CITY HUB September 2025

TANYA PLIBERSEK

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR SYDNEY

Social inclusion

The Albanese Government also greatly values Australia’s community organisations and their volunteers for the connections they provide and the sense of purpose and belonging that they build for all of us to share.

We are investing $2.3 million in 22 social enterprises across Australia, including at Plate It Forward, which runs three restaurants in the Sydney electorate, providing culinary and hospitality career pathways for asylum seekers, refugees, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people with disability and people battling homelessness and addiction.

Last month I visited one of the restaurants, Kabul Social, located in the city, to cook and share a meal with Afghan refugee women who talked to me about how they’ve been helped to build financial independence and a career.

At Kabul Social they help prepare some of the more than 2,000 free restaurant quality meals that Plate It Forward provides each week to locals in need.

With the funding granted by the Albanese Government, Plate It Forward will be able to scale up their business model, providing more employment and training opportunities for refugees, migrants and individuals facing disadvantage.

In the Sydney electorate, I am really pleased to see the Albanese Government assisting 45 organisations, providing $82,625 to 32 of these through 2025 Volunteer Grants and $96,448 to 32 organisations through 2025 Stronger Communities Grants, including:

Australian Breastfeeding Association Inner

Metropolitan Region

Newtown Neighbourhood Centre

City Of Sydney Basketball Association

Milk Crate Theatre

The Twenty-Ten Association Inc

Women’s and Girl’s Emergency Centre Inc

Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre Incorporated

Weave Youth & Community Services Ltd

If you are a community group and want to know more about how to apply for a grant, please contact my electorate office for assistance.

Tributes roll in after passing of legendary film critic David Stratton (See p.10)

HUBARTS: THE 39 STEPS

1930s noir parody provides non-stop laughs

(See p.18)

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PUBLICATION DATE 28 AUGUST 2025

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@CityHubSydney

HubNEWS

Thirty years of printing the news and raising hell

BY LAWRENCE GIBBONS

What you are reading is human generated. I swear.

To mark the City Hub’s 30th anniversary, Meta gave us a grant to digitise the old print editions of the City Hub. It was some of the last money Meta gave out to Australian publishers before it disavowed itself of news content globally, and its legal responsibilities under Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code.

Damp and old mouldy newsprint editions of the City Hub were boxed up and shipped off to Melbourne to be scanned; missing editions were generously supplied by the State Library of NSW.

Now, previously unavailable print editions can be read online by you, our adoring readers. And hordes of greedy AI bots who are busy scouring the intellectual property of this masthead to feed their offshore AI farms without paying for its use.

Over the last 30 years, the City Hub has published tens of thousands of original articles by close to a thousand authors. We have encouraged community debate, shared a diverse range of views and championed free speech at every turn.

Much of what we have distributed has been made available off the grid; free of charge in an old fashioned print publication. Founded in the 20th century on a 19th century ideal that “it is a newspaper’s duty to print the news and raise hell”, the City Hub is so old it is radical.

The first edition of the City Hub was printed in August 1995; as fate would have it, the same month that Microsoft introduced the first web browser. Over the last three decades, Australian journalism has struggled to survive as mega American tech companies have diverted billions from the coffers of the local Fourth Estate.

countless other publications; and then regurgitating our intellectual property without attributions, payment, or referrals back to our sites.

In the face of high-tech piracy of Australian content, the Albanese government must stand up and defend our nation’s journalism. Meta and Google must be required to abide by Australian law and compensate publishers under the News Media Bargaining Code. Australian copyright laws must be strengthened and enforced while there is still a local news industry to protect. Doing nothing for fear of antagonising a hyperbolic, reactionary American president is unconscionable. A robust, independent free press is a cornerstone of Australian democracy. The Fourth Estate ensures accountability, transparency and drives civic participation in an increasingly polarised, disinformed, and cynical world.  We need Australian public interest journalism now more than ever.

Since founding the City Hub 30 years ago, I have contributed an occasional opinion piece to run here on page 3.

1995

East Timorese and Australians who burnt flags outside of Indonesian consulates around Australia were expressing their justified rage against an occupying government which has contravened human rights, committed atrocities and jailed resistance leaders. And all they did was burn flags. Flags are simply symbols made of cloth. And burning a flag is nothing more than a symbolic act, a form of speech which like all others ought to be protected.

1997

Now at the end of our second year of crusading against all that is ugly, unjust; or just uncool in Sydney — we catch our loyal readers off-guard by celebrating the Best of Sydney for the second year in a row… For two years now the City Hub has howled against power brokers and politicians who threaten to destroy one of the best places on the planet.

1998

Clearly something is terribly wrong in the lucky country. Which is why we publish the City Hub. And no doubt why you read it. As the Right continues to grow more confident, hostile and vocal, it’s more important than ever that an independent media outlet exists.

2005

Ten years after the City Hub first dipped its toes into the unprotected, shallow, shark infested waters of Australian publishing, our island continent is crying out for a bill of rights louder than ever.

2011

Google search depressed the value of people reading the news and pocketed the rest; Meta distracted people away from the news entirely; and now ChatGPT and their AI offsiders are pilfering the content of this and

From the start, the themes championed in this space have remained consistent: the right to free speech, the need for a robust independent press, and Sydney’s interminable ability to sparkle despite it all.

Here then, from our copyright protected print archives, are a few things I wrote on page 3, back in the early days on newsprint alone.

Let Murdoch buy up every other local newspaper group in town. Let him tap our phones and shut down a weekly newspaper or two along the way, we will not be deterred. Sure we may live in the most monopolistic media market in the ‘free world’; ours may be one of the only democratic societies not to protect the right to free speech in a Charter of Human Rights, but we are still willing to speak the truth.

Inner Westies called ‘NIMBYs’ for rejecting council’s pro-developer housing plan

BY KEREN LAVELLE / LYDIA JUPP

Over 430 people at a public meeting held in Marrickville on Sunday 27 July overwhelmingly rejected Inner West Council’s “misleading and poorly publicised” Our Fairer Future draft local development (LEP) plan.

The grassroots-organised meeting heard from speakers who were locals and experts alike, such as architect Eddie Ma, who explained what a Local Environment Plan is, and who tackled (with public housing advocate Rachel Evans), the definition of housing ‘affordability’.

The draft Plan requires developers to commit to providing 2% affordable housing - but affordable in this context means 75-80% of market rates. Ma provided case studies for what this means currently: for example a 2-bed apartment in Marrickville requires an income of $190,000 pa to be ‘affordable’.

The meeting decided the definition of ‘affordable’ should be based on a proportion of household income (2530%) rather than what the market dictates. The attendees also preferred a greater proportion of three or more bedroom dwellings to be required in developments than currently specified.

 The Mayor seems determined to vilify hundreds of his own, justifiably concerned, constituents as [NIMBYs]

Rachel Evans pointed out that “governments have commodified housing since Prime Minister Robert Menzies began the mass sell-off of public housing in 1945,” and that around 10% of all private housing lies vacant most of the year.

“We really don't need more private housing,” she argued, "we need mass, beautiful public housing to solve the housing crisis.”

Former independent IWC councillor John Stamolis noted that "council's plan is loaded with incentives for developers, but offers little in terms of new amenity,

services and open space for the huge increase in population.”

Inner West Council has the secondlowest amount of open space in Sydney, and the forum agreed the Plan shirks providing that — as well as all other amenities.

BYRNE CALLS FORUM A “NIMBY CAMPAIGN”

Just two weeks later, Byrne demanded Greens MP Kobi Shetty pay back taxpayer dollars she used to assist the community housing forum, which he referred to as a "NIMBY campaign".

Byrne alleges that the use of taxpayer money to print advertising material for the meeting on July 27 was unauthorised and undisclosed, breaking parliamentary rules governing members entitlements.

"This dishonest conduct is not just a breach of legal requirements but an abandonment of the young people, renters and essential workers who are being forced out of the community they love because of the shortage of homes for them to live in," he said.

Shetty told City Hub she was assisting residents in her electorate to organise a public meeting that would impact the Balmain Electorate, and believed it was in the remit of her parliamentary responsibilities.

“I sought clarification from parliamentary services upon becoming aware of the concern, who advised me that I had inadvertently accessed the communications allowance for this printing. I am in the process of returning the amount, which is less than $20," she said.

“It’s disappointing to see the Inner West mayor using this for political point scoring when the community is working to address real concerns about the lack of genuine consultation on their plan."

COMMUNITY GROUPS ECHO COALITION RECOMMENDATIONS

On 7 August, Byrne rejected criticism from the forum, and said the support of community housing and welfare sectors such as Shelter NSW, the Faith Housing Alliance, and the Tenants Union of NSW proved that the Council was "on the right track" with the Fairer Future plan.

“Organisations committed to social

justice recognise that delivering more homes and more affordable housing is the central challenge for our Inner West community today," he said.

“More than that, their submissions give expert advice on how we can increase the amount of not-for-profit housing while significantly increasing housing supply overall."

However, the Better Future Coalition argued that many of their own recommendations align with those suggested by Shelter NSW, including a higher affordable housing target, and a higher proportion of three or more bedroom dwellings.

"Engaging with peak bodies like Shelter NSW is an important part of the community consultation, but it should not be considered a replacement for meaningful, accountable engagement with Inner West residents, businesses, schools and other community members likely to be seriously affected by the Plan," the Coalition said in a statement to City Hub

The Coalition told City Hub that the Inner West Council's refusal to engage community members affected by the changes in a transparent, accessible way forced them to organise their own meeting.

"The Fairer Future Plan relies almost entirely on private developers to deliver public benefit (not their remit) and on the demolition of well-established neighbourhoods and town centres, with complete disregard for the social and cultural fabric that connects them, whilst displacing renters (residents and businesses) of the area’s older, affordable buildings - including vulnerable community members - with no promise of them being able to remain in business or stay living in the community.

"The fact that the Mayor seems determined to vilify hundreds of his own, justifiably concerned, constituents as 'NIMBY activist groups campaigning to prevent new homes', while enthusiastically endorsing almost identical recommendations from affordable housing bodies raises the question of whose interests he is trying to serve."

A vote on the Plan has been postponed to the September council meeting after more than 1221 submissions were received.

Photos: Keren Lavelle

NSW’s new 10-year strategy to tackle increasing homelessness

The Minns Labor Government has announced their new 10year strategy for combatting homelessness in Sydney, after a 67% increase in the past five years.

Working alongside homelessness and housing services, the new strategy focuses on early intervention and longterm housing outcomes that commit to ending homelessness from 2025 to 2035.

“We are formalising and embedding the Housing First approach as the official government policy to end homelessness in NSW,” said Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson. “This approach ensures that people have stable housing first, backed by the support they need to rebuild their lives."

The new approach aims to reform government interventions and the support that people experiencing

homelessness can receive from organisations.

This includes the establishment of a NSW street sleeping registry to improve service ordination, a new system-wide housing first approach for NSW which allows for fast response, a targeted response for young people and Indigenous people who endure challenges within the system, and

collaboration networks which allow for individuals to have access to a range of resources and necessities.

Homelessness NSW CEO Dom Rowe says, “This Homelessness Strategy answers that call and sets a path to a better future for people at risk of homelessness and the services that support them.”

The previous government’s promise to cut homelessness in half by 2025 simply hasn't been delivered

The NSW housing system has seen rapid change through a record $6.6 billion investment into social housing through the Building Homes for NSW program.

Providing over 1,700 homes in the recent year and upgrading over

6,000 social homes, the program has successfully made the largest increase in public, community, and affordable homes in over a decade.

Additionally, the housing waitlist has been reduced by 8 months, with modular housing reforming as a mass public housing system.

“Our sector has been calling for a whole of government response to this crisis, that acknowledges a need to respond now but also sets a reform agenda for the future,” says Rowe.

WHY NOW?

The new strategy is a result of a collapsed agreement made by the NSW Government in February 2019, which committed to reducing rough sleepers by 50% by the end of 2025.

Since 2019, limited change has been made and the state government says that an increase in rough sleepers has been the only result.

Protecting the Right to Protest in NSW

NSW has a long and proud history of protest movements. Despite this - or perhaps, because of thisour state shamefully also has some of the toughest anti-protest laws in the country. In fact, in the last 20 years, the Human Rights Legal Centre reports that NSW has passed more anti-protest laws than any other Australian jurisdiction.

This month, NSW Greens Spokesperson for Democracy Koby Shetty MP, the Member for Balmain, introduced a Bill which would overturn some of the draconian antiprotest laws implemented by successive Coalition and Labor Governments since 2022 - including more recent changes making it an offence to protest ‘near’ a place of worship.

We know that the people of NSW believe in the right to protestthey made this perfectly clear when they came out in their hundreds and thousands in the pouring rain to protest the genocide in Gaza and march across the harbour bridge.

It was wonderful to be in the chamber with the gallery full of activists, community members and the Knitting Nannas to watch Kobi introduce her Bill to protect the right to protest. Scan the QR code to watch Kobi’s full speech in Parliament.

Jenny Leong MP Greens Member for Newtown

BIANCA TROPIANO

Photo: Jeremy Piper / AAP

Greens slam government for music festival funding misuse

BY BIANCA TROPIANO

The NSW government is under pressure to repay $3 million allocated to aid local and regional music festivals, after the Greens raised concerns about foreign companies withholding ties in other festivals.

The Greens are calling for the money to be returned to taxpayers immediately.

The Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund was established in 2024, working in combination with reforms to the Music Festivals Act, which is designed to reduce costs, accessibility, and festival planning.

 The fund needs to be better targeted towards independent and Australian-owned music festivals

The fund stands as a stepping stone to help Australian grassroots music festivals thrive in an uncertain economy. Supporting festivals with full or part Australian ownership, the fund aims to limit pressure placed on Australia’s music industry.

The last round of the funding supported five festivals — three of those were 100% Australian owned.

Listen Out and Field Day were awarded up to $500,000 by the Minns government last year, but now the Australian operator Fuzzy is a part of a global conglomerate that is owned by the private equity firm KKR.

The firm now “holds a portfolio of over 85 festivals worldwide,” Greens’

music spokesperson Cate Faehrmann told NSW parliament.

“The fund needs to be better targeted towards independent and Australian-owned music festivals and the requirement that it only apply to festivals catering to 15,000 or more people must also be scrapped.”

The Greens say taxpayer dollars are going to a multinational conglomerate that is consuming Australia's local festivals.

Head of Sound NSW Emily Collins said, “The funding is providing critical support to iconic festivals and helping ease the burden of a rapidly changing landscape and supporting businesses while they adapt.”

TO WHAT LIMIT DOES THE

FUNDING GO?

The Waverly Council recently awarded Fuzzy a licence to produce the New Years Eve event in Bondi.

Faehrmann calls for Fuzzy to return $1 million awarded under the fund.

The Greens believe that only 100% Australian owned festivals should be eligible to receive the funding, as the aim was to boost local and regional industry events.

Arts and Music Minister John Graham says that Fuzzy had acted entirely within the funding rules, as Listen Out and Field Day were 49% and 62.4% Australian-owned at the time their events were staged.

Fuzzy has not addressed the calls for a repayment but said, “We remain committed to supporting the local music scene by investing in festivals that generate millions for the NSW economy and provide essential income and jobs for hundreds of local artists and suppliers.”

City powerless to stop controversial 3-storey St. Mary’s development

BY WILL THORPE

The City of Sydney and the Heritage Council of New South Wales appear powerless to stop the Catholic Church’s contentious development next to the historic Saint Mary’s Cathedral.

In a ruling at the start of August, the Land and Environment Court permitted the Archdiocese of Sydney to proceed with the erection of a three-storey building between the cathedral and Chapter House, the oldest building on the grounds. The new building, on the site of a present-day car park, will house a café, bookshop, offices and meeting rooms.

Advocating for the archdiocese, consulting firm Urbis said that the proposal had “evolved in response to the comments from the City of Sydney”.

That is despite the Heritage Council arguing that the design “dominates and competes architecturally” with the surrounding historic structures.

CITY “REALLY TRIED TO WORK” WITH ARCHDIOCESE

Deputy chair of the Transport, Heritage and Planning Committee, Councillor Jess Miller, told City Hub that changes to the proposal over the course of the proceedings were not considered satisfactory by the City.

Miller said the proposal “was reduced in height, but the design actually got fatter and closer to the heritage items.”

“We do everything within our power to get a really good outcome based on a range of specific principles and ideas around what constitutes good design,

what identifies the value of heritage, but ultimately the applicant can appeal the decision to the Land and Environment Court.”

“I think the City staff really tried to work with the applicant and the Heritage Council to make it a better scheme.” However, Miller said, the archdiocese “just wanted a lot of floor space.”

A report prepared by Urbis states that it "will be appropriately read as a contemporary layer of development supporting the historic purpose of the precinct, it will be visually submissive to the earliest buildings”.

 City staff really tried to work with the [Catholic Church] and the Heritage Council

The report says that the design references and responds to features of the surrounding structures, such as a stained-glass window on the north façade of Chapter House. It also says that the planned height of the building is “notably less” than that of an archiepiscopal residence intended for the site by Victorian era architect William Wardell.

“The Chancery would therefore reflect the early vision for the scale of development on this part of the site.”

One concerned parishioner of the Sydney archdiocese and employed heritage assistant agreed with this assessment, telling City Hub that the amendments show “the receptivity of the architects” to community concerns.

Photo: Listen In / Facebook

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Cat Boutique

Your one-stop shop for all your cat care essentials! Stock up on all your feline friends’ favourite treats, toys, food, litter and so much more.

Plus lots of great gifts for cat lovers!

214 Marrickville Road, Marrickville

Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm | Saturdays 10am – 2pm

Names: DILL, Age: 1 year (est)

Sex & Colour: Male Black DSH

Dill is a delight! This darling house panther is one of the loveliest cats you are likely to meet, he’ll will win you over with his extremely affectionate ways. A chatty kitty who enjoys deep and meaningful discussions, Dill likes to speak his mind with many meows. This supreme smooch just loves company and is looking forward to sharing his life with someone who can satisfy his frequent requests for attention and affection. Dill is always at the ready to leap into the nearest lap and snuggle but when left alone and stressed Dill tends to chew on his toys and other unsuitable items. He is looking for an indoor only forever home with an experienced cat guardian who can supervise his activities with an understanding approach and keep him occupied with plenty of playtime. No doubt about it with Dill by your side you’ll have a devoted friend to brighten your days!

INTERESTED IN ADOPTING?

visit www.catprotection.org.au

Rehoming Organisation Number: R251000224

Stop the Cuts to Midwives at

Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital

Inner West families deserve access to world-class maternity

and our nurses and midwives

Right now, 15-20 full-time midwifery positions are on the chopping block at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital. These dangerous cuts could also see nine beds in the postnatal ward close as part of the sweeping changes outlined by the Sydney Local Health District.

Experts have warned the government that these cuts could kill. We know NSW nurses and midwives are chronically short-staffed and underfunded, with wages among the lowest in the country.

These proposed cuts are the latest in a string of bad decisions that could deliver poorer health outcomes for parents and babies.

Thanks to strong advocacy from health workers, unions, parents, thousands of community members, and The Greens, we’ve secured a pause on these dangerous cuts while a review is undertaken.

But local families and midwives are still facing an uncertain future.

We need to keep the pressure on. The Minister for Health needs to intervene and ensure these dangerous cuts are stopped for good.

We’ve started a petition to the Minister for Health, calling on him to support RPA Midwives and oppose these dangerous cuts.

Please use the QR code below to sign the petition. Together we can keep the pressure on to help stop the cuts at RPA.

Kobi Shetty MP Member for Balmain

SCAN HERE

NSW Govt rejects ‘user pays’ proposal for regular protests

BY TARA ZHAO

The New South Wales government has rejected a controversial bill that would have required organisers of frequent protests to have to pay for police resources.

The bill, proposed by the opposition in February, aimed to introduce a “user pays” system whereby protest groups holding more than three demonstrations per year would be liable for policing costs.

“We’ve seen millions of dollars being spent on policing instead of on health, education and public transport,” said Shadow Attorney-General Alister Henskens, who attempted to bring on debate for the bill. “There’s been a huge drain on our policing resources.”

 We can’t have open season on the bridge

He stressed that the bill was not about the subject of any specific protest, but rather about clarifying how courts determine public interest.

"This bill is not taking any side on the issues that were subject to the protest on Sunday [August 3]," he said. “The current legislation does not give any guidance to courts as to how they are to determine the public interest."

However, the Labor government voted against debating the proposal, which has effectively killed the bill. Premier Chris Minns said that senior government counsel held a

Newtown restaurant cops anti-LGBTQ+ graffiti on window

BY CHLOE SARGEANT

AFrench restaurant in Newtown has been targeted in a disturbing act of anti-LGBTQIA+ graffiti after a large cross was spray-painted over its rainbow Progress Pride flag.

Pistou, located at 601 King Street, has always been a safe and welcoming space for queer locals. But on the morning of August 5, head chef Ben Scobie arrived to find the restaurant’s front window defaced.

explained. “You shouldn't [feel] targeted at work."

“But it's never been a problem here before. Usually the graffiti is everywhere else except for on the restaurant — and it's never really hatefilled.”

In a suburb that's long been a queer haven, the incident has prompted uncomfortable questions — why the sudden boost in anti-LGBTQIA+ hate?

“strong view” that the bill could be “unconstitutional.”

Minns acknowledged that the repeated closure of major infrastructure like the Harbour Bridge could disrupt city operations.

“We can’t have open season on the bridge,” he said in an interview with ABC News. “We need to have some kind of orderly process where we balance people’s rights to have a protest in Sydney… without closing down critical infrastructure.”

LABOR'S DIVISION ON PROTEST LAWS SURFACES

Despite the government’s rejection of the bill, Minns’ own ambiguous stance on protests has caused internal tensions. At least a dozen Labor MPs reportedly expressed concern during a caucus meeting.

A motion led by left-wing MPs originally sought to condemn the destruction in Gaza and propose a human rights bill. It was eventually watered down to a more modest version.

Prior to the protest, 72 organisations signed an open letter to the government. The signatories, including all major NSW trade unions and civil rights groups, urged respect for the right to protest and criticised what they called the premier’s “anti-protest agenda.”

Following the massive March for Humanity rally, organisers have urging the public to return to the streets on following weekends, to call for federal sanctions on Israel and an end to twoway arms trade.

“It must have happened between Sunday evening when we closed, because seven o'clock on Sunday the manager left and there was nothing on the window,” Scobie said. “I came in on

“It's probably silly of me, but I think it's because of America; all this shit in their politics at the moment, like denying the existence of non-binary people and trans people," explained Scobie.

"They feel like they have the right to

Tuesday, and saw the X over the Pride flag."

"And yeah, I was a little bit devo'd," he told City Hub Scobie, who is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, said the moment felt jarring, and he cleaned it off himself immediately.

“Being queer myself, I don't really want to have that on the fucking window of the restaurant that I'm head chef at," he said.

'THIS WASN’T ART — IT WAS HATE' Scobie said management was immediately supportive, and decided to share an image of graffiti on their social media in a show of support for the local LGBTQIA+ community and their staff.

"I'm the only queer in the restaurant, so I was the most affected by it," Ben

speak now, and they use it in horrible ways."

Scobie reiterated that the Pistou team have absolutely no plans to remove the rainbow flag.

 Maybe our bubble is not always safe... but this space still is

“It's very important that people know that we're a safe space, that they can come here,” he said. “I would never take it down.”

And his message to the local LGBTQIA+ community in Newtown?

“Hold on to the reins, because it's like, 'We're still here'. Maybe our [LGBTQIA+] bubble is not always safe... but this space still is.”

Photo: PalestineActionGroup / Instagram

Photo: Pistou / Facebook

COREPLUS DARLINGHURST: fitness, sweat & community in the heart of the Sydney

Sydney’s fitness scene has a new heartbeat in Darlinghurst — and it’s less about punishing workouts and more about community and connection.

CorePlus Darlinghurst has quietly become a word-of-mouth favourite since opening its doors on Riley Street. Locals — and even people trekking in from all over Sydney — are flocking to its mix of Reformer Pilates, Hot Mat Pilates, heated yoga and strength classes.

It’s the kind of studio where playlists pump, infrared heat works its magic, and the vibe is more “your mates are here” than “intimidating gym floor.”

Co-founder Sally puts it simply: “Our purpose is to create healthier, more connected communities. Movement should feel good, but it should also bring people together.”

And that’s exactly what’s happening. Members aren’t just clocking up workouts or counting steps; they’re meeting for classes with friends, cheering each other on, and finding

~ DARLINGHURST

community. People don’t come to CorePlus just to sweat; they come to connect.

What makes CorePlus Darlinghurst stand out is the culture it has cultivated. It’s diverse, welcoming, and free from the old-school exclusivity that still lingers in some fitness spaces.

“It’s the kind of place where you feel seen,” says one member. “You come for the classes, but you are here for something bigger, you feel a part of something. It’s energising.”

A CLASS FOR EVERY BODY

The timetable has been built with variety at its core:

 Reformer Pilates: a selection of dynamic, energetic, strength and cardio flows on the reformer beds, in 3 class formats, building strength, mobility, and endurance with each class.

 Hot Mat Pilates: a high-energy, fullbody burn in the heat — combining traditional Pilates principles with a modern edge to bring that extra spice.

 Hot Strength & Hot Strength Cardio: strength training meets sweat session — weights, resistance and cardio fused into fiery classes.

 Hot & Warm Yoga: Vinyasa-style flows, Slow Flow for longer holds and Yin for total relaxation and

rejuvenation, all in the infrared heated studio, perfect for building flexibility, balance and inner calm.

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFERS

To celebrate the Darlinghurst community, CorePlus is offering these special deals for new members:

 $49 for 2 weeks unlimited mat classes (Pilates, yoga and strength included)



$99 for 1 month unlimited mat & reformer classes.

 Purchase a 5 or 10 class pack and email us at darlinghurst@ core-plus.com.au with the code CITYHUB20 and we’ll add 20% to your class pack. (1 extra class with a 5 pack, 2 extra classes with a 10 pack). 1 per member, and only valid for new members or members without a current valid pack. This offer ends 30th September.

CorePlus Darlinghurst is at 152 Riley Street, Darlinghurst.

Tributes roll in after passing of legendary film critic David Stratton

BY CHLOE SARGEANT

David Stratton AM, one of Australia’s most influential and beloved champions of cinema, has died at the age of 85. His family announced his death on August 14, saying he passed away peacefully in hospital near his home in the Blue Mountains.

"David's passion for film, commitment to Australian cinema, and generous spirit touched countless lives," his family said. "He was adored as a husband, father, grand and great grandfather and admired friend.

"David's family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming support from friends, colleagues, and the public recently and across his lifetime."

A ten-pound Pom who migrated to Australia in 1963, Stratton went on to direct the Sydney Film Festival from 1966 to 1983, co-host the much-loved The Movie Show (SBS) and At the Movies (ABC) alongside Margaret Pomeranz, and review films for The Weekend Australian for over thirty years.

In 2015, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his “significant service to the film industry as a critic and reviewer, promoter of Australian cinema, and as an advocate for freedom of expression”.

His influence on Australian film culture was indescribably vast, his voice instantly recognisable, and his taste famously uncompromising.

TRIBUTES HONOUR DAVID STRATTON’S LEGACY ON AUSSIE FILM

Countless tributes and memorials have been posted, celebrating the incredible life and legacy of the legendary film critic.

"Today Sydney Film Festival celebrates the incredible life and legacy of David Stratton AM, as we honour his passing announced today by his family.

"Sydney Film Festival, and by extension the very culture of cinema in Australia, would not exist as it does today without the remarkable passion and devotion of David Stratton who was the Festival Director from 1966 until 1983.

"His achievements are too innumerable to list in totality, and would include his successful fight against censorship of films in Australia, the establishment of the Travelling Film Festival… support for emerging filmmakers from Australia and around the world, and fostering of a brave and adventurous cinema culture in Australian audiences."

 The very culture of cinema in Australia would not exist as it does today without the remarkable devotion of David Stratton

Screen Australia also paid tribute:

“Vale David Stratton. It’s with great sadness we acknowledge the passing of film critic, writer and advocate David Stratton. A champion of Australian voices and stories on screen, his passion for cinema and support for the local screen industry will be long felt and never forgotten.”

"A life worthy of 5 stars. Rest in peace David Stratton," wrote Madman Films on Facebook.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remembered Stratton’s warmth and wit.

"With dry humour and sharp insight, David Stratton shared his love of film with our country," Albanese wrote on X.

"All of us who tuned in to 'At the Movies' respected him for his deep knowledge and for the gentle and generous way he passed it on. May he rest in peace."

City Hub film reviewer Josh Kerwick echoed these sentiments, speaking on the enormous impact Stratton had on him, as he did for all film lovers in Australia.

"Anyone that reviews films in Australia owes a great deal to the incomparable David Stratton," Kerwick told City Hub.

"Not only was he always a wonderfully thoughtful critic, Stratton's work alongside Margaret Pomeranz inarguably changed the way we discuss movies in this country for the better. Rest in peace David, and thank you for all the years of quality reviews and curation that you gave us."

“David Stratton was one of my heroes. He was formative. Instrumental. Pivotal. Vital,” wrote ABC Radio film critic Nick Milligan on

David Stratton,” said X user Savannah Meacham, who “had the privilege of growing up around [Stratton]", as he was friends with their grandmother.

“When I think of David, I think of this quote he gave when I interviewed him for a university assignment: ‘I never, ever thought I'd work in film to start with when I was young. I thought it was strictly a hobby. And I would do something much more boring and much more mundane, I've been very lucky.’”

TO HONOUR STRATTON’S LEGACY, WATCH SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

David Stratton’s passing is both a loss and an invitation: a call to head to the cinema or press play at home, and to rediscover the joy of film. Stratton's family suggested to

Facebook. “I'd grown up watching him and Margaret religiously every week on SBS's aptly titled The Movie Show Stratton moulded my bog-standard passing childhood interest in cinema into a deeper obsession. I'd caught his infectious passion for films and, even though I'd go on to study cinema at university, The Movie Show was my education.”

“We’re all better for having known

honour David, watching Singin’ in the Rain may be the most fitting tribute: "[We] invite everyone to celebrate David's remarkable life and legacy by watching their favourite movie, or David's favourite movie of all time — Singin' in the Rain."

In Sydney Film Festival's statement, they confirmed details of a public memorial service "will be announced in the near future."

Photo: AAP

Photo: AAP

Should Woollahra Station be opened?

WILL THORPE

The Minns Government is eyeing Woollahra’s incomplete railway station as a potential nucleus for housing development. However, any move to open the stop would be contentious, supported by some transportation advocates though opposed by many locals.

A station at Woollahra was included in plans for the Eastern Suburbs Railway. Construction on the stop commenced but was subsequently halted by the Wran Government, which sought to cut the losses of the dramatically overbudget project.

The station at Woollahra is one of several sites which are being explored by the Government, as it quests to resolve Sydney’s housing crisis.

David Levinson is Professor of Transport in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney. He said that it is “not obvious” whether or not opening the station would be beneficial, with the answer depending “on what happens.”

“An additional station increases access for those near the station, and slows down travel for everyone else,”

Professor Levinson told City Hub. “How that nets out depends on the level of development.”

He noted that the Woollahra station site is merely 900 metres from Edgecliff station, and a kilometre from Bondi Junction. This would give trains little if any time travelling at track speed before they would have to decelerate.

“An eight-carriage train itself is about 160 metres long, as a point of comparison.”

It takes about fifteen minutes to walk from the site to Bondi Junction, and slightly more to reach Edgecliff. “Still, more people will take transit if they are only 400 metres away rather than 800 metres away,” Levinson noted.

With a sufficient increase in employment or population density around the site, the benefit for new travellers would outweigh the extra travel time for those headed to or from Bondi Junction, he added.

He said that Bondi Junction would lose some ridership to Woollahra, and also that some travellers on the margin of different modes would switch due to the increased travel time.

“Woollahra would gain more ridership than Bondi Junction would lose, if the development were sufficiently dense.” If

not, Levinson believes that opening the station would cause ridership to decline.

“Given the location, there might even be opportunities for air rights development, which could minimise disruption to the neighbouring community.”

He called on the Government to disclose how they would justify the station’s opening, should they decide to proceed with it.

MIXED SENTIMENT AMONG LOCAL RESIDENTS

Public finances were not the only obstacle to the station's construction, which faced fierce local opposition.

Community newspaper Now editorialised in 1974 that the Railways Commission was “dogged on building one in Woollahra, practically over the dead bodies of Woollahra residents, who were informed they could protest till they were black in their faces – a railway station was good for them … whether they wanted it or not!”

Sarah Swan, mayor of the Woollahra Municipal Council, recently told the Australian Financial Review that she had “heard a fair bit from the community and the response has been quite mixed.”

She argued that if the government had spare money and was “looking to improve amenity of an area already increasing in density, they can create a park.”

The suburb of Woollahra had a population of 7,189 in 2021, giving it a population density of about 5,845 per square kilometre. This makes the wellheeled neighbourhood about as dense as adjacent Double Bay, and less so than Paddington.

Sydney as a whole has a population of 441 for every square kilometre.

EcoTransit Sydney, a public transport advocacy group, supports completing Woollahra station.

The group recently wrote that Bondi Junction is “bursting” with more than “34,000 daily users, queues for lifts, packed platforms” and a “jammed” bus interchange.

 [It’s] is not just a missed opportunity — it’s a deliberate failure to act in the public interest

“Meanwhile, roads like Ocean Street, Edgecliff Road and Oxford Street are gridlocked with locals driving short distances to access public transport they should’ve had on their doorstep decades ago."

"Woollahra Station won’t just improve the network — it will directly reduce traffic, noise, and pollution in the heart of Sydney’s east.”

It noted that signalling upgrades

underway on the Eastern Suburbs Railway will allow trains to run closer together, arguing that this invalidates concerns that opening the station would slow the line.

“Leaving Woollahra station unfinished in 2025 is not just a missed opportunity — it’s a deliberate failure to act in the public interest.”

LINE HAS FEWER STATIONS THAN INITIALLY PLANNED

Plans for a railway serving the Eastern Suburbs significantly predated its construction. Two royal commissions in the 1890s suggested that one could become viable later on. Some two decades later, in the 1910s, the visionary engineer John Bradfield put forward a proposal.

Construction began in the late 1960s under the Askin Government, several years after the closure of the onceextensive Eastern Suburbs tramways. Stations were planned for Martin Place, Kings Cross, Rushcutters Bay, Edgecliff, Woollahra, Bondi Junction, Charing Cross, Frenchmans Road, the University of New South Wales and Kingsford.

The line was completed to Bondi Junction, with two stations on this section cut out. There have been occasional calls for its completion to Kingsford, or alternatively to Bondi Beach.

Photo: Woollahra Council

COFFIN ED’S NAKED CITY

WHERE THE BLOODY HELL IS A DECENT TOURISM CAMPAIGN?

It’s hard to believe that in 2025, Tourism Australia is still pushing the Hogan-esque 'Throw a shrimp on the barbie'-style campaign that was originally employed to lure visitors here in the 1980s.

A new $130 million dollar investment was recently announced to build on the 'Come and say G'day platform rolled out a few years ago.

Wildlife ambassador Robert Irwin fronts the campaign along with the somewhat curious choice of celebrity chef Nigella Lawson. It features the Ruby the Roo character, a stuffed souvenir toy. Having such a loveable cartoon character takes away the guilt of the fact we are the only country in the world that eats our national emblem.

If you cringe every time this old school Australiana is resurrected, you are probably not alone. I must admit that the infamous 2006 campaign in which model Lara Bingle uttered the immortal words “where the bloody hell are you?”

struck a far more relevant chord.

So just whom are we trying to entice Down Under from the international population? You might be surprised to learn that of the 7.63 million tourists who visited in 2024, the highest number – 1.6 million – came from New Zealand. Hot on their heels were the Chinese, who accounted for 829,000. Third were the

Americans (there’s no record of how many MAGA caps were spotted as they disembarked — may I suggest anybody sporting one be hit with a 50% tariff).

Rather than some feel-good campaign with stuffed marsupials and outdated Aussie jargon, Tourism Australia and state authorities could look at improving the current tourist experience.

WHAT’S ON?

You couldn’t get a better example than a train trip from Sydney to the Blue Mountains, undertaken annually by thousands of tourists. If you travel to Katoomba, you’ll be seated in one of the grubby old V-set carriages, windows scratched and graffitied. New trains have been promised for years, but “where the bloody hell are you”?

Only the desperate would use the nightmare V-set toilets, but Katoomba station’s toilets are equally rundown. You leave the station and there’s no sign welcoming you to the Blue Mountains. Once again – “where the bloody hell are you?”.

Australian tourist facilities that were once well-kept and welcoming have been allowed to deteriorate through neglect and apathy. A greater community involvement at the grass roots level would be a good starting point.

Let Lara’s famous catch-cry be a wake up call for local tourist providers and the various authorities.

Photo: Tourism Australia

SILENCING DISSENT: NSW’S DANGEROUS SLIDE INTO A CENSORED STATE

In a democracy, the right to gather in public, raise our voices, and demand change is supposed to be sacred. Protest is how women won the vote, how unions won the weekend, and how generations of Australians have fought to live freer, fairer lives.

BY CHLOE SARGEANT / LYDIA JUPP

But in New South Wales, those hard-won rights appear to be under unprecedented attack.

“We now have more anti-protest laws on its law books than what we’ve seen across the country and what we’ve ever seen in our legislative history,” Greens MP and lawyer Sue Higginson warns. “And some of those laws have clearly been overreach laws, which is a very dangerous thing to happen in any state.”

Tim Roberts, President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, agrees. “These laws affect peaceful assembly and peaceful expression, because they fundamentally misunderstand how fragile democracy is.” he says.

“At the end of the day, we only know what each other's ideas are because we see people expressing them by way of assembly; we hear them talk about it. When we have laws that don't get the balance right and impinge on our ability to do that, we are essentially suppressed.”

NSW ANTI-PROTEST LAWS: A HISTORY OF OVERREACH

One of the clearest examples of overreach came when the Knitting Nannas challenged NSW’s anti-protest laws in court. “The Knitting Nannas actually brought a constitutional challenge… and they were successful in large part,” Higginson recalls.

“The Supreme Court said these antiprotest laws… were unconstitutional laws. So when a court is telling a government that your laws were overreach, it’s a really important message to hear.”

The laws in question were crafted to target climate protesters — young people engaging in disruptive but peaceful action to demand climate action. For Higginson,

this demonstrated a government willing to silence dissent rather than engage with it.

“To introduce anti-protest laws designed and targeted for one specific group of people — that’s when you know you’ve got significant evidence… of a regime that thinks it’s okay to silence a particular group of people rather than dealing with that group’s concerns,” she says.

Despite that ruling, NSW has continued down the same path. “Since about 2022 we've seen a significant decline in our protest rights,” says Roberts. “The Human Rights Law Centre reports quite persistently that we essentially have had a significant erosion of our right to protest every year. And it seems to not be stopping — that's the concern.”

Roberts says governments have “no abandon in winding back some of our laws,” stressing that NSW now has some of the harshest restrictions on protest in the country.

THE HARBOUR BRIDGE MARCH FOR HUMANITY

This year, one of the most powerful demonstrations in recent memory proved why protest still matters. The March for

300,000 people told Minns that he was wrong, and we saw him immediately backtrack on some of his rhetoric

Humanity across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, organised by the Palestine Action Group, brought an estimated 300,000 people onto the bridge in the rain.

“These organisers aren’t paid. They don’t sleep at night,” Higginson says.

“They listen to people. They have their finger on the pulse at the heart of humanity. They said, ‘Now is the moment.’”

The government tried to shut it down. Police prepared to block the march. But in a crucial intervention, the courts ruled police could not use new powers to prevent it.

For Roberts, the march was a reminder of democracy’s strength when people take to the streets. “On that glorious Sunday, about 300,000 people told Minns that he was wrong, and we saw him immediately backtrack on some of his rhetoric,” he says. “That’s a great example of how politicians can’t tell us what our views are, but when we demonstrate, we’re able to show them.”

The march also revealed the cost of adversarial policing. Roberts argues that if police had worked cooperatively with organisers, they could have ensured a

Photo: Dean Lewins / AAP

safer, smoother demonstration. Instead, tensions were heightened unnecessarily.

“You don’t fix safety by opposing someone’s right to assembly,” he says. “You fix it by making sure you’ve got facilitated dialogue, so we understand accurately how many people are turning up and there’s mutual gains in terms of what kind of march can occur.”

CRIMINALISING PROTEST AND SILENCING VOICES

For Higginson, the core issue is not disruption but the erosion of democratic rights. “The fundamental human rights within a democracy is people having a right to gather freely on public land and express their dissent to government policy or their vision for a different world,” she says. “To then take to the law books to silence them — that is the sign that censorship is going too far.”

Roberts worries that the Minns government’s approach is actively damaging trust between police and the public. “By politicising protest, they… divide the police even further from the community that they're supposed to be serving” he says.

Even more troubling is the push to make protest organisers pay for policing costs. Roberts says this would strangle movements before they have the chance to grow. “History tells us the protest movements start small. If we start making these groups pay for extraordinary policing costs, we’re suppressing a movement that may save us all.”

The chilling effect of these laws is already clear. Protesters risk fines of tens of thousands of dollars and prison time. Community groups — many operating on shoestring budgets — are now left wondering if they can legally march at all.

Politicians can’t tell us what our views are. When we demonstrate, we’re able to show them

Recent events underline the risks.

During a Palestine protest, federal election candidate Hannah Thomas was injured while being arrested. “What happened should not have happened,” Roberts says emphatically. “A federal candidate in the recent election was seriously assaulted by police, on our streets in front of us all while she was demonstrating her political views. That just should never have happened at all, full stop.”

NSW STILL LACKS A HUMAN RIGHTS

ACT

Higginson believes the cycle of overreach will only end when NSW adopts a Human Rights Act. “We are one of the only states left in Australia that does not yet have a Human Rights Act,” she says. “Until we have that, we’re going to be heading [down this path].”

Roberts agrees that NSW’s protections

are patchy at best. “We need to have a conversation about our human rights in this country. Certainly at a federal level, but in this state, we are lagging.”

For now, rights are left vulnerable to political expediency. Each time a government faces a controversial protest movement, it has the power to draft new restrictions. Without a Human Rights Act, communities are left to fight back piecemeal — through courts, campaigns, and costly challenges.

EVERYDAY CENSORSHIP AND THE FIGHT AHEAD

Censorship is not always dramatic. Often it plays out quietly, in workplaces, online, in local councils. Higginson points to residents banned from council chambers after repeatedly objecting to developments or environmental destruction. “Often these people may be frontline agitators that, in several years’ time, actually become the people who were on the right side of history,” she says. “But instead, we censor them.”

Roberts highlights workplace gagging, where employers impose strict social media policies. “You have companies that are saying you can’t speak to your own personal views on your social media because you are an extension of us,” he explains. “That’s very dangerous.”

He also warns of the breakdown of civic debate itself. “We seem to be increasingly less able to facilitate graceful and peaceful discussions with each other that don't involve very heated exchanges.

We need to get better at that,” he says. “The more and more we stop having these conversations, the worse and worse we get at it.”

If there is a silver lining, it’s that communities still hold power. Higginson believes mobilisation remains the most important tool. “The way we protect our right to protest is we use it, and we mobilise and we protest,” she says.

Roberts stresses that ordinary people can influence politics. “Never underestimate the power of writing to your local member of parliament,” he says. “If you're concerned about it, somebody else is too. Politicians know that it’s your vote that they rely on.

“Your Member of Parliament [will be] in caucus saying,’I've got 1000 members of my local district who are telling me that they don't agree, and I'm concerned about the ramifications of this in the next election’. That is ultimately how we keep [them] accountable.”

NSW has a proud activist history. From land rights to Mardi Gras, from saving wilderness and fighting against climate change and for marriage equality — progress has always come because people refused to stay silent. Higginson argues that legacy is exactly what is at risk today.

Censorship rarely arrives all at once. It creeps in, law by law, fee by fee, police order by police order. By the time the silence is obvious, it may already be too late. So write, speak, show up, and protest — while you still can.

HubARTS

THE 39 STEPS

BY JOSH KERWICK

AHitchcockian farce that moves at a hundred laughs a minute, The 39 Steps is an utterly hysterical and sincerely impressive theatrical parody. Across 100 minutes and 130 different characters, a wickedly talented troupe of actors commit wholeheartedly to sensational comedic performances that constantly find new ways to amuse and astound their audience in equal measure.

Richard Hannay (Ian Stenlake) is at the theatre when he hears gunshots go off, and soon finds himself in the company of international spy Annabella Schmidt (Lisa McCune). After she’s murdered as part of a conspiracy to leak secrets about something called ‘The 39 Steps’,

it’s up to Hannay to finish her mission and protect the United Kingdom from a serious intelligence leak. Part of what makes The 39 Steps such a riot is the wide range of characters that this small cast plays. Ian Stenlake shines as the perpetually confused, increasingly rugged-looking Hannay the whole time, and is the only performer in the show to play one character. Nonetheless, his penchant for physical

OPERA

BY MAE RAWSON

Opera Australia is celebrating their 70th anniversary in 2026, and to mark the occasion, they will be showcasing a season of rising stars alongside some of the greatest opera directors of our time.

“The unwavering support of our generous supporters — among them donors, corporate partners and government investors — allows us to bring these exceptional experiences of music and song to our stages," said Acting CEO Simon Militano.

Remarkable talents will be on the stage for the 2026 season, with the most noteworthy directors being Elijah Moshinsky, Moffat Oxenbould, Neil Armfield, and Graeme Murphy.

“We’re proud to present a season of extraordinary productions that revive some operatic masterpieces and crowd favourites, and invest in new productions that shine a light on emerging talent and stories that reflect the diversity of Australian communities,” said Militano.

The program will be opening with Moffatt Oxenbould's production of Madame Butterfly, and features the international award-winning director Ann Yee with Turandot, encompassing big sets and immersive visuals.

As Sydney rolls into winter, Opera Australia will continue its celebrations with the return of the milestone show

The Merry Widow by director Graeme Murphy, and the Sydney premiere of Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife

FOURTH TIME'S A CHARM

New Fantastic Four is full of heart, humour & sincerity (See p.22)

comedy and reacting to plot points in amusing ways is instrumental to a good chunk of the show’s success. However, the casting of the Umbilical Brothers in this show was simply a stroke of genius. Though some are much more significant than others, David Collins and Shane Dundas must play about 100 characters between them and consistently deliver some of the show’s biggest laughs. Though anyone familiar with their work doesn’t need proof, this show more than proves that the Umbies are fantastically talented actors with incredible comedic timing, no matter what they appear in.

And The 39 Steps really is hilarious. As it mocks and reveres noir in equal measure throughout, it provides a consistent stream of laughter as each actor rapidly switches character and surfs ever-shifting sets into newly funny territory. It’s often quite meta too, acknowledging its status as a play and parody through some remarkably clever hatwork, dashing about the set and various musical hijinks.

It’s an uproarious parody of 1930s era noir flicks that’s bound to be remembered for having one of the most absurdly high laughs-to-minute ratios of any piece of theatre shown in Sydney this year.

THE FACE OF JIZO COMMEMORATES 80 YEARS SINCE HIROSHIMA BOMBING

BY JOSH KERWICK

August 6 marked 80 years since the first nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima at the tail end of World War II, changing both the country of Japan and the world forever.

After a highly acclaimed, sold-out season at the Old Fitz Theatre in 2023, The Face of Jizo is returning to Sydney once more in the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Theatre, with performances in both English and Japanese. It tells the story of Hiroshima local Mitsue (Mayu Iwasaki), three years after the bomb was dropped. One day, she returns

home to find her missing father Takezo (Shingo Usami) there, forcing them both to confront ghosts of the past.

Shingo is clear in our conversation that The Face of Jizo is by no means a justification for the acts of Japan in World War II. "We just want to tell what happened and get everybody to think about why we keep making the same mistakes again and again, even 80 years later."

"It’s all about the innocent lives that were lost in the bombings and the consequences of it. Everyone can relate to that, as long as we have an open mind and an open heart.”

AUSTRALIA TO CELEBRATE 70TH ANNIVERSARY

Photo: Prudence Upton

Photo: Cameron Grant

Photo: Phillip Erbacher

APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL DEBUTS DREAMLIKE ‘A CONVERSATION WITH THE SUN’ SXSW SYDNEY LAUNCHES MASSIVE 2025 PROGRAM

BY LYDIA JUPP

Returning bigger and better than ever, SXSW Sydney (South by Southwest Sydney) has unveiled its public program for 2025, opening a world of global innovation, culture and creativity, entirely for free.

After the wild success of previous years, the week-long program features everything from midday music and line-dancing, to sunset DJ sets, fashion showcases, and even a VR games showdown.

The event will transform Tumbalong Park and its surroundings into an inclusive, freeaccess cultural playground from October 13–19, with over 85 hours of programming designed for CBD workers, students, families and curious minds.

“SXSW Sydney Unlocked represents the very heart of what SXSW Sydney is all about: access, discovery and connection,” said Simon Cahill, Co-Managing Director of SXSW Sydney.

“We’re incredibly proud to offer a dynamic, free program that invites everyone, from families and students to workers on their lunch break, to experience the energy and ideas that define this global event.”

The week kicks off with FOMA: Fabrics of Modern Australia, returning with its most ambitious showcase yet after its acclaimed pop-up debut last year. The fashion-meets-culture experience highlights cross-cultural creativity and innovation, featuring over 25

nationalities and championing inclusive representation through its Faces of FOMA initiative.

Also in the program is a powerful celebration of Indigenous voices, with Blak To The Future: A Celebration of First Nations Creatives. Curated by Winda Film Festival and Awesome Black, the evening will feature a collection of short films from emerging First Nations filmmakers, as well as live music from SXSW Sydney showcasing artists, and the launch of the Screen NSW’s First Nations Screen Fellowship Program, with the inaugural recipient announced live on stage.

On Saturday, The Innovation and Games Expo will be open to the public for the very first time. The park will become a hands-on playground of robotics, gaming, and space tech, with the Australian Space Agency transforming The Ideas Dome into a space-themed hub. You can also meet and explore the Roo-ver, the Aussiebuilt lunar destined for the moon on a future NASA mission, which comes complete with a sketchbot that will “send your face to the moon”

“SXSW Sydney will once again showcase our city as a global hub for culture and innovation with the best of the creative and tech industries from across the Asia Pacific and beyond on display," said Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper.

BY NAOMI LAWRENCE

Thai trailblazer and Cannes-winning filmmaker, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, brings his first local installation to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), inviting Sydney audiences into an all-encompassing dreamlike meditation on cinema, light and memory.

A Conversation with the Sun (Afterimage) opened last month in the Macgregor Gallery, marking the Palme d’Or winner’s large-scale commission created especially for Sydney.

Building on an earlier iteration in Bangkok, the work reflects MCA Australia’s ambition to bring global experimental art into the heart of Circular Quay.

Best known for films such as Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) and Memoria (2021), Weerasethakul

images that flicker in and out of view on a ghostly loop.

The video installation pushes the performative side of cinema while asking what it means to make images, feel time, and dream.

For Weerasethakul, the projectors serve as both light sources and vessels of memory.

“Afterimage is a meditation on light,” Weerasethakul said, “evoking sunlight, cinema and the passage of time.”

DuckUnit’s role is integral. Suntisuk, a frequent collaborator since 2004, brings technical invention, while Arayaveerasid, a scenographer, captures how movement and recollection play to alter perception.

Together, they craft a hybrid zone, not quite cinema, not quite theatre, but amplifying the space in between.

is also a visual artist who has long blurred the lines between cinema, theatre and installation.

Shaped by his heritage and queer identity, his practice hovers between lustre and shadow, dream and memory.

This time, he teams up with multi-media Bangkok-based collective DuckUnit— Rueangrith Suntisuk and Pornpan Arayaveerasid—to turn the gallery into a drifting five-by-sixteen-metre immersive interplay of light, sound and fabric.

Inspired by his habit of watching the sun during long walks, the work projects fragments of his video diaries onto a strip of fabric that slowly moves through space. Acting as both screen and stage, it catches

MCA Senior Curator Jane Devery, who led the commission, described the installation as “a heightened poetic atmosphere,” praising its rare mix of scale and intimacy. Devery added it was a privilege to collaborate with “one of cinema’s most innovative artists.”

Like all art, it’s not straightforward viewing. With its patient pace and static imagery, Afterimage may test audiences expecting clear narrative. But for those willing to sit with it, the work is meditative, unsettling and quietly rewarding in equal measure.

In the end, A Conversation with the Sun (Afterimage) is less about watching than drifting—with images, with remembrance, and with the impermanence of light.

Photo: IMDb

Photo: Paul McMillan

Photo: MCA

GORDI BRINGS SOME MUCH-NEEDED SUNSHINE AT INTIMATE NEWTOWN GIG

BY ANGUS SHARPE

I

n recent weeks, Sydney’s rain has been relentless. Days on end have been spent dashing from one undercover area to the next – forcing pedestrians to crowd together and hide from the weather outside.

Yet, despite its inconvenience, it is often in these times we’re forced together that some of the most human experiences can be found.

Such was my experience one Saturday afternoon as I emerged from the pouring rain into the small cordoned-off area of HUM on King to watch Sophie Payton –better known as Gordi – perform intimate renditions of tracks off her new album

Like Plasticine

Only a small crowd of twenty other people had braved the weather to fill the

space, all of whom gave a polite applause as - silhouetted by a rain-splattered window - Payton mounted the matchbox stage at the fore of the store.

She greeted us with a shyness more fitting of someone at the start of their career than the peak she stands at today.

Though this shyness quickly dissipated as, slinging her acoustic guitar over her shoulder, she launched into a set of five intimate songs which amounted to nothing short of magic.

When listening to Like PlasticineGordi’s first release in five years – one would have a hard time imagining what an acoustic version could possibly sound like.

Overflowing with lush arrangements that build into large, euphoric pop moments and heartbreaking moments

of tragedy, it was Payton’s intention for the music on this record to evoke its own emotion separate from her poetry.

This intention is overwhelmingly clear, and often incredibly powerful as many times her deep mournful tone is swallowed by the music around it. Repeatedly, at the conclusion of each track we are left to determine its resounding meaning purely from the arrangements that powered it.

Yet, on a small stage in a record store, Sophie had none of these intricate arrangements at her fingertips. Instead, her lyrics were pushed to centre stage.

As if the sun was listening to the music

itself, halfway through the set a golden light miraculously began to beam through the gaping window behind her. And with the sun came a rush of people drawn by the intriguing sound of music from the store.

A spectrum of parents, children, couples, and adoring fans began to cram the floor and press against record covered walls, as together we listened to Sophie detail moments from her life over the past five years.

It was as if, through Gordi’s music, we had all been reminded that whether in heartbreak, pandemic or rain, the sun will always emerge again.

BLOC PARTY: SYDNEY TREATED TO FANTASTIC 20TH ANNIVERSARY SET OF UNDENIABLE INDIE CLASSICS

BY SEAN CEREXHE-MCINTYRE

Only a week after we were treated to the Hives at the Enmore, Sydney hosted garage revival peers Bloc Party’s opening shows of their 2025 Australian tour. They played two shows at the Hordern for a 20-year celebration of their iconic debut album Silent Alarm. Silent Alarm’s legacy has undoubtedly outgrown its initial commercial impact. While reaching number 3 on the UK charts, it only reached number 30 in Australia.

Approximately 10,000 tickets sold over two nights in Sydney alone tell a rewritten story of their impact.

It’s a miserable rainy winter’s night in Sydney, and the pub next door in the Entertainment Quarter is full of concertgoers huddled by electric heaters in the beer garden. As we pile into the venue it’s not much warmer, coats remain on bodies all around the Hordern.

My friend and I are parked up in the middle, probably 20 people back when

the band saunters out. They open with one of the bigger songs off This Silent Alarm, So Here We Are

The sound is fantastic. Not like when you get the all-enveloping sound of a small-medium sized venue, but it sounds clean and polished.

From the get-go you can tell that the crowd are more interested in standing and admiring the music than getting particularly involved with moshing or dancing.

The first real rise from the crowd comes mid-set with Banquet, an

absolute, undeniable indie classic. I used to bartend at a small live music venue and you’d be hard-pressed to find an indie DJ set where this track didn’t sneak in.

Like Eating Glass also gets the crowd hopping. And so it should, it’s a thumping tune that’s got this atmospheric but high-tempo energy about it.

The encore is truly stacked out, with classics Helicopter, Ratchet and This Modern Love. This Modern Love is a personal favourite, and I’m glad I finally got to see it performed live.

The band were fantastic, and although the crowd weren’t super lively I think this can be attributed in large part to the venue’s structure as a large cavernous space.

In saying that, I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling a lot of memories come rushing back throughout the set. It was a pleasure to see Bloc Party treat us with some classics for an evening.

Photo: Angus Sharpe

Photo: Sean Cerexhe-McIntyre

WEAPONS: A HORRIFYING, HARROWING &

HYSTERICAL ENSEMBLE

BY JOSH KERWICK

The modern anxieties of suburbia lay the foundation for Weapons, the horrifically hysterical sophomore effort from director Zach Cregger (Barbarian). Owing to a phenomenal ensemble cast, an airtight script and a real sense of craft that adds to its delightfully dreadful atmosphere, Cregger’s film manages the sublime feat of being a horror film with real thematic and emotional depth — while also being a riotous time at the movies.

Weapons opens in the sleepy, allAmerican town of Maybrook after it’s been rocked by a tragedy. One night, for no discernible reason, 17 of the 18

PIECE

children in teacher Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) class disappear into the night at 2:17am with their arms outstretched and never come back.

After its deeply unnerving and intriguing cold open, Weapons is able to reveal the first trick it has up its sleeve: a fascinating structure. Rather than follow a single character for the entire runtime, it’s an explicitly chaptered film that shows how different members of the community react to this terrible event in their lives, and what happens when they attempt to investigate them.

The film paints an intricate portrait of this fractured community, all while

KANGAROO ISLAND

BY MARK MORELLINI

Families all have issues and secrets whether they’re residing in big cities, small towns or small islands off the mainland, as depicted in this new Australian movie Kangaroo Island. Directed by Timothy David Piper, this moving story surrounds Lou Wells (Rebecca Breeds), who at the insistence of her estranged father Rory (Eric Thomson) returns to the ruggedly beautiful Kangaroo Island after failing at her Hollywood career as an actress.

Kangaroo Island has many soapy elements, but it’s a highly emotional story of fractured family relationships, reconciliation, new beginnings and primarily the significance of the family unit.

This is a sombre yet enjoyable Australian film with some humorous elements that leaves audiences with an overt message; appreciate life as we think we have all the time in the world… when we actually don’t.

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Cregger continuously builds tension to remarkable effect. You’re always wondering what is actually going on in this town, especially when paired with the film’s regularly bone-chilling visuals courtesy of a collaboration with Larkin Seiple.

Weapons avoids providing a big thesis statement on one single thing, and seems most interested in telling a twisty, fun horror story before anything else.

It sets up Weapons to be an immediate horror smash hit thanks to

its spectacularly unsettling premise and deep understanding of how horror and comedy can co-exist. In anyone else’s hands, it could be a deeply serious film with no easy answer regarding collective tragedy - and at times, Weapons is that. But it puts itself above so many other horror movies by knowing exactly when to lean into either one of its tones, and carves out a place for itself as one of the best, most entertaining horror films of the 21st century so far.

FUTURE COUNCIL

BY MARK MORELLINI

Future Council is directed by and features Damon Gameau, who was at the helm of documentaries That Sugar Film and 2040. Eight children between the ages of 11 and 13 from countries including Australia, Bali, Scotland and Denmark, have been chosen from 1000 applicants to partake in a journey across Europe on a yellow bus that runs on biofuel. Their objective? To meet the powerful leaders of large companies and discuss

their concerns in boardrooms - hence the 'future council'.

These 8 knowledgeable children seemed to offer several good ideas and ultimately the documentary asks, should there be an advisory committee of children? Are adults so stuck in their ways that they find it difficult to see ulterior ways of doing things? Can children be helpful in helping to solve the climate and ecological crisis?

Photo: IMdB

Photo: IMDb

Photo: IMDb

Photo: IMDb

SUFF 2025: ZOMBIES, DRAG QUEENS, & PASTEL FEVER DREAMS

BY CHLOE SARGEANT

The Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF) is back this spring — and it’s bringing an avalanche of chaos, camp, gore, and pure cinematic anarchy to Dendy Newtown from 11–14 September.

Now in its 19th year, SUFF has built a fierce reputation for curating films that live far, far outside the polite boundaries of mainstream cinema. This is the festival where a tender queer romance might be followed by a psychedelic splatterfest, and where “experimental” doesn’t mean inaccessible — it means thrilling, unruly and unapologetically weird.

SUFF opens with the Australian premiere of Queens Of The Dead — the latest from breakout director Tina Romero, daughter of zombie royalty George A. Romero. This isn’t your average horror-comedy; it’s a glittersplattered, zombie-infested drag

spectacular. Set in a Brooklyn warehouse during a drag party gone off the rails — cancelled acts, flaring egos, and divalevel drama — the night takes a truly rotten turn when the undead storm the dance floor. The fight for survival is all guts, glamour, and glitter, with a killer cast including Katy O’Brien, Jaquel Spivey, Nina West, Margaret Cho, Cheyenne Jackson and Riki Lindhome.

SUFF is reviving its wildly popular “scratch and sniff” screenings with Jay Levey’s UHF (1989), starring “Weird Al” Yankovic as a dreamer turned unlikely TV station owner. Last year’s scented Female Trouble screenings sold out — expect this to go the same way. Nostalgia takes a roller-skating spin with the 45th anniversary of Xanadu (1980), hosted by roller-disco renegade and Olivia Newton-John superfan Maynard. It’s a remastered, neondrenched trip featuring Newton-John as

a celestial muse on wheels, Gene Kelly in his final film role, and enough discomeets-art-deco vibes to power a small city.

Documentaries include Coexistence, My Ass! — following Israeli-Persian actor-comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi’s one-woman show in the middle of an escalating crisis — plus Yellow House Afghanistan, chronicling artistic resistance under Taliban rule, and Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt, which does exactly what you think.

There’s also the long-lost Sydney erotic feature About Love (1973), the psychosexual dark comedy Anything That Moves (2025), and the blood-drenched retro horror Pater Noster and the Mission of Light (2024).

Tickets start at $15, with multi-film passes available. If you’ve ever felt you needed a little more unpredictable' in your life — or maybe wanted to leave a cinema a little more unhinged than when you went in — SUFF is your September pilgrimage.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

BY JOSH KERWICK

It’s pretty appropriate that fourth time was the charm for the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s first major superhero team, to get a solid live-action film adaptation. Following an unreleased 90s flick, two okay-ish 2000s films and the woefully dour 2015 reboot, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a great film from top-tobottom.

Free from the bounds of continuity by being set in an alternate timeline to the main MCU, First Steps is able to achieve what Superman did last month by being a genuinely fun, hopeful superhero movie not afraid to embrace its comic book roots. With… well, fantastic performances from its four leads and a genuinely distinct sense of style, Matt Shakman’s interpretation of Marvel’s First Family is a genuine delight. Like so many superhero films of late, The Fantastic Four: First Steps eschews the traditional ‘origin story’ formula that we’ve grown tired of in favour of throwing us right into the action. We’re

on Earth-828, a retrofuturist alternate reality where the super-powered quartet have been operating as heroes for the past four years.

Their status quo is broken up by the news that super-stretchy genius Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and the Invisible Woman, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) are having a baby,

much to the delight of her hotheaded Human Torch of a brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and their rocky buddy Ben Grimm, otherwise known as The Thing (Ebon-Moss Bachrach).

What I adored most about The Fantastic Four: First Steps was how much it looked and felt like a comic from the 60s. Though the original Stan

Lee and Jack Kirby run on the FF is a bit old-hat by modern standards, it has undeniable charm stemming from its space race-era storytelling.

But what matters most is that Shakman and the film’s writers nailed the dynamic that the four should have. There’s a particularly great sequence in the first act where the FF go to space to confront Galactus, and have to escape using a black hole while Sue is in labour. It’s a sequence that perfectly encapsulates what makes these characters unique: the marriage of sci-fi adventure and character-based storytelling.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a genuinely charming standalone superhero flick full of heart, humour and adventure that harkens back to the early days of Marvel Comics. Paired with Superman, it’s looking like sincerity is back on the menu for the comic book movie genre… I just hope it’s here to stay.

Photo: IMDb

Photo: SUFF

TOP 5 NICHE FRAGRANCES TO GIFT THIS FATHER’S DAY

MIND GAMES Gambit EDP

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CARON Pour Un Homme Parfum 75ml – $229

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Parfums De Marly CASTLEY EDP 125ml – $539

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Electimuss Astrum Nova Pure Parfum 100ml – $589

A celestial woody-fruity fragrance inspired by the beauty of the night sky.

INITIO Oud for Greatness

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