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CityNews Jun 6–12 1

2 CityNews Jun 6–12

news

Risks and rewards of the ‘free hugs guy’ IN 2004, a Sydney man who had just Stephen Easton returned from London, down on his luck reports and with nobody to greet him at the airport, decided to stand alone in crowded Pitt “I keep rough numbers on what I do,” Butcher explains, taking out a tiny notepad and reciting Street Mall holding up a sign with “free some of the figures scribbled inside. “I’m an hugs” written on it.

He went by the name of “Juan Mann” (one man) and his idea caught the attention of people all over the world, thanks to over 100 million Youtube viewers watching him on video.

One person inspired by what Juan Mann could accomplish is James Butcher, Canberra’s own “free hugs guy”, who gives complimentary comfort to strangers in Garema Place on Friday afternoons after 2pm. He’s been doing it since last September and has no plans to stop, despite threats, insults and actual violence.

“If people ask me why I’m doing this, the simple answer is because it’s nice and people like it,” says Butcher.

“But the deeper answer is I see it as a humanist gesture of acceptance. This is an activity about being able to give a hug and receive one at the same time… you get something from people, equally, through the experience.”

The 34-year-old mental health support worker first gave free hugs at North Sydney train station, on a break from a self-improvement course where he was challenged to go out and “do something for yourself, somebody else or for the community”. Feeling a little awkward, he managed about 25 hugs in 35 minutes – a figure which he confidently plucks from memory.

analyst at heart, so I couldn’t help myself.”

Over eight months, he’s put 56 hours into it and given 2434 hugs. On average, he waits just 1.37 seconds before his first hug.

While we’re talking, he gives seven hugs and deserves the credit for inspiring several more.

What he and other free-huggers achieve by this is epitomised in the sudden, unexpected happiness that lights up the faces of an elderly couple who take up the offer.

“You’re wonderful; I’ll definitely have a good day now,” the man tells him. “This is what it takes to oil society.”

Compliments like this are “a bit hard to take in”, says Butcher, but he agrees that such happy customers make up for a small number of people who react with suspicion or outright aggression.

“I’ve been assaulted a few times,” he says matter-of-factly. “I’ve had many occasions where people were grabbing me, grabbing at my crotch, pushing me around and so forth... but I’ve never had a sustained, life-threatening beating. If I had, I’d probably be thinking about it slightly differently! I actually see it as part of the process.

“The point is, if I took that to heart and I was standing here, not feeling the love, then that’s the time to stop.”

index / contacts Arts&Entertainment 24-25 Budget 17-19 Canberra Confidential 21 Cinema 25 Dining 25 Garden 26 Letters 10 News 3-12 Puzzles 27 Socials 22-23 Sport 12 Cover: Miss Teen Australia finalist Chloe Granger.

Story Page 6. Photo by Brent McDonald.

Feeling the love... Canberra’s own “free hugs guy” James Butcher with Alexis Eddington, left, and April Dudgeon.

Photo by Brent McDonald

Since 1993: Volume 19, Number 19

Phone 6262 9100 Fax 6262 9111 GPO Box 2448, Canberra City 2601 Chief executive officer: Greg Jones 0419 418196, greg@citynews.com.au Senior advertising executive: Ernie Nichols, 0421 077 999 Advertising sales executives: Rebecca Darman, 0411 225 169 Lyndell Rockwell, 0477 003 017 Advertising sales co-ordinator: ad@citynews.com.au Sydney advertising sales: Ad Sales Connect, 02 9420 1777 Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au

Editor: Ian Meikle, editor@citynews.com.au Journalists: Laura Edwards, laura@citynews.com.au Stephen Easton, stephen@citynews.com.au Kathryn Vukovljak, kathryn@citynews.com.au Arts editor: Helen Musa, 0400 043 764 helen@citynews.com.au Design and photography: Brent McDonald, brent@citynews.com.au, 0421 962 325 Graphic designer: Leonie Fox Contributing photographer: Andrew Finch Distribution: Richard Watson, circulation@citynews.com.au

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Ian Meikle, Level 1, 143 London Circuit, Canberra.

CityNews Jun 6–12 3

news

Jockey Samara races off to France Laura Edwards reports

EVER since she was young, Samara Johnson has had a knack with horses.

“I’ve been show jumping ever since I can remember, so working with and being around horses has always felt natural to me,” the 20-year-old amateur jockey and Thoroughbred Park track-work rider says.

This month Samara will go from the stables of Thoroughbred Park to Toulouse, France, to compete in the prestigious Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies IFAHR (International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing) Cup, after she was picked to represent Australia.

Not bad for a girl from Murrumbateman who only started horse racing last June.

“It’s a huge honour to represent your country...I still can’t believe it actually,” she says.

“Before this, I had really only raced a few times in small country races, so it’s going to be very surreal racing in front of a huge crowd in France.”

Samara, who moved from Wagga Wagga to Murrumbateman two months ago, will compete against 12 amateur and professional female jockeys from around the globe in the prestigious 1600m race.

She is only the fifth Australian jockey to be picked by the Board of the National Arabian Racehorse Association to com-

Jockey Samara Johnson... “It’s going to be very surreal racing in front of a huge crowd in France.”

Photo by Brent McDonald pete in the race, which carries $20,000 prize money.

Amateur jockeys are usually selected not just for their promising racing skills but for their ability to represent their country.

“There’ll be a World Arabian Racing Conference that will coincide with the race while we’re there, which will have many guests who are involved in the sport, so I think they wanted someone who could talk to people and present themselves well,” Samara says.

Arabian horse racing is still “relatively new” to Australians, despite being run in almost 30 countries globally,

says Samara.

“People picture it in the desert but it’s just the same as any other racing, only using purebred Arabian horses, which are slightly slower than thoroughbreds,” she says.

“Having Australians compete in races like these will hopefully give Arabian horse racing a bit more exposure here.”

And while she’s fallen off a horse “a few times,” even breaking her collarbone once, Samara has never been afraid to get back on.

“With racing, there’s a real thrill of going fast, an adrenalin rush, and I love that,” she says.

briefly Trivia and tea The CWA’s Canberra Evening Branch is holding a trivia afternoon from 1pm on Sunday, June 23 with proceeds to the association’s charity projects. Everyone’s welcome to the clubroom at 8 Barry Drive, Civic; entry is $20 and includes afternoon tea. Enquiries to 6231 5396.

Talking drugs “HOW many cones? How many pills? How many lines of coke?” is the discussion topic at a public meeting of Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform at the ACT Legislative Assembly, in Civic, 12.30pm on Wednesday, June 19. Speaker is Dr John Jiggens and journalist Jack Waterford is the chair. Enquiries to 6254 2961 or mcconnell@ffdlr.org.au

Night of retro rock THE Old 45s, a five-piece Canberra retro rock band is playing at Canberra Casino’s Galaxy Club on Friday, June 28, in aid of the the “Give Me 5 For Kids” campaign 4 CityNews Jun 6–12

to benefit the children’s ward at Canberra Hospital.

Tickets at $25 are available from 62577074 and Songland Music at Cooleman Court.

Qwire celebrates CANBERRA’S gay and lesbian choir, Qwire, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a concert by about 100 singers at Llewellyn Hall on Saturday, June 22. The concert will be a collection of songs important in Qwire’s evolution and the songs were chosen by a ballot of members and include original songs commissioned by Qwire as well as contemporary hits.

Bigger Better Music CANBERRA’S Better Music has opened Australia’s largest purpose-built musical instrument store in new premises at 18 Salamander Court, Phillip. Starting out as a two-man operation in 1983, Better Music has grown to be Australia’s largest independent musical instrument retailer, and remains wholly locally owned and operated.

news / cover story

Miss Teen Australia finalist Chloe Granger and mum Megan... the only finalist from the ACT, Chloe says she’d like to use the exposure to raise money for The Cancer Council.

Photo by Brent McDonald

Chloe sits pretty for the Miss Teen finals Canberra girl Chloe Granger is sitting pretty after she was selected as one of 13 finalists for Miss Teen Australia, LAURA EDWARDS reports HER idols include supermodels Miranda Kerr and Jennifer Hawkins, and now Canberra College student Chloe Granger is one step closer to following in their well-heeled tracks.

The stunning 16-year-old will fly to Fiji this month to compete in the Miss Teen Australia competition, after being one of 13 girls in the country aged between 16-19 to be selected as a finalist.

The year 11 student will be judged in four categories: personal interviews, photo presentation, swimwear and evening gown.

The winner’s prizes include modelling and television opportunities, becoming the brand ambassador for Madison Watches, chances to get involved with charity, a dress by designer Amy Taylor, NAK hair care products and more.

Chloe, the only finalist from the ACT, says she’d like to use the exposure to raise money for The Cancer Council, a cause close to her heart after her aunt and grandmother recently passed away from the disease.

“I think it’s good to do other things outside of the pageant and the beauty side of things, to help people and make a difference,” Chloe says.

To prepare for the competition, Chloe has been watching Miss Universe competitions and beauty pageants for inspiration.

“From watching the previous competitions, I think it’s important to be confident and don’t say ‘um’ too much when talking,” she says. “To be the winner, it’s about more than looks. It’s about personality and charisma.”

Chloe says she was inspired to take up modelling last year after seeing models such as Miranda Kerr launch their careers at a young age.

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Kerr was only 13 when she won the “Dolly” magazine modelling competition.

“Miranda’s career would be my ideal career, it would be amazing,” Chloe gushes.

“She’s become more than a model... she always has a cause and wants to help others, and that’s important.”

Chloe’s parents will travel to Fiji to cheer her on – “although dad is more excited about the holiday,” says Chloe.

Mum Megan says she was initially worried about her daughter modelling, but changed her mind after Chloe decided to try out a week-long modelling course with a friend.

“She was just glowing afterwards, she was so happy and confident, and I thought why should I deny her that,” she says.

“I was quite shy as a teenager, and seeing Chloe know what she wants to do and grab it with both hands, is just fantastic.”

Outside of modelling and school, Chloe also takes dancing classes.

She hopes the Miss Teen competition will help her reach national and international success, like 2006 Miss Teen people’s choice winner Rachael Finch, who went on to be crowned Miss Universe Australia.

“I think it’s going to be a really good experience for me,” Chloe says.

“Modelling is so much fun. It’s a hard industry, so I just want to see what happens and where it could take me.”

The Miss Teen Australia finals will be held at the Pearl South Pacific Resort and Spa in Fiji on June 12-16.

CityNews Jun 6–12 7

the gadfly

news

Uni buckled by bullies

City Band takes a big bow

ROBERT MACKLIN says the idle response of students and staff is as shameful as the ANU’s censorship of its student newspaper

By Bill Stephens THE ANU should hang its head in shame.

Students and staff have stood idly by while their own administrators have attacked their freedom of speech and expression.

They, like the chancellery, have buckled when threatened by religious bullies.

And they have done so with barely a peep.

The facts of the case are simple. The student newspaper “Woroni” has been publishing a series of satires on various religions. They began with Catholicism then moved to Scientology, Mormonism, and Judaism. So far so good. Oh sure, there were some protests from devotees, but that was part of the process. However, then came Islam. And that’s when the ANU was put to the test.

Universities by their nature are concerned with the quest for the truth of the matter and religions – by their nature – claim to have discovered the answers already. The two modes of thought are in natural conflict and over the centuries the universities have gradually undermined the ignorance and fear that their adversary feeds upon. But there is still a long way to travel before either side can claim the final victory.

Each uses a range of rhetorical devices in the struggle and at the pointy end the religions demand censorship. And since reason – by its nature – is an ineffective weapon against faith, their opponents resort to humour, sarcasm and satire to highlight its absurdities. But not, apparently, when it comes to Islam, and certainly not at the ANU. According to a statement from the “Woroni” editors, the university’s administrators last week threatened “all “Woroni” editors and all three authors of the piece” with academic misconduct that could lead to “exclusion from the

8 CityNews Jun 6–12

university”. In the face of these threats the editors removed the offending material.

The vice-chancellor Ian Young told ABC radio: “There have been a number of cases internationally of satirical cartoons about the Koran which can have some very unfortunate side-effects… we felt that it actually breached the rules of the university in terms of students’ conduct.”

This is a tragedy. For it is an extremist and distorted form of Islam that today represents the greatest threat to peace.

Indeed, our troops have been fighting its leaders in Afghanistan. Violence between Islamic sects is raging in Syria and Iraq. Our shores are beckoning an increasing number of refugees from Iran. Britain is convulsed with rage over Islamic extremist atrocities in its streets.

Clearly, censorship that has been imposed quite unashamedly since the fatwa on Salman Rushdie in 1989 is not helpful.

It merely protects the purveyors of hate from exposure. It actually empowers them since it gives an official imprimatur to their eminently contestable beliefs.

This is bad enough when the mass media bow their knee as happened when a Danish newspaper published a satirical cartoon. But it is outrageous when applied to a student newspaper in what purports to be a leader in the great quest to bring enlightenment to the dark corners of the human experience.

The faculty opted out. Perhaps they have forgotten the words of Edmund Burke, that graduate of Trinity College, Dublin: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”

www.robertmacklin.com

THEY’VE been blowing their own trumpets for 87 years, and now the members of the Canberra City Band have their own official history.

The bright, profusely illustrated book, “Mr. Chifley’s Baby”, was launched by the ACT Arts Minister, Joy Burch, at the Canberra Museum and Gallery.

Several former and present bandmasters, including Keith Helgesen, Colin Fischer and Geoff Grey, were at the event.

A collaborative effort by authors, John Sharpe and the late William Hoffmann, who have both had more than three decades of close association with the band.

The book records how the young Hoffmann was specifically chosen by the then-Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, to reform the band in 1947, to provide high-quality entertainment at official functions and community events in Canberra.

Speaking at the launch, co-author Sharpe revealed how, while researching the history of the band, he came across the manuscript of an unpublished book by Hoffmann outlining the musical development in Canberra up until 1990. Although the unpublished manuscript covered the whole spectrum of music in Canberra, it was the two chapters relating specifically to the early history of the Canberra City Band which most interested Sharpe.

He approached Hoffmann with the idea of incorporating sections of Hoffmann’s unpublished work in the complete band history he was preparing, and Hoffmann readily agreed, providing extra details in an interview he recorded with Sharpe just before his 90th birthday and perusing the first draft manuscript shortly before his death in 2011.

The result is an entertaining, meticulously researched account of an organisation that, in its own unique way, has provided immeasurable pleasure to countless public occasions.

letters

obituary

Walks without worrying THANKS to reporter Stephen Easton for his article on aggressive cyclists (“Mike vows to take on the Lycra louts”, CN, May 16).

It is probably not just about the Commonwealth Avenue bridge. My partner and I have experienced aggressive cyclists at Lake Ginninderra (walking path around the lake) and Yarralumla (bushy walking area from the nursery).

Narrow paths are shared by walkers and cyclists, and are very dangerous. We have to carry our toddler, as she can wander around and be hit by speeding cyclists. They can approach very quietly from behind and surprise by sudden loud bell ringing. We also wondered how slow-moving elderly people could react to such speedy approaches. They must have a heart attack!

I do not disagree with an expansion of the cycling population, but we need infrastructure to deal with it.

Shared paths do not seem to work any longer.

If we are to continue to encourage cycling, the Government needs to prepare separate footpaths and cycling lanes. I miss leisurely quiet walks in bushy footpaths on weekends without worrying about aggressive cyclists.

Help to have a go

The Lycra lunatics

COLLISS Parrett (letters, CN, May 8) decries people smuggling and Australia’s perceived role in it.

People smuggling, where desperate people with the money and aware of the risks seek a service and the service is provided, is an example of the free market in operation.

There is no easy solution. Among the options, Australia can: help eliminate/reduce persecution and poverty in the country of origin (the “push factor”); assist transit countries, like Indonesia and Malaysia, to provide a better life for refugees within their borders; provide a safer path to Australia and other resettlement countries; and assist Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia in apprehending people smugglers. Punishing the customers is no solution.

Yuji Tamura, Australian National University

DUE to age and infirmity, I have been a pedestrian for a few years now. The antics of the “Lycra lunatics” (“Mike vows to take on the Lycra louts”, CN, May 16) is not limited to bottlenecks.

I enjoy walking around the lake where the paths are good and there is level grass on both sides to allow passing. However, when walking (on the left hand side) around these paths I have been passed by cyclists at high speed without warning (despite bells being on the bikes) with inches to spare.

On one occasion, I was struck by one of these idiots without warning causing a lot of pain to my shoulder and instead of stopping to apologise, he unleashed a burst of profanity because I didn’t move out of his way fast enough.

On a number of occasions I have been jostled by cyclists while going across pedestrian crossings (I have only seen one cyclist get off their bike at a crossing once in the last 12 months despite the law) and have even seen parents leading children to ride their bikes across crossings (training the next generation).

I know that the majority of cyclists are probably responsible people, but it would be appreciated if they could talk to friends about showing consideration to older pedestrians. Perhaps that job should go to Shane Rattenbury, the self-styled advocate of Canberra cyclists.

I hope that Mike Welsh’s campaign helps before some elderly person is knocked down and seriously hurt by these “Lycra Lunatics”.

WE are now in economic white water approaching the Federal Falls on September 14. The view from small business kayaks is alarming because there is a malaise affecting small business – the biggest employer nationwide. During the last 10-15 years we have witnessed locally the rise of large businesses not always complementing smaller ones.

The lifeblood of the 25,000 small businesses in the ACT is being drained because of loose planning, associated red tape, taxes too high and too many, and questionable government influences. There is no intensive care unit for struggling small businesses, but the role of government is to ensure there is no need for one.

While recent performances of the Federal Government have not helped our economy, the ACT Government must come up with new initiatives to help those willing to have a go!

Colliss Parrett, Barton

Don’t punish ‘customers’

Patricia Saunders, Chapman

If we’d only known MICHAEL Moore may well harp on about political gaffes (CN, April 25). To wit: Peter Garrett’s famous throwaway line about Labor promises on the eve of the ’07 election: “Don’t worry, once we get in, we’ll change it all anyway.” If we’d only known then...

David Cumbers, Kaleen

Letters are invited from “CityNews” readers. Let loose to editor@citynews.com.au or write to the editor at GPO Box 2448, Canberra 2601. Letters of 200 words or less Name and address withheld by request stand a better chance of publication.

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John Notaras... respected businessman.

Business head with a heart RESPECTED Canberra businessman John Harry Notaras passed away on Monday, May 27, three weeks after his 74th birthday.

He died peacefully at home with his family around him, following a period of illness.

Mr Notaras made a strong contribution to the private sector in Canberra through retail, property management and wool growing, and through the Chamber of Commerce, ACT Property Council and Canberra Business Council.

He was the Duke of Edinburgh Award foundation member in the ACT and also contributed to the work of the Salvation Army, Canberra Region Medical Foundation, YMCA and Rotary.

Last August Mr Notaras was awarded the “Executive Director’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Property Council” by the Property Council and, in 2004, was a finalist for ACT Senior Australian of the Year. In 1998, he was appointed Honorary Ambassador of Canberra.

The born-and-raised Canberran also excelled at rugby, being selected to represent the ACT as an 18-year-old, and playing more than 100 first-grade rugby games for Eastern Suburbs.

John Notaras is remembered as the loving son of Harry and Helen Notaras, prominent and long standing members of the Canberra community.

His father was one of Canberra’s earliest private-sector entrepreneurs and the city’s first Greek migrant, having been sent alone to Australia from the island of Kythera as a child.

During the Great Depression, Harry and Helen gave what they could to help others get through, and ran a soup kitchen from the back of their business, the Highgate Cafe.

John Notaras was a husband to Koula and a brother to Jim, George, Nina and Emmanuel, a father to Helen and James, to Harry and Debbie and to Mary, as well as grandfather to Peter, Marie-Claire and John.

A funeral service was held at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas in Gosse Street, Kingston, on Monday, June 3.

sport

Money leaves its dark mark I REMEMBER standing outside the AIS pool as some of the world’s top swimmers were testing new swim suits.

The pool’s glass walls were blacked out, I was told, to protect the privacy of those involved.

History now shows the blackout had nothing to do with the privacy of the swimmers but with the way big business has infiltrated sport; the reality was that Speedo was protecting its multi-million dollar investment.

There is also a wider issue; had the public been aware of what was going on during the testing process, you’d like to think there would have been such an outcry that it wouldn’t have made second base.

As it turned out, swimming’s governing organisation approved the new suits before anybody with a sense of fairness had a chance to block it.

Eighteen months later, 130 world records had been broken by swimmers using the fast suit with Speedo claiming that 98 per cent of the medals won at the 2008 Olympics were by swimmers wearing the LZR suit.

By 2010 the suits were banned, but the question has to be asked: Why were the suits given the go ahead in the first place? What is fair about swimmers wearing compressed suits which aid buoyancy and reduce drag?

According to those who made the decision to allow swimmers to wear them, it was a natural progression to such

Tim Gavel comments

outfits.

It’s obvious that judgement in sport is clouded by a “win at all costs” attitude and, when combined with big business, it has the potential to ruin the fabric of sport.

But do we and those involved with sporting organisations actually learn from past mistakes? It is hard know.

What sporting organisation would allow athletes to be injected with supplements? You would like to think that there is somebody within each club with a moral compass to say it is the wrong thing to do.

Who allowed Tom Waterhouse and other betting organisations to invade sport during live television coverage of major events and establish a constant link between the sport and betting? Was there nobody with the judgement to suggest that it was wrong, despite the promise of significant financial rewards to the networks?

It is obvious that sport needs leaders with the nous and the conviction to actually say no occasionally. You get the impression we are living in an age where the boundaries are being stretched until there is an outcry. Money has the potential to challenge the integrity of sport. It is omnipresent with people looking to make money out of something that is a passion for many.

We need leaders to question these judgements at the concept stage before they become a reality.

Women take to Futsal ONE of the world’s fastestgrowing sports is indoor soccer, better known as Futsal.

Canberra is one of the thriving centres of this sport in Australia. As such the F League, which is the futsal version of soccer’s A League, will see a women’s league featuring an ACT

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team for the first time this season.

The Boomerangs club, which finished fourth in the men’s league last season, will have a women’s team competing against teams from Queensland, NSW and Victoria. We wish them all the best for the season.

Russia Day, June 12 special feature Celebrating a nation’s Summit heads to St Petersburg new start

RUSSIA Day, a holiday celebrated on June 12, marks the day in 1990 when the Russian Parliament formally declared Russian sovereignty from the USSR. The holiday was officially established in 1992. Initially it was named Day of the Adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation, but on February 1, 2002 it was officially renamed Russia Day. The First Congress of People’s Deputies of the Russian Federation adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on June 12, 1990.

The idea of the declaration was born in the Democratic Russia movement, in which proponents of evolutionary market reform and strong statehood based on Russia’s national interests started opposing the Communist monopoly on power.

The creation of the post of the President of the Russian Federation and the adoption of the new Russian Constitution to reflect the new political reality, along with the national flag, anthem and emblem of the Russian Federation, were major landmarks in the consolidation of Russian statehood.

The country’s new name – the Russian Federation (Russia) – was adopted on December 25, 1991. The day when the declaration was adopted – June 12 – was proclaimed as a national holiday by the Supreme Soviet of Russia in 1992.

Fast facts: Russia Chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (since May 7, 2012)

IN September, Russia is chairing the international financial and economic forum, the G20 Summit.

Throughout this year dozens of high-level meetings are being conducted, culminating in the September 5-6 summit in St Petersburg.

The G20 presidency comes as Russia looks back on its presidency of APEC last year and prepares to lead the G8 and BRICS in 2014.

In a speech to the G20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, in July last year, President Vladimir Putin outlined basic directions of Russia’s G20 presidency.

He said the priorities were centred around economic growth with a focus on job creation and investment, trust and transparency and effective regulation.

Traditionally, the G20 agenda has included two tracks: the financial track and the Sherpas’ track.

The former can be traced back to the time when the G20 was still a finance ministers’ meeting, although today it still involves largely ministers of finance and heads of central banks. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, left and President Vladimir Putin.

The latter track appeared after the G20 became a venue for the national leaders’ meeting in 2008, when it became a rapid-response mechanism in the global economic crisis.

In addition to the governmental two-track dialogue, five other tracks have been established in the last few years: Business20, Think20, Civil20, Youth20 and Labour20. Each of these involves a specific group of participants who have now become part of the G20 process: private companies, think tanks, students and labour organisations. Civil20 has become Russia’s contribution to further expansion of the G20 institutional platform.

Major G20 agenda items such as financial regulation, food security, employment and public debt, have been discussed through the prism of Russian priorities throughout the year.

Fast facts • The G20 represents 90 per cent of the global GDP, 80 per cent of global trade and two-thirds of the global population.

• Technically, the G20 members do not represent exactly 20 countries. The EU is counted as a single G20 “member,” although there are several European countries represented by the EU. • The G20 has existed since 1999, but it became an institution of global importance only after the global economic crisis of 2008.

• The title “Sherpa” designates the personal representative of a head of state in the G8 or G20, but the word came from a Nepalese ethnic group famous for assisting alpinists in conquering the Himalayas.

Head of government: Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (since May 8, 2012); Land area: 17,098,242 sq km Population: 138,082,178 (est.)

Major cities - population: Moscow (capital) 10.523 million; St Petersburg 4.575 million; Novosibirsk 1.397 million; Yekaterinburg 1.344 million; Nizhniy Novgorod 1.267 million.

CityNews Jun 6–12 13

Russia Day / June 12 1.

RUGBY WORLD CUP SEVENS MOSCOW JUNE 28-30 RUSSIA’S campaign to popularise sport by hosting major international events will see the Rugby World Cup Sevens held in Moscow for the first time.

Russia is relatively unchartered territory for the IRB. The tournament – June 28-30 – will be held at the 80,000-seat Luzhniki Stadium (home to the 1980 Olympic Games) and is expected to attract thousands of visiting foreign fans.

Luzhniki’s artificial turf will be replaced for the tournament by natural grass, brought in from the Tula Region.

Implementation of a major community ticketing program means that thousands of young people from Moscow and beyond will get to experience the skill and spectacle of

world-class rugby sevens.

A multi-million dollar advertising campaign for the tournament has been run across Moscow and there are also relaxed tourist visa requirements.

Russia played its first full Rugby World Cup last year, losing all its four matches and finishing last in its group. But it did leave its mark – not only did the Russian Bears set a new fashion for winter hats with ear flaps, they also scored three tries against Australia, despite being comprehensively beaten 68–22!

No other team scored that many points against the Wallabies during the tournament. In all, the Russians scored a total of eight tries, setting a record for tournament newcomers.

2.

2013 SUMMER UNIVERSIADE KAZAN, JULY 6-17 IN July, Kazan, the capital of one of the Russian republics called Tatarstan, will host the 2013 Summer Universiade (Youth Olympic Games).

Called the third capital of Russia, Kazan is one of the largest economic, scientific and cultural centres in the country.

The city celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 2005 and is home to about 1.2 million people – representatives of more than 100 nationalities who live in an atmosphere of cultural, religious and linguistic diversity.

Kazan has traditionally been one of the top science cities in Russia. Various renowned scientists have worked in Kazan’s universities and scientific research centres at different times.

Despite its great age, Kazan is a “young” city – it’s the largest student city of Russia with almost 200,000

students from 67 countries studying there.

Kazan is also a driving force for Russian sports development and is a home for many multi-titled athletes and sports clubs, which compete at national and international championships.

The 2013 Summer Universiade will run from July 6-17 and for the first time, 27 sports will be contested.

Apart from 13 compulsory sports, such as athletics, basketball, fencing, football, artistic gymnastics, judo, swimming, diving, water polo, table tennis, tennis and volleyball, 14 optional sports are included in the sports program: boxing, shooting, synchronised swimming, rowing, canoe sprint, sambo, wrestling, belt wrestling, chess, weightlifting, rugby sevens, field hockey, badminton and beach volleyball.

3.

G20 SUMMIT SEPTEMBER 5-6 IN September, Russia chairs the international financial and economic forum, the G20 Summit.

Throughout this year dozens of high-level meetings are being conducted, culminating in the

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September 5-6 summit in St Petersburg.

The G20 presidency comes as Russia looks back on its presidency of APEC last year and prepares to lead the G8 and BRICS in 2014.

special feature 4.

2014 WINTER OLYMPICS SOCHI FEBRUARY 7-23 PREPARATIONS for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi are in full swing.

The Winter Olympics commence in less than nine months, and the Sochi 2014 volunteer movement has stirred up a wave of social activity in Russia.

Tickets for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games went on sale in early February

and are available online at tickets. sochi2014.com or from the Olympic Committee of any participating country.

The organisers expect to sell 70 per cent of the tickets to the Russian public and the remaining 30 per cent to foreigners.

5.

THE WORLD EXPO HOST BIDDER EKATERINBURG 2020 SINCE the first World Expo held in London in 1851, Russia has been a permanent member of one of the world’s oldest and largest international events.

Despite the world becoming familiar with Russia’s unique architecture, fine and decorative art, industrial, agricultural and handicraft production through the exhibitions, no Russian city has ever hosted the World Expo.

The Expo is held every five years and runs for six months.

Russia’s fourth largest city, Ekaterinburg, is bidding to host Expo-2020.

Sitting on the border between Europe and Asia, Ekaterinburg is an established capital of economics, industry, commerce, culture, education, exhibitions and sport in one of the most powerful, emerging regions of the nation.

It is a cosmopolitan metropolis that serves as a microcosm of both Russia and our world. The city is investing billions in urban

infrastructure, including modern transport systems, techno parks and attractions and one of the world’s largest housing projects.

It is Russia’s most important technological and scientific centre, a world-class centre for science, learning and new ideas, and home to 45 higher education institutions and 20 academic research institutes.

More than 20 foreign consulates and diplomatic missions are located in Ekaterinburg and it enjoys twincity partnerships with 12 foreign cities. There are more than 300 multilateral companies with offices and operations, with more arriving there every month to take advantage of the city and regional business opportunities.

There is strong support across Russia and in Ekaterinburg to host Expo 2020. The country is united behind this project, and the Russian government at all levels is committed to providing financial and diplomatic support.

Fast facts: History • Russia emerged as the Principality of Muscovy in the 12th century; after more than 200 years of Mongol domination.

• The Russian Revolution of 1905 led to a new parliament and reforms.

• In 1917, Communist leader Vladimir Lenin won power and formed the USSR.

• By the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty had expanded the state across Siberia and to • Joseph Stalin strengthened Comthe Pacific. munist rule from 1928 to 1953.

• It was under Peter I, who ruled from 1682 to 1725, that the country emerged as the Russian Empire after it extended its rule to the Baltic Sea.

• In 1985, General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) to modernise Communism.

• By the 19th century, the Russian Empire made more land acquisitions in Europe and Asia.

• In December 1991, the initiatives split the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics.

CityNews Jun 6–12 15

Russia Day / June 12

Plan to remember RUSSIA was one of the major and hardest hit participants in World War I. The devastating war between 1914-18 led the country into the chaos of revolution and civil war.

Nowadays, with the active government and public support, a social movement has been created to restore and immortalise the memories, courage and self-sacrifice of those who took part in World War I. A special governmental committee together with many historical and war-historical organisations will

16 CityNews Jun 6–12

special feature

Sochi ready to host Games PREPARATIONS for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi are in full swing.

Russian army officers present a series of events next year to commemorate the centenary of the war.

Several monuments will also be erected in Moscow and other Russian cities.

The Games begin in less than nine months, and the Sochi 2014 volunteer movement has stirred up a wave of social activity in Russia.

Tickets went on sale in early February and are are available online at tickets.sochi2014.com or from the Olympic Committee of any participating country.

The organisers expect to sell 70 per cent of the tickets to the Russian public and the remaining 30 per cent to foreigners.

The newly constructed Sochi grounds have been tested by 44 competitions, including 20 international competitions and 24 national competitions.

A total of 101 medal sets – a larger medal count than the Olympic Games – were contested because all the facilities are new and had to be tested more extensively.

According to feedback from the International Olympic Committee and the athletes themselves, the competitions were a success. Both the management system and the infrastructure passed the test.

However, the weather is perhaps the biggest challenge. When the world’s best athletes descend on Sochi, the average temperature is likely to be a mild 7C. The organisers are already taking all the necessary steps not to depend too heavily on climatic situations during the Games.

The solution is to make snow. An estimated 100,000 cubic metres of artificial snow will be needed.

Unlike other host cities of the Winter Olym-

Game character Mario hits the slopes in his just-released official video game “Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games”. pics, the work involved is immense because Sochi’s infrastructure is practically being built from scratch. The cost is estimated at around $50 billion (by comparison, Vancouver’s Games in 2010 cost $6 billion).

Sochi is getting a total of 14 new Olympic facilities, including stadiums, skating rinks, ice hockey arenas and alpine ski trails. This is in addition to 30 new four and five-star hotels, and

54 three-star hotels.

Half of the finance is coming from private investors – mostly Russia’s richest billionaires – who are pumping up to $25 billion to make the Games a success.

Given the scale of change Sochi is seeing during the preparations for the Olympics, there are all the necessary prerequisites for it to grow into a popular international resort.

budget 2013

Stephen Easton Fees and fines in punishing rise

Michael Moore Cushion for the hard times ahead

UP THEY GO: RATES 10%, PARKING 20%, PARKING FINES 7%, TRAFFIC FINES 28% ‘There’s no doubt we face a difficult couple of years. This is a solid, reliable Budget that will set up Canberra’s future.’

Barr brings out the ‘rainy day’ money Laura Edwards

reaction

reports

EMPLOYMENT growth and major infrastructure to “transform” Canberra sit at the forefront of the ACT Government’s Budget for 2013-14.

Of his second Budget, Treasurer Andrew Barr announced a deficit of $340m for 2012-13 and forecast a deficit of $253.6m for 2013-14, an increase on last year’s prediction of $130.2m.

The Budget is not predicted to return to surplus until 2015-16, when a pre-election surplus of $29.3m is expected.

“During the financial boom, the Government put aside money for a rainy day, and today is that rainy day,” Barr told a packed media room at the Assembly.

“There’s no doubt we face a difficult couple of years. This is a solid, reliable Budget that will set up Canberra’s future.”

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher agreed the Budget was put together in “really challenging times”.

“There are funding pressures across government and reductions in Commonwealth spending which are certainly having an impact on the broader economy,” she said.

“These challenges put the responsibility fairly and squarely on us to continue to reform our Budget for the longer term. Overall the Budget is measured and responsible, without the need to slash and burn – instead, focusing on key priority areas.”

The top priority continued to be health, with the Government matching last year’s record level investment of $1.3b.

The Government will spend $5m in 2013-14 to begin work on a separate paediatric emergency area at the Canberra Hospital, while a total of $45.5m will be spent on 31 additional beds across Canberra and Calvary public hospitals in an effort to slash emergency department waiting times.

An extra $33m will go towards elective surgery to meet the increasing demand for elective surgery procedures, with a target of 11,000 operations in 2013-14.

As ACT unemployment rates lift, the Budget will

dose of dorin

Debt, deficit and deceit Opposition Leader JEREMY HANSON says the Budget is a classic “Wayne Swan” special, full of debt, deficit and deceit.

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and Treasurer Andrew Barr brief the media. have a “sharp focus” on increasing employment opportunities for both private and public sectors, said Barr.

“Through the measures we’ve announced, we can create new job opportunities and put forward projects that will create jobs, such as The City to Lake, to the construction phase and ongoing to support the economy,” he said.

“Commonwealth governments will certainly be contracting in spending, so it’s our hope we can keep this economy growing, and together with the private sector we can make important investments in this economy without cuts to the public service.

“We can’t save Canberra from Tony Abbott, but we can help the community through this difficult period.”

The Budget continued its implementation of the ACT business development strategy, focusing on small to medium enterprises and “broadening the role of the private sector by providing targeted funding and support to local businesses and helping to attract new business and investment,” according to Barr.

In addition, the government will cut insurance and payroll taxes for small and medium-sized businesses, although rates on commercial properties will increase by 20 per cent.

In a bid to boost the construction sector after a reduction in building approvals, the first home owner grant will increase to $12,500, up from $7000, available only to buyers purchasing new homes or homes they plan to “substantially renovate”.

In transport, $5m will go towards the preliminary design and delivery of a strategy for Capital Metro light rail route between Gungahlin and the City via

Photo by Brent McDonald

Flemington Road and $1.4m will go towards progressing the light rail master plan.

Ms Gallagher said despite the grim fiscal outlook, the light-rail was an “important long-term investment.”

“It wasn’t like it was this or nothing, there were other options there but this proved to be the one that could save us in the long run,” she said.

“This will not only expand, improve and modernise Canberra’s transport as a whole, but transform the city.”

The Government will also undertake a review of ACTION buses to determine whether it is efficiently providing high-quality services.

A strong investment in higher education was announced, with more than $2m to go towards “Study Canberra”, a plan to grow the tertiary education sector, increase student numbers and increase student capacity over the next four years.

The Government’s recent partnership with the Commonwealth Government to implement the National Education Reform Agreement (Gonski) will see a total increase of $190m in funding to all ACT schools by 2019.

In sport, the Government will spend $4.1m to increase Manuka Oval’s capacity and enhance its spectator and media infrastructure, in addition to the design of a facility upgrade at Greenway Oval.

Funding will also include upgrades to netball facilities across the Territory and the Lyneham Sports Precinct.

Arts investments included funding for the Ainslie Arts Centre, the Gorman House Arts Centre and the Kingston Arts Precinct.

AFTER promising responsible economic management, Labor has increased borrowings from $2.7 billion to $3.5 billion dollars. Money Canberrans have to repay and cannot be spent on real projects.

The interest bill on the borrowings is over $655 million – enough to build and staff an entire hospital this term alone, debt free.

The deficit is over $340 million, a massive running deficit that is simply unsustainable.

And the deceit is astonishing.

There is no excuse for the debt and deficits – revenue will actually grow by about $250 million a year and will be a billion dollars a year more by the end of the out years.

And astonishingly, over the next four years Labor will spend $668 million in excess of this funding growth.

Then there were Labor’s election claims that all their promises were funded. In fact, there are $142 million dollars in cuts to jobs and services, none of which were flagged and all of which cause real pain.

The promise that there would no job cuts is just false: 100 staff will be lost from education next year, 38 staff lost in community services year, and 17 from CIT. And Labor just keeps gouging Canberrans. Taxation revenue goes up 27 per cent in five years.

The take from rates goes up 16 per cent. Land Tax is up 5 per cent when Labor was meant to be getting rid of it. Car parking fees raise an extra 20 per cent. The traffic infringement take is up 28 per cent, court fines are up 200 per cent and parking fines 7 per cent.

This budget hides some stinging realities that will bring real pain – hidden behind the veil of debt, deficit and deceit.

More reaction, Page 18 CityNews Jun 6–12 17

budget 2013 / reaction

Ensure rhetoric matches investment Chris Faulks, CEO, Canberra Business Council THE council supports the 2013-14 Budget’s focus on diversification of the local economy and jobs growth, but is concerned not enough funding has been committed to ensure this laudable goal will be achieved.

We certainly welcome the overarching aims of this Budget. In view of the unstable global economic conditions and contraction of Federal Government spending here in Canberra, it is gratifying to see the ACT Government looking to stimulate growth.

However, we need to ensure the rhetoric around diversification of the ACT economy is matched by a level of investment that will allow quantum change in our local industry and economic base.

Greg Schmidt, acting chief executive, Chamber of Commerce & Industry THE ACT Budget for 2013-14 is a mixed bag for businesses in the ACT. The chamber welcomes the planned capital works expenditure, increased spending on tourism initiatives, and a more targeted First Home Buyers Grant that will apply only to new or renovated homes.

Less welcome are increases in property rates (with a jump exceeding 35 per cent in some cases) and increases in workers’ compensation levies. The ACT takes a gamble going so far into deficit, but it comes at a time when our local economy needs stimulus to combat the forecast cutbacks in Commonwealth Government employment and spending.

Vince McDevitt, ACT secretary, Community and Public Sector Union, WE recognise that the Government is under financial pressure.

But once again it’s the public sector that’s being raided to get it out of strife.

This time to the tune of $100m in cuts. And that’s coming straight out of the pockets of public sector staff who are facing a pay cut over the next four years.

Kim Sattler, Secretary, UnionsACT OVERALL, the Budget is positive for a broad range of workers in the Territory including construction workers, childcare workers, health workers and emergency services workers, but frontline public sector workers have fared less well with a very poor two per

18 CityNews Jun 6–12

cent wage offer, which is rejected by all unions and their members.

It seems that the Government has chosen to fund the light rail project instead of paying its current workforce fairly for the services that they currently deliver in the ACT. Unions are skeptical that ACT has the capability to get such a project off the ground without significant private investment.

Paul Flint, executive director, Council on the Ageing TEETH are a small part of the body with a big influence. This is the reason that COTA has lobbied for over a decade to get a dental service for immobile people in the community. It is pleasing to see the election commitment for a mobile dental clinic is addressed in this Budget.

Capital works in health and, to a lesser extent, transport, will both provide additional services to older Canberrans. Increases in Energy Assistance, the Targeted Assistance Scheme and support for a “Common Ground” to address homelessness are much needed initiatives. Overall, these initiatives are limited, but address areas of high need.

Susan Helyar, director, ACT Council of Social Service THIS is a modest budget that sets Canberra up to get through what is expected to be a tough couple of years for the ACT economy and community.

ACTCOSS welcomes investment in health, education and disability services. Treasury has predicted no real growth in employment, so long-term unemployment will increase, which increases demand for social services.

Revenue measures increase the fairness of tax, by taxing growth in wealth instead of transactions. Measures to address costs of living – grants for first home owners, reduced levies on insurance payments and increased support for utilities bills – are welcome. Indexation for social services will constrain wage growth.

that the services provided support those most in need. It is vital that services are developed in an informed way, utilising the evidence about what is needed and what works.

Darlene Cox, executive director, Health Care Consumers Association THE ACT Government has delivered a good budget for health in difficult times.

We are pleased to see growth funding for public health services and continuing commitments to realise a vision for a healthy community.

The infrastructure funds are welcome, in particular for the University of Canberra Public Hospital.

Additional hospital beds and more outpatients services are also welcome, while many people will be pleased that car parking issues at Calvary Hospital are being addressed. Walk-in centres are a great addition to our health system that will provide affordable, appropriate care to consumers. Similarly, the mobile dental clinic will make a difference to the lives of vulnerable members of our community.

Andrew predicts election outcome?

HE did, didn’t he? Feeding the media chooks in the Budget lock-up Treasurer Andrew Barr kept rumbling that the ACT Government couldn’t save the town from the ravages of an Abbott Federal Government.

Minister, wondered a droll scribe, does this mean you think Labor will lose? Barr brightly admitted to being a “realist”, but quickly backpedalled to say he was not quite ready to admit it.

LAST year, Barr’s debut Treasurer’s Budget Speech was prophetically, if not prematurely, titled “Supporting our economy. Supporting jobs”. This year, as both sides of the Federal aisle limber up to give Canberra a fiscal spanking, he retreated to titling it a less-committed “Building and Transforming Canberra”.

Adrian Langford, deputy executive director, HIA BY shifting the focus of the First Home Owner’s Grant to the construction of new homes, the investment by the ACT Government will not only benefit the firsthome buyer, but also generate economic activity and employment in the local building industry.

HIA also welcomes reports that the income threshold for the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, which provides stamp duty concessions for new properties, has been increased to provide wider access to the scheme.

WAS there anything to lock the media up about at the the Budget lock-up? Barr brazenly admitted he had been “communicating” the Budget for days.

EIGHT years coming and he just couldn’t help it... when reminded of the Liberal’s ACT election campaign against rate rises, Barr dismissed the question with the inevitable line from “Pulp Fiction”: “Zed’s Dead”. He sounded petulant bagging outgoing Liberal opponent Zed Seselja in an otherwise polished performance.

“MAJOR new theatre”? They finally said it, but no signs of funding any time soon as the Cultural Facilities Corporation is tasked with working with other agencies on future cultural facilities in Civic, “such as a major new theatre”.

SADLY, we report no further public funding for the Centenary Skywhale, but dodging columnist Michael Moore’s cheeky enquiry, Treasurer Barr did a nifty segue to assuring the assembled media that the Canberra balloon festival will continue. It was in doubt?

Emma Robertson, director, Youth Coalition: WE were pleased that the ACT Government’s election commitment to additional funding for youth engagement services has been realised.

This follows campaigning from both young people and the youth sector to ensure that youth services are resourced adequately, and are available to young people and their families across the Territory.

While it is great to see this injection of money, there is still work to be done to make sure

budget confidential

FACTS for eggheads: the ACT collects 751,159 tonnes of waste a year.

While the ACT Cabinet briefs the media at the Budget lock-up at the Legislative Assembly, one inventive television cameraman, clearly keen to impress his news director, cornered the strangest angle.

IT clearly pays to be wealthy when it comes to stamp duty on conveyancing. The rate increases on a sliding scale from 2.2 per cent on properties under $200,000 to a peak of 7 per cent for properties from $1,000,000 to $1,649,999. Good news is it decreases to 5.5 per cent for properties over $1,649,999.

SOMETHING called Horsefest is coming to town next year and has secured a one-off Government handout of $100,000.

review

Budget cushions the hard times ahead THE holy grail of Australian politics is only a light at the end of the tunnel in the ACT Budget. The “surplus” has been postponed.

No one even used the word “austerity”. Thank goodness! The ACT has not been dragged down into the quagmire of slashing, cutting and burning.

There are cuts but not a mad, impetuous drive for a surplus.

“Unlike other State Governments our savings strategy does not slash the size of the public service,” says Treasurer Andrew Barr.

Nor does it affect major programs.

Barr, brought down his first Budget looking to “help us become healthier and smarter, improve our city’s liveability, grow our economy and employment and renew the urban environment”.

What? No austerity!

And an operating deficit of $253.6m.

What can the Treasurer be thinking?

And, when reality bites, who is going to pay for it?

No surprises. Revenue is increasing and that means just one thing for the

What? No austerity! MICHAEL MOORE says Barr’s Budget has the right fundamentals without the slash, cut and burn of other governments. The priority is not surplus, but the ‘AAA stable’ rating. “smarter people” of Canberra. Canberrans can expect to see rates increase at an average of $139 per household. We jointly wear the burden.

Barr is continuing with the taxation reform that was the subject of such heated debate at the October election.

He sees it as fairer and more equitable.

He argues that the rates increase provides the opportunity for a reduction on stamp duties on homes. The rates increases, of course, will be much more if your land value is well above the average.

There is also the contribution of commercial rates. These rates will increase by up by 20 per cent. In a rather clever move this targets the many of the commercial buildings occupied by large Federal Government Departments.

The Federal Government has already cut some 2000 jobs from Can-

berra in the last few years and it looks like even more will be going. Wringing some minor revenue from them does seem justified while they are in the business of cutting jobs.

The fundamentals are right without the slash, cut and burn of other governments. The priority is not surplus but the “AAA stable” rating.

This is the highest available rating and shared only with Victoria. This is similar to the family that borrows to buy a home. The financial credibility relies on whether or not they can afford the repayments on the mortgage and, particularly, that they do not put the family in dire financial circumstances. With this Budget, Canberra remains in a good, strong financial position.

To keep our economy in equilibrium, at the very least, means creating jobs. Using capital works to create jobs in the building and construction industry is clever expenditure. Firstly, capital money is accounted for as “one off” expenditure. Unlike the recurrent expenditure used in employing people permanently, it does not have to be accounted endlessly into the future.

A challenge for job creation facing the Government is the prediction that the increase in population will outrun the growth in employment.

We do need more jobs for a sustainable economy. The main investment in capital works (including investment from previous years that are not yet complete) is $700 million to be spent in this coming financial year. However, as part of looking towards the light at the end of the tunnel in getting the Budget back in surplus, these commitments will decline over the out years.

Treasurer Andrew Barr... Canberra is going to face tough times.

Photo by Brent McDonald This year, the main two new capital items are the “City to Lake” project and the “Capital Metro” light rail project. The light rail strongly reflects the influence of the Greens as set out in the “Parliamentary Agreement”.

Between them, these capital works are intended to create up to 2000 jobs.

Not all the money comes from borrowing. In the good times when budgets were in surplus, according to Treasurer Barr, the ACT Government “put money aside for a rainy day”. He added, “Well! Today is that rainy day.”

The Government is not just looking to fund the construction themselves.

For the first time since Labor came to power in 2001 they are exploring “public-private partnerships”.

A key element in this Budget is seeking to diversify the economy. The second big-ticket item is tourism. The Government will be looking to the Canberra airport going international – with direct flights from the growing Asian middle-class markets. Other tourism investments will be an increasing number of festivals, improv-

ing “Brand Canberra” and providing stronger support for the ACT Convention Bureau. Investment in a pod of Skywhales has been ruled out!

The other major investments in jobs will be in the community sector as the reforms take effect with the start of DisabilityCare. Canberra will be the first jurisdiction in Australia to adopt. It also takes into account the continuing health reforms that have been underway for a number of years and investment in the new northside hospital at the University of Canberra.

Additionally, there is the introduction of the Gonski education reforms that were recently signed off by the ACT Chief Minister and the Prime Minister under the continuing flurry of flying sandwiches.

Canberra is going to face tough times. As far as possible, the Government is attempting to pre-empt these.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

Fees and fines in punishing rise Where the big

By Stephen Easton

CANBERRANS will pay more for parking fees and rates over the coming financial year, as well as bigger fines if they get caught doing the wrong thing.

Rates for residential blocks will go up by an average of 10 per cent, or about $139 per property, while commercial rates will rise by about 20 per cent, or $3388 per property.

ACT Treasurer Andrew Barr says the increased rates – particularly for commercial land – will make up for revenue lost through cuts to stamp duty, which immediately apply mainly to blocks worth over $1.65 million.

The stamp duty for the most expensive properties has been cut from 7.25 to 5.5 per cent, to support the Government’s aim of making the ACT more attractive to private investment.

Mr Barr says the shift to getting more revenue from rates, and less from stamp

duty, was being phased in over a five-year period to minimise the unfairness on ratepayers who have paid stamp duty at a past, higher rate.

Stamp duty is also going down slightly for properties worth under half a million dollars, over the next five years, but is slated to remain unchanged for blocks worth between $500,000 and $1.65 million.

But the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, which reduces the amount of stamp duty payable, will be now extended to more people. Anyone earning up to $160,000 a year will now be eligible for the scheme, with those buying a first home worth up to $425,000 getting the full concession, and those with homes up to $525,000 getting a partial concession.

The Fire and Emergency Services Levy charged to all ratepayers will also increase by $15.20 a year for residential and rural blocks, and $357.60 for commercial properties.

According to the Budget papers, the government will take about 20 per cent more revenue from parking fees across the Terri-

tory in 2013-14 than in the current financial year, most of which is coming from higher fees.

But relief from the annual parking fee hikes that Canberrans have endured for the last three years is in sight, with the 2013-14 increase being the last of four in a row that were first announced in the 2010-11 ACT Budget.

Forward estimates show the Government only plans to increase parking fees very slightly, to keep up with inflation, over the following three budgets starting from 201415.

Those who park illegally and pay a fine, however, will also contribute more to government coffers, by about 7 per cent compared to last financial year.

For traffic infringements, the government expects 28 per cent more revenue, due to higher penalties and more police initiatives targeting bad drivers.

But in percentage terms, those increases are dwarfed by the unexplained 204 per cent jump the government expects to see in court fines, from $202,000 to $615,000.

numbers go

IN 2013-14 the ACT Government expects to get $4237 million (4.237 billion), and spend $5353 million.

Of this revenue, 43 per cent, by far the lion’s share, comes from the Commonwealth while 31 per cent – $1298.7m – comes from taxing the ACT electorate.

User-pays government services such as parking, hospital fees from ACT and interstate residents, and water charges amount to about 10 per cent, or $437.8 million.

After that, 7 per cent is made up of dividends from ACTEW and the Land Development Agency, as well as other “income tax equivalents”.

Revenue for the 2012-13 financial year is estimated by the ACT Treasury at $4 billion, slightly

more than the original estimate of $3.952 billion, and slightly less than the estimate of $4.06 billion contained in the February ACT Budget Review.

This is due to the ACT Government taking $42.6 million or 3.3 per cent less tax money than was expected at this time last year, mainly from a softer house market delivering less than the forecast amount of stamp duty.

For the 2013-14 year, revenue is expected to grow by $62.3 million from increased takings in payroll tax and land tax – which are not increasing for individuals – as well as general rates and the Fire and Emergency Service Levy, which are both going to cost Canberrans more.

–Stephen Easton

CityNews Jun 6–12 19

The Apps Learning Centre / advertising feature

Changing rules to inspire special children THE Apps Learning Centre at Ainslie shops is a tutoring service that specialises in working with children who have special needs.

Founder Mary-Anne Apps explains that the centre’s individually tailored programs take a holistic approach, linking all areas of learning and development in a fun, positive environment, and says there are few other services like it in the ACT and surrounding region.

“The main difference between us and other tutoring services is our extensive and broad understanding of the barriers a lot of children face in the classroom,” she says.

“It’s one-to-one tutoring in an environment where a child can be completely and individually tailored for.”

The upbeat, passionate educator has a masters degree in special education, and has undertaken extensive study into various disorders that can affect a child’s ability to learn in the classroom.

She has lectured undergraduate students on special needs, inclusive education and how positive reinforcement can be used to modify behaviour for the better, “instead of just saying ‘no’ all the time”.

With this approach, The Apps Learning Centre caters for students with dyslexia, ADD or ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, global developmental delay, sensory processing disorder or difficulties with fine and gross motor skills.

“With any of those issues, we can strip away that shell, that barrier, and do whatever we need to, one-on-one, to make it work for them,” says Mary-Anne.

The centre also develops behavioural management plans for children in the classroom to identify what triggers negative behaviours and find positive solutions.

Over a 20-year career as a teacher with expertise in special needs, Mary-Anne has seen how challenging classroom education can be for some students, so her learning centre takes a completely different approach, underpinned with a firm belief that “fun is the key to learning”.

“The rules that you have to enforce in a school that take away the fun aren’t here,” she says.

“We don’t need to have rules that say you can’t have a piece of chocolate, for example. If we want them to remember something like the sound “ch”, we can give

20 CityNews Jun 6–12

Apps Learning Centre founder Mary-Anne Apps, left, tutor Allison Rice and teacher Nicole Spillane... “The naughtier or the harder the child is, you just love them more and give more,” says Mary-Anne. them a piece of chocolate. They can paint on the tables and write on the windows, too, and there’s a lot of hands-on work, a lot of craft, a lot of fun.”

Most children – especially those who aren’t thriving at school – find the idea of even more teaching a bit of a drag, but Mary-Anne’s whole approach focuses on helping them be themselves, be their best and be happy at the same time, in stark contrast to the classroom.

“We look at developmental age, not chronological,” she explains. “Often when a child walks in, their parent

says something like, ‘He’s in year 3 so we want him to get to year 3 level,’ but he might only be at kindergarten level. We remove all those expectations and work out where they are, we go back to where they’ve missed out and then, all of a sudden, their ability just jumps up.”

Students who come to The Apps Learning Centre start with an initial assessment that “looks at the whole child”, she says.

This covers not only their academic development but also links it with their physical and nutritional needs, as

well as sensory and behavioural allowances, all designed to promote self-esteem and wellbeing.

There is a particular focus on good nutrition and the importance of regular exercise through activities such as yoga, team sport, bike riding, swimming and running.

“Every child is different and the programs are not just academic, our whole approach is about trying to be holistic,” says Mary-Anne.

“Maybe they’re having trouble in maths and literacy when they come here, but that doesn’t mean we would just look at maths and literacy; that’s just one part of it.

“With that individual support, their self-esteem just goes up and they improve across all their learning. They feel so much better about themselves, just with someone understanding them, and then they can apply that across everything else.”

While its expertise is in special needs, The Apps Learning Centre also offers more standard tutoring services to help older primary school and high school students who want to excel in the highest level subjects, or get the best scores they can in major assessments.

Mary-Anne strongly believes in the service she provides and hopes to win Government funding to make it available to students with special needs, who can’t come to the little learning centre at Ainslie shops for various reasons.

“One thing we’ve noticed is that kids in rural areas outside of Canberra and kids from lower socio-economic backgrounds have limited access to anything like this,” she says.

As another teacher with many years experience in schools, who now works alongside Mary-Anne, Nicole Spillane is also a strong believer in how successful the learning centre’s methods are.

“One of the things I’ve noticed as a relatively new staff member here is that Mary-Anne’s used her experience from doing this job in a school for many years to then bring out the best of it, adapt it, but leave all the expectations and the rules behind,” says Nicole. “It’s taking something that’s been tried and true and used in schools for many years, but then fine-tuning it down to make it child-centred learning in here.”

The Apps Learning Centre, upstairs at Ainslie shops, Edgar Street, Ainslie. Call 0412 544 173 or email mapps@ theappslearningcentre.com

Canberra Confidential Trees dive at the Drive

TIMBER!... Dunrossil Drive, the sublime and shady driveway to Government House, is being largely lost to this generation (and a few more still to come).

Giant stands of mature pine trees, planted as early as 1926, are being “harvested” in a two-prong NCA program to replace what it describes as dead or dying trees. Not that the felled logs CC looked at appeared particularly worse for wear.

The lumberjacks are close to finishing the first stage with a second assault on the drive planned for 2015/16. Tree replanting won’t occur for up to 18 months after the felling is completed.

Reassuringly, there’s a lovely photo on the notice board showing how the lushly replanted driveway will look – long after we’re all gone.

Eye of beholder

Hmmms

LIBERAL MLA Giulia Jones has been banging on in the Assembly about the community eyesores that derelict former petrol stations across Canberra have become and what’s the Government going to do about it?

Sod’s Law then that Giulia herself is a party to an urban eyesore with a lingering big election sign from October pasted to the window of the derelict Laska House at Cooleman Court. “Pot calling the kettle black,” sniffs our Weston Deep Throat.

ZUCCHERO Pastry & Cafe, for years on The Lawns at Manuka, has closed.

Allhomes.com.au had the cafe up for sale in August last year.

Harvesting pine trees on Dunrossil Drive.

No sign of times THE Scarlet Pimpernel of food reviewers, Wendy Johnson, legged it out to Erindale to take a critical bite at the newly opened Soul Food Kitchen (flavours of New Orleans). Its website promises lunch, noon-3pm,

Thursday to Saturday, but it’s shut. She calls. Sorry, they explain, “we’re not doing enough lunches to justify opening. We’re hoping that will change in the warmer weather.” How hard is it to update a nine-week-old website or put a sign on the door?

Jeremy, meet...

GOOGLE “ACT Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson” and up pops a helpful little fact box that, among other things, confirms he’s an Australian politician. Instead of a picture of the clean-shaven, 46-year-old former Army officer, there’s a photo of a young, bearded man who, with a click on the pic, we discover is from California and quite good at American football. So good, in fact, he was offered a college football scholarship, turning it down for the academically superior Redlands University.

Yes, but is it art?

“He’s kind of an overachiever,” says American Jeremy’s high school football coach, Joe Silvey.

“Very scrappy and tough as a competitor.” Must be something about the name Hanson.

Know something? / confidential@citynews.com.au

REPORTER Kathryn Vukovljak snapped this “strange art installation” of green plastic chairs randomly placed into, presumably, deep holes at the building site at St Philip’s Anglican Church in O’Connor.

Turns out it’s the builder’s idea to add safety beyond the fence

Benchmarking THINGS our pollies have to do No. 27: Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr (second left) stress tests one of two park benches twinned Rotary Clubs Canberra and Nara (in Japan) have presented to Nara Park. Also putting the seat under pressure are club presidents Keisuke Sawai (left) and Natalie VandepeerBradley with Japanese ambassador Yoshitaka Akimotoo.

HOWLER from the “The Bungendore Mirror”: “Each year Scouts from all over the region participate in a weekend of fun, adventure and activities competing for the highly sorted after Pigskin Trophy.”

VODAFONE’s very first Canberra customer has finally lost the faith and is heading to Telstra saying she is sick of billing cock-ups and unhelpful service.

WHAT’S in a name? Heard at a local park, mother screams: “Serenity, stop hurting everyone!”

ACT Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson gets the CC Kiss-on-the-Nose Award for the political restraint of only one picture of himself in his latest electorate newsletter.

CityNews Jun 6–12 21

scene

IF YOU’RE FACING A CRIMIMAL MATTER, ENSURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT REPRESENTATION.

MS morning tea, Turkish Embassy, Yarralumla

Cigdem Lasalle, Viv and Louise Littlewood

Barbara Magi, Nina Karouzos and Gloria Byrne

Setoki Maseko and Shephalie Farshid

22 CityNews Jun 6–12

Gilberte Alamedine, Wame Dechambenoit, Bozena Rider, Selim and Gulay Bilsel

Mujde Tahtali Cayir and Murat Tahtali

Wendy and Judy Mcleod

Make-A-Wish Ball, Italo Australian Club, Forrest

Josh and Jen Papp, Lewis Papp and Josie Dempster, Megan Ehlers, Tim Papp, Brianne and Adam Hoitink

Mara Pavkovic, Ivana and Bojana Simic

Mario and Jo Carralos, Adriana and Terrence Merrigan, Marisa and Dan Lee with Daniel Papandrea

Kylie Bersinic and Reece Cheater

Steve and Sonia Zilic with Emma and Scott Kildey

Luciana and Andrew Balzanelli

scene Opening of ‘Turner from the Tate’ exhibition, NGA

Laura Fischetti, Lindsey Davie with Meredith and Caitlyn Lane

Michelle Lauder, Caitlin Taylor and Siobhan Ion

Stephen Byron, MLA Mary Porter, Ian De Landelles and David Headon

Teresa Comacchio, Sean Worth, Jo Hoadley and Viv Mitchell

Steven Fanner, Tania Maras, Tanya Cleary and Brad Watts

Merran Aguilera, Georgia Canduit and Judy Forsyth

50th anniversary, Organisation of African Unity, Deakin

Game Selepeng, Setoki Maseko, Oratile Khama and Dinah Ngwako

Jane Amisi, Ivana Damjanovic and Wame Dechambenoit

Chuma Ukwu, Nigerian high commissioner Ayo Olukanni and Bernard Zipamor

Julianne Quaine and Joseph Delle

Anna and Jonetani Tagivetaua

Linda Eberhardt and Jesse Groch

Ramesh and Kala Govind

CityNews Jun 6–12 23

arts & entertainment “King Kong’s” Peter J Wilson... “It’s my role as director of puppetry to help make people believe this creature has intelligence – a brain, a heart and a mind.”

The ‘G’ whiz talks music

By Helen Musa

WHY did the Australian Dance Theatre choose the letter G as the title for the dance work we’ll be seeing soon?

King Kong has a Canberra accent

By Helen Musa

YOU’VE probably been hearing about the new “King Kong” musical, now running in preview at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre, and the six-metre-high silverback gorilla that takes centre stage.

Inspired by the famous 1933 film that starred Fay Wray, the new musical boasts a creative team packed with former Canberrans.

Daniel Edmonds is musical director; Queenie van de Zandt plays a newlyinvented principle character, the wanderer “Cassandra”; Damien Bermingham sings; Carmen Pavlovic is producer and Derek

Lynch is digital file co-ordinator.

It’s an impressive list, but most eminent of all is the show’s director of puppetry, Peter J Wilson.

Named Canberra Artist of the Year in 1995 and Sidney Myer Individual Performing Artist of the Year in 1997, Wilson headed up Canberra’s Company Skylark, later setting up puppetry courses at the Victorian College of the Arts and directing for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. Recently he has revamped his seminal show “Cho Cho San,” for the China National Theatre.

Right now Wilson is doing what he loves best, bringing a man-made creature to life – and what a creature!

“Kong” is a 1.2 tonne silverback gorilla created by animatronics whizkid Sonny Tilders, who made the creatures for “Walking with Dinosaurs”.

They experimented, visiting Werribee Zoo and sitting with the silverbacks.

“So many things that they did were familiar to us... we asked ourselves, do we want King Kong to walk across the stage?

Does he climb? Does he leap? Does he lie down?

In puppetry you demystify, you break down,” Wilson says.

“He’s an extraordinary size and shape, so this creation is something that’s being talked about in the puppetry world.”

Engineers may have made Kong, but the giant ape comes to life through the automaton that moves him around the stage, the 10 puppeteers who control the legs, wrists, arms and back to give him full animation and finally, the “Voodoo”, or remote control technicians who, from the back of the theatre, give movement to his eyebrows, nose, eyes and lips.

Wilson has plainly fallen in love with his creation.

“It’s important that we empathise with the life of this beautiful creature that’s been taken out of its habitat and treated poorly – an incredible creature that is lost and lonely,” he says.

“The only person who has a connection to him is the girl he abducts and befriends, Ann Darrow, but there’s no getting away from it, King Kong is clearly black and Ann is a white-skinned blonde.

“I’ve become aware that no man has a right to destroy things that are so beautiful – this story is very relevant today and it’s my role as director of puppetry to help make people believe this creature has intelligence – a brain, a heart and a mind.”

“King Kong” at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, until 2014, bookings to kingkongliveonstage.com

Moving flight of the aviators AVIATION may seem an unlikely source of dance inspiration, but with “InFlight”, choreographer Liz Lea has created an elegant, inventive, highly original and entertaining dance work.

Vintage archival images and sound, clever lighting and excellent period costuming combine to recreate a world fascinated by the exploits of aviators, Amelia Earhart and Charles Kingsford Smith. A plane is built onstage, which eventually crashes, providing an affecting conclusion with the four dancers moving among the wreckage.

The abstract second act explores the

dance

“InFlight” Presented by Liz Lea & Co. At the National Library, season closed Reviewed by Bill Stephens world of birds. The four dancers wear gracefully draped, feathered costumes to execute an intriguing choreographic repertoire of stylised bird movements.

Miranda Wheen, Alison Plevey, Marnie and Melanie Palomares each shine in individual solos, and dance superbly in the unison passages.

Deep, meaningful but unfinished

24 CityNews Jun 6–12

OVER more than a decade Version 1.0 has presented some of the most innovative and exciting theatre seen in Australia.

Its work touches on big themes linked into highly theatrical and polished stage presentation. This was no exception; though unfortunately, it lacked some of the depth and intensity of previous productions.

The subject of sex, politics and public aspiration was certainly topical. However, only a few of the scenes went into deeper analytical territory and there was a sense of the piece being unfinished.

theatre

“The Major Minor Party” Co-devised by Version 1.0 At The Playhouse, season closed.

Reviewed by Joe Woodward Nothing was resolved nor was it particularly challenging. Perhaps this is a limitation of the style, though Version 1.0 has become very skilled at providing theatrical imagery and juxtapositions to draw out contradictory aspects of political and social statements.

Could it stand for Garry, the audacious choreographer? Or is it short for “Giselle”? After all, Garry Stewart, who cheekily reworked “Swan Lake” into “Birdbrain”, is known to have had the ghostly 19th century ballet in mind when he created the work.

Violently athletic, yet dreamlike in a sinister way, with costumes in green that owe something to the tutu and something to contemporary dance, the new ballet conjures up a netherworld of unreality or perhaps the afterlife, a key motif in “Giselle”.

Using 11 of his dancers from the Australian Dance Theatre in Adelaide, Stewart explores themes of hysteria, desire, gender and death – all in 60 minutes.

The entire production is underscored by insistent electronic percussive sounds composed

by Luke Smiles, whose electrifying physical performances were seen in the earliest days of Gideon Obarzanek’s Chunky Move company and who always seemed to be out there on the edge.

I chat to him in between rehearsals for a Sydney production of Jean Genet’s “The Maids”, starring Cate Blanchett. Smiles is the sound designer this time, but performance is never far from his mind.

Dancers Troy Honeysett and Emee Dillon in “G”.

Photo by Chris Herzfeld “My formal training was in dance,” he tells “CityNews”, “but until I was a professional, I couldn’t afford to buy the apparatus, the computers, to create music.”

After three years he’d got enough equipment and now, for 15 years, has worn twin hats as dancer and composer.

Isn’t that unusual?

“Totally,” he replies, “normally the music production is quite separate from the dance and there are many composers who never even come to rehearsals.”

“Choreographers feel comfortable with me because I’m a dancer,” Smiles says.

Serendipitously, in 2007 when Stewart came up with the idea of creating “G”, Smiles happened to be around, so got a dancing role in the show and the job of composing.

“My process is different,” he says, “I find it best to be in rehearsal for the whole time.”

It started with Stewart talking about hysteria in connection with the Giselle motif.

“I asked, what sounds, or tones and scales combine to represent the state of hysteria?” he said.

“After a while I started to get an understanding… choreography and composition were kind of the same – we were doing it together.”

The music that Smiles has created for G is largely electronic, although there is a “very slight” reference to the classical “Giselle” music.

“The music,” Smiles says, “is the engine driver to the piece”.

“G”, Canberra Theatre, June 13-14, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au

arts & entertainment

That boy from Oz is back with all the ‘Dancing’ goss THAT bold boy of stage and small screen, Todd McKenney, is appearing at the Southern Cross Club soon, performing the songs of the late Peter Allen. The original “Boy from Oz”, long before Hugh Jackman starred in the show on Broadway, McKenney has since developed his persona through “Dancing with the Stars”, and threatens to give us all the goss. Woden Southern Cross Club, Friday, June 14. Bookings to 6283 7200.

THEY just couldn’t help themselves. Ten local artists who are celebrating the big centenary year through their individual interpretations of Canberra have named their

Helen Musa arts in the city

coming show “The CenTENary exhibition”. The 10 are: Susan Banks, Bev Bruen, Dianna Budd, Dianne Firth, Monika Leone, Andrea McCuaig, Ayako Saito, Kerry Shepherdson, Gabrielle Soulsby and Aria Stone. At Canberra Grammar School Gallery, Red Hill, until June 22.

TRIO Telopea, a dynamic, young, musical group made up of Alys Rayner, violin; Emma Rayner, cello, and Emily Buckley, piano, will take to the stage on Wednesday, June 12

for the Wesley Music Centre’s “Lunchtime Live” series from 12.40pm-1.20pm. They’ll be performing the Smetana Piano Trio in G minor. Paper note entry or concession, $2. No bookings required.

ACO2 is an ensemble of the Australian Chamber Orchestra formed by core musicians teaming up with young string players from the orchestra’s “Emerging Artists” program. They’ll be in town on June 15 performing the “greats” for string instrumentalists, including Stravinsky’s “Concerto in D” and Bartók’s “Divertimas”. Here’s the new thing – this is part of the mainstage

subscription series. The concert, which also features German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, is at Llewellyn Hall, 8pm, June 15, bookings to 1300 795012 or ticketek.com.au IT’LL be nostalgia writ large when “Buddy ‘n’ Roy: Together ‘n’ Alone” come to town on June 15. Scott Cameron, 26, sings Buddy Holly and Jon O Nicholson is the Big “O”. At the Playhouse, Saturday, June 15, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au BY removing himself from the city to the edge of the Mallee early in his career, Ralph Tikerpae, winner of the 2013 Narrandera

Sculpture Prize, has been able to develop his art away from the “tyranny” of the urban environment, he says. Tikerpae’s work, primarily using recycled steel, will be in the Outdoor Gallery at Belconnen Arts Centre overlooking Ginninderra and Emu Inlet until June 16.

SCOTT Chaseling, who’s back from a lengthy European sojourn, has curated a show at the Canberra Glassworks in Kingston. “Digest” features the work of five top glass artists, including Alex Asch, Lucio Auri, Giles Ryder, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro.

Until June 20.

Great, long ‘Gatsby’ “The Great Gatsby” (MA)

The Alchemy Bar... So do these new owners have the profound powers needed to put the chemistry back into the Manuka space?

A promise of magic IT’S not every day you walk into an Wendy Johnson establishment and see wallpaper inspired dining by an alchemist’s book from the 16th The apple and prosciutto bruschetta with maple century. But that’s what you get at The glaze was a great combo of crunchy, salty and sweet Alchemy Bar in Manuka.

This new bar/restaurant enjoys a great position, across from Public and – to open soonish – the Polit Bar. Over the years The Alchemy Bar has been many things (La Grange, Minque, The Cabinet). So do these new owners have the profound powers needed to put the chemistry back into the space? The combination of magic, science and spirituality of a true alchemist?

The main, curved bar still holds court, but has been transformed into a more contemporary look.

The fascinating wallpaper is silver with black on one wall and black with silver on another. Black leather couches offer comfort and there is a separate, intimate space for small groups. The black back-lit wall near the kitchen adds a stylish touch.

But what about drink and food? Chef Joshua Sargent has worked at the Realm Hotel and, most recently, The Deakin. He has an interesting line up of dishes – breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lunch features 10 tapas items ($3 to $3.50 each).

Off-the-bone dishes include tenderloin or sirloin ($25.50) and rib eye (from $30).

Salads include a sticky chilli pork belly ($17.50) and it’s great to see a traditional French onion soup ($9.50) on the menu. There are items from the sea and what The Alchemy Bar calls “classics” (burgers, nachos and the like), plus a list of pasta and risotto options.

elements. The seared Japanese scallops, perfectly cooked, came with tangy green olive salsa and were lovingly presented with dipping sauces – chilli sambal, olive oil and balsamic, and plumb. However, we weren’t sure what to do with them given the tapas we ordered.

For mains, we were intrigued by the truffle cream spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sugo and grana padano, but ordered the oxtail tortellini in a ragout with balsamic ($18.50) and the saffron seafood paella ($19.50).

The tortellini was an exceptionally generous serve.

The pasta was al dente and the ragout rich indeed. A wonderful winter dish. My saffron paella was high on flavour, with mussels (slightly overdone for my liking), chorizo, prawns and calamari ($19.50). It was a modern twist and so without the crunchy bottom I adore.

The Alchemy’s wine list is super reasonably priced (a pleasant find), but could be transformed to feature more varieties. With whites, for example, I’d branch out, and a local option would show support for the region.

At The Alchemy Bar, DJs spin action Friday and Saturday nights and you can relax with live jazz Sunday afternoons (2pm-5pm).

The Alchemy Bar, 17 Franklin Street. Open seven days.

Call 6232 7272.

Dougal Macdonald

cinema AT 142 minutes, Baz Luhrmann’s filming of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novella runs perhaps 50 too many.

Much of the flab is a series of elaborately-staged orgiastic recognising the Aussie actors in supporting roles. variations on the theme of party party party at Gatsby’s At all cinemas Long Island mansion with New York’s well-heeled hedonists of 1922 getting drunk, enjoying the music (often the party’s “Un bonheur n’arrive jamais seul” (Happiness best element), exposing fresh flesh while sponging on an never comes alone) (M) unseen host, whose role in the festivities is to lay on the WHILE “Happiness never arrives unaccompanied” better booze and employ staff to sweep up next morning. reflects the true flavour of James Huth’s romantic comedy, Evaluating how well the film reflects Fitzgerald’s it’s 10 characters longer than its official English name. A novella is probably unnecessary. It’s a love story. Tom has small economy of advertising space more annoying than enough money to sustain a high lifestyle. His wife Daisy dissonant. pretty much does as Tom directs. Across the sound is Sacha (Gad Elmaleh) plays great piano in a Paris dance Gatsby’s mansion. Next door lives journalist Nick (Tobey Maguire) who one day gets something no other freeloader bar because (a) the patrons enjoy his style and (b) he never has to pay for a drink. His chum Lolo wants him to comhas – a handwritten invitation to tonight’s party. pose a score for a multi-disciplinary performance event.

Through this series of elaborately staged parties, the tension between Daisy and Gatsby develops. The film gets When, during a rainstorm, Charlotte falls on the pavement in front of him, Sacha, while still standing, also falls. around to investigating some difficult questions. Who is As Charlotte, Sophie Marceau breaks away from her Gatsby? Where did he get his wealth? Was he a hero durusual cool filmic style with energetic pratfalls. Not merely ing World War I? Do he and Daisy have a history of which Tom, a playboy with well-developed tastes in debauchery, another one-night stand, her parameters are outside is not yet aware? Is Gatsby’s history a fabrication, an invita- Sacha’s regular romantic terms of trade. She is twice martion to us to wonder which of its details have substance? ried and thrice a mother. Her current estranged husband Many people will see the film out of curiosity energised Alain runs a company that has engaged Sacha to practise by the film’s notoriety preceding its arrival on our screens. his day job, composing an advertising jingle.

Why not? Its last hour or so reminded me of the promise Huth obviously intended his film to be a farce in the Leonardo DiCaprio showed the first time I saw him, his French style. Unfortunately, its slapstick gags lack subtlety. knockout 1993 portrayal of intellectually-damaged Arnie Sacha tries to woo Charlotte with domestic skills beyond in Lasse Hallstrom’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”. Joel his talents. Alain threatens his livelihood. Lolo gets him a Edgerton is powerful as the hard-to-like Tom. New York gig. Will Charlotte be waiting when he returns?

But the film’s most satisfying element is Carey MulWere the film’s comedy more clever, less episodic, ligan’s portrayal of Daisy. From the first sight of her, you it could have reflected its title with a frothier, lighter might be forgiven for feeling that you were watching a happiness. And the accompanying unhappiness would reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe, with a smaller chest and have offered better credibility while not diminishing an better brain. essential joie de vivre.

The film was shot in Australia and you can have fun At Palace Electric

CityNews Jun 6–12 25

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HELLEBORES brighten up the winter garden.

Interestingly, the colourful parts of the plant are sepals rather than petals.

To get the best out of hellebores, which belong to the Ranunculus family, cut the foliage back to ground level in early autumn. By the end of autumn, the new, bright-green foliage will be several centimetres high with buds forming for winter flowering.

Here are some of the most popular varieties for the home garden: Helleborus argutifolius is a native of Corsica.

With its leathery, dark, evergreen foliage it can grow to about half a metre high. The distinctive green, cup-shaped flowers appear from June to early September and will thrive in full sun in well-drained soil. They are very forgiving even if the soil is not the best. The flowers are useful as a cut flower and will last a long time.

Helleborus foetidus has the unfortunate common name of “stinking helleborus” as the Latin name suggests. This is a rare British native, although still available here. It forms a broad, evergreen mound 75cm high by up to a metre across.

The deeply divided leaves smell unpleasant when crushed, although the idea is to enjoy the flowers and not go about crushing the leaves.

The green flowers are nearly cylindrical with a purplish margin on the tips. This grows best with plenty of organic material such as rotted leaves in a dappled shady position.

Possibly one of the most popular is Helleborus niger, which is not black as the Latin name would suggest. It is also known as the “Winter Rose” in

Cedric Bryant gardening

Australia and the “Christmas Rose” in Britain and Europe. It is also popular as a florist’s flower.

It is no relation to roses, except the flowers resemble old-fashioned heritage rose flowers.

The blooms appear in early winter for a long flowering period often into early summer. The most common blooms are white with a green eye and up to 7.5mm across appearing above the deeply divided leaves. Once again it loves a humus rich soil in dappled shade.

The common species H. orientalis is the variety mostly seen in gardens with its purple flowers growing to about 50cm high.

This has been a useful plant for hybridising in the forms of H. orientalis x hybridus. Flower colours in the hybrid varieties are available in a wide range of colours from deep pink to rich purple with blooms often spotted and can include semi-double and double flowers.

They will often self-seed in abundance and can easily be transplanted after flowering in early autumn. This will enable the roots to become established before winter. All Hellebores can make a magnificent sight planted en masse under deciduous trees, which allow the sun in winter to promote flowering. An ideal companion plant is Heuchera with accompanying leaf colour to match the hybrid hellebores.

THE earliest blossom tree is the flowering apricot,

Prunus mume, coming into flower in parks and gardens now, depending a little on the weather.

The two most popular varieties are Prunus mume “Rosebud” with deliciously scented, double pink flowers growing to 4m x 4m. Or P.m. “Splendens”, also with double pink flowers, but a slightly narrower tree at 3.5m.

Both are ideal for the average size garden and would look spectacular in a group of three, if you have the space.

If you want to follow on with an early spring flowering blossom tree, the flowering almond, Prunus dulcis “Purpurea” has striking double reddish-purple blossoms followed by dark purple leaves in summer. These and other blossom trees will be arriving at your local garden centre in the coming weeks. Possibly the young flowering apricots may be showing a few flowers.

Things to do • Check stored tubers of dahlias and cannas for rot.

• Another reminder to disconnect plastic tap timers to prevent frost damage and remember to disconnect garden hoses at night.

• Check indoor plants. Are they too close to air-conditioning or heaters? Is the saucer full of water? Fill the saucer with coloured pebbles and sit the pot on the pebbles to prevent root rot.

Canberra garden in China CANBERRA landscape architect Neil Hobbs will be describing what it took to develop “The Garden of the Southern Cross” – the only Australian garden included in the World Landscape Art Exposition in China – at the National Museum of Australia, 5.30pm- 7.30pm, on Thursday, June 20.

Harris Hobbs Landscapes was one of only 20 landscape architect firms from around the world to be asked to design a garden for this international event, which is taking place on a huge site (3km x 1km) in the new Jinzhou city, on the edge of the Bohai Sea, until October.

Tickets at $25, which include the talk, canapes and drinks, can be booked at opengarden.org.au or by calling 0458 700079.

puzzles page Joanne Madeline Moore your week in the stars / June 10-16

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

You’re passionate about getting ahead but, the more you try to control and rush others, the more they will resist. So slow and steady wins the current race. When it comes to family members, communication and consultation will get you a lot further than bossy behaviour. The weekend is wonderful for practical DIY projects plus cooking, craftwork and gardening.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

Being complacent with loved ones could lead to complications, so you need to adjust the way you communicate this week, Taurus. The more flexible you are mentally, the easier it will be to adapt to the changing landscape. Plus keep your mind focused on the future, rather than dwelling on the past. There is much to be gained from becoming involved in local community projects.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Business deals, financial transactions and joint ventures are favoured this week, as long as you knuckle down and do your homework and read the fine print thoroughly first. Geminis prefer being gung-ho but you need to slow down as the devil is definitely in the detail at the moment. The more you focus on domestic matters and family members, the better the weekend will be.

General knowledge crossword No. 410 Across Down 3 Name the horse that won the Melbourne and Caulfield cups in 1995.

7 What is a course of travel by sea, especially to a distant place?

8 What is a basket in which a baby sleeps?

9 To be borne on the water is to be what?

10 Name a dish consisting of beaten eggs, served folded, with other ingredients.

11 What are the smouldering remains of a fire?

14 What are devices for capturing birds or small animals?

17 To correspond exactly, is to do what?

18 What is an irregular, dark patch in the sky, consisting of interstellar gases and dust?

19 Name another term for brightness.

20 What was the name of the twelve kings of ancient Egypt?

21 Which fabric consists of a warp upon which coloured threads are woven?

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CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Mercury and Venus are visiting your sign which enhances your Cancerian charisma... and you’ll need every drop of it this week! Colleagues will be cranky and loved ones demanding, so crank up your communication skills and turn the charm factor up to 10! And do you have to make an important decision? If you combine intuition and logic, then you’ll know what to do.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Convivial Cats – aim to get the balance right between socialising and spending quality time on your own. Plus shine a spotlight on your goals and aspirations for the future – are they an honest reflection of who you are right here and right now? If you have an ongoing problem that’s worrying you, look to a mature family member for some well-chosen words of advice.

2

1 Name the substance used to thin the blood, and poison rats.

2 Which art style was developed in Italy in the 16th century?

3 Those who owe money are said to be what?

4 Which protein hormone maintains the balance of glucose metabolism?

5 Name a large lizard found in Australia.

6 Which upholstered seats are for two or more persons?

11 What is a passage taken out of a book or the like?

12 To increase or strengthen is to do what (5,2)?

13 What are narrow zigzag braids used to trim clothing, etc?

14 Which term relates to the general appearance of a place?

15 Montgomery is the capital of which US state?

16 When one develops gradually one does what?

Solution next week

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SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

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“My business plan consists of following a system and reviewing my position on a six monthly basis,” he said.

“The ATO even suggests that it is helpful if you have qualifications or specific training in subjects related to share trading.

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“I am aware that you do have these qualifications so that all adds further weight to the fact that you are carrying on a business of share trading.

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Sudoku medium No. 105

Solution next week

“The other factors that the ATO deems important are repetition, the number of trades that you do and the amount of capital you put into the venture.

“I have looked at your share-trading records and you certainly are trading on a regular basis.

“However, the thing that I notice is that most of your trades are small.

I just need to clarify that you have sufficient capital to ensure that you can deal with market downturns.”

Eddie said he had sufficient savings and access to a line of credit to top up the funds, if needed.

He also said that the system that he was using relied on investing small amounts in many different shares rather than large amounts in fewer companies.

“Well, it looks like you have all bases covered and, on the balance of probability, you are carrying on a business of share trading,” I told him.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Avoid staying on the same path for too long! Saturn trines Neptune this week, which is fabulous for taking new ideas (which you discuss with others) and incorporating them into your hopes, dreams and wishes for the future. The more you combine the creative with the practical, the better the outcome will be. Saturday is super for getting involved in group activities.

“I should also remind you that you can claim all the costs you incur in relation to share trading.”

If you need information on your tax position in relation to share trading, contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

6295 2844

Solutions

Crossword No.409 J O R D A N O

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Sudoku hard No.104 A

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Daily astrology updates at www.twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2011

“Firstly, you need the intention to make a profit. If you intend only to receive income by way of dividends this is not carrying on a business of share trading.”

“You need to keep good records of your trading, which I know you do,” I said.

19

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Fish can easily get sidetracked or lost in a fantasy world, but this week, Saturn helps you find positive ways to turn your abstract ideas into robust reality. So don’t waste the opportunity to ditch procrastination, and power ahead with creative projects instead. It’s also a terrific time to incorporate a spiritual discipline (like meditation or yoga) into your daily routine.

“The ATO states that you need to be carrying on a business of share trading, so you need to display the characteristics of a business,” I told him.

I told him that was good and that the ATO also recommended that he have a good administration system in place and that he do everything in a business-like manner.

17

The focus is firmly on partnerships. If a romantic relationship isn’t going well, it’s up to you to take steps to improve it – or walk away. Single Sagittarians – is there someone special who’s caught your eye? You’ll have to be proactive and make the first move. Jupiter gives you a fabulous confidence boost on Friday, as you formulate an exciting new goal for the future.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Eddie has been trading in shares and wanted to know if this new business venture satisfied the Australian Taxation Office’s definition of a share trader and not a share purchaser.

That suggested Eddie was a share trader rather than an investor. I asked him if he had a business plan.

With Saturn moving slowly through your sign, you need to bravely re-define the real you. Don’t try to model yourself on others – let your inner voice be your guide. It’s time to reveal the true talents buried deep within your Scorpio psyche! Be inspired by birthday great Judy Garland: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

A problem from the past or a secret love affair could come to the surface this week. Don’t lose sleep worrying about what people think of your current situation – most will never know the whole story. And don’t judge others until you have walked a few miles in their shoes. For some Aquarians a close relationship heads off in a new (and totally unexpected) direction.

Eddie confirms his trader status

“In fact, I haven’t received any dividends, nor do I intend to do so. I follow a system very closely and I trade regularly,” he said.

10

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Do you have a brewing domestic drama on your hands? Don’t even try to anticipate what loved ones will do this week, as they will surprise you at every turn. Just put your head down and do your best to stay out of the cross-fire. Are you sick of being single? Uranus promises a rocky road to true love so hold on tight – it will be an exhilarating (and exhausting) ride!

Chartered Accountant

Eddie said he had bought books and software specifically for share trading.

8

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

A wonderful work opportunity is around the corner but you have to grab it when it comes along, or it will pass you by. Stop thinking so much and start doing! With the Sun, Mars and Jupiter all charging through your career zone, confidence is the key. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? But tread carefully with a tempestuous child or a troubled teenager.

Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd

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G R E A S E

9/71 Leichhardt St, Kingston ACT 2604 ABN 57 008 653 683

Listen to our tax tips on 2CA and 2CC (Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFS Lic No. 229892)

w w w. g a i l f re e m a n . co m . a u Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @gailfreemantax CityNews Jun 6–12 27

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