CityNews 240523

HOW THE GOVERNMENT ‘PLANNED’ HOSPITAL MISERY

JON STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED reveal why the ACT’s public health is the sickest in the nation

Treasurer’s budget speech was a damned disgrace

ROBERT MACKLIN

Electioneering made as simple as one, two, three ANDREW HUGHES

Free the people you love from their foolish chains

ANTONIO DI DIO

Tree that unpacks its own trunk

JACKIE WARBURTON

The amazing John

Goodwin

Goodwin Aged Care Services is celebrating 70 years, but who was the man whose name today is synonymous with aged-care excellence in Canberra and beyond?

NEWS / myositis

‘Dame’ Val takes challenge of myositis head on

By Katarina LLOYD JONES

Myositis refers to a group of rare, incurable and progressive conditions that sees the body’s immune system turn against itself, destroying healthy muscle in the process.

According to the Myositis Associa tion Australia (MAA), inclusion body myositis is the most common form of myositis, but there is also dermato myositis, polymyositis, necrotizing myositis, antisynthetase syndrome and juvenile forms of myositis.

It is unknown what causes myositis, however the conditions are classified as autoimmune diseases because the person’s immune system is attacking their own tissue.

An extremely rare condition, it affects an estimated one in 100,000 Australians, including Val Dempsey, of Narrabundah, now Rivett, who has been living with myositis for more than two decades.

The 2022 Senior Australian of the Year, Dame of St John’s, former nurse and volunteer with St John’s Ambulance, Val hasn’t let myositis get in the way, but says it’s high time more people learnt about the condition.

“In the year 2000, I joined the staff and the kids on the ward playing softball,” she says.

“And I hit the ball and I started to run and I smashed both my quads, they ruptured, just in that instant moment.

“And I thought: ‘That wasn’t too good, what happened there?’”

She says she was eventually able to see a rheumatologist who then sent her for further testing.

“I did the tests. Yuck. Bloody awful,

stick needles in your arm, electric shocks, muscle biopsies, blood tests.

“Got through that and she rang me at home and she said: ‘Are you sitting down?’

“She said: ‘The first thing you need to know Val, you do not have cancer, but I need to tell you, you have an incurable muscle degenerative disease.

“Well, I didn’t hear anything after that.”

Val says symptoms of myositis that people present with can include

fatigue, issues with grip, increase in falls, inability to stand unassisted, choking and incontinence.

However, because of this broad range of symptoms, myositis is frequently misdiagnosed, often as motor neuron disease, says Val.

Some collection of symptoms can be treated by a GP, too, she says, but because they don’t associate those symptoms as being myositis, the opportunity for diagnosis is prolonged.

Val says this is a major issue, because the earlier the diagnosis, the easier it is to avoid serious muscle damage, as a patient can start taking steroids or immunosuppressants

Even though it is incurable, Val says there are ways to manage myositis, with exercise being the key part.

“What we’ve discovered, and what we’ve all learned from international conferences and talking to the researchers and all the people that are working their butts off to make our life a lot easier, [...] if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it,” she says.

“So, there is the absolute need for people with myositis to develop an exercise regime.

“Even if you’re in a wheelchair, your exercises might be lifting your head, raising your toes, it might be moving your arms, but if you fail to do that this week, you can’t do it next week.”

Val says one of the most difficult things about living with myositis is the mental health difficulties that come with having an autoimmune disease.

“Somebody will walk over to you and say: ‘How are you today, Val?’ And likely if you tell them, they don’t ask again.

“It’s just human nature in many ways. For a lot of people [...] they can’t help you and it makes them feel uncomfortable, so they may not ask you next time, or you’ll find their visits are getting less and less and less.”

Val says the other thing she finds extremely frustrating is the complete lack of awareness about myositis, even amongst those in the medical profession.

“I’m grateful for any of the people who step forward and challenge their knowledge to know more about myositis and about degenerative diseases, because it’s not for us to educate them about what’s wrong with us,” she says.

“I always say, if you’re in the medical profession, or you’re in an associated allied healthcare role, your role is to understand and listen to your patients, and then educate yourself about what they’re telling you.

“Because the people who are not listening and presume, they really set back the patients with these diseases.”

May is myositis month, to find out more about it visit myositis.org.au

Val Dempsey… “Somebody will walk over to you and say: ‘How are you today, Val?’ And likely if you tell them, they don’t ask again.” Photo: Katarina Lloyd Jones

Paradox where more success means less support

Prevention works. However, it is frustrating to work in an area where the more successful you are, the less you are recognised, and the less support is provided.

Look at public health, intelligence services and across the broad spectrum of prevention.

Over the last 50 years some 154 million lives have been saved through immunisation around just 14 diseases. Most of these have been children under five, and around two-thirds were children under one year old. Research by the WHO, including local associate professor Meru Sheel, also revealed the devastating finding that vaccination has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the Albanese government came to power there were constant verbal commitments regarding the importance of prevention and the establishment of an Australian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC). The pandemic restrictions were still uppermost in voters’ minds.

The promise of the Albanese government in establishing an ACDC was to “ensure ongoing pandemic preparedness, lead the federal response to future infectious disease outbreaks, and work to prevent ongoing noncommunicable (chronic) as well as communicable (infectious) diseases”.

spread of infection is slowing, the hospital systems are not having to deal with pandemic overloading.

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) has pointed out, “the long-awaited national Centre for Disease Control was a key promise, but it is being delivered too slowly, and with a trimmed mission”. Complacency is the enemy of prevention.

A well-funded ACDC is key to prevention in health and preparedness for the next outbreak.

The CEO of the PHAA, Terry Slevin, described this failure as “pandemic amnesia” and said Labor is “falling short on prevention”.

The ACDC should also be sharpening the government’s focus on preven-

The recent federal budget typifies the prevention paradox. The pressure is off, the spread of infection is slowing and the hospital systems are not having to deal with pandemic overloading.

tion in areas other than communicable disease. These include investing in research and policy implementation in areas such as “tackling obesity, the impacts of alcohol and any other drivers of poor health”.

The PHAA did point to some of the preventive health investments in the budget: “On tobacco and vaping control, the current government has a very good story to tell about saving health and lives. In this budget there is some welcome funding for new and extended cancer screening programs, and a focus on eliminating HIV”.

The ACDC was set up within the Department of Health with an investment of $90 million over a three-year period. However, until now, it has largely remained silent. It is not a lack of goodwill but, rather, a lack of funding that has deprived the organisation of the wings it needs.

Prevention works. However, it remains a major challenge for

governments to take a seriously long-term approach to invest in such a sensible approach.

Our intelligence services provide another example of the prevention paradox.

Peter Khalid is the member for Wills and chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. He highlighted issues facing Australian Security and Intelligence Services (ASIO) staff and the staff of other intelligence services when addressing legislation the committee had examined.

The more successful the organisation – the analysts, the frontline workers and the system – the less is heard about the possible disasters that have been prevented.

Mr Khalid pointed out that “last year alone, a cybersecurity incident was reported every six minutes”, as he underlined that the important protective work of the intelligence services is rarely noticed when all is going well – just when there is bad news.

Legislation to facilitate the work of ASIO is before the federal parliament. The emphasis of the debate was about keeping Australians safe from foreign interference and from home-grown

extremist acts.

Paradoxically, when things go wrong, those who work in prevention are finally noticed.

Mr Khalid assured the parliament that the intention of the legislation is to ensure a “more agile” organisation and to facilitate “strengthening identity protections for those security agencies’ employees, improving operational flexibility”.

He explained the reasoning: “Security threats are becoming more and more asymmetric… more and more complex. They’re becoming more and more difficult to combat and to defend against”.

The prevention paradox is real and governments need to become more and more aware as multiple threats provide challenges well beyond health and security.

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

New cull targets 1336 kangaroos

Seven nature reserves will be closed from June 9 until July 23 as the ACT government begins the annual kangaroo cull with 1336 animals in the cross-hairs this year.

The government says scientists and land managers with decades of experience in ecology, land management and kangaroo man agement have calculated an “opera tional target” of 1336 kangaroos to be removed across the seven prior ity reserves.

“Canberrans can be reassured about the scientific rigour and high quality of the Kangaroo Man agement Program following the release of the independent review of the program by wildlife ecologist Prof Sarah Legge,” said the ACT’s Conservator of Flora and Fauna, Bren Burkevics.

“Prof Legge has concluded that the Kangaroo Management Program is an outstanding exemplar of adaptive management and far-exceeds the animal welfare requirements of the National Code of Practice for non-commercial kangaroo shooting.

“Professor Legge’s conclusions mirror the assessment of the independent animal welfare assessment conducted in 2023 that confirmed

“Canberrans can be reassured about the scientific rigour and high quality of the Kangaroo Management Program,” says the ACT’s Conservator of Flora and Fauna, Bren Burkevics.

the kangaroo management program complies with the national code of practice in all aspects and that current shooting protocols should be maintained.

“No time is being wasted to implement the valued recommendations of Professor Legge to further strengthen what is a high quality and necessary kangaroo manage -

ment program. This includes increasing the involvement of ACT government veterinarians in the program and updating our communication materials to provide even more clarity and transparency for the community.

“The use of the GonaCon Immunocontraceptive Vaccine has been a successful addition to the program

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and will continue for the third year in a row. We expect the fertility control program will over time reduce the need for kangaroos to be humanely culled in the future.”

Mr Burkevics said the Kangaroo Management Program’s objective was to manage and protect the ACT’s threatened natural temperate grasslands and grassy woodlands from overgrazing by kangaroos.

“The ACT’s natural temperate grasslands are some of the best quality in Australia but with about only 0.5 per cent remaining they must be protected and managed to ensure they continue to provide optimum habitat for endangered plants and animals,” he said.

“These grasslands and grassy woodlands provide habitat and protection to a wide range of plants and animals that are local to Canberra some of which are on the road to extinction if these ecosystems are overgrazed and become degraded.

“Pleasing results are emerging that the annual delivery of the Kangaroo Management Program is leading to grass heights and densities across the ACT’s parks and reserves that are closer to targets that provide optimum habitat for endangered plants and animals.”

Review a cover for annual kangaroo slaughter, Page 19

Ricky wants to share the premiership love

After inking a four-year contract extension, coach Ricky Stuart says he wants to change every Canberra player’s life by sharing the feeling of winning a premiership with the Raiders.

Ahead of the 30-year anniversary of the club’s last NRL premiership, Canberra announced on Wednesday that Stuart had signed a new deal to the end of 2029.

“It (a premiership) is everyone’s goal,” Stuart said.

“I’ve been fortunate that I’ve done it as a coach, I’m fortunate I’ve done it as a player.

“My ultimate goal is to change every one of my players’ lives that I coach, one day hoping we can get to win the grand final because it changes your life.” Stuart has long stressed the need for patience with Canberra after he arrived at the club in 2014. He struggled to hit the high notes in his first few seasons, but the former Australian Test halfback has taken the club to two preliminary finals and a 2019 grand final defeat across his 10-year reign. Stuart deserves credit for making the finals in four of the past five seasons while overturning the club’s roster.

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart… four more years. Photo: AAP

Electioneering made simple as one,

Okay, so you want me to be a campaign manager. What would I do if I was running a campaign for a party right now here in the ACT?

The Hughes Rule of Three* is as good as any to start. (*Note: the au thor’s base attempt to claim copyright and fame one day.)

The Rule of Three is what I call having three main key narratives for a large area, three policies for each electorate, and then three at suburb levels. The Rule of Three.

Firstly to the three main key nar ratives. These are three key values that you better believe in yourself. Is it leadership? Ethics? Transparency? Hope? Aspiration? For mine, I would always have an aspirational value such as hope, then something connected to the government such as leadership, and finally, the third being Canberran. So let’s go for Hope, Leadership and Us.

seat and endless parodies.

Why not be more specific, you say?

One of the most famous political campaign videos on YouTube is also one of the most painful to watch. It’s that one of Jaymes Diaz, candidate for the federal seat of Greenway, struggling to remember the six-point plan of Tony Abbott’s in the 2013 federal election campaign. He got none right. Had it not been for Labor being at one

Contrast that to the campaign of David Pocock and the Teals. Three talking points: integrity, climate change and leadership. Simple, easy, and consistent with both candidate and brand. It allowed him the opportunity to easily campaign across the territory from Calwell to Charnwood without any fear of the narrative being lost in translation.

So let’s go to the next three, the electorate-specific ones. This starts to narrow down the offering to more tangibles. Belconnen (Ginninderra) might focus on public transport, health and opportunities for youth. Tuggeranong (Brindabella) would be

What these three tangibles need to be based on is direct engagement with the community in the four years MLAs should have been active in the local community. Should have been.

Three electorate-level policies allows leader and candidate to remain focused on what matters when engaging with the electorate, but helps keep the narrative focused; moving, but with enough room to allow for development of policy and ideas as a campaign progresses.

Now, suburb level. Three should be easy. Over summer that was grass mowing. I mean I was sort of hoping that this would be the year the How Tall Can Grass Get in Canberra

study would be allowed to run across summer but alas.

But this is where candidate selection is so important. Resumes and captivating headshots are one thing, but when you get Colin’d it didn’t really matter.

Colin’d? Colin “The Garbo” Garland (his own nickname, by the way) ran a fantastic local campaign in the 2024 Tasmanian election on a budget of $3000, most of it given to him. Same system as here essentially. He blew the majors off with their snazzy buzzwords and slick 4K HD campaign vids with just simple, local and connected policies filmed and communicated by phones years old.

The three suburban-level policies show how local you really are. How connected you are to each suburb in your electorate. That you know how important soft-fall playgrounds are as much as you do a juicy salary number in your career post-politics.

The buses, which run every two hours hurt the kid who comes from a single-parent home and can’t get to that part-time job on time. That there needs to be more protected and enforced disabled parking spaces at the local shopping centre. If a candi-

date can’t talk about these issues they belong in the bin.

The Rule of Three allows for constant engagement by leader, candidate and party. Be that through events, media, policy or announcements and the new, evil trend in campaigns, the re-announcement cleverly reworded as something different. New. Shiny. On Special.

It’s my belief that the party with the closest to this strategy will have a very good chance at doing well in October.

Of course, there is risk with reward. Leaders can get obsessed with ego over reality. Candidates get side tracked. Party’s do wild stunts with cooking themes. But let’s all hope we never see a six-point plan with accompanying candidate comedy vid on YouTube ever again.

Dr Andrew Hughes is a lecturer in marketing with the Research School of Management at ANU where he spe cialises in political marketing and advertising, and the use of emotions in marketing and tourism.

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Photo: Network Ten

A free symposium exploring racism, its impact and what actions can be taken to reduce or eliminate will be held at the Research School of Social Sciences, ANU, 11am-3.30pm on May 26. Organised by Canberra Multicultural Community Forum, registration is essential via Humanitix. More details from secretary.cmcf@gmail.com

Anniversary lunch

Soprano Georgia Connolly will perform a medley of Celtic-inspired songs at the 52nd anniversary lunch of the Weston Creek VIEW Club at the Canberra Southern Cross Club, Woden on June 4. The meeting starts at 11.30am, the cost is $38 and visitors and interested ladies are welcome. RSVP to 0408 864616 by May 30.

Big, local morning tea

Weston Creek Community Centre with the support of Cooleman Court are hosting a local contribution to Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea in aid of the Cancer Council research in the WCCC Hall, 11am-1pm, on May 31.

Fundraising stall

The Bold Bandannas are having a fundraising stall selling preserves at the Fyshwick Markets (within Ziggy’s shop) 8am-4pm on June 1. All funds raised go to cancer research. Enquiries to 6231 0761.

‘The ACT stands out like a sore thumb with the lowest annual growth in health expenditure at a

How the government ‘planned’ hospital misery

The ACT is the only jurisdiction in which the proportion of hospital patients not admitted on time has increased in every category. The wait times were impacted due to a ‘planned reduction in activity’. JON STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED reveal why our health service is the sickest in the nation.

A freedom of information request from Leanne Castley, the opposition health spokesperson, has revealed some startling and deeply concerning figures on elective surgery waitlists in Canberra.

It was revealed that 2289 Canberrans were overdue for elective surgery. More than 30 per cent of those on the waiting list have waited longer than the clinically recommended times.

Alarmingly, more than a quarter of the patients in Category 1, requiring urgent surgery within 30 days, and more than half of the patients in Category 2 were waiting longer than the clinically recommended times for treatment.

The term “elective surgery” is a misnomer. There can obviously be serious consequences for a patient if the surgery is not performed in time. There are numerous peer-reviewed clinical studies that point to increased complications and additional costs due to any such delay.

Behind every number is a person – in pain and suffering – and a family and loved ones seeing them in pain but not able to ensure they receive the care they need.

Ms Castley linked the long waits to the “12year delay for the Canberra Hospital expansion, which is still not complete and three elections late”. Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith shrugged off this claim and went on to insist that all jurisdictions had seen an increase in wait times.

Not only was that not the case, and the minister was incorrect in making the claim, but surely the state of other jurisdictions’ elective surgery wait lists is hardly a justification for the egregious failings of the ACT health system. What is particularly disappointing is the complete lack of empathy and sympathy from the minister for the suffering of patients unable to access appropriate health care.

One could reasonably expect the health minister to at least acknowledge patients’ and their families’ physical and emotional suffering, to comfort and if possible, reassure them with advice on the steps the government is taking to deal with the problem.

Media reporting on this matter regrettably

attracted some odious public commentary to the effect that those on waiting lists should get private health insurance if they can afford it. In other words, blaming the patients for the government’s failure to provide an essential service.

The number of surgical procedures performed obviously depends on the number of beds, clinicians and operating theatres.

There are two channels for access to surgery, planned and emergency. Activity coming through the emergency department takes precedence, and if the capacity of the system is limited, will bump the planned activity – it may be the same surgeon using the same theatre to treat a road trauma patient instead of a patient on the waiting list.

It is possible to isolate planned surgery activity from emergency surgery, but it would require investment in separate facilities and additional staff. Indeed, it was a 2020 election commitment of the Labor government to establish an elective surgery centre at the University of Canberra hospital precinct. However, along with a raft of other election commitments, it was abandoned. Ms Castley also refers to this as one of the reasons for the blowout in waitlists.

That there is a severe shortage of beds in the ACT’s hospital system against the government’s own projections of demand, is well established. Chart 1 provides an update with the AIHW data on the beds shortage that we have previously reported.

As at June 2022, hospital bed shortage in the ACT, against projected demand, had increased to 182 beds. The demand estimates in the chart are conservative as the actual population growth has been higher in recent years than previously assumed.

The consequences of the ACT government’s decisions are quite clear. The deferral of capital investment in our hospitals has resulted in a significant shortage of beds and a consequential blowout in wait times for surgery.

The government regularly refers to the additional bed capacity and extra theatres coming online. Regrettably, the extra beds have not been sufficient to meet demand, as the shortfall, as of 2022, demonstrates.

In addition, in order for those beds to be utilised requires the allocation of additional recurrent funding for the employment of frontline clinicians and support staff.

It is clear, from the most recent data published by the Productivity Commission, that the ACT government has given a very low priority to the employment of sufficient staff in our hospitals.

Chart 2 shows the real recurrent expenditure growth per person from 2015-16 to 2021-22.

As reported by the Productivity Commission, the national average annual growth in real per capita expenditure over the six-year period was 3 per cent. The growth in funding at a national level indicates that apart from population increase and changes in price, there was an increase in funding to cater for growth in per capita demand for hospital care emanating in the main from an ageing population and changes in technology.

The ACT stands out like a sore thumb as the jurisdiction with the lowest annual growth in health expenditure at a mere 0.1 per cent.

Damningly, the Productivity Commission, in a note to the data table in its report, reveals that in the ACT “[e]xpenditure data includes substantial expenditures for NSW residents so the ACT expenditure is overstated”. In other words, the ACT government has in fact, in real terms, cut health and hospital expenditure.

could get away with deferring an odd hospital upgrade to invest in some other high-priority project or even indulge in a project with poor returns. For the ACT with only one tertiary hospital, there is no such flexibility.

In relation to waitlists, the minister’s claim that all jurisdictions have seen an increase is wrong.

There is comprehensive national reporting on a range of measures relating to waitlists, which we are unable to discuss here due to space considerations. The most pertinent measure from the community’s point of view is the proportion of people not admitted within the clinically recommended time. Table 1 summarises the change from 2021-22 to 2022-23 in each urgency category and for all patients.

If the Minister’s claim was correct, we would expect to see an increase (a positive figure) for most if not all the jurisdictions.

However, the ACT is the only jurisdiction in Australia in which the proportion of patients not admitted on time has increased in every category.

A note to the ACT’s data in the commission’s report states that the wait times were impacted due to a “planned reduction in activity” related to the Digital Health Record System and a fire in the operating theatres. There it is – it was all planned.

Did the government contemplate using the capacity in the private system? Or for that matter, did the government consider why it is that the wait times for indigenous people increased much more than for non-indigenous Canberrans?

It is to the credit of ACT’s frontline clinicians and health staff that they have continued to provide quality professional services in this funding environment. However, the hard logic cannot be avoided – not enough staff means wait times (both in emergency departments and planned surgery) increase.

Accommodating health growth, within budget, is challenging for all jurisdictions. However, across Australia they seem to have done a reasonably good job with the major exception of the ACT.

In this context, it is useful to note that if a jurisdiction has, say, 20 major hospitals, it

One can only hope that next time the minister sits with her cabinet colleagues to reflect on the state of health care in the ACT that they reflect on the impact which their priorities have on vulnerable and disadvantaged Canberrans.

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

Source: 2024 Report on Government Services; Tables 12A.28 to 12A.35.

Source: Available beds from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; Hospital Resources 2021-22; Table 4.6.

Note: The data in a particular year is not comparable across jurisdictions due to differences in recording, but comparable and meaningful within jurisdictions. The change from one year to another across jurisdictions is meaningful.

Oh, the shock when woman slipped into slacks

Should women be allowed to wear pants? It was a topic of contention in the Australian parliament in 1933, writes LORINDA CRAMER .

In 1933, trousers rocked Australia. They had entered the 20th century as a symbol of masculinity. Essential to the suit, trousers exuded power, professionalism and authority for the men who wore them.

But increasing numbers of Australian women had begun to slip on slacks.

Pants on women were immodest, some shouted. Others shuddered at what they considered unbecoming and unfeminine attire.

At the heart of the concern for women in slacks that rippled around Australia – including parliament where senators deliberated over whether they should be banned from Parliament House that year – was the challenge to gender norms.

(Women in pants would not be banned from entering Parliament House, though the requirement for “proper attire” meant they could be denied admission to the Senate galleries.)

For the women who adopted trousers, they meant something different: freedom of movement and steps towards equality.

1933: the shock of slacks

The month after Australian newspapers reported on the Senate ban, Brisbane’s “CourierMail” printed a slew of letters to the editor. People put pen to paper in horror or support of the wife of Brisbane’s Lord Mayor – the Lady Mayor ess, Mrs JW Greene – who announced she would wear slacks to the beach. They were “so comfortable and so much the fashion”, she raved.

One writer insisted, however, “slacks are for men only. I say this not because I consider them immodest, but because women look far from attractive in them”. Others thought differently, reasoning that clothing needed to move with the times.

The die had been cast by German screen icon Marlene Dietrich. Three years earlier, Dietrich starred in “Morocco”, shocking some moviegoers by wearing a man’s tuxedo.

Charismatic, glamourous and androgynous, by the time Dietrich went on holiday in 1933 she packed no dresses in her luggage. She wore a

As news of this attire rippled around the world, tailors were “rushed with orders for the Dietrich trousers of grey flannel”.

Melbourne department store Myer advertised “Marlene Dietrich slacks” in its mail order catalogue for springsummer the following year. Offering more than grey flannel, they came in black, saxe (grey-blue), red, bottle (green), white and other colours.

Pushing the boundaries

Trouser-wearing women, however, have a much longer history in Australia. Although women wearing men’s clothes in the 19th century was often framed as a disguise – or worse,

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deception – they had different reasons for putting on pants. Pants were practical as white settlers spread through the colonies.

At this time, Amelia Bloomer, and her dress reform counterparts in America advocated for the “bloomer costume”. It included full trousers, gathered at the ankle, worn under a shorter skirt. Australian newspapers duly reported on the “novelty” that had “excited some curiosity on this side of the Atlantic”.

As the 19th century neared its end, Australian women tested divided skirts for cycling and other activities. It was not until the 20th century, however, that women donned pants in

Even in 1922, when the “Evening News” quizzed Sydney’s police on the law for women walking “the city streets in a pair of pants”, they admitted that while there were no prohibitions on trousers as ordinary street wear they were still a rare sight.

After the 1933 debates

While women in trousers were hotly debated in 1933, it took decades for pants-wearing to reach critical mass.

Some women contributed essential “manpower” to World War II’s war effort in overalls and trousers.

Attitudes swung from admiration to concern when young women pulled

on pants at the war’s end. Widgies, a 1950s youth subculture (with Bodgies their male counterparts), wore pedal-pushers and jeans as part of their “startling fashions” that caused moral panic.

The Mods of the 1960s embraced jeans, too, with some young women buying them from menswear departments or wearing “tomboy” trouser suits.

And slacks in stretch fabrics, for holiday or relaxed wear, rose in popularity that decade. Made from new synthetics, they tapered slimly to the legs and ankles. But even then, women wearing pants could be denied entry to venues with more conservative dress codes.

Trousers gained further ground in the 1970s with the women’s liberation movement. “Dress for comfort not for style”, one placard read at the International Women’s Day March in Melbourne in 1975, as its holder strode the streets in jeans – like many around her.

In the decades that followed, pants eased into popular wear. More than 90 years on from those 1933 debates, the question is no longer who wears the pants, but who doesn’t.

Lorinda Cramer, lecturer, Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies, Deakin University. Republished from The Conversation.

What You Want Community Day

Photo: Baden H Mullaney/State Library of NSW

THE GADFLY

Treasurer’s budget speech was a damned disgrace

Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers’ budget speech was a damned disgrace.

His opening words set the tone: “On this Ngunnawal land we acknowledge all the First Nations people of this country and the custodians, customs and cultures which guide and inspire us.”

Oh really? He not only deliberately abandoned the traditional “respect to Elders past and present”, the sentence itself makes no sense at all. Canberra might be “Ngunnawal land”, but in no way does the “custodians, customs and cultures guide and inspire” the current government any more than it did previous whitefella administrators.

The proof was in the speech itself. The Aboriginal people barely rated a mention. Since the previous budget, we have had the tragic rejection of a totally mismanaged referendum. Yet in the half-hour that followed the mangled syntax of the opening, the referendum was ignored and our First Nations were dismissed in three spare sentences.

In case you missed them, here they are in full: “We will also make new investments in health, housing, education and jobs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. As well as more remote housing, we’re creating the new Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program.

With 3000 new jobs in remote Australia to build new skills and new confidence within communities.”

That’s 3000 jobs (at best) among our 983,700 Aboriginal and Torres Straits people, a large percentage of whom live in remote Australia.

How could he?

And to suggest that the government has been “guided and inspired by the customs and cultures of the First Nations people” is a barefaced lie. Where, for example, was any awareness of the custodianship of country?

Of the obscene fish kills in the once heathy river systems; of the Great Barrier Reef bleached yet again by the heated waters of climate change;

of the raging flood waters that killed our native flora and fauna; of the steadily rising temperatures across the northern lands; the fearsome cyclones that batter the communities as never before; and the sacred sites defaced and vandalised by the mining companies?

Three vague sentences and not a single specific figure of proposed expenditure.

Not a single figure of new money for education, for decent housing, for the revival of languages trembling on the brink of extinction. No mention of a figure for health facilities; a mere 3000 jobs where 30,000 would barely scratch the surface of need.

Could it be that as a Queenslander,

Dr Chalmers has turned a blind eye like so many of his fellow State “No” voters who see the referendum defeat as the end of the story?

One had only to glance at Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney to see disappointment writ large throughout the speech. She was almost as glum as Bill Shorten who could barely bring himself to look across to the Despatch Box.

And what of his leader, the man who so proudly boasted on his night of vic-

To suggest that the government has been ‘guided and inspired by the customs and cultures of the First Nations people’ is a barefaced lie. Where, for example, was any awareness of the custodianship of country?

tory, that, “on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I commit to the Uluru Statement from the heart in full”.

That was when it was a little more fashionable to see our continental forebears as a valued element of the community, the genuine custodians of the magnificent island that we are all now privileged to occupy.

Now, it seems, they are back where they used to be – down the back of town near the cemetery and the rubbish dump, in the junk and galvanised iron camp we call (with unconscious irony), “Closing the Gap”.

Shame, Dr Chalmers, shame!

robert@ robertmacklin.com

Build apartments for families and they will come

Infill is widely advocated as a means to reduce the environmental impact of city development.

However, the “Australian Dream” for many households remains a spacious detached house with a backyard.

For the environmental aims of infill to be achieved, redevelopment dwellings need to meet the housing requirements of more households.

A separate dwelling is the dominant choice for most households in Canberra although the share of households occupying higher-density dwellings is increasing.

Between 2011 and 2021 the share of households living in separate dwellings fell from 90 to 83 per cent for couples with children households; from 78 to 69 per cent for couple households; from 74 to 63 per cent for one-parent households and from 51 to 41 per cent for one-person households.

The decline is the result of the increase in the proportion of couple and lone-person households from 48 to 51 per cent, high house prices and the benefits provided by a dwelling in an accessible location.

These factors have led to the shares of households living in apartments increasing from 12 to 19 per cent and in semi-detached/terrace dwellings

from 14 to 17 per cent.

Strategies to increase the acceptability of higher-density development include improving the design of apartments to meet the needs of the community.

Research undertaken by the UNSW School of Built Environment and City Futures Research Centre provides some guidance.

The research identified too few apartments are being designed with the needs of families in mind. The existing stock is dominated by one to two-bedroom apartments marketed to investors whose prime market is singles and childless couples who rent.

Families (and other households) struggle with poor sound-proofing; inadequate storage; inflexible layouts; too few bedrooms (only 14 per cent of apartments in Canberra have three

A separate dwelling is the dominant choice for most households in Canberra, although the share of households occupying higher-density dwellings is increasing.

or more bedrooms); narrow hallways and unsafe balconies and outdoor play areas.

Consequently, many families with children do not view an apartment as a long-term home. Furthermore, while households may need and want larger units, additional floor space comes at a cost that some cannot afford.

Improved design would be facilitated by highlighting examples of quality development and the preparation of a design guide along the lines of the Victorian Government’s Future Homes initiative, which provides free, high-quality designs to those building. If adopted, the development secures a faster path through the planning system.

Current policy settings predominately result in the construction of dual occupancies (many meeting the needs of households with sufficient incomes); and high and medium-rise apartments in and around town centres, along Northbourne Avenue

and Kingston. The developments frequently result in a loss of tree cover, an increase in hard services, parking blight and local traffic congestion. Many units lack privacy and have poor solar access and security.

These impacts could be reduced, and community acceptance increased, by requiring a minimum block size for redevelopments along the lines of the 0.4 hectares required in the Kingston/Griffith redevelopment area in the ‘70s, as suggested by Richard Johnston (CN August 31, 2023).

Along with the exclusion of dual occupancies in RZ2 zones, the change would facilitate the provision of increased numbers of appropriate and affordable apartments and the construction of much needed social housing.

To maintain the quality of areas undergoing redevelopment, substantial social and physical infrastructure, funded from lease variation changes, will be required.

According to a survey by the Strata Community Association NSW in October 2021, almost 40 per cent of new apartment complexes in NSW had significant defects. Major defects have been found in several complexes

in the ACT.

The deficiencies included cracked foundations, water seepage, faulty balconies and combustible cladding. To increase the protection of purchasers and to make developers more accountable for defects, the NSW government has appointed commissioners for Building and Strata and Property Services and the ACT government has introduced the Property Developers’ Bill.

Until redevelopment dwellings can fully meet housing needs, there will be an ongoing demand for new detached dwellings.

The ACT government, unlike when it adopted the mantra of light rail at any cost, can by assessments of housing preferences, housing affordability, infrastructure and the environment, produce a planning strategy that meets housing needs while reducing the environmental impacts of Canberra’s development.

Mike Quirk is a former NCDC and ACT govern ment planner.

Research identified too few apartments are being designed with the needs of families in mind.

Magnolia teddy bear – advanced

Free people you love from their foolish chains

About seven minutes ago I was talking to a mate who has a tough gig.

Every time he makes a mistake people rabbit on about it in the media and half a million Monday experts like me sit on couches around the land, enumerating all the things we could have done better, blessed only with the certainty of hindsight, the security of our anonymity, and the confidence that we will never have to do it.

In fact, it’s not even a mistake he’s made, it’s just coming second. He may have executed the best plans in the perfect fashion, but if the opposition had a great day, then by definition he has somehow erred.

What nonsense. Every person who missed out on a job interview thinks they’ve failed – they may have been utterly brilliant!

Think about a match between Roger and Some Other Guy at Wimbledon. Both are extraordinary. One of them has to win, the other has to lose. They may both be in the top two on the planet. Is one of them really a “loser” or inadequate in any way? Sometimes doing everything well – perfectly, even – doesn’t get the prize, and that’s okay.

So why do we get worked up about it, and who’s responsible?

Obviously, there’s a hundred reasons but the one for today is liter-

Every person who missed out on a job interview thinks they’ve failed – they may have been utterly brilliant! Sometimes doing everything well – perfectly, even – doesn’t get the prize, and that’s okay.

We generate expectations of ourselves just like that beautiful kid at cricket. And just like that kid, so many of us do it to impress and please those we love.

I have done a lot of things to impress mum and dad, and they’ve been gone 15 years, and wouldn’t have given a toss about it anyway. All our loved ones want is for us to be happy, not to impress them.

Ageing blokes like me have been held hostage to our fathers all our lives, and I’m sure our dads wouldn’t have had a clue about it.

“Think about a match between Roger (Federer) and Some Other Guy at Wimbledon. Both are extraordinary. One of them has to win, the other has to lose. Is one of them really a ‘loser’ or inadequate in any way?”

ally the worst person you have ever worked for.

Years ago, umpiring a kids’ cricket match, a little guy with the most beautiful temperament despaired like Justin Langer when dismissed. Why? He was usually the calmest kid. Turns out his dad had attended and he was desperate to perform, and the 100 he got last week was not nearly enough, he thought, to please dad today.

Lovely sentiment, but hardly the outcome that his father wanted him to experience. Dad just wanted him to enjoy his game, but he thought his job was to make dad proud. Dad already was proud.

Photo: John Togasaki/CC

BY 2.0

Need a list of my faults? Easy –they are scrolling 24/7 inside my eyelids like a mad self-defeating teleprompter. It’s a part of what keeps us nice people – self-criticism stops us becoming arrogant and protects us from hubris – it’s a vital part of being human, and a peculiarly lovely part of being Australian. But the need to do well all the time, in every domain?

My mate Damian and I were leaving a charity do I put on for literate sophisticates (Phantom fans) at a Sydney bar years ago and passed a cartoon on the wall featuring a famous Australian character, “Boofhead”. The guy was at Bondi

and looked up at a monstrous wave about to devastatingly crash upon him. My friend pointed to my nearby eldest son, then at uni, and said: “That cartoon looks like him every day, living up to the weight of your expectations.” Ouch. True.

How many times have I worked harder than I should, done more of this or that than I wanted, sacrificed being where and with whom I really wanted to be (in the office late at night when someone you loved was playing netball or the clarinet) and then criticised myself viciously for not doing enough, or not doing it well enough, or if it did go really well, for not being elsewhere when I should have been.

Check in with those you love. Are they trying to do three impossible things a week to impress you, and is that what you want from them?

Free them from the foolish chains they’ve self imposed, in their mistaken views of what you want from them, and that could be the greatest kindness of all.

Antonio Di Dio is a local GP, medical leader and nerd.

There is more of his Kindness on citynews.com.au

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS OF GOODWIN advertising

‘Goodwin helps people so they can continue to do the things that bring them joy and live the life they choose’

How community built a national aged-care leader

Goodwin Aged Care Services is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and to celebrate, they’ve written a book.

Titled Celebrating 70 Years of Goodwin, CEO Stephen Holmes says the book is a reflection on the incredible community effort involved in creating Goodwin, and serves as a testament to the Canberra community’s dedication to one another.

Stephen says Goodwin’s foundations have always been deeply rooted in the community, and despite its humble beginnings, it is now one of Australia’s most highly regarded provid ers of aged-care services.

“We wanted to take a moment to celebrate how the organisation came to exist, and in doing so, say thank you to all of the people and organisations that helped to create these services for the seniors in the ACT region, and more recently in the NSW south coast,” says Stephen.

As outlined in the book, Canberra was a planned city, but it had not been planned for seniors, leaving them feeling lonely, isolated and forgotten.

Homes were allocated by the government, and only to working citizens, leaving retirees unable to acquire a home, forcing them to either rely on family members or move to the outskirts of town.

To address these issues, the Twilight Homes Committee was formed in the mid-1940s.

The committee wrote many letters to the government requesting funds to build housing for seniors, but the campaign was unsuccessful and eventually lost momentum entirely.

The issue of seniors housing re-emerged in 1951, when community volunteers from the National Council of Women began campaign ing for the needs of aged care and accommo dation in Canberra to be met, says Stephen.

This eventually led to the establishment of the Goodwin Centre Development Association, named after Lt-Col. John Thomas Hill Goodwin, a renowned public servant and advocate for the needs of the growing city of Canberra.

“I think it’s inspiring how a handful of people worked so hard, so selflessly, and rallied a community to create something that is still helping people 70 years later,” says Stephen.

“It was really a group effort. The members of the National Council of Women rallied an influential group of business and community leaders and elected the founding editor of the ‘Canberra Times’, Arthur Shakespeare, as president.

“Together they held all sorts of fundraisers and awareness campaigns which touched

people’s lives. In those stories where a loved one has passed, what shines through is a feeling of gratitude.

“Partly gratitude for Goodwin, but mostly gratitude for the time they got to spend with

community receive the support they deserve.”

Celebrating 70 Years of Goodwin is at goodwin.org.au/history or by visiting one of the Goodwin locations.

How did Goodwin Homes get its name?

Lt-Col John Thomas Hill Goodwin’s dedication and passion to the community of early Canberra was preserved in the naming of Canberra’s first aged-care service after him.

Although he died in 1950, just before the establishment of the Goodwin Centre Development Association, he had played a critical role in the develop ment of Canberra, professionally and as a private citizen.

Sometimes known as the “Father of Can berra”, Goodwin was the Commonwealth Surveyor-General from 1915 to 1925, and officer-in-charge of the Federal Capital Territory (1916 to 1924).

Born in Yelta, Victoria, in 1865, Goodwin moved to Canberra as officer-in-charge of the Federal Capital Territory. He was appointed an MBE in 1927. He enjoyed the city so much he retired here and became deeply involved with the local community, co-founding the Horticultural Society of Canberra in 1929.

Goodwin also founded and served as acting president of the local division of the Australian Red Cross Society (1938-1939).

He is best known for his role as a founding member of the Canberra Relief Society, which the ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collections says was formed in March 1930, with the purpose of collecting and distributing funds for those needing assistance during the Great Depression (1929 to the early 1930s).

The Canberra Relief Society continued to provide a range of welfare services until June 1958, when it was disbanded.

Not one to sit idly by, Goodwin also served on the Canberra Community Hospital Board (1938-48) and the National Capital Planning and Development Committee (1939-41).

Goodwin is also listed on the Former Magistrates Court Judiciary as having been appointed as a special magistrate for the ACT in November 1930. A role he held until September 1936.

He died in 1950.

Goodwin CEO Stephen Holmes… “It’s inspiring how a handful of people worked so hard, so selflessly, and rallied a community to create something that is still helping people 70 years later.”

Monash residents playing snooker, 1990s.

Goodwin Homes, 1970s.

Residents at Monash, late 1990s.

George Sautelle House official opening, September 6, 1980.

Goodwin Village, Farrer.

Original Goodwin House, 1960s.

Matron Harris and residents, 1973.

Goodwin Homes first residents Tom and Elizabeth O’Neill.

Matron Harris and residents, 1973.

Ainslie resident, 1970s.

Thank

you Canberra for shaping who we are today

In 1954, the National Council of Women met with local citizens to form a group to establish housing and services for Canberra’s seniors.

Thousands of Canberrans from all walks of life came together, organising bake sales, fairs, and other charity drives to help build Canberra’s first housing designed specifically for seniors.

Seventy years on, Goodwin has helped a great number of people, and has grown to provide a full range of services to assist seniors in all stages of their ageing journey.

We’re still independent, still not-for-profit, and still exist purely to provide the best available services to seniors in our community.

So, on our 70th anniversary, we’d like to say thank you.

Thank you to citizens who rose to the challenge 70 years ago.

Thank you to the community generosity that helped fund Goodwin’s first residences.

Thank you to the families that have put their trust in Goodwin to care for their loved ones.

Thank you to the residents who have called Goodwin home.

Thank you to the clients who have welcomed Goodwin into their homes.

Thank you to the staff who have made Goodwin the industry leader it is today.

goodwin.org.au

Hats off to Alicia Payne for national capital report

Hats off to MP Alicia Payne and parties responsible for the 22 recommendations contained in the Joint Parliamentary Committee report on the National Capital and External Territories.

The report which underlines why Australians should be proud of our capital and how it stands as a symbol of our nation’s success as a liberal democracy.

Unfortunately, it also highlights the neglect for decades by successive federal governments in extending recognition for its role as capital, internationally.

Canberra was created by and for the federal parliament initially built around earlier grandiose planning decisions. New governmental trends of economic rationalism, user pays, managerialism and all the rest of the 1980s rhetoric drove Commonwealth’s Canberra policy away from this grandiose construction ethic of creating a monument to Australia’s national identity to one more inwardly focused towards the more limited role of a seat of government only.

The same catalyst for the parliament to bestow ACT self government. A paramount shift in outlook back then with many of the symbols of internationally recognised capital cities lacking and/ or not fulfilled – national exhibition and world-class conferencing facilities, international-standard cultural and

sporting facilities and associated hospitality infrastructure.

Now, as outlined in the report, if Canberra is to gain these tools, it is incumbent on the Commonwealth via the national parliament to deliver on the recommendations if the national capital is to fully achieve its aims – a city symbolising Australia’s heritage, values and aspirations, and is internationally recognised.

John D Purcell PSM, Kambah

Male entitlement is root cause of partner killings

Russ Morison raised a good point when he mentioned the case of Donald Morley, an elderly Canberran sentenced for the murder of his wife.

The backstory is indeed tragic. A man caring for his wife with dementia kills her and attempts to take his own life because he had a terminal illness.

Due to voters’ obsession with lower taxes, conditions in nursing homes are terrible. Yet still a man has made a decision for his wife without her consent.

This male entitlement is the root cause of all intimate partner killings, and there is one of these every four days.

The length of the sentence is in this case rather unimportant. Mr Morley will die in prison.

Russ Morison then adds as an afterthought that the Barr government allows 14 year-olds to undergo sex change operations. This is simply not true.

Medical guidelines in Australia mandate that the minimum age at which surgical gender reassignment can occur is 19. A person must be 18 to decide on such a medical procedure and then to have lived one full year in their new gender while receiving hormonal treatment only. Any doctor who operated on a younger child would rightly endanger their licence to practice medicine.

Noel Baxendell, Holt

Don did what he did out of love, without a doubt

I grew up across the road from the Morley’s and my mum still lives there. Don Morley was the most devoted man and he and Jean loved each other dearly. They were wonderful neighbours who looked out for each other.

I find it extremely sad that they thought this was the only option for them. Don did what he did out of love, without a doubt. Bring forward the voluntary assisted dying laws so our old people have options for end of life.

Lauren Carter, Chisholm

No ordinary Joe, says candidate

I write in response to John Lawrence (letters, CN May 16, “A little more about Joe’s skills, please”. I hope John wasn’t referring to my Joe Prevedello – Liberal for Ginninderra candidacy letter as “junk” when he found it

clearing the “junk mail” from his letterbox! Alas, you can only fit so many words on to an A5 page, so I appreciate the query about my skill set.

In answer to John’s question about small business, I co-ran a tour business called Canberra Guided Tours. And, while I don’t come from an economics background, running a business teaches you the value of a dollar – something the current government doesn’t understand.

Finally, Mark Parton is a friend of mine and I have no doubt we would work formidably together in the Legislative Assembly if the people of Belconnen put their trust in me.

Joe Prevedello, Dunlop

Pervasive pornography is destroying democracy

Letter writer John L Smith (CN, May 9) rightly refers to pornography as the driver of domestic violence.

From seeing women as mere objects of men’s uncaring sexual activity to perceiving them in this role in everyday life is a small step.

The closest possible relationship between the sexes, once alluded to as “one flesh” in some writings, is now in the process of being reduced to animal copulation, centred on personal gratification only.

All, men and women alike, are missing out on deep, abiding, committed love which sustains a relationship lasting throughout life and incorporating, in most cases, the

Beautiful SmilesHolistic

birth and nurture of children.

Pornography is a big worldwide business, generating vast sums for its purveyors. Its pervasiveness, even among children sometimes, is destroying society.

This is where the “no censorship” promoters are damaging human relationships with a lack of respect for self and others and, ultimately, domestic violence. Now is the time for decisive action, personal and governmental, to ban pornography and restore the dignity of human relationships.

Mary Samara-Wickrama, Weston

Just a number to bolster an argument?

In Dr Douglas Mackenzie’s letter, (CN May 9) “Don’t have a bar of another Barr Government”, he makes completely irresponsible statements on the costs of the light rail to Woden!

Quote: “Estimates of the cost… of Stage 2B to Woden range from $5 billion to between $8 billion and $10 billion… depending on unforeseen problems” Considering the total ACT annual budget is about $7.5 billion and the total cost of the new second Sydney airport itself (not including the metro) is under $6 billion, to throw such irresponsible costs around for seemingly blatant political purposes is beyond reproach. He has no idea of how big an amount one billion dollars really is, let alone five, eight or 10! Just a number to bolster an argument eh, Dr Mac?

Dave Rogers, Woden Valley

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LETTERS

Review a cover for annual kangaroo slaughter

The ACT Labor-Green Government has announced its 15th annual kangaroo massacre in Canberra nature reserves and for seven weeks, from June 9, 1336 adult kangaroos and hundreds of joeys will be killed in seven nature reserves.

The announcement was made to coincide with the ACT Environment Directorate’s release of the statutory review of the Kangaroo Management Program by Prof Sarah Legge, who was contracted by the ACT Environment Directorate.

been shot and thousands of joeys have been bashed to death with wooden mallets or decapitated, over an area of 11,400 hectares, which comprise the reserves making up Canberra Nature Park.

Kangaroos are a keystone species in the woodlands and grasslands of the ACT. With few kangaroos in many of the reserves, including those targeted in this year’s program of slaughter, the impact on other native animals is also inhumane, with long, rank grass and prolific weeds reducing the quality of the habitat.

Jane Robinson, Save Canberra’s Kangaroos

Congratulations to

says it was a period of double-demerit points. Maybe she should walk in the shoes of a police officer for a day and see some of the things they have to put up with.

Ian Pilsner, Weston

He then produced a breath test

Re Janine Haskins’ letter (CN May 9): I was comIng out of the Belconnen Hotel driveway, I watched a car speed around the corner of Belconnen Way and drive fast up Springvale Drive.

I stopped and watched the car speed away, I then proceeded to drive up Springvale Drive

When to hold and when to fold

Apropos my two letters printed in “City News” in June 2023 and May 2024 about the HECS/HELP scheme, and my invitation to the architect of the scheme, Prof Bruce Chapman, to inform us whether the existing scheme was still fit for purpose, it is apparent from media reports that he still stands by his scheme.

I was rather surprised at that as he is a quite proficient bridge player. I would have thought he would know better when it was best to hold as against when best to fold.

complex is already busy at peak hour, and will become more so as the population of Molonglo Valley grows.

There are also the problems of loss of topsoil to support the growth of trees and lawn (green space), and the heat-island effect. With a population density equivalent to “the most densely populated areas of Sydney, London, Amsterdam or Stockholm”, and a built-up area “three times as dense as Singapore”, the heat-island effect could be fatal, especially for older residents.

Planning Minister Chris Steel needs to rethink this proposal and persuade his Greens-Labor masters to accept a new and more sensible plan.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Housing plan tantamount to madness

I agree with Michael Moore and Ian Elsum (“Planning gone completely mad in North Curtin”, CN, May 16): the North Curtin development proposed by the Rattenbury–Barr, “GreensLabor” government is tantamount to madness.

Cramming 1300 dwellings on to the horse paddock is asking for trouble before the first sod is turned.

The first problem is access. At present the only feasible entry point is from McCulloch Street, which – as Mr Elsum points out – is “already very busy and congested with peak hour traffic”. Another option might be opposite the entry to Dudley Street, Yarralumla, from Cotter Road: this intersection

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

An economy of good comedians

What a shame today’s so-called comedians don’t (or can’t) take a leaf out of their intergenerational predecessors and devise clever, clean and intellectually-stimulating one-liners. Whimsy columnist Clive Williams (CN, May 16) has been providing a wide range of excellent examples (many could also be labelled “truisms”). May I add a couple more to Clive’s most recent collection on economic realism: “If you laid all the world’s economists end to end, they wouldn’t reach a conclusion” and “What do you call an economist?” Answer: “An accountant with a sense of humour”.

Eric Hunter, Cook

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The southside valley with so much to offer

Surrounded by nature and only 10 minutes from the centre of Canberra, Woden Valley offers one of the premier destinations for shopping, community events and recreation in Canberra.

Developed in the 1960s as Canberra’s first satellite city, Woden Valley is now a bustling area with 12 suburbs flanking the town centre.

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He says Kwik Kopy is not actually a photocopy house in terms of small-document scanning, rather its services vary from largeformat printing, design, marketing and signage services.

“Our work is varied,” he says. Kwik Kopy provides things as “simple as

“Anything that you need in that space for your business, we can do,” he says.

Emilio says Kwik Kopy has done work with the government, small, medium and big business, training organisations, local clubs and not-for-profit organisations, making its client base as varied as its services.

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“With the ongoing development and CIT on the way, it’s an exciting time to be in the area.”

Signus Legal director Brendan Goodger.

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The Kwik Kopy Phillip team, from left, Dyan Putri, owner Emilio Park and Benita Leung.

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WODEN VALLEY

New way of operating, same level of support

Arthritis ACT is launching a new way of operating out of its southside venue, says CEO Rebecca Davey.

“We are closing our one-on-one consulting rooms down there, however, we will be expanding all the group exercise programs we run from our Pearce location,” she says.

“That includes tai-chi for falls prevention, it includes our strength and balance classes, which are very popular, it includes our Pilates classes, which are becoming more popular, and we have upcoming changes to our yoga program as well, particularly our chi yoga program, which has been well utilised over the years.”

Arthritis ACT has an agreement with the owners of Aquatic Achievers in Calwell and Aqua Harmony in Kambah to keep hydrotherapy going on the southside.

“Arthritis ACT thanks these two businesses for continuing to support our community,” says Rebecca, and encourages people to contact Arthritis ACT for details.

Rebecca says land-based group classes are also good for seniors looking to maintain their strength and balance, in turn helping to avoid falls.

Group classes benefit seniors in more than just the physical sense, she says.

“It keeps people connected to their community and provides them with friends who are in the same place as they are, and understand what they’re going through, and in many ways we’re just a conduit to that occurring,” she says.

Arthritis ACT, Pain Support & ME/CFS ACT, 170 Haydon Drive, Bruce. Call 1800 011041 or visit arthritisact.org.au

Principal podiatrist at Canberra Podiatry Michelle Prophet says she has the expertise and passion for helping others to put their best foot forward.

“My journey began long before I opened my own business in 1997,” she says.

“Prior to that milestone, I worked alongside my father, Stephen Prophet, a renowned orthopedic appliance consultant, and together we crafted orthotics and shoes, laying the foundation for what would become a thriving podiatry practice and eventually inclusive of a physiotherapist, David Kennard.”

Michelle says her business is a hub for all aspects of podiatry and physiotherapy, where she and her team offer a wide range of services.

“My own special interests within the field are biomechanics, with a particular focus on gait and posture analysis, as well as podopediatrics (the assessment of children), sports podiatry, and a dedicated emphasis on dance and ballet,” she says.

“We’re proud to highlight the unique strengths and passions of our dedicated team members.

“Jake, our senior podiatrist, is a true enthusiast in all aspects of podiatry. Mai comes highly recommended for her proficiency in wound care, laser therapy, and providing comprehensive treatments, our remarkable practitioner Mia is our youngest podiatrist, based at our Queanbeyan clinic, and our friendly reception staff Eva at Canberra Podiatry and Chrissie at Qcity Podiatry, are always ready to help.”

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Arthritis ACT CEO Rebecca Davey.

Principal podiatrist Michelle Prophet.

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Linda Clee – Physiotherapist

Linda is an experienced physiotherapist having worked clinically in private practice for over 20 years, in rehabilitation settings and in community based aged care. Having owned and operated her own clinic for over 10 years, Linda offered a range of different therapy options, and has refined her skills and service offerings to ensure a functional focus to therapy; that is holistic and promotes overall wellness. A dancer in a past life, Linda loves to add a bit of fun in her programs, often throwing in rhythm and co-ordination challenges that are good for the body and the mind.

Sophie Bullock – Exercise Physiologist

Sophie has post graduate qualifications in hydrotherapy, and as a non-sports centred Exercise Physiologist, helps clients who struggle with engaging in exercise due to a lack of sports participation. Sophie’s goal is to improve clients health via our hydrotherapy program, gym instruction and in-home visits. Sophie also is known for her passion for working with children.

Emil Terbio – Exercise Physiotherapist

Physiotherapist Emil comes to us with a wealth of physiotherapy experience and knowledge from the public hospital system and also private practice. Emil works closely with our team of Exercise Physiologists on a coordinated approach to improving your pain and overall wellbeing. Emil has a special interest in neurology and improving the lives of people living with neurological conditions. He’s also mad keen on soccer and will support you with all sports related injuries and injury prevention.

Sarah Solano – Exercise Physiologist

Sarah believes that exercise is the best medicine. She is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist with her degree in exercise physiology and rehabilitation. Previously Sarah was a swim teacher, personal trainer and an allied health assistant in the hydrotherapy field.

Blake Dean – Exercise Physiologist

Blake has expertise in improving clients mobility and decreasing their pain through appropriate exercise. Blake delivers our ‘My Exercise’ program, targeting the relief of lower back and sciatic pain, shoulder and upper body concerns as well as leg, hip and ankle interventions – for those who do not qualify for physiotherapy-led GLAD programs. Blake provides individual & group exercise for younger people with a disability. Blake treats clients in-clinic or via our hydrotherapy program as well as attending your gym with you.

Jacqui Couldrick – Physiotherapist

Jacqui has a particular interest in hip and knee osteoarthritis. Jacqui delivers the GLAD program designed to reduce the need for joint replacements, or if a joint replacement is unavoidable, to prepare you thoroughly for surgery and recovery for day to day tasks. Jacqui is studying towards a PhD in the outcomes of the GLAD program.

Holly Hazelwood – Exercise Physiologist

Jarrod Phillips – Exercise Physiologist

Jarrod is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who graduated from the University of Canberra in 2024. He has a passion for wanting to help those in need and aims to provide the best possible treatment and advice to each and every one of his clients.

• Occupational Therapy – Assistance with the planning and modification of your home, workplace or car. Applications for NDIS, the Disability and Housing Support Pension, and also driving assessments.

• Physiotherapy – including the GLAD program for knee and hip osteoarthritis, sports injury prevention and rehabilitation, and pain condition support.

• Exercise Physiology – Individual exercise prescriptions, small group classes to increase strength and improve rehabilitation, strength and balance classes, hydrotherapy support.

Holly is a former sports journalist who believed so strongly in the power of exercise to heal and nurture that she undertook her 4 year degree in Exercise Physiology. Holly is be able to work with people directly to support them through their pain journey and regain independence and a joy for living again. Holly provides one on one and group exercise classes both on land and at our hydrotherapy centres to support people to gain freedom from chronic pain. DON’T FORGET

not need to have any

the period where separation occurs.

She says that by supporting families through separation, they can help people move forward, and find better outcomes for any children involved.

Anna says she loves the community in south Canberra.

“There is a wonderful community spirit and I am happy that I can be a part of it,” she says.

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Anna says she is always happy to help a person who is a bit lost in the legal arena, and they can book a time to chat via the website.

“If I can point someone in the right direction I’m happy to do so,” she says.

Anna Wynne and Associates, 7 Neptune Street, Phillip. Call 6190 6159, or visit awynnelegal.com.au

body,” he says.

“When people run, studies show that there’s a force equal to about four times their body weight that’s going through their feet, knees and their lower back, so having adequate cushioning in the running shoes to help the body absorb the shock is really important.”

Nick says this is particularly important for people who are

time and they’re increasing their level of activity but that it is just as important for seasonal runners. He says comfortable running socks can also go a long way to making the running experience a lot easier and more enjoyable, as can proper, breathable running gear.

The Runners Shop, 76 Dundas Court, Phillip. Call 6285 3508, or visit therunnersshop.com.au

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Anna Wynne… “We help families work through separation with dignity and saving on legal fees,” she says.

The Runners Shop owner Nick Walshe.

Curtin Optical stocks a wide range of eyewear and accessories, says owner Corey Nicholls.

Having been a part of the Curtin community for 29 years, he says Curtin Optical has three experienced optometrists available for appointments from Mondays to Fridays.

“We cater to all tastes –from budget to well-known brands,” says Corey.

Curtin Optical also offers mobile optical dispensing services – spectacle selections and deliveries to the elderly or people unable to come into the store due to disability, he says.

“This includes spectacle repairs and adjustments, and an after-hours service,” says Corey.

“In addition, Curtin Optical offers an express service for those who have lost or broken their spectacles (Rx dependent).

“Curtin Optical’s in-store services can offer a sameday turnaround and its mobile jobs have a 24-hour turnaround.”

Corey says its independence from large chains gives customers a more personalised service.

He says they are also providers to the ACT pension scheme and DVA, with Curtin Optical offering a 10 per cent discount to ACT Seniors Card holders on complete spectacles, when their card is presented at ordering.

Curtin Optical. Shop 1B, Curtin Place, Curtin. Call 6281 1220 or visit curtinoptical.com.au

Lavender Art Studios has been the heart of artistic expres sion since 1999, says Elita Mackay, owner.

Offering a dynamic range of art classes and workshops for young people and adults, Elita says their mission is “to nurture talent and ignite passion for the arts in a supportive and inspiring environment”.

“Our weekly term art classes cater to all skill levels,” she says.

“Whether you’re a budding artist or a seasoned creator, our expert instructors will guide you through a journey of artistic discovery.”

Elita says young artists can explore various mediums and techniques, building a solid foundation and finding their unique style, and adult classes offer a space to refine skills, experiment with new forms, and connect with like-minded individuals.

“For our adult participants, we offer more than just weekly classes,” says Elita.

“Our high-country art retreats are a highlight, providing a serene and inspiring backdrop for intensive creative exploration.

“These retreats are perfect for those looking to delve deeper into their practice, surrounded by the natural beauty of the high country.

“Additionally, we offer specialised art workshops that focus on specific techniques or mediums, allowing artists to hone their skills and expand their artistic horizons.”

Elita says they also have a well-stocked fine-art materials shop with a wide selection of high-quality supplies, with knowledgeable staff always on hand to help.

“Our community of artists continues to grow, and we are committed to providing opportunities for creative growth and expression for many years to come,” she says.

Lavender Art Studios, First Floor, 42 Townsend Street, Phillip. Call 0412 649770, or visit lavenderartstudios.com.au

spent some time as an associate assisting Justice Kelly, says finance director Rhonda Hubert.

“He has spent his working life in legal practices in Canberra,” she says.

“He then worked with William G Pierce, eventually buying out the practice, which then merged with that of Geoff Capon, and became what is now known as Capon and Hubert.”

Ken and Geoff made a deliberate decision to keep their practice in the suburbs, firstly at Mawson and then in Phillip, says Rhonda, because Ken and Geoff always wanted to work with ordinary people and assist them with issues they face.

Rhonda says Ken’s legal career spans nearly 40 years.

family matters, where he listens to clients to define issues and determines possible options, before he then handles negotiations and court proceedings,” Rhonda says.

“Ken aims to define what is most important to his clients, walking through the process with them to achieve an outcome they can live with.”

Daryn Griffiths joined Capon and Hubert more than six years ago, says Rhonda, and his area of expertise is with property law, handling residential and commercial work. He also reviews retirement village agreements, she says.

Capon and Hubert Lawyers and Mediators, first floor, 32-38 Townshend Street, Phillip. Call 6152 9203 or visit chsol.com.au

Rhonda and Ken Hubert of Capon and Hubert Lawyers and Mediators.

Curtin Optical owner Corey Nicholls.

GARDENING

There are many feature trees with decorative bark that come to mind, such as the native paperbark, the Melaleuca quinquenervia, or the ever popular crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica).

But it’s the Greek Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus andrachne) that surpasses all these in beauty and, at this time of year, its cinnamon bark peels and flakes away to reveal striking contrasting colours on the trunk.

It flowers in spring and right through to summer with bell-shaped, cream-coloured clusters of flowers and grape-size edible fruit (but I’m told it’s not very palatable).

Nevertheless, the fruit can be used for jams and marmalades.

The Greek Strawberry Tree has similar growth as the Irish Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo), which is more popular in our region and a slightly smaller compact small tree that can also be used as a hedge planting.

Either of these Arbutus trees are drought hardy and tough enough to survive our hot

summers and cold winters.

The Greek Strawberry Tree has a gnarly, irregular branching habit and can be a feature in itself in a large garden, but you will need to plan where you want to grow it as it needs space to ensure branches with dropping fruit don’t overhang paths in pedestrian areas. It grows to at least eight metres tall with darkgreen, evergreen leaves and is slow growing. Like other plants of the Ericaceae family, they like lots of organic matter and are shallow rooted. Mulching in the warmer weather will keep them from drying out.

The soil needs to be acidic and have a pH of around 6-7 for the tree to grow well. It can be grown with other acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons and maples.

IF you have acidic soils and are looking for natives to grow, then the Port Jackson Heath (Epacris purpurascens) can be grown successfully in our climate. It’s also from the Ericaceae family and likes the same soil conditions as the strawberry trees. It copes well with colder conditions and moist soils in winter. It can grow up to 1.5 metres.

This erect shrub has striking dark, evergreen leaves that are sharply pointed with flowering at the tips of the branches. It flowers late winter to early spring and the dainty, soft-pink flowers

are attractive to nectar-feeding birds and a pollinator to native bees and wasps. Originally from the Blue Mountains, the Port Jackson Heath is a must for all native gardens and can be easily propagated via stem cuttings. Its roots are sensitive to disturbance, so propagating into biodegradable, single small pots increases the success when it comes to transplanting them to bigger pots or into the ground.

KEEP the vegetable patch weed free and mulched with sugar cane mulch or compost for a winter rest. Pick up fallen fruit from the ground and place it in the green bin (not compost bins) to prevent rats and possums getting to them.

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au

Jottings…

• Prune old woody canes from summer-fruiting berries to the ground.

• Keep seaweed solution up to cyclamens and winter-flowering annuals.

• Plant more broad beans to increase nitrogen to the soil.

• Sprinkle manures on fallow garden beds and water well.

The Greek Strawberry Tree… its cinnamon bark peels and flakes away to reveal striking contrasting colours on the trunk.

Photos: Jackie Warburton

The Port Jackson Heath… its dainty, soft-pink flowers are attractive to nectar-feeding birds and a pollinator to native bees and wasps.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

In short, fairy king Oberon is not a nice guy

By Helen MUSA

Famous British-Australian actor Richard Pyros is playing King Theseus and his “shadow” counterpart Oberon, king of the fairies, in Bell Shakespeare’s coming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Pyros has starred opposite Cate Blanchett in Big and Small, which toured to Europe, played in Hedda Gabler for the Royal National Theatre and appeared as a regular in the Hulu comedy-drama TV series, The Great.

He tells me he believes that the darkness of his character was all part of a masterplan by Shakespeare to parallel the worlds of humans and fairies.

“The fairies are quite dark, capricious and manipulative, happy to use humans as puppets for their own whimsy in a dark version of control,” he says. To put it in a nutshell, Oberon is not a nice guy. Threatening and overbearing towards his wife Titania, his obsessive need to possess the little Indian boy

she has adopted leads him to play a monstrous trick on her.

Oberon sends his servant Puck off to pluck a magic flower, the juice of which leads to Titania’s falling “in love” with – and let’s face it, have sex with – a creature, in reality the Athenian workman Bottom transformed into an ass by Puck just for a bit of fun. Hilarious, or not?

It occurs to Pyros in fact that the barbaric sense of humour leading Oberon to play this trick – it succeeds and he gets the Indian boy – indicates to us that something is amiss in the world of the fairies, human emotion.

Shakespeare addresses this as he steers the play towards a dodgy happy ending, for what has been going on in the forest during the preceding night gives little cause for optimism about either human nature or the course of true love.

Pyros, like me, is a great fan of “The Dream” and it pains him to think how dry and boring it often is in schools.

Kids, he believes, would get a lot more out of it if they acted it out loud.

“It’s such a phenomenal play but in some ways it’s almost incomprehensible as all the characters reflect on another.”

Director Peter Evans’ production turns much of the action into a play-

within-a-play.

“The whole play is about role-playing – everyone plays a role in their lives, but this asks what are the forces outside our control?”

As for Oberon’s obsession with the little changeling boy, right at the start Pyros and Evans did a lot of digging around.

“I think there has to be something deeper in this. His idea of the changeling boy is wrapped up in the idea of relationships and the concept of love itself,” he says.

“There’s something quite radical in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Pyros thinks, noting how Oberson callously toys with the madness of bestiality and with the physicality between two beings – “he makes his wife have sex with a donkey”.

“In our version, he realises what he has done, he almost feels sorry for what he’s done, telling Titania: ‘Now thou and I are new in amity’.

“The play suggests that there has to be a new moment in their lives, but the dream is important, too.”

Maybe, Pyros posits, it suggests that we should be more interested in our artists, the keepers of our dreams.

Bell Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Playhouse, June 15-17.

BY MARY ANNE BUTLER

JONES

Richard Pyros and Ella Prince in Bell Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Photo: Brett Boardman

206-minute documentary, plus exclusive interviews, photo gallery and extra match from the Hordern Pavilion.

DINING / Public, Manuka

Maybe it was just a bad day…

Dining can be a planned affair or an impromptu occasion. On a sunny day, three of us were in Manuka and decided, on the spur of the moment, to have lunch at Public.

Situated on the prime corner of Flinders Way and Franklin Street, Public has been around for yonks in a hugely competitive hospitality market. Not only is this modern pub in a prime position, but owners have invested in mature plants in mega pots offering a pleasing visual effect and shade.

It was far from our first time at Public, and we believe it’s nice to support cafes and restaurants that have been around for a while, not just the different and exciting newbies.

Lunch got off to a good start with chicken wings with spicy sriracha (a true flavour bomb). They were piping hot, and we dipped the generous-sized and super moist wings into a creamy, punchy blue cheese sauce (gluten-free dish, $18). Wings can be a tad messy to eat at times, but I believe that’s part of the fun.

We worship baked brie and Public’s is served with slices of toasted sourdough. I didn’t think it was baked long enough, however, and was too firm around the edges and not at all gooey in the middle ($16). The taste was great, and the herbs sprinkled on top were a nice addition, but more time in the oven would have made for a perfect starter to share.

We also worship mussels, but these swam in a very oily sauce, a bit unattractive visually and it did impact on the taste. It was challenging to share them since no serving spoon was provided. Several were left lonely on the plate although we did gobble up the chunks of chorizo.

WINE / Budget

moisture. We didn’t finish it, but openly enjoyed the fresh, leaf side salad.

The pizza line-up at Public starts with a simple garlic ($18) and includes a chorizo and jalapenos variety that looked dynamite to my taste buds ($27).

The service was far from attentive. Indeed, we sat outside for so long surrounded by dirty plates and unfinished food, that we finally moved to a clean table to finish our wine in comfort. We weren’t sure what the problem was since Public

and ample staff were hanging about. I’ve said it before in reviews… restaurants and cafes are like people. They sometimes just have bad days.

We’ve never been to The Upstairs Bar that now operates. It’s always had a function on or a chef not in or was closed. Perhaps one day… for a special Public cocktail.

No help for the hardships of grape growers

There’s a real hardship with some growers getting about 15 cents a bottle for red wine. So what did the industry get in the budget? “Nada, zilch, nothing,” says wine writer RICHARD CALVER .

There is real hardship in the grape-growing sector, something that Australian Grape and Wine (AGW) wanted the federal government to acknowledge and help to fix in the budget.

In its pre-budget submission, AGW was asking for $86 million in grants, in part to help some growers transition from the industry.

They asked for a $30 million sustainability package, $36 million for export assistance and $20 million for domestic wine tourism.

The sustainability package was labelled by AGW as enabling growers “who wish to exit the industry or change their business models to drive greater efficiencies and better environmental outcomes in a sustainable and dignified way.”

Some growers are taking this step themselves; it has been reported that they are ripping out grapevines to plant medical marijuana and almonds.

AGW said that the $30 million could encourage certain investments including protected cropping, environmental plantings

or modifying equipment or infrastructure for alternative systems to improve irrigation efficiency all with a view to encouraging those with an unprofitable business model to explore alternative crops or businesses.

On hardship, the ABC recently quoted one Riverina grape grower as saying that many growers in the district were receiving prices at about 15 cents a bottle for red wine: “The label’s worth more than that, the bottle is worth more than that… The container deposit scheme is, you know, getting close to what we’re making. If someone can take a bottle and put it in a bin and make what we’re making, it’s pretty sad.”

What did the industry get in the budget? Nada, zilch, nothing.

“This budget provides no relief for the serious challenges facing growers and winemakers in regional communities across much of Australia,” said AGW CEO Lee McLean.

“The economic shock experienced by our industry has led to unsustainable prices for grapes, an oversupply of wine and increasing economic disadvantage in regional Australia.”

To make matters worse McLean

Some growers are ripping out grapevines to plant medical marijuana and almonds.

we got was a new tax in the form of the deeply flawed Biosecurity Protection Levy.”

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry explanatory material says that from July 1, the Australian government will introduce a new Biosecurity Protection Levy payable by producers. The levy will be payable in relation to agriculture, fisheries and forestry products or goods whether produced for the domestic or overseas markets, which includes wine grapes. The levy rates are being published in a staged approach. The first tranche of rates for a number of agricultural commodities is available but the list does not yet include wine grapes.

I asked Fergus McGhie, president of the Canberra District Wine Industry Association, what the view was of the fact that the budget

He said: “Canberra is a completely different scenario; our brand is held in high regard and consumers can’t get enough of our wine.

“Any money that was in the budget should have gone to the growers in the Riverland and the Riverina where they are walking off their properties because they can’t sell their grapes at a fair price.”

McGhie also said that biosecurity is an extremely important issue for the industry and it is fair that the industry contributes something, although a new tax will be a burden on Australian winemakers who are all finding it difficult in the current economic environment.

“What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin.” –Mark Twain

Chicken wings with spicy sriracha. Photos: Wendy Johnson Baked brie served with slices of toasted sourdough.

THEATRE / Kim Beamish

Star filmmaker on a roll in the world of theatre

By Helen Musa

Documentary filmmaker and 2018 Canberra CityNews Artist of the Year Kim Beamish makes his directorial debut at The Mill Theatre in coming weeks.

Beamish, already acknowledged for his films Just Punishment, The Tentmakers of Cairo and Oyster, has spent recent years living in Hanoi working on a yet-to-be edited film called What Remains, about a former Vietnamese soldier searching for missing bodies of National Liberation Front fighters.

Terror, by German lawyer and writer Ferdinand von Schirach, is the play Beamish will direct.

It’s a courtroom drama with the twist that the audience decides on the central character’s guilt or innocence in a scenario where a fighter pilot has shot down a hijacked plane killing 164 people in order to save 70,000 in a packed football stadium.

Since premiering, reports are that, aside from Japan, voting has been a consistent 60-40 split towards a “not guilty” verdict.

When I caught up with Beamish, the obvious question was, what’s the difference between directing a play and directing a film?

The similarities, he says, are in the need for good lighting and sound, storytelling and the ability to move a script into the way you want it to be done.

“In film you can get angles, make cuts and edit, but not so much in theatre, where you really have to play the moment out,” he says.

But he’s not complaining: “It’s fantastic that you get that opportunity to play with things, working more in a 3-D space and taking notice of the whole stage. In films you can simply go to different locations, but in theatre you have to turn the space into many different locations.”

There’s also a bit of a difference in working with actors on stage, he says, “where you have to work on the overall scene rather than trying to achieve that one great moment”.

In his past career, subjects were mostly documentary characters from real life and that interest is something he was keen to bring to the stage.

“One of my favourite directors, Mike Leigh, directs both film and theatre, and I also try to bring to life stories based on world events, things that have happened maybe in Germany but relevant in Australia. There’s an argument about what should be done,” he says.

The play doesn’t present soft options and just punishment is one of the main themes, he says.

“A lot of our research has been around the question, how to get rid of a bad apple or try another apple?” he says.

“A moral dilemma faces the pilot – how much is a life worth? And the play throws that to the audience.”

The format is not unfamiliar to him, since

courtroom dramas are beloved of most film directors.

The play is structured like a hearing, with the defence and the prosecution. He’s been playing with that convention, while including reenactment moments that describe some of the anguish and the trauma.

“The idea is to really engage the audience in the play,” Beamish says, “to get them thinking about what they think is correct and to make the decision.

“This plays upon my interest in social justice, my biggest focus whatever the subject matter,” he says, referring back to his 2006 documentary feature Just Punishment, about the case of the Australian Van Nguyen who was executed in Singapore in 2005 for drug trafficking.

“When Terror was presented to me by The Mill Theatre, I thought, this is for me,” he says, praising the theatre, which he says offered him support.

“It’s like a training ground, it’s been great to bounce ideas around, especially with my mentor, Tim Sekuless, [who also plays Defence Counsel] who has shown me some points of difference between film and theatre.”

The Mill Theatre is a resource that shouldn’t be overlooked, he believes, explaining how they took him on board last year as “shadow director” for the comedy, Reasons to be Pretty.

“Now, here we are,” Beamish says, “that experience was 100 per cent necessary for me, walking from a camera to a theatre.”

Terror, Mill Theatre, Fyshwick. June 5 -15.

film you can get angles, make

and edit, but not so much in theatre, where you really have to play the

Documentary filmmaker Kim Beamish… “In

cuts

moment out.”

STREAMING Irish crime thriller’s satirical poke at podcasting

It’s always refreshing to see a crime thriller come from a country that’s not the US.

In an age where these shows are a dime a dozen, a different backdrop can make a big difference in bringing viewers on board.

That’s certainly the case for Netflix’s new series Bodkin, a dark comedy crime drama that comes from Ireland.

In this one, it’s not detectives or cops cracking the case either, but rather a team of podcasters.

Starring a talented cast including Will Forte who viewers might have seen in The Last Man On Earth (Disney Plus), this group of aficionados team up in a bid to find out what’s behind the disappearance of three strangers in an idyllic coastal town in Ireland.

The premise makes for a fun, satirical poke at crime dramas and the modern obsession with podcasts. There’s some clear inspiration here from Only Murders in the Building (also on Disney Plus), another series about true-crime podcasters who get caught up in a mystery themselves.

Bodkin still certainly does enough to craft its own identity though.

It’s a light yet gripping seven-part series that’s probably not up for any awards but still, a unique crime show topped off with a shamrock twist.

JUST over a month ago Oppenheimer hit streaming so it wasn’t going to be long before it’s pinker, less-explosive counterpart

was also going to be available to watch at home.

which has now hit Netflix and Binge, giving audiences plenty of chances to watch or rewatch 2023’s most talked about movie.

Much like its billion-dollar box office haul, the film has continued to do numbers on streaming platforms, reaching the top of the charts across multiple services.

That’s no doubt been helped by Ryan Gosling’s viral performance of the film’s song “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars which has hit more than 14 million views on YouTube, further cementing this film in the pop-

doll who is given a life-changing reality check while on an adventure to the real world, soon discovering its very different from her idyllic home in Barbie Land. It’s like Toy Story meets The Truman Show but all mixed in with a biting social commentary on gender and a surprising side of existentialism. Worth the hype.

FROM the galaxy-spanning saga Foundation to the dystopian drama Silo to the

an astrophysics expert (played by Australia’s own Joel Edgerton) who gets abducted into a parallel universe, setting him on a multi dimensional fight to get back to his own world before his alternate version harms his family.

ARTS IN THE CITY

Yet again with the multiverse thing. Audiences have seen it in everything from Marvel films to Rick and Morty to 2022’s Oscar winning flick Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Dark Matter’s audience at this point are likely to be so familiar with the concept of the “multiverse” that an explanation is no longer needed, and yet the show insists on a long-winded breakdown spanning multiple episodes as if its the first to introduce this now well-worn idea.

This makes the series very slow off the mark, but once all the exposition is out of the way and the brainy goodness gets going alongside some impressive effects, Dark Matter has plenty of entertainment value to give.

Those who like the mind-bending antics of films such as Inception or The Matrix should find something to enjoy here.

With yet another big budget sci-fi production added to its catalogue it seems Apple is in desperate search of a universe where subscriber numbers might begin to rival that of their competitors.

Rebus and the art of disruption

Rebus Theatre takes us into the tumultuous world of activist theatre with The Art Of Disruption, where the struggles of everyday life collide with the magic of storytelling. It’s the third play in Rebus’ Flair program, where the cast devises and performs a professional show. At ACT Hub, Kingston, May 30-June 1.

Daniel Clarke, livewire head of programming at Canberra Theatre Centre since 2022, is joining Tātaki Auckland Unlimited in the new executive role as director of performing arts from July 22. In addition to presenting content in the Auckland Live venues, Clarke says he’s thinking about the whole city as a canvas for performing arts.

Winners of the annual Queanbeyan-Palerang Heritage awards were: Lauren Gundry for Willeroo Homestead in the Restoration of a Heritage Building category; Dominica and Tim McOwan for 1 Rutledge Street in the New Building Design category and Timothy Adams for his paper Carved in

The Art of Disruption… ACT Hub, May 30-June 1.

Stone: An Examination of Identity in an Early Regional Cemetery in the Contribution and Promotion of Heritage category.

Artistic director and CEO of Megalo Print Studio Stephen Payne is the new manager of the Beechworth Museum and Historic Precinct in Victoria. During his time with the studio, he initiated several programs, including Megalo Editions in 2021.

DocPlay, which streams top documentary films, is launching a new partnership with the National Film and Sound Archive, with 13 titles premiering from May 27.

The seventh annual Recon -

ciliation Day event will be held in Commonwealth Park on May 27. The free family-friendly event will feature Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music, entertainment and workshops.

In Heartbeats, Maruki Community Orchestra presents an ambitious concert of music by Rossini, Sibelius and Johannes Brahms, Albert Hall, May 26.

The Australian National Eisteddfod’s 2024 season will start with its bands and orchestras event, May 30-June 2. Performances in Llewellyn Hall and Lyneham High School Performing Arts Centre will see more than 2600 people in 80 groups compete, and the high point will be the open sections for concert and brass bands on May 31.

Bodkin… a dark comedy crime drama from Ireland.

HOROSCOPE PUZZLES

By Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

When it comes to managing a complicated financial matter, Uranus encourages you to be creative and have a flexible plan. And Mercury urges you to look at a current problem in a less judgmental and more rational way. The situation is in the process of transforming in an organic fashion. Your ruler, Mars, is currently in Aries (until June 9) so avoid rushing things and trying to force change. Do your best to be proactive and patient; dynamic and diplomatic.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

This week curious Mercury and innovative Uranus link up in your sign. So it’s time to speed up your thinking, explore innovative ideas, discuss alternative points of view and try new approaches. Keep what’s working in your life – but throw out things that aren’t working and don’t be afraid to break a few stodgy old rules. Inspiration for the week is from movie icon (and birthday great) Marilyn Monroe: “If I’d observed all the rules, I’d never have got anywhere.”

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

As the Sun makes its annual transit through doppelganger Gemini (sign of the double-trouble Twins) prepare for a stop-start kind of week! Frantically go-go-go one day (Mercury/Uranus) and frustratingly slow the next (Mercury/Saturn). So you need to be nimble, adaptable and stoical. Plus – with Mercury and Uranus sometimes snoozing in your solitude zone – take the time to slow down and reassess where you are going… and where you’ve been.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

You’re keen to retreat into your cosy Crab cave as the Sun, Venus and Jupiter all transit through your contemplation zone. So solo activities like yoga, meditation, reading and journal writing are favoured this week. But – if you stumble and make a mistake – don’t let negative self-talk drag you down. Keep going! Be inspired by birthday great Kylie Minogue (who turns 56 on Tuesday): “I didn’t want to fizzle out. I had to keep going, like a little Shetland pony.”

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

Fiery Mars activates your travel zone, so a heavenly holiday is likely sometime soon. But it won’t happen if you’re a lackadaisical Leo! Take action ASAP via a spontaneous booking (if you’ve got the money) or a smart savings plan (if you’re currently cash-strapped). The Sun, Venus and Jupiter also urge you to take a good long look at your hopes and wishes for the future. Do they need a shake-up? Make sure your dreams are creative, flexible and fun.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

This week Mercury (your power planet) connects with Saturn and Uranus, so concentration and curiosity will take you far. The focus is also on work as the Sun, Venus and Jupiter all jump through your professional zone. But don’t overdo it, Virgo… and don’t make the mistake of neglecting family and close friends. As movie star (and birthday great) Marilyn Monroe observed: “A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night.”

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Saturn (in your job zone) links up with Mercury so it’s a good time to study, learn, apply yourself and work hard. Motto for the week comes from Kylie Minogue (who turns 56 on Tuesday): “There’s no shortcut to learning a craft; you just have to put the years in.” International adventures and interstate escapades are calling as the Sun, Venus and Jupiter activate your travel zone. Be patient and make it a priority to plan (and save for) a dream holiday later in the year.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

You currently have four planets (Mercury, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune) transiting through your relationship zone. So other people could perplex you with their confusing behaviour. Avoid being a cynical Scorpio who sabotages partnerships. Nurture and cherish your close connections. If you’re unhappily single, keep pursuing your dream of finding your soulmate. Be inspired by birthday great Kylie Minogue: “I’m sure that love exists. Even infinite, eternal love.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Avoid jumping to conclusions, making hasty assumptions and passing on unsubstantiated information. Slow down, Sagittarius! The Sun, Venus and Jupiter are jumping through your partnership zone. So creative, diplomatic communication (and a spirit of generosity) will help improve relations with family and friends, as you get your message out loud and clear. Friday is fabulous for lightbulb moments as you discuss innovative ideas and think outside the box.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

The week starts well with the positive link between mind planet Mercury and your ruler Saturn. Which encourages clear thinking, disciplined work, strategic planning, goal-setting and problem-solving for clever Capricorns. And then Friday’s stars favour innovative ideas, unusual points of view and long-term friendships. As movie star Marlene Dietrich (a fellow Capricorn) observed: “It’s the friends you can call up at four am that matter.”

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

Prepare for a hectic week when you overdo just about everything. Under the influence of the Mercury/Uranus hookup, you’re inclined to be enthusiastic and exhausting, restless and rebellious, questioning and quirky. You’ll certainly be hard to ignore as you ruffle a few feathers with your impulsive ideas and spontaneous comments. But jumping to conclusions could land you in hot water – especially when it comes to a family member or a close friend.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

You won’t feel particularly energetic or motivated, as Saturn drains the gas out of your tank. Avoid the temptation to get carried away and make unrealistic promises. It will be very easy to over-extend yourself and find you’ve bitten off more than you can comfortably chew! Use the prevailing astro-winds wisely as you re-calibrate your expectations, especially when it comes to domestic matters and family members. Creative collaboration will take you far.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2024

1 To mislead by a false statement, is to do what? (7)

2 What is an alternative name for a diary? (7)

3 To be more thinly scattered, is to be what? (7)

4 Which term describes that which is neither positive nor negative? (7)

5 Name a muscle having three heads. (7)

6 What is a boat race? (7)

11 To have given out a sharp ringing sound, is to have done what? (7)

12 Which term implies that which relates to the side? (7)

13 What is a decree also known as? (7)

14 What is a word formed from the initial letters of other words? (7)

15 Name an artist’s workshop. (7)

16 What was the former name of Cape Canaveral? (7)

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Jonty and his partner Ali have bought a rental property. They'd heard that the ATO was focusing this year on rental properties and came to see me for guidance.

I told them they were right and that the ATO had recently published its list of areas of focus for 2024, which included rental properties.

"Although you have just purchased the property, you may have some claims for repairs and maintenance," I told them.

"This might seem simple, but I have to tell you that there are thousands of cases and rulings on the topic of repairs. In the case of a new property it is unlikely that there are many repairs, but if your property is in a dilapidated condition and you paid a low price, the ATO's view is that you can't claim the repairs until you sell the property, when they'll come into the capital gains tax calculation.

“What people often think is a repair may not be for tax purposes. The cases make it clear that the item is an improvement. An improvement may be able to be written off over 40 years as a capital allowance or it carries forward and is offset against the capital gain when you sell.

"It is really important that you keep all your records so that all calculations can be done accurately.”

I recommended that before they make any significant repairs, they should call my office and we can advise whether the item was likely to be deductible or depreciable or not claimed immediately.

Ali said she hadn't realised repairs couldn't be claimed. She was actually thinking of renovating the property so that it was more livable and may rent for a higher price.

I told he she could certainly renovate, but most of the items would be written off over 40 years under the capital allowance provisions.

"Unless you buy new property you can't depreciate things like the hot water service, stove and carpets," I said.

"However, when you replace these items after your initial purchase, you can write them off over a period of time.

“You cannot claim mortgage repayments, you can only claim the interest paid. However, interest is always under the spotlight. For example, you have a drawdown facility on your loan and you need some cash and you draw down, say, $10,000. Two days later, you pay it back.

"You would think that this will allow you to claim 100 per cent of the interest on the loan as a deduction. Not so; a calculation has to be done of the claimable percentage.”

Jonty said his bank had recommended they set up an offset account to reduce the interest on the mortgage.

"That's a great thing to do when it is your home and you get an advantage from the offset account because the interest is not deductible," I said.

"However, with an investment property the interest is deductible so you don't get the same advantage from an offset account as you do against your non-deductible home mortgage.

“If you decide to use the property at some point for private purposes, for example, a relative could live there and therefore the property is not earning assessable income, you cannot claim any deductions."

Ali and Jonty looked at each other and said: “Gail, we hadn't realised how complicated owning an investment property could be. Thanks for giving us some pointers; we'll be back for you to do the tax returns in the new financial year."

If you need any assistance with a rental property or any tax related matter contact the expert team at Gail Freeman & Co-on 6295 2844.

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