The Tilt”.

How Barr government crushes housing dreams

dwelling sites, is nothing less than mind boggling.

An unambiguous and frankly brutal illustration of the impact of the ACT government’s policy of dripfeeding land to the market is that in the most recent “ballot” for land 7400 people registered to purchase 51 blocks.

from its unassailable monopoly on the supply of land and housing.

The delivery of the Commonwealth Government’s target of one million additional dwellings over five years from 2024 will require land and investment.

IN part one of this series we welcomed a Commonwealth Government announcement to bring together all levels of government, investors, and the residential development, building and construction sector to unlock quality, affordable housing supply over the medium term.

That supply has indeed been “locked” is indisputable.

Deterioration in housing afford ability across Australia over the past two decades is no accident. Any objective observer is entitled to conclude that housing policy and systems in Australia are geared, by design and/or omission, to deliver abnormal and sustained price increases.

Of all Australian jurisdictions, the ACT is unique. Our leasehold system vests the ownership of all land in the ACT government.

It is also different in that with only a single level of government it

performs both state and local govern ment planning functions. As such, it has complete control of the planning and supply pipeline. It is also the single largest speculator in land.

To any objective observer, the ACT’s land supply and taxation policies over the last decade would appear to have been expressly designed to reduce affordability.

To take one example, annual land supply in the ACT averaged 4555 dwelling sites over the three years from 2008-09 to 2010-11 yet in the years from 2018-19 to 2020-21 it averaged just 3173 dwelling sites ie, less than 70 per cent of the supply a decade earlier even though the population increased by 24 per cent.

While it is difficult to fathom exactly why Labor and the Greens chose to cut housing supply so dra matically at a time that the popula tion was accelerating it is surely not surprising that in that same period, the median price of a detached house increased by 110 per cent and that of a unit by 44 per cent.

In the ACT, the government has shamelessly also resorted to this behaviour.

In the last decade it has acquired large swathes of land by resuming rural leases for potential future housing developments; however, it has shown no inclination to utilise that land for that purpose.

The first such purchase, of Glen Loch Station (the land between the western edge of the arboretum and the Coppins Crossing Road), was completed in 2011 for over $9 million in the expectation it would support around 2000 dwellings.

That, as treasurer, Andrew Barr has approved the purchase of thousands of hectares of rural land for housing while at the same time claiming scarcity of land as a reason for reducing the supply of detached

In an extraordinary contribution to the public discussion, when asked, the Housing Minister Yvette Berry is reported to have claimed that increasing supply brings out more buyers and pushes up prices.

Putting that claim to one side, the primary question begged by the government’s land supply policy is why it is pursuing a policy it knows has excluded thousands of lowerincome Canberra households from the detached housing market. We fear one answer is for profit.

The gross profit margin derived by the Government’s monopoly land supply arm averaged 31 per cent over the years 2008-09 to 2010-11.

A decade later and this has more than doubled to 68 per cent. The Budget’s reliance on land revenues as its own source income increased in that time from an average of 6 per cent to 10 per cent.

It is clear, and undeniable, that the government has traded-off the social and economic benefits of housing affordability for financial returns

We will discuss the investment challenge posed by this project in a further article. In relation to land supply, the ACT’s share of the na tional target, on a population basis, will be approximately an additional 19,000 dwelling sites over five years.

This is also the average supply in a five-year rolling period over the last decade. In other words, the ACT will need to double its annual land supply.

As discussed above, contrary to claims by the ACT government, it has a land bank sufficient to deliver this land, although its planning system will struggle to complete the work required to enable its release.

However, the more important ques tion is whether the ACT government is prepared to change its current heartless policies on land supply and housing.

Housing Horrors Part 1: “ACT government drops families into debt mess” is at citynews.com.au

Jon Stanhope is a former chief minister of the ACT and Dr Khalid Ahmed a former senior ACT Treasury official.

BRIEFLY

Forum on rights to a healthy environment

THE right to a healthy environment will be discussed at a free public forum hosted by the ACT Human Rights Com mission at the CMAG Theatrette, Civic, noon to 1.30pm on December 9.

“As extreme weather events become more common, there is a growing awareness that our wellbeing and basic human rights depend on a safe climate and healthy ecosystems,” said ACT Human Rights Commission president Dr Helen Watchirs.

There will be a keynote address by former UN rapporteur on human rights and the environment Prof John Knox and a panel discussion.

Lunch all ye faithful

THE annual, fully catered Christmas community lunch and carols will be held at Holy Covenant Anglican Church, Cook, noon-2pm, on December 8. The cost is $5 and RSVPs to office@holycovenant.org.au by December 4.

Pelvic floor help

WOMEN of all ages are invited to attend a free pelvic floor workshop presented by a Canberra Health Services physiotherapist, which will provide information, educa tion and continence self-help strategies.

At Gungahlin Community Health Centre, 1pm-3.30pm, December 6. Book at 5124 9977.

Pollies should be careful what they wish for

JUST as floods and fires are certain in our climate, so is corruption in our political systems, from local, through state and territory, to national politics.

Having influence, trading on that influence, profiting from that influence are age-old aspects of all societies – “I want, you have, let’s trade, but don’t tell anyone else”.

We must be vigilant to prevent the corrupt acquisition of water or mining rights worth millions of dollars, making gobsmacking financial gains from inside knowledge about proposed changes to land use – such as around airports, ports and freight terminals, or bribing foreign officials with our public monies to secure trade benefits when selling farm or mining resources into overseas markets.

There are parliamentary codes of conduct that don’t work to ensure the disclosure of who has donated funds to take or defend a defamation action, or why public funds were spent on a helicopter flight rather than the much cheaper, scheduled, commercial airline flight.

All of this we all know, so why do we so readily accept that a proposal for a National Anti-Corruption Commission from any of the Liberal, National, or Labor parties could be adequate to address a perennial problem?

No major political party ever willingly sets up an independent body that can delve deep into the miscon duct of any of its elected members. Such a body can never bring political reward, but it will, inevitably, bring political ruin.

For that reason, those who promote such a body are keen to fetter its powers and reduce its effectiveness. We can be confident that the Albanese Government and the Dutton Opposi tion have common cause in promoting a model that looks fearsome but has weak teeth.

Looking around the present state anti-corruption bodies, Tasmania’s is useless, SA’s and Victoria’s have had their teeth pulled, both Queensland and WA have been attacked, and in NSW – by far the most effective – the appointment of the latest commissioner, a former state attorney-general, has been a stroke of political brilliance, leaving the teeth alone, but putting a fog around the brain of the outfit.

Who can be appointed as commis sioner, the maximum term length, and the impossibility of renewal are important components for a success ful commission.

He or she must have proven capacity to build and sustain a highly motivated team. Their track record must show a commitment to trans parency, uncompromised integrity, courage and tenacity.

No former politician should ever be eligible, because that is to put the fox among the chickens. That fox’s his tory is always hidden in the political darkness.

The perpetrators will always want to keep the lights out. They want anonymity. Unlike the corruption for survival that characterises life for many in poor coun tries, our homemade corruption is about the greed, not need, of a favoured few.

They will use their ill-gotten gains to keep the lid on their misdeeds. They will defer or prevent their exposure by making court applications in closed courts with “no publication” orders to circumvent the investigation and exposure powers of the commission.

The two big L-party organisations are fearful that uncontrolled, public inquiries will sool their re-election prospects. Democratic accountability comes a poor second to the mainte nance of power.

An independent Police Complaints

Authority was abolished overnight in our bicentennial year when police threatened to run candidates in mar ginal seats. That police threat was made to prevent exposure of criminal acts by serving police. The L parties rushed to satisfy police demands.

The best deterrent to gross greed is public humiliation visited upon the malefactors by public hearings where they squirm, glower and look pathetic as they shrivel up in the face of questions that expose the extent of their thievery and to which they have no credible responses.

But that is not to advocate for bully ing. That is never acceptable.

I watched in horror from the public gallery at a public hearing where a witness was being questioned by counsel assisting. That barrister was leaning over the witness and snarling. The witness had counsel who sat silently. The commissioner sat silently. It was appalling. Finally, the counsel for one of the key parties called it out and demanded that it stop. It did.

On that day leadership came, not from those being paid to perform it, but from a man with wisdom and humility.

Of this we can be sure: if the com

mission bullies a witness in public then its behaviour in private session would be worse. The pollies should be careful what they wish for. Crime commissions have secret hearings. Crime commissions are abused by abusive police.

I can’t forget the young man who was lawfully driving the family truck full of fish. He was stopped and taken to a secret hearing. He was desperate to save his fish. The police knew that. Secrecy begets its own corruption.

If we are to have a national anti-corruption body that’s worth the name then the independents must prevent the proposed model being established. It is better to have no fish on the plate than the stench coming from one that is rotten.

Hugh Selby is a recently retired barris ter who enjoyed appearing in criminal jury trials and teaching about them.

Shunned parcel goes adrift in the last kilometre

THIS is a sad tale about the lack of service or care by Australia Post.

A parcel that was sent to me from China arrived in Canberra on November 2. Unfortunately, the parcel did not contain my house number in the address, so when it reached the Mawson post office, the driver lacked the initiative, or perhaps time, to check if someone with my name lived in the street. Aust Post documentation has both my mobile number and email address, AND I am in the current phone book.

The parcel was transferred to Fyshwick PDC notated return to sender. A query through the Aust Post national phone num ber put me in touch with a delightful lady, who promised she would try and intercept the parcel. No joy, apparently, because after further enquiries with Aust Post, it seems my parcel was being returned to the sender.

A few small minutes of effort would have discovered my house address – where I have lived for 23 years – and the parcel would have safely travelled the last kilometre.

On Thursday, November 17, I received a text from Aust Post informing that my parcel had been delivered – to Botany NSW. A few minutes later, I received an email from Aust Post informing that it had been delivered to ACT 2607!

Further enquiries at the post office further confused me as the manager could not understand what was happening. He did tell me that it was not the post office’s job to ascertain any further details of an addressee, and they were too busy!

I believe that Aust Post has lost the habit of service to the customers. All they are interested in is shopfront matters that make money; eg, shop items, banking and bill paying.

A further call to Aust Post national num ber, eventually discovered my parcel was in a transfer depot in Botany, and instructions have been issued for it to be forwarded to the complete address. I will wait with bated breath. Bah, humbug!

Dave Jeffrey, Farrer

How many voters read Hansard?

AS a result of a Canberra Liberals’ question on notice, more information came to light regarding the parlous state of our social housing and this is great. However, how many voters read Hansard?

I would like to see the database showing

the listed 463 houses currently empty, ACT government-owned, with the details of when last tenanted, plans for their future, are apartments going to replace them etcetera.

Some time ago I read Hansard and noted that there were some excellent probing questions asked of the health minister about Canberra’s dreadful “Third World” health system. However the questions and answers never appeared in any sort of format that the ordinary Canberra voter would see.

In this situation, if I was a current government minister, I would not care what questions were asked of me as I could relax in the knowledge that 99 per cent of Canberra voters would not get to see the questions or answers.

As a voter who will vote for anyone but Greenslabor next election, I would like to see information like this in publications like “City News”.

Regular articles by a variety of shadow ministers would enhance the excellent work already being done by Paul Costigan, Jon Stanhope, Khalid Ahmed and Michael Moore in bringing to light the dreadful policies and arrogant actions of the current government.

Bob Collins, via email

dollar spent on Stage 2 as a whole would return only 60 cents worth of benefits.

Noel Baxendell (Letters, CN November 8) claims that: “Leaving rail unfinished would result in a massive waste of public resources.”

His claim ignores the evidence that leaving light rail “unfinished” would actually result in a massive saving of public resources that could be better spent elsewhere.

Leon Arundell, Downer

Cannabis expo ad says it all

THE advertisement in “The Canberra Times” advertising the cannabis expo and mention ing Canberra is the only legislature in Australia where cannabis is “legalised”, not “decriminalised” as the local government maintains, says it all.

Basically, just come along, experiment with this dangerous drug and become a regular user.

It is appalling that our local representa tives allow such an event to take place, let alone introduce their soft-on-drugs policy, which will result in more illicit drug use, brain damage particularly to younger members of the Canberra community and lots of other ill health as a result of their irresponsibility.

tragedy occurs. It’s not rocket science – just bloody fix it before a fatality occurs.

John Lawrence, Flynn

Can we keep looking away?

FOUR thousand, three hundred and two pouch joeys have been clubbed to death with wooden mallets in the last five years during the ACT kangaroo culls in Canberra nature reserves.

Their numbers are not included in data published by the ACT govern ment, but have been provided under Freedom of Information.

egy Feasibility Study found that Australians create 7.6 million tonnes of food waste each year or 312 kilograms per person. And food waste costs the Australian economy a staggering $36.6 billion a year with almost all food waste from households, hospitality and institutions going to landfill.

Fortunately, the ACT is piloting the popular Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection service, which has the potential to divert 30-40 per cent of waste from landfill and turn it into compost.

Let’s hope that between schemes such as FOGO and Olympia’s insect farming the term “food waste” becomes a thing of the past.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria

Making a mockery of energy ratings

REFERRING to Ian Meikle’s column (“Seven Days, November 17) about his radio chat with Senator David Pocock about fielding a team of independent candidates for the next ACT government election is such a welcome suggestion.

Given the ACT’s electoral system, individual independents face an impossible battle to gain a quota. I voted independent in the last election and was disappointed. So, an independent party (Teals?) has got to be in there with a big chance to remove the stranglehold that Labor and the Greens have over the Territory.

Temptation to vote Liberal, as I did in 2016 as a tram protest, is likely doomed if the right-wing conservatives control the party machine behind the scene. Historically, a Labor voter, enough is enough!

Claudia Bottrill, Watson

Resources better spent elsewhere

THE ACT Government’s business case for Stage 2A of light rail estimates that each

Dr Alan Shroot, president, Canberra ASH

Just fix it before there’s a fatality!

THE road condition on Tillyard Drive, Flynn, opposite house number 138 is a death trap waiting to happen.

Three sections of the road close to each other have risen about 38 centimetres. This road has increased traffic coming off the Barton Highway and from Gungahlin and Dunlop all using Tillyard to travel to Belcon nen, the city, Woden and elsewhere.

There is no doubt in my mind that an unsuspecting motorbike rider or car driver will find themselves in strife, then in a body bag, on this deadly patch of road surface.

I am so alarmed, I have voiced my concerns to the Australian Federal Police because my earlier reporting under “Fix My Street” has gone ignored.

To be blunt, if you cannot fix it you’d bet ter park the coroner’s vehicle there full-time and work out exactly how you are going to smokescreen the response when this

Many of these joeys would not have survived to adulthood. Some estimates are that kangaroo joeys have a 70 per cent mortality rate, but this does not erase the need to examine the role of humans in slaughtering these kangaroo joeys. These are not humane deaths.

Questions must be asked: What makes some humans capable of repeatedly treating defenceless baby animals this way? What effect do these cruel acts have on their emotional and mental state? And what might the ramifications be for our society if such behaviour is clearly condoned by government?

Morally and ethically, should we as ratepayers be funding these cruel acts? Is animal cruelty an acceptable response to alleged claims about conservation values of the grassy woodlands? Would Canberrans treat puppies or kittens this way?

Can we keep looking away?

Jane Robinson, Evatt

Making ‘food waste’ a thing of the past

CONGRATULATIONS to Olympia Yarger, insect farmer and ACT Australian of the Year (“Insect farmer takes the top ACT title”, CN November 17).

Using maggots to process food waste is timely. The 2021 National Food Waste Strat

IN her letter (CN November 24), Sue Dyer made some very good points about current trends in urban design. These include an over-abundance of heat-absorbing surfaces and a lack of green spaces, especially trees. This amounts to the creation of heat islands and, in summer, large sums being spent on air conditioning. Examples can be seen in most of Canberra’s newest and developing suburbs.

There are other factors that make a mockery of energy efficiency ratings (EERs): the size, or footprint, of single dwellings and the proximity to adjacent houses. In most cases, this results in windows on two sides of a house being overshadowed by its neighbour – and large sums being spent on heating during winter.

Even a six or seven star EER is effectively meaningless.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Pushing the same old barrows

WHERE are “CityNews” writers of letters to the editor? Each week it’s the same old serial “Canberra Times” letter writers – usually pushing the same old barrows.

Russell Wenholz, Holt

(We’re an inclusive paper, Russell. All barrows are welcome here – Ed.)

Luke Clews

Historically, a Labor voter, enough is enough!

Kangaroo and joey.

Photo: Tina Hollis

Helping, expert hands with home improvements

THEY say home is where the heart is, so why not make the most of your beloved property?

While improving the home can be incredibly exciting, it can also become expensive, tiring and time consuming.

This week “CityNews” talks with some of Canberra’s businesses with a passion for making your home better.

Whether it’s new furniture, a total renovation or just some help with moving to your new place, here are the people who love to lend a hand with home improvement.

New shop offers more fabrics than ever before

THE Art of Frippery now has a shop in Dirty Janes Canberra, providing even more fabrics to the region than ever before, says office manager Robyn Ebsworth.

“It’s stocking eve rything from stunning chairs, unique lamps and lampshades, beautiful cushions, luxurious throws, quality furnishing fabrics, leather, trims and even lampshade making kits,” says Robyn.

“The collection and products are updated regularly. The very popular offcuts drawer is currently full to the brim and a goldmine for crafters. If you have a bigger project in mind there is a myriad of fabric pieces from half a metre to two to three metres in size at discount prices.

The new shop will be operating out of Dirty Janes Canberra, a market in Fyshwick that’s described as “perfect for vintage collectors and creatives alike and is a fabulous experience of shopping”.

Robyn says the Art of Frippery also still has their fabric library in Beard for custom orders and consults.

“The retail space gives our customers access to discounted fabrics and leather hides without the need for a special order as well as rare vintage chairs and one-of-a-kind furnishings,” she says.

“Customers can follow us on Instagram to see new products as they become available at Dirty Janes.”

The Art of Frippery at Dirty Janes Canberra, 80 Collie Street, Fyshwick. Visit theartoffrippery.com.au or search The Art of Frippery on Instagram

Decades of flooring and window experience

HAVING operated in Mitchell for more than 20 years, Carpet One co-owner Leonie Gann says their experienced team know how to help customers with all types of flooring, from carpet ing to timbers, laminates, vinyl planks, through to wools and polyesters.

“Under the same umbrella we do blinds and awnings including roller blinds, romans, verticals,

and window experience.

“Our guys are the best when it comes to scenarios for your install,” she says.

“We do on-site measures so anything that may be an issue can be discussed with you first and we have an in-house magazine that offers a visual guide to help find the right style for you.

“We can help you match what’s in the showroom

The Art of Frippery - now at Dirty Janes canberra

Stocking everything home furnishings from stunning chairs, unique lamps and lampshades, beautiful cushions, luxurious throws, quality furnishing fabrics, leather, trims and even lampshade making kits SHOP:

Now is time for all things dining

LEADING second-hand furniture store, Ex-Government Furniture, sees home improvements as a recent necessity “now that people spend a lot more time at home”, says co-owner James Fullerton.

He says the business, which has been operating for more than three decades, has become a well recognised part of Fyshwick offering a wide range of dining, outdoor tables and wall acces sories for any home improver.

“We’ve got a broad range of stackable chairs as low as $5 for the super budgeter as well as nice designer pieces,” he says.

“Now is the time for dining!”

And for Christmas shopping, James says he has interesting items and objects spanning a wide variety of time periods, budgets and designer style.

To make a house, a home, ExGovernment Furniture provides home-style prints and wall accessories helping to personalise any space.

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

Thor’s Hammer, 10 Mildura Street, Griffith. Call 6282 9900, or visit thors.com.au

Owner Thor Diesendorf with workshop supervisor Ziggy.

Stackable chairs available at Ex-Government Furniture.

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Home improvement ‘magic’ is in the detail

XHIBIT Interiors had been in busi ness part time for 12 years, but director Nicole Mackay recently decided to “take a leap of faith” and made it her full-time career.

“At Xhibit Interiors, we transform spaces into harmonious environments,” she says.

“Services we offer include design, commercial office furniture fitouts, residential renovations, property styling and just simple property declut tering and organising. We do it all.

“I am incredibly passionate about all things property, so I can offer multiple services that complement each other to my clients.”

Nicole says she has been doing this kind of work for around 15 years.

“I chose this career path because it’s in my blood,” she says.

“I love working with my clients to create beautiful, functioning office spaces for people to thrive in, or dream home interiors for owners to relax in.”

The motto of Xhibit Interiors, Nicole says, is “the magic is in the detail”.

Xhibit Interiors. Call 0412 481133 or visit xhibitinteriors.com.au

Bedding built to suit every body

THE Australian Bedding Company is a family-owned business that has operated for 25 years, says office manager Stephen Dinn.

“We have more than 35 beds and bedroom suites on display in our showroom,” he says.

“We truly offer ‘old fashioned service’ where your personal needs are catered for.

“We match your beds and furniture to your require ments. Our highly trained sales staff have time to spend with you and really find out what you want.”

Stephen says the company sources a high percentage of Australian-made products.

“We have our own delivery drivers, so quick delivery of stock items can be achieved by staff, not contractors,” he says.

“Being a long-running, family-owned business up against the big boys and franchises, we pride ourselves on being the leader in customer service.

“People can compare prices easily online and we are competitive on price, but we won’t be beaten on service.

“We are able to have bedroom furniture tailor made to suit bespoke requirements of size, shape and colour (painted or stained).”

Stephen says the Australian Bedding Company also has a large commercial division that adds to its buying power.

“We supply accommodation, bedding and furniture all over Australia, to universities, federal and local govern ment agencies, numerous hotels, motels, B&Bs, hostels, backpackers and more.”

The Australian Bedding Company, 2/78 Hoskins Street, Mitchell. Call 6262 3260, or visit australianbeddingcompany.com.au

Dining room styling by Xhibit Interiors.

Ayden takes pride in concrete polishing

RUFF ROCK is based in Queanbeyan West and delivers high-quality commercial and residential concrete polishing in the ACT and surrounding region.

Co-owner Ayden Tait says the business has been operating for more than a decade and over that time has built a reputation for specialising in the “whole-polish process”, including the preparation and the pouring of concrete to achieve the best polishedconcrete finish possible.

“The concrete we create is the finished product, we don’t just put products on top of concrete floors,” says Ayden.

the National Museum, Grease Monkey Café, Canberra Outlet Centre, Little National Hotel as well as the Coffee Guru and Zambrero’s franchises, to name a few. Ayden says clients can be assured of the delivery of a highquality product to Australian standards.

“We are focusing on residential properties at the moment – new builds or renovations –and can offer products to suit your budget and needs,” says Ayden.

“Concrete is low maintenance and extremely durable and we provide a number of options both external and internal. I encourage people to give us a call and discuss their plans.”

Kim’s passionate about improving your home

AS the owner of Renovation Matters, Kim Persson says her love of renovating has seen her take her passion from a hobby to a successful business.

And with more than 40 renovations under her belt, she’s got the experience and know-how to transform homes to the best effect.

“I can help people who are thinking of downsizing, or renovate to add in shower rails or seats and things like that,” she says.

“Or we can renovate a family home to get people money when moving into the next chapter of their lives.”

Kim says she’s noticed a change in the current market, and having a good-looking property helps it sell.

“I’m hearing from some real estate agents that houses that are unrenovated or needing repairs are sitting on the market and not moving,” says Kim.

“It’s currently a buyer’s market rather than seller’s market, so you have to be very strategic with the areas you renovate and not overcapitalise,” says Kim.

Renovation Matters offers a “fix up, profit and pay later” process in which they can cover upfront renovation costs before settlement.

Kim says she works with specialised tradespeople who she trusts to bring their expertise and skill to clients’ renovation projects.

“If we are needed to help a client, there’s nothing we can’t do to help make the renovation a stress-free experience. We can take stress away,” she says.

Renovation Matters, visit renovationmatters.com.au or call Kim on 0427 696662.

Renovation Matters offers transformational renovations that add the biggest impact and value when selling your property.

If you are not selling, we can help you renovate to meet your specific requirements!

Phone Kim on 0427 696 662 hello@renovationmatters.com.au renovationmatters.com.au

Renovation Matters owner Kim Persson.

Keeping the kids entertained over school holidays

KEEPING kids occupied and happy during the holidays can be a challenge for any family. This week, “CityNews” has enlisted some of the Canberra region’s most engaging businesses to ensure the whole

dose of dorin

family can enjoy the school break. Whether it’s an historical aviation tour, a virtual reality escape room, or a farm stay, there’s plenty of activities to keep the kids engaged and entertained.

Ignite imaginations at the Snowy Hydro centre

“WHILE visiting Canberra and the Snowy Mountains region, visitors are encouraged to stop by the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre to experience the mighty Snowy Scheme like never before,” says a Snowy Hydro spokesperson.

“Visitors can discover the scheme’s past, present and future and hear some of the stories behind the engineer ing and our people from our experienced staff, including former teachers.

“Our learning program will ignite visitors’ imagination and expand their knowledge about a range of curriculum including geography, STEM, history and social science subjects.”

With a state-of-art immersive theatre, the spokesperson says learning programs can be complemented with a range

of experiences including a virtual fly-over of the scheme.

“Our huge, renewable energy project, Snowy 2.0, is powering ahead and visitors can learn about the project, view a scale-model tunnel boring machine, and discover Snowy Hydro’s leading role as Australia transitions to a renewable energy future,” says the spokesperson.

“The Snowy Hydro education program is now available online with the launch of our brand new education portal Next Generation Education Hub. It provides easy-to-access materials designed to inspire, provide critical thinking opportunities and increase science literacy with real-life, practical activities suitable for the classroom or at home.”

Snowy Hydro, Monaro Highway, Cooma. Call 1800 623 776 or visit snowyhydro.com.au

LOLLY SWAGMAN

Bringing Happiness since 1991

Sweets, Treats, & Indulgences for Kids of All Ages

Featuring Mrs Swag’s famous Fabulous Fudge

Open Monday to Friday 9:30-4:00 Weekends & Public Holidays 9:30-5:00

mrs.swag@lollyswagman.com.au www.lollyswagman.com.au

11 Old Hume Highway Berrima 02 4877 1137

Sing along with bears at The Q

AS the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre enters its 15th year, marketing officer Joel Horwood says The Q prides itself on presenting a diverse range of entertain ment, from shows for kids to tribute bands playing music their parents grew up with.

Continuing to “share the joy of live entertainment”, The Q is opening the school-holiday season with an Echo Theatre production of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, December 15-18.

“With gentle audience interaction and songs to sing along to, ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ is the perfect introduction to the world of theatre” says Joel.

GOLDILOCKS &

He describes the show as “a beautiful story of friend ship and forgiveness, apology and acceptance, singing bears and a girl with golden hair”.

“The beloved children’s classic is a story we all grew up with,” says Joel. “It’s a story for the whole family.

“There is nothing better than watching children’s faces light up as the story unfolds!”

Children are invited to stay after the viewing to meet their favourite character in The Q’s foyer.

The Q, 253 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6285 6290 or visit theq.net.au

The Echo Theatre cast of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” will be performed at The Q December 15-18.

Sweet treats that span the generations

LOLLY Swagman has been exploring new tastes for nearly three decades, says owner Ian Richardson.

Located in the heart of the Southern Highlands, the lolly shop stocks all-time favourite treats and the latest-trending tastes from around the world.

“We’ve got American Reese’s, Hershey’s and candy corn, English bon bons and chocolates, sours and super sours, Dutch liquorice, Scottish tablet and our own Mrs Swag’s Fudge,” says Ian.

“We lost count at 1300 different treats and we know it’s more than that.”

people’s trips to Berrima.

“It’s a happy place with kids excitedly exploring for new tastes, older people reminiscing and sharing in the thrill of finding a favourite and the great stories that go with them,” he says.

“We often see people who’d come as children now bringing in their own children and sharing their experiences, which is lovely to be allowed to join in on. It’s nice to have that history.”

Lolly Swagman, 11 Old Hume Highway, Berrima. Call 4877 1137, or visit

Canberra’s first virtual reality arcade

CANBERRA’s first virtual reality arcade, VR Canberra, will “bring your children’s imagination to life” during these school holidays, says host, Pranav Sood.

Pranav became involved in the business this year, inspired by his son’s enjoyment of virtual reality during a family trip to Canada.

He says VR Canberra is a “dedicated virtual reality gaming place for kids and adults to enjoy the indoors with friends and family.”

“This is not just a gaming experience, it is also an educational tool that allows kids to connect to their inner self and make them imagine and see what is possible.”

Since Pranav’s involvement, he has expanded their game collection to ensure everyone is “visually, physically and emotionally astonished by new virtual worlds filled with awe-inspiring rides, characters, sights and sounds.”

The gaming library includes “multiple virtual reality games, roller coasters, driving simulators as well as VR escape rooms.”

“VR Canberra is the perfect place for birthday parties, school holidays, family and friend gatherings, corporate social parties and school excursions,” says Pranav.

During the weekdays of the ACT school holidays, Pranav says VR Canberra is offering three hours of unlimited games and rides for at least four players at $70 a person.

He says adults too can join the school holiday fun with VR Canberra’s corporate and work party space with virtual reality escape rooms for more than 35 people.

VR Canberra, Shop 5/83-101 Lysaght Street, Mitchell. Call 6262 2160, or visit VRcanberra.com.au

Aviation museum where the sky’s the limit

DOUG Philpott, senior tour guide at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Aviation Museum, says it has many notable pieces.

“We’ve got probably one of the largest collections of aircraft that reflect Australia’s aviation history. We’ve got about 50 aircraft here,” he says.

“We’ve got the only flying Constellation in the world. It’s a 1940s-1950s airliner.

“We only do escorted tours because it’s a working museum, and it helps people to understand the history of what they’re seeing.

“It’s also a touch-and-feel museum. It’s not one where you stand behind a rope and look, and there’s a number of aircraft you can actually get into as well. We’re very proud of it.

“It is undercover, so it’s good for wet weather, and

it’s good for kids because there’s lots of little things they can play with.”

Guided tours usually run for an hour and a half, but Doug says they can be tailored.

“Kids only last 20 minutes sometimes, and if it’s a quiet day and the people who come in are enthusiasts, then we’ll spend more time with them.

He says the museum also recently opened the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame.

“There’s a significant display of people and organisa tions who have been significant to Australia’s aviation history,” Doug says.

HARS Aviation Museum, Shellharbour Airport, 54 Airport Road, Albion Park Rail, NSW. Call 4257 4333, or visit hars.org.au

kids creative and screen-free these school holidays

BRICKS 4 Kidz is a Canberra institution that has entertained thousands of children since it was established in 2017, says owner Mark Jefferies.

“Our holiday workshops are unique: we run full-day programs where children work at a number of different Lego stations to give them variety, which includes motorised Lego Technic and traditional Lego bricks with instructions and bags of free play where they are encouraged to use their own imagination.”

What sets Bricks 4 Kidz apart, says Mark, is its amazing instructors who love teaching kids.

“We have a passion for providing a fun and nurturing environment for all of our little builders,” he says, “and it’s screen-free fun.”

And, the workshops are customised to the age of the children and are educational.

“Children will learn basic STEM concepts through the use of motors and gears with our LEGO Technic.”

Bricks 4 Kidz. Call 0481 240311, or visit bricks4kidz.com.au/act-northside

Tough side to the Queen of Tears

THE Queen of Tears (Billbergia nutans) is a terrific and tough bromeliad that survives well in our Canberra climate.

It is not bothered by our frosts and survives in a shady area where other plants are difficult to grow. It will be displaying attractive pink and green flowers this time of year.

They are shallow-rooted plants, grow only to about 30 centimetres tall and like slightly acid soil. They will also do well in hanging baskets or in an overcrowded pot.

An annual tidy up of the brown leaves and spent flowers will promote new growth. Apply a general-purpose fertiliser at half strength and that’s all they need for the following year.

They have weak stems to a central mother root that break with age. Their clumps need dividing every few years to keep new growth strong. Cutting stems off at the base and replanting is an easy way of multiplying plants fast. Their tubular leaves are designed to hold water and little or no supplementary water is required once established.

The foliage of most billbergias can be sharp and it’s wise to wear

gloves and arm protection when working with them.

Don’t over-fertilise bromeliads as their colouring will be less vivid in the foliage and flowers will not be as spectacular.

I grow a few other varieties of bromeliads, but they rot easily with extra winter rains.

WHILE the bromeliads are flowering, so are the Solomon’s seal, (Polygonatum odoratum). They also like a shady spot with organic soil and can reach about 60 centimetres in height before flowering.

The plants have white, bell-shaped blossoms that dangle below attractive arching stems. The vivid green is a gorgeous contrast in summer and the golden yellow is a feature in the autumn garden as well.

Solomon’s seals are rhizomes and once the flowering has finished, they can be divided and replanted. They need moisture to grow well, but are hardy once established.

THE vegetable and herb garden should be growing fast with moist soils and sunshine.

Continue to pick and trim herbs to keep them growing stronger and create new growth that will taste sweet and not bitter.

Once vegetables bolt to flower,

greens, grow fast and pick fast. Make a lettuce pesto if you have an abundance.

Herbs can be dried on a tray in the sun and stored in an airtight container for use in the winter kitchen for soups, stews and other meals.

Vegetable seeds, such as beetroot, cabbage, zucchinis and silverbeet, can be sown into punnets with seed-raising mix.

Water vegetables early in the morning, before the heat of the day, which will give the leaves a chance to dry before nightfall. Irrigating the ground and not the foliage minimises fungal disease that may be present.

Tomatoes, cucumbers and other vine growers will be putting on growth now. Ensure the trellis is sturdy and strong enough to carry the weight of the fruit and keep it tied off the ground.

Tomatoes and cucumbers need pollinators, so plant flowers under them to attract bees.

winter vegetable seeds, autumn bulbs such as daffodils and tulips for the next season.

SUMMER pruning of wisteria can be done after flowering. Remove wispy tendrils to keep it in check. Trim back tendrils to 10-15 centimetres from the main stem and prevent them winding through the vine and choking itself.

Wisteria can be propagated in the autumn by layering. Stems can be laid on the ground and at a node, pegged to the soil to take root.

Once growing in spring, cut off the parent plant and grow on.

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au

Solomon’s seal… once flowering has finished, they can be divided and replanted.

WENDY JOHNSON

Elvis brings new lease of life to movie exhibition

By Helen MUSA

THE National Film and Sound Archive’s “Australians and Hollywood” exhibition has been given a lease of new life.

The centrepiece is now a set of newlyacquired costumes from Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, “Elvis”, with the focus very much on the art of Luhrmann’s partner, the designer Catherine Martin.

The objects form part of a wider acquisi tion by the NFSA of costumes and props from “Elvis” for long-term preservation and, as Martin puts it: “These costumes can live on at the NFSA and contribute to Australia’s audio-visual heritage… it’s wonderful to think that work made in Australia can stay in Australia and become a reference point for future filmmakers and designers.”

There have been adjustments and re-positionings so that the display climaxes in the Elvis section at the centre of the exhibition space.

Martin’s exceptional attention to detail is evident elsewhere, with costumes from “Moulin Rouge” for instance, that include the can-can skirt that Luhrmann stipulated should look like part of a coral reef.

Among the new acquisitions, the elegant,

leather patchwork coat worn by Olivia De Jonge as Priscilla Presley in the scene of her 1973 divorce, re-created by Martin and her team in just two days to meet the deadline for the filming, that show the craft involved, but the centrepiece is the pink “Louisiana Hayride” suit worn by Austin Butler as Elvis making his debut.

The pink, light woollen suit jacket with black accents on the shoulders, black piping

on the jacket edge, cuffs and collar, and black buttons on the front of the jacket and cuff of each sleeve might have been considered effeminate in the ‘50s, but not as Elvis wore it.

Based on ‘50s fashion, it’s also a clear nod to the black performers of the time such as BB King and Little Richard, shown by Luhrmann to have influenced Elvis and, designed by Martin to be loose, it allowed

worn by Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley.

Butler to perform the overtly sexual moves of the newly minted “Elvis the Pelvis”.

There is also the green frog-decorated “Nudie Suit” worn by David Wenham as Hank Snow in his portrayal of the famous country-singer before the charismatic young Presley outshone him.

On the far right is the “Blue Wheat” jumpsuit and cape that were part of Elvis’s signature look throughout his reign at the

Join National Opera 8 and 10 Dec 2022

The green frog-decorated “Nudie Suit” worn by David Wenham as Hank Snow.

Las Vegas International Hotel, featuring the Napoleon collar that accentuated his status as the King.

To the left of the main display is a case of huge rhinestone-adorned belts worn by Elvis in his later years, each one a work of art.

“Australians & Hollywood,” at the NFSA. “Elvis” encore screenings on December 11 and 19, and on Elvis’ birthday, January 8.

Bookings:

Featuring

Peter ColemanWright AO

Graham Abbott Emma Matthews

Rachelle Durkin

The pink “Louisiana Hayride” suit worn by Austin Butler as Elvis.

OPERA Musical break awaits Katrina

By Helen Musa

WHEN Canberra soprano Katrina Wiseman steps on stage in the National Opera’s coming production of Handel’s “Alcina”, it will be her big break.

Wiseman, who is playing the “pants role” of the boy Oberto, will be joining Australian divas Emma Matthews and Rachelle Durkin, with Handel specialist Graham Abbott as conductor.

“I have three arias, but they’re all building to this fantastic musical moment,” Wiseman says. “My part is not massive, but there’s been this whole growth.”

Very different from the old days, acting now matters in opera.

“The more I got into it, so much of singing is driven by the emo tions… I can’t share them by just standing there. Acting is a natural extension of the performance and a lot of the mentors I met helped me express the various characters and how to connect with the audience,” she says.

Wiseman has an unusual background in that she recently graduated from the ANU with a double degree in music and pure mathematics.

contrasting studies in my life… singing satisfied my emotional, creative side, while mathematics was regular and logical,” she says.

But it was inevitable that singing would win out.

She started studying voice at Radford College during year 9 then took part in many of the school’s productions. Later, while at the ANU, she performed with Canberra Youth Orchestra, the National Opera and as a Wesley Scholar. Very recently she wowed audiences as Josephine in “HMS Pinafore” for

All the while, Wiseman was performing opera roles with Canberra Opera’s “Gianni Schicchi” and “Suor Angelica” and in National Opera’s pocket operas “Le Nozze di Figaro” and “Die Zauberflote” as well as singing in the ensemble for “La Clemenza di Tito”.

In 2019, Wiseman trained at the Vocal Academy of Orvieto young artist program in south-western Umbria, in Italy.

“I was overseas for about six to seven weeks, and it was my first time in Italy,” she says. “There were

three weeks of the course, and then we travelled around regional opera houses all over the country – such amazing performance venues.”

While in the vicinity, she also combined a visit to family in the UK with a masterclass at the Royal Academy of Music.

At 24, she recognises that she is still very young for an opera singer, but is grateful for the opportunities she’s getting now as she heads into the lyric soprano repertoire.

“Alcina” is one of Handel’s “opera seria [serious]” and is a wild excur sion into enchantment, sorceresses and abandoned lovers who’ve been turned into wild beasts and a heroine in search of her vanished paramour.

It is, according to director Peter Coleman-Wright, the opera that turned Dame Joan Sutherland into “La Stupenda” after she sang the role in a production by Franco Zeffirelli at La Fenice, Venice, in February, 1960, and at the Dallas Opera in November of the same year.

With that in mind, during the run, the company will have a small exhi bition of Sutherland’s performance dresses and other items loaned by the Arts Centre Melbourne and Opera Australia.

“Alcina”, Llewellyn Hall, December 8 and 10.

ARTS IN

THE CITY

Vintage striptease and fan dancing

By Helen Musa

THE burlesque variety night “Decadence and Debauchery” is back at the Belconnen Arts Centre on December 10. Expect vintage striptease, circus/ sideshow, fan dancing, live music and comedy.

CANBERRA Qwire will present a concert full of “beautiful, fun and queer vocal music” for the season in “Merry and Gay”, at The Q, Queanbeyan, December 11.

VIVALDI’S classic work, “The Four Seasons”, will be performed in its entirety by soloist Dan Russell and the Phoenix Collective, at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, 3pm, December 3.

JOURNALIST Gary Nunn is launching his debut book, “The Psychic Tests”, which investigates why powerful and seemingly rational-thinking people believe in the “woo”. He’ll be joined on stage by a psychic who’s in the book, Melanie Obeid. Smith’s Alternative, 7.30pm, December 6.

ROBYN Campbell has won the Canberra Potters’ Doug Alexander Award for 2022 for her work in the members’ exhibition, “Shadow Fall 2”. Robyn Booth won the Hiroe Swen award for the most original exhibit for her work, “Hidden Treasure: Borer Beetle Trails”. The exhibition continues at 1 Aspinall Street, Watson, until December 4.

ORIANA Chorale presents “Midsummer” at Canberra Girls’ Grammar School lakeside facility, Alexandrina Drive, Yarralumla, 6pm, December 10.

THREE finalists have been selected from more than 60 submissions from across the country for Canberra Youth Theatre’s Emerging Playwright Commission. They are Rebecca Duke (ACT), Jamie Hornsby (SA) and Honor Webster-Mannison (Victoria). The commission, supported by law firm Holding Redlich, offers $16,500 to develop a full-length script suitable to be performed by actors aged anywhere between 7 and 25.

“Decadence and Debauchery”... Belconnen Arts Centre, December 10.

Canberra soprano Katrina Wiseman… “I have three arias, but they’re all building to this fantastic musical moment.”

Food, ✓ . View, ✓ . Service, ✗

THE view can’t be faulted, and the food is just as beautiful. The Walter Café, Regatta Point, has massive windows on all sides so diners, no matter where they sit, feast on scenery capturing the Captain Cook Memorial, National Library, the High Court and more.

Operated by Grand Pacific (Sydney) hospitality group, the Walter Café is all the National Capital Authority promised with the expensive, major revamp of this special spot. It’s open seven days for breakfast and lunch, and it was lunch we were after.

The tempura zucchini flowers were a fabulous start (we shared). The batter was light and heavenly, and the flowers stuffed with creamy goat’s cheese. They were served on a rich, luxuri ous tomato base with a small salad delicately placed on top making the dish look as inviting as it tasted ($21).

For mains, the prawn linguine was superb ($30). Five plump prawns and a combination of crushed chilli, garlic, parsley and dill. The balance was superb and the dish super exciting.

We applauded the Black Angus sirloin steak ($32) for multiple reasons. It’s just the right size for lunch at 200 grams. It was cooked to perfec tion, and we remarked at our recent experience at an establishment specialising in steak that didn’t get it right, overcooking three dishes.

The frites were thin and addicting. The dollop of Maître d’hôtel butter melted lovingly over the meat. The side salad was dry, but the staff happily fixed that in a flash with a silk dressing (and an apology).

Walter Café’s compact lunch menu also fea tures dishes such as a smoked salmon sandwich ($24), healthy salad bowl ($22) and light curried chicken ($30).

WINE / Chablis

splitting loud is the best description.

Our wine arrived after our starter was delivered, and after we reminded staff we were still waiting. The service went downhill and we left frustrated, so much so we didn’t consider staying for dessert.

We finished the wine with our dirty plates sitting before us. The table behind us remained uncleared for so long the neighbourhood birds kept swooping in to feed. Multiple staff passed

needed anything (we would have loved more water). We got tired of waiting for the bill so got up and went to the cash register ourselves. We would LOVE to go back for the food and the setting, and may give the Walter Café one more go, keeping our fingers crossed the service has dramatically improved.

Vive la difference when it comes to chablis

CHABLIS is a region of France. It is in Northern Burgundy, as near to the champagne region as it is to the rest of Burgundy, as Christophe Rebut, from French Flair in Manuka, tells me in an impassioned explanation of this unique area and style of wine.

Burgundy is not evocative of chardonnay; but surprisingly that is the only grape variety that is used in the making of chablis. Christophe says: “It surprises people that this is the grape that is used.”

The interest in this wine, for me, was formed in the ‘70s when I could eat oysters (a dozen oysters Tsarina that were not fit for eating gave me a very bad dose of food poisoning that ended my oyster eating).

The English wine writer, Hugh Johnson, fa mously said: “Oysters and chablis, it seems, have been related since creation” and in my twenties it was a massive pocket hit to eat oysters with a chablis but those are moments when you just have to grab the experience by the throat. Young, perfectly chilled chablis has a minerality and a green-hay flavour that complements wonderfully with seafood, but particularly oysters, prawns and smoked salmon.

I have always had young chablis wines, but I knew that they were renowned for keeping for at least a decade.

I was recently lucky enough to be asked to a Canberra Food and Wine Club wine tasting where three flights of chablis were presented. There are four classifications of chablis and three were on taste. The four categories are petit

The tasting first offered three Villages Chablis, with vintages 2007, 2012 and 2019.

The 2019 Bernard Defaix Chablis was young and fresh with a softer finish than I was expecting, but with a green-apple flavour that was appealing.

The Marchand and Burch Chablis 2012 started with a hint of petroleum that dissipated with air and was funky but not entirely unpleasant.

The Domaine Christian Moreau 2007 was so unlike my memory of chablis that it was a surprise: the fruit was almost gone albeit the bouquet was plentiful with a lovely peach aroma.

The premier cru and grand cru flights were all from 2014 and save for the Dampt Freres Les Fourneaux had developed and become more

complex over time.

The Fourneaux unfortunately had a wet-dog smell and tasted as I imagine a wet blanket would. It was difficult to separate the other wines because many had developed characteristics that were appealing, but seemed to me to be a distance from the flinty fresh taste that Christophe called the goût de pierre à fusil

I spoke to Christophe about the extraordinary range of flavours that had developed from 2014. He agreed that the way chablis ages is complex and is a function of the vineyards’ terroir and the different climatic conditions that can occur even though the area is geographically small: the micro-climate factor.

He indicated that, on occasion, the flintiness that I had perceived to be a constant in chablis would not be present.

He demonstrated his point by sharing a taste of a Villages Chablis Domaine Pinson from 2021. He said: “This is a wine from a company that has been making chablis since the 17th century. In 2021 there was lots of rain and so this wine has a butter-mushroom flavour that is very pleasant. There is no pierre a fusil but a softer chalkier taste. Each winemaker and each harvest will produce something different.”

And I thought, vive la difference!

Prawn linguine… five plump prawns and a combination of crushed chilli, garlic, parsley and dill.

Photo: Wendy Johnson

Staged blurring of lines of reality STREAMING

By Nick OVERALL

THIS month comedic duo David Tennant and Michael Sheen are back for a third season of “Staged” – one of the best things to come out of lockdown.

This obscure and outlandish show sees its two leads playing fictionalised versions of themselves during the height of the covid age.

Thanks to isolation many of us became familiar with just how much of a nuisance it can be to socialise or work through Zoom calls.

Sheen and Tennant took this premise and dialled it all the way up. “Staged” is the story of their tumultuous attempt to organise and rehearse a play almost entirely through video conferencing.

What follows isn’t just a chaotic and hilarious look at life in lockdown, but also a deeper tale of two people trying to maintain a friendship while on opposite sides of the country.

With episodes clocking in at around 20 minutes apiece, “Staged” was a short burst of self-aware comedy that hit streaming at a time when it was desperately needed.

What a third season of the show reveals is that the idea wasn’t a one-trick pony. Its two leads and director Simon Evans have been clever to keep the series evolving post lockdown.

Season two got even more meta. It opened by revealing the events of the first season were actually part of a production created by the “real”

Tennant and Sheen, who now face being recast for an American remake of “Staged”.

A little bit confusing? That’s the goal here. While the show blurs the line between reality and television, its commentary on the entertain ment industry couldn’t be any more in focus.

The new season has dropped on Britbox, but viewers can also catch the first season on Stan.

DAVID Tennant has certainly been the man of the hour. He’s also made headlines with the announce ment of his return as Doctor Who next year.

As Jodie Whittaker recently wrapped up her four-year tenure as the famous time lord, fans got a shock when she regenerated into Tennant’s beloved iteration of the character.

It’s been confirmed he’ll return for a trio of special episodes next year alongside Catherine Tate as his loyal companion Donna Noble.

While the move was a welcome surprise to many, it also copped a share of criticism. Some have labelled it an act of desperation in the face of “Doctor Who” ratings continuing to fall.

That’s likely not far from the truth. Bringing

back Tennant, perhaps the most popular Doctor in the show’s history, will work a charm in pulling audiences.

Even if it is a ploy to prop up viewership, does it really matter? Personally, I can’t wait to see Tennant holding the sonic screwdriver again.

After his return to the role, it’ll be the star of Netflix’s “Sex Education” Ncuti Gatwa who takes over. He’ll be the first person of colour to play the time lord.

ALSO making big streaming news is that “Neighbours” is coming back.

Just like one of its characters who dramatically returned from the dead, the long-running Aussie soap will be revived by Amazon Prime Video.

It comes after the show wrapped up in July with a finale that pulled 1.5 million Aussie viewers after 37 years on the air.

While its return will excite many, the produc ers at Amazon Prime Video likely have a motive beyond just thinking there was more story to be told here.

The news of the revival comes right alongside the government’s strong pursuit of content quotas for streaming platforms.

It means that if companies such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Binge want to continue to operate down under they’ll need to produce a certain amount of original movies and TV shows in Australia.

Who better to do this than the writers of “Neighbours”? For almost four decades they managed to pump out five episodes every week. With that kind of longevity there’s no doubt that a return to Ramsay Street will put Amazon well on its way to hitting its quota.

Plot’s neither boring nor exciting CINEMA

By Dougal MACDONALD

/ reviews

“Margrete: Queen of the North” (MA)

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (M)

CREATED by Rian Johnson about whom we may, or may not, hear more in future years, “Glass Onion” is, after three years of gestation, the second movie in what may, or may not, become a series under the “Knives Out” banner. Its murderous whodunnit flavour neither bored nor excited me. Neither did its 139 minutes (including end credits) drive me into paroxysms of enthusiasm for the quintet of barely-clad female characters invited to spend a weekend on a Greek island owned by business mogul Miles Bron (Edward Norton) who had become filthy-rich from some unspoken enterprise and wanted a diversion from such bountiful boredom.

Miles’ guests include a stylist commentator (Kate Hudson) and her assistant (Jessica Henwick), an AfroAmerican scientist (Leslie Odom Jr), a politician (Kathryn Hahn), a firebrand muscle man (Dave Bautista) and his girlfriend (Madelyn Cline), and Miles’ former business partner (Janelle Monae).

Fortunately, someone had the wisdom to invite super-sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to be on hand in case something happened needing a super-sleuth to investigate.

Betcha boots that Benoit is going to have his little grey cells energised before the end credits start rolling. Does “little grey cells” cause Agatha Christie loyalists’ ears to prick up? And call to mind the great Hercule Poirot?

David Suchet’s got nothing to fear from Daniel Craig’s reflection of Poirot under another flag. Writing Benoit Blanc into screenplays suiting Craig’s style will more than compensate him for 007’s vaporisation.

IN the 14th century, no woman had the right to rule Denmark. While Margrete commanded respect, she was obliged to rule through a man.

In 1387, when her son Olaf died unexpectedly, she adopted her German-born great nephew Bogislav, changed his name to the locally more palatable Erik, and placed him on the throne. This arrangement worked well for everyone until a stranger (Jakob Oftebro) arrived.

To strengthen her position and help stave off a potential German invasion, Margrete had arranged a marriage between Erik and England’s Princess Philippa (a mere child).

On the eve of the wedding, as the dowry was being settled, an unnamed man arrived claiming to be the real King Olaf and therefore Denmark’s true ruler.

Loosely inspired by actual events, in 1397, Queen Margrete (Trine Dyrholm) had saved thousands of lives by establishing the peaceful Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It’s a memorable performance as a ruler devoted to peace and who will go to any lengths to ensure that it endures (beyond her time, which it does!).

Filmed in the Czech Republic, writer (together with Maya Ilsoe and Jesper Fink) and director Charlotte

Sieling’s production looks handsome. With one of the biggest budgets ever for a Danish-language film, an end title admits that no one knows what the true story is in the case of the “false Olaf”.

But by its end, working up interest in all of its intrigues and betrayals proves a bit laborious without achieving the result for which its manifest intentions clearly hoped. This is regrettable – I reckon its 120 minutes are worth a look.

The film’s denouement is notable. This one’s a doozy.

David Tennant and Michael Sheen in “Staged”.

By Joanne Madeline Moore December

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

The week starts with the Sun, Mercury and Venus all visiting fellow-fire sign Sagit tarius, which revs up your Ram motor. But remember Mars is retrograde so, if you are too hasty, you could find yourself in hot water. Slow down and pace yourself! Thursday’s Full Moon is a good time for a brilliant light-bulb moment. You certainly have the ideas and passion to get an ambitious project off the ground. Now all you need is the patience and persistence to finish it.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

The Full Moon urges you to shine a bright spotlight on financial matters and personal values. Do you need to let go of certain people, possessions or attitudes that have passed their use-by-date? And be careful that your main form of entertainment isn’t shopping. Mars is still retrograding through your money zone, so your bank balance (and budget) won’t appreciate a shop-till-you-drop kind of week. The weekend stars favour walking, hiking and biking in nature.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

This week’s stars emphasise the constant balancing act between individual needs and relationship responsibilities. The Full Moon and retrograde Mars (both in Gemini) emphasise the need to conserve your energy and prioritise personal projects. Whereas the Sun, Mercury and Venus shine a bright light on your partner, relatives, friends and/or colleagues. Are you meeting their needs, as well as your own? An achievable challenge for a multi-tasking Twin!

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

You’re keen to daydream the hours away in your cosy Crab cave, as retro Mars and the Full Moon illuminate your solitude zone. But – as you retreat into your private world – make sure you can differentiate between fact and fantasy, otherwise you’ll end up in a confusing mess. A work project needs to pass the Practicality Test. So try to balance being idealistic with being realistic. And don’t make serious commitments unless you’re certain you can keep them.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

When it comes to hopes, wishes, close relationships and your peer group, the more patient you are, the better the final outcome will be. A realistic and disciplined daily routine will also help you to pursue your dreams and achieve your goals. Do your best to show extra kindness and compassion towards a friend or family member who’s going through a tough time. The things they are dealing with are more serious and complex than you previously thought.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Work and home life look rather chaotic, as retrograde Mars and the Full Moon stir up your career and domestic zones. Expect the week to be messy and disorganised (and you might get distracted and make some frustrating mistakes) but try to keep things in perspective. Accept disruptions with good grace and adapt accordingly! So your motto is from fellow-Virgo, entertainer Beyoncé: “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.”

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

This week your aspirations zone is activated by the Full Moon… but retrograde Mars is there as well. So you’re focused on your ambitious hopes, dreams and wishes for the future … but they will take a while to manifest. So your mantra for the moment is from this week’s birthday great, film pioneer and entertainment entrepreneur Walt Disney: “All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.” And the patience… and the persistence!

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

The Full Moon highlights the resources you share with others. Whether it’s income, property, business or relationships, all joint endeavours must be closely examined. And you also need to be circumspect with personal finances. You won’t require much encouragement to shop up a storm, as retro Mars slows down your financial smarts and speeds up your spontaneous spending gene. So be careful you don’t blow a big hole in your Christmas budget.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

With the Sun, Mercury and Venus visiting your sign, retrograde Mars, and a restless Full Moon, you’re in adventurous, freedom-loving mode. Limiting rules, regulations and restrictions will not be welcome! But slow down, Sagittarius, otherwise you could be involved in an argument or accident. Inspiring quote is from Sagittarian music great Jim Morrison (who was born on December 8, 1943): “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.”

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

The Full Moon’s activating your wellbeing zone, so jump off the comfy couch and get moving! Nutritious meals are also on the celestial menu, as you take more interest in your health and more pride in your appearance. If you have the confi dence to listen to your wise inner voice, then it will point you in the right direction. Mercury and Venus are also moving into your sign, and this power-packed duo will boost communication, creativity and concentration.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Take a good look at your close friends and current peer group. Do they encour age you to be the quirky, avant-garde Aquarian you were born to be? Are they supporting your talents and championing your dreams? It’s also a good week to tackle a creative solo project, as the Full Moon energises your self-expression zone. Inspiring quote is from music icon (and birthday great) Jim Morrison: “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.”

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

This week you could feel confused or discouraged, especially when it comes to a family matter or a professional issue. But escaping into a fantasy world won’t make problems magically disappear. As the week progresses, do your best to banish procrastination and be a firm and focused Fish, as you find creative solutions to current challenges. The gap between dreams and reality is wide but – with plenty of patience and persistence – you’ll eventually get there.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2022

Across 4 Who ordered the crucifixion of Christ, Pontius ...? (6) 7 Which line shows the depth to which a vessel may be submerged? (8) 8 Name an earlier term for silver. (6) 9 Which disease is caused by a deficiency in vitamin B? (8)

11 What are demands, by applause, for repetitions? (7)

13 To remove clothing, is to do what? (4,3)

15 What is an article of clothing? (7)

17 To which class of cold-blooded vertebrates does a turtle belong? (7)

20 Name one who is very sensitive to the beauties of art or nature. (8)

23 Which employee is usually seen as favoured or servile? (6)

24 What is an alternative name for a merry-go-round? (8)

25 To expunge, is to do what? (6)

Solution next edition Down

1 What is a field of floating ice formed on the surface of the sea, etc? (4)

2 Name another term for a referee. (6)

3 Which flatfish has a hooklike snout? (4)

4 What is the Nullarbor known as? (5)

5 Which term describes a military unit? (6)

6 To be drawn tight or rigid, is to be what? (5)

9 Name the head male servant of a household. (6)

10 What do we call one who flees to a foreign country for safety? (7)

12 Which agricultural implement has a long curved blade? (6)

14 To withdraw one’s labour, is to do what? (6)

16 What is a keeper and driver of an elephant? (6)

18 What is a prolonged separation from one’s country? (5)

19 Which long, shafted weapon, was used by mounted soldiers in charging? (5)

21 Name the principal outer garment of Hindu women. (4)

22 Which playing card has three pips? (4)

FREE PUZZLES EVERY DAY AT citynews.com.au

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

DAD'S HOUSE SALE BRINGS TAX QUERIES

Four years after his death, Ashton has sold his father's house.

"I was told that, as it was his main residence, I won’t have to pay capital gains tax (CGT) but that doesn’t seem right," Ashton said when he came to see me about it.

I told him my recollection was that his father had lived out of town.

"Is that correct? Your answer could well impact my advice particularly if the area of the land was greater than two hectares," I said.

Ashton told me his father had a bush block where the land couldn’t be used for anything viable. He brought the plans showing the area of the land was five hectares and it had been bought on February 14, 1998.

“Well, Ashton, that raises two issues for me in relation to CGT," I said. "Firstly, the residence and up to two hectares surrounding it, if used for private purposes, form your father's main residence and can be exempt from CGT. It clearly is exempt from CGT up to the date of your father's death.

“After that we have to look at the Australian Taxation Office’s mainresidence rulings. If the house is sold within two years of the date of death and the property was used as his main residence and was not used to produce income then the capital gain is disregarded on that portion of the sale.

"There is a further provision that extends the two-year limit with certain conditions. Provided that in the first two years after the date of dad’s death more than 12 months is spent addressing one of the following:

• A challenge to either the will or the property ownership.

• A provision in the will that delays disposal.

• The estate is complex, which delays administration.

"In addition, the residence must have been listed for sale as soon as practicable after resolution of the above, the sale was completed within 12 months and the delay was not caused by waiting for the property market to improve to get a better price, renovating the property to improve the sale price, or the delay was caused by inactivity on the part of the executors and the required extension is no more than 18 months. "Clearly that does not apply here, so you need a valuation prepared by a professional valuer as defined. Therefore, under your circumstances, there will be a capital gain on the main residence two hectares from the date of death to the date of sale.”

Ashton said it was just as well he checked.

"There is also a second capital gain on the rest of the land from the date of purchase to the date of sale," I told him.

"As the land has little intrinsic value and, based on my experience, the main value in this property lies with the main residence. There needs to be an additional valuation at the date of purchase to determine the percentage of the purchase price that relates to the land. This percentage is also applied to the sale price to determine the selling price.

"There may also be holding costs that can be offset against the capital gain. However, I will review these when I have all the documents available.”

Ashton said it all sounded more complex than he'd imagined, but that "the final figure will probably be less than I thought”.

If you need assistance with capital gains tax or any other tax related matter contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co on 6295 2844.

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.

Winnunga Nimmityjah AHCS is an Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service operated by the Aboriginal community of the ACT.

In Wiradjuri language, Winnunga Nimmityjah means Strong Health. The service logo is the Corroboree Frog which is significant to Aboriginal people in the ACT.

Our aim is to provide a culturally safe, holistic health care service for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the ACT and surrounding regions. The holistic health care provided by Winnunga AHCS includes not only medical care, but a range of programs to promote good health and healthy lifestyles.

Our services include: