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Giant spiders, restless Sydney spirits and more at 2026’s Ghost In The Rocks festival

Stay up to date on my work for the Community and in Parliament at alexgreenwich.com

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TANYA PLIBERSEK FEDERAL MEMBER FOR SYDNEY

Cost of Living My feed, my way

Banning unfair non-compete Banning unfair non-compete contracts

We led the world with our social media age ban. Now we’re creating Digital of Duty Care laws to give you more choice and control over your social media.

Whether you’re a child care worker, a tradie or a receptionist, you should be able to take a better and higher paying job without being held back by a “non-compete” clause buried in a contract. We’ve drafted legislation so that if you earn less than $190,100 a year you will no longer be stopped from moving to a better job in the same industry.

Social media platforms design algorithms to watch what you do online. They steer you to content that keeps you there so they can sell more advertising. A person might begin viewing relatively mainstream material but, through repeated algorithmic recommendations, end up watching increasingly extreme content which shapes the way they behave. Tech companies design these algorithms with no oversight or accountability for the power they wield over how people interact in the real world. Our Digital Duty of Care laws will require social media platforms to let users opt out of their algorithm’s feed. Online games, apps and AI chatbots will be required to protect under 18s from design features that are addictive and can affect a young person’s self-esteem. They will be required to protect them from content that: promotes, encourages or accelerates eating disorders; promotes hostile ideas about women and gender equality and pornography; glorifies crime or life endangering stunts; and causes serious mental health distress, like abuse and bullying. The draft laws provide the eSafety Commissioner with the power to issue removal notices for nudify apps or websites. Digital platforms that fail to comply with the Duty of Care could attract penalties of up to $109.2 million. Remember – with the internet – if the product is free, you are the product. Medicare Mental Health Centres Medicare Mental Health Centres

Robodebt compensation Robodebt compensation payments to be payments to be tax exempt from The Australian Government will make sure people get their full compensation payment under the new Robodebt class action appeal settlement. New legislation will exempt these payments from Commonwealth taxation, income testing and compensation recovery arrangements. Settlement payments will not be treated as income for class action members currently getting an income support payment from Services Australia. First buyers’ super saver saver schemescheme Firsthome home buyers’ super If you’re saving for a housing deposit you can grow your funds faster and take advantage of lower tax rates through your super fund. The First Home Super Saver Scheme is administered by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and it helps you save for a deposit for a first home using your super.

Scan here

You can contribute up to $15,000 per year to accumulate up to $50,000 in total. When you’re ready to buy, you can apply to withdraw your savings. To find out more, scan the QR code: 5% deposits 5% deposits

We’re expanding Medicare’s Mental Health Centre network to deliver a total of 92 outlets across Australia by mid-2030. Anyone can walk into a Medicare Mental Health Centre to access free mental health support without an appointment, referral or mental health treatment plan. Centres are staffed by multidisciplinary teams, including mental health clinicians and peer workers.

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Don’t forget first home buyers now need only a 5% deposit. More than 270,000 people have taken advantage of our 5% deposit schem to get a home of their own sooner.

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To find out more, scan the QR code:

To find a centre, scan the QR code:

1A Great Buckingham Street Redfern NSW 2016

(02) 9379 0700

Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au

Authorised by T. Plibersek, ALP, 1a Great Buckingham Street, Redfern 2016

HubNEWS

OXFORD ST DRUG RAIDS Police have denied targeting the LGBTQ+ community after more raids (See p.4)

High-rise fears for historic Yasmar Estate in Haberfield BY WILL THORPE

HUBARTS: TRULY DIVINE Divine Playhouse makes its reverent return. (See p.19)

Published monthly and freely available throughout the Inner City. Copies are also distributed to serviced apartments, hotels, convenience stores and newsagents throughout the city. Distribution enquiries call (02) 9212 5677. Published by Altmedia Pty Ltd. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of content, we take no responsibility for inadvertent errors or omissions. ABN 52 600 903 348 Group Editor & Publisher: Lawrence Gibbons Managing Editor: Chloe Sargeant Staff Journalist: Jacques Nieuwoudt Email: news@altmedia.net.au, arts@altmedia.net.au News Contributors: Jacques Nieuwoudt, Will Thorpe Arts Contributors: Angus Sharpe, Carelle Snounou, Chloe Sargeant, Coffin Ed, Josh Kerwick, Naomi Lawrence Designer: Nadia Kalinitcheva Cover Image: Supplied Publisher’s Assistant: Mal Moody Admin Assistant: Courtney Miller National Sales Director: Greg Topalian Ph: 0455 120 404 Advertising Manager: Mal Moody Ph: 0401 244 297 Advertising: sales@altmedia.net.au Mail: PO Box 843 Broadway 2007 Phone: (02) 9212 5677 Website: www.cityhub.com.au PUBLICATION DATE: 24 September 2026

If you have a story, or any comments you’d like to share with us: news@altmedia.net.au @CityHubSydney

proposal by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council has ignited fears that towers may be built on the grounds of a Victorian era homestead in the suburb of Haberfield. But a vision of the residential development is yet to be unveiled. The land council is seeking to erect 200 units on the Yasmar estate. They would be located within metres of Yasmar House, built in the 1850s as the home of Mary Louisa and Alexander Learmonth. Mary Louisa was the daughter of pioneers Sarah Anne and David Ramsay, who in 1805 were gifted what was then Dobroyde – now Haberfield – by the Third Fleet convict-turnedmagistrate Simeon Lord, Sarah Anne’s father. The 2.4-hectare site has seen a succession of subsequent uses, including as a Sunday school, children’s court and detention centre. 1.5 hectares of it are owned by the land council, following a 2022 ruling based on New South Wales legislation that allows for the transfer of unused Crown land to Aboriginal land councils. Detailed plans are not yet known but are expected to be revealed early next year with the publication of an environmental impact statement. The land council says that the development will be confined to the footprint of the former detention centre. The proposal is being pursued through the Housing Delivery Authority, which accepted an initial expression of interest. HISTORIC GARDEN SUBURB Haberfield has been cited as the oldest and most intact exemplar of the ‘garden suburb’ movement, which emerged in the 1890s and 1900s in England,

Photo: Alexandra Ceroni / the Haberfield Association

envisioning lane-less, pub-less neighbourhoods with spacious single-floor homes on generous plots of land. The notion was to combine the benefits of city and country living—walking Haberfield’s leafy streets, one feels that it could be a country town. The suburb constitutes a Heritage Conservation Area.

 [ These residential towers] would be inconsistent with the built heritage of Haberfield Prior to the neighbourhood’s development in the 1900s, it had been inhabited by local Aboriginal people, as one of the last parts of the Inner West to be developed. It is located along what was a border region between the Wangal and Gadigal clans of the Darug people. Its visual character is fiercely defended by residents, some of whom established the Haberfield Association in 1980 to oppose incongruous developments and advocate for heritage protections.

AESTHETIC AND TRAFFIC IMPACTS FEARED Haberfield Association president Brett Burton said that the erection of residential towers “would be inconsistent with the built heritage of Haberfield” and would negate “the whole point” of the garden suburb. “I think everyone would have a concern around traffic, both in and out of Parramatta Road. If that's not the place where they’re going to exit the properties, it would have to be through Chandos Street, and it's only [a] single oneway from Chandos Street into the site. So, they'll either have to buy one of the homes and knock it down or cut into the school.” Burton stressed, however, that the plans are yet to be seen. “I have more questions than I have answers on this.” Earlier this year, Kristian Morris of Ray White Commercial wrote, “I wouldn’t lose sleep over highrise towers next to the Federation cottages. The planning landscape simply doesn’t support it.” “A culturally sympathetic, mixeduse, low-rise activation, the sort of thing the Metro LALC itself has described, is far more likely to find a path through the system.” CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

HubNEWS

NSW Police condemned for second major Oxford St drug operation BY JACQUES NIEUWOUDT

ydney’s LGBTQIA+ community are criticising NSW Police for another “excessive,” “intimidating” drug raid on Oxford Street. The Surry Hills Police Area Command were deployed to Darlinghurst on Saturday 12 September, where patrons of Kinselas, ARQ, and the Colombian Hotel observed approximately 15 officers roaming Oxford Street, entering venues, and conducting drug searches. “My friend and I watched around 15 police walk up and down the lines in front of ARQ at about 11:30,” one patron told City Hub’s sister outlet, Star Observer. “They also went into the venue.” “It was super stressful for the venue staff just trying to put on a party. It’s a Saturday night, it’s ridiculous that so many police are on Oxford Street for any reason.” During the operation, police searched 65 people and secured 28 drug detections. The operation produced no charges or arrests. It comes just three months after NSW Police’s last raid on the historic LGBTQIA+ strip, which witnesses described as unprofessional and aggressive. ‘TARGETING QUEERS INSTEAD OF CRIME’ While NSW Police told the media that this more recent “intelligenceled, prevention-focused” operation aimed to reduce “violence, crime, and fear”, community members have been outspoken in wondering whether there were more salient risks assailing Sydney that same night. One such individual, a volunteer for a harm minimisation organisation that operates in Sydney nightlife precincts with “a more heterosexual demographic”, recalled seeing several instances of “rampant antisocial behaviour” met with “minimal police presence” on that same night. “I saw on multiple occasions 4

CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

Photo: Supplied

groups of 5+ men approaching young women and intimidating them by standing over and circling them, not allowing them to leave without causing confrontation, making callous jokes about rape and domestic violence, and threatening to punch a woman who rejected their advances,” said the volunteer.

 The significant harm caused by deploying drug dogs and searching members of the LGBTQI+ community is not justified “If NSW Police are wanting to stop antisocial behaviour, why are they harassing the queer community rather than looking at venues and areas that routinely have brawls break out amongst young straight men?” And that’s not the only concern. Speaking on behalf of Redfern Legal Centre, Rian Terrell said the mere deployment of drug dogs, especially among patrons

suspected of drug use, is a dangerous practice. “Drug detection dogs are intimidating and a safety risk,” said Terrell, “encouraging patrons to engage in risky behaviour such as ‘preloading’ or panic consumption. The significant harm caused by deploying drug dogs and searching members of the LGBTQI+ community is not justified.” Others, including Night Time Industries Association vice-chair James Thorpe, pointed rather to the inefficacy of the practice, if NSW Police are truly seeking to “proactively disrupt and address drug supply” as they have claimed. “Searching large numbers of patrons in gay venues and producing fines for low-level possession is not the same thing as dismantling the supply chain,” Thorpe said. COMMISSIONER: ‘COMPLETE MISINFORMATION’ Speaking to 702 ABC Sydney Mornings, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna defended the operation, rejecting the claims of club patrons who described it as targeted and intimidating.

"I think there has been considerable exaggerations and I would say histrionics around this particular matter,” McKenna said. According to McKenna, the operation visited a total of 14 venues that night, some of which “may consider themselves a place that LGBTQIA+ communities frequent”. “People saying that we were raiding or targeting any community — or picking on anyone in particular — that’s not the case,” said McKenna. “That’s complete misinformation.” McKenna went on to state he reviewed police body-worn camera footage from the September 12 raid and could attest that officers were "polite” and “unobtrusive”. This stands in stark contrast to NSW’s last raid on the area during Pride Month, which resulted in MP Alex Greenwich and Lord Mayor Clover Moore contacting the LECC, saying neither office had received so many complaints about police conduct in more than a decade. “We had to act immediately,” Greenwich told Star Observer in June. The LECC misconduct investigation is still open.

HubNEWS

NSW commits $4.3m to pill testing at music festivals BY JACQUES NIEUWOUDT

he NSW Government has committed $4.3 million to continue offering drugchecking services at selected NSW music festivals from October, following a successful 12-month trial. The service will allow festival goers to anonymously provide sample substances (including illicit drugs) for testing by qualified health staff. The hope, which has now been empirically supported by the University of Sydney’s own independent evaluation of the trial, is that drug testing will reduce urgent drug-related hospital presentations and ICU admissions. Indeed, this is exactly what was observed over the course of the trial, which saw 1,800 individuals visit, and 1,500 drug samples tested for purity, potency, and adulterants. While the Minns Labor government remains in opposition to illicit drug use, it has recognised that the harm reduction strategies are often quite effective.

“Let me be clear, no level of illicit drug use is safe and drug checking services are not a silver bullet,” said Park. “There will always be risks involved when consuming these substances, and this initiative does not endorse drug use.”

 We can’t keep exposing people to the chemical lottery of street drugs when there is a safer and smarter way WHICH MUSIC FESTIVALS WILL PARTICIPATE? NSW Health will now consult with the music festival industry and harm reduction organisations to identify up to 15 music festivals per year to participate in the program, which will be delivered in partnership with NUAA. Participating festivals will be identified based on characteristics associated with a higher probability of drug harm.

Photo: Dean Lewis / AAP

“Drug checking keeps people alive,” said Health Services Union NSW Secretary, Gerard Hayes AM. “As health workers, we see the trauma suffered by parents, partners and family members when someone is lost or seriously hurt by a batch of toxic drugs.” “We can’t keep exposing people to the chemical lottery of street drugs when there is a safer and smarter way to give people the tools and knowledge to look after their health.”

WHY IS LABOR SELLING OFF OUR PUBLIC LAND? $1.4 BILLION IN PUBLIC ASSETS AT RISK

MY TEAM AND I ARE HERE TO HELP balmain@parliament. nsw.gov.au www.kobishetty.org (02) 9660 7586 201-205 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037 Authorised by Kobi Shetty MP. Funded using Parliamentary entitlements. September 2026.

Everyone deserves an affordable place to call home. Disappointingly, the Minns Labor Government has failed to deliver enough public and genuinely affordable homes for our community. A secret analysis published in the Sydney Morning Herald revealed that the NSW Labor Government’s land audit doesn’t appear to have delivered a single home. Instead, it has served as a stocktake sale of publicly owned land, including several sites across the Inner West and City of Sydney.

This is incredibly disappointing. Publicly owned land should be used to deliver public homes that working people can genuinely afford to live in. Instead, we’ve seen land sold-off to the highest bidder. In the midst of the worst housing affordability crisis we have ever seen, this is not good enough. I’m urgently following up on the plans for these sites and will be pushing for them to be used to benefit our community, not private property developers.

We can’t afford to lose more public land to private developers. We need to keep the pressure on the government to use public land to deliver public good. Scan the QR code below to stay in the loop on this vital work. Yours sincerely,

Kobi Shetty MP

Member for Balmain

SCAN HERE

STAY IN THE LOOP CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

HubNEWS

New buses, more rail services dominate Inner West Council transport plan

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

BY WILL THORPE

he Inner West Council has unveiled a vision for public transport investment—a bus network expansion and more rail services. The brief report aims to facilitate increased housing density. Proposals include ‘turn-up-andgo’ buses on Parramatta and Victoria roads, routes through WestConnex and the underconstruction Western Harbour Tunnel, and new links from White Bay to Sydenham and Ashfield to Five Dock, connecting metro and suburban trains. A light rail line on Parramatta Road is suggested as a busing alternative. It calls for infrastructure upgrades allowing more frequent L1 Dulwich Hill services, namely duplicating the last 250 metres of the line. More heavy rail services stopping at Croydon, Summer Hill, Lewisham, Petersham, and Stanmore are supported. Recommendations for pedestrian and cycling infrastructure include another ‘GreenWay’ from Ashfield to Iron Cove. A Sydenham Road cycleway would run from Wicks Park to Sydenham station, a Johnston Street route from Parramatta Road to the underconstruction Bays West station, a route paralleling Parramatta 6

CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

Road between Tebbutt Street and Pyrmont Bridge Road, and a Victoria Road path from Iron Cove Bridge to the city centre, adjoining the Johnston Street cycleway at Bays West before crossing the Glebe Island Bridge. TRANSPORT MONITORING POPULATION GROWTH “People across Sydney recognise we need more homes,” said Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne. “They also expect the transport infrastructure that makes those homes work.”

 The government needs to work with the council to ensure these new projects are delivered quickly; they can't be an afterthought A Transport for NSW spokesperson said that many themes identified by the council form part of current planning. “The NSW Government has already delivered significant public transport improvements across the Inner West in recent years, including increased train frequencies at Croydon, Summer Hill, Lewisham, Petersham and Stanmore, substantial uplifts to

L1 light rail services, and more frequent bus services on key Inner West corridors, including Victoria Road.” Since June, the new route 52 runs from Hyde Park to Parramatta via Victoria Road, replacing the less frequent 500X and 500N. “Transport planning is undertaken alongside land-use planning, population forecasts, and housing growth strategies to help ensure public transport services and infrastructure meet the needs of growing communities.” PROJECTS MUST BE DELIVERED, SAYS MP Greens Balmain MLA Kobi Shetty said that she’s “been working with the community to push the state government to deliver light rail on Parramatta Road, and more capacity and frequency on the Inner West Light Rail for a number of years, so it's good to see council finally getting on board.” "The key focus now needs to be on ensuring these projects are delivered up front so that any increases to housing density have sufficient services for current and future residents.” "We already have major crowding on the light rail, our bus services aren’t up to scratch, and there's very little connected cycling infrastructure. The government

needs to work with the council to ensure these new projects are delivered quickly; they can't be an afterthought once all the development is finalised." MORE DETAIL NEEDED – EXPERT David Levinson is a Professor of Transport at the University of Sydney School of Civil Engineering. He noted that “all of these things are fine to want, but it is not very visionary,” and the council’s vision lacks detail. “They punted on asking for light rail on Parramatta Road, rather than say, envisioning buses now, including bus lanes and traffic signal priority for buses, and light rail later. Same with Victoria Road, they should have called for light rail. It is not like they are paying for it, but they seem to be conceding the case before asking for what they want.” “They missed an opportunity to call for lower speed limits on streets in residential and commercial areas and around schools and other traffic-calming and pedestrian improvements to make it easier and safer to walk around for transport, not just recreation.” “Buses on WestConnex are good, and it was promised by the proponents of WestConnex when it was approved. Councils should not have to ask for things that were already committed.”

HubNEWS

Gov’t petitioned to vacate public land under Harbour Bridge BY JACQUES NIEUWOUDT

new petition is calling for Transport for NSW to vacate Bradfield Park South, an 18,000-square-metre section of public parkland that sits directly beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge. According to organisers, the government’s official lease on the area, which was designated for infrastructure work on the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, ended in June 2023, and yet, the harbourside public park still remains “fenced” and “degraded”. “This is far more than a local dispute,” said Kristy Valentine, a spokesperson for the Milsons Point and Kirribilli Precinct Committees. “It is about public access to Sydney’s most iconic

landmark, the city’s international reputation, and the impact on local businesses and tourism. “This would not be accepted beneath the Eiffel Tower, beside Tower Bridge or at the Golden Gate Bridge. It should not be accepted here.”

 This is not about protecting a park for a handful of residents… It is about unlocking an extraordinary public asset for everyone Were the park returned to Council and the public, visitors could enjoy unique views of the

Photo: Alexandra Cabri / PA

underbelly of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House. ‘THE PUBLIC DESERVES ACCESS’ “This is not about protecting a park for a handful of residents,” said Michael Bracka, also representing the Kirribilli and Milsons Point Precinct Committees. “It is about unlocking an extraordinary public asset for everyone, residents, visitors, local businesses and future generations. This is the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The

public deserves access to the land beneath it.” After North Sydney Council voted 10–0 in May to reconfirm its commitment to revesting all Bradfield Park South land into Council ownership, care, and control, a petition was developed and has since amassed 1,400 signatures. Despite seeking an urgent meeting with the Transport Minister, Council’s August 2026 status report states that its officers continue to press Transport for NSW to confirm and formalise its approach to revesting the land.

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INTERESTED IN ADOPTING? visit www.catprotection.org.au Rehoming Organisation Number: R251000224 CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

HubNEWS

Woollahra community fights “misleading” rezoning proposal or essential service workers will be able to afford $75–105,000 per year rental out of their aftertax income? “To make matters worse, much of the rezoning and rebuilding requires demolishing the lower cost, more affordable units currently available in many of the historic low-rise postwar unit blocks in the area, exacerbating the lack of housing affordability.

BY JACQUES NIEUWOUDT

Woollahra community group is opposing a new NSW government rezoning proposal, which would allow 9,400 new homes to be built in the area, calling it a “developer’s dream and a resident’s nightmare”. According to Giles Edmonds, President of The Queen Street & West Woollahra Association, the plans to “knock down and rebuild” Woollahra and its neighbouring suburb of Edgecliff are “poorly thought through”, “underfunded”, and won’t help housing affordability. “Here was an opportunity for the state government to adopt best practice planning principles and create a win-win for everyone,” said Edmonds, “and instead they propose quadrupling the population by flooding the area with 34-storey high rise buildings for up to 20,000 new residents while denying that any new infrastructure will be required, let alone budgeted for.” FEARS OF A SECOND BONDI JUNCTION Among the community group’s major concerns is that Woollahra will turn into a second Bondi Junction, with the new high rises stealing sunlight, interfering with weather systems, and overcrowding the neighbourhood. “They can put up to 34 storey buildings in much of the area with no sensible spacing between them. There doesn’t seem to have been any thought as to what this means for the wind tunnels this will create and the overshadowing and lack of light at street level,” said Edmonds. “You only have to walk around Bondi Junction to experience these adverse impacts directly, and that is created by buildings much lower than 34 storeys. The government’s street scene graphics are completely misleading.” 8

CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

Donald Horne's former home in Woollahra. Photo: deeplymovingfilm / Wikimedia Commons

PROPOSAL WILL ONLY HOUSE THE RICH The association has also claimed that while the proposal purports to tackle housing affordability, its new developments only stand to benefit the wealthy.

 A developer’s dream and a resident’s nightmare “[The new developments] won’t be cheap units either. They will be luxury apartments selling at $4 million plus. New luxury apartments in Rose

Bay developments are starting around $4.5 million for a 2-bedroom unit with 3-bedroom units starting at $6.5 million. A recent issue of the Wentworth Courier advertised apartments in the new 55 William Street, Double Bay development from $4.5 million. “Under rezoning, there will be a fairly small component of new apartments built as affordable housing, but that still means they can be rented out at up to 75% of the market rate. Typical gross rental yield on a 2-bedroom $4 million apartment is 2.5–3.5%, which is $100,000–140,000 per year. How many young families

COMMUNITY DEMAND MORE THOUGHT TO NEW INFRASTRUCTURE The third and final concern brought forth by The Queen Street & West Woollahra Association relates to infrastructure. According to Edmonds, it is “astounding” that the government has not invested sufficient finance or thought into the new infrastructure that Woollahra and Edgecliff will require if they are expected to triple their populations. “Quadrupling the population from around 9,000 to 30,000 will require a new primary school, a new secondary school, upgraded hospital facilities, improved streets and car parking, upgraded water, sewage and drainage, kindergartens, child-care facilities, sports facilities, the list goes on,” said Edmonds. “The Government’s own graphics even show a new Chiswick Community Centre— yet there is no funding allocated for it or any infrastructure at all. Woollahra is one of the most expensive areas in Australia to buy land and to build, so when the infrastructure is built, and it will have to be to attract people to buy these units, it’s likely to cost billions of dollars. The community group is urging Woollahra and Edgecliff residents to provide their feedback on the “nightmarish” proposal, which will be on public exhibition until October 7.

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HubNEWS

OPINION

A Sydney–Newcastle bullet train? An expensive, unachievable distraction

Photo: Will Thorpe

BY WILL THORPE

he Albanese Government’s drive to construct a costly high-speed railway from Sydney to Newcastle is bedevilled by serious questions of feasibility and distracts from practical upgrades to rail services in New South Wales more broadly. Three consortiums have been shortlisted to design twin 35-kilometre tunnels north of Hornsby, the most challenging component of a mammoth $90 billion project, and a sprawling new station in Gosford as well. But despite the excitement that every ‘very fast train’ announcement generates, the value and viability of this latest, as-yet embryonic undertaking requires sober evaluation. THE CURRENT LINE In July 2026, 1.138 million trips were made on the Central Coast and Newcastle Line, equating to about 37,000 commuters and leisure travellers per day. The tracks, part of the Great Northern Railway, are also used by regional trains running to the Northern Tablelands, the North Coast and Queensland. It is the busiest of the intercity routes and, by all metrics, offers the 10 CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

highest standard of service. Hourly expresses pace its length in 2.5 hours, give or take, with average speeds better than those on other intercity lines. This is not to suggest that improvements are beyond reach. Deviations in select areas, and timetable changes exploiting the new Mariyung fleet’s design speed of 160 km/h, have the potential to cost-effectively reduce journey times. When the long-distance Express Passenger Trains were introduced in the 1980s and 90s, they slashed the duration of travel to Melbourne and Dubbo by about two hours without any significant upgrades to the tracks.

 Is it the best use of taxpayer money? One problem is that the corridor carries a substantial amount of traffic, including much slower goods trains as well as stopping services. Building new passing loops to allow expresses to overtake is a partial solution. It would also help to provide alternate routes for freight, such as by completing the Inland Rail project or reopening the Gwabegar line between Rylstone and Gulgong. This would allow

passenger trains to reach Mudgee once again. The Minns Government and its Liberal–National predecessors have recognised that some closed stations should be reinstated, with Millthorpe reopening in 2019 and Wallerawang Junction joining it later this year. Many more towns are pushing for their old services to be returned, which could be done for a pittance relative to the cost of a new, partially underground, highspeed railway. AN INCREMENTAL ALTERNATIVE Planned upgrades to the Canberra line, recently announced by the Commonwealth, NSW and Australian Capital Territory governments, indicate what can be done. For a vanishing fraction of the cost associated with the conceived route to Newcastle, these works will allow for faster trips between Sydney and the capital than the current four hours. Likely elements include the investigation of new express services, upgrades to level crossings allowing for higher speeds, track realignment, and the installation of new passing loops, among other potential measures. Meanwhile, in May, the Australian Rail Track Corporation

completed works on the Southern Highlands corridor used by Sydney–Canberra, Melbourne and Griffith services, as well as local and goods trains. This resulted in an 18-minute time saving, and it also improved reliability overall. Similar targeted, cost-effective projects could be undertaken elsewhere, such as in the Central West, along the Central Coast and on the North Coast. Victoria has done well with upgrades to its regional network, achieving widespread 160 km/h running and increasing frequencies. Incremental improvements offer the surest route to high-speed rail, characterised by services operating at 200 km/h or faster. Professor David Hensher is the Director of the University of Sydney’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, and he has worked on numerous proposals. He is “not optimistic” about the latest vision’s chances. Hensher said that despite his support for eventually adopting a high-speed rail, be believes the “project fails the basic test”. Simply put, “Is it the best use of taxpayer money?” Commuters from Wollongong, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and further afield may not think so.

HubNEWS

More fears for Ultimo Powerhouse’s future and sale of this important cultural icon in our city,” Neighbouring Greens Balmain MP Kobi Shetty wrote on Facebook. “Right before the last state election, John Graham stood in front of the Powerhouse with the then Labor candidate for Balmain to announce that the Powerhouse would not be demolished or sold but would be renovated and reopened for our community.”

BY WILL THORPE

here is local concern as the Minns Government reportedly weighs whether to curtail upgrades to the iconic Ultimo Powerhouse Museum—or sell. “The highest levels of government” were considering various options, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, with the ongoing renovation on track to overrun its $300m budget. Amongst the apparent possibilities are the sale of the Harwood Building, the mothballing of the entire Sydney landmark, and its sale after upgrades bring it up to standards. The Friends of Ultimo community group has spent years campaigning for the museum, having opposed its complete closure and relocation which was subsequently abandoned. “We understand that the NSW Government is currently

Photo: Powerhouse Museum / Facebook

considering all possible options to reduce the costs of the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo socalled ‘heritage revitalisation’.” “The project involves replacing a revered, world-class applied arts and sciences museum with two inferior function and entertainment centres — not museums — in Ultimo and Parramatta. The totally unnecessary project costs around $2 billion to NSW taxpayers.”

MOTHBALLING “WOULD BE A DISSERVICE” “Cultural institutions, like the Powerhouse Museum, play an important role in Sydney's history and tourism,” MP Alex Greenwich told City Hub. “Mothballing or reducing the scope of either the CBD or Parramatta sites would be a disservice to the museum and the community.” “Our community fought for over a decade to stop the demolition

 Our community fought for over a decade to stop the demolition and sale of this important cultural icon A NSW Government spokesperson confirmed the approved budget of $300m, telling City Hub that it “is committed to the Powerhouse Museum, including the Wran Building reopening in Ultimo.”

For all those times you spent together They left muddy prints on your floors, fur on your couch and a permanent mark on your heart. Now you can return that love with a gift in your Will to RSPCA.

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CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

COFFIN ED’S NAKED CITY

SNAKE OIL FOR THE POPULISTS I

t’s no secret that Pauline Hanson and her party have a great admiration for Donald Trump, despite his declining popularity in the United States. How Pauline reacts to Trump’s promise to reward every citizen with a $5,000 bonus should he triumph in the approaching midterms is anybody’s guess. What has long been apparent is an ideological nod to Trump’s mass expulsions of so-called illegal immigrants, and his promotion of the monoculture of American patriotism and all the flagflapping hyperbole that he embraces. In 2025, she spoke at a conference at Mar-a-Lago praising his policies and damning the Albanese government back home as a “socialist nightmare”. Hanson described climate change as “a global hoax,” noting Trump has “pulled out of the outrageously destructive Paris Agreement, which continues to make countries like Australia so much poorer, and he’s supercharged mining, gas, and oil projects by removing government red tape with his great slogan: Drill Baby Drill.” On immigration, there was a thumbs up for Trump’s ICE initiatives as she bemoaned: “Australia is taking in the same hateful, radical migrants from countries that are having an enormous impact on the UK and so many European nations right now, and we’re seeing the aftermath with frequent machete attacks, violent home invasions, and weekly pro-Palestine protests across our major cities. Sadly, we’re starting to see some suburbs in Australia become virtual no-go zones for women who aren’t dressed in head-totoe coverings.” We have all heard that before, but I am wondering when it comes to public health, just how

12 CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

Photo: Gage Skidmore

much One Nation is prepared to borrow from the Trump regime – in particular, from the heavily tanned Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We do know Hanson is very much in favour of Australia withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), which Trump did earlier this year. However, I must admit it’s the more extreme, scientifically suspect and downright wacky pronouncements of RFK Jr that create alarm and ridicule. Whether One Nation appreciates them remains to be seen – but anything seems possible. Could we, for example, be looking at a ban on circumcision in Australia if One Nation came to power? RFK Jr has advanced the theory that there is a link between autism and circumcision, a result of the painkiller acetaminophen, better known by the brand name, Tylenol. "There's two studies that show

children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It's highly likely because they are given Tylenol," Kennedy stated during a US Cabinet meeting. Trump echoed his thoughts claiming that Tylenol should not be given to children or pregnant women, despite the FDA and most medical experts disagreeing. Kennedy’s scepticism when it comes to various forms of vaccination is well publicised and continues with the postCovid backlash and persecution of former Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci. One Nation appears to have borrowed heavily from RFK’s anti-vax agenda, a fertile ground for their long-time conspiracy theorists like Senator Malcolm Roberts. Earlier this year Roberts claimed that the Covid-19 vaccination dramatically increased miscarriage rates, despite a complete lack of medical evidence.

Were One Nation ever in a position to dictate real power in Canberra, you have to wonder how many of the Trump regime’s health policies they would adopt. Would we also see a resurgence of snake oil salesmen, militant anti-vaxxers and dodgy health service operators keen to relieve many Australians of their prematurely withdrawn superannuation cash? Commercial tanning studios have been banned in Australia since 2015, with WHO declaring that their ultraviolet rays are Group 1 cancer-causing agents. While Trump spent many years applying that hideous orange gunk to his face to create his tanned glow, Kennedy apparently prefers a roasting on the tanning bed. He has almost championed their use in recent years, and not long ago withdrew a proposed FDA rule that would have banned minors from using indoor tanning beds. Look out—those tanning beds can fry your brain!

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To us, Pilates isn’t just an exercise; It’s a foundation for a life lived to its fullest potential—and that’s what we want for you. Often described as a sanctuary in Pyrmont, our personalised Studio Sessions, led by dedicated and highly-qualified Instructors, ensure that every movement is in alignment with your unique needs and goals. Our clients range in age from just 13 to 86 years young and include those wanting to move more freely and with confidence, people rehabilitating from injuries, individuals managing conditions such as MS, Parkinsons and Scoliosis, and athletes and dancers looking to enhance their training. No matter whether you’re a seasoned Pilates attendee or considering it for the first time, we’d love to welcome you into our studio to become a part of our community.

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GIANT SPIDERS, HAUNTED PUBS & RESTLESS SPIRITS

GHOST IN THE ROCKS RETURNS TO SYDNEY BY CHLOE SARGEANT

or most of the year, The Rocks keeps its many ghosts and ghouls tucked politely behind sandstone walls. This October, they are being handed the entire damn place. Ghost in The Rocks is returning for four nights over Halloween, turning Circular Quay and The Rocks into an open-air party of looming spiders, giant tentacles, live music, DJs and several hundred thousand people dressed as things that only come out when the veil between our world and the spirits is at its thinnest. On 30 and 31 October, George Street and the Overseas Passenger Terminal will close to traffic from 7pm until midnight, allowing revellers to wander the precinct end to end. No crossing streets full of cars wearing sixinch platforms and devil horns; just sandstone, harbour air and Sydney making an unearthly spectacle of itself. Vincent Hernandez, founder of BBR Group and Creative Director of Ghost Festival, says the city’s appetite for Halloween was already ravenous. “I don't think we created that appetite. It was already there, but it simply didn't have a giant free street celebration to bring everyone together the way other cities around the world do,” Hernandez told City Hub. The festival drew 115,000 people in 2024 and 262,000 in 2025, with organisers expecting more than 300,000 this year. Late October hits a sweet spot: winter has loosened its grip and Sydney’s crushing number of summer events has not quite begun. The Rocks is not simply a

handsome backdrop. The festival takes its mythology from the precinct’s haunted histories, with each festival built around a local tale. This year belongs to Anne Kirkman, said to have kept rooms at the Hero of Waterloo on Lower Fort Street from 1849 — and, according to legend, never truly left.

A piano is still said to play in the early hours, falling silent whenever somebody approaches. “We are not inventing a haunted town from scratch,” Hernandez said. “The Rocks already has almost two centuries of stories, characters and legends sitting inside its own buildings. Our job is to take people to them.” Across the festival, seven experiences will unfold through four realms spanning food and drink, horror, nightlife and family classics. Daytime brings the Halloween Market, roaming performers, street entertainment and family films at the Audible Ghost Cinema. As daylight drains from the laneways, the bars open, performances become stranger and the crowd shifts naturally towards the grown-ups in grotesque costumes. “My test is simple,” Hernandez said. “If a five-year-old is crying at two in the afternoon, we have got it wrong. If nobody is a little nervous at 10 at night, we have also got it wrong.” The program includes the Poliakov Vodka Haunted Woods, a food and drink village wrapped around a frozen forest and main stage; Casa Spirits Trick or Drink, a boozy riff on the childhood ritual; and the returning Casa Murder Bar, hidden inside the fiction of a spooky abandoned 1930s hotel. Hernandez wants Ghost in the Rocks to eventually become a travel-worthy Halloween destination, but a wholly Sydney one: warm nights, mysterious bygone stories and the harbour glinting nearby, rather than another country’s celebration transplanted wholesale. For locals, it offers the rare pleasure of seeing familiar streets slip their skin and get ookier. As Hernandez put it: “Give people the road and it becomes something else entirely.”

Ghost in The Rocks runs from 29 October to 1 November at Circular Quay and The Rocks. 16 CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

The Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize 2026 Celebrating 25 years

do Geese see God?, BJ Kim 2026 Finalist

2 October - 29 November woollahragallery.com.au 548 New South Head Road Double Bay | free admission open Wednesday - Sunday | accessible location

HubARTS

2026 QUEER SCREEN WINNERS The LGBTQ+ film fest announces winners of this year's competitions (See p.22)

SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY REVEALS 2027 SEASON BY CARELLE SNOUNOU ydney Theatre Company Artistic Director Mitchell Butel has said AI will never match the experience of seeing performers live on stage, as the company announced its 2027 season to a packed Roslyn Packer Theatre on September 14. “AI cannot do what these artists can do live on stage, and it will never be able to match the brilliance, complexity and immediacy that is created in a theatre,” Butel said. The co-CEO’s comments came as the theatre industry faces challenges with the rise of artificial intelligence. He emphasised the connection between performers

and audiences as something that makes theatre unique. The program will feature 13 productions across Sydney Theatre Company’s three venues, including four world premieres and six Australian premieres. A common thread is family and community, exploring how families shape us, how they are chosen and how they can hurt and heal us. “Families are also made when we create theatre,” Butel said, describing the staff and creators behind Sydney Theatre Company as another family working together for its audience. Among the names are Richard Roxburgh and Heather Mitchell,

Photo: Supplied

who reunite on stage for the first time in 30 years in Robert Icke’s Oedipus. The Palace Letters is one of four world premieres, with Melanie Tait adapting Jenny Hocking’s book and Georgie Parker starring as Hocking alongside Jonathan Biggins as Gough Whitlam. A Miss Fisher story, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: Death by Deckchair, follows the detective aboard a 1929 cruise ship where a murder, jewel robbery and mysterious curse throw passengers into chaos.

The season also sees the return of Kip Williams’ Olivier and Tony Award-winning The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Nikki Shiels, while Eryn Jean Norvill returns in the one-person Chekhov adaptation Vanya. Other productions include Becky Shaw, Amah and Nanna, The Fifth Step, John Proctor is the Villain, The Bookbinder of Jericho and Logan St. The season closes with the Sydney premiere of A Christmas Carol, starring Tim Minchin. Tickets are on sale now.

‘ODIE’ TAKES AIM AT AUSTRALIAN MASCULINITY USING MYTHOLOGY BY JOSH KERWICK n a year where we've had a truly epic cinematic interpretation of Homer’s Odyssey hit our screens, it’s a delight to return to the poem’s spoken-word roots in Sydney Fringe Festival gem Odie. Written and performed by a sensational Emrys Quin, with astute direction from Emily Farrell, Odie is a fantastically funny reinterpretation of the foundational myth through a distinctly Australian lens. Through prescient commentary and gutbusting humour, it uses The Odyssey as a framework to explore contemporary Australian masculinity to sincerely poignant effect. Quin is the only performer on stage, embodying Queensland hooligan Odie as he finds

Photo: Supplied 18 CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

himself stranded in Sydney after State of Origin and attempts to return to his love Penny at the Ithaca Suites. The show’s allusions to The Odyssey are more than an aesthetic choice. It’s a surprisingly robust adaptation that inherits some of the poem’s core themes — the weight of violence and the meaning of hospitality among them — while making interesting subversions that investigate Australian culture as a whole. Quin is a naturally enticing performer, inhabiting the violent larrikin Odie with almost frightening ease. More impressive still are the sentences he spins and the gravitas with which he performs them.

REVIEW

It was about five minutes into the performance when I realised every line had rhymed, and his poetic script is rife with moments both hilarious and harrowing as Odie journeys through Sydney to get home. Like many of the best Greek myth reinterpretations, Odie truly shines in its most radical departures. It takes aim at the very idea of being “Australian”, and what it means to live in this culture and adhere to it blindly. That salient idea moves the show from a highly entertaining, thrillingly performed Odyssey send-up to a thoughtful breakdown of the country we live in. It’s an ambitious balancing act, pulled off with wit, confidence and a surprising tenderness. We’ve all met an Odie before: loudmouthed, alcoholic and despairingly close to violence at all times. Rather than simply despair at his existence, Quin and Farrell ask us to understand him, instead of seeing another maroon jersey in the crowd.

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SEAN BURGESS PAINTS STANMORE’S PAST BACK INTO VIEW BY CHLOE SARGEANT very Sydney suburb has ghosts. Not the sheet-overthe-head Casper kind you’ll see everywhere this Halloween season. But the half-remembered characters, vanished businesses and strange little stories that slip quietly beneath new apartment blocks, renovated shopfronts and the brisk churn of Sydney life.

Falleni

Sydney artist Sean Burgess goes looking for them. His latest exhibition, Stanmore: The Past Next Door, is the newest instalment in People of a Time and Place, a roaming series that moves from suburb to suburb and allows each neighbourhood to supply the raw material for a new body of work. “I like the idea that the show belongs to the suburb it’s in. The place gives you the material,” Burgess said. For Stanmore, that material has been gathered from photographs, newspapers,

maps, advertisements, court records and local archives. The resulting cast stretches from Eugenia Falleni to Noeline Brown’s connection to The Mavis Bramston Show, alongside wartime nurses, local characters, lost industries and the suburb’s long spiritual thread. Arthur Stace’s famous Eternity also finds its way into the exhibition through The Eternity Man and conductor Richard Gill, who lived in Stanmore. This is not history simply lifted from an archive and hung neatly on a wall, however. Burgess pulls it apart and puts it back together through paint, typography, cropping and layered composition, letting old material become something new, allowing the past to get messy again. “The research tells me what happened. Once I start painting, I’m interested in what the image can become,” he said. There is a quiet urgency running underneath the project, too. Sydney keeps changing, often at a speed that makes forgetting terribly easy. “As Sydney gets developed and gentrified, I think it becomes more important to acknowledge what came before: the stories, the hardships and the people,” Burgess tells City Hub. “The whole idea of People of a Time and Place is to bring the local community together, celebrate the city’s past, learn a few stories and hopefully have people come in and share some of their own.”

STANMORE: THE PAST NEXT DOOR The Corner Gallery, Stanmore 5–11 November, 11am–6pm daily Meet the Artist and guided tour: 6 November, 6:30pm

DIVINE PLAYHOUSE IS HEADING TO THE MCA THIS MONTH Photo: Mark Dickson

BY CHLOE SARGEANT allelujah! Divine Playhouse is coming back, and its first order of business, naturally, is a funeral. After the LGBTQIA+ arts venue was forced out of its Kent Street home in July, UNHOLY / DIVINE will reunite more than 50 independent artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for three nights this October. Across 8, 22 and 29 October, the program moves through mourning, resurrection and temptation, with drag, music, performance and plenty of opportunities to get dressed up and carry on. First comes MOURN! WEEP! WAIL! An Unholy Funeral – The Death of Divine! on Thursday 8 October, taking over Foundation Hall from 6–11pm. Designed to lay the memories of Divine Playhouse to rest, the evening promises processions, hymns and performance spaces curated by artists, with guests invited to dig out their high-fashion funeral veils. Aunty Jonny, Brendan Del La Hay, Divacups, Lesbionica, Nikkita Iman, Porcelain Alice, Stereogamous and The Bombshells are among the lineup. On Thursday 22 October, BLISS! DEVOTION! ADORATION! An Unholy Rebirth – Resurrection

and Joy spreads throughout the museum, featuring Angels Only DJs, Boye Sivan, Gogo Bumhole, Matt Vaughan, Ruby Teys & Sharon Manhattan and the Unholy Drag Choir. The final instalment, PLEASURE! VICE! DESIRE!, follows on Thursday 29 October, inviting audiences to indulge their curiosity and confess a few sins. La Figa appears across all three nights. Tickets are $69 for the funeral, while later events offer $35 twofor-one entry with full museum admission. Founded by Heaps Gay creator Kat Dopper, Divine Playhouse opened in July inside the former St John the Evangelist Church at 420 Kent Street. Despite changing its original name, Unholy Playhouse, conservative Christian groups targeted the venue, with the dispute escalating into cancelled events and action from its landlord. On 20 July, the team confirmed its lease had been terminated under the extremely outdated “offensive trade” law. Dopper was given three days to clear out. “It’s over. Our lease terminated, our artists cancelled, our venue being cleared out,” she said. Come October, those artists will have an audience again, and a fairly spectacular place to welcome them. CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026 19

HubARTS REVIEW

CHARLIE IVAN BAND:

REVIEW

BONETWISTER

REVIVES A FORGOTTEN LOCKDOWN PROJECT FOR THE STAGE Photo: Angus Sharpe

BY ANGUS SHARPE orry for the novel,” writes Ben James in his email inviting me to his new project, Bonetwister’s self-titled album release show. “I thought the slightly odd story behind the record might be up your alley.” He was correct. In fact, it’s hard to imagine anyone who wouldn’t be intrigued by the story of Bonetwister’s album. In the midst of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, James, an accomplished musician who has played in a wide variety of Sydney bands, was producing solo music in an attempt to avoid being driven insane by boredom. When he heard that his brother, sister-in-law, and nephew were hosting weekly Friday-night family dance parties in their kitchen, he decided to join in the fun and compose a song. The first— simply a sketch for them to dance to—was an instant hit. Eagerly, the three requested another for the following Friday. Over the next three months, this became a regular routine. Every week, James would write a new song and send it to his family to dance to. Naturally, the music became bouncy and filled with thrilling, catchy

“S

20 CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026

moments—lo-fi, distorted psych-rock worked into funky R&B rhythms. In it, there was no thought of streams, tours, or attention. Only connection and enjoyment. When the pandemic ended, as the world moved on, James’ songs were left behind. The musician persisted with other ventures and, like many, forgot about his lockdown sideproject. Then, in May this year, having discovered the songs on his hard drive, he realised he had the material for a new album. Just as James’ family had danced around the kitchen six years ago, tonight his band— and a smattering of excited audience members—danced to those songs at Marrickville Bowling Club. The performance ended with applause, and I found myself hoping that the fun would persist into the future. Bonetwister’s debut album should not be viewed as a final statement. Instead, it is an indicator of James’ songwriting abilities. Free from the confines of the pandemic, and now with an excellent band in tow, I’m excited to experience the fun the project is able to produce next.

A DEEPLY MOVING & TRANSFIXING EXPERIENCE BY ANGUS SHARPE t feels good to share a space with people, walk with them down this little path. But it’s pretty stressful. I don’t do it that often…” Speaking over the phone before his east-coast tour supporting sophomore album Of Nothing, Mpwartne artist Charlie Ivan describes his relationship with live performance. The stress stems from tour logistics and the lack of rehearsal his band can do before performing. But what I glean from our conversation, and what contributes to his discomfort before a crowd, is Ivan’s humility. “Sam’s a really good drummer,” he says. “Me and Ned, we’re not the most proficient musicians. We’re much more ‘song people’… it’s more important that the

“I

contact. But because, from the moment his voice enters the room, I am struck by profound otherworldliness, inevitability and wonder: something far larger than the man drinking chicken soup days before. Charlie Ivan Band’s music has a strong relationship to landscape. On record, the desolate red sand he was raised around lurks in the background. Tonight, before the smoke-filled orange stage, this desert pours out before us. Ivan’s voice is deep and weathered; his dry, existential lyrics plume like sandstorms. The music is sparse but complex, having what Ivan calls a “bigness within the smallness”. Sam Sargent’s drums run in slow, jazzadjacent rhythms, while Ned Gaynor’s understated bass creates enormity at crucial moments.

Photo: Supplied

song comes across than proficiency.” As he sips chicken soup and completes household chores, my impression of Ivan is friendly, approachable and, above all else, human. So when his band takes the stage at The Vanguard, it is hard to imagine this is the same person. Not because Ivan doesn’t possess nerves – his shoulders are tight over his keyboard, and he rarely makes eye

For an hour this landscape unfolds, sometimes rocking us into a seated, bobbing dance, then doubling us over with heartbreaking beauty. Afterwards, Ivan tells me it didn’t feel great. At first, I’m surprised, though now reflecting on his humble persona I should have expected it. All I can say – though I would now tell him how moving, enthralling and innovative it was – is: “It was brilliant.”

HubARTS REVIEW

Photo: Madman Entertainment

HOPE

BY JOSH KERWICK f I ever had to use one film as an example of filmmaking being a truly universal language, Na Hong-jin’s Hope would be a candidate. Reportedly the most expensive Korean film ever made, this blockbuster blends creature features, sci-fi and the unique style of Michael Bay into something singular. Given its disparate elements, Hope is naturally a bit of a mess. It contains exhilarating filmmaking alongside decisions that border on nonsensical as the credits approach. Nonetheless, it forms a wholly singular experience that’s difficult to forget, warts and all. The ruined carcass of a cow is the first sign something is amiss in Hope Harbour, near the Korean DMZ, for police chief Ko

REVIEW

BY NAOMI LAWRENCE fun enough action comedy, Mayday flashes plenty of flair, though it can’t help but fall back on tried-and-true buddy movie beats. From John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the duo behind Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons, Mayday arrives with an offbeat premise and high expectations. It never quite becomes the rousing, irreverent comedy you want it to be. Ryan Reynolds plays Lt. Troy, AKA Assassin, a Navy pilot whose black-ops mission goes sideways, leaving him stranded behind enemy lines during the Cold War. His unlikely refuge is Nikolai, or Nick (Kenneth Branagh), an eccentric former KGB agent whose fascination with America is informed by Top Gun. Nick offers to help him get home in exchange for asylum,

Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min). Returning to town, he finds it plunged into chaos as something ruthlessly obliterates everything in its path. With scant resources, Bumseok must protect the town with underling Im Sung-ae (Hoyeon), second cousin Sungki (Zo In-sung), other colourful characters and a seemingly infinite ammunition supply. However, the reason for the monster’s rampage may be more sympathetic than expected. The first hour is a masterclass in combining horror and action. Dread mounts as Bum-seok discovers the calamity’s scale, though Hope doesn’t always know when to include a joke. Tension builds as he encounters rural Korean life

ruined, tracking the unseen creature with increasing hatred. Then the monster is revealed, instantly dispelling much of the tension with its acceptable yet unremarkable design and dicey VFX. The film discards tensionbuilding to become an extremely loud, frantic action affair. The sheer cool factor of Sungae stepping from her police car to aim a grenade launcher at the inhuman antagonist kept me on board. Na’s love for action conventions is on full display, and

I am extremely vulnerable to a cool horse chase. Yet the overlong third act and bizarre narrative turn test that goodwill, while overt sequel bait compounds the frustration. At 160 minutes, Hope can feel punishing. Despite its flaws, Hope is an easy recommendation for action aficionados and monster movie fans: unruly and rough around the edges, but undeniably memorable. It is a wild ride worth taking.

1/2

Hope is in cinemas now.

MAYDAY

Photo: TMDB

sending the mismatched pair on the run. The setup lightly pokes at the propaganda America and Russia have long fed each other through two men raised to see the other as the enemy. It’s hardly a deep dive into Cold War politics, pivoting from gag to gag, but the pair’s chemistry keeps it afloat. Branagh is clearly having a

great time and carries the film. As Nick, he’s stoic but sweet, ridiculous but sincere, bringing deadpan charm and unexpected vulnerability to what could have been a Russian caricature. His comic timing is razor-sharp, while watching him throw himself into the action is delightful. Reynolds, meanwhile, is unsurprisingly playing

Ryan Reynolds. His snarky, bewildered straight-man routine is tolerable beside Branagh, but makes the film less interesting. Barry Peterson’s cinematography is another saving grace. The action is packed with inventive choreography and practical stunts, while his playful, constantly moving camera gives the film a real pulse. Daley and Goldstein favour a mischievous visual style over increasingly interchangeable John Wick action grammar, making thin material look stylish. Ultimately, it’s a fairly light affair better suited to a casual night on the couch. Not a hidden gem, but Branagh, the action and the filmmakers’ visual flair give Mayday enough personality to zip along, even if it leaves you wanting to like it more than you do.



Mayday is available to stream on Apple TV. CITY HUB OCTOBER 2026 21

HubARTS REVIEW

CITIZEN

Photo: TMDB

VIGILANTE

BY JOSH KERWICK wish there was anything that I could say to people to put the past fully behind us so it doesn’t keep coming up,” said Citizen Vigilante star Armie Hammer in a Sydney Morning Herald interview. “But this is the reality of the world I’ve created for myself.” Given his work with directors David Fincher and Luca Guadagnino before he was “cancelled” following accusations of emotional and sexual abuse, it’s shocking to see Hammer in Uwe Boll’s appalling Citizen Vigilante. The film is explicit alt-right agitprop, marrying extreme antiimmigrant sentiment with one of the poorest attempts at a John

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Wick-style movie I’ve seen. It’s reprehensible — and dreadfully boring. Told non-linearly for no apparent reason, it follows ex-US Army soldier Michael Sanders (Hammer) as he takes up residence in a European city and works as a real estate agent and the “Vigilante Citizen”, taking justice into his own hands. Naturally, the film’s Europe is falling apart due to crime explicitly linked to immigration. Echoing far-right figureheads, a news bulletin even suggests Europe should “reconsider” its approach to migration. It doesn’t matter that statistics don’t back this up, only that this is the world Boll and his audience believe — there’s a

reason Elon Musk has promoted it. Its sole value is as an anthropological study of the altright mind. Although Boll’s work is inseparable from its politics, Citizen Vigilante is also one of the worst films I’ve seen this decade, potentially ever. The greatest argument against it being agitprop is that it’s shockingly dull and horribly made. So hateful in its politics that it forgets cinema is entertainment, it stretches a threadbare narrative to 90

minutes with torturous pacing. Even Hammer feels underutilised. His performance is the vaguest approximation of the “middle-aged guy takes vengeance” archetype, while Sanders’ lack of definition and the shocking action scenes make him impossible to root for. It’s a film without value except as a pawn in the culture war. Avoid at all costs! 1/2

Citizen Vigilante is available to rent digitally (but don’t spend money on this.).

QUEER SCREEN ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 13TH FILM FEST COMPETITION BY JACQUES NIEUWOUDT ueer Screen has announced the winners of the 13th Queer Screen Film Fest, celebrating LGBTQ+ cinematic storytelling from around the world. In first place in the Emerging Narrative Feature Competition was TEST, directed by Sam McConnell. Taking home $2500, the film, written by and starring Brock Yurich, received acclaim from judges and audiences alike. On the surface, TEST follows an aspiring Ohio bodybuilder fighting for a pro card, but beneath the muscle is a story about a mother and son who love each other while facing financial pressure, shared loss and a faith that calls their struggles and desires sinful. The jury described it as “a well-realised and authentically told character study with a distinct point of view”, adding: “We haven't seen another film quite like TEST.” The six other competing features included Jim Queen, Sweet Milk Lake, Big Girls Don’t Cry, The Education of Jane Cumming and Montreal, My Beautiful. This year’s jury comprised writer-directors Craig Boreham and Alice Maio Mackay, and

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Golden Age Cinema head of programming and Pink Flamingo Cinema founder Ing Deickman. Taking home gold in the Pitch-Off Competition was Sam Carson’s Floodcam, which explores a trans porn addict’s attempt to stop his idol from getting bottom surgery. The film received $10,000 and Spectrum Films post-production services valued at $5000 after six finalists pitched their projects to industry judges. “Sam did an exceptional job pitching the ambitious vision behind Floodcam,” the jury said, praising the project’s “unique, bold, and assured creative voice”. “We believe this short film has the potential to make a significant contribution to Australian queer cinema.” Queer Screen’s 2026 Audience Award went to Jim Queen, directed by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané. The chaotic adult comedy follows a horrific virus sweeping Paris that turns gay men heterosexual. Queer Screen described the animated satire as “unapologetically sexy, quirky, and funky” and destined for cultclassic status.

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