CityNews 240606

RATES RIP-OFF

THE GREAT RATES RIP-OFF

The debt mountain and how you’re paying for it

CityNews columnists have come together to expose, from different angles, the great rates rip-off that is being perpetrated against the long-suffering ratepayer of the ACT by its own government!

CLIVE WILLIAMS, ordinarily writing whimsy, sets the tone with a laser-like look at the state of the ACT…

“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” –Thomas Jefferson “Never a borrower nor a lender be.” –William Shakespeare

For a change, I want to talk about the ACT debt mountain and a debt trap.

Due to fiscal mismanagement by the Barr/Rattenbury government, the ACT is desperate for income. The ACT government’s accumulated debt is increasing by more than $1 billion every year and will be $13.2 billion by the end of the forward estimates, in 2024-25.

In 2023, the ACT was stripped of its AAA credit rating by S&P Global, which dropped its long-term issuer rating to AA+, making government borrowing more expensive.

That $13.2 billion works out at $27,640 per person for Canberra’s population, now estimated at 477,567. As probably only one in three or four is a ratepayer, you can see it’s a substantial individual burden for ratepayers – and growing.

One of the extravagances in the

INDEX

ACT is the size of the ACT public sector. When the Hawke government imposed self-government on the ACT in 1988 (after 63.75 per cent of the ACT population had voted against it), the ACT’s population was 270,000 and we had around 2000 public-sector work ers. Now we have a population of just under 480,000 and 27,000 public-sector workers.

Another extravagance is the tram. In 2017, Talgo offered the ACT government a fast-tilt train service between Canberra and Sydney for $100 million – with all its flow-on economic benefits. Instead, we got a slow tram to Gungahlin for more than $700 million.

Property is the ACT government’s main source of income and Canberra ratepayers and their children are slowly being drawn into a financial black hole.

Turning to residential rates and taking my own as an example – I pay

$12,162.22 a year. That’s made up of a Valuation Based Charge (based on Average Unimproved Value) of $11,305.22, a Fixed Charge (no explanation of what that’s for) of $861.00, Police, Fire and Emergency Services Levy (happy with that) of $375, less a Pensioner Rebate (happy with that) of -$424, and a Safer Families Levy (not sure what that is) of $45.

That total amount is three to four times what a ratepayer would pay for a similar property in NSW or Queensland. The high rates are painful for many people, particularly those on pensions, so the Barr/Rattenbury government allows some ratepayers to defer paying their rates. Originally,

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they could be deferred at an annual interest rate of one per cent; now it’s 4.38 per cent.

This a debt trap because the deferred debt is compounding annually. Suppose, for the sake of simplicity, the deferred rates are $10,000 a year. If you defer payment at the current rate of 4.38 per cent interest per annum, the amount owed after five years would be $58,602.62 and after 10 years $134,489.67 (according to ChatGPT).

If you intend to leave your property to a son or daughter, you’re building a debt they may not be able to pay to keep the property. The prudent thing therefore is to tighten one’s belt and pay the rates monthly – which may in

the older suburbs be more than $1000

Turning to the residential investment trap – if you, as a landlord, rent out a housing unit, your rental return is limited by the ACT government. With the payment of rates and land tax, body corporate fees and ongoing maintenance and management fees, you would be unlikely to get as much return as you would from an interestbearing bank account.

Capital gain is also minimal. That’s why it’s hard to find properties to rent in the ACT. So, if you’re determined to invest in real estate, better to do it in Queanbeyan or elsewhere.

Just so this Whimsy is not totally depressing. I’ve added two informed comments about public debt from the home of capitalism:

“I could end the deficit in five minutes. You just pass a law that says that any time there is a deficit of more than 3 per cent of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.” –Warren Buffett

“Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit our nation’s debts.” –Herbert Hoover

I should add that I have a meeting at the bank later today. If all goes well, I’ll be able to pay off my rates debt. I’m so excited I can barely put on my ski mask.

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist.

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Thanks to Andrew Barr, left, and Shane Rattenbury the ACT government’s accumulated debt is increasing by more than $1 billion every year and will be $13.2 billion by the end of 2024-25.

THE GREAT RATES RIP-OFF

Arbitrary and bullying exercise of taxing power

JON

STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED

look at the ACT government’s unfair and unprincipled bullying of ratepayers with larger blocks.

A defining feature of western democracies is the absence of a capacity by governments to exercise power arbitrarily.

This principle has shaped governing structures and imposes a system of checks and balances on the exercise of power. As a society we regard unprincipled and unexplained decisions as unfair, if not abhorrent.

It would be naïve to think that a modern-day parliamentary democracy with standard administrative structures ensures a complete safeguard against injustice or unethical decision making.

A stark example, is the Robo Debt scheme, ostensibly created to identify welfare fraud and recover overpayments. Who could argue with that?

Yet that scheme was found to be both unfair and illegal. It is possible that the scheme could have been made legal through amendments to the relevant law. However, that would not have made it any more ethical.

In essence, the unfortunate victims were told “You owe us money because we (actually, our algorithm) have determined it to be so. Prove to

us that you don’t, or else pay up.” In short, even if this “policy” could be rendered legal, it was arbitrary and unprincipled.

Here in the ACT, the forced relocation of public housing tenants under the Public Housing Renewal Program is a further, stark example of overreach. The program was ostensibly designed to renew ageing public housing stock. Again, who could argue with that?

The houses targeted in the program were occupied mainly by single women, elderly pensioners, people with mental or other health conditions and the disabled. When they resisted the “voluntary relocation”, the program morphed into one of compulsory eviction.

After initially rejecting the concerns of the tenants and their advocates, which unfortunately were few, the program was halted and the Housing Minister Yvette Berry apologised to the affected tenants. There has been a damning report on the program by the Auditor-General and some tenants have initiated legal action against the government.

We are mindful of, and acknowl-

edge that, in terms of scale, the ACT government’s crusade against frail elderly widows and pensioners has no equivalence with Robo Debt. However, there is moral equivalence or at least parallels. The tenants were first asked, and if they resisted, forced to move for no reason other than that they appeared on a spreadsheet, and without any regard to their personal circumstances. In effect, they were told: “You must move because we have deemed it necessary that you do so.”

We are also mindful of the pending court cases launched by courageous evictees, and as such will refrain from commenting on the legality of the program. However, even if it is found to be legal, it was unprincipled and unethical – an arbitrary exercise of power.

Which brings us to the thrust of this column, namely the RZ1 zoning policy. We have previously pointed out that through this policy, with the proverbial stroke of a pen, the ACT’s progressive Greens/Labor government has increased the General Rates base by around $8 billion.

There will also be increased revenue from land tax on rental properties and lease variations, increasing the total tax base by up to $18 billion.

While the government is clearly unable to disclose how many of the owners of the blocks so zoned will

ultimately decide to subdivide, but all of the around 45,000 households impacted by the RZI zoning policy are nevertheless liable to pay higher tax.

Broadly, households subject to this policy fall into two categories: a relatively small number of who will decide to subdivide, and a much larger number of households who won’t.

For the former group, any barriers (legal or administrative) to subdivision could have been removed by changes in application processes. It’s the latter group that has been unnecessarily captured by this policy. Within this group there may/will be households that are well-off and may not feel the increase in rates.

However, there will, without a doubt, be a large cohort of pensioners and people on moderate to lower incomes who will be severely financially impacted.

Their choices are (a) to cut other discretionary or essential spending; or (b) to defer the payment of rates, in other words, carry a debt; or (c) to sell their home to a potential developer and move house. None of these options are fair or progressive.

The policy is not only oblivious to the potential financial hardship it will engender but disregards a fundamental principle in a fully functioning democracy, namely that people should only be required to pay for the benefit they enjoy. It is also an interference

with an existing property right. Whether this policy is legal or not depends on the interpretation of legislation on valuations and its intent.

If there were to be some doubt about its legality the government could amend the legislation. However, that would not make it any fairer or any more principled.

The message from Andrew Barr and Shane Rattenbury and their Labor/Green colleagues to around 45,000 Canberra households would remain the same, namely: “Your choices are: you can subdivide, or pay up to twice as much in rates, or sell up and move, because we have deemed it so.”

It is an arbitrary and bullying exercise of the taxing power.

What makes it even more brazen is the fact that this government has shown no prudence with money with a history of waste, for example, on failed and vanity projects, ministers’ learning exercises and inflated contracts for preferred tenderers to the point we have lost our credit rating, have suffered a run of a dozen deficit budgets, have spiralling debt and are well advanced down the road to financial ruin.

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

A second opinion on hearing loss – you need professional advice, not a sales pitch

A woman came into my clinic for a consultation about her hearing aids, telling me her hearing aids were 4 years old and she had never found them to be of much help. She said the salesperson quoted her $14,000 for a pair of hearing aids, however, the monthly special of 20% discount meant they cost her $11,200. So, she ‘only’ paid $11,200 for hearing aids that did not help her. Sadly, I hear this all too often.

Here are some things to do to avoid this type of problem:

1. Visit your GP. If you or someone you know has a problem with their hearing, visiting your GP to check for wax in the ears, and to get advice is a starting point.

2. Qualifications. Always check the qualifications of the person you are dealing with. A person without professional qualifications has no business advising you about your hearing. They need to belong to a professional association with a Code of Conduct, so you know they are acting in your best interests, not their own.

years. If you are not sure about their advice, then seek a second opinion. The wrong hearing aids can be an expensive waste and could lead you to stop wearing them. You should always have a trial of hearing aids to ensure that they are right for you.

6 Pensioners and eligible DVA card holders often have entitlement to free services. If you are covered by a government concession, then let the clinician know (even though your clinician should ask). Eligible clients may obtain free hearing tests, consultations, and free hearing aids (referred to as fully subsidized hearing aids).

“A person without professional qualifications has no business advising you about your hearing. They need to belong to a professional association with a Code of Conduct, so you know they are acting in your best interests, not their own.”

– Dr Vass

These hearing aids are appropriate for many people, however if you have great difficulty hearing in background noise (for example a restaurant), then you may want to consider partially subsidized hearing aids. This is when the government pays a certain amount, and you pay for additional features and benefits. Your decision should be based on the following:

you are dealing with a qualified clinician, then they belong to a professional association. The best contact is an independent complaints body referred to as Ethics Review Committee. You can email ethics@auderc.org.au and view the website www.auderc.org.au. You can make an anonymous complaint and your complaint will be handled in a confidential and professional manner. If you are in the ACT, contact the ACT Human Rights Commission email human rights@act.gov au and the website www.hrc.act.gov.au

3. Independent advice. You should get independent, professional advice.

4. There are a wide range of hearing aids out there. Finding the right hearing aids for your communication needs can be challenging. Hearing aids vary in price and performance. Bluetooth® connectivity and rechargeable hearing aids are available on most hearing aids, along with apps that allow you to control your hearing aids from your mobile device. Be aware that just because a hearing aid is more expensive, that doesn’t mean they are the best hearing aid for you.

5. Just as hearing aids vary in performance, clinicians may also vary in performance due to training, experience, and skills. Make sure that you are comfortable and confident in their advice. You are likely to be with this clinician for the life of your new hearing aids, typically 4 to 5

(a) Can you afford the more expensive hearing aids? Don’t go into financial stress if you can’t afford them. (b) Are you clear on the free vs partially subsidized features & benefits? Never believe someone who tells you the free hearings are not good or of poor performance, this is simply not true. (c) If you try the partially subsidized hearing aids and are not happy, then return them. Do not keep hearing aids because you think the failure is yours or that you will improve over time. If the hearing aids are not working for you in the trial period, then they will not work for you in a year or two.

7. If you have a complaint, then seek help. Your clinician should be able to help you through most of your needs. Sometimes, a problem may be beyond the expertise of even the best clinician. However, if you have a complaint there are things you can do. If

THE GREAT RATES RIP-OFF

Why the increased, rezoned land rates are wrong

Home owners whose land has been rezoned to allow more housing have been paying excessive rates since the rezoning. Their rates have been based on an ‘anticipated’ value as if their land was redeveloped. That’s an error, writes legal columnist HUGH SELBY.

Dear Chief Minister,

I recommend your prompt attention (and that of your legal, planning and treasury advisers) to a problem raised and solved 100 years ago in the 1924 decision of the House of Lords (Privy Council) following the appeal of the brewer Tooheys from a decision of the NSW Supreme Court.

You can find it here.

I do not bring good news. I suggest that you have ready a Tooheys or two.

The case was about valuing blocks of land for a taxing purpose.

Tooheys was aggrieved by the method followed by the NSW Valuer to value the unimproved capital value (UCV) of land upon which they had licenced premises.

Their lordships were succinct and clear: it took a mere three pages to issue their unanimous opinion – a habit to which today’s lawyers and law students wish today’s judiciary would return,

The court found that the valuation was not made according to the method set out in the statute.

That method, as they pointed out, was to assume that there was nothing on the land by way of improvement,

and then ask: “What would such land fetch on the market?”

They went on, and here is the concept ignored now in the ACT, that it was wrong to attribute a value to the liquor licence because that attached to buildings which, by the definition, were excluded from the valuation.

I hope that you are already ahead of me, seeing that the government rezoning, allowing existing blocks to be redeveloped (pursuant to the Territory Plan) is analogous to the government issue of liquor licences.

In both cases the government action permits uses to which the land can be put upon the appropriate application being approved; however, these uses are outside the calculation of the UCV of the land itself.

In the ACT the governing law is found in the Rates Act, 2004. It mandates the same approach now as in 1924.

S.6.1 The unimproved value of a parcel of land held under a lease… is the capital amount that might be expected to have been offered on a date (the base date), for the lease of the parcel, assuming that–(a) the only improvements on or to

the parcel were the improvements (if any) by way of clearing, filling, grading, draining, levelling or excavating…. and

(b) the circumstances that existed on the prescribed date also existed on the base date; and

(c) on the base date, the lease had an unexpired term of 99 years…

S 6.3 prescribed date, for a parcel of land, means–

(a) for a determination of the unimproved value of the parcel—the date the parcel became rateable; or (b) for an annual redetermination of the unimproved value of the parcel—the date the redetermination applies; or…

Critically in the ACT in 2024, as it was in NSW in 1924, the concept of UCV does not embrace expectations or contingencies as to what uses the land might or might not be put – those being matters of planning regulation.

But the territory authorities think and act differently: “The unimproved value is what the block of land is worth subject to its highest and best use in accordance with the Crown Lease purpose clause.”

Note too that assessing a UCV is not an exercise in disguised “market value” assessment.

The Planning Act, 2023 defines “market value” (section 256) as: “… the amount that could be

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expected to be paid for the lease on the open market if it were sold by a willing but not anxious seller to a willing but not anxious buyer”.

This is quite different to UCV. That market value applies (section 274) as follows:

“The territory planning authority must not grant a lease other than for payment of an amount that is not less than the market value of the lease”.

The Planning Act also confirms that a right to subdivide is not an attribute of the land itself. It is merely a claim that can be made by a lessee (section 287):

“The land described in a lease must at all times be held and occupied by or under the lessee as 1 undivided parcel…”

Taking account of all the above, the true position is that when a residential area is rezoned so that, for example, town houses can be built on one block, or the block can be subdivided for separate leases, the UCV of a block that has not been so redeveloped is as it is, not as it might be.

It follows that the large increase in rates (based on erroneous UCV calculations) in some suburbs (and possibly coming to your suburb, too)

are wrong.

Those who have been paying much higher rates because their single parcel of land is wrongly treated as “subdivided” or covered in town houses should be entitled to the following:

1. the recalculation of yearly UCV values in accordance with the law for each year since the rezoning; 2. A refund of the rate overpayments for each year with interest.

The legislation should be amended to make clear that the lessee applying to redevelop/subdivide their block will be charged an appropriate fee. Put another way, impose the charge on the developer, not the homeowner who wants nothing other than “quiet enjoyment” – the ability to sit at home, free of rates stress, and quench a thirst.

Former barrister Hugh Selby’s free podcasts on “Witness Essentials” and “Advocacy in court: preparation and performance” can be heard on the best known podcast sites.

Sciatica is caused by nerve pain that originates from the lower back and can cause pain from the point, right down through your bottom and down one leg to your calf.

Not the entire area may be causing you pain at any one time, but what the pain will certainly do is cause you frequent extreme discomfort that is often not relieved by pain medication.

Exercise is a key to dealing with sciatica. People who have lived with sciatica for some time will generally have some weakness of the

muscles, tendons and ligaments surrounding the joints and bones that support the sciatic nerve. This is largely due to not having used their body to the fullest extent due to the sciatic pain.

Sciatic pain will generally respond well to rebuilding the support structures surrounding the sciatic nerve. For some people surgery may be the only solution, but in most cases, even if surgery is required, building up the support structures either prior to or following surgery will still be necessary.

Arthritis ACT has a team of exercise physiologists that can improve your quality of life in relation to your sciatica. Both hydrotherapy and land based exercise techniques are useful, and for those who do not like water exercise, land based exercise is just as effective.

Do you want to solve your sciatica?

Call us today on 1800 011 041 and book your appointment with one of our exercise physiologists and scientists to solve your sciatica.

You do not need to have any particular condition to utilise our services, just a desire to ‘Build a Better You.’

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Natasha Perry

The dark side of our supposedly ‘liveable’ city

Canberra is the second most liveable city in the world according to the Oxford Economics Global Cities assessment.

Meanwhile, Melbourne has been relegated to way down the list behind Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. The national capital is only second to the French city of Grenoble.

Regrettably, for those of us who live here, there are too many things that do not match up to that assessment.

The full Oxford analysis also includes four other categories. In this case Canberra ranks 44th in the world. The other assessment areas include economics, human capital, environment and governance. It is no surprise that these other four issues dragged Canberra down. Environment, human capital and economics need an improved focus if Canberra is to lift beyond 44.

Flying into the nation’s capital I have always felt a surge of pride. Flying into other cities generally reveals a view of houses with a few trees. Flying into Canberra, apart from newly developed suburbs, reveals largely the tree canopy with houses in between.

The greening of Canberra started with Charles Weston who was responsible for introducing around 1.2 million trees to Canberra between 1921 and 1924. His legacy continued over the

A year ago the government moved to resolve its problems by taking over the northside hospital from Calvary Healthcare. Has that really resolved the problems?

century that followed. Unfortunately, in the last couple of decades there has not been a great commitment to either replacing dead trees or increasing the number of trees across the city.

Add the problem of increases in high density living without the surrounding trees and Canberra’s environment and liveability deteriorates.

Within the human capital element, the deterioration of our hospital systems will surely lower our ranking. Just over a year ago the government moved to resolve its problems by taking over the management of the northside hospital from Calvary Healthcare. Has that really resolved the problems? Not so far.

On a freezing cold night, the mother and baby, along with a number of other mothers and babies, were left in a triage queue that snaked all the way to outside the door of the ED building.

The takeover has been followed by a run of announcements about new hospital buildings. Are new hospital buildings the answer to our hospital challenges? Hardly! The low standing of Canberra hospitals on a national comparison will not be solved by making announcements of big spending well into the future. And long after the upcoming election.

The announcement by Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith of a billion-dollar investment in a Northside Hospital building seems, on the surface, to be a sensible long-term investment strategy. A close examination identifies “call for expressions of interest”.

More importantly, increases in the number of hospital buildings require more staff. The Emergency Departments (ED) of hospitals is the first port of call for many in our community in need of health care. EDs, in particular, must be staffed to deal with the needs of the incoming patients.

There are many examples of good care, but unfortunately there seem to be many more where simple changes in staffing procedures would improve patients’ experiences. I heard recently from a young mother, whose baby was having difficulty breathing and who was advised at the nurse-led clinic to urgently attend the ED at The Canberra Hospital.

On a freezing cold night, the mother and baby, along with a number of other mothers and babies, were left in a triage queue that snaked all the way to outside the door of the ED building. No-one came out to see if there were more urgent cases or ill babies in the line.

To rub salt into the wound, once inside, there was a video explaining how the government had been investing to ensure better patient outcomes. Another person mentioned that only a few weeks earlier a non-hospital staff

member had to apply an epi-pen to a woman who was in dire straits while waiting to be triaged.

Once triaged, the mother spoke highly of the emergency staff and the care and attention they paid to her baby. The quality of our hospital staff is not what is in question. Having enough staff is fundamental to having Canberra’s hospitals match other hospitals around Australia.

As Jon Stanhope and Khalid Ahmed explained in CityNews recently, “the ACT stands out like a sore thumb with the lowest annual growth in health expenditure at a mere 0.1 per cent”. Hopeless financial management!

Better economic and environmental management, and taking care of our human capital, is required if the ACT is to lift from 44th overall and to avoid being downgraded by Oxford Economics Global Cities assessment.

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

Photo: Andrew Campbell

Labor are the masters of long-mining budgets

Budgets aren’t just economic documents in Australia. They set the narrative for the year ahead.

They are one of the few occasions where people watch politicians live in primetime in their natural environment: parliament.

The election budget used to be just the one held before the election, although that is still an important strategic method. There are now two election budgets, with the one held before the election year budget being just as important strategically.

A more cynical electorate, thanks to the digital age and exposure to high negative messaging, means that election year budgets are always seen as butter-ups by voters. But less so is the pre-election year budget.

These set narratives. This was the case federally this year. For Labor, there were two big narratives. Firstly, to be seen as good economic managers through modest spending, keeping interest rates steady to stop any drift to the Coalition in high-mortgagestress areas of the outer-urban areas.

Secondly, was the narrative of reinforcing perceived brand strengths in their big three on the left: housing, welfare and social reforms.

The Federal budget subtly but tellingly left little room to move for the Opposition when it came to spending announcements, either now or in the

the contest come the likely Federal election in May 2025. Instead, he set his own narratives, which he could take into the Coalition heartland, but also to the likely areas they need to win seats in to be in with a chance of minority government.

Similar to Labor, two key narratives were emerging here built around the central theme of risk.

Safety, locally through knife crime, domestic violence and immigration detainees. Internationally, through stronger defence spending and closer relationships with key allies. All big picture but sowing the seeds for a likely fear-based campaign in 2025.

here, spruiked as providing lower energy costs and therefore a longerterm way of ensuring inflation is down and stays down. Again, big picture.

It was good, but also designed to be scant on details as no reason yet to give away the keys to the kingdom to a government still looking certain to be in power come post-election 2025. Smart strategy from Dutton as he raised awareness without losing on performance.

But what does this all mean though for an ACT budget?

In a way it’s the same thing. A budget to be effective in our eyes needs to be closely matched to the

leader, party and government narrative. Locally, Labor has been getting plenty of mixed feedback on their big three narratives built around their big theme: safety in stability.

Their big three narratives are progress, society and inclusion, and climate, although the last is nicely leveraged off the Greens, thank you very much.

Progress will be through three policies of housing, public transport, and the aspirational developments of the city itself such as Stadium 2075 and Hospital North 2040. Never said progress would be quick, okay, cost-of-living having increased most government expenditure by 20 per cent in cost and length of additional time required for completion. Hello opportunities for the Libs.

Social inclusion is Labor’s bread and butter. So policies designed to alleviate cost of living are important, along with more spending on social housing and targeted announcements on education, health, and First Nations issues where the ACT is starting to lag behind more and more (see Jon Stanhope’s pieces on this).

Climate is obvious, although the Greens get to swallow the block of

coal when it comes to handling issues such as wood-fired heaters, the underinvestment in cycling infrastructure and the slow and restrictive rollout of battery subsidies for those with rooftop solar.

Still, Labor are the masters of the long mining on pre-Budget and post-Budget announcements, closely aligned to narratives and themes they know they are on safe ground on. Elizabeth Lee, unlike her federal leader, does not get a prime-time reply speech or focus. Nor does she get the advantage of government on narrative setting and announcements. Instead she needs to innovate and initiate far more between now and the election on her budget strategy.

Like Dutton, it’s a fine line between details too early and details too late. Only time will tell though if she can get the balance and game of narratives right.

Dr Andrew Hughes is a lecturer in marketing with the Research School of Management at ANU.

THE GADFLY

Baby-faced charmer here to talk Trump

We recently celebrated the way our electoral system differed from the horror story the Americans are facing in a presidential choice between a cartoon clown in Donald Trump and doddering Joe Biden.

One week later, along comes our own bulbous jester splashing into the mix. And there, bobbing in his wake is the former Trump fan, the American blatherspout, Tucker Carlson.

The jester is, of course, Clive Palmer, though his name is absent from the page one ads in the country’s daily press. The revelation is only a step away in Google-land where Palmer’s sponsorship is writ large as the owner of Mineralogy, the financier of the Tucker Carlson lecture series.

In fact, Clive says he will personally accompany Tucker to performances in Cairns, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra where they will occupy our Hyatt Hotel on June 25.

They are the classic “odd couple”. We all know Palmer as a political rapscallion with so much money from his mines that he’s happy to waste it on silly attempts to seek a balance-ofpower in a divided Senate.

It doesn’t even bother him that if his candidates are elected, they usually denounce and depart his banner.

Donald Trump – he climbed the ratings ladder on Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News before departing last year to produce his own show, Tucker Carlson Tonight on Twitter (later X).

It began with fair ratings but when he produced such oddities as a fawning, and seemingly endless, interview with Vladimir Putin, viewers turned back to the raw conservative meat on Fox. Then along came the Aussie moneybags and Tucker was back in the gravy.

Though he’s never actually been here, he says: “I’ve admired Australia all my life and watched carefully from across

While Peter Dutton’s Opposition will happily accept the Trump presidency, we can expect the Labor government to contort itself to meet the challenge. And not in a good way.

the world as its government became authoritarian during the covid insanity. I could hardly believe it. I still can’t. I know many Australians feel the same way and I’m excited to meet them.”

As we all know, that was under Scott Morrison, one of the more conservative PMs we’ve endured, and while the national cabinet was not without its faults, we did get through the covid crisis in reasonably good shape. So, if that’s the theme of the Odd Couple’s Canberra leg of the Aussie barnstormer, there’s probably no need to book a seat at the Hyatt.

The real problem is that the clever folk at Penny Wong’s DFAT have decided that the object of Tucker’s former infatuation, Donald J Trump, is looking like a winner of the presidential race against doddering Joe. And with every passing day that his Israeli

friends continue their ravaging of Gaza’s Palestinians, Biden’s support is waning in vital States such as Michigan and Nevada. By June 25 it may well be that Trump’s lead is looking insurmountable.

While Peter Dutton’s Opposition will happily accept the Trump presidency, we can expect the Labor government to contort itself to meet the challenge. And not in a good way. For all his apparent weakness, Anthony Albanese is a democrat to his bootstraps and Penny Wong is no less committed to Biden’s “rules-based order”.

Nevertheless, Ambassador Kevin Rudd would have to be withdrawn and Trump’s wild excesses would put their leadership up for grabs.

Minister Bill Shorten has scratched himself from that race by his description of Trump as “barking mad”; but one man in the Labor hierarchy would slip nicely into the role. What are the odds of a Richard Marles government by year’s end? Pretty good, I’d say.

robert@ robertmacklin.com

Men’s shed repairs and market stalls

The Hawker Men’s Shed is hosting its quarterly Hawker Community Repair Café and Made Local Markets, at Hawker International Softball Centre, 45 Walhallow Street, 10am-1pm on June 16. Entry by gold-coin donation. The market stalls include bric-a-brac, artworks, books, toys, quilts and handmade crafts.

Art show for Zonta

The Zonta Club of Canberra Breakfast is hosting an art show of glass works, pottery, sculpture, weaving, macrame and cards at the Old Barn Gallery, Pialligo,10am-4pm, June 8-9.

Raffle with a travel prize

Cystic Fibrosis ACT has launched a fundraising raffle. First prize is a $5000 travel voucher. All funds raised from the raffle will go directly to supporting people living with cystic fibrosis in the ACT region. Tickets are on sale until September 19 from rafflelink.com.au/cystic-fibrosis-act

Orthopaedic consults for Paediatric patients

Dr Chris Spelman

Chris Spelman is a paediatric hip and knee surgeon, with a special interest in the management of hip dysplasia in all age groups.

Justine St George is a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon specialising in hip dysplasia and other paediatric hip disorders, limb length discrepancy and reconstructive surgery.

Dr Samya Lakis regrets to inform that Ortho ACT appointments for Dr Lakis are now closed. All Scoliosis referrals should go through to Sydney.

The SCH clinic referral is SCHN-SCH-OPD@health.nsw.gov.au

Dr Justine St George

Prices of our bananas are still going bananas!

I have been concerned about the lack of seasonal prices for fruit and vegetables in the supermarkets for many months (even a couple of years).

Bananas – apart from the very odd occasion – have been locked at $3.99 a kilo. Don’t even ask about strawberries!

On discussing this subject with my daughter in the UK, she sent me the attached photo, taken in a Waitrose supermarket, one of their up-market supermarkets.

Given that these bananas have to be shipped from Africa as bananas aren’t grown in the UK, the cost equates to about $1.95 a kilo. So where is the profit being made in Australia?

Hopefully the farmers are receiving their fair share, but after Bob Katter’s tirade about the price of potatoes in our supermarkets ie $0.49 (farmgate) vs $4.99 (supermarket), I doubt it very much.

I wonder if the present enquiry into supermarket pricing will fix the high cost situation in Australia. I also doubt that.

Dave Jeffrey, Farrer

Cover story gave cause to reflect

The cover story about the men’s support group Everyman (CN May 16) caused me, at 80 years of age, to reflect on my 40-year, turbulent, broken marriage. In the ‘70s I

saying “I thought I’d married a passive wife like my mother”!

By the ‘90s he gave in to my wilful ways, by going to a men’s shed to help him cope with his bewilderment. Subsequently, we enjoyed a few short years of harmony as the leader encouraged the members to keep their wives happy.

Judy Nicholas, Kambah

Conservator should consider career change

Canberrans can be assured about the scientific rigour and high quality of the Kangaroo Management Program, says the

ACT’s Conservator of Flora and Fauna.

The ACT government states its program of slaughtering kangaroos and joeys puts “kangaroo welfare at the heart of its activities”. Unfortunately, no welfare is ever or could be considered. Shooting in the dark means every one and any one of them in the shooters’ sights is fair game.

There is no welfare considered as they drag a joey from the dead mother’s pouch and bash it with a mallet or on a nearby bull bar. An at-foot joey, if it’s lucky enough to get away, will slowly starve to death without its mother.

Not to mention the number of inaccurate shoots that leave wounded kangaroos in pain.

The government states that an independent person reached these conclusions and made recommendations. The 122-page report’s author, Prof Legge, praises the ACT’s management of kangaroos with effusive adjectives, but totally ignores the poor state of long-term neglect and mismanagement of many of the nature reserves (exclude Mulligans Flat) due to the lack of resources directed to control invasive weeds left to seed and spread year after year.

Invasive weeds are a far greater threat to the endangered flora and fauna than kangaroos and cause rapid biodiversity loss.

As a plant enthusiast, I have witnessed this over many years particularly after 296 kangaroos were killed in 2021. The long dead matted ungrazed grass inhibits small delicate lilies, orchids and daisies from blooming. My favourite reserve was in much better condition with the kangaroos, far fewer weeds and much

more wildlife even through the millennium drought years than the state it is in now.

The Conservator of Flora and Fauna should consider a change of career as he is certainly not doing anything towards protecting the natural temperate grasslands so as to provide optimum habitat for endangered plants and animals. The exact opposite is happening under his watch.

Julie Lindner, Farrar

Welcome scrutiny, not avoid it

As Jane Robinson (letters, CN May 23) points out, the recent kangaroos cull “review” was not in any way independent as the ACT government specifically commissioned Prof Legge to do the work. There was no open, competitive tender process.

The results were a forgone conclusion, as Prof Legge only worked with the government’s data and did not undertake field research of her own.

Effectively, the directorate and the ACT government have used Prof Legge to mark their own homework, finding their work to be “excellent”. Interestingly, the amount she was paid does not seem to be publicly available.

The last independent review into the kangaroo massacres was undertaken by the CSIRO in 2014, which found that kangaroos were not damaging the grassy layer in the reserves and that the annual cull was not necessary.

In 2022, the ACT Labor membership passed a motion at the annual conference

cyber threats.

At BluePackets, we understand the importance of proactive security measures. We’ve observed a phenomenon we call the “Security Dividend,” where clients who invest in security experience fewer issues and require less reactive support. By prioritising security, our clients not only

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for there to be an independent review of the annual cull. The motion was passed by an overwhelming majority, with 268 members supporting the motion, two against. The motion has never been actioned. If the government is confident that the population estimates and its practices are appropriate, it should welcome independent scrutiny rather than avoiding it.

Rebecca Marks, Palmerston

Mobile butcher shops on our reserves

The kangaroo cull is slaughter and the given cull numbers exclude hundreds of joeys. The justification for this government’s urgency is being spearheaded by the review of three ACT Acts and by so-called scientific rigour. Do not we have the right to question the push of unwanted kangaroos out of our reserves by any means available? Why do we need to spend money on being forcefully re-educated as in war, to accept that we cannot scrutinise what is happening? Why should wildlife be demonised as being feral? Why do we want mobile butcher shops on our reserves?

Ilona Crabb, Narrabundah

Where is the mercy when there is nothing left?

Thank you Lauren Carter (Letters, CN May 23) for pointing out the truth behind Don and Jean Morley’s moving story.

The prison sentence handed down to Don is in opposition to public opinion.

Much as it may upset many, I feel that one way to describe the gradual decline of people suffering dementia or other brain-death conditions is Zombification.

Eventually there is nothing left but a body, still living but not recognising people or their surroundings and not experiencing any quality of life. There is virtually nothing that can be done to help patients this far gone and yet the existing VAD laws will not permit a painless and dignified death, before this final stage is reached.

Where is the mercy in this, not just for the patient but for the family, friends and medical staff that are suffering through the never ending cycle of loss?

Why do we allow so many to go through this torture? The experiences of the family and friends left behind are overlooked and the enduring mantras – “Where there’s life there’s hope”, or “never do harm to a patient” – are the reasons given.

In cases of advanced dementia and other brain-death conditions, there is virtually nothing of the person’s true self left. Rational thought, gestures of recognition and affection are non-existent. Day by day the real person who once laughed, communicated, sang, danced, made

funny remarks, told terrible jokes, baked wonderful cakes, loved to entertain or who once shared joy in living, slowly disappears and a shell remains.

Many family members who have to wait years for this emotionally draining process to end say that there were no more tears left to shed, just a feeling of relief and release from the constant anxiety.

I know the issues are complex and the potential misuse of the VAD process is the main reason for rules relating to “non-terminal” conditions are yet to be considered, but there are thousands of reasons – people – who would benefit if the options were at least offered to those who want to leave this life painlessly at a time and place of their choosing.

Nobody in their right mind wants to contemplate their demise as a slow, painful, soul-destroying journey that burdens their family, friends and the over stretched healthcare system.

The more people talk openly about this issue the more likely that changes will be forthcoming – optimistically, sooner rather than later.

Carole Ford, via email

I welcome the conscience vote on VAD

Sue Dyer’s letter –’Cop out Liberal conscience voting on the ACT’s Voluntary Assisted Dying bill (CN, May 30) – does my party a disservice.

As a long-time Liberal and supporter of

VAD, I welcome the conscience vote granted to our MLAs upon this important issue. Does Sue imagine all ALP/Green MLAs and members are robots blindly supporting the legislation? Are the 20 per cent of voters against VAD all Liberals or, to put it another way, are all 80 per cent in favour (except me) non-Liberal voters?

A conscience vote is a democratic means of expressing your personal opinion like the Voice referendum and unlike decisions on going to war or the death penalty, where the electorate was not consulted.

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

An embarrassing view of Canberra

The chief minister and his deputy, who are also the ministers for tourism and sport, will probably look the other way when it is time to step up and encourage interstaters and even Kiwis to visit Canberra for end-ofseason rugby union games at Bruce stadium. They might be too embarrassed to do so.

A well-known interstate rugby commentator wrote about possible outcomes of upcoming rounds for the top teams. He thought certain results would be better than others because “few teams would want to go to Canberra for a quarter or semi-final”.

But even locals find it hard to consider attending home games. ACT ministers do not seem to have a clue or care about how the lack of efficient local bus services to and from interchanges continue to be a huge

disincentive for game attendance.

Poor local bus servicing at nights and across weekends certainly makes a farce of past or any future ACT government effort to talk up and encourage locals and visitors alike to contribute to and enjoy the social, cultural and sporting “vibrancy” of Canberra.

The Liberals’ promised local bus servicing improvements won’t deliver more frequent and convenient travel times after 7pm on weekdays and on weekends either

Sue Dyer, Downer

Could the river be the key to water issues?

Could the Murrumbidgee River be the key to solving the poor water quality problems of Lake Burley Griffin and Lake Tuggeranong?

Both lakes are formed by damming tributaries of the Murrumbidgee – the Molonglo River and Tuggeranong Creek, respectively.

Stagnation appears to be the major cause of the lake pollution. “Greening” the lakes’ inflows with planting etcetera, doesn’t seem to fix the problem.

The still-unused, 100 megalitres-a-day, solar powered pumps, installed at Angle Crossing on the Murrumbidgee in 2012, were intended to top up Googong Dam in droughts, via the “M2G” pipeline passing by Williamsdale.

The pumps appear to have been made redundant by the massively enlarged Cotter Dam, which enables preservation of

Googong (and other) dams’ water levels. Googong is on the Queanbeyan River, which flows into the Molonglo, upstream of Lake Burley Griffin. With the addition of a branch pipeline following the old railway line down from Williamsdale, to upper Tuggeranong Creek, water from Angle Crossing could be sent to purify and flush out both lakes, and be returned to the Murrumbidgee via existing facilities in each lake dam.

The existing agreement between the ACT and NSW to draw water from the bountiful Tantangara Dam on the upper Murrumbidgee, for the Angle Crossing pumps, should facilitate the above pumping, with additional contributions from the Commonwealth in the interests of the national capital, the environment and population health.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

Time to enforce seat belts on planes

Following Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways recent frightening encounters with severe air turbulence, one thing is certain, seat belts should be worn at all times when seated. Had that been the case in both of these incidents there would have been far fewer casualties.

When are the airlines and IATA going to wake up and introduce mandatory regulations to ensure that seat belts must be worn at all times during a flight when seated?

Mario Stivala, Belconnen

ALL ABOUT QUEANBEYAN

Neighbourly city’s long history and bright future

Queanbeyan is considered one of the oldest colonial settlements in Australia, and now represents one of the fastestgrowing cities in regional NSW.

All that and more shows Queanbeyan has carved itself out as an exceptional corner of Australia, and it’s thriving now more than ever.

“CityNews” heads over the border for a closer look.

Empowering patients to live healthier lives

Brindabella Medical Centre doctors Shanket Bhakta, Vithya Indrakumar and Dr Shyama Gonakumbura are renowned for their compassionate approach, attentive listening and dedication to patient care, says operations manager Anita Segal.

“We are a mixed-billing medical centre, prioritising personalised care,” says Anita.

“We bulk bill Commonwealth concession card holders, children under 16, and DVA gold card holders for standard in-person consultations on weekdays, excluding phone and form-related appointments.

“Our independent general practitioners focus on building long-term patient relationships and offering a wide range of medical and health services, including pre-employment and insurance medicals, childhood immunisations, travel vaccinations, women’s and men’s health, stress management, cardiograms (ECGs), spirometry, cryotherapy, occupational health counselling, medical check-ups, Implanon insertion and removal, and nutrition and exercise physiology.”

Anita says the Brindabella Medical Centre team is deeply passionate about delivering high-quality, patient-centred care, and committed to fostering a supportive environment where patients feel heard, valued and empowered in managing their health.

“We pride ourselves on our holistic approach to health care, community engagement initiatives and ongoing educational programs aimed at promoting wellness and empowering patients to lead healthier lives,” she says.

Brindabella Medical Centre, Suite 2/80 Morisset Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6188 8400 or visit brindabellamc.com.au

Family lawyers to help with the separation process

Going through a separation can be a highly emotional experience, but RMB Lawyers has a team of lawyers ready to assist with meaningful and practicable advice, says lawyer Hannah Cudaj.

Most matters do not proceed to court and can be resolved by way of negotia tions, Hannah says, but it is important to speak with a family lawyer.

“If you have arranged to consult a family lawyer or are thinking about it, it is important to gather your financial disclosure documents to inform your lawyer of the relevant property pool that requires division, as well as have information relating to the current care arrangements of any children,” says Hannah.

“Where parties have children, they will also need to reach agreement as to the time arrangements of the children, focus ing on the best interests of the child.”

It is a common misconception that there is a starting percentage division when negotiating property settlements, says Hannah.

She says the court calculates property settlements by assessing the contributions of the parties throughout the course of the relationship, including

Queanbeyan. Call 1800 68121, email rmb@rmblawyers.com.au or visit rmblawyers.com.au

Lawyer Hannah Cudaj of RMB Lawyers.

PATIENTS HOLDING A VALID MEDICARE CARD

THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

• Children under 16 years of age

• All Commonwealth Concession Card holders

• DVA Gold Card holders

* Excluding telephone consultations and forms

* Fees apply to patients outside of the above mentioned bulk billing category

*No bulk Billing on weekends and public holidays

OPEN 6 DAYS

Services Provided:

• Children’s Health

• Childhood Immunisations

• Chronic Disease Management

• Driver’s Medicals

• Men’s Health

• Mental Health

• Travel Vaccinations

• Skin Checks

• Women’s Health

• Workers Compensation

• Musculoskeletal Online Bookings

Dr Shyama Gonakumbura

Dr Shanket Bhakta

Dr Vithya Indrakumar

“When I stood for election last year, I made it clear that my priority was to fix the mess the previous government created with children missing lessons in our schools, understaffed hospitals and essential service workers leaving in droves,” he says.

“I am pleased to say that in our first year we have abolished the Nationals’ unfair wage cap and we now have a wages policy that is helping us to reverse the drain of teachers, paramedics and nurses who were going to the ACT and other States that paid much better.”

Steve says he feels a deep sense of satisfaction when he hears from a Queanbeyan teacher that they have stayed teaching at one of the high schools, instead of leaving to work in Canberra, or when one of the essential ambulance paramedics says that they can

“In our hospitals, Labor has started the roll out of historic safe staffing levels. Over time that means more staff in the emergency department in Queanbeyan, Cooma, Bombala, and Braidwood,” says Steve.

“We have also made a great start on the capital commitments for our local area. Planning is underway for traffic lights at the intersection of Ellerton Drive and Kings Highway; for the high school at Googong and stage two of Jerrabomberra and new Government pre-schools at Queanbeyan South and Queanbeyan East Public Schools.”

Steve says it has been an interesting first year back and he looks forward to the next three!

Steve Whan, 213 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6299 4899 or visit stevewhan.com.au

State-of-the-art podiatric care

QCity Podiatry has been assisting Quean beyan residents with all their podiatric needs for many years, and will continue doing so at their new location, says owner, Michelle

The practice has recently moved to new premises in the Mercury Business Centre on Morisset Street, after spending years servicing Queanbeyans from their Monaro

She says QCity is a hub for all aspects of podiatry, where she and her team offer a wide range of services, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation for medical or surgical conditions relating to the feet and lower limbs.

“We’re providing all podiatry services,”

“We’ve got Swift Microwave treatment, we’ve got laser therapy, shockwave therapy, all general treatments, orthotic therapy and

Michelle says QCity is also accessible through NDIS, Enhanced Primary Care plans and Chronic Disease Management plans, and the only people requiring referral are DVA patients.

“All you need to do is ring up and make an appointment,” she says.

Michelle says QCity has the most state-ofthe-art equipment in Queanbeyan, ensuring everything patients could need in terms of podiatry.

Canberra Podiatry & QCity Podiatry, 3/80 Morisset Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6147 1616 or visit canberrapodiatry.com.au

From left, Steve Whan, Kristy McBain and Kenrick Winchester.

Owner Michelle Prophet.

Long line of motivated landscaping experts

A long line of family experience in the industry has allowed Earth Moving Creations to develop innovative techniques that make construction projects less complex, says director Blake Scerri.

“Earthmoving Creations have over 150 years of combined experience in the local, civil and landscaping industry, so we can guarantee quality, reliability and professionalism,” says Blake.

“We are a passionate and motivated team that can help you with any job regardless of how big or small.”

With services in bulk excavation, swift site clearing, detail excavation, civil construction, concreting and more, Blake says all jobs are run in order to provide the client with quality workmanship and to ensure a safe standard.

Earth Moving Creations also has an expanding fleet

of heavy earthmoving equipment available for hire.

“From truck and dog to excavator and bobcat hire we have something to help with your project,” says Blake.

“We also provide top-quality landscaping construction services at affordable prices. Contact us today to organise a time for a quote and to discuss the many different ways we can help with your project.”

Blake says that at Earth Moving Creations, they are dedicated to achieving the best results for clients, and carry out thorough quality assessments at every stage of the process, from design input to execution.

Earth Moving Creations, Paterson Parade, Queanbeyan West. Call 5154 9999 or 0439 733044, visit earthmovingcreations.com.au

Podiatry

Musical that marks album’s 20th anniversary

Brad McDowell, director of American Idiot, says this latest Queanbeyan Players production is the perfect opportunity to come and see something new, fresh and exciting.

This is the first time the American Idiot show has come to the Canberra and Queanbeyan region, says Brad. The cast has been rehearsing since February.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he says.

American Idiot is based on the music of two of Green Day’s albums, says Brad, with 2024 marking the 20-year anniversary of the American Idiot album.

“People that were teenagers in the early 2000s really, really resonated with this album and that music was

so prevalent at the time that I think people in that age range are really going to appreciate the show,” he says.

But, even the most unsuspecting audience member will recognise at least one song from the production, Brad says.

“You will know this music, and you will know these songs,” he says.

American Idiot runs June 20-29, and tickets are on sale now.

Queanbeyan Players, 18 Barrow Place, Queanbeyan East. Call 0402 353443 or visit queanbeyanplayers.com/ american-idiot

Where the perfect smile is possible

The perfect smile is possible with the help of Dentistry at Karabar.

Located on the ground floor of Karabar Shopping Mall, Queanbeyan, the surgery is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 4.30pm, or Saturdays by appointment, to provide a full range of dentistry treatments – general and cosmetic – for adults and children.

Oral health therapist and hygienist Koco Clarke says: “We offer bleaching and whitening for $450, where the customer can come in, we clean and freshen their teeth and they go home with a kit, which is very easy to use. They can have perfect teeth in a non-harmful way and not spend a fortune”.

With 25 years’ experience, Dentistry at Karabar has devel oped a friendly, approachable service that helps relieve the anxiety of visiting the dentist.

Dentistry at Karabar, Karabar Shopping Mall, Queanbeyan. Call 6297 1570 or 6297 3760 or visit dentistryatkarabar.com.au

The cast of Queanbeyan Players’ production American Idiot.

Photo: Photox

Koco Clarke from Dentistry at Karabar.

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Expert hands to refresh the home and garden

Home is where the heart is, so why not take the best care of it as possible.

But, it can be hard to know where to start, so in this feature “CityNews” talks with the Canberra experts of home improvements. These happy helpers ensure that all home decor, renovation and gardening needs are covered, without breaking the bank or a sweat.

Where bathroom renovations are all about quality

“In general, what sells a house is the bathroom and kitchen,” says Jayde Thomson, in-house designer at The Bathroom Company.

“When people go and buy a new house that’s the first room that they look at, so when you go to renovate a house that’s the first place to start.”

Jayde says the idea that customers have to spend a lot of money to make renovations beautiful is a misconception, and that it is all about quality.

She says that owner Andrew Finn has been running The Bathroom Company since 1994, so customers can be assured quality is consistent.

helps the client know what they’re going to get and lock in their decisions with confidence.

Elevate the home with ease

Kim Persson, founder of Renovation Matters, has turned her passion for renovations into a thriving business.

“If you’re entering a new phase of life and considering downsizing, let Renovation Matters take the stress out of the process,” says Kim.

“The Bathroom Company is also probably one of the only companies that has an in-house designer,” she says.

As the in-house designer, Jayde is able to provide customers with floor plans, 3D renders, mood-boards and accompanies them on shopping trips.

“It’s less daunting than just going out by yourself and getting overwhelmed by the amount of product that is out there,” she says.

“The fact that it is complimentary is a big deal, it

“The customer can relax and know the job is going to be done the exact way they want it.”

Jayde says that until June 30, the first quote, which is free of charge, will also be inclusive of a free design consultation, so that customers can discuss design and construction before locking anything in.

The Bathroom Company. Call 0418 628693, email info@bathroomcompany.com.au or visit bathroomcompany.com.au

MAXIMISE YOUR PROFIT WHEN SELLING OR RENOVATE TO STAY

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

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

NOW IS THE TIME…

Phone Kim on 0427 696 662

hello@renovationmatters.com.au renovationmatters.com.au RM explainer video SCAN ME!

Fix Up – Profit – Pay Later

“Renovation Matters can assist with your accessibility enhancements, including the installation of shower rails and seats and the removal of shower hobs, ensuring your home meets your evolving needs.”

In addition to accessibility renovations, Kim says her and her team offer services such as decluttering, rubbish removal, landscaping, gardening, painting, flooring, and the installation of new bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms,

windows, and window furnishings. They also provide comprehensive cleaning services, she says.

“We use trusted tradesmen to strategically renovate your home and maximise its sale price,” Kim says. Renovation Matters also offers financing for improvements until settlement, ensuring a stress-free renovation journey.

“We manage your property until settlement, helping you present it at its best for sale,” she says.

“Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation today!”

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

A recent before (left) and after bedroom makeover by Renovation Matters.

RENOVATIONS MADE EASY

Transforming Canberra Homes since 1994

smart, stylish, and stress free.

Renovating In Canberra

We started The Bathroom Company in Canberra back in 1994 with a simple yet profound vision: to make renovation dreams a reality and breathe life back into some of the dated designs throughout our lovely city. We’ve been at it ever since, making our mark and leaving a trail of beautiful spaces and satisfied customers along the way!

Design doesn’t have to be daunting!

If you’re not in the business, renovating can feel like quite a feat, but it doesn’t have to be. From the first steps of design and shopping, all the way to the completed project, our aim is to make the process as simple and stress free for you as possible. With our dedicated in-house design team, we provide all the plans, 3D Renders and shopping trips as a complimentary service to each and every one of our clients, so there’s no guesswork in what your project will look like on completion.

The dream team

The most important element to any successful renovation is having a close knit and well calibrated team of top-quality tradespeople and designers. Like a well oiled machine, we are extremely proud of our fabulous long term teams, and with this we are confident in the quality and consistency of their workmanship.

Getting started on your own Renovation

You’re in luck! Until 30th June 2024, we are offering all CityNews readers a free 30 minute in home consultation with our dedicated design team to discuss your next renovation project. Scan the link below to go to our website and send us a message on the contact us page to organise a time that suits you.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

HOME IMPROVEMENTS advertising

Items to revitalise the living room

Ex-Government Furniture owners James Fullerton and Taylor Radnell have 50 years of experience between them in working with secondhand furniture, says James, and the business itself has been operating for more than three decades.

Well recognised in Canberra, James says the Ex-Government Furniture team can help those looking to revamp their living areas.

“We’ve got a bunch of cool blue lounge chairs, at a cheap price,” says James.

“We’ve got some cool dining-style tables as well, coffee tables that kind of thing, and stools coming in, too.

“A lot of cool, homely stuff at the moment.”

James says they also have a wide range of home office chairs in great designs, as opposed to the traditional black office chairs.

Ex-Government Furniture is a staple of Fyshwick, says James, with interesting items and objects spanning a wide variety of time periods, budgets and designer styles.

He says they can provide furniture and accessories to help personalise any space.

“There’s a huge range and we can work with customers to their budget,” he says.

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

Proudly stocking the largest range of Australian native plants in Canberra and surrounds

We specialise in local native plant varieties: • Hardy, cold and frost tolerant natives

• A large range of advanced stock • Tubestock to advanced

Cold weather doesn’t mean no garden

Owner of Cool Country Natives, Karen Brien, says one of the main questions they are getting at the moment is whether it is too late to plant, and she says the answer is always no, as long as the plant is not frost sensitive.

“You can plant frost-hardy plants right through winter,” says Karen.

“The ground doesn’t cool down for about six weeks after we get our first decent frost, but that just means plants slow down, it doesn’t mean they’re going to die if they’re frost-hardy.”

She says that there are many benefits to planting in winter too, like less watering in the summer, as the plant is already established.

Let our expert staff show you a range of plants suitable for your garden soil type, to grow and enjoy an abundance of Australian native plants.

Come out today and see us at Pialligo!

Phone: 02 6257 6666

5A Beltana Road, Pialligo, ACT www.coolcountrynatives.com.au

“We have a short spring typically, and if you plant in springtime, usually, if we heat up and get dry, you’re watering all summer just to keep them alive,” Karen says.

Most of the stock at Cool Country Natives is frost-hardy, Karen says, and the team at Cool Country Natives will always notify customers if they are buying a non frost-hardy plant.

“Anything we see in your trolley, or that you put up on the counter, if it needs anything different to just putting it in the ground, we will let you know before you take it,” she says.

Cool Country Natives, 5A Beltana Road, Pialligo. Call 6257 6666, or visit coolcountrynatives.com.au

Window solution for energy efficient homes

Windotek manufactures, supplies and installs uPVC, double-glazed windows and doors to maximise home energy efficiency, says director Yu Tee.

With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, Yu says customers can rely on Windotek for the best quality and service.

“We don’t do single glazes, it’s all double glazed in order to reduce noise and also improve energy efficiency and reduce the cost of bills,” he says.

“Customers go to us because their existing homes have single-glazed windows and they’re complaining about the noise and also particularly about the loss of heat.

“And in summer, it’s getting smelting hot inside, it’s an imbalance of ambient temperature and comfort.”

Most of Windotek’s customer base is homeowners, Yu says, but they also do supply and installation work for new builds.

As of this year, Yu says building codes and regulations require all housing efficiency should be more than

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seven stars, which Windotek can assure. Also, all the manufacturing at Windotek is done locally, says Yu, meaning they can be flexible with design and aesthetics, making sure the work suits exactly what the customer wants.

Windotek, 13 Bedford Street, Queanbeyan. Call 0451 727517 or visit windotek.com.au

E-Government Furniture co-owners James Fullerton, right, and Taylor Radnell with office manager Tilly.

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Talking to the names making news.

Make the best of bloomin’ winter

Despite the first month of winter being upon us, the Canberra garden can still be in bloom with shrubs such as camellias, winter sweet and viburnums.

They create interest and fragrance and generally need less water in the cooler months.

Camellias can flower from autumn to spring. There are three varieties of camellias – sasanqua, japonica and reticulata.

Sasanquas, with much smaller leaves, have a more upright and compact growth habit and are great for hedging. They flower as early as April. White flowering “early pearly” is one of the first and flowers well into winter.

The japonica is a larger plant with a more branching habit and larger leaves. Some people say it’s more spectacular with symmetry in the flower formation.

The reticulata, with flowers the size of dinner plates, is the slowest to grow of the three.

The soil conditions are all the same, acidic soil with a low pH is preferred; they like it moist but not waterlogged

and they grow well in a semi-shaded garden. They can be large evergreen shrubs or a cascading ground cover, slow growing and long lived and their flowers come in a variety of colours and different shaped petals.

The oldest Australian species of camellia was introduced to Camden Park in Sydney in 1831 from China and called “anemonflora” or waratah camellia. Astonishingly, the original plant is still alive today.

It has an open habit, with spreading branches. Its flowers are the deepest red. The colour intensity can be deeper if it is grown in shade.

From this species of camellia there have been many genetic mutations grown from it and some of the popular varieties include, elegans, Margaret Davis and strawberry blonde.

The best time to buy them is when they are in flower, but don’t plant them in the garden until the soil has warmed in spring.

THYME is a great evergreen, low-maintenance herb that’s a popular ground cover. When planted en masse, its spring flowering can look striking and, as a bonus, its suppresses weeds and keeps the moisture in the soil. It’s from the mint family and has medicinal and culinary uses as well.

The flowers are a pretty pink/mauve colour

and a magnet for bees and a great addition to the herb or dry garden. Once established, it requires little or no water.

IN the vegetable patch, it’s time to get the ground ready for any winter tree or berry cane planting.

Turn over the soil to ensure the ground is weed free and add whatever organic matter you can get your hands on – cow manure, horse or sheep manure. Dig it into the soil and don’t forget to add compost.

Mulch and water once a week or when it is required, and the soil should be ready for planting after about four weeks.

Thyme benefits from companion planting with plants from the night shade and brassica families and helps to repel aphids.

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au

Jottings…

• Remove old leaves from hel- lebores before flowering.

• Rake leaves in piles and turn over every few weeks.

• Water and fertilise bulbs as they are growing.

• Prune deciduous shrubs and trees while trees have no leaves.

The waratah camellia… its flowers are the deepest red. The colour intensity can be deeper if it is grown in shade.

Thyme… a great evergreen, low-maintenance herb that’s a popular ground cover. Photos: Jackie Warburton

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Unlikely musical hit all from a struggle to pay rent

By Helen MUSA

A group of artists struggling to pay the rent in New York City during the AIDS pandemic hardly sounds like the formula for a hit musical.

But Jonathan Larson’s musical, Rent, smashed box office records in the late 1990s with its brilliant songs and strident affirmation of “La vie Bohème” – the Bohemian life.

As many readers will be aware, Larson, who wrote the book, music and lyrics and would surely have proved one of the greats of musical theatre had he lived, died not of AIDS but of an incorrectly-diagnosed heart condition in 1996, just before Rent hit The Great White Way.

His other well-known show, Tick, Tick… Boom! will be staged by ACT Hub late this year.

The plot of Rent is complex and its songs are many.

Each of the main characters in Rent matches characters in Puccini’s opera La Bohème, as the parallel is drawn

between artists starving in French garrets and those trying to pay the rent in 20th century lower Manhattan. This is not West Side Story but rather East Village Story, with the action focusing on a tight group of principals, with 10 other supporting actors.

Documentary filmmaker Mark (Marcello in La Boheme) is the observer, while muso Roger, (Rodolpho) searching for a perfect riff (which sounds much like Musetta’s Waltz), an HIV-positive recovering

junkie. Club dancer Mimi, (also Mimi in the opera) performance artist Maureen (Musetta), her girlfriend lawyer Joanne, philosophy teacher Collins, (Colline) drag queen Angel (Schaunard) and landlord Benny (Benoît) make up the number.

But this is not opera, it’s largely rock and R&B.

Some moments are the precise equivalent of the opera as in the number Light my Candle, when Roger and Mimi meet in the dark. Now, with two pandemics

2016 Hayes Theatre staging, which won the Broadway World Award for Best Direction.

All these versions of Rent have been staged by LPD Productions, the brainchild of two outstanding former Canberrans, Lauren Peter and Toby Francis, the latter best known for his starring role in Kinky Boots.

I caught up with Peters by phone to Perth, where she was on tour with the show.

Peters met Queanbeyan-born Francis, formed LPD Productions in 2018, in the drama class at Hawker College, long-known for its strong theatre strand.

more or less behind us, a sellout Australian production of Rent will hit Canberra in June.

It’s a lavish production directed by Sean Rennie, well known for having starred here in Mary Poppins then directed Wicked, both for Free Rain Theatre.

Notably, Rennie became revival director of La Bohème for opera Australia after OA’s then artistic director Lyndon Terracini saw Rennie’s 25th anniversary production of Rent at the Opera House, a reworking of his

Both soon left town to study at an acting school in Sydney, but while Francis took to the boards, Peters went into set designing, ending up at the Hayes Theatre, where they launched that award-winning 2016 production of Rent.

“Now we’ve made it bigger,” she tells me, adding that the show still packs a punch.

“To me, Rent is about love and to me, love never gets old. We really focus on that,” Peter says.

“There are eight people suffering through the AIDS crisis, but it’s love that gets them through… It was a very heartbreaking period, but there

is heartbreak now, too, as the cost of paying rent in Australia is going right through the roof.”

Mind you, arguments have raged since the ‘90s as to whether Rent also has a verbal meaning, as in the expression “his heart was rent”.

In Rent, she says, the audience observes 12 months of lives unfolding in the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

When Rent first came out, she says, it attracted a great deal of social commentary, partly because it portrayed characters from HIV positive, queer, trans, Jewish, LatinX, and Afro American communities.

“But the real shock was that it talked about HIV and queers relationships and realising your sexual self in a very open way, summed up in the song La Vie Bohème – it was considered risqué for its time.”

Unlike La Bohème, which ends with Mimi’s death, there is hope for the end of Rent as Mimi chooses life and the characters come out as new people.

“There’s a message that the characters will all be okay. They feel, ‘I’ve got a place in the world’. It’s amazing how it’s touched so many people,” Peters says.

Rent, Canberra Theatre, June 7-15.

Martha Berhane and Jerrod Smith in Rent.

Photo: Pia Johnson

Duncan drowning story steps into the spotlight

By Helen Musa

When University of Adelaide law lecturer

George Ian Ogilvie Duncan drowned in 1972 after having been thrown into the River Torrens, possibly by vice-squad officers, it led to SA becoming the first Australian state to decriminalise homosexuality.

The story seems almost tailor-made for opera, and now the music-theatre work Watershed: the Death of Dr Duncan, is about to be staged at the Sydney Opera House.

It’s an ensemble oratorio created by composer Joe Twist, director Neil Armfield, librettists Christos Tsiolkas and Alana Valentine and historical consultant Tim Reeves, working with performers.

Watershed first took the stage at the Adelaide Festival in 2022 with tenor Mark Oates creating the double roles of Dr Duncan and SA Premier Don Dunstan. He will reprise the roles.

I caught up with Oates by phone to Adelaide and found that this will be his Opera House debut. Works like this don’t happen

No stranger to working on original compositions, he had previously found there was often disappointment at the end when he was told he wasn’t going to get the role.

“But,” he says, “ I found I could discipline myself to enjoy the creative process for itself.”

Oates has been a long-term chorister and sometimes principal artist with the State Opera of South Australia for 30 years, generally playing character roles such as Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro or John Styx in Orpheus in the Underworld, so is considered “a crossover, a character tenor with a bit of a musical theatre sensibility”. Facing two major roles now, he’s thankful that when he studied, Elder offered courses in stagecraft and acting.

At 56, which he thinks is a good age for a tenor, Oates says he’s enjoyed “a beautiful purple path” in opera over the last few years.

“I did have a day job for some time, balanced with raising kids and buying a house, but for the last five years I’ve been a freelance professional artist,” he says.

well-documented events, such as the history of gay predation.

“It was an awful time for the gay community,” Oates says, in understatement.

Oratorio it may be and Twist has published a version just for choirs, but through Armfield’s vision, he says, it’s been given a real sense of drama, so that it’s not just him as Duncan/Dunstan singing, but it’s also the dancer and the spectacular settings, with the river in the foreground and projections of the River Torrens on the backcloth.

“Rather than being just about the music, you are presented with this phenomenal visual feat that engages the senses and hyphenates the beautiful music – that’s what Neil’s done, with Alana and Christos.”

Likening one moment to Romeo Castellucci’s staging of Mozart’s Requiem at Aix-en-Provence, he says “One scene is quite extraordinary, with the dancer on the wire being flung out over the audience in a vivid depiction of a gay bashing… moments like that are to die for on stage.”

overnight, he tells me. Oates joined the team for an intensive period of work with all the major players and the Adelaide Chamber Singers, who premiered the work, although in Sydney their role will be performed by the Opera Australia Chorus.

The process, he says, involved high emotion and a lot of pressure, learning new songs every day and discarding many by the way. They

eventually presented a version of the work at the Elder Hall to 100 potential donors.

“At the end, Neil offered me the role and I promptly burst into tears in front of the sponsors.”

Joe Twist has written Watershed as an oratorio, with solos supported by choral pieces that move the plot along. Very much like Bach.

The soloists represent events, while the choral pieces critique the social mores of the times and

ARTS IN THE CITY

And the high point? Probably right at the end where the lyrics turn to the question of love, finishing with the unlikely definition which Oates loves – “love is a cheesy melt”.

Watershed, Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, June 14-16.

Running Underwater with Eliza Hull

Noted singer-songwriter and accessibility advocate Eliza Hull will perform for Ainslie Salon, supported by local artist Ruth O’Brien. In 2023 Hull won a Creative Australia fellowship for her work in arts and disability. Her recent single, Running Underwater, written about living with the condition Charcot Marie Tooth since age five, was performed on ABC’s Q&A. Hull has performed at Sydney Opera House and Hamer Hall and toured throughout the UK. Ainslie Arts Centre, Braddon, June 22.

The 2024 Spanish Film Festival screens its largest line-up of new and classic films from Spain and Latin America. The opening night comedy-drama will be The Movie Teller (La contadora de películas) starring Bérénice Bejo, which follows the coming-of-age of a young girl in a Chilean mining town who possesses a remarkable talent for re-telling movies. Palace Electric Cinemas. June 11-July 10.

In its next concert, Apeiron Baroque, led by John Ma, will juxtapose philosophical musings on the concepts of travel and change. Joined by presenter Drew Ninnis, they’ll play music by Veracini, Blainville, Handel, JS Bach and Herschel. Primary and secondary school students are admitted free. Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, June 9.

Brindabella Orchestra will perform an afternoon of classical music by Bizet, Dvorak, Beethoven and others. Weston Community Hub, June 9.

Meantime, the orchestra is seeking additional string and brass players. Visit brindabellaorchestra.net

Watson’s Canberra Potters’ annual student-teacher exhibition celebrates the creativity of the many adults and children who have attended classes there in the previous 12 months. Until July 7.

Cellist Zachary Connor will join pianist Edward (“Teddy”) Neeman to perform Shostakovich’s demanding first Cello Concerto in a concert titled Hope in Terror, along with works of Bach, Piatti and Kats Chernin. Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Barton, June 12.

Continuing its exploration of classical and popular genres, the Phoenix Collective matches the music of Mendelssohn and Ginastera with prog-rock classics from Pink Floyd. Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, June 14.

Singer Mark Oates and dancer Mason Kelly… “The dancer on the wire [is] flung out over the audience in a vivid depiction of a gay bashing… moments like that are to die for on stage.”

Photo: Andrew Beveridge

Eliza Hull… Ainslie Arts Centre, June 22.

Lunch with lots of Character DINING / Contentious Character, Fyshwick

Everything about Contentious Character’s new Dairy Road location is playful, including the wooden wine barrels, stacked here and there, sporting quirky sayings, such as “May the wine be with you”.

Contentious Character is a café, kitchen, urban cellar door and bar (more on shopping later… we were keen on lunch).

An excellent deal is the seasonal three-course tasting menu ($69 for an entrée, main and des sert). The portions are super generous, so much so we couldn’t finish everything.

Our fave entrée was the Szechuan pepper calamari served with a fresh wedge of lime for a bit of zing ($19). The tender calamari left a tingle on the tongue and the harissa aioli was smooth and creamy.

The whopping half-an-eggplant was deepfried and loaded with chopped olive, baby capers and sun-dried tomato. It came with coconut yoghurt ($21) and could easily have been a main.

We love a beef tartare and applaud the kitchen for taking the time to finely chop the beef (no mince here). The cured egg yolk perched on top looked beautiful and the black sesame cracker was crunchy ($24). While it’s personal taste, we would have loved a bit of chilli to ramp matters up.

I’m a fan of pork ribs and these Jerk barbecue ones were nice and sticky, with the meat falling off the bone ($39). The lamb backstrap arrived in a pool of ajo blanco (a cold Spanish soup), pretty pomegranate seeds, fresh rocket and a slice of toasted bread.

The marlin steak was thick and arrived with a smashing-looking, vibrant red olive and anchovy

WINE

puree with roasted capsicum ($36). The outer of the steak was slightly dry in parts.

We also shared potato frites, perked up with rosemary citrus salt ($11)

Our wait staff, while we were waiting for a friend to arrive, told us “no rush” and encouraged us to “enjoy the atmosphere” which was a warm touch.

Something went wrong in between our entrées and mains with a very long wait… so long we decided not to stick around for dessert, even the pomegranate panna cotta ($14).

Contentious Character discounted to make up for the confusion, which we appreciated. The team is clever enough to know that systems

need ironing out in a new establishment and they’re not afraid to be honest about issues and embrace change.

You can shop till you drop at Contentious Character on yum items such as chutney, cherry and merlot jam, and chilli honey. Also, Cabernet Pleasures natural soy wax candles in reclaimed wine bottles. And, of course, the full range of Contentious Character wines with reasonable prices and fun names such as Chardy Party and Coming Up Roses ($12 glass/$45 bottle).

The joke falls flat, but the fizz flies

Oh dear, Donald Trump recently tried to show he had a sense of humour.

In a recent speech Trump tried to correlate the fate of incoming migrants with a joke about Hannibal Lecter.

It was illogical and weird, the joke treating a fictional super-nasty character as if real, the bizarre implication that migrants should be consumed as if meat (thank goodness he didn’t reference chianti, as was the case of the accompanying wine mentioned in the film).

“The late, great Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man,” Trump said, referencing the 1991 film Silence of the Lambs. “He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner.”

“But Hannibal Lecter. Congratulations, the late, great Hannibal Lecter. We have people that are being released into our country that we don’t want in our country.”

After an initial surge of anger, my mind went to the idea that life is a matter of contrasts. The contrast was not in imagery or tortured faux jokes, but in the consumption of a sparkling wine that was not cheap or sticky but wondrous.

After the despondency that following politics can generate, the wine of which I speak was a real treat.

A friend and her husband were celebrating the end of a career with one of Canberra’s government instrumentalities. The small celebration was held at Symposium at the ANU, a comparatively upmarket venue that serves a good array of wines and some delicious food.

I was asked to select a wine. Instead of

celebratory champagne, I saw that in the wine fridge was a non-vintage Ambal Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc.

It was $60 yet sells at retail for around $42, so not a huge mark-up as you would expect in a restaurant (mark ups of 300 per cent occur).

The champagnes were more expensive and the crémant seemed a good alternative, something apparently not available in the US presidential race.

Obviously, the wine is a fizz from Burgundy. The rules that attend the appellation are, like the rules that govern the production of champagne, strict.

For example, grapes must be picked by hand into small boxes to prevent crushing and oxidation and importantly for the taste, second fermenta tion must take place in a bottle and be for a minimum of nine months before disgorgement.

This gives contact with the lees that provides the biscuity, brioche flavours that were evident on the night of celebration and which delivered good mouth feel and a long clean finish. Small bead and good colour added to the celebratory experience.

Of course we talked politics. Good wine promotes conversation. One of those points was my dismay that the most powerful role on the planet, president of the United States of America, appears to be a contest between a man who is approaching senility and another who appears to be acting as if insane. Pass the bottle.

Today I was at a bookstore. As I was browsing an assistant offered to help me.

I asked, “Do you have a copy of Donald Trump’s book on his U.S. Immigration Policy regarding Muslims and illegal Mexicans?”

The assistant, first looked dismayed then angrily pointed me to the door saying, “Get out, get out and stay out!”

I said, “Yes! That’s the one. Do you have it in paperback?”

Creek

Szechuan pepper calamari… served with a fresh wedge of lime.

Sticky, barbecue pork ribs.

Photos: Wendy Johnson

Anthony Hopkins in the role of the fictional mass murderer Hanibal Lecter.

STREAMING Nothing like Netflix when it comes to a scandal

There’s perhaps no other streaming platform that knows how to tap into a scandal quite like Netflix.

Their slick documentary-making is now almost formulaic and yet they always man age to turn heads and put eyes on screens. Their latest three-part series that’s topped the trending charts once again is Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Scandal.

This doco is about the real-life “dating” website designed for people who are look ing for an affair, one that’s been described as “a business built on the back of broken hearts.”

In other words, consider it eHarmony for eNormous schmucks.

Netflix’s documentary includes interviews with real-life couples who were impacted by the website and the infamous data leak that spilled its user’s details.

In 2015 hackers got into the personal information of people who had accounts and threatened to publicly release it if the bosses didn’t shut the website down.

Of course, those bosses didn’t comply and out came the information of thousands of adulterers including some high-profile users such as Hunter Biden, who has previously denied he had an account.

Another to get done by the leak was Josh Taekman, the husband of Kristen Taekman who stars in The Real Housewives of New York. Like an episode that came to life. Stranger than fiction, eh?

The doco tries to tap into why, which doesn’t make for the cheeriest bit of streaming going around but it’s managed to scratch a scandalous itch for many viewers.

swansong that had 51 million views on YouTube and reached number 1 on the UK and US charts.

Now on the back of that swinging

available to the general public for more than

Much like Now and Then, it’s thanks to new technology that it can now be remastered and cross generations.

Let It Be is no romanticised recount of the biggest band of all time though. It instead dives deep into the recording of their final album and how creative differences eventually lead to the band’s demise. This raw and candid portrayal of the band is a big part of why the doco was originally stripped from shelves.

Three years back Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson got a hold of all the footage shot for the documentary and released a whopping eight-hour cut on Disney Plus called Get Back, an experience for only the most die-hard devotees of the Lads from Liverpool.

This one has also been remastered under Jackson’s watchful eye, who clearly has something of Beatlemania himself.

It’s a fascinating time capsule, one that serves as a small but important slice of Beatles lore which is worth checking out for any music fan.

Amazing indeed that even in our digital age, a band formed in the 1960s still manages to be here, there and everywhere.

Queen deal of $1.5 billion for music

LONDON – Sony Music is reportedly in talks to buy the Queen music catalogue for Stg800 million ($A1.5 billion).

The Bohemian Rhapsody legends – whose biggest hits include We Are The Champions, Radio Gaga and We Will Rock You – are reportedly discussing a potential deal for their iconic collection of songs.

According to Bloomberg, Sony is working with another investor on the offer, which would be the biggest of its kind and include merchandise and other business ventures.

Discussions for the deal are ongoing and might not result in an actual agreement being made.

Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and the estate of Freddie Mercury are equal shareholders in Queen Productions Ltd.

It’s said there have also been initial conversations between the band’s lawyers and Sony, which owns their masters for North America, and Universal Music Group.

Earlier in 2024, it was suggested that Deacon – who has not taken part in any public work for the group since the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, following the frontman’s death the previous year – will not include his share of the assets in a potential deal. Other classic tracks in the catalogue include the likes of Another One Bites The Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Killer Queen and Somebody To Love, while the group released 15 studio albums, including 1995’s final LP Made In Heaven, which features recordings Mercury made before his death.

An agreement comes as a number of high-profile songwriting catalogues have been sold in recent years, with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and David Bowie’s collections being acquired for hundreds of millions of dollars.

They have proven to be an attractive investment for labels, with the prospect of repeated royalties through usage in films and TV, as well as radio play or advertisements. –AAP

The Beatles…. remastered in Let It Be.

The estate of Freddie Mercury is in talks with surviving Queen members to sell their iconic songs.

HOROSCOPE PUZZLES

By Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Mighty Mars (your boss planet) is now transiting through practical, productive Taurus (until July 20) so you’re fired up to get things done. But this week – with Pluto squaring Mars on Tuesday – moderation and cooperation could be difficult to find. So do your best to calm down and keep the peace. Friday’s terrific Sun/ Mercury conjunction boosts your ability to connect and converse with others, especially within your local community. So make the most of it!

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

With proactive Mars in your sign, and Pluto activating your career zone, you’re keen to power ahead and achieve more at work. But high stress levels, long delays and short timelines are a problem at the moment, as you are diverted from professional responsibilities by a tricky personal matter, a meddling friend or a frustrating financial issue. With plenty of patience and a dollop of diplomacy, you’ll steer your way through a challenging week.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

This week – courtesy of Wednesday’s Mercury/Saturn square – work looks stressful, and you won’t have the patience to put up with annoying people or tedious explanations. So strive to extricate yourself from negative situations in a tactful way. On Friday, communication and conversation are the buzzwords as you share opinions, learn a new skill, or pass on some exciting information. It’s a good time to give your Gemini brain cells a thorough workout!

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Expect a rather stressful week as Saturn and Pluto stir up resentments, unfinished arguments and bad memories. Burying your head in the sand is probably a good option for sensitive, overloaded Crabs. Use the downtime for relaxation, contemplation and planning. Then – from Friday onwards – dare to set ambitious goals and dream big dreams. As writer (and birthday great) Joyce Carol Oates reminds us: “A daydreamer is prepared for most things.”

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

You’re determined to complete a project with creative panache and loads of Leo style. But there are some frustrating planetary patterns so expect power plays, disruptions or delays. Patience and compromise are required, otherwise it will be a long and challenging week. When it comes to your work routine and professional projects, the big lesson to learn is how to delegate. No-one (not even a supercapable Leo) is indispensable! On Friday, follow your dreams.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

Virtuous Virgos love to feel useful and productive. But does it seem as if you’re treading water at work, or a close relationship is going backwards? This week Saturn slows things down and increases frustrations (especially on Wednesday). But then Mercury (your patron planet) hooks up with the Sun on Friday, which encourages you to pair up with a creative colleague and make your professional dreams come true. You’ll need to be extra patient though!

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Saturn and Pluto stymie motivation and slow progress. You could also find it difficult to stick to your chosen diet, daily exercise program or usual beauty routine. Perhaps it would be better to moderate your perfectionist streak, accept your perceived imperfections, and learn to love yourself as you are? Be inspired by birthday great Judy Garland: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Prepare for a rather tricky week as Pluto squares Mars, and people (or circumstances) frustrate your plans. Don’t let others hijack your career goals or derail your domestic dreams. No matter how challenging things become or how long it takes, you need to be the captain of your own ship and the master of your own destiny! So your motto is from fellow Scorpio, award-winning actress Tilda Swinton: “What is any life without the pursuit of a golden dream?”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

This week, if you’re argumentative with family members, friends and work colleagues, then they will be in the mood to fight back! So – if you want to avoid fiery clashes – do your best to be more tolerant and understanding towards others. Plus, try to view a troubled close relationship from a much more philosophical perspective. The winning formula for smooth Sagittarian communication is conversation + cooperation + generosity + joy.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Saturn (your ruling planet) squares Mercury on Wednesday, so expect a stressful week of frustrations and challenges involving work, health, education or neighbours. And – courtesy of Mars and Uranus – a friend or family member could say or do something that makes you gasp. As writer (and birthday great) Joyce Carol Oates reminds us: “Sometimes people surprise us. People we believe we know.” A flexible, philosophical attitude will get you through.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

The Sun, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter are all transiting through your romance and friendship zones. Communication, creative partnerships and joint ventures are favoured, as you spark ideas off each other. Expect some resistance to your ideas, but that’s OK. Plus (courtesy of Mars and Uranus) you’ll find your domestic life and family relationships are exciting and unpredictable. So hold onto your hat and expect the unexpected. Life certainly won’t be boring!

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

Do your best to avoid Piscean procrastination and negative self-talk. Mars and Uranus are activating your learning and local environment zone. So it’s time to be clever, confident and proactive as you set ambitious goals, attract mentors and expand your world in exciting new directions. Study, observe, listen and learn! Your motto for the week is from birthday great, writer William Butler Yeats: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2024

4 Which term is applied to the Pope? (7)

8 Name a special system of mathematics. (7)

What are base, dishonest persons? (7) 12 Who was the Shakespearean Prince of Denmark? (6) 14 What do we call one who makes a tedious show of learning? (6)

18 What is a tropical hurricane? (7)

21 Who is the absolute ruler of a state? (7)

22 What is a restriction imposed upon commerce by law? (7)

23 What is named as a mere matter of form? (7)

24 Which chief outer garments are worn by women? (7)

1 Which is preferred to be called the Scottish play? (7)

2 What is a dome-shaped Eskimo hut? (5)

3 To be slanting or sloping, is to be what? (7)

4 What are trotters often called? (6)

5 What are corners, as in rooms? (5)

6 Name one of the United States in part of the Midwest. (7)

7 What, in Australian history were stockades erected by settlers? (5)

13 Which term describes something gruesome or horrible? (7)

15 What are persons from whom places, etc are supposed to have taken their names? (7)

16 Name a type of wrestling grip. (7)

17 Name some yellowish acid fruits. (6)

18 What is a system of belief or of opinion? (5)

19 What are hideous monsters of fairy tales and popular legends? (5)

20 Name a northern borough of New York City. (5)

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Small business struggles as parliament dithers

Chen was doing his year-end tax planning and trying to decide whether to buy a $19,000 computer system or one that costs $24,000.

He wanted advice on the tax deductions for both of these systems to help him make up his mind.

"The situation with instant asset write-off at the moment is unclear," I told him.

"As the law currently stands, any asset that costs more than $1000 must be depreciated. In the case of a computer system this is based on the useful life of computers, which is four years and you can either depreciate using the relevant rate based on that or using the pooling system, which we talked about previously.

“Let me explain the background to the current impasse. In the budget of May 2023 the government announced that it would temporarily increase the threshold for the instant asset write-off to $20,000 for the year from July 1 2023 to June 30 2024.

"Legislation was introduced into parliament, but it has not yet passed.

On March 27 the Senate amended the bill, which had passed the House of Representatives, to increase the figure from $20,000 to $30,000 and to widen the class of small businesses eligible to claim.

On May 15, the House of Representatives disagreed with the Senate amendments and returned it to the Senate. On May 16, the Senate rejected the bill again and insisted on the amendments, which it had previously proposed.

“In addition to this situation, in the budget the government proposed that there be a $20,000 instant asset write-off threshold for the 2025 financial year. This has not been debated yet, but it may be better to leave your purchase until July as there is a year for them to reach agreement regardless of what happens to the 2024 instant asset write-off threshold."

Chen said: “So you're telling me that at the beginning of June we don't know how much we can write off in the current financial year?”

I told Chen that was exactly right.

"I am really disappointed that the House of Representatives and the Senate cannot reach agreement on this important matter," I said.

"I am further concerned about the impact that it is having on all small businesses in Australia. Small businesses make up such a large section of the economy and it is particularly disappointing that this has happened when the economy is in such a bad state, people are hurting and small businesses are struggling, with many going under.

“Notwithstanding this, you need to make a decision concerning your computer system. If you decide to proceed with the more expensive system it is unlikely that you will be able to do anything other than depreciate it as the dispute is around whether the figure is $20,000 or more.

"It seems unlikely that any figure above $20,000 will be legislated at this time. However, if you buy the less expensive system the instant asset write-off threshold is really important to you.

“It may be preferable to purchase the less-expensive system after June 30 2024 and hopefully the legislators can get their act together earlier so it is clear what you can claim.

"Another potential option is to buy it now and as we should have an answer a few days before June 30 that will give you time to put in place another tax plan and minimise your tax in some other way. This situation is far from ideal and doesn’t give any small business owner time to make proper decisions.”

Chen said he'd buy the cheaper system now and gamble that the legislation will be passed this financial year.

If you need any help with the depreciation situation or any other small business matter contact the expert team at Gail Freeman & Co on 6295 2844.

Disclaimer

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