WHY FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER WHEN IT COMES TO WINNING
ANDREW HUGHES explains how important early days of an election can be
Here’s KEEPING UP THE ACT’s return to Labor’s loyal Just Us League
Can a minister ignore an Assembly motion?
MICHAEL MOORE
Right swing puts new world of misery on refugees
JOHN MINNS
Big, bold red wine but is it on trend?
RICHARD CALVER
Waiting for the feijoa fruit to drop
JACKIE WARBURTON
APRIL 3, 2025 Well written, well read
to FICTION
From television journalist to novelist, MICHAEL BRISSENDEN has never stopped writing. That’s what he does. DAYLIGHT SAVING CLOCKS GO BACK SUNDAY, APRIL 5
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Framing those first impressions matter to win POLITICS / election 2025
The early stages of election cam paigns are always about framing and identification. Leaders. Parties. Policies. Candidates. Us.
The pattern Australian federal elections now seem to be, budget first, election campaign second, helps with this.
Initial stages of campaigning can be sharp, focused and specific to the winners, or losers, of the budget.
Labor has been working hard on their framing since the change in strategy in January to stop Peter Dutton’s momentum. Slowing him down was done by letting parliament sit as scheduled.
Smart by Labor because then he was forced to sit on the opposition benches, looking less the strong and decisive leader his framing was effective at building.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could get control of the narrative back, and put Dutton in a place where he could be easily framed the way Labor wanted – negative, conservative and big on noise but not policy.
Aware of the need to put a position forward publicly, but at the same time aware how Labor had been framing him, and were about to call the election, he put enough out there for candidates to talk about in the first weekend but making it hard for Labor to pin him down on a specific policy that they themselves hadn’t supported sometime in the last few years.
This has worked well. The PM has clawed back precious poll numbers on leadership and party numbers.
But Dutton 2025 is not 2022 Morrison. He’s sharper, more astute, and with a good backroom team behind him. His budget reply demonstrated that.
The Greens and teals have had their own framing issues. The Greens started election 2025 by stating their three big issues: housing, dental in Medicare and climate. Wait… what happened to combative politics and identification with hard-left issues such as the Middle East?
Election results do funny things to values in parties. The Greens, having taken lessons in the ACT, Victoria
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Cover: Journalist and author Michael Brissenden. Photo: Michael Bowers. Story Page 4.
How parties and candidates frame their messaging and identify with voters in the first stages of the federal election will have a significant bearing on the final result.
and WA, have realised that association with conflict turns most voters off and not on. Great for the base, but the teals have shown consensus politics and soft power is what gets you lower-house seats.
So they’ve changed their framing to change their identification with voters. Green, I mean it’s nearly teal, right? They want you to see the two like you might see off-white and beige in a paint store.
As for identification, the teals seem to like being independents sometimes, teals at others. This is blurring the identification, even if you talk to the average voter they see them as teal 100 per cent of the time.
They will likely be the group that decides who governs for the next three years based on current projec -
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tions, yet what do we really know them for? That’s why framing and identification is so important in the early parts of a campaign.
For mine, they should embrace teal. In a muddy campaign, in an information-dense environment, identification makes framing easier and messages cut through faster and more specific. They can build identification around three big issues, but allow candidates to act independently outside of that.
So who’s ahead right now in the framing game? Labor has the edge, for now. For most of 2024 the Coalition had the edge, but they need to get it back. The Coalition’s biggest issue in 2025 is acting still like the opposition, and not framing themselves more as the alternative government. They needed to make that switch when Labor did with their own strategy.
Neither party is doing that well with identification. Identification done well? Nod to the Nationals, always, always, great at doing that, something the other parties could look at more closely. It does frame them to a narrow context, but as their identification gets them elected nearly
every single time, effective overall. Labor needs to work harder on their identification. Most tradies in their $100k Ford Raptors are more blue than red, and the middle whitecollar workers are tired of being taxed by Labor with little escape. Saying you aren’t Dutton doesn’t work. Broad is safe, but also means identification is soft. Labor’s falling primary vote share in the last 10-15 years reflects that.
The Coalition’s strategy has been about a more defined identification. They run the risk of replicating the 2022 result: maximising their vote in heartland seats, but seeing it fall away in the inner-city marginals. Either way, how parties and candidates frame their messaging and identify with voters in the first stages of the election will have a significant bearing on the final result.
Dr Andrew Hughes lectures at the ANU Research School of Management, where he special ises in political marketing.
Peter Dutton, left, and Anthony Albanese.
CANBERRANS WITH A STORY
Fact to fiction, Michael writes,
DAVID TURNBULL continues his series of profiles on Canberrans with a story. This week he meets a familiar TV news face who’s gone from writing fact to fiction.
When I asked Michael Brissenden for an interview he said: “Not sure I’ll be all that interesting, but I’m happy to give it a go”.
It was a throwaway line, one journo to another, but it underlines who he is.
There are no pretensions here; he’s comfortable in his own skin, but even with three novels published and a fourth due out in September, he just takes it in his stride.
He likes writing; that’s just what he does.
Put simply: Michael is a humble Canberra boy made good.
He grew up in Yarralumla “surrounded by books”. His father, Bob, was an English lecturer and poet; his mother, Rosemary, a political scientist who specialised in southeast Asia.
“Dad specialised in 18th century English literature, and modern American poetry, neither of which excited me. And mum specialised in southeast Asia. She was ahead of her time and actually wrote the first Asian cookbook in Australia.
“Dad always had a crime book on
the go, so I guess that’s where I first got my love of that.”
Michael went to Narrabundah Col lege, AME School and Deakin High.
“I wasn’t a very academic kid, I just loved footy,” he says.
He played Australian Rules and both codes of rugby “until everyone else got huge and I didn’t”.
“It was a small place Canberra and ANU was a small, tight community.
“There were people at our place all the time.
“I never really took any notice, but there were a lot of interesting people.”
Journalist and author Michael
“Some people can write in their twenties. But I couldn’t. Just too
At 14 Michael wrote for the school paper. And that convinced him he wanted to be a journalist.
“It just seemed to come naturally,” he says.
When he told his dad, though, Bob dismissed the idea.
“They’re all drunks, he said, so I went to Sydney Arts College to do ceramics instead.”
By 1986, though, Michael returned to his first choice and started what became a 35-year career with the ABC. He cut his journalistic teeth covering federal politics for public
“I wrote a manuscript years ago, but no-one was interested. Some people can write in their twenties. But I couldn’t.
“It’s harder than journalism, but you just have to put one word down after another. we’ve never heard of? Share the name in an email to David via editor@ citynews.com.au
Brissenden…
young, I guess.”
HISTORY / The Canberra and Region Heritage Festival
Group treads the historical boards of Albert Hall
By arts editor HELEN MUSA
In my line of work, I need reliable sources of information about the arts in Canberra, so one of my best friends is the Australian Live Performance Database, ausstage.edu.au
For instance, in recent days I was looking for information on publicist Coralie Wood and, in a flash, Ausstage turned up details of a 1978 Fiddler on the Roof at Canberra Theatre.
Not only was Wood on the cast list as the matchmaker Yenta, I also found the famous baritone Ronald Maconaghie as Tevye, Bill Stephens as director in one of his earliest Canberra productions, leading dance writer Stephanie Burridge as choreographer and founding director of the Canberra Theatre Centre, Terry Vaughan, as conductor.
You can click on any of those names and find out much more.
It is my melancholy duty to write more and more obituaries of Canberra Theatre identities and once again, Ausstage comes to the rescue, with much more dependable information than you’d hear around the foyers.
I was excited to receive an invitation to visit the ACT Heritage Library,
where a team of volunteers, working under library director Antoinette Buchanan, had just completed a ninemonth project to document nearly 500 events held at Albert Hall, well ahead of its centenary in 2028.
With theatre history, you have to be very careful not to rely on idle theatrical chitchat, so the service these volunteers perform is invaluable, as they input details from past programs and playbills, maybe not quite as
trustworthy as primary sources such as receipts, but, allowing for human errors and spelling mistakes, pretty reliable.
When I arrived at the library, Buchanan had laid out an array of sources for the Albert Hall project, including its earliest program from a recital of works for two pianos, presented on September 1, 1928 by the Canberra Musical Society.
I was keen to find out more about
the team.
Led by Margaret Goode, most of them – Sheena Ashwell, Kerry Blackburn, Helen Stuart, Yole Daniels, Anthony Ketley and Margaret Thompson – learnt the Ausstage ropes work through the National Library, which Ausstage visited in 2015, but after the national institution dropped the project, it passed to the Heritage Library, where the team of volunteers meets every Thursday for three hours of inputting.
The move to the Heritage Library was largely engineered by Goode.
“I emailed Antoinette, and I said, ‘I have this team’… she got straight back and we’ve been doing it ever since.”
They’re a mixed bunch, ranging in age from 68 to 90. Most are concertgoers, several are trained in literature and one worked in the old Riverside Huts, where much of Canberra’s early theatre went on.
Goode tells me they also spend social time together in afternoon teas, lunches and Christmas parties.
All are competent at using the system and the ability to do this online is a key factor and now the training can be done online, too. The job satisfaction is found in the fact that Trove now sweeps the Ausstage database for information, thus widening the audience for what they do.
There were many fun finds, including the Cambridge University Footlights Club at Canberra Theatre
in November 1981, with a cast that included Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson, and the fledgling Richard Roxburgh in The Jewish Wife and The Informer for Theatre ACT at The Playhouse in June 1983.
The Albert Hall project has been especially productive and they were all astonished to find out how many big names had come from Europe during the 1940s, as well as top companies such as the Classical Theatre of China and the Royal Ballet, suggesting to the volunteers that Australia had a reputation for affluence.
“It was our good fortune to have such big names coming here,” Goode says.
The project became a labour of love, as the venerable building was the de facto town hall for Canberra and home to Canberra Repertory, Canberra Philharmonic Society, Canberra Musical Society and even the CSO, who still use it for special chamber concerts. The most recent addition at the time of filing was the CSO’s Folk Melodies on February 16, 2025.
Buchanan says with some pride that the library is now probably the leading contributor to Ausstage. “The team is making a huge contribution to the community… I feel grateful,” she says.
The Albert Hall input may be viewed at ausstage.edu.au/pages/venue/567
The Canberra and Region Heritage Festival runs through April.
Stanley Bruce… a team of ACT Heritage Library volunteers has documented nearly 500 events held at Albert Hall. Photo: Mildenhall Collection, National Archives
SAY TO REFUGEES YES
Permanent Visas Now!
People who came years ago seeking safety are still without permanent visas, denied a fair process, living in f ear and uncertainty. After 12 years and more, Australia is their home.
PALM SUNDAY RALLY
1 PM - 13 APRIL
CIVIC SQ.*
Today, more people than ever have been displaced from their homes and countries by events not under their control.
At this election time in 2025, both Labor and the LNP have continued to support cruel and ungenerous policies towards refugees and people seeking asylum including mandatory indefinite detention and offshore ‘processing’.
These Trump-like policies are among the worst in the world.
On 13 April 2025 gather with us to demonstrate that there are millions in Australia who do not support this cruelty and want a return to a decent and humane approach.
*Near ACT Assembly
POLITICS / power of the Legislative Assembly
Can a minister easily ignore an Assembly motion?
Independent MLA Fiona Carrick launched a scathing attack on Health Minister Rachel StephenSmith for ignoring a motion of the Assembly.
According to Ms Carrick, the Minister “confirmed that she will not extend the contract for the Salvation Army to operate the Burrangiri Res pite Centre in Rivett, in defiance of a motion passed by the ACT Legislative Assembly on March 5”.
Does the minister ignore such a motion at her peril? The question is: is this matter a part of the responsibility of executive government?
Thanks to assurance from the cross benches of stable government, in such cases, the Assembly expresses an opinion rather than issues an order.
One of the key lessons that I learnt in my early days as an army officer, and one that has served me well throughout life, was “do not give an order you do not expect to be obeyed”. It seems that this motion was expressing a strong opinion. As such – it should stand. However, if the issue was more serious, but would never be enforced – it should never have had the support of the Assembly.
The motion by Ms Carrick is on behalf of a group (or groups) in the community. All indications are that those supporting this motion consider
those Canberrans and their carers who need short-term respite care by not extending the operations of the Burrangiri Respite Centre.”
When questioned in the Assembly
about extending the service. Clearly, it was possible without probity issues – after all, the contract had already been extended for a year.
The minister’s reasoning was
CLAIRE MILES
INDEPENDENT FOR CANBERRA
I stand for a stronger voice for Canberra.
Canberrans want a vibrant city that is progressive and a leader that is forward-thinking I will advocate for the issues important to Canberrans, let me know what those issues are.
distinguish between a motion framed to be a strong opinion versus a much more serious issue such as misleading, incompetence, corruption or lack of integrity.
Where the Assembly is simply expressing an opinion on a matter that is clearly within the purview of the executive, then it should be up to the minister to determine how seriously the motion should be taken and how it ought to be treated. In the end, the power is with the Assembly. In 1994 it was clear that the minority Labor government was under threat should they have ignored the will of the Assembly. The Assembly exercised its power to see a minister removed from the cabinet. The recent motion was a strong view of the Assembly.
Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with CityNews since 2006.
Former gaming minister Wayne Berry… forced by a motion of no-confidence to resign in April 1994.
The annual Relay for LIfe event is being held at the AIS athletics track on April 5-6. After that, the longest-running team in the relay, the Bold Bandannas, returns to fundraising for cancer research at the Belco F&V Markets, 8am-4.30pm, on April 12.
Their charity stall will have a winter theme selling scarves, beanies, ear warmers and children’s jumpers, plus an array of quilts and knee rugs. There will also be children’s dramatic play items including
Judy Mack.
Why won’t Labor fix democracy on Norfolk Island?
Recently, I wrote to the three members of the federal parliament who represent the residents of Norfolk Island, namely senators David Pocock and Katy Gallagher and MP David Smith, the member for Bean, to express my concern about the appalling treatment dished out by the Labor Party to the residents of Norfolk Island.
Kristy McBain, the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, responded to my letter on behalf of Senator Gallagher and Mr Smith.
It is a decade since the ALP joined with the Greens and the Liberal Party to abolish self-government on Norfolk Island and to delegate responsibility for the governance of the territory to faceless, Canberra-based public servants.
A consequence of the decision to abolish self-government is, of course, that Norfolk Island has, to Australia’s enduring shame, joined Christmas Island and the Cocos Keeling Islands as non-self-governing territories, or in other words, as colonies.
In response to my letter minister McBain advised, among other things, that: “I note your concerns about the
Norfolk Island Community’s access to democratic participation.
“In November I announced a new, bespoke model of government for Norfolk Island, the Norfolk Island Assembly. The Assembly will comprise five elected members and be empowered to make local laws that support local service delivery.
“The Assembly model was informed by the recommendations of the Norfolk Island Governance Committee, which includes two democratically elected community representatives. The Committee’s recommendations followed extensive community consultation.”
“The Assembly model was informed by the recommendations of the Norfolk Island Governance Committee following extensive community consultations.”
Since the tone and content of Minister McBain’s letter was diametrically opposed to the advice I have been receiving from senior, highly respected and long-time members of the Norfolk Island community I referred it to them for their consideration and advice.
In response, a senior and highly regarded Norfolk Island resident told me: “In the 16 months of community engagement I can’t recall a single person asking for a continuation of the current undemocratic model.
“Additionally, I can only recall three comments in favour of the local
Norfolk Island has, to Australia’s enduring shame, joined Christmas Island and the Cocos Keeling Islands as non-self-governing territories, or in other words, as colonies.
government model.
“Personally, I can’t reconcile the community’s views about the proposed model with the response you got from the minister.”
The Norfolk Island Council of Elders made the following comment: “The governance model crafted by the Australian Government is unsuitable, unsatisfactory and unacceptable.”
The Norfolk Island People for Democracy advised: “The process has dismally failed to adhere to the terms of reference of the inquiry, the findings of the Joint Standing Committee and the recommendations of our locally elected representatives.
“The local government model fails to address the democratic deficit, which is inconsistent with international standards.”
Elected member of the Norfolk Island Governance Committee, Alma Davidson said: “Despite my advocacy it is clear that the Australian Government has its own plans for Norfolk Island and has no intention
of listening to or respecting the wishes of those in the community who engaged in the NIGC process.”
The Accommodation and Tourism Association of Norfolk Island :
“The ATA categorically rejects this new governance model, which basically imposes more of the same on the community.
“The minister has ignored the will of the people. Consequently, the ATA’s trust in the process has been eroded. The minister plans to implement the new Norfolk Island Assembly by an ordinance under the Norfolk Island Act, which clearly avoids the democratic advantages of parliamentary debate and scrutiny.”
Individual members of the Norfolk Island community made the following observations and comments:
• “The decision to set up a local council model for Norfolk Island, again, will fail.”
• “It is absolutely shocking that the federal government has ignored the needs and aspirations of the people of Norfolk Island, who overwhelmingly reject a local government model. I believe the whole NIGC process has been a sham.”
• “This is a gross betrayal of trust.
The minister and the department should hang their heads in shame. They have not been able to come up with a single thing that addresses Norfolk Island’s governance and democratic deficit. They do not even have the courage to take it before the Australian parliament.”
• “The minister has deceived the Norfolk Island people by continuing with the current failed Commonwealth model and merely changing the name of the Norfolk Island Regional Council to Norfolk Island Assembly.”
I have a long and close association with Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos Keeling Islands and have lived on Norfolk and Christmas islands. The almost total disregard and disinterest of our government, and the Parliament more generally, with the singular exception of Senator Pocock, in the basic human and democratic rights of the residents of these islands is reprehensible.
Jon Stanhope is a former chief minister.
Right swing puts new world of misery on refugees
Although the polling shows that very few Australians will decide how to vote in May based on the major parties’ policies on refugees, the stakes about those policies are high.
Partly, this is about the refugees themselves. I recently met an 18-year-old Tamil man named Abishek, whose family fled horrific violence in Sri Lanka when he was not yet six years old.
Abi and his family were among the thousands who have failed the socalled “fast-track” process of refugee assessment. It was a process deliberately designed to make people fail.
And fail they did – success rates plummeted. Thankfully, Labor has abolished it. But it has done nothing to help those like Abi – who exist in a twilight visa zone without permanent residence or any path to citizenship.
As a result, since he finished school last year, he has no right to work or to study. As his classmates head for university or vocational education, Abi has no right to any education of any kind – even if self-funded.
But the stakes are still higher than this. The last decade has seen more refugees and displaced people than ever – more than 120 million. But political parties in many developed countries such as Australia have not
refugees. Photo: Mike Welsh
only hardened their positions towards these people, but have sought to make political capital by being “tougher” than their opponents.
In Europe, far-right parties have made opposition to refugees from the Middle East and Africa a centrepiece of their appeal. In Germany, the Federal election in February propelled the uber-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) into second place – by far the greatest success enjoyed by a party so far out on the right since World War II.
The Austrian Freedom Party –originally formed by former Austrian SS officers – also targeted refugees.
The September elections made it the largest party in the country.
We have seen an upsurge in far-right politics that has been heavily based on the refugee and immigration issue, but it will affect many people other than refugees.
Victor Orban won another landslide victory last year in Hungary – making him the longest serving leader in the European Union. He has vowed never to accept a single Muslim refugee –who he has called “Muslim invaders”.
In Italy, the government led by Georgia Meloni is also the most right-wing since Mussolini. Again, opposition to refugees has been a critical part of her path to power. Imitating Australia’s offshore detention centres on Manus Island and (still) on Nauru, she is now attempting to send refugees to camps in Albania.
Although she lost in the last round of the presidential elections in 2022, Marine Le Pen still won 41.45 per
AUSTRALIAN HEMP PRODUCTS
cent of the vote in France – again the highest ever for a far-right leader – by campaigning against non-European (especially Muslim) refugees and immigrants.
So too, the success of Nigel Farage’s Reform party in the UK has largely been based on the same policies and rhetoric. Reform, according to the latest polls is now just one percentage point behind Labor and four points ahead of the Conservatives.
Far-right, anti-immigration parties have also prospered in Denmark, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
And then, there is Trump. He campaigned on deporting more people than ever, with camps at the border, and raids on schools and workplaces.
His claim – never retracted – that Haitian immigrants were eating people’s cats and dogs and that immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the country – seems to have worked.
In the November election, 82 per cent of Trump voters said immigration was very important to their vote – an increase from 61 per cent in 2020.
In all these cases, the far-right has connected anti-immigration to other concerns – jobs, welfare, crime,
drugs, terrorism.
We have seen an upsurge in far-right politics that has been heavily based on the refugee and immigration issue, but it will affect many people other than refugees. These parties and leaders threaten women’s rights, LGBTI rights, and the rights of people of colour.
Australia’s involvement in this has been to provide a template for “tough” refugee policies: mandatory, indefinite detention without charge or trial, and offshore detention in poor countries paid to imprison people who have come to us in search of safety.
On Palm Sunday, April 13, this year thousands of people will rally in Canberra knowing that the stakes involved are about Abi. But they are also about the political future for the rest of us as well.
John Minns is Emeritus Professor of Politics and International Relations at the ANU and an activist in the Refugee Action Campaign in Canberra. The Palm Sunday rally, Civic Square, 1pm3pm, April 13.
JOHN MINNS
Supporters rally in Civic in support of
Dread of finding kangaroo injured and left to die
One of my most dreaded scenarios in life happened when driving from Canberra to Mount Fairy, NSW, to visit family. I found a badly injured, young male kangaroo on the side of the road.
It had been hit and left to die in agony. When I reached it, it was calling out for its mother.
As I was in NSW, I was able to call Wildcare for help. This was a huge comfort to me at the time. If I had been in the ACT, the only option available would be to call Access Canberra so that a ranger could be sent to put the animal down.
Due to its extensive injuries, the young kangaroo died before volunteers from Wildcare were able to reach it.
I would like to appeal to people to please slow down on the roads, look out for wildlife and to check animals that have been hit. It is possible for animals such as kangaroos, possums and wombats (and their babies) to survive a car strike.
In what scenario would we as a society think it is acceptable for someone to hit a dog or a cat and just leave them to suffer? Our wildlife is precious and it deserves better treatment than this.
Rebecca Marks, via email
Manipulated scarcity of new suburban land
Outrageous current prices, like $700,000 (verifiable) for a new, tiny, narrow, single-dwelling block of land, and the developer-manipulated scarcity of new suburban land, are the main underlying causes of our appalling housing affordability and quality crises.
There is no free market there, only heartless profiteering, and cartel-like behaviour.
Getting developers to put up more flats, with loosened development conditions, will not solve the problem – they won’t forego profits to any significant extent. Nor will all sorts of government grants, subsidies, etcetera help much – developers and landlords will simply exploit them.
It’s time for governments to take back new suburban and satellite-town land development; to do it more responsibly, price-wise, socially and environmentally; to make singledwelling blocks more family friendly (say, a minimum 600 square metres – definitely achievable without increasing estate footprints); to always maintain supply, especially directly to bona-fide owner-occupiers; and to make the blocks available for say, the publicly ascertainable cost to produce plus a small reasonable margin reflecting the block’s location and characteristics. With all necessary associated infrastructure, services, and connectivity, that could bring them down to around $200,000 each on average.
All that will have improved affordability, and quality flow-on effects across all other
housing typologies. The federal government and the banks would need to jointly manage any genuinely debilitating market-correction impacts (using say, existing subsidy funds, bank super profits, etcetera).
Jack Kershaw, Kambah
Climate realists, and not ‘catastrophists’
I am dismayed by Anthony Hordern’s referring to “climate catastrophists” (letters, CN March 27).
With experience as a professional surveyor and consulting engineer, Mr Hordern should be able to understand that there are those who recognise the dangers of climate change, which is now affecting millions of people around the world.
Those who have witnessed the recent extreme weather events and flooding in eastern Australia are realists, and certainly not “catastrophists”.
Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Silence is deafening over prison problems
Pray tell, Chief Minister Barr, when is the ACT government going to take the concerns of Canberra’s prison (the AMC) seriously?
There have been endless articles highlighting the poor conduct of senior management and custodial staff employed at the AMC, along with civil claims popping up on a
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
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regular basis, not to mention the increase of deaths in custody.
As a prison reform advocate, I have met with several MLAs to discuss concerns regarding the treatment of detainees housed at the AMC; however, thus far, the silence is deafening.
Being incarcerated is the loss of liberty; a consequence for breaking the law. It should not provide licence for (some, not all) AMC staff to assault detainees, nor treat them like putrid animals, stripping them of their dignity and self-worth. This is not conducive in supporting people to return to the community to lead a law-abiding life.
For those who stand by “do the crime, do the time”, allow me to state that we don’t know the life stories of people who become embroiled in the criminal justice system. Many have experienced trauma, been exposed to intergenerational criminal activity, have cognitive and/or mental health issues, substance use, co-occurring conditions, and the list goes on.
The AMC was purpose-built on a human rights and rehabilitation philosophy. It is anything but that.
Rehabilitation is the intrinsic tool to reduce recidivism. Clearly, it is not working at the AMC as we maintain the highest rates of recidivism, along with the highest representation of First Nation’s people in Australia. And it’s costing the ACT taxpayers a motza for this major under achievement; we are hardly getting a bang for our buck.
The Barr government should hang its head in shame and, once and for all, lift their game.
Janine Haskins, Cook
When renewables will outlive their usefulness
I read how the ubiquitous writers of letters to editors, Douglas Mackenzie and Fiona Colin, are again at their sanctimonious best, arguing against the future and cost of nuclear power generation (letters, CN March 13), with incorrect facts.
They both should have a good look at the report “What would be required for nuclear energy plants to be operating in Australia from the 2030s”, June 2021, Stephen Wilson, University of Queensland. In particular, Figure 1 of the report makes it clear that renewable sources (wind and solar) will have outlived their usefulness by the mid-2040s, with nuclear taking over progressively from the mid-2030s.
Max Flint, principal, Australian Logistics Study Centre
Time to step back into the real world
No wonder there is an epidemic of loneliness in Australia today when so many people are glued to their mobile devices instead of engaging with those or the environment around them.
It is time we all disconnected and stepped back into the real world.
Darryl Johnston, Tuggeranong
A minority Labor government prodded to reform
All political parties break promises.
Some promises weren’t (think Tony Abbott saying there would be no cuts to education, health, the ABC or SBS) while others could not be implemented due to changed circumstances (think Albanese’s promise that power prices would be $275 lower, undermined by the war in Ukraine).
Too often superficial messages are prepared masquerading as policy to create a perception the party can effectively address issues, aware few electors have sufficient knowledge of policy to evaluate the claims. It’s about establishing a “vibe”.
For the upcoming election the Coalition is excelling by extolling often deliberately deceptive policies (more accurately thought-bubbles) on housing, cost of living, energy, climate change, immigration and the public service.
Hopefully, its electability will be hindered by the lead in its saddlebags from robodebt, its past dilettantism in relation to housing and climate change and a concern it is serving the fossil fuel industry rather than the wider community.
Labor is cautious, adopting a ”don’t scare the horses” approach. While this may assist it to remain in government and deliver some marginal improvements, it will not effectively address the environmental, economic and social challenges facing Australia.
It is becoming increasingly clear a minority Labor government prodded to reform by the
Greens and independents, will provide the best hope of achieving meaningful change.
Mike Quirk, Garran
Birds from dirt, not birds from dinosaurs
While Whimsy columnist Clive Williams (CN February 27) seems adamant that birds evolved from therapod dinosaurs, the bird origin account in The Bible’s Genesis Chapter 1 has God speaking birds into existence (or alternatively, creating every winged bird according to its kind).
are things that a number of people under the sway of molecules-to-mankind evolution ideas seem to want to wish, assume, presume, interpret and/or theorise away.
Scott Crawford, Kaleen
Failing health system is more Barr’s fault
Michael Moore rightly asks why Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith hasn’t been sacked (“Why won’t Barr remove failing health minister?”, CN March 20).
May I suggest that its because Chief Minister Andrew Barr knows it’s more his fault than hers. His woke agenda has cost Canberrans a decent health system.
He did it on the “fifth day”, which from a plain reading of the text would be a normallength day with an evening and a morning.
Genesis 2:19 includes some more detail in noting that God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air.
So, it seems it was effectively birds from dirt not birds from dinosaurs. Also, Mr Williams seems way, way off in terms of his time scale, by around a convenient 25,000 multiple of the Bible’s timescale of around 6000 years ago for the initial creation of birds.
The creation week and other major historical events impacting the birds of today
Bob Howden, via email
Patriotic billionaires didn’t come to the rescue
Australia is slowly emerging from a cost-of-living crisis. For a time, food banks simply could not feed everyone who needed assistance. Our patriotic billionaires opted not to come to the rescue.
Now with the election campaign underway, we find that there is endless money to trumpet political advertisements.
Do these billionaires really have the interests of homeless and hungry Australians at heart or are they seeking Elon Musk-type influence in an incoming Dutton government?
Noel Baxendell, Holt
Thumbs up for seeds in party bags
Seeds in party bags at the end of a celebration – what a fabulous idea! Thanks so much to streaming columnist Nick Overall (“Meghan’s sweet souffle of selfindulgence”, CN March 20) for highlighting this advice from the Duchess of Sussex.
Especially for little kids (which is what Meghan has), planting and watching seeds grow offers extended fun and interest. Not to mention how good it is for them to spend time in and with the natural environment, and to potentially grow some fruit or vegetables that they can then consume.
So much better than a bag full of sugary, highly processed foods! I can’t wait to take up this suggestion.
Elizabeth Gould, via email
Irony in Canberra Times dancing promotion
I find considerable irony in the fact that, having completely disowned and discarded the arts in any editorial with the exception of films, that The Canberra Times has turned to ballet dancers to advertise itself on buses and trams in Canberra.
The Canberra Times had a considerable reputation amongst artists and arts organisations for decades, for respecting and promoting the arts – in all its forms – in Canberra, until critics, reviewers and other
arts writers were given the news they would no longer be published.
This was such a blow to the many readers who often waited until an exhibition or performance had been reviewed before deciding whether or not to go. And let’s not forget the writers who wrote and reviewed regularly.
Meredith Hinchliffe, via email Editor’s note: Many of the fine reviewers displaced from The Canberra Times now write for CityNews.com.au, now the proud leader in performance and art reviewing.
The ever-expanding legal black hole
The Higgins/ Lehmann/Drumgold/ Sofronoff/Reynolds/ Wright/Sharaz morass is largely a political stoush, with a rape accusation at its centre, being played out in courtrooms.
How can justice be served when politics is the master?
The mud slung at Sofronoff with a corruption charge may stick but, like so much else in this jaundiced affair, judicial sloppiness will trigger further litigation. The ever-expanding legal black hole sucks a grotesque quantum of money and energy.
Robinson, Ainslie
Peter
Walter Sofronoff.
Therapod dinosaurs.
Maintaining good health from top to toes is the theme of this feature in which we talk with experts in pain management, mobility and indigenous health.
mums
Pregnancy and having a baby can feel like the best and worst of times for women living with autoimmune disorders.
“Women living with autoimmune disorders may find that during their pregnancy, symptoms may appear to get better, although we do find that post pregnancy, flare ups may occur,” says Arthritis ACT CEO, Rebecca Davey.
“The change and stress of having a baby can also often create autoimmune issues.”
A midwife herself, Rebecca urges women not to be complacent and prepare to push a bit for themselves within the medical industry should pain and sickness begin to get out of control.
“We are here to make sure mums are getting the best outcome of being with their baby and managing their disorder,” she says.
“We are here to support mums and help them adjust to living with autoimmune disorders throughout the entire process of their pregnancy, and are here for people when they need us.”
Rebecca says pregnancy can be an intersection for many women and says they shouldn’t have to “just put up with symptoms”.
“When you have an autoimmune disorder, it can add pressure to a pregnancy,” she says.
“Mothering is a huge adjustment process and
more stressful process.
“That’s what we are here for.”
Arthritis ACT, Pain Support & ME/CFS ACT, 170 Haydon Drive, Bruce. Call 1800 011041 or visit arthritisact.org.au
A podiatric surgeon is a specialist podiatrist and can provide conservative as well as surgical interventions, says Canberra Foot Surgery podiatrist and podiatrist surgeon Dr Nicholas Studdert.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to provide this meaningful service to the ACT community and surrounds,” he says.
Seeing all types of patients – from children to the elderly – with hammer toe, bunions, plantar fasciitis, flat feet and high arches, Dr Studdert says he can offer orthoses, laser therapy as well as surgery.
“The scope is very broad,” he says.
“I have always been interested in working in health and this provided a specialised skill set I could use to assist people – podiatric surgery is primarily about mobility, which anyone who has had their mobility restricted will know, it is of vital importance to our health and life.”
Dr Studdert says a podiatric surgeon provides specialist advice and procedures for foot and ankle complaints, often consulting with patients who have not been able to find relief elsewhere, who have complex or advanced conditions or who may be seeking surgical intervention for their ongoing pain or symptoms.
“I consult with them, provide advice, take them through the surgical journey if needed
and provide comprehensive follow up after surgery,” he says.
“Often I see people in the long term, providing initial surgical intervention as well as ongoing podiatric care to them and their family into the future.”
Canberra Foot Surgery. 4/19 Napier Close, Deakin. Call 6105 9555 or visit canberrafootsurgery.com.au
No two feet are the same, and no two people are the same, either.
Our expert team of health professionals start by listening and examining, then we provide treatment that’s completely tailored to you. Whether you’re seeking general podiatry, specialist surgery, or both, our goal is to get you back on your feet, sooner.
Dr Nicholas Studdert
Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
Doctor of Podiatric Surgery
Member of the Australasian
College of Podiatric Surgeons
Dr Nicholas Studdert.
Arthritis ACT CEO Rebecca Davey.
MEET OUR PAIN MANAGEMENT EXPERTS
Emil Terbio – Exercise Physiotherapist
Physiotherapist Emil comes to us with a wealth of physiotherapy experience and knowledge from the public hospital system and also private practice. Emil works closely with our team of Exercise Physiologists on a coordinated approach to improving your pain and overall wellbeing. Emil has a special interest in neurology and improving the lives of people living with neurological conditions. He’s also mad keen on soccer and will support you with all sports related injuries and injury prevention.
Sophie Bullock – Exercise Physiologist
Sophie has post graduate qualifications in hydrotherapy, and as a non-sports centred Exercise Physiologist, helps clients who struggle with engaging in exercise due to a lack of sports participation. Sophie’s goal is to improve clients health via our hydrotherapy program, gym instruction and in-home visits. Sophie also is known for her passion for working with children.
Sarah Solano – Exercise Physiologist
Sarah believes that exercise is the best medicine. She is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist with her degree in exercise physiology and rehabilitation. Previously Sarah was a swim teacher, personal trainer and an allied health assistant in the hydrotherapy field.
Jarrod Phillips – Exercise Physiologist
Jarrod is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who graduated from the University of Canberra in 2024.
He has a passion for wanting to help those in need and aims to provide the best possible treatment and advice to each and every one of his clients.
Blake Dean – Exercise Physiologist
Blake has expertise in improving clients mobility and decreasing their pain through appropriate exercise. Blake delivers our ‘My Exercise’ program, targeting the relief of lower back and sciatic pain, shoulder and upper body concerns as well as leg, hip and ankle interventions – for those who do not qualify for physiotherapy-led GLAD programs. Blake provides individual & group exercise for younger people with a disability. Blake treats clients in-clinic or via our hydrotherapy program as well as attending your gym with you.
Jacqui Couldrick – Physiotherapist
Jacqui has a particular interest in hip and knee osteoarthritis. Jacqui delivers the GLAD program designed to reduce the need for joint replacements, or if a joint replacement is unavoidable, to prepare you thoroughly for surgery and recovery for day to day tasks. Jacqui is studying towards a PhD in the outcomes of the GLAD program.
Holly Hazlewood – Exercise Physiologist
Holly is a former sports journalist who believed so strongly in the power of exercise to heal and nurture that she undertook her 4 year degree in Exercise Physiology. Holly is be able to work with people directly to support them through their pain journey and regain independence and a joy for living again. Holly provides one on one and group exercise classes both on land and at our hydrotherapy centres to support people to gain freedom from chronic pain.
• Occupational Therapy – Assistance with the planning and modification of your home, workplace or car. Applications for NDIS, the Disability and Housing Support Pension, and also driving assessments.
• Physiotherapy – including the GLAD program for knee and hip osteoarthritis, sports injury prevention and rehabilitation, and pain condition support.
• Exercise Physiology – Individual exercise prescriptions, small group classes to increase strength and improve rehabilitation, strength and balance classes, hydrotherapy support.
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services CEO Julie Tongs. Curtin Optical owner Corey Nicholls.
WINNUNGA NIMMITYJAH ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
Winnunga Nimmityjah AHCS is an Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service operated by the Aboriginal community of the ACT.
In Wiradjuri language, Winnunga Nimmityjah means Strong Health. The service logo is the Corroboree Frog which is significant to Aboriginal people in the ACT.
Our aim is to provide a culturally safe, holistic health care service for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the ACT and surrounding regions. The holistic health care provided by Winnunga AHCS includes not only medical care, but a range of programs to promote good health and healthy lifestyles.
Our services include:
• GP and Nursing
• Midwifery
• Immunisations
• Health Checks
• Men’s & Women’s Health
• Hearing Health
• Dental
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Dietician (Nutrition)
• Counselling
• Diabetes Clinic
• Quit Smoking Services / No More Boondah
• Needle Syringe Program
• Mental Health Support
• Healthy Weight Program
• Healthy Cooking Group
• Mums and Bubs Group / Child Health
• Optometry Service
• Psychology and Psychiatrist
• Community Events
• Groups
Winnunga AHCS is a national leader in accreditation, was one of the first Aboriginal community controlled health services to achieve dual accreditation under RACGP and QIC standards. Winnunga AHCS has been at the forefront of setting a national agenda for quality improvement in Aboriginal community controlled health and continues to advocate locally and nationally for best practice standards in operational and governance areas of Aboriginal health services.
CLINIC hours | MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9am-5pm
Ph: 6284 6222 | 63 Boolimba Cres, Narrabundah www.winnunga.org.au
COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing for Winnunga Clients
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Experts who make home improvements easy
There’s no place like home… especially when you’ve got it just right, just how you like it.
And now’s as good a time as any to get that home improvement plan started or be tempted to imagine what’s possible from the experts showcasing their skills and services in this feature.
Ex-Government Furniture co-owner, James Fullerton, says there’s nothing like their store in Canberra.
Receiving second-hand furniture from com mercial and government stock, Ex-Government Furniture has a large selection of quality pieces.
“We’ve got more than 25 years of experience in picking out furniture and have lots of advice to give,” he says.
Specialising in home office equipment, James says they have a bit of everything, from practical furniture to top commercial grade pieces, mean ing there is something for everyone.
“We’ve got chairs from $5 here and have something in the budget for everyone.”
From entry level to top-level pieces, James says they have furniture spanning 100 years.
“We’ve got pieces from 1879 all the way to this year,” he says.
“It keeps it interesting to see the different types of stock that we have in store.”
Featuring coffee tables, metal storage solutions, vintage dining sets, lounges and other finds, James recommends customers come in to see the furniture for themselves.
“We would love to have a chat with you about what it is you are looking for and how we can help you to find the perfect piece for your home.”
Ex-Government Furniture, 6 Yallourn Street. Call 6280 6490 or visit exgovfurniture.com, facebook at exgovfurniture or on instagram at exgovfurniture
Renovation doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming, says Renovation Matters owner Kim Persson.
“With the right guidance and a well thought out plan, it can be a smooth and rewarding process,” she says.
“At Renovation Matters, we take the stress out of home improvements by handling everything from start to finish.”
Alongside a team of trusted tradespeople, Kim says her team ensures projects are com pleted on time and within budget, keeping their focus on adding real value to a property.
“Whether you’re renovating to sell, rent or simply improve your space, we make sure every detail is handled with care and
Seeing a property transform and witnessing the positive impact it has on clients is Kim’s favourite part of the job.
“I love helping people achieve their goals,”
“Every project is unique and I enjoy the challenge of problem solving to bring a vision
With more than 100 successful renovations under her belt, Kim says the key to success is approaching projects with a practical, transparent and flexible mentality.
Helping clients make informed decisions about where to spend and where to save, Kim says her extensive experience of the Canberra by
Renovation Matters. Call 0427 696662, or visit renovationmatters.com.au
Matters offers transformational renovations that add the biggest impact and value when selling your property.
you are not selling, we can help you renovate to meet your specific requirements!
NOW IS THE TIME…
managing everything efficiently from start to finish,” she says.
Ex-Government Furniture co-owners, from left, Taylor Radnell and James Fullerton.
Renovation Matters owner Kim Persson.
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
“I accommodate to what my clients want and not what simply could be done,” he says.
“Ultimately, it’s my job to make the customer happy.”
Andy’s goal when he first began looking at the typical pergola structure was to provide extra space.
“Most are leaning and provide no headspace in the conservation of the environment.”
Canberra Creative Pergolas offer obligation-free designs and quotes. Call Andy on 0411 725886, email finance@ designconstructindustries.com, visit canberrapergolas. com.au or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Transforming kitchens with passion
The Kitchen Company is very much a Canberra-focused family business, that’s very much about the homeowner.
General manager Charlotte Batley said the company was started by her husband Adam Batley’s father, Peter, in 1981.
Adam had worked there for 25 years, 15 years running it, “and I’ve been here for 10.”
“We offer custom kitchens in forever homes, we have dedicated interior designers who will work with clients for months or even years to achieve their dream, and a fabulous team who can do it all, from start to finish,” she said.
we feel like we’re transforming people’s lives.
“We are big believers in Canberra, we love it here and we love the community, some clients are repeat clients or spread the word about how pleased they are with us, and seeing them so happy keeps us passionate.
“People really get a personal, lovely and different experience when they come through us.”
Charlotte said they also offered a free design and quote service, so customers could be confident in their decision before making a financial commitment.
The Kitchen Company, Unit 1/4 Wiluna Street, Fyshwick.
Founder Andy Stodulka with the original curved pergola design built 30 years ago.
The Kitchen Company owners Charlotte and Adam Batley.
‘Each challenge we faced led to another ‘style’ to add to the library. Today, no two of our pergolas are the same’
Individual pergolas that truly speak for themselves
There are pergolas and there are pergolas.
It is not a one-size-fits-all business, says Canberra engineer Andy Stodulka.
The days of the standard rectangular, timber pergola covering the back verandah are gone.
Today, there’s a multitude of choices with different materials, different colours and different shapes.
There are curved roofs. Curved poles. Cantilevered pergolas.
Shade from Colorbond roofs. See-through Suntuff or even cloth – PVC coated nylon.
And much of this innovation came about when the founder of Canberra Creative Pergolas, engineer Andy, simply decided to build pergolas out of steel box section, also known as hollow section, which is a strong construction material usually made from plain mild steel. It has great welding abilities and can easily be bent and formed.
“Back in the early 1990s I had a brainwave: ‘Why don’t we just build these pergolas out of box section; it’s stronger, and it’s lighter’,” Andy says.
“That small decision transformed pergola construction. I even had inquiries from the US.”
Andy admits the early steel pergolas were “pretty industrial affairs”.
But over time, lots of variations were developed, many in response to clients who had problems.
“One client just didn’t want posts everywhere, so we decided to build a cantilevered pergola with just two supports,” he says.
“Each challenge we faced led to another ‘style’ to add to the library. Today, no two Canberra Creative Pergolas are the same.”
Andy Stodulka and his team have more than 30 years’ experience in pergola
design and manufacture. Over that time, they’ve built more than a quarter of a million square metres of sun protection!
Canberra Creative Pergolas designs and manufactures pergolas for a specific space.
“We sit down with clients, assess the
structural issues, then get a detailed idea of exactly how they want to use the space, what aesthetic they are looking for,” says Andy.
“It’s a creative collaboration to enhance a home.”
Canberra Creative Pergolas offer obligation-free designs and quotes. Call Andy on 0411 725 886, email finance@designconstructindustries.com, visit canberrapergolas.com.au or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Curved columns pergola… today, there’s a multitude of choices with different materials, different colours and different shapes.
Balcony pergola – Carwoola.
The Hive – Queanbeyan. Covered walkway – Campbell Primary School.
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Experienced packers save time and stress
The local team at House to Home are experienced packers who have been helping Canberrans get their property ready for sales, renovations, insurance work, downsizing and relocating for more than 12 years, says co-owner Renee Le Grande.
“Our expert team will save you hours of time and stress by packing all your personal belongings, household items, right through to packing up the shed,” she says.
“Our team offers a personalised service and recognises every client is unique and has different needs and expectations.
“Some people want the kitchen, bathroom and wardrobes packed, others want absolutely everything including the garden pots at the front door.”
Renee says her business also offers a full walk-in walk-out service, where clients hand over their keys and the staff completely clear the property, remove the furniture, take necessary items to a charity store, get the old property cleaned, and set everything up again in the new home.
House to Home. Call 0457 456767 or visit house-to-home.com.au
“The kitchen really is the heart of the home and when you have a kitchen that is not only functional but is really beautiful to look at, it’s a great joy,” said Robyn Monteleone, partner at Select Custom Joinery.
Operating since 2000, Select Custom Joinery specialised in creating sustainable kitchens and joinery, she said.
“We are a niche business, we specialise in using timber and other solid materials,” she said.
Their commitment went beyond just using sustainable materials though, and Robyn said they always thought about longevity, with everything they designed meant to last for a long time.
Robyn’s husband Gino Monteleone, the primary cabinet maker and partner of the business, trained as a furniture maker.
“He trained in high furniture, and building kitchens and things out of solid timber, it is in a sense creating pieces of furniture that people will love for many years to come,” she said.
“We aim to create things that are customised for each client’s lifestyle and personality and we often like to have a feature in each person’s home that is unique to them.
“The satisfaction that clients ultimately get something that really suits their lifestyle and them, and something they’re really proud of and really enjoy using is the most rewarding thing.
“We are only a small team, so it is by appointment.”
Select Custom Joinery. 1182 Wallaroo Road, Hall. Call 6230 9414 or visit selectcustomjoinery.com.au
A recent Select Custom Joinery kitchen in Forrest.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Throwing light on the dark side of ruthless Henry INSIDE
By Helen MUSA
Shakespeare’s Henry 5 is famous as one of Shakespeare’s most patriotic plays.
Reeking of jingoism, it’s full of household phrases such as “once more into the breach dear friends” and “we few, we happy few, we band of brothers”.
It shows the former wastrel Prince Hal, now ascended to the English throne, embarking on his most famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
That’s still taught in military schools and is a great example of the David versus Goliath principle, as the small English forces defeated the mighty French with only 112 deaths to their opponents’ 6000.
The play is deeply loathed by the French, and nearly caused a riot at a French theatre festival a few years ago when it was staged.
In it, Shakespeare depicts the Gallic characters as weak and foppish and the English as strong and manly.
It looks very different from a modern perspective, however as JK Kazzi, who plays Henry in Bell Shakespeare’s current production, found when he and director Marion Potts visited the real “Azincourt” in northern France last year.
There they perceived minimal signage about the battle, but once inside the empty local museum, they found Shakespeare depicted as a bulldust artist and Henry as a war criminal. Not surprising when you learn that he had thousands of French prisoners of war executed.
kudos with the girls, has a Gallic side to him that give himself extra insights into the play.
“We believe that our production, if anything, has given some voice to the French,” he says.
Before ending up in the acting course at NIDA, Kazzi studied media and communications at Sydney University, played around, fell in love, travelled, worked in many jobs and, in short, got life experience, a bit like the young Prince Hal.
He notes that the relatively new King Henry was 28 years old at the time of the famous battle, the same age as him.
“I’m really exposing the dark side of this role,” he says.
“When you change from Prince to King, you have to make a huge shift.
“You have to make big decisions, some require ruthlessness and brutality.”
True. Henry is shown by the Bard as anything but nice, ordering the execution of a bunch of traitors early in the play in an almost perfunctory manner.
common man, but I don’t think he expects to hear what they say,” Kazzi tells me.
In fact, when the king overhears a conversation between Fluellen and Gower, he gets into an argument with a soldier; he is shocked.
This explains his reflections on the responsibility of kingship in the Act 4 soliloquy that begins: “Let us our lives, our souls, our debts, our careful wives, our children, and our sins, lay on the King!”
On the lighter side, one might think, is the courtship scene with Henry’s future wife Princess Katherine, daughter of King Charles VI of France, but even here there is a strong element of coercion that the audience will not miss.
“We really interrogated that scene to make it more contemporary so we don’t think it’s delightful at all,” Kazzi says.
“We are sure that Katherine is just doing what her father wants and is not charmed by Henry… in rehearsal we tried doing it the coquettish way but our challenge was to find the truth through a contemporary lens.”
“We are leaning into that a bit”, Kazzi tells me, even though in a promotional YouTube video he is seen talking up the Mr Nice Guy version of his character.
Kazzi, J François Kazzi to be precise, is of Lebanese extraction with a Francophone father and some facility in French from four years of secondary schooling in Ho Chi Minh City, where he discovered that it gave him
Then there’s the moment when he publicly snubs his old mentor and drinking mate Sir John Falstaff with the words, “I know thee not old man,” a clear signal that this newly-minted God-King will be no pushover.
More sympathetically, he is found sneaking around the camps by night in disguise to suss out what the ordinary people really think of him.
“That shows his need to speak to the
“Ours is not quite the classical interrogation, but of course we’re not going to throw away those great speeches.”
“We certainly haven’t put Henry on trial, but he’s a human being and we show that,” Kazzi says.
Henry 5, Bell Shakespeare, The Playhouse, April 10-20.
JK Kazzi as King Henry… “I’m really exposing the dark side of this role. When you change from Prince to King, you have to make a huge shift.” Photo: Brett Boardman
STREAMING / Black Mirror
More Black Mirror keeps pushing the boundaries
There is perhaps no show in the last decade that has pushed the boundaries of television as boldly as Black Mirror.
Horror. Romance. Comedy. Coming-ofage. Almost every genre has been ticked off by this sci-fi anthology series that streams on Netflix and it seems the ideas aren’t running dry anytime soon.
The show returns on April 10 with six new episodes for its seventh season.
Some are the same length as what you’d get with a feature film.
For those who haven’t dabbled in Black Mirror before, the show is something of a Twilight Zone for the tech age.
Each episode features a stand-alone story that is fascinated with how technol ogy could shape or destroy our future.
Highlights have included The Entire History of You, in which a marriage breaks down as a husband and wife obsessively check recordings of each other’s memories; Beyond the Sea, depicting a reality where people can transfer their consciousness between bodies and Nosedive, a tale about a world where each person is given a social rank visible to everyone else, kind of like an Uber rating, that anyone can review at any time.
Over the course of its 28 episodes so far there have been some big hits and total misses but on the whole Black Mirror has remained one of the most fascinating things on television.
In one episode viewers got to decide how the story goes by pressing buttons on their remote. In another, the protagonist is haunted by a television show that streams her life to the entire world via a platform
called Streamberry, an eerily accurate parody of Netflix itself.
Even when the series doesn’t quite hit the mark, its fourth-wall breaking experimentation still feels fresh.
The show’s controversial first episode is notorious for turning people off but those interested can start with any of the seasons. These days anyone who wants to give Black Mirror a try can scroll through the episodes, pick a premise that intrigues
So what can fans expect from season
Black Mirror’s creators like to stay quiet on details to protect their infamous plot twists and it is often best to go into each episode blind, but showrunner Charlie Brooker has still dropped a few hints, saying season seven will have “a mix of genres and
“Some of them are deeply unpleasant, some are quite funny and some are
The new season will also include a sequel to one of the show’s most acclaimed episodes, the Emmy-winning USS Callister. Brooker has also revealed that some characters from previous seasons will reappear for
This is a first for Black Mirror. Hopefully, it all plays into fresh ideas rather than just being a rehash of winning formulas to
So influential is the series that it actually sparked an effort to revive the very show that helped inspire it.
In 2019 a reboot of The Twilight Zone got the greenlight but the show’s focus on supernatural horror failed to resonate, lasting only two seasons before getting the axe.
Season six of Black Mirror also tried to stray into more supernatural territory with some of its episodes but received huge amounts of backlash from viewers.
It seems the appetite for these disturbing stories is centred entirely around our modern fears of technology.
And why wouldn’t it be?
We live in an age where people are more frightened of what their phone is listening to rather than any poltergeist lurking in the corridor.
The advent of artificial intelligence has sparked a whole new wave of anxieties.
Black Mirror has tapped into the potential of AI before, but in a new world where bots such as Chat GPT are becoming part of everyday life, it feels like there’s plenty of dystopic potential for the writers to tap into.
In 2025 it’s the ghost in the machine that has become the real nightmare.
ARTS IN THE CITY
Portrait of the artist as a… train
The Immersive World of Thom Roberts is the first solo exhibition for contemporary Australian artist Thom Roberts, whose portraits merge human beings, including himself, with trains and buildings. Roberts personally identifies as the CountryLink Express train and the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia. National Portrait Gallery, April 12-July 20, free entry.
American cartoonist, New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Apple TV series Strange Planet, Nathan W Pyle will be in conversation with Matthew Hardy at Canberra Theatre on April 6.Through behind-the-scenes reflections, Pyle reveals just how he brought his idiosyncratic universe to life and the habits that can help anyone create their own universe.
South African cellist Abel Selaocoe, who mixes classical cello, throat singing, percussion and improvisation, is the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s next guest. He’ll perform his own works alongside a new commission from Australian composer Nigel Westlake, some Stravinsky and excerpts from cellist-composer Giovanni Sollima’s double concerto, When We Were Trees. Llewellyn Hall, April 7.
formed for almost 30 years in more than 60 countries, will be at The B, Queanbeyan, April 10.
Canberra Big Band Collective has In Full Swing performing signature swing tunes with old favourites and some new ones, along with TraXion Big Band, who’ll play modern, big-band tunes. Live at the Polo, Polish White Eagle Club, Turner, April 6.
Irma Gold’s latest novel, Shift, is set around “the messy process of art-making, and the mess of love and family” in the very township in South Africa where the famous Freedom Charter was signed 70 years ago. Launch by Canberra author Karen Viggers, The Street Theatre, April 9.
The Australian Bee Gees Show, a tribute act that has been per-
Applications for 2026 National Library of Australia Fellowships and Creative Arts Fellowships are now open. The philanthropically-funded fellowships offer successful applicants $35,000 each to support a residency at the NLA, as well as access to the library’s collections, increased borrowing privileges, a dedicated desk and an allowance for digital copies of collection materials. The Creative Arts Fellowship for Australian Writing is open to creative writers in any literary genre to develop works inspired by the library’s collections. Both close at library.gov.au on May 5.
Black Mirror, back for season seven… “A mix of genres and styles. Some of them are deeply unpleasant, some are quite funny and some are emotional.”
Thom Roberts with Burt the Oscar Train 2017 and cushion cover.
Photo: Rick Carter
DINING / Pronto Weston, Cooleman Court
Pronto gets a quick embrace
Weston Creek’s food scene has ramped up with the arrival of Pronto at Cooleman Court and its comforting Italian food.
If trying to book a recent Saturday lunch was an indicator, Pronto is quickly being embraced by locals.
We booked in advance but couldn’t secure a seat indoors (smart, urban cool fitout), which points to Pronto’s popularity. Instead, we sat outdoors along the front of the restaurant (more on this in a tick).
Pizzas are traditional Neapolitan style, with the base hand-kneaded and stretched to form a thin, slightly puffy crust with a soft interior (easy to digest and not heavy on the tummy).
They sounded inviting but it was pasta for all, except one who opted for his fave, veal scallopini.
We ordered Pronto’s puffy focaccia, having heard that it was amazing ($12). However, it didn’t come before our mains and may not have arrived at all had we not flagged its absence.
Vongole fans will applaud Pronto’s ver-
sion, made with spaghetti, tasty clams (and a fair few of them), with that magic Italian combo of cherry tomato, garlic, lemon, chilli and herbs ($30).
Equally cohesive was the Casarecce gamberi, the tastiest dish of the day and loaded with plump, juicy prawns ($32). The salty salami added kick, and the creamy tomato sauce was a gorgeous balance (sometimes cream sauces can be over the top). It was an amazingly generous serve but not piping hot on arrival. Still, I had major food envy.
Veal scallopini, when done well, is beautiful and Pronto Weston’s take was soulsatisfying ($36). It was tender and presented in a shallow pool of lemon and caper sauce and seasonal veggies cooked just right.
My dish had a big question mark over its head. The linguine gamberi ($30) promised the same base flavours as the vongole but fell short. I honestly couldn’t taste any chilli and wondered where the garlic was. The prawns were delish, but overall this pasta
lacked punch.
We shared a delightful and fresh rocket and pear salad, enjoying the lovely bite of the parmesan and a well-made balsamic reduction ($14).
For wine, we enjoyed an El Desperado Rose from Adelaide Hills. As with all wines at Pronto Weston, this was very reasonably priced at $10 a glass and $50 a bottle.
If dining outside you’re right on the sidewalk, dealing with a steady stream of walk-by traffic, shoppers noisily pushing trolleys along, and cars idling close to the restaurant’s tables. It is what it is – and we get that –but next time we’ll definitely book inside.
Pronto Weston was relatively new on our visit and service was sensible overall. As one of our party summed up the experience: “Great potential, needs a bit of work.”
Big, bold red but, oh dear, is it on trend?
The rain and intermittent sunshine had produced an abundance of weeds and accelerated lawn growth at my house in Tathra.
After a day in the garden, where I was assisted by a mate, it was good, after dinner, to sit on the patio and look out at the now much improved garden view, framed by the distant ocean, and have a decent after-dinner red wine.
The evening called for a warming red as the wind came up from the south and the temperature dropped as night fell.
This was a big wine with 15.5 per cent alcohol by volume, a Warrabilla Smithy’s Blend No.10. Smithy is, in fact, Andrew Sutherland Smith who made the first Warrabilla vintage in 1991 with a focus on red wines of structure that reflect the grapes suited to the Rutherglen climate and soils.
This vineyard specialises in producing textural bold reds, particularly with the regional specialties of shiraz and durif. The winemaker’s blend is created with the winery’s wine club members in mind and usually sells for around $15 a bottle, great value.
I’d bought six bottles when a friend offered to split a case he’d ordered as a member of the wine club and, alas, this was the last bottle.
My mate who had assisted in the garden was impressed: “This is a great red, big and bold, very well rounded.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “It’s a blend of shiraz, durif and cabernet sauvignon from the 2022 and 2023 vintages, with a lesser amount of cabernet.
“The tannins are extremely well balanced, well integrated, and although it gives you a dry finish, it doesn’t overpower the palate or knock your head off with the alcohol.”
He nodded, as we turned our attention to the amazing moon that was now competing with the heavy clouds that had quickly moved across our view.
“I’m not sure that this wine is on trend
though,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, I was reading an article that was published by the ABC where the trend of most drinkers now is to less and lighter, especially red wines,” he said.
“It said that grapegrowers are heeding those trends and are producing more varieties that are lighter bodied and better suited to lower-alcohol wines.”
“Oh, yes,” I said. “I also read about that trend, it’s been happening for a while, falling alcohol consumption. I keep an eye on what’s trending across the ditch, you know my ‘home country’, and I recently read an article that showed beer, wine and spirits consumption has declined to the lowest level since data was first ever collected in New Zealand, putting the trend down to what is known as ‘mindful drinking’.
“Apparently a mindful drinker is aware of how much alcohol they are consuming and when they may be consuming too much. It contributes to a shift to low and no-alcohol drinks as well as to abstinence.”
“I think it would be impossible to find a low-alcohol wine that would be as good as this one,” he said.
“Yes, absolutely,” I agreed. “Part of the role of the ethanol, the alcohol in wine, is so that the wine feels warmer on taste and it adds weight and mouth feel.
“I think you can be mindful in drinking when you just drink less rather than going for non-alcoholic wines that, frankly, are often bland or have a chemical after taste. I’ll stick to these delightful bold reds.”
Mindfulness
When you’re young, you’re always worrying what other people are thinking about you.
When you reach middle age, you no longer care what other people think of you. And when you’re old, you realise, everyone was just thinking about themselves all along.
–Shamash Alidina
30 April — 4 May 2025
Casarecce gamberi… prawns.
Veal scallopini.
Photos: Wendy Johnson
Waiting for the fruit to drop
By Jackie WARBURTON
Feijoa is a great plant that grows well in our climate as an evergreen hedge, small tree or shrub.
Its fruit is ripening now and when ready, it will drop to the ground.
Once established, it is a really tough plant that doesn’t mind a good, hard chop every now and then to keep it in shape.
It has a striking silver/green foliage with delicate red and white flowers in the summer. Its pollen is spread to other feijoa trees by birds and sometimes bees. However, most bought feijoa plants are either
a friend close by.
They are best planted at the end of winter when the big frosts have gone. From the Myrtaceae family, they don’t like to be fussed over or given too much water. Keep them more on the dry side.
The fragrant fruit can be eaten raw, made into jams, jellies or cooked in cakes. Cut them in half and scoop out the flesh to eat straight away. My favourite is feijoa cake, which freezes well. Email me for the recipe.
STONE fruit will need a spray of copper now to keep peach leaf curl at bay and shot holes in cherries
best in this situation.
Remove all fallen leaves and any old or rotten fruit from under the tree and only light pruning until next season. Keep watering all fruit trees until they lose the last of their leaves and, over the colder months, feed the soil around fruit trees with compost and any aged manure. Water well.
If planting a new fruit tree, choose the spot now and get the soil prepared for winter/spring planting.
THERE’S a pretty, underrated plant that’s been flowering for many months called Diascia, a relative of the foxglove family.
It is a small ground cover that, given the right spot, can flower for most of the year in colours ranging from white to coral peach and pinks.
It grows well in rockeries and as a border plant. Sometimes it will self-layer and spread itself slowly.
It requires a little water when its dry, but in general it is a fuss-free
plant and easy to grow.
OPEN Gardens Canberra has been working hard to bring a calendar of high-quality gardens to the public and its selections just get better and better.
This season’s last gardens are the autumnal ones and are not to be missed. They’re all open 10am-4pm. April 12-13
• Tea Gardens, 10 Yirawala Street, Ngunnawal.
• Merryway, 51 Euree Street, Reid. May 3-4
• Woodbury Garden, 1048 Old Cooma Road, Googong.
jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au
Jottings…
• Turn compost over and add manure to the pile.
• Get green manure crop planted asap.
• Prune edible grape vines straight after harvest.
• Place leaves on fallow garden beds.
Feijoa fruit… can be eaten raw, made into jams, jellies or cooked in cakes.
Photos: Jackie Warburton Diascia… a small ground cover that, given the right spot, can flower for most of the year.
HOROSCOPE PUZZLES
By Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Mercury and Venus go direct, and the Full Moon lights up your partnership zone, so focus maximum attention on the special loved ones in your life. It’s also time to get the balance right between invigorating independence and cosy togetherness. Your motto for the week is from Aries writer and activist Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)
Are you stuck in a Taurean rut? Have you been too stubborn to embrace change? This week’s Full Moon shakes up your daily routine zone, plus Mercury and Venus (your patron planet) both turn direct in your peer group and networking zones. So use it as an opportunity to open your mind, extend your connections and expand your world. The weekend favours get-togethers with family, friends and/or work colleagues as you socialise, enjoy and explore.
GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)
With Mercury and Venus both moving forward in your career zone, a professional matter or a volunteer project should gradually shift from go slow to all systems go. If it’s too much to handle on your own, then don’t hesitate to ask for assistance from your work colleagues and/or your extended peer group. Don’t battle on alone… other people are happy to pitch in and help. The weekend is wonderful for relaxing, unwinding, drifting and dreaming.
CANCER (June 22 – July 23)
Caring Crabs are the natural nurturers of the zodiac but looking after loved ones won’t be easy this week, as you juggle your busy personal and professional lives. The Full Moon falls in your domestic zone, so it’s a good time to clean and declutter your living space, then you can enjoy entertaining family and/or close friends on the weekend. Some lucky Crabs will travel somewhere special – to a much-loved destination with good food and beautiful surroundings.
LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)
The Full Moon fires up your tempestuous nature, so you’ll feel amped up and ready to perform! But don’t let overconfidence (and over-exuberance) trip you up. Your head’s full of ambitious dreams and fabulous schemes, but they’ll only work if you can persuade other people to contribute to Team Leo. You’ll find creative collaboration (especially with people within your local community) will take you a lot further than functioning as a solo operator.
VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)
Thank goodness Mercury and Venus turn direct in your partnership zone! You’ll find the more diplomatic, caring and compassionate you are, the better your personal and professional relationships will be. The weekend Full Moon stimulates your self-esteem and money zones. So – if you want to do well financially – spending sprees are out, and serious saving is in. It’s also an appropriate time to reflect on your personal values and reassess your priorities.
LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)
With a Full Moon in your sign, you’re keen to motivate, encourage and inspire others. Plus, Mercury and Venus turn direct, so you’ll be able to utilise your well-developed diplomatic skills. Librans are the fashionistas of the zodiac, so it’s up to you to lead the way towards a more sustainable future. Wisdom for the week comes from fashion designer/innovator (and birthday great) Vivienne Westwood: “Buy less, choose well, make it last.”
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)
The Full Moon favours meditation, contemplation, relaxation and investigation as you solve a problem or get to the bottom of a perplexing mystery. However, if you stubbornly hang onto the past and resist change, you’re in for an unpredictable relationship ride. You need to be more flexible and adapt to constantly changing circumstances. Heed the wise words of Scorpio actor and social commentator Will Rogers: “Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction.”
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)
Mercury and Venus move forward in your home zone (on Monday and Sunday, respectively) so a family squabble or a domestic drama should start to settle down. With the Sun shining in your leisure-and-pleasure zone, it’s time to plan a party, book a massage, attend a concert, see an exhibition or organise a night at the movies. Plus, the Full Moon fires up your hopes-and-wishes zone, so do all you can to make a special dream come true.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)
The Capricorn buzz word for the week is Communication (with a capital ‘C’), as Mercury and Venus move forward in your neighborhood and conversation zones. Expect increased social interaction and educational activities within your community. When it comes to an ongoing neighborhood problem, think global and act local. Wisdom for the week is from fashion designer (and birthday great) Vivienne Westwood: “The sexiest people are thinkers.”
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)
This week you’ll communicate your innovative ideas with extra pizazz, dream mind-blowing dreams, talk about progressive philosophies or make connections with bohemian folk from foreign shores. But, with the Full Moon activating your wanderlust zone, many restless Aquarians will feel cooped up, housebound and a bit stir-crazy. So pull on your travelling shoes and escape on a wild weekend getaway or plan an adventurous trip for sometime soon.
PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)
The Full Moon highlights a close relationship, shared finances or a joint venture. Secrets and issues of loyalty could also be placed under the microscope, as you discover whether your trust in someone has been well-placed. And prepare for a welcome burst of Piscean creativity and energy as Mercury and Venus finally move forward in your sign. Lucky opportunities could magically manifest, especially within your local community or via social media.
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2025
food made from curdled milk (var. spell.). (6)
2 What is a resinous varnish? (7)
3 Name the other half of the animated duo Ö and Gromit. (7)
4 What might we call a thoroughly bad person? (6)
5 Which broad earth elevation serves as a defence? (7)
6 What describes a product made from clay? (7)
7 When one pays regard, or heeds, one does what? (7)
13 What is a fire built in the open? (7)
14 Name the printing types in which the letters usually slope to the right? (7)
15 Which term suggests personal liberty? (7)
17 When one is fishing, one is doing what? (7)
18 What do we call one who makes a garment by interlacing loops of yarn? (7)
20 Name an excessive accumulation of serous fluid in a serous cavity. (6)
