Pocock fuming at being ‘misled’ by ANU figures
MICHAEL MOORE
Ombudsman falls well short on fixing FOI angst
HUGH SELBY
How Dutton can win the election, but he won’t ROBERT MACKLIN
FESTIVAL FOLK
The folk festival is ready to make a big noise. Indigenous duo Charlie Needs Braces will be there.
NEWS / Easter Bunny
By Elizabeth KOVACS
At 54, David Austin considers himself to be a bit of a goose sometimes.
But the Sacred Heart Primary School principal loves to bring a smile to children’s faces, which is why he can’t help but bring a little Easter magic to the coast each year.
“I’m renowned for dressing up at school and being a bit goosey,” he says.
“I think it’s important for the kids to see that side of staff and teachers.”
Travelling each year to Kioloa Beach, south of Bawley Point on the south coast, to visit his large family, 10 years ago David surprised (at the time) young family members by turning up in a bunny suit and appearing as the Easter Bunny during the holidays to deliver chocolate.
“I used to just dress up in a onesie Easter Bunny suit and throw some easter eggs around,” he says.
“I’d do it at the beach when we were all down there and I realised that all of these families were flocking to the Easter Bunny as well!”
Unwittingly, David’s magical surprise for his family has grown into a town tradition.
“I advertised it a bit on social media
his ride by showing up on a jetski.
“I sneak out on to the jet ski, get changed out there and then get really close to the shore and throw Easter eggs on to the beach,” says David.
“From there, I go to the boat ramp
and then I get mobbed!”
Families race to greet Easter Bunny at the beach
in-law to get on and off, ensuring his bunny tail is as bushy as ever.
According to David, there’s something incredibly special about spreading magic as a family.
“We gather at Easter as a family and it’s a big occasion for us, and they’re all part of the magic each year,” he says.
“It was really special when our kids were really young and the magic was still in their eyes, but I think when you see the kids’ faces – both young and old – who now stay on the beach to help direct me around and bring the kids over, that’s amazing.”
Entirely self-funded, David says he has received a generous offer from the local coastal patrol to contribute to the Easter eggs, but turned them down.
“I told them to put the money towards the coastal patrol, I’m happy to do my part for the community,” he says.
tradition for the Kioloa community, David says dressing up and making kids smile is almost second nature to
“I’ve been a principal for 20 years, and it’s my job to work with children,” he says.
“It’s an easy thing to do, to put on a suit and buy some Easter eggs, put them in a basket and hand them out.
“To see these young kids with big
smiles on their faces when they see the Easter Bunny out at sea coming in, that’s why I do it.”
David’s extended family – the Bayadas – are the reason the Easter Bunny’s visit goes as seamlessly as possible.
“Obviously I need help getting on to the jet ski,” says David.
“That’s all my wife’s fabulous family’s help.”
Entering the water without the suit on, David has help from his brothers-
Students at the Sacred Heart Primary School aren’t strangers either to getting visited by the Easter Bunny – a great friend of their principal – who usually pops by the day before the holiday at school.
David’s son, Oliver Austin, 20, is “ridiculously proud” of his father and says: “When beachgoers spot him riding in on the jetski, there is often a flock of people running down the beach to catch a glimpse.
“It’s become a crowd favourite for young families.”
Arts & Entertainment 25-29
Crossword 31
Dining & Wine 27
Gardening 30
Letters 16-17
News 3-18
Politics 4, 12
Streaming 29
Sudoku 31
will perform at the National Folk Festival at Easter. Story Page 25.
Road, Mitchell.
Since 1993: Volume 31, Number: 14
General manager: Tracey Avery, tracey@citynews.com.au
Senior advertising account executive: David Cusack, 0435 380656
Advertising account executive: Damien Klemke, 0439 139001
Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au
Journalist: Elizabeth Kovacs, elizabeth@citynews.com.au
Arts editor: Helen Musa, helen@citynews.com.au
Production manager: Janet Ewen
Distribution manager: Penny McCarroll
KJB Law draws on
Mitchell assists with:
• Wills and Testamentary Wills
• Powers of Attorney
• Self-managed super funds
• Advice on potential claims against estates
• Advice for blended
- Associate
Cover: Sisters Charlie and Miri Woods, of Charlie Needs Braces,
Principal David Austin… “To see these young kids with big smiles on their faces when they see the Easter Bunny out at sea coming in, that’s why I do it.”
2 0 % Indoor Plants Last Seasons Outdoor Plants
1 0 % Storewide
Ombudsman falls well short on fixing FOI angst
Iain Anderson, the ACT Ombudsman (the Commonwealth Ombudsman wearing another hat), publishes a half year report, the most recent of which covers the second half of 2024.
His office has many functions that take more than a printed page to set out – a far cry from its inception in the mid ‘70s when the job was to improve the standards of service provided by public servants following complaints (many of them at the office counter or by phone) from unhappy service users. Those complainants knew about the ombudsman because the service was advertised and the ombudsman, Jack Richardson, was out and about, and in the news, talking about this innovative approach to giving voice and responses to criticisms of service. His energy led to some forceful, entertaining public spats, with the likes of John Stone, then Treasury’s head, and also Prof Leone Kramer – neither of whom was given to giving in. It has been a long time since the Ombudsman’s office wanted to be well known.
In that pre-desktop/laptop age the annual report included details of cases. It was intended that it be easy to follow, fact driven, informative and entertaining.
Near a half century later the
following appears in the latest half year report:
“To address performance shortfalls, the ACT Ombudsman is developing enhanced complaint handling guidance materials designed to support staff capability and confidence, and the retention of technical knowledge.
“The continued focus on strengthening staff onboarding, and the implementation of a process change to anchor responsibility within our complaints team for mandatory transfers of complaints to other bodies under the Ombudsman Act 1989 is also anticipated to support greater front-end efficiency.”
In New Zealand this explanation might have been a good entry in the Gobbledygook competition for a “brainstrain” award. In the UK, the Golden Bull award is a booby prize given for particularly bad writing, aka “tripe”, such as the above unintel-
A bureaucratic jungle faces the hapless seeker of information… The applicant needs to have endless patience, the fortitude to resist the many obstacles, much time to spare, and either a lot of money or no money at all.
ligible drivel.
Fortunately, most of the report is easy to follow, albeit lacking any information about, for example, how complaints are prioritised, the skill sets of those in the office making inquiries, the approach to investigations, how time frames are set and monitored, and the extent, if any, to which feasible recommendations for remedial action are negotiated with entities being investigated.
Ensuring failure
We are told that the aim is to finalise complaints: 50 per cent within 30 working days (6 weeks); 75 per cent within 90 working days (18 weeks); 85 per cent within 26 weeks; and 99 per cent within a year.
On what basis or bases these aims are set is not shared. Suffice to say, they were not met.
Special
A telling example is the section about freedom of information (FOI) contacts.
When the office first became a point of complaint about the delays, the obfuscation and the reasons for refusal to give access to information, the FOI regime was new.
The need to develop robust processes and reasons to delay and deny access became clear as Canberra journalist Jack Waterford used the new law as though it was meant to work to give information. I salute Jack for his efforts.
To be balanced, I must also acknowledge the very senior officer in a powerful Commonwealth department who put anything that mattered on yellow Post-it notes that would be removed at any sign of pests and busy bodies.
Nowadays the ombudsman is saddled with the capacity to review decisions adverse to an applicant.
I say “saddled” because the overall effect is simply to add another layer of delay. If the entity has decided to resist, then it will do so, well beyond the Ombudsman review stage.
“A bureaucratic jungle” faces the hapless seeker of information. They can seek internal review. They can take their problem to the Information
Commissioner who can flick it to the Ombudsman. There are further actions, such as tribunal review on the merits, and federal court review on questions of what is the applicable law. The applicant needs to have endless patience, the fortitude to resist the many obstacles, much time to spare, and either a lot of money or no money at all.
As to endless patience, the Ombudsman failed in the second half of last year to get even close to its self-inflicted performance standards for FOI matters. At the 26-week mark they had finalised 33 per cent when their target was 85 per cent.
No
credibility
The Ombudsman is also the “inspector” (that is, the person to whom complaints can be made) for our Integrity Commission. The report notes that the Ombudsman began an investigation into something in November 2023 – that’s over a year ago. Is there no shame?
Hugh Selby, a former barrister, is the CityNews legal columnist.
‘We are excited to continue to help Canberrans renovate without breaking the bank or being forced to sacrifice quality’
New owners want to build on handyman legacy
Established in 1982, The Handyman’s Trading Post has been serving the Canberra community for 43 years.
“We are excited to continue the legacy,” says new co-owner John Rivers who, with wife Lauren, picked up the keys for the business on March 31.
“We are incredibly lucky to have the current staff’s support and years of expertise to help us.”
Lauren and John bring different skills to their new business – Lauren has experience as an accountant and John as a project manager.
“We are really keen to be putting down roots in the city that we’ve called home,” says John.
“We look forward to settling down into something we’re interested in as we expand our own little family.”
Recently welcoming their daughter, Elizabeth, into the world, John says he is excited about going into a business and industry he is passionate about.
“We aren’t new to the renovating industry,” he says.
“You’ll find everyone here has experience, and it’s all varied, which is great!”
Renovating their entire house, John and Lauren say they are all too aware of the importance of being able to afford quality
New Handyman’s Trading Post co-owner John Rivers, left, gets the keys from former principal Chris Perkins. “In the lead up to the move, we will have significant discounts and a large range of memorabilia for sale,” says John.
building materials.
“For more than 42 years, Handyman’s Trading Post has supplied Canberrans with quality and affordable home and commercial building materials,” says John.
“We are excited to continue this legacy and help Canberrans renovate without breaking the bank or being forced to sacrifice quality.”
Walking through the doors is like walking into a time capsule of treasures, with
memorabilia, materials and tools for sale.
“It’s a story within itself,” says John.
“It’s a legacy that we hope to continue for another 40 years, and we are honoured to now be part of this story.”
Buying and selling used and factory-second materials, John recommends stopping by to say hello and see what’s on offer.
“We also carry a large range of doors, windows and other materials,” he says. “There’s something for everyone.”
The Rivers bought the business from Chris Perkins and John says he is keen to continue to be a friendly face for the community.
Chris, an ex-rugby player, says the business has always operated as a family.
“I’ve worked here for 30 years,” he says.
“The previous owner liked to help out the rugby community and give us a job.
“The last 10 years I have been the owner and it’s been an amazing experience.
“I absolutely loved the environment and
helping people out.”
Chris says the store’s prior owner, Butch, is still remembered by regular customers, something Chris says shows the great family values they continued to uphold.
“Safe to say, I’ll be back in three or so years to check out the great work John has done,” he says.
“I’m really excited about the next steps from here and to see where John and Lauren can take it.”
The Handyman’s Trading Post will move to a new address shortly, which John says will allow more space to grow.
“It is important that we retain the great character of the shop during the move,” says John.
“It’s a bit of a tightrope walk.
“We don’t want to scare anyone away by expanding, but we do want to be able to give back to the community in a bigger way.
“In the lead up to the move, we will have significant discounts storewide and a large range of memorabilia for sale.
“We will continue to serve the community by providing affordable supplies and making sure we are reducing our contribution to landfill.”
The Handyman’s Trading Post. 34 Geelong Street, Fyshwick. Visit Facebook at facebook.com/p/Handymans-Trading-Post or Instagram.com/htpcanberra
How Dutton can win the election, but he won’t
Peter Dutton has it within his grasp to win this election with a single policy, one he announced some time ago.
All the opposition leader needs to do is sign a pledge to repeat the offer he made during the debate on the Voice for our Aboriginal people: ‘I think it is right and respectful to recognise indigenous Australians in the constitution and we will work with the Labor Party to find common ground.
“I believe very strongly it is the right thing to do.”
When asked if he would hold a referendum on the issue in his first term, he replied: “Yes”.
It would be a nightmare for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, but one of his own making.
Not only did he oversee a disas trous campaign for the Voice, in its wake he didn’t even put Aboriginal advancement on the back burner; he took it off the stove altogether.
He passed the portfolio out of the House of Representatives to the Sen ate into the hands of a NT political non-entity, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy.
She has been utterly invisible since her appointment in July.
Instead of redoubling efforts to rescue our first Australians from
And once raised by Dutton, this betrayal would dog him throughout the campaign.
He accepted the “No” vote as a
Not only did Albanese oversee a disastrous campaign for the Voice, in its wake he didn’t even put Aboriginal advancement on the back burner; he took it off the stove altogether.
signal that the populace as a whole opposed the very notion of Aboriginal advancement. That was never true; the goodwill towards First Nations was, and remains, widespread. The real problem was the campaign.
The Voice itself was a jump too far, a creature of the Aboriginal elite, the few such as Noel Pearson, Stan Grant, professors Marcia Langton and Megan Davis who had – with enormous effort – made a great success of their own careers. They rejected the natural course of the debate – first truth-telling, then constitutional recognition, then representation.
Perhaps their pride prevented them from the implied victimhood, but they were equally ill-served by
Albanese’s government.
The prime minister and his cabinet should have known that the great Asian migration of the last 20 years introduced a cohort of cultures with no concept of the British inundation of this continent and the Australian wars that followed.
And without that knowledge Aboriginals were just a minority like themselves, so why should they be granted a special place of honour?
They arrived here wrapt in the cultures of their home countries.
And succeeding Australian governments gave little time and attention to Australia’s history and its cultural strengths and weaknesses to them, or even to be taught in our schools.
Earlier generations were taught the British history of Australia.
But faced with the exposure of an Australian viewpoint, pioneered by Henry Reynolds on the frontier wars, followed by a wealth of historical biography from both white and indigenous authors, the education authorities appear to have retreated into silence.
This goes for both private and public schools.
That leaves the field open for an opposition leader to deeply embarrass the prime minister with his referendum pledge followed by a media pile on.
But here’s the thing: Dutton won’t do it.
He’s the man who walked out of the parliament during Kevin Rudd’s apology.
He’s the man his former colleague Malcolm Turnbull described as a political “thug”.
Besides which, his Coalition partner, the Nationals, are led by David Littleproud, whose Queensland electorate recorded the highest “No” vote in the Voice referendum. A banana split, anyone?
With both major parties content to snub our forebears, the custodians of the continent for 60,000 years, the case for voting independent looks ever more fetching.
robert@robert macklin.com
‘We don’t know the answer to that question’ says Dr David Swanton, convenor of Exit International’s ACT Chapter, ‘but we know that this is the only way that many Canberrans feel that they can bring intractable suffering to an end’.
‘Tragically, some people turn to awful solutions such as hanging themselves, which is an appalling way to die and can cause immense trauma to first-responders and family.
Exit International believes that it is the fundamental human right of every adult of sound mind, to be able to plan for the end of their life in a way that is reliable, peaceful and at a time of their choosing. In his decade or so as convenor of Exit ACT, David has met dozens of people, as reported to him by family and friends, who have successfully achieved peaceful and dignified ends.
The ACT’s Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Act 2024 comes into effect in November 2025.
‘This will provide relief to many people who are suffering, but there are many others who will not be helped by the VAD Act as it stands’ he
went on to say.
In David’s experience, many people who have ended their life often felt they had to die alone, without family or friends present to support them in their final hour. That is because of concern that anyone else present at the time might be charged with assisting someone to end their life, which could result in prosecution and punishment.
Dr Swanton will be speaking at 10.30am on Tuesday 15th April at the Voluntary Assisted Dying and the realities of end-of-life in Canberra in the ACT Legislative Assembly Reception Room.
David hopes that the Forum will contribute to the ACT Legislative Assembly amending the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act as soon as possible, to give relief from suffering to many more people than will be possible with the current Act.
For information on the Forum contact Roy Harvey, Project Coordinator, Dying with Dignity ACT projects@dwdact.org.au
NATIONAL TRUST (ACT) newsletter
Bob Brown to give Annual Heritage Oration
NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE, ARC CINEMA
Wednesday, April 23, 6pm
Bob Brown has been defending our native forests from logging and mining for decades – as the face of the Franklin River Campaign in the early 1980s to his Foundation’s latest campaign for “one of the last wild places on earth” – the Takayna/Tarkine temperate rainforest in northwest Lutruwita/Tasmania.
Join the former federal leader of The Greens as he shares insights on the current state and future directions of natural heritage protection in Australia.
The oration is a free event and will be followed by refreshments.
Book at trybooking.com/CXXQJ
HERITAGE POLARIS
Saturday, April 12
This event will take in heritage sites throughout Canberra and is the best bike navigation event in Australia. Come and make tracks in the capital as teams of two (or more) riders take to the cycle paths, forests and roads seeking out a choice of checkpoints in a seven-hour event open to serious riders, recreational riders and teams of all ages. For those who prefer a shorter ride, there is also a Half Heritage Polaris. More information and bookings at heritagepolaris.com.au
that demonstrate the Garden City, American City Beautiful movement and see how well these dwellings have stood the test of time across the suburbs of Ainslie, Reid, Braddon, Barton, Kingston and Griffith/Forrest (Blandfordia).
Enjoy a sumptuous morning tea in the stunning Art Deco Whiskey Room at the heritage-listed Kurrajong Hotel. Book at trybooking.com/CXZKX
TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD
OPEN DAY
Saturday, May 3, 10am-2.30pm
130 Johnson Drive, Richardson
Discover the rich history of Tuggeranong Homestead at our Open Day. Forget politics and enjoy performances, talks, tours, displays, stalls and activities for the kids. Indulge in a high tea, a barbecue or bring a picnic (no BYO alcohol).
ACTON PENINSULA HERITAGE WALK
Sunday, April 27, 9.30am-11.30am, $15
BOOKED OUT
From 1911, the detailed planning and construction of the national capital was orchestrated from Acton until the 1940s. Explore the sites of early buildings and find out about the public servants and tradies who lived and worked here a century ago.
Book at trybooking.com/CXWXD
BUILDING THE FEDERAL CAPITAL COMMISSION HOUSES BUS TOUR
Wednesday, April 30, 9.30am-1.30pm, $60
On this tour view and hear from our expert heritage architects Katrina Keller and David Hobbes, about the range of architectural styles and stunning streetscapes
Enjoy the military re-enactors in World War I mode as a nod to Charles Bean’s time here. Walkley Award winning journalist Ross Coulthart, author of Charles Bean, winner of Australian Prime Minister’s History Literary Award in 2015, will talk about his own experience reporting from frontlines in Iraq and Afghanistan and the difference between the often hagiographic and mythologising stories Bean published about Australia’s Diggers and what he privately confided in his harrowing frontline diary records.
Gold coin entry
STRAIGHT LINE BORDER WALK
Sunday, May 4, 9.30am-11.30am, $15
Join former deputy surveyor-general Ron Jarman on one of the most walkable parts of our border. Completed in 1911, this section begins at Mt Coree running through to One Tree Hill. We will just traverse a small section in Dunlop and unearth a border marker. Learn about the challenges faced by surveyors last century and today.
Book at trybooking.com/CXXJI
ROCK VALLEY HOMESTEAD AND GARDENS TOUR
Wednesday, May 7, 10am-12pm, $15
In conjunction with the Australian Garden History Society, explore Rock Valley Homestead and its gardens. Learn more about the history of the homestead and its garden with the Tidbinbilla Pioneers Association who care for this heritage-listed place.
Bring a picnic and explore other sites in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve after the tour.
Book at trybooking.com/CXXKJ
BARTON FROM TELOPEA PARK WALK 1
BOOKED OUT
Sunday, May 11, 9.30am-11.30am, $15
Visit Barton to discover the rich history of some of Canberra’s earliest office, residential and transport developments, places of worship, parks and recreation areas, as well as relics of native grasslands that have survived European settlement. We will be proudly showcasing our latest brochure “Barton”.
Book at trybooking.com/CXXJH
BARTON FROM BOWEN PARK WALK 2
Sunday, May 25, 9.30am-11.30am, $15
Visit Barton to discover the rich history of some of Canberra’s earliest office, residential and transport developments in the national capital. This walk will cover the area between Brisbane Avenue and Kings Avenue. See where a large crowd welcomed pioneer aviator Bert Hinkler and his Avro aircraft to Canberra in 1928, shortly after he completed the first solo flight from England to Australia. Book at trybooking.com/CXZFG
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Welcome to our regular column on National Trust of Australia (ACT) activities.
The National Trust (ACT) is delighted to be presenting a number of events in this year’s Canberra and Region Heritage Festival. The Festival is one of the highlights of the annual heritage calendar.
We are pleased that Bob Brown, perhaps Australia’s greatest environmentalist, will be presenting our third Act Heritage Oration as part of the Festival on April 23. I know we are all concerned about the future of Australia’s environment and Bob’s address, on the state of our natural heritage protection, should be of broad interest. Our other National Trust Festival events should satisfy a wide range of heritage interests and curiosities, including our annual Heritage Polaris for cyclists, our Federal Capital Commission Houses bus tour, and heritage walks in Barton, Acton Peninsula and the Straight Line border. Last and not least, the annual Heritage Open Day at Tuggeranong Homestead on Saturday, May 3 will have something for everyone.
There are many other wonderful festival activities conducted by many other organisations – you can find the full festival program here: nationaltrust.org.au/ahf/act/
Be quick to book on our popular tours! I look forward to seeing you at some of the many events.
The National Trust receives support and funding from the ACT Government.
Supported by:
Gary Kent President
Ross Coulthart.
The light rail question – who stands to
Using the concept of ‘mega projects’, JON STANHOPE & KHALID AHMED wonder aloud why millions of taxpayers dollars are being promised to uncosted light rail and who, ultimately, stands to benefit.
Cui bono – who stands to benefit?
– is a legal principle attributed to the Roman lawmaker and judge Lucius Cassius.
It is designed to cut through distracting information and get to the truth of a matter.
It is often the case that reasons for decisions taken by individuals, organisations and governments are either not clear, or that the claimed justification or alleged benefits are illusory.
We have previously highlighted the rather odd but very public support by the federal Labor government for light rail stage 2a, from Civic to Commonwealth Park.
Not only has the Commonwealth committed $344 million to stage 2a without bothering with a cost benefit analysis, but has also provided a blanket commitment to fund stage 2b from Commonwealth Park to Woden without any idea of the costs.
Stage 1 of the project, from Gungahlin to Civic had a similarly early lock-in to the procurement and financing method, in fact years in advance of the scope being defined or the costs determined. So, cui bono: who benefits?
Support for a public project can be perceived quite differently, depending upon individual preferences, potential benefits (imaginary or real) or a vested interest, which may be individual or organisational. Broadly, it could relate to normal earnings or benefits, or windfall gains.
Normal earnings would include the prospect of a job, a supply contract or a consultancy for services. Among the range of advocates or supporters of a project likely to present financial benefits would be workers in construction and transportation, consultants, bankers, investors, landowners, lawyers and developers.
However, such benefits, while lawful, could in no way be presented as a justification for public expenditure.
Take the figuratively common example of someone being employed to dig a hole only for it to be refilled.
While there is clearly no public benefit nor cogent case for public expenditure on such a project, a potential contractor would nevertheless be fully entitled to argue for such a “project” on the grounds that it would “support jobs” or “boost economic activity”.
Before turning to the question
around how governments guard against such self-serving pressures, a word about windfall gains, or “economic rents”, which are a different category of benefit.
They arise from grants of privilege, for example, a lease to exploit natural resources or a licence to conduct a certain restricted business, or rezoning of land for higher use, or public investment in infrastructure, say a light rail network, that may increase the value of privately held assets, or a special deal for unions with exclusive access and conditions. They are unearned gains.
Mere existence of economic rents should not, in principle, rule out the grant of privilege or the investment if it delivers public benefits that outweigh the costs.
Our point is that there is in place in Canberra, and indeed almost certainly in every major city in Australia, an industry that provides gainful employment for analysts, consultants, lobbyists and media operators, to package private interests as a public benefit, and to thus safeguard economic rents.
Attempts at seeking even a meagre return from mineral wealth for public benefit, for example, can quite ironically lead to billionaires in hi-viz vests turning up at a picket line in a confected fight for the protection of workers’ jobs.
Good, modern democratic
QUALITY AUSTRALIAN HEMP PRODUCTS
governments rely on objective tools and transparent rules to allocate resources to projects that demonstrably maximise public benefit.
Open competitive processes for procurement of labour and materials are part of this rules-based system designed to maintain public confidence in the functioning of government for the benefit of its citizenry.
For most part, the system works reasonably well in allocating high levels of funding – until it is set aside for a particular class of projects, technically referred to as “mega projects”.
Such projects have been studied extensively, for their common characteristics and outcomes, by several researchers with one group analysing more than 900 projects worldwide over several decades.
Mega projects are not just scaled up versions of small projects, rather they are marked by a convergence of political, economic, technological and aesthetic interests with multiple public and private stakeholders, inherent complexity, conflicting interests that ironically coalesce, and most significantly, rent-seeking behaviour.
Typically, they have long planning horizons, complex interfaces and non-standard technologies that purportedly justify direct procurements with contractors and exclusive deals for materials and labour. Project objectives are not clear and changes
in scope and alignments are prone to appear for inexplicable reasons.
As a rule, costs are invariably underestimated and the benefits routinely overstated. Words such as “city building”, “transformational” and “game changing” buzz around project descriptions and narratives.
The ACT’s Light Rail project comprehensively reflects the characteristics of a mega project, which we have regularly highlighted. While the stage 2a business case has not been released (assuming one exists) a direct contract for $577 million has nevertheless been entered into without an open tender.
The stage 2b alignment is unknown, with various unconfirmed rumours, including one to route it along National Circuit, which would both further erode the claimed transport benefits at a considerable increase in costs. The costs are, of course, unknown as are any purported benefits.
Despite this the federal Transport Minister Catherine King has made a commitment to fund the project.
If you, like us, are wondering why the ACT and Commonwealth Labor governments are hellbent on spending billions of taxpayers’ dollars, without the benefit of a business case, on a light rail network from Civic to Woden, a meaningful answer may be forthcoming in any reasonable answer to the question: cui bono?
NEWS / Lisa Fuller
At last, Lisa ends book she never intended to start
By Elizabeth KOVACS
Eight years in the making, Dr Lisa Fuller’s new book Washpool was never intended for publication.
Which is odd given her debut book Ghost Bird won the ACT Book of the Year Award in 2020.
Washpool is a magical adventure about two sisters who need to rely on their own wits and each other when they’re pulled into a new world. It’s aimed at 9 to 12-year-olds, for a very good reason.
A Wuilli Wuilli woman from Queensland, Lisa recently completed her PhD at the University of Canberra where she works fulltime as a lecturer in Indigenous Studies.
She says she can’t think of a time when she hasn’t been studying, learn ing and growing.
“I’ve always had these amazing mem ories of books with my mum,” she says.
Inspired by her past and missing her young nieces in Queensland, then aged eight and 10, Lisa decided that she wanted to help foster a love of lit eracy in them.
“I wrote them a chapter, only the first chapter,” she says.
“It went with a letter that said: ‘If you want the next chapter, you have And so began a years’ long exchange “My sister would get it in the mail
and she’d read it to the breakfast table in the mornings before calling me back and giving me [feedback].”
Never intended for publication, Lisa’s book featured her two heroic leads – inspired and named after each niece – and saw a smattering of family members amongst the pages. Her nieces’ interests were represented on the page, with their particular affinity for phoenixes and mermaids represented in a slightly different way.
“Bella was at the time obsessed with mermaids and Sienna loved phoenixes, but I’m really aware given my background in publishing and also being First Nations just how much fantasy has taken from other cultures, so I never want to do that,” says Lisa.
“I don’t want to take anyone else’s culture.”
Sienna’s phoenixes became firebirds and Bella’s mermaids became water people, each with their own special connection to the girls.
Lisa, a literary “pantster” (someone who doesn’t plan their books before
writing them), was devastated when the girls slowly lost interest in the book and their letter exchanges as they grew into their teenage years.
“I had to know how it ended,” Lisa says.
“I don’t really know sometimes where things are going to end up, so finishing it was up to me.”
Winning a black&write! writing fellowship in 2019, Lisa took the opportunity to see her passion project turned into a book.
“I needed to get [my nieces’] permission to sign the publishing contract, and I wanted to make sure they were still okay with me using their names and were okay with the story being associated with them,” she says.
“Even though it’s fictionalised, it’s all about them.
“This book has so many family members and family memories attached to it.
“[During the editing process] lockdown happened and my mum was stuck back home with my sister.
“They would all drag mattresses into one of the girls’ rooms, and their siblings, them and everyone in the house would lie down, put me on a bluetooth speaker and I’d read however long until the first person started snoring.”
Washpool was published on February 26 and is available in book stores.
Testing times when brotherly love goes amiss
My dad once told me a story about a family back home in the old country.
It was just after we had seen East of Eden, the Hollywood Steinbeck classic, where dad loved Raymond Massey and the young me was much more interested in the cool younger brother, James Dean.
Dad began to tell me about these brothers from home, Mario and Gino. Mario was older and more serious. Sometimes he’d be cross with young Gino for not pulling his weight, especially when they were young. Their parents were relaxed, as both sons of them seem to contribute very successfully to a thriving family enterprise.
Funnily enough, quite a few people were inspired by young Gino’s success at being able to run the business, but unlike his brother, always being a pleasure to be around.
Short of becoming a bishop, there was no greater marker of success on this earth.
the man of ease and calm that he had been all his life.
It turned out, dad relayed, that Gino’s fancy shoes and new Vespa, like everything else in his life, was a consequence not so much of his being an astute business partner, but that his brother Mario had looked after him and done all the work, for their entire shared life.
Mario knew that his parents’ hearts would be broken if Gino turned out to be a shame and an embarrassment to the family so he did all of his work and all of his brother’s work for his entire adult life. He loved his brother and wished him dignity, and he loved his parents and wanted, above all, for them to be proud of both their sons.
had run didn’t go broke either. It got taken over by Gino and Mario’s sisters, who turned out to not be just caring daughters but talented business people themselves.
Of course, this was the old country, and they had to pretend that it was their husbands running the place (and convince their husbands of the fact, which given the family tradition of loving deception, came easily enough).
I still don’t know what to make of that story, but I do know that respect and kindness are about so much more than what is visible.
Gino had contributed nothing other than being a cheerful friendly sort of fellow, and any schemes he’d brought along over the years had been catastrophes for which Mario had to rescue, while sharing equally
Gino had no idea about the business or pretty much anything to do with how to make a living. In fact, it turns out that even in his 20s his older brother had made the decision that he would carry Gino for his entire life.
And, said dad, a lot of good actually came from it. For years, hundreds of kids got their apples, or rides on a horse which eventually became a mighty and much loved Vespa. And their fathers may have got a smoke and a laugh, and one boy in particular had his life safe from drowning, and led a wonderful life in a foreign land far away, where he raised beautiful sons of his own and they raised dreamy sleepy sons and brilliant daughters of their own. No good deed goes unpunished.
Funny enough the business Mario
Often the kindest thing that people do day in and out involves hidden efforts and invisible love, hidden from – especially from – the beneficiaries.
Mathematicians seeking the kindness formula could do worse than courage multiplied by time. I see it in my beautiful patients, especially the silent army of carers, every day.
Antonio Di Dio is a local GP, medical leader and nerd. There is more of his Kindness on citynews.com.au
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
Gumtree danger, but no one’s listening to me
The ACT government wants you to stay in your own home, but does not want to do anything to make this easier.
I am in my 80s and I have been living in my place for the last 41 years. Next to my property there is a huge government gumtree that drops – throughout the year – leaves and, when it’s flowering, also nuts and yellow fluff on to my drive and into my courtyard.
The nuts are very dangerous, because there are hundreds of them and I slip on them. Now and then it also drops thick branches, which could injure the three-yearold girl, on whose home the tree is standing.
I have a file that thick with emails/letters etcetera asking different ACT ministers to remove the gumtree or at least lop it significantly to get rid of thick, old branches and leaves.
I have even offered to pay for this, but the government just ignores me. I also contacted the garden section of My Aged Care, but got as an answer that this section was closed, because the government can’t get enough people to work for them. Can anyone advise me what to do next?
Ria van de Zandt, Latham
Embargoes and ethics and Sofronoff’s integrity
I can’t argue with Hugh Selby over Walter Sofronoff legally “doing no wrong” in “leak-
ing” a copy of his inquiry report into alleged political interference into the aborted 2023 Lehrmann trial (CN, March 27).
What I will reflect on is Hugh’s interpretation of Mr Sofronoff’s actions in providing an embargoed copy of his report to News Corp journalist, Janet Albrechtsen (herself a qualified lawyer who well knows the rules surrounding embargoed material).
Mr Sofronoff was engaged by the ACT government to carry out his inquiry; therefore his clear first duty, if not legal responsibility, was surely to provide a copy of the report to his “client” who would make any decision about if and when it was to be released to the public and under what conditions.
I’d love to know what passed between Ms Albrechtsen and Mr Sofronoff during their reported conversations. Did they include any thoughts about giving a copy to another journalist, the ABC’s Elizabeth Byrne?
This might have enabled the judge and the noted conservative Murdoch commentator to claim they were being “balanced” by also providing the report to a reporter from the notorious left-wing ABC (they would have gambled that Ms Byrne would have abided by the embargo – actually, I’m sure she would have).
Janet Albrechtsen is arguably the smartest commentator in the Murdoch stable. She would be well aware that when you receive information that is embargoed, or “off the record”, it is not illegal to seek a second source who doesn’t put any restrictions on
its publication.
Which is what Ms Albrechtsen has claimed happened – plus she has carefully asserted this second copy was the basis of her scoop and came from an unnamed person (protecting her sources of course, like any good journalist).
But we don’t know if she actively sought to find that second source, or if it perhaps “fell off the back of a truck”.
From a journalism point of view is such a practice ethical? From my ex-ABC perspective it is definitely unethical, especially if your aim is to circumvent other established guidelines.
And if Mr Sofronoff was aware of such an intention, where does that leave his integrity?
Eric Hunter, Cook
Too old to assume positions of importance?
Was the point of Hugh Selby’s otherwise intellectual article on Sofronoff (CN March 27) meant to be that “old” people, or people in the “retirement phase of life” are not fit to assume positions of importance?
I note that the word “old” was used to describe both of two men endeavouring to perform important roles.
May I enquire how “old” Hugh Selby is? Whilst he is not sitting in actual judgment of anyone, he is certainly in a position to influence people who may look to him to explain the law.
For the record, I’m a retired lawyer aged 83, so I imagine my letter is of little interest to him.
Patricia Worthy, Kambah
Editor’s note: with each passing day “old” Hugh wakes to 70 being ever further in his past. He says he’s delighted that for the moment he can remember it.
Hold the light rail, catch a ‘Barrney’ home
I understand from the letter (CN March 27) by Leon Arundell, of Downer, that the ACT government has signed up to pay $577 million for Stage 2a of the light rail “albatross”, which will yield “only $150 million worth of benefits”.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr will likely want to raise some of that $577 million by selling off parks and other public assets for cheek-by-jowl housing as seen in newer suburbs.
From my travels over the years, the best public transport system I have used is the one still to be found in Manila, capital of The Philippines.
Something similar could fill Canberra’s public transport needs, and at virtually zero capital cost.
At the end of World War II, the Americans left around 200,000 military jeeps left behind in The Philippines. They were sold off, mostly to enterprising local owner-drivers, and so became the iconic “jeepneys”, of very
distinct and original decor.
They ran like buses on fixed routes, with seating for seven passengers.
So, my suggestion is this: use the money due to be blown on light rail to expand the ACT taxi fleet, so that it includes cars going point-to-point and minibuses running on fixed routes.
My suggested name for the vehicles would be not jeepneys but “Barrneys”, in honour of Andrew Barr, the infill galah, who must presently be causing poor Walter Burley Griffin to rotate rather violently in his grave.
Ian MacDougall, Farrer
Concentrate on serving the public
If Opposition Leader Peter Dutton wants to cut public service jobs I suggest he lets them concentrate on serving the public.
When I worked for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs we always had an extensive file of question time briefs (QTBs) ready for the minister in case he was asked a question at question time.
I suggest that if the minister is asked a question he can take it on notice and then ask DVA staff to prepare a brief.
This way they could concentrate on serving the public (eg, processing pension claims and the enormous backlog might have been avoided).
Carol Carlyon, Mawson
Will Dutton spare national institutions?
As prime minister, would Peter Dutton extend additional funding commitments to the National Library and our other national cultural institutions that still suffer lingering impacts from the harsh cutbacks made during the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison years?
Let’s not forget Dutton was a senior cabinet minister in the former Coalition government that in 2018 was quick to provide $500 million to the War Memorial for a major pulldown, rebuild and add-on construction project.
So will they, before the May 3 election, at least promise to ensure that the much needed professional and operational staffing positions that are left in all the national cultural institutions located in Canberra are not cut or lost via pressured “attrition”, if they form government and fulfil their promise to cut at least 41,000 APS staff positions from the 80,000 or so that exist in Canberra?
Or are the Coalition’s trigger-happy Chief Musketeers – Dutton, Angus Taylor and Jane Hume – happy for these institutions, as well as the War Memorial, to possibly lose up to half their staff, close their doors to the public for three to four days a week and mount only one major exhibition in every three-year parliamentary term?
Sue Dyer, Downer
But Dr Hughes, I beg to differ about Dutton
Columnist Andrew Hughes (“Framing those first impressions to win”, CN April 3) opined that Peter Dutton 2025 differs from Morrison 2022 in being “sharper, more astute”, with a “good backroom team”.
Dr Hughes also argues that Dutton’s reply to the March 25 budget speech was a demonstration of these qualities.
I beg to differ. Peter Dutton’s speech was rambling, disjointed and confusing. It also lacked important details, many of which were to be announced – if ever, in the case of a cost-benefit analysis of up to seven government-funded nuclear power plants – during the
five-week election campaign.
Dutton’s “backroom team” includes Angus Taylor who, according to an acquaintance who is a professor emeritus of economics, was a brilliant student at the University of Sydney. He was awarded a university medal, then won a Rhodes Scholarship to study for a Master of Philosophy in Economics at Oxford.
Despite these achievements, he seems to have a poor grasp of economics in 2025. Taylor also has a rather simplistic, black-and-white, view of political strategy in present day Australia.
Labor Treasurer Jim Chalmers would beat Taylor hands down in a debate on 21st-century economics.
Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Young voters will find message appealing
Michelle Grattan hit the nail on the head as to the real reason Peter Dutton would live in Sydney rather than Canberra if elected PM.
“When you’re planning to get rid of tens of thousands of Canberra-based public servants” shopping might be “awkward.”
And while “energy wars” have replaced “climate wars” (“Climate change slips into the election shadows”, citynews.com.au April 1), polling finds that “62 per cent of respondents agreed impacts of climate change – such as more frequent and severe bushfires and flooding – worsen the cost of living through insurance cost increases and grocery prices”. Even more may agree given the recent recordbreaking flooding in southwest Queensland.
Australians know that the Coalition is not serious about tackling climate change and Labor’s ongoing support for new coal and gas has disappointed many. The Greens have spoken out strongly about housing and cost of living – the record number of young voters will find their message appealing. We will know on May 3 how appealing it is.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria
Evo doesn’t give two hoots about power outage
As a small business, times are tough, its even tougher when an event I was running late last year had to be called off just an hour into it due to an unplanned power outage at the venue, the National Press Club of Australia (NPC).
The subsequent response from Evo Energy to the NPC was negative in which they took no responsibility for the outage.
The NPC followed up with an email to Evo Energy CEO John Knox but only received much the same lame response, outlining “Evoenergy is not liable for your losses resulting from the outage”.
If Evoenergy is not liable, then who is? It’s certainly not the NPC or myself. As for me, a small consulting business, I haven’t received a response to my email dated December 2.
It seems Evo Energy, a monopoly energy distribution company, doesn’t give two hoots about small business and its customers, and can basically do and respond as it likes.
Recently, the Albanese government announced the introduction of a charter for the airline industry where customers with delayed flights or lost luggage receive some sort of compensation. Maybe there needs to be something similar for energy distribution companies in relation to unplanned outages.
Outside of not getting paid for the job, I had fixed costs that I’m unable to recover.
I’m now waiting on a response from the
ACT government, the shareholders of Evo Energy.
Paul
Walshe, via email
Will you be here paying the burden of light rail?
I notice an escalation in the number of letters opposing the tram in recent editions.
An awakening to the debt burden has filtered through to a greater number.
Thoughts of a $12 billion debt by 2028 along with the ever increasing costs of rates and taxes has moved more to urge restraint and terminate thoughts about 2b.
If this madness continues and the line goes through to Woden the possible debt will be in the range of $20 billion by 2032. Borrowings will be more expensive as our credit rating will decline under this incredible burden.
To prevent the populace from frustrating his desire to push on to Woden, Barr will lock in contracts ASAP to deny the wishes of the people.
What is needed is a referendum on the extension of light rail to Woden. If the people vote against 2b where will Barr be constitutionally?
I’m 86 years of age. By 2032, I will be an afterthought. I will not be burdened by the rates and taxes required to repay this enormous debt. But will you be here to pay?
Certainly, your children and grandchildren will be unless they have sensibly moved interstate to avoid the burden.
GRUMPY / sloppy English
Reader ‘hones’ in on
If you want to escape this burden then give some thought to means of stopping Barr in his tracks. Get a referendum on the go ASAP!
John Quinn, Spence
‘Disastrous’ economy for next three years
The higher the public spending the worse the economy becomes through what is called “crowding out”, as private investment is crowded out by public expenditure.
If you thought that the last three years were ordinary, the next three years will be disastrous, regardless of which party wins the election.
Income per head has declined over the past 10 years, and this decline will continue; and productivity, the source of all wealth, is declining to zero.
The government cannot raise more taxes from a dead horse; and printing money, as I said in a previous letter, will only cause the currency to cease to exist. Tariffs will be the final hit to knock the economy off its perch. Sorry to be the bringer of this message of doom. But the readers of this letter have been warned, and can hopefully take precautions.
The economy is nearly bankrupt. Hemingway is quoted as saying: “The path to bankruptcy is at first slow, and then fast”. Governments will move to their last resort by loudly making excuses and stealing whatever assets they can get hold of.
media howlers
“Our media is replete with examples of sloppy English,” bemoans reader PAUL VARSANYI, who has some to share.
In this “iconic” piece, he “hones” in on some howlers of words and phrases that, he “alleges”, are used in the wrong context, or are simply wrong (“wow!”).
Here are some of his favourites: Icon or iconic . This term originally referred to a painting or statue of Jesus or other holy figure, particularly in the Orthodox Christian world. Now it can be read or heard some 20 times per day. Apparently, it now applies to a variety of circumstances, including football teams, cake recipes, house styles, clothing and even an Australian-made pair of boots. That’s just to name a few. So the term has been vastly devalued. Let’s opt instead for words such as “special”, “original”, “epic”, “stylish” or whatever term the circumstance really demands.
Bunker down. Television journalists, often in a difficult situation, will resort to this. The term is in fact “hunker down”. One may elect to hunker down in a bunker, but the operative word remains hunker.
Begs the question. Extensively used to suggest that the situation provokes a question. Strange as it may seem, its real meaning is the exact opposite. To beg the question is to avoid it completely.
Honing in. To hone an object is to smooth and sharpen it, or refine it over a period of time. Clearly nothing to do with moving in on a target, which is what the writer obviously means. This concept is dealt with by the phrase “homing in”.
Alleged . The purpose of this term is to acknowledge that the case referred is not yet proven. But a
nervous media has massively overused it. For instance a recent ABC news item referred to an “alleged police arrest” of a person. An arrest is an indisputable fact, and should be referred to without qualification. To make matters worse, the same ABC has referred to “an alleged allegation”.
Wow. To watch any TV show dealing with house renovations, cooking, indeed any show that features a form of reveal is to hear a chorus of cats on heat. A chorus of “wows”. It’s remarkable how this seems to be the only word folks can summon to indicate their pleasure with an outcome or scene. How about “neat”, beautiful”, “impressive” or “amazing” to name just a few. This abuse of our language won’t go away unless we pull up the perpetrators. I have pulled up the ABC numerous times. I’m happy to report that the ABC is always civil enough to acknowledge and apologise.
Yes, society will rearrange itself. The winners will be opportunists. The losers will be the weak and stupid. Line up with the opportunists. At least you may get a bite to eat.
Tim Walshaw, Watson
I took a good look at the professor’s report
We need an informed and respectful debate around the critical question of our energy system.
Curious about Max Flint’s claims on the topic (letters, CN, March 27), I had a good look at his preferred expert, Prof Stephen Wilson.
The professor is a visiting fellow with the Institute of Public Affairs, a conservative lobby group funded now or in the past by ExxonMobil, PhilipMorris, Caltex, Shell, Esso and British American Tobacco.
These days, it’s sometimes hard to know who to trust for independent advice. But the IPA is near the bottom on my trusted sources list, especially for issues involving fossil fuels or tobacco.
On the other hand, Bill Gates’ wellknown enthusiasm for nuclear makes his assessment that in Australia “for now, (nuclear’s) just not worth touching” pretty significant.
I wonder if Mr Flint should send him Prof Wilson’s report?
Lesley Walker, Northcote, Victoria
Wake up to the Chinese manoeuvres, Albo
The Chinese airforce attacks our aircraft patrolling international airspace. Its navy threatens our ships patrolling international waters and attacks our navy divers with underwater weaponry.
More recently, it conducts “drive-by shootings” off the coast of Sydney and the only warning we get is from a commercial airline pilot.
Then China sends a surveillance ship into our southern waters following our underwater communication cables. Chinese ships are already accused of deliberately cutting the undersea communications cables of other countries.
After all this blatant aggression from the Chinese Communist Party, the only response from Anthony Albanese is to kowtow to Beijing.
He reminds me of the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, and his “peace in our time” declaration after meeting with Adolf Hitler.
Wake up, Albo, I have family serving in the Australian Defence Force.
History records what followed Chamberlain’s fawning and weak-kneed response to that Nazi German dictator.
Darryl Johnston, Tuggeranong
Here’s a real icon… an Ethiopian Orthodox painting of the Virgin Mary nursing the infant Christ.
WHIMSY / swimming into the sunset
Not waving, drowning. And that’s not good news
“If tombstones told the truth, everybody would wish to be buried at sea.” – John W Raper (Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach)
It’s a sad record for Australia that we seem to lead developed countries in the number of annual drownings per capita.
It’s said that drowning can be a pleasurable experience and that swimming out to sea, eventually to drown, is a good way to end one’s life – but is it true that drowning could be pleasurable?
It seems not. Drowning is in fact a terrifying and life-threatening experience. It occurs when the respiratory system is overwhelmed by water or another liquid, preventing adequate oxygen intake.
Let’s delve into what happens physiologically, whether drowning can ever be “pleasurable”, and the risks of delayed death even after being revived.
Drowning progresses through several stages:
Initially, when a person is submerged and cannot breathe, the instinct is to hold one’s breath and try to escape the situation. The body triggers a “fight-or-flight” response, leading to rapid movements, increased heart rate and heightened adrenaline.
Once the oxygen in the lungs is
depleted, the urge to breathe becomes overwhelming. The person may inadvertently gasp, inhaling water. This water enters the airway and causes a reflex called a laryngospasm, where the vocal cords close tightly, temporarily blocking water from entering the lungs. However, this also prevents air from reaching them, exacerbating oxygen deprivation.
If the lack of oxygen continues, the brain begins to shut down, leading to unconsciousness. At this stage, the laryngospasm may relax, allowing water to fill the lungs. The brain and other organs suffer from severe hypoxia (oxygen deprivation).
Prolonged oxygen deprivation leads to the cessation of heart activity. Without intervention, death becomes inevitable.
There is a misconception that
Is it true that drowning could be pleasurable? It seems not. Drowning is in fact a terrifying and lifethreatening experience.
drowning might be a “peaceful” or “pleasurable” experience because of descriptions from survivors of neardrowning or accounts of a euphoric sensation during hypoxia. However, these feelings are rare and do not reflect the typical experience.
Initially, drowning is marked by intense fear, panic, and suffering as the body fights for air. The sensation of water filling the lungs is painful, and the struggle to survive is instinctive.
Euphoria or peace, if it occurs, is more likely associated with the brain’s protective response to extreme stress and oxygen deprivation. As consciousness fades, some individuals might experience dissociative sensations or hallucinations, but this does not negate the extreme distress earlier in the process.
Delayed death is a known risk after resuscitation from drowning. This is referred to as “secondary drowning” or “post-immersion syndrome.”
Here’s why: Water entering the lungs can cause damage to the delicate tissue, leading to inflammation and fluid accumulation. Even if the individual
appears fine initially, fluid buildup can worsen over hours, impairing oxygen exchange.
Inhaled water, especially from natural bodies such as lakes or oceans, may carry bacteria, fungi or chemicals, increasing the risk of lung infections such as pneumonia.
Oxygen deprivation during drowning can cause lasting damage to the brain. Even with revival, the individual may suffer seizures, coma or other neurological complications.
CPR or artificial ventilation used to revive the person can sometimes cause injuries such as broken ribs or pneumothorax (collapsed lung), adding to post-rescue complications.
Because of these risks, medical evaluation is crucial for anyone who has been revived from drowning, even if they seem well. Observation in a hospital for 24 to 48 hours is recommended.
Key measures to avoid drowning include:
• Learning to swim: swimming lessons can prevent panic in water.
• Supervising vigilantly: children, in particular, should be closely monitored around water.
• Knowing CPR: immediate action
can make the difference between life and death for drowning victims.
• Understanding the ocean: know the power of waves and undertows and how rips work; minimise the risk by only swimming between the flags; don’t swim at unpatrolled beaches.
• Using safety equipment where appropriate: life jackets and other flotation devices.
• Risk management: avoid high-risk areas such as tidal rock shelves and rivers.
On a lighter note
Fred said to a friend: “I’ve really had it with my dog Rex; he’ll chase anyone on a bike.”
“So, what are you going to do about it – keep him locked up, or hand him in to the dog pound?
“Nothing so drastic,” said Fred, “I’m just going to confiscate his bike.”
Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist. If anything in this column has caused personal distress, a call to Lifeline (131114) might be helpful.
Drowning is marked by intense fear, panic, and suffering as the body fights for air. Photo enactment: Lucan Ardone
Weston Creek was named in honour of Capt George Edward Weston, a former officer of the East India Company who arrived in Australia in 1829, and was superintendent of the Hyde Park Convict Barracks in Sydney.
Weston was granted 10 square kilometres of land at the “Yarrow-Lumla plains” in the Weston Creek area in 1831.
Along with the adjacent Woden Valley, the area later became part of the 16,000-hectare Yarralumla Station owned by Frederick Campbell until it was resumed in 1913 as part of a land acquisition scheme after the Federal Capital Territory was declared in 1911.
Construction of Weston Creek’s eight suburbs started with Waramanga and Fisher in 1968, and was followed by Weston and Rivett in 1969, Duffy and Holder in 1970, and Chapman and Stirling in 1972. Each suburb has its own local shops, and they all share the larger district centre of Cooleman Court situated in Weston.
Each suburb is named after a notable Australian and the street names in each suburb follow a specific theme such as Australian rivers, native flowers, or names of surveyors.
Weston Creek, which is now home to more than 25,000 people, has developed a strong sense of community and is also home to many friendly traders and service providers. Here are some of the best…
Inspiring young people in the car industry Fostering a joy in childcare learning
Operating in Weston Creek for nearly 20 years, Car Mechanical Services (CMS) director Raffy Sgroi says the business has been driven and inspired by the close-knit, family-oriented nature of the community.
“Being situated in a location with such a strong sense of local spirit allows us to connect with the residents of Weston Creek and the surrounding areas as profes sionals who offer reliable automotive services tailored to their needs,” she says.
“As a family owned business, remaining within the local community has always been part of our mission to create a lasting impact while maintaining personal, trust ing relationships with our customers.”
At CMS, Raffy says they are deeply invested in Weston Creek and have an increasing focus on sustainability, local businesses and a community-centred living value that aligns with their clients and the area.
“This allows us to continue to grow alongside the neighbourhood while adapting to the evolving needs of residents,” says Raffy.
Raffy says they are looking forward to expanding their work with local schools by offering career-discovery programs to students, with a focus on those from underrepresented backgrounds or living with disabilities.
“We are also continuing our focus on sustainability with our efforts to minimise waste and promote greener automotive repair practices,” she says.
“As part of our commitment to empowering the next generation of technicians, we plan to launch additional workshops focused on the growing field of electric vehicle repair, focusing on creating more opportunities for young people to join the industry.”
Car Mechanical Services, 82 Kalgoorlie Crescent, Fisher. Call 6162 4111 or visit carmechanicalservices.com.au
Catering for ages six weeks to six years, Denman Village Early Learning Centre owner Lise Percival says their goal is to foster a joy in learning.
“We cater our programs to the children’s needs and interests,” she says.
“It’s important that the children enjoy and engage with their experi ence.”
Lise says the centre is committed to providing high-quality care and educa tion to all children that is respectful and nurturing.
“The program is responsible for the evolving nature of early childhood envi ronments and is supportive of different learning styles,” she says.
Recently receiving an “exceeding” mark from the National Quality Standards (NQS), Lise says the centre is proud to go above and beyond for its children.
Acknowledging that leaving home for the first time can be a stressful task for parents and children alike, Lise encourages parents to arrange a tour of the facilities.
“Once the child has been accepted, I encourage parents to attend orientation sessions with their child to get them used to the environment and talk
next steps,” she says.
Denman Village Early Learning Centre, 7 Felstead Vista, Denman Prospect. Call 6287 3648, or visit denmanvillagechildcare.com.au
Denman Village Early Learning Centre owner Lise Percival.
Charlie and Raffy Sgroi.
Car Mechanical Services: Weston Creek’s Driving Force in Automotive Excellence and Community Care
For nearly two decades, Car Mechanical Services has been a trusted fixture in Weston Creek, offering top-quality automotive care with a strong community focus. Family-owned and operated, Car Mechanical Services stands out not just for its mechanical expertise, but for its commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and nurturing the next generation of technicians.
Originally established in 1982 and relocating to Weston Creek almost 20 years ago, Car Mechanical Services has built its reputation on a foundation of honesty, technical excellence, and deep local engagement. Directors Raffy and Charlie Sgroi, who led the business, have guided the well qualified and dedicated team through its growth with a strong belief in quality service and meaningful connections with customers they hold today.
Why Weston Creek?
“Our decision to establish here was driven by the close-knit, familyoriented nature of the community and the area’s steady growth over the years,” says Director Raffy Sgroi. “Being part of a suburb with such a strong local spirit has allowed us
to connect with residents and offer services tailored to their needs.”
Since setting up shop, Car Mechanical Services has grown alongside Weston Creek, adapting to an expanding and increasingly vibrant region. “We’ve seen a lot of change — new homes, more businesses, and a strong focus on sustainability,” says Charlie. “That aligns perfectly with our own values and has helped us grow with the community.”
Exceptional Automotive Services
From logbook servicing and diagnostics to mechanical repairs, brakes, suspension, and air conditioning, Car Mechanical Services offers comprehensive automotive care for both private and fleet vehicles. The workshop is known for its “no surprises” approach, all work is clearly explained and approved before anything is done, giving customers confidence and peace of mind.
“We treat every car like it’s our own,” says Charlie. “People come to us because they know they’ll get honest advice and excellent workmanship.
Trust is everything in this business.”
Green Practices and Forward Thinking
In a traditionally resource-heavy industry, Car Mechanical Services is setting the bar with its ecoconscious initiatives. The workshop is Cleanaway-certified, adheres to stringent environmental standards, and is proactive in recycling used oil, parts, and materials. They also offer servicing for hybrid and electric vehicles — a growing field the team is passionate about.
“We’ve made sustainability a core part of our operation,” says Raffy. “We’re constantly improving how we work to minimise waste and support environmentally friendly solutions for our customers.”
Looking to the future, Car Mechanical Services plans to expand its electric vehicle repair services while continuing to implement greener workshop practices.
Investing in People and the Community
Training the next generation is a central part of Car Mechanical
Services’ mission. The business partners with local schools to offer work experience opportunities — particularly for students with disabilities or who are neurodivergent. Through mentoring and apprenticeships, Car Mechanical Services helps young people get a foot in the door and build meaningful careers in automotive repair.
“We want our workshop to be a place where everyone feels welcome and supported,” says Raffy. “Giving students and apprentices a real chance to grow and learn is incredibly rewarding — they’re the future of our industry.”
Car Mechanical Services also supports the broader Weston Creek community through sponsorship of local sports clubs, regular involvement in community events, and partnerships with inclusive organisations. “Supporting local causes isn’t just good business — it strengthens our neighbourhood and reflects who we are,” says Charlie.
Award-Winning Excellence
Car Mechanical Services’ commitment to quality and
The team at Car Mechanical Services
community has earned it high praise, including winning many Business Awards, locally and nationally in the Automotive Services, and Management categories. Raffy currently holds the crown for businesswoman of the year nationally, along with international awards for management. Car Mechanical Services have also won several major awards for its outstanding customer service and leadership in sustainable practices.
What’s Next for Car Mechanical Services?
Looking ahead, Car Mechanical Services is excited to launch new career discovery programs in partnership with local schools and educational institutions, focusing on underrepresented groups. The team also plans to hold educational workshops to raise awareness about electric vehicle servicing and careers in green automotive technologies. For the team at Car Mechanical Services, it all comes down to people - customers, staff, and community.
“We’ve always believed in doing things properly, treating people with respect, and giving back where we can,” says Raffy. “That’s what drives us, and it always will.”
CAR MECHANICAL SERVICES
Charlie & Raffy Sgroi
Quality travel advice to match customer satisfaction
Weston Cruise and Travel branch manager Sonaii Witchard says the agency’s focus is entirely on offering high-quality travel advice with a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction.
support other small businesses and create a welcoming environment where people feel at home,” she says. ised service, our attention to detail and our passion for what we do.
service and travel arrangements tailored to the needs of the local community.” and she enjoys the supportive local atmosphere.
Samir wants to share the popularity secret
Starting as a single pizzeria in Enmore, Ooshman is now a thriving business with 18 locations across NSW and the ACT, says founder Charlie Hoyek.
And Samir Patel, owner of the Weston store in Trenerry Street, invites Weston Creek locals to find out why it is so popular.
Charlie renamed and rebranded the chain last year settling on a distinctive identity for the future.
“The rebranding effort was guided by customers’ involvement, with Ooshman emerging as the top choice from a poll,” he says.
history and community engagement.”
Charlie says Ooshman’s new logo and look introduced a vibrant colour scheme, focusing on green, symbolising the cedar tree, which is a nod to his Lebanese heritage.
Charlie says his vision for Ooshman is not only to honour the past, but to embrace the future with enthusiasm and a commitment to providing the same great food that defines the brand.
Ooshman, Shop 1/19-27 Trenerry Street, Weston.
The team at Weston Cruise and Travel.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Diversity meets quirkiness in festival of folk
By Helen Musa
Diversity may be a dirty word in some parts of the world, but not here and certainly not at the National Folk Festival, coming to Exhibition Park in Canberra over Easter.
With its companion, quirkiness, diversity will be front and centre in this year’s gather ing at EPIC if artistic directors Chris Stone, Michael Sollis, and Holly Downes have anything to do with it.
“It’s traditional but innovation takes place,” president of the National Folk Festival, David Gilks says.
Following the top national cultural policy principle, they’ve programmed in a fun “First Nations First” line-up of artists, including Stiff Gins, poet Sassi Spirit, local writing group Us Mob, Wiradjuri Echoes, Ngunnawal custodian Richie Allan and self-described Blak women’s trio, Suga Cane Mamas.
A standout is the lively First Nations duo from Melbourne, Charlie Needs Braces, sisters Charlie and Miri Woods. Both claim descendance from Broken Bay explorerentertainer Bungaree and his wife Matora.
Charlie herself, who also plays a mean
and The Seven Ups. In 2023 she received the Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent through Music Victoria.
Their wild style involves close harmony, dance, their own percussion and original songs, including numbers such as Saltwater People, GuriNgai Girl and Fantastically Crooked. They will open at the Budawang on April 18 and will also perform on April 19- 20.
When I catch up with co-artistic director Michael Sollis, I find that he and his colleagues have been most concerned to get Canberrans identifying with the event and that Downes has been working hard on the website to make that easier.
“We have two big audiences,” he tells me, “people from the folk community bring -
ing their traditions to the event, but also Canberra audiences who want something new or just come to buy a fleecy jumper.”
Since covid, he fears, people’s habits have changed, so they’ll go for big events such as Taylor Swift. As well, during covid people got used to streaming and combined with the cost-of-living crisis, that dealt a blow to many live festivals.
“But the great thing about our event is that folk belongs to none of us as individuals. It belongs to all of us,” he says. And while there have been some reports about numbers dropping, that’s simply not true.
This is primarily a ticketed event, although they have also had some funding from the ACT government, so the three directors have been asking how they can save money but not detract from the festival.
There’s no annual theme, no strong emphasis on Celtic music and no state focus, but they do have a thread that people can follow, Sollis says.
One highlight will be the lifetime achievement award, which will go to Spookmeister Stephen Taberner, of The Spooky Men Chorale. There will also be a young artist award supported by former festival director, Pam Merrigan.
Nor are international artists their main focus, but there will be the Chilean singer-composer Nano Stern, pipe-playing Elias Alexander from the US, who will host Trad Rave, Australianborn member of the Canadian folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys, Ruth Moody, and Scottish fiddle and harp duo Chris Stout and Catriona McKay.
Melbourne’s Vanessa Estrada, whose own act blends traditional elements from Chilean
and Andean folk traditions, has curated a Latin Fiesta that will feature the Queen of Hearts Mariachi Band, samba and more.
Restrung is a project dear to co-director and fiddler Chris Stone’s heart. In it, music by performing artists, even as unlike as Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal, is rearranged by Mickey O’Donnell and Michelle Doyle for performance with a string orchestra and a harp. Visitors can join in.
One of the quirkiest sessions every year is the Infinity Song Contest, where artists put a folk slant on music from other genres. Last year it was Tina Turner and this year it’s going to be the Rolling Stones.
There are interactive threads throughout the festival, Sollis says. Hands-on experiences for all include the National Contra Band, Festival Flutes, Festival Ukuleles, Festival Mariachi Band, Festival Choir, Festival Pipes and Festival Drumming with Mama Buluku and Mady Keita.
There’ll also be The Bridgerton Ball and the Session Bars, which he sees as the heart of the festival.
“I’ve been going to the Folk Festival since I was a kid,” Sollis says, “it’s the richest and most important creative cultural event in Canberra, it’s intergenerational and it happens in a good place.”
The National Folk Festival, Exhibition Park in Canberra, April 17-21. All details at folkfestival.org.au
American piper Elias Alexander. Roving entertainer Niq Reefman. Ruth Moody.
Photo: Bill McMenamey
COVER STORY
ART / Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia
More than one way to interpret history, says Zhou
By Helen Musa
Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia mixes contemporary artworks, personal accounts and oral histories by Aboriginal-Chinese people, alongside historical photomontages and archival documents.
I caught up with the project leader and lead creator of the show, Zhou Xiaoping, as he was hanging the exhibition at the National Museum.
After 39 years in Australia Zhou now lives in Melbourne, but he was born and trained in traditional art in Anhui, an eastern Chinese province known for its Huangshan Mountains, the subject of many classical paintings, before coming to Australia as a young man in his late 20s to exhibit flowers on silk scrolls.
It was a life-changing move. A nature lover, he was immediately struck by the very different landscape and, in around 1988, got the chance to visit Alice Springs and Uluru, where he was to meet Aboriginal Australians for the first time.
“It made a big impact on me,” he says. “It was also the first time I’d seen Aboriginal art and it struck me as being abstract and the colours were so bright, but of course I didn’t understand the meaning.
“The work became more and more
attractive and I wanted to find out where it sprang from.”
tion officer who’d never heard of a Chinese person on such a journey, he was granted permanent residence, allowing him to sojourn with Aboriginal arts communities in Central Australia, Arnhem Land and the Kimberley.
“In Melbourne I had seen urban artwork which was museum-based, but going into nature was different,” he says.
“Arnhem Land was just one big nature museum, it dealt with the spirit of people living in nature and it had rock art.”
The bush toughened him up, then in another turning point, in 1990 when in
“We all looked a bit alike,” he says, “I felt I wanted to do something to get more understanding… I thought, sharing is important, giving something back is important.”
Eventually Zhou set up a research team in 2022, found academics to research Aboriginal-Chinese Australia and interviewed more than 100 individuals around Australia. This is all chronicled in a handsome
with deep knowledge at work in all.
He has signified the contrast in cultures with clusters of Chinese lanterns hung at the exhibition entry-point and five pandanus dillybags bags in front of them.
There is far more on show than paintings – the book, stories about Aboriginal-Chinese people who can trace their connections back to the gold rushes of the 1850s, colonial
records and rediscovered family histories.
But the most visually striking inclusions are the works of contemporary artists Vernon Ah Kee, Gordon Hookey, Lloyd Gawura Hornsby, Jenna Lee, Damien Shen, Christian Thompson, Jason Wing and Zhou himself.
The exhibition ranges over questions of immigration, marginalisation, identity, family, connections, culture and prosperity, but some motifs are more obvious than others, such as parallels between the dragon and the rainbow serpent.
This emerges in Dragon Serpent by Gordon Hookey, House of Gold by Christian Thompson and Serpent People (Boy with Snake Belly) by Jason Wing, of which Wing comments: “I am very proud and privileged to have both ancient Dragon and Serpent blood. Aboriginal and Chinese cultures are two of the oldest, most adaptive, resilient and powerful cultures in the world”.
Yuin artist Lloyd Gawura Hornsby tells the immigration story, in Coming to Australia, by setting images of his grandfather, a dragon, and The Great Wall against traditional dot painting.
Finally, there is Zhou’s own glass sculpture of a humble cabbage leaf, 100 of which will hang in homage to the market gardening ancestry of many Aboriginal-Australian Chinese.
“There’s more than one way to interpret history,” Zhou says.
Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia, National Museum of Australia, April 10-January 27, 2026. Free.
Zhou Xiaoping… “Arnhem Land was just one big nature museum, it dealt with the spirit of people living in nature and it had rock art.”
Of changing modern elites and modern irritations
Book reviewer COLIN STEELE settles on two interesting titles. One deals with the slowly changing face of the elites in Britain, the other a humorous listing of the good and bad of modern life.
British sociologists Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman have based a book on an historical data analysis of 125,000 individuals listed in Who’s Who, the biographical dictionary of the British “noteworthy and influential”, supplemented by more than 200 qualitative interviews.
The authors of Born to Rule: the Making and Remaking of the British Elite (Harvard University Belknap Press. $54.25), who recognise their own status as white, male professors at Oxford University and the London School of Economics respectively, say: “We’re interested both in the elite in general (around 33,000 people, in 2022 ) and in the wealthy elite (around 6000 of that 33,000)”.
They believe “when you look at where these people have come from, the proportion that were born into privilege has hardly changed. At the end of the 19th century, about 20 per cent of the people in Who’s Who were born into families in the top one per cent of the wealth distribution, and today it’s about the same proportion”.
The authors analyse elites through various
perspectives, such as aristocratic lineage, education, social networking and notably wealth. They note, as in contemporary America, that the wealth élite are very reluctant to pay more tax, including an inheritance tax, to relieve the increasing inequalities in society.
Who’s Who entries are slowly increasing, from a very low base, for black and Asian people in Britain.
They also note that “during the 20th century, we see a shift in the way elites present themselves… Strikingly, elites today try hard to come across as ordinary, and in doing so try to play up the meritocratic nature of their career trajectories”.
Recreational entries in Who’s Who for most of the 20th century reflected a hunting, shooting and fishing background and a love of antiques, opera and classical music. Now, according to the authors, the elites have switched to expressing a love of popular music, drinking beer, watching soccer and cooking.
Reeves and Friedman’s suggestions for societal change include “a wealth tax to
Open every day during school holidays from 10am to 4pm Cafe open from 10am to 3pm
break, or at least weaken, the link between wealth and elite reproduction to give a fairer opportunity to many more people to get into positions of power and influence” and also to break down the stranglehold of private schools and Oxbridge.
Their data analysis, which ended in 2022, was carried out before the 2024 UK Labour victory, which resulted in a cabinet no longer dominated by Oxbridge graduates.
The authors note that people’s backgrounds map on to their political attitudes.
“Most prominently, we show that elites from working-class backgrounds, women and ethnic minorities who reach elite positions are quite different politically to other elites,” they say.
“Notably, they tend to tilt to the left,
90
depth of historical lineage of power, but we do have many echoes of born to rule.
politically and socially”.
Private schools enrol only seven per cent of children in Britain, but their graduates hold a disproportionate status in politics, business, the civil service, law, journalism, medicine and the military. The Starmer Labour government has since introduced a 20 per cent VAT on private schools.
There is an increasing inequality in Australian society. Anglicare here is calling for a tax on high-value inheritances above $2 million, not including the family home, In recent years, Australia’s taxation burden has increasingly fallen on working Australians.
There is much to consider from this British study for Australia, which, like other Western countries, is becoming increasingly unequal in wealth distribution. We may not have the
ARTS IN THE CITY
Knowing how
AND now for something completely different. Screams! Shrieks of Horror and Yelps of Pleasure from Modern Life by British author Ysenda Maxtone Graham (Hachette $45 ) is a humorous listing of the issues that irritated her throughout a calendar year. Many of her complaints will resonate with readers. Such as being put on hold by a company while hearing every 10 minutes that your call is important; having to use an unfamiliar parking app in a car park; an access code that doesn’t work when you arrive at your Airbnb booking; receiving roundrobin Christmas messages that extol another family’s achievements; remembering all your passwords; emails arriving with numerous emojis; service people who say “no worries” and “have a good day” incessantly; cheap umbrellas that buckle in the first gust of wind; being asked to fill in a “short” customer survey when it takes 10 minutes; weddings that begin 11 in the morning and finish at nine at night and confronting abandoned e-bikes and shopping trolleys on pavements.
Her monthly angst missives are superbly supplemented by illustrations from Sunday Times cartoonist Nick Newman.
to take a tumble
In an unlikely match of cultures, five acrobats trained at the Sarukazi Trust in Nairobi pay tribute to John Landis’ cult film in their show The Black Blues Brothers. Set in a nightclub like the Cotton Club, with a vintage radio playing ‘80s hits from the movie, the club’s barman and waiters transform into performers who use every chair, table, and coat rack available to stage showstopping feats. The Pope is one of their fans. Canberra Theatre, April 18.
Lexi Sekuless has scored a coup by securing the screening of 12 productions that have been recorded on film for audiences, just like the UK’s National Theatre Live. Jonathan Biggins’ The Gospel According to Paul will be seen on April 18, May 3 and May 22, while Whitefella Yella Tree, by Canberra playwright Dylan Van Den Berg, will be on April 19, May 8 and May 23. Australian Theatre Live, The Mill Theatre, Fyshwick.
A new partnership between the National Gallery of Australia and the Bowness Family Foundation will enable four photography exhibition tours across Australia, starting with Nan Goldin: The ballad of sexual dependency, in WA and later the show Olive Cotton and her contemporaries, which will travel to the Hawkesbury Regional Art Gallery, Gippsland Art Gallery and Cowra Regional Art Gallery.
The Black Blues Brothers, Canberra Theatre, April 18… even Pope Francis is a fan.
composer Howard Goodall, who created the themes to the TV shows The Vicar of Dibley and Mr Bean. Wesley Music Centre, April 13.
Liv Hewson, one of Canberra Youth Theatre’s most successful exports and the star of the Paramount + with Showtime series Yellowjackets, is donating $100,000 over the next five years that will go directly to subsidising pre-professional training programs for emerging theatre artists. Now based in the US, Hewson is one of many alumni who swung into action after the company announced last year that it was scaling back operations.
Llewellyn Choir’s main work for its Palm Sunday concert will be Invictus: A Passion, by British
Cate Clelland is staging Sophocles’ Antigone over Easter for Greek Theatre Now, with Ella Buckley in the title role. Burbidge Amphitheatre, Australian National Botanic Gardens, April 18-21. Patrons are advised to bring a cushion.
Cover of Born to Rule. Private schools enrol only seven per cent of children in Britain.
STREAMING
The end is in sight for the disturbing Handmaids
THIS month brings an end to one of television’s most disturbing dystopias.
Running for almost 10 years, The Handmaid’s Tale on SBS On Demand has carved itself out as a critical and cultural hit.
In 2017 it made history by becoming the first streaming-only series to win the Emmy for outstanding drama, television’s most coveted prize.
More telling though is how the iconography of the show has entered the public consciousness.
In real-life people have donned the red uniforms of the handmaids at protests for women’s rights, bringing new audiences to the show across the globe.
The show is based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, which tells the tale of a hypothetical future where America is split in half by a second civil war.
Amidst the chaos, a ruthless totalitarian society emerges and relegates the dwindling number of fertile women to child-bearing slavery.
Atwood’s book drew from real events and societies across history to imagine the Republic of Gilead, a brutal regime that uses fear to keep control of its people.
In turn, The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the heaviest and most unflinching shows on television. A single episode is enough to leave one emotionally drained, as it should, but in its final installment the creators say they want to end on a more “uplifting” note.
This is an intriguing choice when com -
In this show each contestant has a box in their bedroom and one of these boxes just so happens to contain one million dollars.
It is up to everyone else in the group to work out who has the big bucks so that they can vote them off.
The one person who does have the cash must protect their secret in order to take it home.
The concept has proven a winner, cracking Netflix’s top 10 shows last month. It is likely the platform’s answer to The Traitors, a reality series with a similar concept that has proven wildly popular in both the US and the UK.
Like that series, Million Dollar Secret is loaded up with plenty of big personalities that make for good TV. There’s no shortage of characters here that will expertly get on viewer’s nerves and suck in Instagram followers like a vortex.
pared to the ending of Atwood’s book, which left readers with a haunting, open-ended question to ponder.
However, it is only the first season of the show follows the events of the book. Five additional seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale later has seen the series firmly go off in its own creative creation, albeit under Atwood’s light guidance as a “consulting producer”.
This has caused some fans to feel a sense of fatigue. It seems with season six, it’s definitely time to call it a day.
So much of how a story like this is
enough frightening ambiguity so that it lingers in the imagination long after its over.
Perhaps no author achieved this balance more than Orwell, as evidenced by how commonly people still hear the year “1984” in their political diet.
Will The Handmaid’s Tale try to wrap things up in a more “uplifting” way as its creators suggest or are audiences merely being lured into a false sense of security that
NOW to switch tracks to a show so different it might just induce whiplash.
Netflix has added another hit to its reality TV canon with a new series called Million Dollar Secret.
What’s the gimmick this time?
But while they might be enjoying the glamour of appearing on television, they certainly have to avoid feeling like a million bucks, lest their fellow contestants vote them out and their chance at their cash.
This series has guilty pleasure written all over it, but for reality show fans subscribed to Netflix it’s undeni ably some decent bang for buck.
Elisabeth Moss returns as June Osborn in The Handmaid’s Tale season 6.
12-13 April:
51 Euree St, Reid, a lovely mature garden of flowering plants, fruit & autumn trees & shrubs located in this pretty heritage precinct.
10 Yirawala St, Ngunnawal, a new garden of cottage, native, traditional & productive styles complements the 1860s Homestead.
Open 10am-4pm
Entry is $10 for non-member visitors 18 yrs and over Further info at opengardenscanberra.org.au WE
twinstitch.upholstery
By Jackie WARBURTON
In a novel way of letting us know the season is changing, some species of plants naturally set flowers and bloom.
For example, chrysanthemums begin flowering once the overnight temperatures cool. Fortunately, that’s around Mother’s Day, which explains why they have always been the day’s symbol and perfect plant for a gift.
Chrysanthemums that come as a potted plant will be compact and small. When they’re planted into the ground, they can grow much larger and may need to be staked to keep
the flowers off the ground.
There are dwarf varieties available for potted colour and long-lasting flowering. Chrysanthemums can be grown in pots and are drought tolerant once they are established.
Their flowering size, shape and colour vary every year with newly released hybrids that get better and better than the year before.
There are many uses for chrysanthemums beyond the garden – C. morifolium is chrysanthemum tea and chrysanthemums are a close relative to pyrethrum daisy, source of an incredible, safe, garden insecticide. Pyrethrum is also very good at reducing populations of mosquitoes, flies and fleas, and useful against chewing and sucking insects without being toxic to birds and animals.
It is a contact spray so there will
be several applications required to break the pests’ breeding cycle.
Pyrethrum has upright growth with grey foliage and is a good filler plant. To make pyrethrum spray, pick flowers in full bloom and dry them. Once dry, grind to a powder and add a drop of soap and one heaped tablespoon of powder to a litre of warm water. Stir and spray.
CARNIVOROUS plants are growing in popularity and so is the Canberra chapter of the Carnivorous Society.
Carnivorous plants are easy to grow and some can grow well outdoors, in our climate. Sarracenias (trumpet pitcher plant) and Droseras (sundews) can be grown outdoors and, over time, will need little or no protection from frost.
There are four local carnivorous species and three of them are tuberous. Although they are only fingernail size, they are easy to find in and around woodlands and grasslands where it is a little moist, but not boggy. Most species are now waking up from summer dormancy and their new leaves are sticky to attract and catch insects.
For the indoor grower there are species to try and the easiest is Nepenthes or Pinguicula. Nepenthes are a climbing picture
plant with tendrils that grow pitches at the end of their leaf.
These unusual growths are what they are grown for, and their insignificant flowers should be pruned off to encourage leaf and pitcher growth as the plant matures. They don’t like bright light and enjoy the same growing conditions as indoor orchids and ferns. Their potting media is best with 50/50 orchid potting mix and sphagnum moss with slow-release fertiliser suitable for orchids as well. If you grow orchids well in doors then give a pitcher plant a try. More information at auscps.com
jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au
Jottings…
• Keep planting lettuce, beetroots, spinach and mulch well.
• Use seaweed solution to strength plants before the cold weather.
• Keep planting sweet peas for spring floral display.
• Remove all fallen fruit and dispose of it if there’s insect damage.
Chrysanthemums begin flowering once the overnight temperatures cool. Photos: Jackie Warburton
Nepenthes are a climbing picture plant with tendrils that grow pitches at the end of their leaf.
HOROSCOPE PUZZLES
By Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Be careful you don’t undermine yourself this week, Rams, or blame other people when things go wrong. With the Sun, Mercury and Neptune charging through Aries (and your ruler Mars moving into fiery Leo), it’s up to you to be proactive, plus fix things when they go haywire. So your motto is from Aries diva Diana Ross: “You can’t just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You’ve got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.”
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)
With Saturn, Mercury and Venus (your patron planet) stimulating your peer group zone, it’s important to support and encourage your friends and colleagues. But make sure you communicate clearly and sort out any misunderstandings early on. Fast thinking and creative strategies will help you solve short-term problems and alleviate long-term stress. The Sun transits into Taurus on the weekend (until May 20) so it’s time for ebullient Bulls to sparkle and shine!
GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)
This week, you’re ready to head off in dynamic new directions! Your power planet Mercury joins the Sun and Neptune in your hopes-and-wishes zone. So frustration will gradually lift, to be replaced by a growing desire to get things done. You’ll find it’s a wonderful week to dream big dreams, prepare well, and then initiate a bold new project. But don’t get carried away, talk too much, promise the moon and the stars, and fail to follow through.
CANCER (June 22 – July 23)
The Sun, Mercury and Neptune activate your career/reputation zone, so prepare for a few changes. But the more you try to control others, the more they will push back. So take a good long look at your motives. Perhaps you need to be a less clingy Crab? Maybe you could give someone more freedom, so they can fight their own battles and make their own mistakes? Food for thought this Easter, as you transform the way you connect with family, friends and colleagues.
LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)
On Good Friday dynamic Mars charges into your sign, so it’s time for listless, languid Lions to be bold, brave and adventurous. Which will give you the confidence and courage to be the authentic you, showcase your strengths, and pursue your wildest dreams. Your motto for the moment is from birthday great, actress and activist Emma Watson (who turns 35 on Tuesday): “I don’t want other people to decide who I am. I want to decide that for myself.”
VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)
Don’t waste energy worrying, especially at work. It’s a good week to reconnect with colleagues, tell them what’s on your mind and keep them up to date with your plans. Mercury, Venus and Saturn encourage you to look at a troubled relationship in a perceptive and diplomatic new light. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll just keep getting what you’re getting! So perhaps it’s time to reset boundaries and road-test some creative new strategies?
LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)
Mercury and Neptune hook up in your relationship zone on Thursday, so think compassionately and speak kindly. Then – when mighty Mars charges into your hopes-and-wishes zone on Friday – it’s time to dream big dreams and take adventurous steps to make them come true. No sitting on the sidelines! Your motto is from Victoria Beckham (who turns 51 on Thursday): “If you can get your head around your dream, it means your dream isn’t big enough.”
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)
Proactive Mars charges into your career and life direction zones on Good Friday. So a combination of self-belief, sudden opportunities and taking action could set you on an exciting new professional path. Volunteer work and networking are also favoured. Inspiration for the week comes from birthday great, fashion designer Victoria Beckham: “I think the sexiest thing about a woman is confidence, but confidence in a humble way, not in an arrogant way.”
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)
After five slow, frustrating months of retrogrades (Mars, Mercury, Venus and then Mercury again), many Sagittarians are feeling super restless. You’re itching to put on your travelling shoes! This week fiery Mars activates your adventure zone, so travel, holidays and/or business trips are favoured from Friday until June 17. And with Jupiter jumping through your relationship zone, close partnerships have the potential to bring much laughter and joy.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)
This week fiery, impulsive Mars could complicate a financial situation. So proceed with a pragmatic attitude plus plenty of caution. No less than five planets fire up your family, friendship and neighbourhood zones as you express more love, compassion and understanding towards loved ones. Family and friends are the ones who really matter. As Michelle Obama (a fellow Capricorn) wisely observes: “Surround yourself with people who will make you better.”
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)
When it comes to home and family – expect the unexpected! With the Sun joining Uranus in your domestic zone, there’ll be changes involving loved ones and/ or living arrangements over the next few weeks. You could also feel the need to redesign, decorate, renovate or extend your living space (or even move house). Plus – with so much planetary action happening in your neighbourhood zone –there could also be a shake-up in your local community.
PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)
Saturn is sauntering through your sign, which could stymie progress, squash confidence and bring you down. This week Venus visits Pisces, plus the Sun, Mercury and Neptune (your ruler) stimulate your self-esteem zone. So steer clear of criticism (in person and online), avoid getting caught up in a negative self-talk loop, and stop worrying about the qualities you perceive you don’t have. It’s time to celebrate your strengths and be your number one fan!
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2025
1 Name an item of apparatus used in weightlifting. (7)
2 What is the fruit of the oak? (5)
3 What is a permanently attached part of a house, etc? (7)
4 Name an alternative term for attacks. (6)
5 To be covered with thin slabs of baked clay, is to be what? (5)
6 What are pieces of grassland called? (7)
7 Which term describes one’s sister’s daughter? (5)
13 Name the planet nearest the sun? (7)
15 Which implements are used to clean gun barrels? (7)
16 Name nurses for children. (7)
17 To stick fast, is to do what? (6)
18 What is the growth of hair on the face of an adult male? (5)
19 Which term gives evidence that proves one was elsewhere? (5)
20 What do we call a wanderer? (5)
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
From July 1, 2026, when you visit your accountant, real estate agent, lawyer, conveyancer or dealer in precious stones and metals they will be required to complete an antimoney laundering (AML) form known as an AML/CTF form.
Financial planners have had to complete this form for some years, but all the above named professionals have been included in new legislation.
At present tax agents must obtain ID from all their clients. So the proposed AML laws are an extension of current ID requirements.
I am writing about this now so that you are aware of the additional form accountants and the other named professionals will have to complete.
You need to be aware of this when your accountant asks you to sign the relevant form. It is quite a simple form and requires two forms of ID so that you can be given a clean bill of health.
The professionals named above will be able to register from March 31, 2026, when the new laws take effect.
AUSTRAC is the agency that monitors these regulations. You may have encountered the legislation when travelling overseas with a large amount of cash. This new legislation is an extension of the original legislation to include the additional professionals.
From the point of view of the named professionals, we will have to set up a training regime, an internal office system and a process to deal with the additional work.
The program has to be documented and approved and it must be kept up to date to reflect significant changes and independently evaluated regularly.
The program is designed to protect businesses from criminal exploitation through money laundering, terrorism financing, and is designed to ensure a safer Australian financial system.
You can expect questions to be asked by your relevant professional and it is part of the process that the due diligence must be conducted before you are provided with advice.
Obviously this may be a little different to what has happened in your interviews in the past.
In a CityNews column in August 2024 I wrote of a changed set of rules that govern tax agents and how they provide services to clients. These rules now come into effect for smaller firms from July 1, namely firms with less than 100 employees.
Expect to be asked more questions, your work will be supervised to the extent possible in that tax agent’s office and we have to have more extensive file notes of all advice provided. For many tax agents this will result in more work and, in many cases, there will be additional fees.
I cannot over emphasise that clients will need evidence for all tax claims and it's really important that if your phone is in your name and you are able to make a claim for business use, you claim it personally not in your company or trust.
There have been cases in the last few weeks where claims were disallowed because they were made in the wrong entity.
If you need advice on record-keeping, the new tax-agent rules or any other tax or superannuation related matter, contact the expert team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 02 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 Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892.
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