CITY HUB April 2024

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR SYDNEY

ENERGY TRANSFORMATION

The Albanese Labor Government is re-energising Australia’s economy with renewables for a sustainable future with high skilled and secure jobs.

We are legislating a Net Zero Economic Authority to ensure the global renewables transformation delivers economic opportunity for Australian workers and industry.

To date I have ticked off 45 renewable energy projects which will power more than 2.5 million homes, and we have a record 128 projects in the approval pipeline.

Our $30 million Rooftop and Solar Banks program will help more than 10,000 low income households transition to renewables with savings of up to $600 a year on energy bills. In conjunction with the NSW Minns Labor Government we are funding $175 million to install and upgrade energy saving devices like heat pump hot water systems, ceiling fands, insulation and solar for public and social housing.

We have the highest uptake of household solar in the world with panels installed on one in three dwellings. But only one per cent of those panels were made in Australia.

That’s why we have committed $1 billion for the Solar Sunshot program to build more solar panels and parts here.

TRADES TRAINING

Apprentices and trainees are vital to achieving Australia’s net zero economic growth and prosperity.

And we want to ensure more trades jobs are done by women, First Nations people and people from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Women make up just 14% of construction workers, 10% of construction managers and just 1% of plumbers, concreters, roof tilers, bricklayers and carpenters. Yet these are some of the best paid jobs in the economy.

That’s why we are introducing national targets to increase the proportion of women working on major Australian Government funded construction and ICT projects.

On major federally funded construction projects a minimum of 10% of all labour hours will be undertaken by apprentices/trainees; a minimum of 6% of all apprentice/trainee labour hours will be undertaken by women; and a minimum of 4% of trade apprentice/trainee labour hours to be undertaken by women.

These targets will increase each year, reaching a minimum of 10-12% for women in apprenticeships and traineeships, including for trades, by 2030.

We’re also removing financial barriers to apprenticeships and traineeships providing fee-free TAFE for more than 300,000 Australians so far.

To learn more about your career opportunities visit www.yourcareer.gov.au/fee-free-tafe

HubARTS: Grease is the word

There are worse things you can do than see Grease . (See p.25)

Sydney’s first dedicated affordable housing for transgender women

BY GRACE JOHNSON

Sydney’s first dedicated housing project for transgender women will be built in the inner-city suburb of Darlinghurst in what is certainly a first for Australia, and possibly, the world.

In a meeting on March 25, City of Sydney councillors unanimously voted to endorse a staff recommendation for Council to support the establishment of affordable housing specifically for trans women.

Seven terrace houses in Darlinghurst are being sold with a 70 per cent discount to Common Equity, which will partner with All Nations housing co-operative to create affordable and permanent housing.

“Trans women are particularly vulnerable to homelessness and housing insecurity,” said Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore to City Hub

“Having access to a safe and secure home is one of the most important things for people’s mental health, income and employment,” she continued, highlighting the added security in housing models where tenants are their own landlord.

“It affects everything.”

The terrace houses in Darlinghurst, 3 of which are one-bedroom, the other four two-bedroom, will provide 11 beds for trans women. The All-Nations group currently has 7 members but are hopeful that this number will grow.

“A GREATER SENSE OF OWNERSHIP AND AGENCY”

The properties were sold under the excess land scheme, which identifies unused or under-utilised properties that council owns then sells them to those most in need.

Housing co-operatives are communities of people who work together to meet their housing needs. The management and running of the co-op are shared between members.

Nick Sabel, CEO of Common Equity, told City Hub that this form of resident-led housing, aimed at people on a low to middle income, gives tenants a greater feeling of empowerment.

and being close to their community, as they will be in Darlinghurst.”

Studies have shown that trans women are more prone to experiencing harassment and violence as well as discrimination in securing employment and long-term housing.

“Not only does co-op housing give trans women support and additional safety, it also gives a voice to this very marginalised group,” said Mr Sabel.

SOLVING THE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

There are currently 31 co-operative housing projects across New South Wales, but Mr Sabel is hopeful that this number will grow.

“We believe it can be part of the solution to the dire housing affordability crisis we’re currently experiencing,” he said.

Independent Councillor Adam Worling shared his full support for the project, saying it was a “wonderful opportunity.”

“This might be the first time it’s happening, but it might set a precedent for other city councils around Australia, or internationally.”

New research by Western Sydney University shows that co-operative housing, popular throughout the world but not yet fully embraced in Australia, has had “extraordinary” outcomes.

development of skills that we found to be directly connected to employment and educational outcomes.”

Liz Thomas, chair of the Australian Cooperative Housing Alliance (ACHA), said this model could diversify Australia’s housing system and address the worsening housing and homelessness crisis.

“Resolving Australia’s housing crisis requires a multi-faceted approach that includes housing co-operatives,” she said. In addition, a further two properties in Potts Point are being sold to the B Miles Women’s Foundation for women with complex mental health issues.

 Trans women are particularly vulnerable to homelessness and housing insecurity 

“This is another example of a smaller but really important community organisation who needed the government to back them up and give them a chance to own property,” Cr Ellsmore said.

But this is only one of many.

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

“Tenants in co-located properties have a say in the management of their housing, which gives people a greater sense of ownership and agency,” he explained.

“They also have a stronger sense of community and support by living together

Lead researcher, Professor Louise Crabtree-Hayes from the university’s Institute for Culture and Society, said “the benefits of the housing co-operative model can be profound.”

The requirement for active participation amongst tenant-members drives positive outcomes, she continued, including “long-term housing stability, a strong sense of home and community, and the

“There’s many people who want to set up co-ops, Aboriginal organisations, older women, who experience some of the highest rates of homelessness.”

“But land is so expensive in the inner city that it’s almost impossible to make those projects happen without the support of government or council.”

“I’m very excited we’ve been able to achieve this on this council, and hopefully it’ll inspire others as well to provide important housing for groups that really need it,” she said.

Seven terraces in Darlinghurst will become dedicated housing for transgender women. Photo: BernadetteB, Shutterstock

19 arrested at Port Botany for blocking Israeli cargo ship

BY GRACE JOHNSON

Police arrested 19 people gathered at Port Botany to protest the arrival of an Israeli cargo ship that transports weapons and supplies for the country’s defence force.

The protest, organised by the Palestine Justice Movement and Trade Unionists for Palestine, saw hundreds descend on the port facility before marching to the main access point on Penrhyn Road.

Footage circulating online has shown protestors waving Palestinian and union flags before clashing with police.

NSW Police have said that the protest was unauthorised and that some in the group failed to obey police direction.

The 19 arrested were taken to Surry Hills Police Station and later charged with obstructing roads or paths, failing to comply with a move on direction, and remaining “near or on [a] major facility causing serious disruption”.

Among the arrestees were Paul Keating, the Branch Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), Shane Reside, MUA Branch Organiser and other MUA delegates.

They were issued a court attendance

notice to appear before Downing Centre local court in early May.

“DRACONIAN” ANTI-PROTEST LAWS

The arrests come after 3 protestors were arrested during a peaceful ‘die-in’ just days before, allegedly over an incident involving red food dye.

President of NSW Council for Civil Liberties (NSWCCL) Lydia Shelly said, “Policing of protest in NSW is out of control.”

“We cannot have a functioning democracy unless the right to protest is protected.”

She further called on anti-protest laws to be repealed.

A similar protest at Port Botany in November 2023 also saw violent clashes between police and demonstrators, leading to over 20 protestors being arrested and charged.

 Policing of protest in NSW is out of control 

The laws threaten up to $22,000 in fines or two years in prison, and strict bail conditions, for those who interfere with

or shut down “major economic activity”.

Paul Keating from MUA, one of the arrestees, reaffirmed the union’s support for the protests at the port, and the right of the community to protest.

“I say this to the ZIM shipping line – we don’t want you in our ports!”

“I say to every union leader in Australia: now is the time to stand up, now is the time to fight,” he continued.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Deputy Leader, also attended the protest that night.

“I stand with the unions and the community determined to use our people power to make Israel pay a cost for its genocide against the Palestinian people,” she said.

In a call for action, Ahmed Abadla from the Palestine Justice Movement said, “Australia is deeply complicit with the current genocide being committed in Gaza and the Israeli Apartheid, settlercolonialist regime.”

“If the Albanese government will not act to sanction Israel and bring it to a complete halt, then we will do everything in our power to do so.”

Protestors at the event said Albanese had “blood on [his] hands”.

The protest on Sunday evening, March 24, saw demonstrators clashes with police. Photo: Nine News

CITY RECITAL HALL, SYDNEY

The Matthew Shepard Story

Nicholas Brown

• Special 25th Anniversary Staged Reading

• Casey Donovan • Benjamin Law

• Zindzi Okenyo

• Tony Sheldon • Lyndon Watts

• Special guest Dennis Shepard delivering his powerful courtroom speech from the 1999 trial

• All proceeds to American Australian Association Playwriting Scholarship and the Matthew Shepard Foundation

• Tickets from $39+bf

• cityrecitalhall.com

New incarceration laws stir internal Labor opposition

BY LALYNE PAISI HICKIE

The passage of laws to toughen the penalties for youth crime has infuriated Aboriginal communities, legal practitioners, and supporters of Indigenous justice alike.

The Bail and Crimes Amendment Bill was proposed as a solution to deal with high crime rates amongst youth, particularly in remote regions. But it rather underscores a blatant infringement of human rights through seeking to make easier the incarceration of children.

The new laws make it harder for minors

charged with crimes to get bail. Rushed through Parliament within three days, and without sufficient consultation, the Bill would also disproportionately affect the Indigenous population.

CEO of Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) Katy Warner has said the passage of laws marks the beginning of a campaign that will not end until the laws are scrapped.

“We are drawing a line in the sand. We cannot accept an Australia that puts children in jail instead of evidence-based policy that actually makes communities safer,” she said.

An open letter from ALS to the Labor Government, signed by 560 lawyers, community workers and academics, had previously urged the premier not to proceed with the new laws, which make it harder for young offenders to get bail.

 We cannot accept an Australia that puts children in jail

“The proposed bail changes and new offences will be disastrous for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people,” the letter reads. Furthermore, new punitive measures and offences don’t address concerns for improved community safety, the statement continues.

“A DARK DAY FOR NSW”

Councils are also gearing up to apply pressure on the government not to proceed, even internally opposing Labor politics, as seen with Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne.

Friday March 22, when the laws were passed, was “a dark day for NSW”, he said.

That the new legislation has been introduced following the nation’s recent referendum has only fuelled widespread anger and concern.

“The Aboriginal community have been brutalised in recent months by the referendum result and an increase in vitriol towards them,” the mayor said.

“It is distressing that just a few months after the referendum the NSW Government is putting through legislation that goes against the entire ethos of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.”

The mayor’s discourse has also highlighted the complexities of placing children behind bars often leading to counter-productive results.

“Locking up children will lead to more crime, not less, and we must now force the Government to actually look at the evidence and fund what’s been proven to work” he said.

The internal Labor pressure against the Premier’s actions has also been welcomed.

Ms Warner said, “This internal opposition shows that while the Bill has passed, the fight to rectify these dangerous laws is far from over.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns. Photo: Bianca de Marchi, AAP Image

CELEBRATING LOCAL BUSINESSES IN SYDNEY: UPCOMING LOCAL BUSINESS AWARDS EVENING

BY MAL MOODY

Local businesses in Sydney took a massive hit during the pandemic and many are still operating below pre-pandemic services.

A survey recently published by the City of Sydney has shown that the local economy grew overall by 3.5 per cent last year, overtaking the national growth rate of 2.1 per cent.

But with only half of city businesses operating at or above pre-pandemic capacity, only 35 per cent are optimistic about being financially better off in 12 months.

“The foot traffic has diminished in the CBD and has not got back to pre-covid levels,” the report said.

In light of the difficulties that many local businesses have endured in recent years, Local Business Awards will host an evening presentation dedicated to Sydney’s city suburbs.

The presentation evening is a chance for local businesses to come together to celebrate each other’s achievements and

the winners of each category, said Awards founder and Precedent Productions Managing Director Steve Loe.

“Our judges are always impressed by the high standard of the City Suburbs Local Business Awards finalists,” he said.

“After more than 30 years of running the Local Business Awards, I know that businesses in the City Suburbs are adaptable and hard-working.”

“That is why it is also unsurprising that the City Suburbs community throws its support behind those businesses both during the awards period and throughout the year,” he continued.

“While there can only be one winner in each category, as far as I am concerned every finalist is a winner.”

This year will also see support of local talent as entertainment for the evening.

Last year’s event at the Sofitel Wentworth saw 350 attend.

The presentation evening will be held at Shangri La Sydney on Monday, 20 May 2024.

Hundreds stage die-in to protest massacres in Gaza

BY WENDY BACON

This article was originally published on Sunday March 17

Twenty-four weeks of city marches and a five-week vigil outside the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electoral office in Marrickville have taken pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war on Gaza to an unprecedented level.

In a new development, hundreds of protesters joined in a street theatre performance outside Albanese’s electorate office on Friday evening (March 15) to highlight their horror at massacres of Palestinian citizens by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza.

Over 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, including many shot by the IDF while seeking care in hospitals, food from aid trucks or fleeing IDF bombing.

The street theatre protest was part of an ongoing 24-hour-a-day peaceful vigil that has been going on now for weeks. There is no shortage of volunteers. A minimum of 6 people are present at any one time with around 200 people visiting each day. When City Hub attended twice in one week, frequent toots from passing cars indicated plenty of public support.

At 6.30 pm on Friday (March 15), sirens and rumblings could be heard along Marrickville Road sending a signal to scores of protesters dressed in white to lie down on the pavement. They were then sprinkled with red liquid.

As the sirens quietened, a woman’s voice rang out: “War criminals, that is what our government is. They are not representing the people …. We will not stop until our government ends every single tie with Israeli apartheid. We will not stop until the ethnic cleansing has ended. Palestinian voices need to be heard. Palestinian voices must be amplified.”

Greens Deputy Leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi attended the action. Before the ‘die-in’, she responded to Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s announcement earlier in the day Australia will resume funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Previously, Senator Faruqi called on Wong urgently to restore the funding. “It has been 43 days since the morally corrupt government made the inexcusable decision to suspend aid funding to UNRWA despite the Minister admitting she hadn’t seen a shred of evidence,” she tweeted.

Along with some other Western governments, the Albanese government suspended UNRWA funding when Israel circulated a reportedly “explosive” but secret dossier outlining alleged links between Hamas and UNRWA staff. This happened shortly after the International Court of Justice found that Israel is “plausibly” committing genocide. The dossier alleged that UNRWA members were involved in the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. After analysing the documents, Britain’s Channel 4 concluded that the dossier provided “no evidence to support the explosive claim that UN staff were involved in terror attacks”. Recently, UNRWA accused Israel of torturing UNRWA staff to get admissions. The European Union’s top humanitarian official Janez Lenarcic then said that neither he nor anyone at the EU have been shown any evidence.

In “unpausing” the aid, Wong provided no evidence about what the government knew when it suspended aid and what it now claims to know about the allegations. Speaking at the protest, Senator Faruqi said she welcomed the restoration of funding but, “just as they restored the funding, they paused the visas of Palestinians en route to Australia while they were mid-air. How cruel and how inhumane can this Labor government get? Just as you think that

there are no further depths that they can get to, they show us that they can.” (The decision has since been reversed.) While protests outside Prime Minister’s offices are not unusual, a 24-hour protest for more than a month has never happened before.

Given the length of the protest, it is remarkable that there has been almost no mainstream media coverage. City Hub conducted a Dow Jones Factiva search which revealed one report on SBS and a mention in the Guardian. (The search engine does not cover commercial radio.)

The weeks long, 24/7 protest in the heart of the Prime Minister’s own electorate has remained hidden from most of the Australian public and international audiences.

Prime Minister Albanese has not responded to requests for meetings with organisers who include Palestinian families who have been his constituents for many years. City Hub has spoken to protest organisers who say that despite repeated requests, they have received no response from the Prime Minister. The office is now closed to the public which means people are unable to deliver letters or make inquiries.

PROTESTERS SIT DOWN IN MARKET STREET

The ongoing 24-hour sit-down Marrickville protest is an extension of the broader protest movement in which thousands

 A 24-hour protest for more than a month has never happened before

of protesters marched on Sunday for the 24th week in a row. Similar protests have been happening in Melbourne and other cities. Again, although there have been bigger protests at times, the regularity of protests attended by thousands each week is unprecedented in Australian history. Protests on this scale did not happen even during the Vietnam War era in the 1970s. Protestors marched from Hyde Park down Market Street completely filling several blocks of Sydney’s busiest shopping area.. Their chant “Ceasefire Now’ reverberated around the streets. It was accompanied by drummers, some of them children. Some protesters briefly took their demonstration to a new level by staging a brief sit-down in Market Street. The area was filled with Sunday shoppers who watched as protesters chanted, “While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping.”

The Prime Minister’s office has been contacted for comment.

Wendy Bacon was previously Professor of Journalism at UTS. She spoke at the rally about the lack of media coverage of proPalestinian protests. She will write about this in a future article.

Die-in protest outside Albanese’s electorate office in Marrickville. Photo: Wendy Bacon

1B Maddox Street, Alexandria

Perry Park Recreation Centre free open day

Sunday 14 April

10am to 2:30pm

Come and explore your local recreation centre in Alexandria and meet our friendly team! Enjoy free casual sessions for a range of sports. Why not try something new?

Pickleball

10:00am to 12:00pm 12:30pm to 2:30pm

Roller Skating (10-11am u14s, 11am-12pm adults)

Netball

Basketball (u18s)

Badminton

Volleyball

Futsal

Basketball Free gelato 11am2pm and free coffee all day

All sessions open to all ages and abilities unless stated otherwise. Register your interest via the QR code. For more information email

PPRCadmin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au or call 9265 9182.

NSW bans anti-LGBTQ conversion practices

BY SHIBU THOMAS

NSW has become the fourth jurisdiction in Australia to ban harmful anti-LGBTQI conversion practices.

Upper House Parliament members sat overnight to pass the Labor government’s bill that makes conversion therapy a criminal offence. The bill passed at 6am on Friday March 22, with 22 members voting for and four against. The bill, which will come into effect in 12 months, makes it illegal to take someone out of the state to undergo conversion practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Soon after the bill cleared Parliament, Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said, “The sun rises today on a state that is safer for LGBTQ people.”

“I’m grateful to the Minns Labor Government for delivering a prohibition on LGBTQ conversion practices, and working with me and so many stakeholders to get the balance right on this historic legislation,” he continued in the statement.

“LGBTQ people are loved and beautiful, and futile attempts to change or

suppress who we are will now be illegal in NSW.”

In recent years, legislation to ban conversion practices has been passed in Queensland, ACT and Victoria. Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia are currently considering legislation to ban conversion practices.

“HISTORIC DAY”

Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown called it a “historic day”.

“Today, countless lives have been saved – and we hope future generations will

never know the pain these practices cause,” Ms Brown said.

Survivors group SOGICE (Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Change Efforts) Survivors said it was commendable that a state with a “considerable history of conversion practices” had outlawed the harmful practice.

“As a survivor who experienced conversion practices over an extended period of time in NSW, I am overwhelmed by a mix of emotions,” Chris Csabs, co-founder of SOGICE Survivors, said in a statement.

“I am thrilled that my home state has finally drawn a line in the sand to say that LGBTQ+ people deserve to live free from these discriminatory and harmful practices.”

“At the same time, I am eager to see the application of the legislation strengthened so that it can be as protective as possible.”

 Futile attempts to change or suppress who we are will now be illegal in NSW

Nathan Despott, survivor advocate and SOGICE survivors co-founder said, “There have been claims that conversion practices no longer occur in NSW and that they are a matter of religious freedom.”

“However, numerous peak faith bodies, fringe health practitioners, and even parliamentarians have openly declared their adherence to conversion ideology during the debate.”

“We view this admission as a spectacular own goal as it confirms beyond doubt that the level of risk is still high in New South Wales.”

Calls for greater transparency on greyhound injuries

BY AARYAN KAPOOR

Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) is facing criticism for their lack of transparency regarding the injuries and harm suffered by racing dogs at Wentworth Park.

Despite saying they strive to be a “gold standard industry”, GRNSW has come under scrutiny by organisations like the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), which seeks to shed light on mismanagement within the racing body. There have been 99 injuries this year already, up from 65 for the same period last year, but stewards’ reports have failed to advise whether dogs will be treated under the NSW injury scheme. “NSW racing authorities fail to be transparent about which greyhounds with serious injuries get treated under GRNSW’s scheme,” said Fiona Chishold, state manager of the CPG.

“Despite recent hype about NSW racing bodies aiming for a ‘gold standard industry’, they’re behind on transparency as usual.”

“Worse still, they’re spending $30M of taxpayers’ money on track improvements, but no outcome data has been released,” she continued.

“Has the rate of injury per track improved after our tax dollars were spent?

Which NSW tracks meet the minimum standards? No-one knows.”

Wentworth Park is a notoriously dangerous racetrack. Most greyhounds who fall and get injured do so at the first turn, incurring serious fractures. In an effort to boost safety, the track has been trialling a double-arm lure, designed to prevent dogs bunching together, but injuries are still regularly occurring.

 Right now, the NSW dog racing industry is merely consulting with itself

Speaking to City Hub, Ms Chisholm said, “It’s been a gradual and serious increase in injuries, which has resulted in a greater number of dogs being euthanised or suffering. Lots of pain and discomfort.”

GRNSW not being public with their statistics is to protect the future of their reputation, she continued.

“THEY’RE LIVING IN AN ECHO CHAMBER”

The presence of greyhound racing in Sydney has stirred controversy, particularly with speculation that the state Labor government may extend the

leased land beyond 2027.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has supported residents’ calls for the closure of Wentworth Park while advocating for more green space.

Greyhound racing has no future in Sydney, Ms Chisholm asserted to City Hub

And if GRNSW was really a “gold standard industry”, they would release the data about greyhound injuries and

outcomes of money spent for track improvements, she said in a previous statement.

They would also consult with stakeholders who aren’t industry participants, like taxpayers, she added. “The NSW dog racing industry is merely consulting with itself. They’re living in an echo chamber, yet they have the gall to spend our money.”

NSW MPs after an overnight debate on banning conversion practices. Photo: Alex Greenwich MP, Facebook

A greyhound at Wentworth Park.

Photo: Danny Casey, AAP Image

Newtown Woman of the Year fights

BY WENDY BACON

For four years, Newtown Woman of the Year for 2024 Sarina Afa and her community have been fighting the destruction of their publicly owned Explorer Street homes in Inner Sydney. In presenting Afa with her Woman of the Year award at a reception in Parliament House in March, Newtown MP and Greens Housing Spokesperson Jenny Leong recognised Afa’s long record as a campaigner for public housing and racial justice. In recent years, “Sarina is doing the job of the government – working and connecting with her neighbours to consult and connect them with the process despite the trauma of being told that you will have to move out of your home and they plan to demolish it,” she said.

Afa, a Polynesian Australian, has been living with her family in her Explorer Street home for more than 30 years. She is strong supporter of action to protect and expand public housing. “As individuals and tenants on Explorer Street we are totally against the government’s idea of getting rid of 100% public land for public housing. They [the NSW government] need to do better. They need to stand up and build more public housing,” she said in her acceptance speech.

By way of disclosure, City Hub’s reporter has lived near Explorer Street since it was built in 1991. When I first heard that there was a plan to demolish it, I did not believe it and thought there was a misunderstanding. I’ve always regarded the publicly owned low-rise housing estate as an attractive community, conveniently located near transport and schools in a mixed and increasingly gentrified community. Surely at a time a housing crisis, a government would not knock down such a sound housing estate?

But it turned out to be true. As Afa told the reception, in 2020, she unexpectedly received a “couple of flyers with some pretty pictures” informing her that the then LNP “government to was going to take our 46 homes and demolish them. It was a shock to everyone in our neighbourhood. We’re talking 46 homes. Instead there would be high rise towers. We’re talking about three or four people per home. So 150 people’s lives are disrupted. We didn’t have a say in it.”

The LNP plan was for 425 apartments, of which 30 per cent, or around 130 dwellings, would be social (not public) housing, managed by a non government provider. The social housing would nearly all be one or two bedrooms, compared to the existing town houses, some of which are suitable for larger families.

The Explorer Street residents were told

not to expect anything to happen until the end of 2022, leaving the community to deal with a sense of insecurity, made worse by a declining standard of maintenance.

The residents were supported by local resident groups Friends of Erskineville and Redwatch and their local Greens MP Jenny Leong.

The City of Sydney had the power to approve or disallow the rezoning and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the proposal. But in December 2022, the LNP government moved the rezoning approval process to the NSW Planning department.

The government had also taken away the powers of the City of Sydney Council in relation to the larger nearby Waterloo estate where thousands of private apartments were planned on what is public land.

With a state election due in March 2023, attention turned to the Labor party –would its policy be different?

LABOR PROMISES NO PRIVATISATION

NSW Labor’s key campaign message was that they would end the sale of public assets. It stated explicitly that there would be no more privatisation of public housing. Chris Minns and Rose Jackson, now Premier and Housing Minister respectively, explicitly said that if elected, Labor would immediately freeze the sale of all public and social housing. Labor Councillor Linda Scott, who campaigned with local Labor candidates in the Greens electorates of Balmain and Newtown, stated that not only would no homes be sold but that no one would be relocated. NSW State Labor Conference passed a motion that it would increase public housing more rapidly than private housing in Inner Sydney. In last-minute letter box drops in the final days of the campaign, Inner Sydney public tenants were flooded with messages that only Labor could save their homes. Understandably, public tenants including those on Explorer Street believed that if NSW Labor won the

election, their homes would be saved.

After the election, Afa and her neighbours waited anxiously for an announcement. Leong was reelected and is the Greens spokesperson for Housing. In May, she asked the Premier in parliament: Given the Premier’s … announcement of an immediate freeze on public housing sales, will he now give certainty and housing security to the public housing tenants in Waterloo South and Explorer Street in Eveleigh by scrapping the former Liberal-Nationals Government’s plans to privatise and redevelop their homes through State-led rezoning?

Minns diverted by attacking the LNP’s record of privatisation. He then announced that the NSW government “is committed to 30 per cent of homes that are built on government land being social and affordable housing” and that in Waterloo South, where there are 749 public homes, there would be a minimum of 34 per cent social and

to protect community homes

affordable housing and the government was exploring the options for more.” That was it. He didn’t answer the question about Explorer Street. But four months into a Labor government, it was now clear that under NSW Labor “no sale of public land” meant that 70 per cent of existing 100 per cent public housing estates could be transferred to private developers and owners.

BROKEN ELECTION PROMISE

In July, Leong told parliament, “The Minns Labor Government was elected on a mandate to end privatisation in the State, but 70 per cent of public land will be sold off and privatised to fund 30 per cent of land for social and affordable housing. … The Greens cannot back in a position where public land is sold off to private interests, private investors and private developers when we are in the middle of a housing and cost-of-living crisis.”

homes (30 per cent) and 80 (20 per cent) new affordable home, of which 16 would be for First Nations people. This is slightly less social homes than the previous plan. The criteria for ‘affordable’ housing and how it would be allocated is not clear. The maximum height would be 13 stories.

STRONG COMMUNITY OPPOSITION TO EXPLORER STREET PROPOSAL

The consultation process is already over but the government can be in no doubt that a huge majority of those interested oppose the government’s plan to go into partnership with private developers on this site.

years. Unless there is a large injection of publicly owned homes, more planned private developments will further dilute public housing communities in increasingly wealthy neighbourhoods. High rents also favour the wealthy. If the Explorer Street development rezoning goes ahead, this public housing estate will disappear replaced by social housing managed by nongovernment providers. There would be more socially managed tenancies but not before 2028. Most of those would be designed only for single people. It is not clear if any would be suitable for larger families.

The residents of Explorer Street were bitterly disappointed. Afa told the parliamentary reception, “It was such a shock to see and be promised by Labor, that they would stand with us and not get rid of public housing, Now as well as breaking promises and telling lies, they’ve follow exactly what Liberals said they were going to do and trying to rezone these homes. They’re still moving forward and they don’t believe it’s necessary to maintain housing.”

In July 2023, REDwatch hosted a community meeting where Department of Planning and Environment and Land and Housing Corporation representatives confirmed the plans to proceed with rezoning. Instead of cancelling LNP plans, Labor instead placed Explorer Street on its list of “priority growth areas”.

NSW Planning’s current proposal is to demolish the existing buildings and replace them with 400 new homes including approximately 120 new social

Of 531 individuals who signed either a joint template or made an individual submission, more than 90 per cent objected to the proposal. Friends of Erskineville, Redwatch, Counterpoint Community Housing and City of Sydney and a joint Greens submission from Leong and City of Sydney Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore supported Explorer Street remaining in public ownership. Some submissions noted that renewal did not prevent public ownership. REDwatch argued that there is alternative public owned land in Inner Sydney where 100 per cent public or social housing can be built while Explorer Street homes remain in place. There was strong support in submissions for improved maintenance of Explorer Street homes that the government is allowing to decline or even leave empty. Requests by older tenants whose families have left home for transfers to smaller units in order to allow bigger families on the Housing waiting list to move in are also refused.

 There is no excuse for demolishing existing public housing

All community groups opposed the rezoning and the only organisations that did support the proposal were Community Housing Providers who have a stake in future contracts for housing.

Minns and the Minister for Housing Rose Jackson argue that including private homes on public land ensures a social mix. In fact, locals fear that the demographic trends in Inner Sydney threaten to dwarf communities of public tenants. According to the 2021 Census Data, Erskineville (close to Explorer Street in Eveleigh) has gone from one of the poorest to one of the most advantaged suburbs over 50

Leong and Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore wrote in their submission: “With more than 57,000 approved applicants on the public housing waiting list and social housing amounting to only 3.8% of all dwellings in Australia, there is no excuse for demolishing existing public housing. We note that in the CS03 allocation zone, in which the Explorer Street estate is located, there are presently 1,203 approved applicants on the general social housing waiting list and a further 351 on the priority waiting.” Relocations of existing tenants will mean units that might have become available for new tenants are occupied by relocated tenants.

The wishes of the community are clear and if consultation was to mean anything, the NSW government would be now seriously reconsidering the proposed public/private development. But NSW Planning are notorious for ignoring community feedback so it is hard to be optimistic.

According to the NSW Planning website, no decision has been made. Some residents sent copies of their submissions to the Minister for Housing Rose Jackson. City Hub has seen a Ministerial form letter response sent to Friends of Erksineville Treasurer Andrew Chuter. The letter reads as if NSW Planning’s approval of the proposal is a fait accompli. Jackson added a personal handwritten note, “I hope you understand my determination to deliver more affordable housing.”

But Afa and other housing campaigners don’t agree that desperately needed public housing should be sacrificed to a few more ill-defined ‘affordable’ homes. They are continuing their fight and hope to persuade the Labor government to stick to its anti-privatisation election promise. “Housing is a human right. Everybody is entitled to secure housing. And that’s something that we will work for.”

Wendy Bacon has participated in Action for Public Housing rallies and supported Greens electoral candidates.

Sarina Afa speaking at a rally. Photo: Friends of Erskineville

Proposal to demerge Inner West Council rejected by government

BY GRACE JOHNSON

The NSW Government has rejected a proposal to demerge Inner West Council despite the majority of residents voting to split.

After receiving the Boundaries Commission report, Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig announced on March 15 that he would not support the demerger, saying it would be financially unviable.

“There is compelling evidence that the business case presented by Council will cost the community more money than it saves,” he said.

“I have been clear and on the record that I will not allow councils to demerge if they cannot prove they will be financially viable.”

The announcement was sent out at 4:34pm on a Friday afternoon.

Just 14 minutes before, at 4:20pm, a group called Inner West Together sent an email saying they “heard a rumour” that the Boundaries Commission would soon make its recommendations.

“We hope that it will recommend not to proceed,” the group said in the email.

“A demerger would be a waste of time and money when council needs to be focused on delivering basic services and taking local action on the climate and housing crisises, [sic]”

Mr Hoenig precipitated the community’s disappointment, saying “I understand

sections of the community may be disappointed but this decision delivers certainty for the people of the inner west.”

“A BETRAYAL OF OUR COMMUNITY”

Independent Councillor John Stamolis said the decision not to demerge is “a betrayal of our community by the State Labor Government and the Labor controlled Council.”

“Given the enormous party political control over the Inner West, it was always going to be a huge task to get the Minister to listen to the voice of our community,” he continued. “Demerging a big Labor Council, right in the heart of a Labor Prime Ministers electorate would be a big risk for the Minister.”

Councillor Stamolis has long criticised the council for its Labor-dominated politics and has accused the council of inflating costs for de-amalgamation.

A community group called Residents for Deamalgation has said the decision to reject the council’s “inadequate” business case is “not a surprise because the Labor-run Council’s case was deliberately inadequate.”

“Residents are furious. They voted 65.2 per cent for de-amalgamation and once again their voice has been ignored,” said Rochelle Porteous from Residents for Deamalgamation.

“This was a political stitch-up that has been a long time in the making.”

Echoing Councillor Stamolis’s criticisms of the Labor majority, Ms Porteous said, “Labor has cynically ignored the wishes of a majority of the community across the inner west, who voted two to three to demerge in 2021, while pretending it was respecting the democratic will.”

 This was a political stitch-up that has been a long time in the making 

In a statement, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said the commission had made a “fair and independent assessment”. “We were determined to uphold the will of the inner west community and submitted a detailed proposal for demerger,” he said.

“We accept the Boundaries Commission’s recommendation that the Inner West Council should not be abolished and recognise that the huge cost of demerger would have had serious impacts on services our people depend on.”

COMMUNITY’S VOTE TO DEMERGE

Residents voted in a non-binding poll in 2021 to de-amalgamate Inner West Council and return to three separate councils — Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville.

Some residents were concerned that the merged council, which was forcefully merged in 2016, would lead to a loss of local representation.

Susanne Martain, a long-time resident in the Inner West, previously asserted to City Hub that this was indeed the case. “Labor is pushing their own policies,” she had said. “They are not representing the community. We’ve lost local representation since the merger.”

In a previous conversation with City Hub, before the Boundaries Commission released its decision, Greens Councillor Dylan Griffiths said he didn’t personally support a demerger.

He pointed out that a larger council has more resources to deliver meaningful services to the community, and that voting happened before demerger costs were reported.

“I think such funds would be better used for a serious local intervention into the housing crisis,” he told City Hub

“We could produce affordable housing for key workers in the Inner West and making sure students, health workers and service workers can afford to live here.”

Council amalgamations announced by the previous Coalition government in 2016 were met with strong backlash.

Then-NSW Premier Mike Baird said mergers could save ratepayers $2 billion over 20 years.

During the amalgamation process in 2019, nineteen councils were formed or changed across the state.

When it was announced in February that councils would be able to de-amalgamate if they foot the bill, many were critical that councils who were forcefully amalgamated would then have to pay to demerge themselves.

President of LGNSW Cr Darriea Turley said at the time: “It’s a cunning public relations exercise by the State Government so that it looks good in the eyes of ratepayers by agreeing to allow de-amalgamations, while at the same time knowing councils cannot foot the bill to carry them out.”

In response to the Local Government Minister’s decision, Mayor Byrne asserted that Inner West has “never stopped working to improve the Council’s performance and responsiveness to the community.”

“It’s time for all Inner West councillors to come together and commit to working to make the Inner West Council even more effective and progressive,” he continued.

Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig. Photo: Ron Hoenig, Facebook

BY HOPE PRATT

The Minns Government has blocked West Tigers’ request to divert funds for Penrith Stadium towards Leichhardt Oval, where they will play 5 of their 12 home games this season.

The Tigers have had longstanding concerns about the condition and facilities at the inner-west ground, affectionately known as the “eighth wonder of the world” by residents.

Currently, the stadium is unable to support proper changing rooms for NRL men’s and women’s double headers, and often struggles with long lines for concession stands and bathrooms.

After the Wests Tigers’ victory over the Cronulla Sharks on March 23, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne and Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson requested that Leichhardt Oval receive 10 per cent of the funding allocated to Penrith’s stadium upgrade.

Penrith Stadium will receive a $309 million upgrade in 2025, which will see the ground’s capacity expanded to 25,000, complete with a new western grandstand and refurbished eastern grandstand.

Mayor Byrne argued, “Transferring just

City Hub - Cats Of The Month Minns

rejects Tigers’ calls for Leichhardt Oval funding

10 percent of the funds from Penrith Stadium to Leichhardt will help us save the ground for the next 50 years, while Penrith will still get an expensive Rolls Royce upgrade.”

“It’s beyond belief that Penrith Stadium, which hosts just 11 men’s rugby league games a year, is receiving $309 Million, while Leichhardt is left on the scrap heap,” he continued.



Penrith will still get an expensive Rolls Royce upgrade

He also added that the oval has become a hub for women’s soccer and rugby league.

“Leichhardt is now the home ground of Sydney FC women’s team and hosted 8 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup teams last year.”

“$180 BILLION WORTH OF DEBT”

The premier pointed to the state’s debt as grounds for rejecting the request.

“I appreciate that [the Tigers] have got to make a decision about their club and

where they play their home games,” he said.

“But we, as everybody knows, have got $180 billion worth of debt in NSW.”

“We’ve got massive pressure on the hospital system, education system [and] in addition to that we’re rolling out the biggest public transport projects in the state’s history.”

Part of the premier’s reasoning was also Leichhardt Oval’s status as a part-time NRL venue.

Richardson has threatened to move the Tigers’ out of Leichhardt if the request for funding was not met.

Almost 16,000 fans attended their game last Saturday night. The Tigers have 8000 members currently, with ambitions to grow that number to 13,000 by 2025. Their overall membership goal is 30,000. The Tigers have no home ground for next year and have hosted home games at CommBank Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium and Accor Stadium in recent years.

Richardson asserted that if funding is not secured for Leichhardt Oval, the Tigers will no longer play on the field due to poor conditions.

Moving to Accor Stadium would be a viable option, he added.

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Leichhardt Oval, affectionately known as the “eighth wonder of the world”. Photo: IOIO Images, Shutterstock

Effort to save Sydney Harbour’s marine life

BY HOPE PRATT

Ateam at the University of New South Wales have created an innovative design that could save Sydney Harbour.

By altering the design of the harbour’s seawalls, over 150 marine species will be able to flourish in areas where they couldn’t before.

In a flagship project called Living Seawalls, Associate Professor Mayer Pinto, a marine ecologist from UNSW Sydney and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), along with her team are working to lure marine life back to the harbour after years of pollution and urbanisation.

Sea walls around Sydney Harbour are now being fitted with tiles designed to mimic natural microhabitats to revive the biodiversity of the city shorelines.

THE DAMAGE

As sea construction has rapidly increased over recent decades, the disruption to seabeds and natural habitats has endangered the marine life that keeps ocean ecosystems stable.

Fisheries, carbon storage, and water quality all rely on sea life like seaweed, mussels, and oysters to operate in a healthy manner.

This is a double-edged sword as infrastructure such as seawalls, pilings, pontoons and marinas do serve industrial and protective purposes.

Regular sea walls, for example, protect shorelines from erosion and rising sea levels — an increasing issue felt around the world.

However, the smooth and artificial materials used to build such infrastructure clashes with natural

The tiles are specifically designed with crevices, indents, and pockets sculpted into them, mimicking natural rocky features. They are then 3D-printed and can be fitted together like a mosaic.

 As sea levels rise, our coastal communities will need to adapt

Speaking to City Hub, Professor Pinto said in certain spots in Sydney Harbour, there has been an over 30 per cent increase in biodiversity since the first Living Seawalls was installed in 2018 .

“Our main goal is to revitalise urban areas and to change the way construction is done in the marine environment so any new developments, if inevitable, are built for both humans and nature,” she said.

Since the start of the project, there are now over 20 installations in Australia.

The Living Seawalls project has also spread internationally, now existing in Plymouth, England, Wales, Singapore and more.

processes, leaving marine life to suffer. Jaimie Potts, Senior Environmental Scientist at the NSW Department of Planning, said the project is a way to mitigate rising sea levels while allowing biodiversity to prosper.

“As sea levels rise, our coastal communities will need to adapt,” she said.

“Living Seawalls is using smart design to enhance ecological value and meet the challenges of a changing climate.”

The team has since developed new products for the project: the Living Boulders and the Living Pilings.

“These products are to enhance other infrastructure such as pilings and breakwaters,” explained Professor Pinto.

Currently, the Living Boulders are installed in Lavender Bay, and the Living Pilings at Sawmiller Reserve.

“[We] are conducting monitoring to see how diversity changes in these places, using a similar experimental design to the Living Seawalls habitat panels,” she continued.

“The future is hopefully to keep increasing and diversifying the products and the designs to other infrastructure.”

City of Sydney’s expensive billboard mistake

BY GRACE JOHNSON

The City of Sydney will have to spend $325,000 to pull down advertising billboards and various pieces of “street furniture” only months after they were erected due to them hindering pedestrians and obstructing sight lines.

At least 31 pieces of street furniture, which come from a deal with advertising giant QMS, will have to be torn down or relocated, as well as several 86inch digital billboards.

“It’s a disgrace,” said Independent Councillor Yvonne Weldon. “The poorly located billboards should never have made it passed the planning stage.”

bus stops, and bins. Both the City and QMS get a share of advertising profits from the structures.

The roll out of the structures began in 2020. Pedestrians complained almost immediately after that they were being impeded by the structures, being placed in the middle of the footpath.

In 2022, the Lord Mayor announced that works would be paused and reviewed due to significant backlash.

 This money could have been dedicated to homelessness services

Though all pieces of street furniture, with the exception of seats and bins, had to go through council’s development application process, Cr Weldon says community concerns were disregarded from the outset.

“They were installed with no regard for the impact upon pedestrians and local businesses. Some were even placed at bus stops completely blocking vision of approaching buses.”

Had the Lord Mayor not defended the billboards as they were rolled out, and had she intervened sooner, remediation costs would have been nowhere near this high, she continued. “This money could have been dedicated to homelessness services or put towards new community facilities.”

ALMOST IMMEDIATE BACKLASH

The deal with QMS includes dozens of new 86-inch digital billboards, seats at

In response to City Hub inquiries, a City of Sydney spokesperson said, “Our Design Advisory Panel spent months working with QMS on the new designs to ensure they comply with current design standards and accessibility requirements.”

“However, following installation, it was clear the location of some of the items of street furniture, in particular the placement of some of the freestanding advertising screens, had undue impact on pedestrian access.” The spokesperson confirmed that QMS have begun removal works, and that around 20 screens will be removed or relocated by the end of June.

Living Seawalls tiled installed in Sydney Harbour. Photo: Living Seawalls, Instagram

Independent Councillor Yvonne Weldon. Photo: Gaye Gerard, AAP Image

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Not a level playing field: Inner West’s controversial consultation

BY GRACE JOHNSON

Following heated debates on natural versus synthetic turf, Inner West Council has released the results of community consultation for the installation of an ‘all-weather’ sporting field.

Out of four options given, the results of the online survey has shown the preferred location for an all-weather field is Waterfront Drive in Callan Park.

But many members of the community have protested the results, saying the process was biased and did not take into account those who formally wrote to council.

After the NSW Government agreed to commit $20 million to improving facilities at Rozelle Parklands, Inner West Council began a three-month period of community consultation.

The council’s ‘Masterplan’ will consider how the Parklands can be improved, including an all-weather sporting field, public car parking, multi-purpose sports courts, and cycling and active transport links around the Parklands.

The all-weather field survey was conducted as part of this general consultation and asked residents to rank in order of preference which park they’d prefer to have an all-weather sporting field installed.

The options were Waterfront Drive in Callan Park, Leichhardt Oval no.2, Easton Park, and Balmain Road playing field (Callan Park).

Not having a synthetic field was not one of them.

“CONCERNING” COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

As there wasn’t an option in the survey to deny support for the all-weather field, many members had to write to council to express their disapproval instead.

Out of 203 email submissions, 63 per cent objected to synthetic or hybrid turf on sports fields.

That these responses weren’t included in Council’s report is concerning, said Garnet Brownbill from the Natural Turf Alliance.

“It is evident that community members have concerns, genuine concerns, with the installation of a plastic park or artificial turf field within the LGA,” he told City Hub.

“Disappointingly, Inner West Council seems unwilling to listen to these concerns from the community.”

Hall Greenland, President of Friends of Callan Park and former Leichhardt councillor said in his address to Inner West Council said that results were “inconclusive, to say the least.”

Key stakeholders and historic users of the field like cricket groups were not consulted, he said, and even sporting clubs are divided.

“There is clearly no green light here,” said Mr Greenland.

However, representatives of the football community were delighted at the results, saying the installation of all-weather sporting field will allow them to take on more players, after years of having to turn applicants away due to being at capacity.

Paul Avery, President of Balmain & District Football Club (BDFC), said “Our local football community is the largest in NSW, yet we are one of the few areas without access to an all-weather field.”

The club has struggled to accomodate extra players in recent years, citing the limited use of natural turf as a main cause.

“Registrations for 2024 are running well ahead of previous years and will again be over 3,000 players,” continued Mr Avery.

 There is clearly no green light here

The football club said the preference for Waterfront Drive was a win especially for female players – 1,100 women and girls have registered for the 2024 winter season, a run-off effect of the Matildas’ success.

Soccer clubs in general have been largely in support of synthetic fields, but their installation would likely mean the displacement of rugby and cricket clubs.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Community members have maintained significant concerns over introducing plastic into the environment and potential health impacts.

Synthetic turf has been shown to get twice as hot as natural grass, which can cause heat-related illnesses and can cause second-degree burns if it comes into contact with skin on a hot day. But apart from health and environmental

concerns, many are concerned that the installation of synthetic turf will prioritise certain users above others.

Cr Stamolis said, “Council heard from sporting groups, community groups, experts and even from another Council that synthetic turf is not the right approach.”

Synthetic turf restricts use for some sports and other users, he said.

Cricket representatives at the meeting pointed out the long history of cricket at Waterfront Oval, dating back to the 1880s.

James Murray-Prior, representing Cricket NSW, said that the football community’s needs cannot be at the demise of cricketers in the local area, who risk displacement.

“I wish council to please consider what is best for the whole community and not simply one user group,” he said.

To City Hub, Mr Brownbill reiterated that the entire process of community consultation was “very disappointing” and that council had not made enough effort to inform the community on what they were voting on.

“They’re creating a mono-sporting culture and at least a perception of them being interested in one group above others,” he said, “all to the detriment of the community, other sports, and even other smaller football clubs.”

The community should have also been informed by council of the risks, he added, rather than being left to make decisions in the dark.

Waterfront Drive Sports Field in Callan Park.

Photo: landscapesolutions.com.au

Minns’ development plans in Sydney’s housing crisis

BY JOHN MOYLE

Premier Chris Minns is on a hiding to nothing with his proposals to turn railway stations in many suburbs across Sydney into hubs for housing development.

The proposed plans have come under strong opposition from local mayors, councils, residents and vested interests that has the potential to turn these proposals into election issues without finding a solution to Sydney’s chronic housing shortage.

One inner city precinct is facing the opposite where mid-century apartment blocks consisting of studio and onebedroom spaces are being pulled down to make way for luxury spaces selling for millions and robbing the area of much needed rental and cheap housing stock. At play here is the City of Sydney who have approved almost all of the development approvals in the Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay area in recent times.

These decisions come at a time when the housing shortage and homelessness is critical and their policy statement is “Housing for All”.

As a response to the perceived crisis a new community group, The Potts Point Preservation Group has been formed to bring the area’s plight to the attention of the City of Sydney and the New South Wales government.

“This decrease in affordable housing is forcing less affluent, long term residents out of the area and changing the broad demographic balance and diversity of the neighbourhood,” Dr Peter Sheridan, Chairman, Potts Point Preservation Group said.

Co-founder of then group and local historian Warren Fahey said that they had attracted a number of professionals onto the steering committee with Ros Kelly and Leo Schofield as patrons and architect Clive Lucas and Robin Grow, ex-president Art Deco Society among the advisory panel.

“Reverence for 19th-century buildings and an almost lack of protection for 20th-century structures is changing the face of Sydney and kicking our architectural heritage in the guts,” Warren Fahey, Steering Committee, Potts Point Preservation Group said.

“The 1km enclave of Kings Cross, Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay has the highest concentration of Art Deco and early 20th-century apartments in Australia and is under severe attack.”

The precinct contains 75 Art Deco apartments and 30 modernist buildings, including a number of early Harry Seidler apartment blocks.

Five current projects in the area will create a loss of 119 apartments and will not contain any studios or one bedders for rental or purchase.

One project at 11A and 13A Wylde Streets in Potts Point will see the original stock of 20 apartments developed as five apartments, representing a reduction of 75 per cent of stock.

Further along on Macleay Street is the 80 one bedrooms and studios of The Chimes building.

Built in the mid-sixties, this ten storey building is due for demolition as its new owners, Melbourne based property group Time and Place want to build a ninestorey tower with 31 luxury apartments.

 This is a crisis that is not going to go away

Time and Place directors are Tim Price and former Crown Resorts executive Todd Nesbitt when it was run by James Packer, and it is believed that Packer holds a ten per cent stake in the project.

Gretel Packer owns two units in the building that Time and Place have either bought or have caveats over its units.

Recently revised plans were put on show until March 15 as part of a conciliation hearing in the Land and Environment court between the developer and the City of Sydney relating to the proposed building’s mass and setbacks, not the number or mix of units.

It has been a long and drawn out process for Time and Place to acquire the building under the 75 per cent Strata Rule in which if 75 per cent of owners in the scheme agree to sell forcing the other owners to sell.

The Potts Point Preservation Group has simply stated goals.

“The aim of the group is to promote a cohesive, balanced and effective voice for the residents of Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay, work with the City Council to create a new urban plan for heritage protection of the area and advocate heritage protection for apartments with affordable studio and one bedroom apartments,” Fahey said.

On Tuesday March 23 of this week another new action group Save Greater Sydney Coalition with the slogan “Minn’s wrecking ball is coming to you” staged their first rally in the Domain with speakers including the Leader of the Opposition, The Hon Mark Speakman, Judy Mundey, wife of Jack Mundey and Warren Fahey.

This is a crisis that is not going to go away and needs quick and bold decisions by all sectors of government, local planning authority and residents to make immediate, not long term changes.

A good place to start is to not approve development applications without a consideration of their socio-economic benefits.

Luxury spaces are robbing the area of much needed rental and cheap housing stock.

Photo source: John Moyle

CARRIAGEWORKS IS ON A NEW TRACK

It once homed the major workshops and yards for Sydney’s burgeoning railway network; now, after 16 years as a major arts hub, Carriageworks is re-inventing itself yet again.

BY RITA BRATOVICH

Among the many former industrial sites that have been repurposed in recent decades, the old Eveleigh Railway Yard in Redfern stands apart. Reimagined as Carriageworks, it has retained the nostalgic ambience of a by-gone era, while transforming into a modern, versatile epicentre of arts and entertainment.

For roughly 100 years, from the 1880s to the 1980s, the arched bays resonated with the metallic percussion and steam and diesel driven harmonies of locomotion maintenance. Then there was silence.

In 2007, the brick walls once again echoed with industrious sound and movement, but this time it was musical, acrobatic, artistic. Within 10 years, Carriageworks doubled its physical and cultural footprint, becoming the country’s preeminent multi-arts space and hosting

such prestigious events as Vivid, Sydney Writer’s Festival, Sydney Festival, The National, Australian Fashion Week among many others. The weekly Carriageworks Farmers Market, established in 2009, quickly became, and remains, one of Sydney’s favourite fresh produce and artisan markets.

Things went slightly off the rails for Carriageworks in 2020, but thankfully, there was light at the end of the tunnel and it wasn’t long before it was back on track and gaining momentum again.

In May last year, renowned international arts administrator, Fergus Linehan, was named new CEO of Carriageworks. Linehan’s impressive CV includes the Edinburgh International Festival, Sydney Festival, Vivid Live at the Sydney Opera House and the Dublin Theatre Festival. This appointment is a closing of the circle for Linehan, who curated several Sydney Festival events at Carriageworks during its first year of operation.

In March this year, Carriageworks revealed its program for 2024/2025 — and it is a revelation indeed. The program includes a breathtaking range and calibre of events that not only promise a very exciting year for Sydney arts lovers, but also indicate a decisive pivot for the organisation.

If Carriageworks is to truly thrive, it needs to be more than a building

“If Carriageworks is to truly thrive, it needs to be more than a building, it needs to be an idea that is built on an alliance of not just a single community but multiple communities of interest.

We want to build a community that is big enough and diverse enough to match this beautiful epic building,” explains Linehan. To that end, curation has been distributed into seven programming streams: Sounds, Stages, Moves, Makers, Food, Creative Marketplace and Major Events. The program begins in May 2024 and extends into 2025, reaching a pinnacle with a dazzling, new summer season. First Nations people, who have had a significant place in the history of Eveleigh Railway Yards and in the Redfern precinct, will have works featured in each of the seven program streams. The entire program, in fact, is built around inclusivity, access, and representation for all communities. It’s extremely vibrant and dynamic, featuring internationally recognised major events, emerging artists, spaces for creation and development, and a village-style atmosphere for chilling and socialising.

Carriageworks Night Market. Photo: Daniel Boud

Jannawi Dance Clan. Photo: Garrigarrang Badu

THE 2024/2025 SEASON

CARRIAGEWORKS SOUNDS

With a new emphasis on live music performance and engagement, Carriageworks spearheads its Sounds program with a series of shows that are all part of Vivid Sydney. Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def), Electric Fields, Yves Tumor, Emma Donovan (on our cover), West Australian psychedelic rock band, Pond will all bring their own diverse sound and crowd to Carriageworks.

The fabulous and expansive Bay 22-24 will be given new life as a music venue, with international sensations, Australia’s own X CLUB being the first to re-ignite the space and already proving a winner.

Shifting gears, later in the season, resident company Sydney Chamber Opera collaborates with Opera Australia to present a new Australian opera, Gilgamesh, by Jack Symonds, in what is a first for Carriageworks.

On the shimmering summer horizon of 2025, Carriageworks will unleash a special music season. Stay tuned for further details.

CARRIAGEWORKS STAGES

A night at the theatre is enhanced by the atmosphere at Carriageworks and its terrific schedule of shows, beginning with Collaborator - A Work In Progress, by brilliant comedian Daniel Kitson. The multi-award winning Counting and Cracking by Belvoir St Theatre will appear later in the season, followed by the premiere of Mununjali poet Ellen van Neerven’s swim presented by Griffin Theatre Company.

a modern, versatile epicentre of arts and entertainment

Cut the Sky, a collision of dance, video, poetry, and song, presented by resident company Marrugeku is a must see, while Erth’s immersive Dinosaur Zoo is edutainment for the family.

CARRIAGEWORKS FOOD

Carriageworks Farmers Markets is already an institution and it will stay true every Saturday, delivering the freshest produce plus cooking demos, workshops and talks. Keep August 2 free for Carriageworks Night Markets, bringing it with over 50 of Sydney’s best bars and restaurants.

Explore Australian native food, botanicals and culture with Sharon Winsor and the Warakirri Dining Experience as part of Vivid Sydney. Also, Carriageworks, Plate It Forward and Coyoacán Social will be on site during Vivid, raising funds for local community kitchens.

There will be a host of culinary festivals during the year, including MOULD (Australia’s biggest cheese festival), Pinot Palooza (wine and food), and the Good Food & Wine Christmas Market.

CARRIAGEWORKS MOVES

Dance, circus, acrobatics, cabaret and more will animate the Bays later in the year. From mid-November, The Famous Spiegeltent will set up and form the centrepiece of Secret Garden featuring spectacular entertainment. Continuing the circus theme, Gravity & Other Myths will present their highenergy, multi award-winning A Simple Space; Circa will delight families with Carnival of the Animals; Australia’s renowned circus school, the Flying Fruit Fly Circus will thrill crowds.

In a first, dance company Jannawi Dance Clan presents the female-led immersive performance Garrigarrang Badu, a fulllength dance work in Dharug language, in a co-presentation with Sydney Festival in January 2025. Australian choreographer, Nick Power’s tribute to hip hop’s origins with Deejay x Dancer; NAISDA’s First Nations

showcase of young talent; and Sydney Dance Company’s emerging choreographer program, New Breed are all items to note on the calendar.

CARRIAGEWORKS MAJOR EVENTS

Internationally recognised events that call Carriageworks home, will return throughout the year, including Australian Fashion Week, Sydney Writers Festival, the Festival of Dangerous Ideas and Sydney Contemporary.

CARRIAGEWORKS CREATIVE MARKETPLACE

Carriageworks Creative Marketplace fosters creativity and entrepreneurship for artists, designers, architects and makers. The Finders Keepers Market is a festivalstyle, artisan market; Southeast Aboriginal Arts Market brings together Aboriginal artists across a range of disciplines; an exciting schedule of bespoke markets around ceramics, jewellery and tattoos will all make Carriageworks an inspiring, lively place to be.

CARRIAGEWORKS MAKERS

Focusing on creation and development, Carriageworks Makers includes: Carriageworks’ Solid Ground initiative, in partnership with Blacktown Arts Centre, which provides education and employment pathways for First Nations young people; The Clothing Store Artist Studios, providing studio space for emerging artists; and workshops, development work and industry events by resident companies Force Majeure, Moogahlin Performing Arts and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance.

For full details on Carriageworks fantastic new program and all other offerings, visit carriageworks.com.au

Carnival of the Animals. Photo: Justin Nicolas

Counting and cracking credit 2019 Production at Sydney Town Hall. Photo: Brett Boardman

Garrigarrang Badu - Carriageworks Nov Development. Photo: Stephen Wilson Barker

Australian Fasion Week. Photo: Getty

COFFIN ED’S NAKED CITY

FROM SNOB HOUSE TO FLOP HOUSE

Ahotel reviewer recently extolled the virtues of the Nine Orchard Hotel, a recently renovated boutique establishment in New York’s groovy Lower East Side. Steeped in history, with no expense spared in the designer fit out, it supposedly reeks of artistic good taste. The reviewer summed it up as “a unique way to experience a slice of New York history”, that’s of course if you have around $1000 (AU) a night.

That the room price included a continental breakfast with a pastry (how mighty generous) but an upgrade to an omelette would set you back another $24 (AU). Compare the deal to those offered by equally historic hotels in Malaysia and Thailand for example. Here a nicely furnished room will cost you between $60 and $100 and include what often amounts to an all you can eat banquet for breakfast. It demonstrates the absurd extremes when it comes to value – and those people with more money than cents or maybe ringgits.

Throughout the world there are hotels which run from $10 a night for a very

basic room and shared facilities to those costing thousands of dollars if you are opting for a penthouse and the pinnacles of luxury. Here in Sydney, hotels also offer a wide range of prices but the days of the ultra cheap flop house or fleabag appear to be long gone. There are plenty of upmarket and middle priced hotels, but unless you opt for a very spartan backpackers finding anything

under $100, and half decent, is almost impossible.

Perhaps it’s a reflection of the overall housing shortage or the rising cost of everything, but even a night in a basic pub room, with a noisy band belting out covers below, will set you back around $150. It wasn’t always that way and Sydney has a long history of so called private hotels and budget hostels. From the early 1900s

through to the late ‘90s, the city boasted a great selection of el cheapo hotels, many of them clustered around Central Station and the lower ends of Pitt and George streets. The West End, the Salvation Army run People’s Palace and Mansions House all offered affordable accommodation to both travellers and Sydneysiders on a tight budget. Together they involved a fascinating social history of the city, but sadly little has been recorded and documented.

That’s certainly the case with another Sydney landmark, the one time notorious Astoria in Kings Cross. Today it has been given a fashionable makeover as the Astoria Space Pop-up, but for many decades, particularly in the ‘80s, ‘90s

HubARTS

GREASE

BY RITA BRATOVICH

The brand new, Australian production of Grease makes the most of its infectious and popular tunes. It’s a fun and energetic show, and the sing-and-dance-along medley at the end should ensure audience members leave on a high. If only the script didn’t feel like bubble-gum that had been chewed beyond all flavour. This remounting of Grease is mostly based on the original 1972 Broadway stage show. The script is less than mediocre and the plot is flimsy as tissue paper. The characters have as much depth and emotional appeal as stick figure sketches. Some jokes land, but most are infantile and offensive. The dialogue is also dated, clunky, and

dragged out between musical numbers. However…

The musical numbers are terrific, with a nice variety of ballads, rock tunes, novelty songs, and outstanding vocal performances.

“Summer Loving” looks similar to the original film, making use of two large sideby-side bleachers that dominate the stage and allow for later scene changes.

“Born To Hand Jive”, sung by Jay Laga’aia, who hams it up as Vince Fontaine, is an exciting, frenetic number with opportunity to spotlight individual dancers. “Greased Lightning” features great lighting, stage design, and choreography, with Keanu Gonzalez seizing his moment.

“Beauty School Drop-out” is arguably the

HOLDING THE MAN

BY RAQUEL BLANKEVOORT

Holding the Man follows the true story of Timothy Conigrave (Tom Conroy) and his love story with John Caleo (Danny Ball) during the ‘70s until their heartbreaking AID’s related deaths. The story highlights love through all hardships, and shows two men finding comfort in each other no matter the circumstances. The production is based on Conigrave’s memoir, published in 1995, ten days before his death. It tells the story of his life growing up gay in 1970s Melbourne and finding his soulmate.

Director Eamon Flack has a perfectly selected cast for this production, who deliver intimacy and playful interactions with the audience.

The easy-follow structure, Tommy Murphy’s script, and Phoebe Pilcher’s lighting, elevate the Belvoir’s small stage

area, and add a complex dimension to Tim and John’s love.

An ensemble of incredible actors play multiple roles to create a lifetime of characters. The most notable moments involve all six actors together. With so much content to cover in such a short amount of time, some of the most intense scenes are lost in the fast-paced second act. Tim and John’s devastating HIV diagnoses hastily transitions to the next scene, giving the audience little time to truly digest the events.

Tim and John’s experiences reflect a time many people will remember, and provide insight for younger generations into a devastating period in our recent history.

Until April 14, Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills belvoir.com.au/productions

THE TRUST FALL

new documentary shares insights on Julian Assange (See p.31)

most impressive number of the show. Staged like an early Hollywood Busby Berkley style routine, it features the truly heavenly Marcia Hines as Teen Angel. But, the unexpected show-stopper is inarguably Rizzo’s (Mackenzie Dunn) rendition of “There Are Worse Things I Could Do”. It comes at a poignant moment in the story, and is visceral, brutally honest, and authentic. Dunn’s performance is stunning, receiving lingering cheers and applause, almost a standing ovation. The gorgeous Patti Newtown brings a

sense of regality to the stage. She is clearly having fun and the crowd and cast clearly love her.

Headliners, Joseph Spanti as Danny, and Annelise Hall as Sandy, do well with what they have, but the script lets them down and diminishes their chemistry. This is a bubbly, colourful production with lots to enjoy, but the problematic elements might be a deal breaker for some.

Until June 1, Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell St, Haymarket www.capitoltheatre.com.au/grease

AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL STILL SHINES

BY DOUGAL TSAKOLOS-STEWART

Award winning musical, The Sunshine Club is set to return to the Sydney stage, still as fresh and relevant as it was when it was written more than 20 years ago.

The story is set in Brisbane post World War II, where Aboriginal, Frank Doyle returns from service. Despite fighting for his country, Doyle is still treated with the same racism he experienced before leaving.He becomes frustrated with the community’s attitude towards him, and decides to open The Sunshine Club, a ballroom designed so that members of all races can come dance and mingle. Doyle also pursues a relationship with Rose, a local white Australian girl, in a time when interracial relationships were very much frowned upon.

The book is by acclaimed arts identity and Minjerribah Man, Wesley Enoch, with music and songs by John Rodgers. It’s based on a real place called the Boathouse in Brisbane which a lot of Enoch’s Elders went to.

Enoch, who also wrote The Sapphires and Black Medea, wants his work to explore feelings of diversity, exclusion and prejudice, experiences that are prevalent in the Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities. The Sunshine Club has won a number of awards including 1999 Brisbane Matilda Award for book, lyrics and direction; and the 2000 Deadly Award for Excellence in Film or Theatrical Score.

April 11 – 20, Sydney Coliseum Theatre – West HQ, 33 Railway Street, Rooty Hill sydneycoliseum.com.au

Photo: Brett Boardman

MARY COUSTAS AND EFFIE ARE UP THEMSELVES

BY RITA BRATOVICH

Mary Coustas — better known as her alter ego, the big-haired, big-mouthed, big-hearted, Effie — has been a mainstay in Australian entertainment for over three decades.

Her deceptively intellectual comedy combines considered thought with Greek hubris.

“I think comedy makes it easier for us to approach every subject,” says Coustas. “It forces us to look at it from a different point of view. I think its primary function is to relieve pressure. And also to speak the truth.”

And that’s what Mary Coustas does. After helping us through the Covid pandemic (as Effie) and sharing the anguish and ecstasy of being a daughter and mother (as herself), Coustas (as Effie) is once again

tackles the complex theme of language.

She believes that her Greek heritage has instilled in her a persistence to keep asking questions to get closer to the truth.

“If you’re secure in who you are and what you believe, what do you care if someone has a different opinion?”

That last comment sums up the central tenet of the show.

“The only immunity we have left in this world, certainly in the last five years, is being up yourself, is knowing who you are, knowing what your intention is and feeling confident in that,” explains Coustas, interjecting for a moment. Effie agrees.

“Loving yourself isn’t vanity, it’s sanity.” May 17, The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Rd, Marrickville May 18, The Concourse, Concert

ANTHONY GOOLEY STATES HIS CASE FOR GOD

BY JOHN MOYLE

A

Case For The Existence of God is one of the most acclaimed American plays in recent years.

“In this play there are two men from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds finding a connection,” Anthony Gooley, actor said. “For me that connection is an instance of God.”

The play comes from the prolific mind of Samuel D Hunter, who also wrote The Whale , the 2022 Darren Aronofsky film that saw Brendan Fraser win the 2023 Academy Award for Best Actor. In an inversion of stereotypes the two-hander concerns Ryan (Anthony Gooley), a straight white single father after a divorce, who lacks education and social mobility, and Keith (Elijah Williams), a gay black man who is polished and educated and lives with his foster daughter.

Ryan is applying to Keith for a loan to buy back land that his family has lost, and over the course of the play the two men slowly let each other into their worlds.

“While they come from these different backgrounds of life experience they connect and they discover they share a profound fear of losing the things they cherish,” Gooley said.

“The writing is nuanced and detailed with a lot of minutiae and shade between both characters.

“Samuel D Hunter’s writing is so ambiguous and complex you are never in any danger of thinking about stereotypes”

The play is also close to home for Samuel D Hunter, who lives and teaches in Idaho, where the play

is set, with his husband and young daughter.

Adapting to the Idaho dialect was a challenge for Gooley and one that he took on early.

“We have a wonderful vocal coach on this production, Linda NichollsGidley, and I started working with her some time before we even started rehearsals because I wanted this stuff out of the way so when we got to rehearsals I was just thinking about reacting with the other person,” Gooley said. Gooley also drilled down further into his character, Ryan to the extent of how he would vote in a state that is likely to determine who wins the next presidential election.

“Idaho is a staunchly Republican state and I started thinking about whether my character Ryan would have voted for Trump in 2016 and whether he would have voted for Trump in ’16 but not in ’20 because of Covid, and all of those computations,” Gooley said.

Idaho may be a long way from the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Theatre but Gooley thinks Sydney audiences will get it.

“The themes and concerns of the play are so universal and I think that contemporary Sydney audiences with our skyrocketing costs of living and the seemingly impenetrable property market I don’t think it will be difficult for Sydney audiences to connect with the play,” Gooley said.

April 11 – May 4

Reginald Theatre, Seymour Centre,Cnr City Rd and Cleveland St, Chippendale www.seymourcentre.com

TRIPLE J - UNEARTHING NEW AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL TALENT

BY DOUGAL TSAKOLOS-STEWART

Triple J Unearthed acts as both a radio station and a discovery platform for unsigned artists around Australia. Their “Unearthed artists of the year” award has helped launch many careers.

To be eligible as an artist you have to create an original song and upload it to the Unearthed website, not be signed with any record label, and have a standout year compared to anyone else who has uploaded music on the same website.

However, music is subjective; a standout year for an artist can very well depend on what type of music the general public currently enjoys. A possible issue with this is that artists’ music, which may be very good, does not suit the public’s idea of “enjoyable music ” which results in unfair comparison.

Good examples of this occurred in 2017 and 2018 when Baker Boy and G-Flip respectively, were both selected as finalists but did not win. They have now arguably projected their careers beyond those who actually won. While there is no cash prize involved, Unearthed is an effective vehicle for boosting an artist’s profile and providing opportunities for artists.

Triple J Unearthed winners and nominees are frequently called up for festivals.

Considering the music landscape of the last two decades in Australia has been largely populated with indie music, it’s fair to say the Triple J Unearthed awards have been a massive success.

triplejunearthed.com

TONES AND I TO TOUR

BY KYE ANSON

Home grown Aussie artist Tones

And I, aka, Toni Watson, will grace the stages of Australia and New Zealand later this year.

Tones And I started her music career busking on the streets of Melbourne. In 2017, Tones was picked up by Jackson Walkden-Brown who became her manager and lent her his home

“Dance Monkey” hit the top of the ARIA Singles Chart and broke triple platinum by mid 2021. As for her live performances, she holds the title for the biggest crowd for an opening set at Splendour in the Grass (2019) and has gone on to perform at many other festivals including Laneway and Let Go.

Tones is one of the most streamed

on the Gold Coast. Between there and Byron Bay, she spent her time busking and growing a fan-base. After winning the Battle of the Buskers she spent two years performing in pubs and bars and writing. Her singles, “Johnny Run Away” and the memorable “Dance Monkey” gave her traction.

musical female artists, amassing a total of just over 3 billion streams for her album Welcome to the Madhouse and her EP, The Kids are Coming. Tones And I will tour Australia and New Zealand in August and September this year. For complete tour and ticket information, visit: livenation.com.au

THE LIVE MUSIC BOOM - GREAT SOUTHERN NIGHTS

BY RAQUEL BLANKEVOORT

With more than 90,000 music lovers rock on to over 300 live music gigs, the Great Southern Nights festival has proved that live music in Sydney and across the state is making a comeback.

Great Southern Nights provided both homegrown and international acts across stages and venues in seven key entertainment precincts in inner and Western Sydney, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga, Newcastle, the Northern Rivers and Tamworth.

More than 630 artists participated, with notable names including G Flip, The Teskey Brothers, Jessica Mauboy, King Stingray, The Presets, and Ball Park Music.

Its closing weekend wrapped up with a free twoday street party outside the King Street Hotel in

Newcastle while Sydney hosted entertainment and culinary experiences for its hundreds of music lovers as they walked across the Great Southern Nights Gig Trail. Not only did this event bring with it stellar musical acts but local businesses boomed, capitalising on the foot traffic and overnight visitation. Accommodation providers, restaurants and cafes across all seven locations booked out as music lovers travelled to see their favourite artists. Great Southern Nights was an all-around success not only for the suffering live music industry but for the growth of the economy for each of the seven locations, so much so that the NSW Government has already committed to delivering Great Southern Nights over the next two consecutive years with dates in 2025 to be announced later this year.

PHOENIX PARK ADDS THREE MORE ACTS TO BIENNALE 24

BY KYE ANSON

Phoenix Park are thrilled to announce the addition of three internationally acclaimed artists to their already impressive Biennale program.

Hailing from Melbourne is the unique and innovative Kalyani who has collaborated with proud and passionate Batemans Bay local Sam Miers. Together they have produced expressive remixes of popular songs from the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Silverchair and Jessica Mauboy. Singer and producer Yamila, will also

join the line-up for the Biennale. Her 2022 album, Visions, takes the listener on a musical journey through an experimental eight track concept piece. Yamila tells the tale of her experiences with both pain and glory through her hallucinatory style of music. Her repertoire boasts shows and performances such as Sonic Acts Festival, Arts Electronica and a contemporary dance production at the Gothenburg Opera.

Daniel Wilfred sets his sights on bringing recognition to the Yolngu

DIANA BARKER SMITHTHIS PLACE WHERE THEY DWELL

BY RAQUEL BLANKEVOORT

Sydney-based artist, Diana Barker Smith presents her new major commission inspired by the life and legacy of acclaimed 20th Century Modernist artist Margo Lewers (1908 –1978).

In this four-channel video installation, presented within the Penrith Regional Gallery’s historic Lewers House, This Place Where They Dwell invites audiences to experience this once private and intimate space where Margo Lewers and her family lived, made art, raised her children, mourned her husband and died. Lewers was a pioneer in her art, using an experimental interdisciplinary practice that spanned a broad range of media scapes from painting, collage, textiles, sculptures, mosaic, pottery and

furniture design. Collaborating with dancer and choreographer, Cheryl Stock and acclaimed Australian–American composer and soprano Jane Sheldon This Place Where They Dwell is Smith’s homage to the personality and history that is enshrined within the heritage building and gardens of the Penrith Regional Gallery. Her work reflects on the spirit of arguably one of the most important Australian abstract expressionist movement artists of the post-war period. Smith uses the intersection of performance and moving images to examine the politics of art history through archival research, collaboration and embodiment.

May 11 - Aug 4, Penrith Regional Gallery, 86 River Road, Emu Plains penrithregionalgallery.com.au

people by collaborating with Martin Ng and Ben Carey to produce Waakya, “the crow moving its feathers”. Wilfred’s love of Arnhem Land has brought a refreshing and artistic direction to contemporary music, which allowed him to combine his

Until June 10, www.biennaleofsydney. art/ten-thousand-suns/

THE CRAFT OF THE CRAWL

BY DOUGAL TSAKOLOS-STEWART

Australians love their beer so much they’ve turned making it into a craft. Craft beers have been encroaching the fridge and tap space in pubs for over five decades, with the likes of Matilda Bay from Fremantle, Western Australia leading the way. Little Creatures and Coopers and a host of others are now equally popular.

Craft beer is made by smaller breweries with simple yet quality ingredients. This results in a more authentic, richer taste. As craft beer production and consumption has increased, so has the culture around it. Drinking in boutique breweries and adding food

and activities to a session is now a local pastime, and it’s the impetus behind Urban Craft Beer Crawl. Urban Craft Beer Crawl is a website that helps curate bespoke self-guided crawls in localities across Australia and New Zealand. Participants will go to six locations to try a variety of ales, lagers and pilsners.

Craft tastings have been a very popular idea since the inception of craft beer. This is due to the different taste profiles of the variety of craft beers. Craft beer can have multiple flavours due to the range of grains, hops, and yeast available, as well as the option to add flavours and spices to their product.

www.urbancraftbeercrawl.com.au

ancestral music with the Australian Art Orchestra. Wilfred and Matt McGuigan will link to provide a special performance at the White Bay Power Station on the 5th of June.

Yamila. Photo: Virginia Rota

WHY AUSSIES ARE CHOOSING CONCERTS OVER FESTIVALS

BY RAQUEL BLANKEVOORT

The Taylor Swift mania that swept over Australia saw more than 4 million fans try to secure tickets; and more recently, a spontaneous run of shows by popular UK artist, DJ Fred Again caused more than 1 million fans to queue online for just 100,000 tickets.

There seems to be no limit to what fans are willing to spend to see their favourite artist. However, despite this level of fervour, some of the most popular music festivals are being cancelled, or postponed.

In fact, the biggest music festival, Splendour In The Grass, has just been cancelled. Why?

A recent report released by The Conversation indicates that there are two main reasons for this staggering increase in festival cancellations.

The obvious and most notable is the cost-of-living crisis resulting in poor ticket sales; the other has to do with unpredictable weather and all that entails.

Consequently, the festival scene is seeing less and less engagement from the public.

A 2022 National Arts Participation

Survey highlighted some cost-of-living issues by asking 10,000 participants about their engagement with arts and creativity in Australia. One of the biggest takeaways was that half of the respondents were not attending as many music and arts events as they would like to. Respondents said that cost and location are the biggest reasons for not attending these events.

With these statistics in mind, it is no surprise that major music festivals like Groovin The Moo had to cancel their 2024 tour due to insufficient ticket sales.

Climate is having a huge impact on large, outdoor events. Recently, due to extreme fire danger conditions, the PITCH festival in Melbourne had to be called off with festival-goers already on the grounds.

During 2022-2023, more than 22 festivals were cancelled or disrupted due to extreme weather events. This not only has an immediate financially devastating impact, but it increases insurance costs, often prohibitively, for future events.

If, in fact, there will be any future events.

OPERA BITES: OPERA FOOLS

BY IRINA DUNN

Opera Bites returned to the Harold Park Hotel in April with its new show called Opera’s Fools. The program comprised 19 arias that ranged across the operatic repertoire, from Verdi to Puccini, from Mozart to Gilbert and Sullivan.

The troupe of four cover the four main “fachs” of voice.

Rae Levien is a powerful soprano with an imposing presence as she wanders around the room.

Peter-John Layton is a mellifluous tenor who is a real pleasure to listen to, and Murray Dahm is not only a booming bass but carries a magisterial authority as the MC.

Eliane Morel is a spritely mezzo with a humorous spirit. Her show, Carmen the Cabaret, was awarded the prize for Best Artistic Merit at the Newcastle Fringe Festival. It is a reframing of the opera Carmen to tell the story from Carmen’s perspective.

Rae opened the show with Musetta’s flirtatious aria “Quando m’en vo’” from La boheme, which loosely translates as “When I walk along the street, people stare at my beauty”.

Eliane and Murray sing the duet “Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen” (“Men who Feel the Call of Love”) between Papageno and Pamina from The Magic Flute.

Eliane introduces a very funny “trans” element to Cherubino’s aria “Non so più cosa son” (“I don’t know anymore what I am”) while the audience is invited to

contribute a “ta-ran ta ra” while all cast members sing “When the Foeman bares His Steel” from The Pirates of Penzance. Many of the arias focused on the comedy of love and marriage, but Peter-John sang one heart-breaking aria, “Vesti la giubba” from Pagliacci, which ends with the clown Pagliacci singing “Laugh, Pagliaccio, / your love is broken! / Laugh at the pain, that poisons your heart”.

My companion, who is not a fan of opera, was thrilled with the show. He said it was a “crazy eccentric program” and was really impressed with the singers’ “crystal-clear voices”. He is another convert for Opera Bites.

And don’t forget, you can have your evening meal at The Harold before or during the show. I had the scrumptious Chicken Leek Mushroom Pie with pancetta, green peas, mash and gravy, while my friend wolfed down a Tajima Wagyu Beef Burger with lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickle and burger sauce. I washed my meal down with a glass of Phillipe Bouchard Gamay Beaujolais, which was a very pleasant accompaniment to the pie.

Jack the manager was really welcoming with his bright smile and excellent customer service, making The Harold a great place to visit and enjoy.

All in all, a fabulous night! Opera Bites’ next show at The Harold will be Opera Goes to the Movies. May 7, The Harold, 70A Ross St, Forest Lodge www.operabites.com.au

BY MARK MORELLINI

Heart Of The Man is a nicely written and highly emotional Indigenous LGBTQI coming of age drama, touching the most insensitive moviegoers. Chris, an 18-year-old amateur boxer, follows his father’s dream of making it to the top of the boxing world, while struggling with his sexual identity.

Chris’s father Sammy is a washed-up boxer, and also struggles with the death of his wife. The only thing getting him through is seeing his son as a successful boxer. Chris is torn between following his heart and chasing a promising career, while various secrets tear Sammy apart.

Young actor, Parker Little, portrays Chris Wundurra, and accredited Indigenous

actor, David Cook, plays the role of Sammy Wundurra. Both stars deliver memorable performances, making the on-screen relationship feel real.

Heart Of The Man is a small, low budget film that looks like a highly budgeted Hollywood production. This rare poignant Australian gem beautifully explores loss, grief, and self discovery. Last word: There will be tears, and this movie will linger in the hearts of moviegoers forever.

Screens Sunday April 21, Palace Norton St, as part of the Inner West Film Festival (limited theatrical release to follow).

 www.innerwestfilmfest.com.au

BY MARK MORELLINI

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL HEART OF THE MAN BEFORE DAWN

BY MARK MORELLINI

Before Dawn tells a true story borrowed from the diaries of the ANZACS. Set between 1915 - 1917, the story is seen through the eyes of a young man named Jim Collins (Levi Miller) who left his family’s sheep farm in Western Australia to join the ANZACs. His father advised him not to go, but illinformed Jim insisted it would be better than working on a farm. He had no idea what awaited him, as he witnessed his mates perish one by one on the battlefields and faced mental anguish. Jim then goes on to heroically risk his life for another soldier.

The story is told over incremental time frames until the final scene which

occurs at 903 days. Audiences will be transported to the atrocious battlefields to witness the heroic transformation of a young private.

This relatively new and ambitious Australian movie boasts a mammoth production design. The contrast from the serene blue skied farming areas in Western Australia to the bloodspattered, rat-infested battlefields compound to the horrific authenticity of the story.

There can never be too many ANZAC based movies.

War. What was it all for? Lest We

Forget…

1/2

In Cinemas Now

From Sudan comes this dramatic cinematic offering with unpredictably high production values. The tragic story concerning racism, sexism and class differences may evoke discomfort and shock among audiences.

Goodbye Julia is set in the midst of a political upheaval before the separation of South Sudan in 2011. During this era, the Northerners considered people from the South as ‘savage like stray dogs’. When Mona (Eiman Yousif), a Muslim from the North is involved in a hit and run with a young child from the South, it’s the catalyst to a whole string of life changing events for both families. The father of the young child is presumably killed in stampedes, and

Mona offers Julia (Siran Riak), the boy’s mother, a job as the house maid. An “illicit” friendship blossoms between the two women.

After a stagnant start to the movie, intrigue and suspense leads to Mona’s confession in the final scenes, which most audiences would not anticipate. Sudanese culture and police corruption are inadvertently explored, and the inclusion of Sudanese singing sequences uncover the movie’s unique filmmaking style.

This multi award-winning movie has screened at over 30 film festivals and received a standing ovation at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.



In cinemas now

BY MARK MORELLINI

T his horror comedy film is an international co-production between Australia and the United Arab Emirates. Set in 1977, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) hosts a popular late-night talk show called Night Owls. When his reputation slides and ratings fall, Delroy presents a spooky Halloween episode to save the show from cancellation. He books a psychic, a sceptic, and a parapsychologist accompanied by a young girl who is presumably possessed by the devil.

When one of the guests dies under strange circumstances with evidence of satanic possession, people start to wonder whether it’s a talk show or a freak show.

Filmed in found footage style which compounds to realism, this hilarious and simultaneously horrifying movie satirically highlights the frighteningly dangerous nature of late night talk shows.

Digital visual effects and the use of puppetry intensify the demonic scenes, several seemingly borrowed from the hit movie The Exorcist Late Night With The Devil is a surprisingly alluring and unique satanic viewing. As iconic horror author Stephen King exclaimed, “It’s absolutely brilliant! I couldn’t take my eyes off it!”

In cinemas April 11

INTERVIEW WITH HEART OF THE MAN DIRECTOR, DAVID COOK

BY MARK MORELLINI

Heart Of The Man is a beautifully written and highly emotional Australian LGBTQ+ coming-of-age drama. The story surrounds an 18-year-old man of indigenous heritage named Chris Wundurra, who is torn between his sexual identity and living his father’s dream of being a professional boxer.

Chris is secretly attracted to a young man he sees in the gym; he hides this from his father as he’s expected to be a ‘warrior’ at a national boxing championship.

David Cook who stars in the pivotal role of Sammy, Chris’ headstrong father, explained that he based the movie on segments of his own life.

“The movie is a coming-of-age story about identity. A lot of it I drew upon my own life. I wanted to tell some of what I had been through as a young man and so it was like a love letter to myself and a journey of healing.”

Cook is also credited as the writer, producer and director of the project.

Receiving funding was difficult and it would have taken time, so Cook decided to go private equity. He was the primary investor and a few friends also invested in the project. Cook felt there was an urgency to tell the story now rather than wait to see whether their project would have been granted funding some nine months down the track.

It was filmed on a very small budget but visually, what audiences experience on

THE TRUST FALL: JULIAN ASSANGE

BY JOHN MOYLE

The Trust Fall: Julian Assange is a powerful examination of how WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange went from being feted by many for giving a new definition to press freedoms to how he ended up a high security prisoner in HM Prison Belmarsh.

In just over two hours, writer director Kym Staton takes us from Assange’s early life in Australia to Melbourne University and onto the world stage where he realised WikiLeaks as a new platform for publishing in the digital age. One of the film’s most shocking moments is the inclusion of the “collateral murder” footage of the helicopter attack in Iraq that killed a group of journalists and those that came to their aid.

It is from WikiLeaks’s release of this footage via various news outlets that Assange’s current predicament arose. Using the onscreen support of eminent identities such as the late John Pilger,

in editing meant that all up, The Trust Fall: Julian Assange was three years in the making made possible by a highly successful crowd funding campaign.

“Early in the project we got the GoFundMe page and support was slow at the beginning,” Staton said.

“Co-producer Natalia Minana made memes of Julian’s quotes that revealed his vision, such as ‘If wars can be started by lies, then peace can be stated by truth’ and ‘I believe the way to justice is through education’ and then it took off.” Assange also referred to WikiLeaks as ‘The largest bullshit detection machine in the world’.

Crowdfunding supporters, who are given credits on the film, were also important later on after the film’s initial release.

“We don’t have massive investment behind us, so the film has to go at its own pace, but some investors have helped us pay to advertise sessions and that brings a lot more people out than if we just put it out organically,” Staton said.

the big screen, looks like it had a multimillion-dollar budget. Cook attributed this to a combination of the production design, locations, wardrobe and the colour grading.

Up and coming young actor Parker Little, through his brilliant performance as a confused and anguished young man, has established himself as an actor with a bright future.

Roxanne McDonald, who plays the role of Sammy’s mother, is a veteran of theatre and shines in her small role. Overcoming adversity is the primary theme that resonates throughout the movie. What is your truth, who are you, what do you want to do with your life and spiritual identity are also themes that reverberate strongly.

Heart Of The Man premiered in Brisbane late February and will screen at the Inner West Film Festival in Sydney. “There are a number of different film festivals and screenings that we’re also locking in at the moment and we’re in talks about limited theatrical releases. Then we’ll be looking at one of the major streaming services as we want people to see this movie, as it’s homegrown, has an important message and is a nice little Australian film,” concluded Cook.

Screens April 21 at Palace Norton St as part of the Inner West Film Festival. www.innerwestfilmfest.com.au

Limited screenings to be announced at a later date.

original whistle blower Daniel Ellsberg, Stella Assange, Gabriel and John Shipton, Tariq Ali and narrators Roger Waters, M.I.A, Tom Morello, Susan Sarandon and Jonathan Oldham, Staton puts the argument that Assange is indeed a journalist and that the call for him to be extradited from the UK to the USA should be seen as an attack on press freedom.

The film has been screening for around three months and there is no end date before it goes to pay for view and then streaming before a potential free-to-air television release. The two-year shoot time and a year

For the UK release, Staton and Minana’s company Film For Change is partnering with Journeyman Pictures in London who are putting a dedicated team behind the release.

“It’s a team effort as they specialise in streaming and TV and I have experience in putting documentaries into cinema,” Staton said.

“We want to take it all over the world, we have just started in New Zealand and the UK, with the US and Europe still to come.”

The Trust Fall:Julian Assange is screening across Sydney.

www.thetrustfall.org

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