Canberra CityNews November 25-01

The hand of reason in your pocket

The Australian Tax Office turned 100 this year. A century on and ELERI HARRIS discovers the Tax Commissioner is just a soul whose intentions are good, saying, please don’t let me be misunderstood...

“Should five per cent appear too small, Be thankful I don’t take it all.

‘Cause I’m the taxman, Yeah, I’m the taxman,”

THAT’S what The Beatles sang; and nearly 45 years later the image of the tax office as a greedy black hole for your hard-earned cash is one Michael D’Ascenzo AO is still trying to shake.

This year the Australian Tax Office celebrates 100 years of service to the nation, moving from an office of 105 staff to 22,000 and 15,000 returns annually to 12.6 million personal and two million business returns.

“This is all building your culture,” D’Ascenzo, the ATO’s 11th commissioner, says, peering earnestly through his spectacles.

“People think: ‘I’m giving money to the taxman’, but you’re not giving it to the ATO at all. You’re giving it back to the community so they can do things through the votes in the ballot box you say you want for this country.

“They’re [the ATO] actually there working for the community that has said they want to contribute so the government can do things for us, like infrastructure and having police to protect you.”

An ANU alumni, D’Ascenzo has been working at the ATO since graduation in 1977, as commissioner since 2006, and says Australians should be proud of its integrity, efficiency and international reputation.

“We find that 100 years on we’re rated amongst the best tax administrations in the world, if not the best,” D’Ascenzo says, fiddling with the centenary pin on his blue striped tie.

“We’re the servants of the community, doing important work for the community.

“If you could just get to the top of people’s attention, I think that would be good for the country. We would save a lot of unnecessary angst.

“We’re trying to put some understanding of taxation and superannuation and how our society operates in the curriculum for schools.

“Nearly half our people are actually helping people, most of the returns that are lodged at the end of the year are all about giving refunds out. We’re big payers of government money.

“One of the things people don’t appreciate often is that we don’t make the tax laws. We’re actually not even the main adviser on tax laws, Treasury is.

I’ve called it a ‘centenary event’. It’s not a situation where you have a lot of money to burn on it, nor should you.

“It’s not like people are going to dance in the streets with banners yelling ‘yahoo ATO’. “But we should take pride in it.”

“What we do is try to facilitate that process for you and try to protect you from others who are trying to avoid paying their fair share.

“The ATO is an organisation that’s there to support you if you want to do the right thing, if you don’t, yeah, we do have a firm edge.

“Ours is not a job for the faint hearted and nor is it for the heartless. It requires fairness and professionalism, vigilance and foresight, and the empathy drawn from a willingness to walk in the shoes of others.”

While not void of balloons and cake, the ATO’s centenary celebration has hardly been a spectacular affair, marked with two books on its history, a set of commemorative stamps and 20 cent coins, a time capsule full of staff photos and centenary pins for all ATO employees.

Each item is emblazoned with the centenary slogan, “Working for all Australians”.

“I’ve done the sensible thing,” D’Ascenzo says.

“Everything we were going to do this year,

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Canberra kids at risk briefly

Drownings at seven-year high

By Megan Haggan

DROWNING deaths Australia-wide have increased by 20 per cent in two years, and are the highest they’ve been for seven years, according to latest figures from Royal Life Saving.

And about one in five primary school leavers aren’t able to swim the length of an Olympic pool, says Sean Hodges, executive officer of Royal Life Saving in the ACT – placing them in significant danger.

“We find that if they don’t have these basic skills by the time they leave primary school, they’re likely never going to get them,” Sean told “CityNews”.

“The way high schools are set up, unless a child chooses a PE elective, means that they won’t end up learning any water safety: so it’s crucial that we get kids to that minimum level of ability so they don’t miss out.”

Royal Life Saving estimates that nationwide, more than 50,000 11 and 12-year-olds are leaving primary school without basic water safety and swimming skills which could save their lives in an emergency. Their parents often mistakenly believe that they will be offered these skills at high school.

And Sean warns that Canberra’s kids may be particularly at risk, because while a good proportion of the ACT heads to the beach over summer, our children aren’t familiar with surf conditions even if they’re strong swimmers.

“We don’t have any beaches in Canberra, and I think that makes our kids more vulnerable as they don’t have that constant exposure to the beach, and don’t know how to spot a rip or a dangerous place in the water.”

However, while many people believe they’re safer, more drownings occur in open water (such as lakes, rivers and dams).

“It’s really an issue of safety. We’re concerned about the fact that the drowning statistics nationally are going up and up every year,” Sean says.

“We’re not saying that we want every child to be an Olympic swimmer, but we do want them to be safe, know the dangers of aquatic environments and have that basic ability to get themselves out of trouble should they find themselves in it.”

He says this rise in drownings has coincided with a primary school

Sean Hodges, executive officer of Royal Life Saving in the ACT... “We don’t have any beaches in Canberra, and I think that makes our kids more vulnerable.”

environment where less attention is paid to non-core studies – which, in many cases, means activities such as swimming lessons are neglected. Private lessons can be expensive for parents.

Royal Life Saving ACT and Minister for Education and Training

Andrew Barr have just launched a new “Minister’s Swim and Survive Certificate”, aimed at encouraging more students to participate in swimming and water safety programs to improve their water confidence and skills.

The certificate, equivalent to Level Four of Royal Life Saving’s “Swim and Survive” training, will require students to demonstrate proficiency in several different swimming strokes, the ability to safely enter and exit the water, floating and other safety skills.

The ACT Government has committed $300,000 over four years for swimming and survival skills in schools.

“The problem often arises with teenagers, as they’re no longer supervised by adults, and there’s the issue of peer pressure, especially for boys,” Sean says. “If you’re with your friends down at the lake or the river, you need to have basic skills to prevent yourself getting in trouble.

“In the ACT, drowning figures are very low, but we’re not exempt: four children aged under five drowned in the ACT in 2005 alone; and last year we had three drowning deaths.”

Here comes Christmas!

THE official start of the festive season will be the annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree in Civic Square, from 7pm on Friday, December 3. Entertainment, includes popular children’s performer and “Play School” favourite Justine Clarke, A Bunch of Posers featuring Mrs Claus and her Angelic Chorus, and a special visit by Santa himself. More information from www.events.act.gov. au Canberra Connect on 13 22 81. Volunteers needed

THE Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services of the ACT is looking for volunteer tutors for two to three spare hours a week to teach English to migrants and refugees under its Home Tutor Program, particularly anyone living in or willing to travel to Belconnen and Gungahlin. No formal teaching qualifications necessary – just time, patience and goodwill. Email for more information to htp@marss.org.au or call 6248 8577.

That sinking feeling

THE audited circulation figures for “The Canberra Times” continue to record large falls. In the quarterly audit period to September 30, the weekday editions are down 5.5 per cent to 32,116; Sunday has slumped 4.5 per cent to 33,439 and the flagship Saturday edition has fallen 5.3 per cent to 53,051.

Local champions

YARRALUMLA recruitment firm face2face has been named Champion Recruitment Services and Mitchell Personnel Solutions, from Mitchell, the Champion Business Services company at the Australian Small Business Champion awards ceremony in Sydney. The awards are the only national program of their kind to recognise the achievements and performances of small businesses. Forty small business categories including two entrepreneur categories and two business growth categories were presented on the night.

The folk fellow

MUSICIAN and researcher of Australian music, Toby Martin, has been named the 2011 National Folk Fellow. The Folk Fellowship, a collaboration between the National Library of Australia and the National Folk Festival was awarded to Martin for The Darling River Country Troubadour Tradition project, which explores a folk-country singing tradition by indigenous performers in the Darling River region of western NSW.

Toni’s passion is grist for the Mill

By Kathryn Vukovljak

“I LOVE to shop!” says Toni McLennan, co-owner of the Mill House in Queanbeyan.

“Scouring old shops and relaxing in a quaint café – there’s nothing better. I wanted to recreate that experience for other people – but ultimately I wanted to do it in Queanbeyan. There’s nothing else like this here.”

Toni says she took over the 19th-century Mill House in 2009, transforming it into an old-world shopping haven with a treasure trove of little rooms to poke about in, including a French-inspired furniture and gift shop, vintage-style women’s fashion boutique, second-hand books, an antique outlet and a courtyard café – all for the love of her home town.

“I love Queanbeyan, and I want the Mill House to attract people here as a destination, not just somewhere to drive through on the way to Bungendore or Braidwood,” she says.

“There’s nowhere in Canberra that you can get an experience like this.”

Previously a public servant, Toni also ran for Parliament in 2007, but says that her “love of trinkets and gorgeous things” inspired her to take a new direction.

“It’s been a learning curve – hats off to small businesses!” she laughs. “But I had the vision in my mind, and the minute I walked into the old mill house, I could see it – a lovely café, things, people. I could hear voices and laughter.”

Toni’s upcoming projects include giving women the

opportunity to sell their good-quality, designer-label clothing, weekend performances from students at Karabar High School, and summer markets.

“We’ll run markets on the first Saturday of every month during the warmer months,” she says.

“Queanbeyan is undervalued, it has the reputation of being ‘struggle town’, but that’s an unfair representation.

“I want the Mill House Markets to be of the same quality as the Kingston Markets and, in time, I’m hoping they’ll become an attraction that draws many folks from Canberra across the border to Queanbeyan.”

The Mill House, 57 Collett Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6297 2900

Busy Phoebe wins recognition

PHOEBE Davies, of St Francis Xavier College, has been recognised for her initiative and concern for the advancement and well being of others at the The Order of Australia Association (ACT) annual Student Awards for Citizenship and Community Service 2010 at the ANU.

The individual awards are available for students in years 11 and 12 who have displayed outstanding leadership and individual achievement in citizenship and community Service.

Organiser Ray Newcombe said: “She is a natural leader and has particularly organised and worked with younger students in the Young Christian Students movement. The group has promoted social justice issues such as Fair Trade and the Stand Up Against Poverty Pledge.

“In her concern for the poor, the disadvantaged and the marginalised she has shown a belief in a fair go for all, in equity and integrity and exemplifies the values of active Australian citizenship.”

Other awards were made to Radford College and Merici College for service to those in special need at The Black Mountain School. A certificate of commendation was also be presented to The Black Mountain School. For exceptional leadership encouraging community health and charitable support an award was made to Kaleen Primary School’s Kaleen Kangas Skipping Team.

Warm, damp and they’re back

GERMANS are worse than Americans – but they don’t have as great a “yuck factor”, and so get less attention from homeowners, says pest controller Jeff Alexander.

He’s talking about cockroaches, which are predicted to invade the ACT in force this summer thanks to the warm, damp weather they love.

“I think because American cockroaches are bigger and uglier, people are more likely to see them and believe they’re more dangerous than the small ones,” says Jeff, of Amalgamated Pest Control.

German cockroaches, which grow to only 12-16mm, can produce up to 30,000 offspring in a single year under ideal conditions – and because they’re most active at night, many of us don’t suspect they’re lurking in our homes or places of business.

“Germans breed more quickly. Like all cockroaches, though, they like heat, so they love this hotter weather. They’re often found in areas like fridge motors, cash registers, coffee machines and, in fact, really anywhere with a motor and a heat generator – they’re all good breeding grounds. Also, because the Germans are smaller, they can get into tiny cracks and crevices.”

These habits help them avoid detection, as

By Megan “I can’t stand them” Haggan

A fast-breeding German cockroach.

does the fact that females carry eggs on the end of their abdomens instead of depositing them in these cracks and crevices.

“For instance, I did a place on the south coast a couple of years ago where they had a big industrial stove, with six or seven black hot plates on it. I took off one of the hot plates and there they were, hundreds of them running around inside.

“With another problem place, when the pest guy started to wield the chemical around we saw thousands of them marching toward the door – that door was just black with cockroaches trying to escape.

“And that’s what happens when you have a German cockroach problem and you let it fester.”

Keeping them at bay

JEFF says that many hospitality premises keep them at bay by using pest managers once every six weeks, as this breaks the breeding cycle.

At home, there’s several things we can do to prevent an infestation, he says:

• Fix leaking taps and pipes around the house, as these provide a moisture source for cockroaches.

• Regularly check dark, damp areas such as dishwashers for signs of infestation, as cockroaches love these moist, dark areas of the home.

• Keep garden beds tidy and free of rotting vegetation: Overgrown gardens provide a food source and safe harbour for pests such as cockroaches and rodents.

• Seal gaps under the external doors. “Applying bristle-brush strips or rubber seals to the underside of doors will assist in preventing cockroach entry.”

• Store food products in sealed containers and maintain good sanitation. “Tightly sealing food and vacuuming crumbs will minimise attractive odours that will entice cockroaches inside.”

Yikes! What are you doing here?

IN my 12 years in the Canberra media, I’ve never reported on a “car jacking”.

That fact went racing through my head as I sensed the presence of another in my car, driving down Ginninderra Drive during the week.

I saw him move out of the corner of my eye and a part of me didn’t even want to look across to confirm his dreaded presence. But I did. I turned and looked straight at this intruder. And he looked at me.

I wasn’t entirely certain whether he was on the inside or the outside of the car.

He was a huntsman; a big gangly fella, on the passenger-side window. He moved quickly and I jumped. I nearly drifted into the next lane. I calmed myself when I realised he was on the outside of the window. In fact, I laughed out loud. Again we stared each other down. And

Hands on the wheel, MARK PARTON gets a surprise visitor in his car…

then he spoke: “What are you doing here,” he said.

“What are YOU doing here?” I said.

“I live here. This is my car,” he said.

“That’s rubbish,” I said, “It’s MY car.”

He was hanging on to the flat surface of the window. I sped up to try to shake him off. The spider grimaced and looked at me again.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” he said.

I braked suddenly to try to throw him off, but he was too strong. With the slowing speed, he crawled along to the side mirror. It gave him some cover and he hid behind it, still checking me out through the window.

I told him I was going to “take him out” as soon we got to where we going, but I think he knew I was really a big softy. I left him there. He’s probably hiding in the door handle.

Don’t you just love it this time of the year when the mercury is on the rise and spiders are on the march right across town?

Those huntsmen are big, scary-looking creatures, but at least they have character. You can have a conversation with them. Try getting a single word out of a white tail or a wolf spider. It’s like talking to a brick wall.

Mark Parton is the breakfast announcer on 2CC.

opinion

Loxton and the art of the ordinary Wong: Leave festival alone

SUBMISSIONS about the Loxton Reports on the arts and on festivals have been received in some number, a few less than a hundred, I understand.

The Minister, refreshed after his period of leave, now has to digest them all, as well as the reports themselves.

One of the submissions was my own, and while I won’t burden readers with its contents, I thought it might be interesting to report on some stuff I learned about our city while I was writing it.

The material came from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which is where anyone should start if they are doing a review of this kind. It puzzled me that the Loxton Reports began with the assumption that Canberra was just another city, and that what worked elsewhere ought to work here.

That puzzled me, because I have seen all the major Australian cities many times over the past 30 years, and they each seem distinctive to me. And Canberra is the most distinctive of them all, because of its purpose, its creation, its setting and its population.

The most recent ABS data I could get on participation in the arts across the Australian States and Territories is now 10 years old, but it is instructive – and I think the differences would be even greater now. The ABS shows that the participation rate in the arts for the ACT in 2001 was 28.8 per cent; the national average was 16.8 per cent, and no other State or Territory came close to us (SA’s proportion was 18.3 per cent).

Canberra isn’t like any other city, a puzzled DON AITKIN argues in the face of an arts push that thinks it is

I mention SA because I have been going to Adelaide regularly now for a very long time, and in my judgment Canberra’s creative energy and output are roughly equivalent to that of Adelaide,

a city not quite three times larger. Why would it be so? The reasons include our relatively youthful, well-educated and well-paid workforce, the presence of the national arts institutions,

the ready availability of performances by groups from Sydney and Melbourne, the stimulus and participation of the diplomatic community, and the large post-secondary education institutions, which teach music, art, design, animation, events management and other courses related to the arts.

To be fair to the other jurisdictions, we are almost wholly urban, whereas the other States and the NT all have a significant rural population that is relatively deprived of the cultural stimuli that we can take for granted.

But those stimuli and the cultural activity that follows provide two of the reasons why living here is so enjoyable. The range of activities is simply vast:

In music alone, Music ACT found 32 separate organisations that put on musical events, concerts and performance during the year.

What is true of music is also true, I think, of theatre, dance, poetry and literature generally, the visual arts, pottery, glass – you name it.

This is the most culturally energetic city in Australia, and we are extraordinarily lucky that it is. The best thing the Government can do is to encourage and facilitate that activity, because it is good for us both individually and socially.

Yes, I said that in my submission.

Don Aitkin, political scientist and historian, served as vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra from 1991 to 2002.

“IF it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” is Sam Wong’s response to proposed changes to the National Multicultural Festival.

The Canberra Multicultural Community Forum chairman said the forum did not support the significant changes recommended in the recent Loxton Report.

“While there are some positive elements to the report, we do not accept that the Festival should be moved to later in the year to become a feature of a revamped Canberra Festival,” Mr Wong said.

Mr Wong said the whole tone of the report, “Review of ACT Government Events and Festivals”, by Peter Loxton and Associates, was dismissive of the positive benefits of diversity.

“The National Multicultural Festival has established itself as Canberra’s premier summer event, ranking alongside Floriade in spring. We see absolutely no reason to change the current time frame and format,” he said.

“A survey of visitors to the 2010 National Multicultural Festival in February revealed a 92 per cent satisfaction rate – 85 per cent said they were likely, or very likely to attend again in 2011. Need we say more?”

Making moves: Curtin to challenge briefly

By Kathryn Vukovljak TWELVE young students

from Curtin Primary School will compete in the National Interschool Chess Championship in Melbourne in November.

Curtin Primary chess club co-ordinator and interschool co-ordinator for the ACT Junior Chess League Libby Smith, says that while the chess team’s achievements are many, including multiple wins in national, state and regional tournaments, their proudest is their record of participation.

“Curtin Primary has the highest rate of participation in junior chess of any school in the ACT,” she says. “Since the chess club started in 2001, we have won the ACTJCL Primary Allegro (by having the most participants in this weekend event) for nine of the past 10 years, including the 2010 event where our 24 participants were more than double the number of any other school and a quarter of entries overall.”

The National Interschool Chess Championship will be held at Monash University, Clayton Campus on Monday, November 29 and Tuesday, November 30.

Curtin Primary will send an Open Primary team (Michael Kethro, 11, Mark Glanville, 11, Michael Leibowitz, 11, Mark Perry, 11, and Adam Glanville, nine), and a Girls Primary team (Zoe Sugarman, five, Aislinn Smith, 12, Tahlia Harsdorf, eight, Emma Dunstone, 12, Lucy Sugarman, nine, Jaimie Leibowitz, eight, and Kezia Karinina, 10). The Girls Primary team will also compete in the Australian Schools Teams Championship in Perth on December 4-5.

“The competition is very tight and our teams are at a level where we still make mistakes,” says Libby. “ Unfortunately, the other kids who are competing are probably at a higher level.

“We might not win, but we’re very competitive.”

Michael Kethro, who Libby says is the team’s strongest player, says he is preparing for the competition by reading chess books and following games online. “I’m excited to go along and

compete, but I’m not going to be over-confident,” he says. “Last year I was too confident and I accidentally came second.”

“Over-confidence isn’t good, it can become arrogance and sometimes blinds you,” says team-mate Mark Perry. “You can feel that your game plan is so good that you overlook their plan.

“You have to let it flow and see the whole board.”

Hamper help

THE St Vincent de Paul Society needs to provide about 1200 hampers to help out local families in need this Christmas. Christmas Appeal funds will be used exclusively for the hampers. Financial donations can be made on 131812 or at www.vinnies. org.au; to donate a Christmas gift for a child, teen, adult or elderly person, call 6282 2722.

Counting on Lucille

LUCILLE Halloran is accounting firm Ernst & Young’s new Canberra office managing partner. Joining from Deloitte, she oversaw that firm’s relationship with the Queensland Government. She has previously worked in Canberra.

Partnering for experience

HAWKER College has signed a partnership agreement with seniors’ residential community IRT-Kangara Waters at Lake Ginninderra to enable students to participate in a variety of work experience, volunteering and Australian school-based apprenticeship opportunities in aged care, community services, business administration and hospitality. It will benefit Kangara Waters by providing a cohort of young people who may choose to work in aged care in the future. Partnerships such as these are encouraged by the Federal Government through the National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions Program.

Books for prison

ATTORNEY-GENERAL , Simon Corbell has launched the 2010 Books for All Campaign, which is dedicated to raising money to purchase books from an approved list for the Alexander Maconochie Centre Library. The prison emphasises rehabilitation, compliance with human rights principles and adherence to the Healthy Prison Concept. The campaign is a partnership between Gillian Beaumont Legal, the ANU Law Students’ Society and the Law Reform and Social Justice Program at the ANU College of Law.

“CityNews” has 10 new-release DVDs of the comedy drama “Married Single Other” to give away. All waiting to be won at www.citynews.com.au/win 10 DVDs to WIN

Behind the Pope’s small steps

CHANGE is difficult to achieve in the single-most successful bureaucracy in history.

The Catholic Church has successfully maintained its organisation for the best part of 2000 years.

It has had its dark times as well as times of openness and progressive thinking.

However, it remains an essentially political organisation with decisions requiring exposure, lobbying, pressure, exploration and persuasion.

The announcement of a softening of the Church’s attitude on condoms to prevent the spread of disease is a first step in a difficult change process. The evidence is overwhelming.

Where condoms are freely available and there use encouraged there is a significant reduction in the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Pope has taken the smallest of steps in limiting his statement to allowing condoms in situations of sex with prostitutes – but he has taken a step.

He says he sees this as “a first step towards moralisation” of sex workers.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine for Faith.

This organisation was formerly known as the Holy Office and prior to that as the Holy Inquisition.

He was the leader of the most conservative faction within the Church. This makes it even more surprising that as Pope he would begin the change to a progressive

By Michael Moore

attitude on anything to do with sexual mores.

While there is some movement in the Church’s position, it is worth remembering that this statement is not an “ex cathedra” pronouncement. Without this context it does not maintain the Pope’s infallibility in matters of faith and doctrine, an infallibility that was declared as recently as 1870 at the First Vatican Council.

Since the Pope is not using his infallibility power, this statement is a matter that

“Since the Pope is not using his infallibility power, this statement is a matter that can be debated throughout the Church.”

can be debated throughout the Church.

In the terms of this monolithic bureaucracy, it is neither definitive nor binding. It is more of an approach than a doctrine.

In some ways, this appears difficult for the church as it is seen by the Pope as the lesser of two evils.

The comments are extracts from his soon-to-be-published book, “Light of the World”.

When asked by the author of the book, Catholic journalist Peter Seewald: “Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?” the Pope answers: “She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.”

The Church already has doctrine that handles such awkward realities.

The “doctrine of double effect” for example, allows doctor-assisted suicide provided the intention of administering drugs is to relieve pain even if the outcome is death.

It seems to me that considering Cardinal Ratzinger’s background, papal observers would have expected the maintenance of the conservative approach that has marked the Catholic Church since the mid 1960s.

An organisation that has survived thousands of years is unlikely to make change quickly.

Therefore, this announcement from the Pope, even as a toe in the water, may well mark a change from a dogmatic and doctrinaire approach to putting human wellbeing at the heart of religious doctrine.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health in the Carnell government.

Time to grow up: Greens at crossroads

To be a viable alternative government, the ACT Greens need to start pulling their socks up and get to work on the areas where the major parties have the market to themselves, says ANDREW HUGHES

THE Greens are now at the political crossroads they may have hoped that they would face, but would have thought impossible years ago: That is the right to be considered the third force in Australian politics.

With a primary vote that has rarely slipped below double digits in the last 12 months, even nudging the mid-teens at times, the Greens are riding a wave of strong brand connection with the marketplace.

The results from the 2010 Federal election show just where this market is found: Within the 15km ring from the CBD of most major cities.

In Canberra, this is no different. With four Green representatives in the Legislative Assembly, the ACT Greens really are the third force of ACT politics.

Yet at the moment they are still very much enjoying being the brand of demand from a large majority of the 18 to 24-year-old voters who want a connection with a left-leaning political product that appeals to the hot issues that resonate so loudly with Gen Y: Climate change and the environment, public transport, lobbying for a change in same-sex and euthanasia laws and direct action with a no compromises method.

By stunning coincidence these issues are all perfect wedge issues. Perfect for a campaign that is run on viral marketing tactics that achieve maximum effectiveness in the target markets with low cost as most of the awareness is generated from media sound bites. Most other brands in the market are still stumbling around these issues while the Greens have gone hard and long on them.

But where the Greens are weak, Labor and the Liberals are strong. The economy, governance, health, housing, education, policy formulation and development, municipal services, social and urban growth, and – yes – even roads are all key strengths of the major brands.

It is these issues that matter the most to the biggest slice of the market. There is a very good reason why over two thirds of the market voted for them, and that is they wanted those areas to be important to whoever governed.

And yet the Greens stagger in these areas like a baby taking their first steps. To be a viable alternative government, which surely the Greens want to be or else we need to wonder why it is they support Labor, they need to start pulling their socks up and get to work on the areas where the Coles and Woolies of Australian politics have the market to themselves.

Now is a good time. First target Labor. Why? ACT Labor is still recovering from the fallout from the Federal pre-selections for Canberra and Fraser. While Gai Brodtmann was always a good chance of winning, Andrew Leigh pulled off the Steven Bradbury of Australian politics and won when all others were too busy taking each other out to see the ANU economics professor sweep around from behind to take the win. Now the faction heavies are looking for some good ol’ fashioned payback to make amends for what happened.

So with the knives and guns out, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has had no other choice but to stay on till early 2011 when Katy Gallagher finally takes the reins. Not that he has had a bad 2010. In fact he’s had some nice wins this year to the point where he could miss a sitting week or two and still look relaxed.

But this is where the Greens can take advan-

tage of a brand that has reached the end of its life-cycle. To get five or more seats at the next election they need to take market share first from Labor, not the Liberals. It’s possible, too. If they steal the title of brand pioneers in some of Labor’s key strengths, such as public housing, health, education and even industrial relations, before Gallagher takes over from Stanhope they may just start to establish beachheads in these areas well before the next election.

But they must act now, and in areas that won’t stretch their own brand too much. The Labor brand will be strong by the time of the next election in 2012, being one of renewal, youth, energy and passion. The dynamic duo of Katy Gallagher and Andrew Barr appeal to a good cross section of the ACT market. The Greens will find it hard to take market share from the Labor brand of 2012. They need to take it from the Labor brand of 2010.

Their campaigning style needs to change, too. If they want to be taken seriously as a viable alternative government, then act like one. They need to show responsibility and maturity in areas where they do have some strengths, such as public transport and the environment. Yes, more buses, bike paths and green initiatives are needed in the ACT but Canberrans love their cars.

Road maintenance and development is a big part of the ACT Budget in 2010, least not because of the debacle that was and is the GDE development process, and yet the Greens still use the outdated approach to policy that one day we, too, will be like Amsterdam and all ride bicycles. Not the right approach when the majority of the market now spend one precious hour a day in a car going from A to B.

The choice for the Greens is either they can take the bike path to success and keep on hoping that eventually, because they are Green, more people will vote for them; or they can get on the highway and give winning power in 2012 a serious shake.

Andrew Hughes is a lecturer at the School of Management, Marketing and International Business at the ANU

Behind the beard:

By Kathryn Vukovljak

SWEATY wigs, troublesome beards, sore knees and the question of whether or not to use rouge are all part and parcel of dressing up as Santa Claus, but John Wright, who’s been doing it for 26 years, isn’t put off in the slightest.

“I’ve never quite got on to the rouge, but I think being Santa is something that should be done – it’s a worthwhile thing to do,” he says. “It’s also fabulous fun.”

John, who’s been one of the Westfield Woden Santas for seven years, says he’s pretty much heard everything from the kids who’ve sat on his knee.

“I’ve had the lot, from ‘you’re not the real Santa’ to kids who are terrified. I always find a way round it, I think I relate to the kids pretty well. I usually have them laughing and onside pretty fast!

“You have to be careful though – they can be heavier than they look. One kid took a flying leap on to my knee once, and he was heavy.

“My knee wasn’t perfect for the rest of the year after that.”

A long-time foster carer with his wife Lorraine, John, 63, says he genuinely loves children. He’s a father of three, grandfather of four and works with children with intellectual disabilities and as a preschool assistant when it’s not Santa season… and when he’s not attending Santa School and learning the names of all the reindeer, of course.

“It’s mainly for new Santas, but it’s good to go along and have a refresher on what to do, what to say, how to prepare,” he says. “Things have changed in 26 years. There are a whole set of rules now, for example you have to wear gloves, and your hands have to appear in the photos,” he says. “And what the kids ask for has changed, obviously now there’s all the electronic stuff they want now. But some kids are funny.

“One pretty little girl, who was immaculately

letters

dressed, had these two rough-as-bags brothers who asked for guns and stuff, then when it was her turn, she asked for a pistol – to shoot her brothers with!

“Another little girl asked for handcuffs for her mum, so she could handcuff the baby to the chair. I wasn’t sure what to say to that either!

“My favourite one so far this year was a two-

PM needs a wardrobe

I CAN remain silent no longer – our Prime Minister needs a wardrobe consultant! The male politicians would be reprimanded for drawing attention to the PM’s bad dress sense. However, all the women I have spoken to – even the wife of a Labor politician – agree that Julia Gillard needs help.

We want to be proud of our PM, especially when she represents us overseas. We are tired of the ill-fitting jackets, the short jackets (which draw attention to her larger hips), the jackets with the sashes, the spotty loud jacket, the jackets secured with the one button above the waist (which draw attention to her recently flabby midriff), the same tank tops in various colours worn under all these jackets, the jewellery which often does not complement the outfits or does not do anything to add to the overall effect.

dose of dorin

Even Ms Gillard’s hair has its good and bad days with both colour and style and she often looks washed out with little make-up and no lipstick.

Should the “Australian Women’s Weekly”, which achieved a

miraculous makeover on Julia Gillard before the election, take on the role of wardrobe consultant? Or Julia could take note of how suitably dressed and pleasant-to-the-eye Julie Bishop always appears? Or

John Wright… “I think being Santa is something that should be done – it’s a worthwhile thing to do.”

year-old who asked me for a tie. He went into great detail – it had to be red and yellow horizontal stripes!”

There are also the heartbreaking stories, says John, like being asked for mummy and daddy to stop fighting, or for daddy to come back. “There was one young woman in a wheelchair who asked to be able to walk, then roared

with tears,” he says. “It can be hard. I’d dearly love to be able to help.”

It’s not just the kids who visit Santa, he says – teenagers think it’s great fun, and he says there was recently an 83-year-old lady. “She told me she never sat on Santa’s knee as a youngster, so she finally did it and wanted photos to send to all her grandchildren.”

John says he quite likes the costume itself, which is supplied by the shopping mall. “This is a good one – I’m not keen on the hat, the bobble is strange, but it’s pretty good all up,” he says.

John’s Santa clause consultant

there would not be a better dresser than Governor General Quentin Bryce to advise her.

None of us expects our PM to spend lots of time on her appearance – she is running the country – but we do want her to look good and not be an embarrassment. Therefore, some time and money wisely spent with a wardrobe consultant would do wonders for her image.

Dianne a nderson, Red Hill

Naive on Afghanistan

I DON’T share Robert Macklin’s view of Afghanistan (“Parliament is out of touch”, CN, November 18) or his cynical analysis. Islamic fascism is a great danger and like the Communists, the Nazis and any number of fanatics before them, once ensconced they hard to get rid of.

Given it took nearly eight decades to rid Russia of Communism, it seems naive to think (as Macklin does) that somehow moderation, natural justice will somehow be chosen and prevail. It doesn’t happen that way at all – regrettably.

Martin Gordon, Flynn

“Just the beard can be a nuisance. It pulls on my ears, and the elastic round the chin can feel quite sore. When you’re in the costume for four hours at a time, you go numb. It’s pretty hot under all that hair, too.”

John says it’s difficult to tell when kids stop believing in Santa. “I think it’s around seven, but I assess people who come to me, and I’ve had a 14-year-old who I swear was still a believer,” he says.

“And why not. Let kids have their dreams and fantasies for as long as they can.

“They wake up soon enough.”

When no-one hears your screams

There’s nothing lonelier than when your connection protocol is unintentionally un-authenticated, as JOHN SCHUMANN discovers…

FROM the outset, let me declare that I’m not a complete Luddite. Nor am I a tech-head. But I can generally work out, within 10 minutes or so, whether I’m up to resolving an emergent computer problem myself.

Last week my office computer wouldn’t connect to the internet. Drama. I shan’t bore you with the details but suffice to say my 10 minutes elapsed pretty smartly and I found myself on the phone to a young person on my IP’s help-desk. Nothing wrong at their end. Must be at my end. Could be the modem. Or maybe I should get the line checked. I did and all was okay. In desperation, I rang my internet provider back. After some time and a hand-over-the-mouthpiece consultation with a supervisor, it seemed that my internet provider had “unintention-

Go ahead, ask him…

FORMER Redgum lead singer and Canberra favourite John Schumann returns for an “Up Close and Acoustic” gig at the Southern Cross Club, Tuggeranong, on February 26.

“The interesting part is that it will be in a Q&A format – songs interspersed with questions from the audience,” Schumann told “CityNews”.

“I’m performing with Hugh McDonald and Alex Black from the Vagabonds, and supported by Ashleigh Mannix.” Tickets are available from Songland Records on 6293 4677.

ally un-authenticated my connection protocol”, whatever that means. So much for “nothing wrong their end”. This got me thinking about the national broadband network.

According to Google, a few months ago there were more than 880,000 broadband connections in Australia. Assuming the roll-out of Stephen Conroy’s fibre-to-the-home national broadband network happens, there’ll be a ship-load more and there’s no doubt that this will change the way we live. Over time our lives and our homes will become digitised in ways we can scarcely imagine. Equally, there is little doubt that IT frustrations such as my mine will increase dramatically in number and intensity.

The Government’s “internet filtering” scheme is unlikely to make things much better. In this I feel a bit sorry for Stephen Conroy who, I suspect, has little personal interest in internet censorship. If Mark Latham’s diaries can be believed, there wasn’t much love between Rudd and Conroy. I wonder how much this had to do with the fact that it was Rudd initially who loaded Conroy up with this deeply unpopular policy. Conroy, for his part, is taking carriage of internet censorship rather like one would take carriage of a brown

snake in a sugar-bag: gingerly and without much enthusiasm.

But back to the roll-out of the NBN. It will require IT engineers, tech-heads and geeks as far as the eye can see. But if this digital revolution – and that’s what it is – is to bring, lasting and accessible benefits to ordinary Australians, a new way of thinking is called for.

The opportunities and benefits that could flow from the national broadband network will need to be identified and promoted to ordinary Australians with tremendous flair and creativity. Sadly, flair, creativity and new ways of thinking are not qualities that one ordinarily associates with the greyfaced mandarins the Government will inevitably assign to the task.

In the NBN roll-out, there’ll plenty of jobs for party hacks, mates, geeks, tech-heads, bureaucrats and patient, IT-savvy youngsters at IP help-desks.

But there’s also serious role in here for our social scientists, our poets, our historians, our artists and our philosphers – those whose vision of the future is informed by a genuine understanding of what it is to be human.

Can the Gillard Government see this? Will the Gillard Government have to the courage and the vision to engage the arts and humanities community in something real and tangible this time – as opposed to star-studded photo-opportunties?

Time will tell. I, for one, won’t be holding my breath.

Sign makes hoop law

AT last, someone has found a use for a parking sign. By cleverly fashioning a hoop from a carved out milk crate, the sign comes into its own as the backboard and, bingo, some naughty souls in Campbell have got themselves a basketball ring. Photo by Silas

Out with old, Barr’s in with the young

Minister Andrew Barr is becoming king of the kids with his cheerful sledging of older members of the community and their level of influence. ELERI HARRIS reports from the cutting edge of the generation gap

IT’S Thursday night and the Canberra Theatre is half filled with capital constituents, white-haired, irate, crowing and crying about the future of their town with a panel of urban experts on stage to placate their rising fears of change.

This is the ACT Government’s “Time To Talk” night of nights and while issues of transport, infill and identity are debated, the screaming unspoken element of the scene unfolding is the absence of youth in this forum.

ACT Labor Minister Andrew Barr is right.

“Much of the public debate about the future of our city is being dominated by people who will not be alive in the middle of this century,” Barr told the members of the Legislative Assembly during their October sitting.

“It is critical that we engage with young people now about the next 20 years of this city and beyond. That means taking proactive steps to engage with them, because the more traditional methods of consultation are being dominated by the same old voices who put forward their same old generational issues.”

In2010 it is clear that Canberra’s youth are not engaged in dialogue on the running of their town or plans for its future; the processes for consultation and submission run parallel with their world without actually touching even the edges of the public spheres they occupy.

The exemplary Inquiry on Live Community Events earlier this year failed outright to attract contributions from bright young things until Andrew Mottram, a 20-something music lover with no connection to official procedure in the Assembly, created a Facebook group to inject energy into apathetic or unaware members of the community who would be affected by changes in relevant legislation.

ACTGreens leader and former director of the Youth Coalition of the ACT, Meredith Hunter, says the Assembly’s processes of engagement have to change if the Government is to operate in line with the needs of all constituents, young and old.

“We do need to work on engagement with young people, it’s a situation where one size doesn’t fit all well. We need to be using different methods, calling for different submissions,”

Hunter said.

Barr has taken matters into his own hands, shamelessly plugging “Time to Talk” on an almost daily basis via social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

“The overwhelming majority of people in this city are young. The single largest demographic in this city is aged between 20 and 30, and yet their issues do not get the air time they deserve,”

Barr said.

“This is something I’ve become increasingly concerned about, the way increasing consultation processes dominated by people who are retired.

“Their selfishness at times astounds me, and I think it is important that we take a leadership role as an Assembly to engage with younger Canberrans.

“There’s a temptation in this place to just fall into consulting the usual suspects and thinking that’s all that’s necessary. I think that’s a mistake which can result in developments with very poor generational impacts.

“As we move through the next 20 years, the baby boomers will retire. Their influence has been extensive but that will fade away and the task of taking this city into the next century will be taken by X and Y.”

Butwhile Barr climbs the ladder to be crowned king of the kids,

Liberal Alistair Coe, who at 26 is the youngest ACT MLA, says the Minister is cynically abusing a relevant engagement issue to garner votes.

“What Andrew’s doing is textbook politics, it probably is as much a political ploy as it is about consultation,” Coe told the “CityNews”.

“A consultation method should be tweaked to suit the target audience.

You wouldn’t schedule a public meeting for Wednesday lunchtime if you were trying to attract students, you wouldn’t wander around a nightclub looking for thoughts on an aged care facility.

“But I don’t think they’re [young people] the only section of the population the Government have failed to consult.

“Based on what Andrew said, if it was genuine are we going see sweeping changes to the way the ACT Government consults, raft of changes on the consultation approach?”

ANU academic and political marketing expert Andrew Hughes agrees with Coe and says the Labor Government is trying to combat the surging Green vote in Canberra’s Generations Y and X.

“I think Labor’s gearing up for a long campaign period because they’re going to have a new Chief Minister [Katy Gallagher],” Hughes told “CityNews”.

“They want to be seen as party of renewal and party of youth. They’re saying, ‘We are a party of change, of new ideas, of new people, of new concepts of Canberra’ ready to celebrate the centenary in 2013.

“It’s a branding approach because their biggest competitor is the Greens. “Labor have a lot of similar ideas, but the Greens are a lot clearer in saying ‘this matters to us, we’re going to be standing up for these issues’ which strikes a chord with a lot of young people.

“Labor are the ones who have to react more than the Liberals because it’s their market.

“Andrew Barr’s getting a lot of publicity because Labor are making that happen – he’s the only counter they have to the Greens.”

Barr says his desire to engage Canberra’s youth has characterised both his election campaigns and is not a sudden grab for votes.

“Unless someone’s prepared to stand up and say something and say that’s wrong, we risk locking out an entire generation in terms of property and the way they want to live.

“I think if you look back on all of my two campaigns, this has been a feature of what I’ve had to say on political issues. I’m always motivated by this and would like to see Canberra be a more diverse and inclusive city.

“Someone has got to lead those people and I feel comfortable doing so.”

open garden

Amid a beauty rare and wild

Wo RDs: Kathryn Vukovljak

PH otos: s ilas Brown

A UNIQUE, seven-year-old Bungendore garden of rare native wildflowers and grasses, some of which haven’t come into cultivation yet, will open to the public as part of the Australian Open Garden Scheme, says owner and passionate horticulturist Rainer Rehwinkel.

“My aim is to promote the use of grassland flora in the home garden,” he says. “In the process I’ve learnt about the ecology of some of these species, but more importantly, they provide me with beauty and enjoyment.”

Rainer’s garden will open on the weekend of November 27-28, to promote the knowledge and pleasure of gardening.

While some of the grassland species in the garden came from the local nursery (including hoary sunray, bulbine lily and sticky everlastings), some have self-introduced and other, rare varieties, were collected during field trips as part of Rainer’s work as a grassland ecologist, he says.

“These include pale everlastings, a native buttercup, a native mint and yellow, mauve and chamomile burrdaisies,” he says.

The front garden has a “lawn” of kangaroo grass, tall spear-grass and wallaby grass, with native grassland wildflowers emerging, including lemon beautyheads and common everlastings, says Rainer. “It’s now reached a stage where regular high mowing keeps it looking neat. It never needs watering!”

The grasses are flanked by hardy non-local and locally indigenous native shrubs, including melaleucas, mint bushes, bottlebrushes and wattles.

It’s a garden of “hidden gems”, which Rainer admits he spends “far too much time in – just ask my family!” He says his favourite thing about the space is when three or four different species flower together in the same patch of garden.

“It could be in any corner of the garden, and it’s such a random, unpredictable thing, particularly when it’s a mix of natives and exotics,” he says. “Often they can be different species but they’re linked by their colour, such as a silver-grey foliage or a yellow flower.

“When this harmony happens, it creates random little pictures which I just love.”

23 McCusker Drive, Bungendore, will be open on Saturday, November 27 and Sunday, November 28 from 10am-4pm.

Adults $6, children under 18 are free.

Funds raised will go to the Open Garden Scheme and Friends of Grasslands.

Also opening on the same weekend is the garden at 2 Ashby Drive, Bungendore. More information at www.opengarden.org.au

At Erich Radinger Goldsmith and Jeweller 25th anniversary Green Square, Kingston

At TransACT Rocks Movember, Hellenic Club, Woden

At the ‘Martin Schoeller: Close Up’ opening, National Portrait Gallery, Parkes

all about living

Forensic look at famous faces

HOW close would you let your best friend get to your face?

Not as close, you can bet on it, as Manhattan photographer Martin Schoeller, whose huge works are now on show at the National Portrait Gallery.

Graham Howe, director of Curatorial Assistance Travelling Exhibitions in California, which brought the show to Canberra, describes Schoeller’s approach to photography as “almost forensic” and he figures that only your doctor could get as close as this artist.

You can look at it from a practical point of view. Schoeller has shot celebs in the manner of a passport photogrpaher, straight on. Fair enough, but then actors such as Cate Blanchett and Brad

cover story

By arts editor Helen Musa

Pitt look pretty well as handsome as they do on screen, suggesting to Howe that they were acting when shot and, as he says: “How can an actor not act?”

But it’s quite obvious from the photo that Blanchett is “confident and clever… you know she’s in charge – and that’s one serious chin she’s got”. Pitt by contrast is “just a lucky guy.”

“Isn’t this fun?” Howe asks rhetorically as we discuss the madness in Heath Ledger’s tragic face and whether Paris Hilton looks tough, manipulative, dumb or (as we agree) all three.

Lines are very important in Schoeller’s faces, which can vary from exhibition to exhibition. According to the curators, “the face becomes topography, an undulating landscape of hills, crevasses and planes,” creating “a democracy of effect.” Yet there is nothing obviously democratic or geographical about the glorious lines of Henry Kissinger, Alan Greenspan or Bill Murray.

Scars, too, have their place, as in the fabulous faces of Hadza women taken by Schoeller for “National Geographic”.

Finally, there are the signs of power seen in Bill Clinton, who looks cocky and superior; Sarah Palin, who looks as if she knows everything, or Barack Obama, who looks serious and vulnerable.

“Close Up”, The National Portrait Gallery, until February 13.

Maori princess of the loop pedal

By Helen Musa

MIHIRANGI, the “Maori Princess of Funk” (pictured right) is a one-woman band, who uses a loop pedal to turn her own vocal sounds into harmonic accompaniment. She’s performed with Public Enemy, Sly and Robbie, Michael Franti and Lee Scratch Perry. She will be at the Front Gallery and Cafe, Lyneham on December 1.

An indigenous environmental activist, Mihirangi has performed at San Francisco’s “Power to the Peaceful” and sang at the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s 30th Anniversary Benefit in Santa Monica to an audience that included artist-activists such as The Dixie Chicks, The Red Hot

Chilli Peppers, Pierce Brosnan and Martin Sheen.

In Canberra, she will be supported by Canadian singer/songwriter Kira Gosselin, who ranges from power songs and spoken word to gospel. She’ll be backed with vocals and acoustic guitar by Sarah Cuzetto.

Not so wild about Harry

cinema

Dougal Macdonald

“HARRy POTTER:

THe DeATHLY HALLOWS” (M)

THE Harry Potter phenomenon generates some rather dull numbers.

Films released: 7. Awaiting release: 1. Adapted for screen by Steve Kloves: 8. Directed by David Yates: 4 (of which, 3 released).

Cost (estimated) of making “The Deathly Hallows” (No.7): $US250 million.

JK Rowling’s estimated net worth: $US1 billion+. Estimated value of Daniel Radcliffe’s assets – £28.5 million.

Number of wands made for the film, accountable to the property department at the end of each day’s shooting – more than 500. Broken wands – no figure available.

I feel no shame in boring readers with these numerical trivia about a film that bored me profoundly.

Having seized control of the Ministry for Magic and Hogwarts Academy, ugly evil Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) wants to complete his takeover program by getting rid of Harry. But the powers installed in Voldemort’s magic wand, reflecting those of Harry’s, have no effect against the young magician whom the late Dumbledore considered the saviour of his country.

Voldemort declares Harry to be Public Enemy No. 1 and sends bully boys to steal his wand, but not kill him. Voldemort, who wants that pleasure himself, hides his soul in horcruxes which defy Harry’s attempts to destroy.

Part 1 examines the good guys’ emotions as they fail to make headway against Voldemort’s villainy. Short on (although not totally devoid of) excitement, it takes 146 minutes for Voldemort to gleefully brandish Harry’s custom-made wand.

The large supporting cast includes numerous notable British actors, most

of whom appear only briefly. The special effects are of a standard no longer remarkable.

Magic has limits, even in a story-telling medium that feeds on magic even at its most realistic. The film requires us to accept without question the facility with which Harry, Hermione and Ron move between outdoor locations to escape Voldemort’s men.

While the size, coloration and head shape of Valdemort’s pet snake are typical of the non-venomous boa tribe that captures its food by constriction, it scares us by behaving like a venomous species.

The film-makers seem to assume that audiences will accept that magic provides sufficient explanation for these deceptions. I

consider that dishonest.

The title of both book and film is curious. According to OED, the word “hallows” derived from Old English has two meanings – the more familiar but less-widely used being as a noun or an adjective meaning “holy”, the other a variant of the verb “halloo”, meaning “chase with shouts”. Against those meanings, making a convincing connection between the film’s title and its content is difficult. Might that be related to the film’s propensity to be boring? Or merely abstruse?

The impression I took from “Deathly Hallows” was delible. It failed to make me feel gruntled.

At all Canberra cinemas, on more than one screen in some!

Quirky look at love and lies

“WHO ever could have thought of the play like that?” An audience member was heard exclaiming on the opening night of “Lies, Love and Hitler.”

Well, it’s a new play by Elizabeth Avery Scott, managing director of Canberra Academy of Dramatic Arts, and directed with pizzazz by PJ Williams as part of The Street Theatre’s “Made in Canberra 2010” season.

And, yes indeed, the premise of the play is a little quirky. Professor of theology Paul Langley (James Scott) has one-to-one conversations with an apparition of his idol Dietrich

THEATRE

“Lies, Love and Hitler” By Elizabeth Avery Scott, directed by PJ Williams. At The Street Two until November 27.

Reviewed by Helen Musa

Bonhoeffer (Dallas Bland) on theoretical issues of morality. Theory stops and real life sets in when Langley falls in love with a brilliant student, Hannah Summers (Hanna Cormick). Their closeness means that she shares in the conversations.

Williams steers his characters smoothly through past and present on an elegant set by Imogen Keen. Cormick

doubles as a ball-crushing sexual harassment officer in a terrific scene where the ghostly Bonhoeffer directs the action. As the plot thickens and a nasty case of harassment emerges in the university, with overtones of David Mamet’s “Oleanna”, Bonhoeffer’s sophisticated approach to ethical issues is required. In a painful grapple between wrong and wrong, his apparition propels Langley and Summers into a pragmatic understanding of circumstances where lying for love can be right and where plotting to kill Hitler was not wrong.

“CityNews” has 10 new-release DVDs of “Top Gear – The Challenges 4” to give away. All waiting to be won at www.citynews.com.au/win

Feast of music and dance

By Helen Musa

WHEN Sean Boyle, music director of the musical spectacular “Scotland the Brave”, arrived for his interview with “CityNews”, he was resplendent in full Caledonian regalia.

Imagine my surprise then, when he greeted me with a friendly “G’day.” For it turns out that this apparently patriotic night of Scottish culture originates from Queensland.

And, according to Boyle, who can claim mixed Scottish and Irish ancestry, the success here has been so great that they are planning a “coals-to-Newcastle” venture to take this show to Britain, where he expects to receive “a warm welcome”.

Boyle played as a young man with the Army band in Wagga, where he met Canberra’s Ian McLean, who will be conducting this concert during Boyle’s absence in New York, using a Canberra orchestra and Canberra pipers, as well as Boyle’s regulars, including tenor Greg Moore, soprano Suellan Cusack, fiddler Marcus Holden and pianist Catherine Lynagh. The spectacle is completed with highland dancing groups.

As part of his development as a conductor, Boyle came under the influence of the

conductor

Colin Harper, whose original vision this Scottish spectacular was. After Harper

died early in 2004, entrepreneur Andrew McKinnon contacted Boyle asked him if he’d like to take over.

“I said yes, but that I’d like to do my own show… of course, there are some things that you can never change.” So he stuck with favourites such as “Amazing Grace”, but made it his own presentation with, among other pieces, an original composition, “Scottish Rhapsody.”

In a nice touch for Australian audiences, the company will perform “Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea”, the original tune to which “Waltzing Matilda” was set. Boyle expects this will raise eyebrows in Scotland when they get there.

The program here includes “One Hundred Pipers”, “Ye Banks and Braes”, “Skye Boat Song” and “Auld Lang Syne”.

As for “Amazing Grace”, that will feature a solo bagpiper, Andrew Fuller, and is bound be the sentimental highlight of what Boyle calls “a rich feast of music and dance.”

“Scotland the Brave”, Canberra Theatre, December 11, 2pm and 8pm.

Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com. au or phone 6275 2700.

Library journey with a warning

THEATRE

“Retrieval”

Concept by Pip Buining, directed by Karla Conway, for Canberra Youth Theatre. At the National Library of Australia, until December 5.

Reviewed by Helen Musa

WE must “retrieve and collect” our personal and social records before destructive forces destroy our history.

This appears to be the main thrust of “Retrieval”, a formidable collaboration between Canberra Youth Theatre and the National Library, assisted by a “who’s who” of Canberra theatre professionals. Exquisitely clad in authentic 19th century costumes, three seasoned youth theatre performers emerge from the pages of an encyclopedia to take us on a journey.

It is impossible to describe that journey in words, although anyone yearning to see the hidden stacks and reading rooms of the library will find this a palatable way to get behind closed doors.

Suffice it to say that the tour, handled with polite despotism, reveals that the two storage programs, Isis and Pandora, are in

In a scene from “Retrieval”, the three guides “emerge” from the pages of encyclopedias.

imminent peril from book-munching moths, philistine non-readers and, even more threatening, from corrupt binary codes that may rob us of our cultural heritage.

The journey is a warning, played out of a massive scale. Deep in the library we meet cabinets of curiosities that throw light on

by ‘pling.

the collecting instinct, a three-dimensional forest of leafless trees made from book pages, a Buddhist monk intoning the “Aum” that will get us into Pandora’s inner sanctum and several tragic individuals.

This fascinating journey is at least 30 minutes too long, but it is most revealing.

Christmas gift ideas

In the mood for pizza, but...

WHEN you’re in the mood for pizza, you’re in the mood for pizza.

And it’s fair to feel safe heading to a place that has the word emblazoned in its name – a place that has close to 30 different types on its regular menu.

That’s why I landed at Australian Pizza Kitchen in Woden, which has different owners from the APK in the city. It’s been serving wood-fired, “gourmet” pizzas for more than 16 years.

All pizzas are baked in APK’s large, wood-fired oven, stoked up with aged yellow and red box woods. They are around 25 cm in diameter and range from $19.50 to $23.50, with vegetarian, cheeseless and gluten free options. You can also order a half and half.

I fall in to the “some-like-it-hot” category and headed straight for the Fire Eater pizza. It was loaded with spicy sausage, red onion, mushrooms, green jalapeno peppers and dollops of sour cream ($21.50). The flavours and warm, burning sensation of

dining

Wendy Johnson

the jalapeno was satisfying, but the almost raw red onion was disconcerting and I felt the pizza should have stayed in the oven a bit longer to fully melt the cheese.

My friend initially decided to order the pork spare ribs. The menu states they aren’t always available, however, and – too bad, so sad – they weren’t on our visit.

So we asked what a popular pizza was and took up the recommendation to order the Tandoori chicken ($21.50). We were disappointed with the results. We expected fuller flavours from the marinated chicken and although the menu promised “vineripened tomatoes” we ended up with pale pink, tasteless chunks on our pizza. Indeed, my friend said if blindfolded for a taste test, the bet would be that no-one would guess this was a Tandoori pizza.

The natural yoghurt on top was lovely, as was the mild mango chutney but, again, the pizza needed to be cooked more, as evidenced by the base and the cheese.

Both pizzas were a bit black on the bottom, but this is typical of a woodfired pizza. As the menu explains, the pizzas aren’t burnt, they are “kissed by the flame”. It’s “potassium rich wood ash” which is, apparently, good for you.

The service was hit and miss. We asked questions about two pizzas before ordering, but the person serving us didn’t have a clue and didn’t offer to find out. It was a challenge getting our drinks and, after waiting far too long, I got up from my seat to hunt someone down to get our bill. Very frustrating.

APK Woden promises its pizzas are lovingly crafted from scratch and offer “no comparison”. I don’t agree.

APK Woden, Bonner Court, Woden, Open seven days. BYO. Call 6262 5881.

Unusual art program for little kids

TUGGERANONG Arts Centre has developed an unusual artistic program aimed at primary school students exploring artistic elements of Islamic and Jewish cultures. Year 4, 5 and 6 students from Torrens and Arawang primary schools have been guided by Fatima Killeen and Barak Zelig, well-known Canberra artists, and the works they have created are on show at the centre until November 30.

BIG news is that Workshop Bilk’s exhibiting outlet, has re-located to Palmerston Lane, Manuka (with Nomad Gallery, quite a mini arts precinct) where its Christmas exhibition “HOHOHO” is now running. The workshop will remain as Johannes and Helen Aitken Kuhnens’ teaching space and workshop.

“FRISSON” the graduation exhibition for the Advanced Diploma Visual Art and Design, CIT, is at ANCA Gallery, Rosevear Place, Dickson, Wednesday to Sunday, until December 5. The artists include sculptor Sing Wai

arts in the city

(Anton) Poon and Lucy Cooper, who uses cardboard and plastic bags, and says: “I basically just hope it makes people smile.”

THE works of nine emerging local artists who have unravelled the urban environment though fabric, metal, wood, paint, textiles, ink, found objects, photography and items that can adorn the body can be seen at the ACT Legislative Assembly, Exhibition space on the 1st floor, weekdays, until December 3 and on Saturday November 27.

MARGARET Dimoff is an abstract impressionist, southcoast artist who is inspired by colour from her garden. Her oils, acrylic and mixed media are on show at “The Q”, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, until December 4. NINA Stevenson, of Pied Piper Productions, is staging

“Red Riding Hood” by Robert A Danks with a cast aged six to14yrs. Why is grandma so keen to make the wolf welcome in her house? You have until November 27 to find out. St Paul’s Anglican Church Hall Manuka. All tickets $5 at the door, details at www. pied-piper.com.au THE Gallery of Australian

Design at Parkes Place on the lake still has a photo exhibition of the 33 winning projects from this year’s Australian Institute of Architects’ National Architecture Awards. You can also see the winner of this year’s Joern Utzon Award for International Architecture, the Met apartment building in central Bangkok.

“CityNews” has 10 new-release DVDs of the comedy drama “Married Single Other” to give away. All waiting to be won at www.citynews.com.au/win 10 DVDs to WIN

Pomegranate

Prints and patterns for any body

By Megan Haggan PRINTS and patterns continue to be big news in 2010, says Kestine Staples of “Love Your Style” – and any body shape can wear them.

“The secret is selecting the fabric and style for your shape,” she says. “Look for bold patterns and wear them alone – cocktail dresses with statement heels; soft, flowing floral dresses with understated but elegant heels or flats; spotted shirts and pearls for the classic look.”

Those of us with different shapes can take another approach:

• Bustier builds should keep it simple up top, Kestine says. “A three-quarter sleeved top in a lighter colour works with Aline and tulip skirts and flared pants as the printed fabrics.”

• Petite builds should choose softer, clingy fabrics to show off their figures. “Scooped and

V-necks in bold prints with tailored pants or skirts that tie up to the side – then throw on a jacket that nips in the waist with a single button.”

• Larger frames: “Some prints will scream out for attention, so wear them with confidence! Accessorise with necklaces or earrings, bigger or simpler prints, and stay away from clingy fabrics and bulky shoes.”

• Athletic builds: “Girls, you can have fun this season! Ruffles give a more feminine appearance, so wear them with prints, wrap dresses with florals, and girly skirts will flatter you.”

• Pear-shapes can try wearing prints up top. “Beautiful wrap dresses that don’t cling will look sensational with prints on a dark background. Dresses with belts show off your waist, and wear a printed scarf to finish off.”

Corinne Quayle from the August St design team offered the following tips on wearing patterns:

• Patterns can be mixed together providing they belong to the same colour palette.

• Wearing the same size patterns together is a faux pas: large and small together is essential.

• Mix and match different pieces: for example, animal print on floral.

• Avoid mixing too many floral pieces.

• Combine printed pieces with staple pieces, such as denim.

health&fitness

Excuses, excuses... get over the fear of gyms

JESSICA Reimer hears a lot of excuses for not exercising.

“‘It’s too cold or dark; I’m too fat to go to a gym; it’s that time of the month’; and one of the more common excuses, ‘I hate gyms’,” recites the Woden gym manager.

“I think a lot of women especially have a fear of gyms. We have a mindset that all gyms are going to be full of macho muscle men, grunting and sweating, with mirrors that give you no escape from viewing yourself at every angle,” she says.

“A lot of women will tell me they don’t have the time to exercise, because they work fulltime, have families and just can’t find time to fit it into their already busy lives.

“These are the women who always put these things before themselves: it’s quite common that once women have children they begin to put all their time and energy into the children and their family life, and soon enough they lose that ‘me’ time.”

Jessica says a women-only gym helps make it easier for women to relax and get their exercise.

To be able to achieve our health and fitness goals, we need to be comfortable with our exercise environment and our trainer, Jessica says.

“You need to walk into a gym feeling confident that you can be yourself, train the way you want to train and feel comfortable with how to use the equipment.

“If training with a trainer, you need to feel comfortable enough to be completely open and honest with them – you need to be able to tell them your goals, your fears and why it is you want and have both of these.

“You need to be able to be yourself around your trainer. For example, you may be a middle-aged lady going through menopause, you may have a younger trainer who can understand and appreciate what it is your body is going through, but her understanding of your health and changes will be quite different to a middleaged trainer who is going through or has been through menopause herself.

“There is a difference between finding a trainer you are comfortable around, and a trainer who you are completely comfortable with.”

Jessica says one of the best things we can do, especially if gyms make us nervous, is to find a training buddy.

“Your best friend could also be your secret weapon!” she says.

“Getting fit can be tough. While your instinct

may be to shield your nearest and dearest from the highs and the lows of your effort to shed kilos and shape up, enlisting the help of a friend may be the best move you can make.”

Choose someone who really “gets” you, Jessica advises. “Having things in common is very important, as is how and when you like to exercise.

“You need someone you can talk to when you have those tough moments and who will be there to help keep you motivated along the way.

“With an exercise buddy, not only can you push each other while you work out, but push each other to actually get to the workout!”

Bright sparks for summer

By Megan Haggan

‘TIS the season to be bright, says senior artist Nicole Thompson, from newcomer to Canberra M.A.C Cosmetics. “Go with the feeling of this time of year and the change in weather, and change your look!” she tells us.

For those who aren’t yet confident wearing those eye-popping new shades of spring and summer, the trick is to start slowly, she says.

“Start with subtle shades when exploring bright colours. This will help you build up your confidence, and ensure you don’t overdo it.

“Start with a bright lip – try bright shades of peach and pink on the lips, but make it a stain. Simply apply the lipstick straight from the tube, then blot with a tissue, twice. This will knock back the colour a little and make you look like you were born with it!”

Nicole says that when it comes to choosing the right shades for our skin tone, “Make-up is all about personal discovery. Simply try the colours you are attracted to – if there is any doubt, you can always wipe it off!”

She suggests that for those with pale or light skin, bright reds, pinks and peaches work well, while women with warm/olive tones could try jade greens, aqua blues and peach tones.

For dark skin, “warm copper tones of orange and red really pop!”

OPI Nail Lacquer in Flowerto-Flower, $19.95.

M.A.C

Dazzleglass Creme lip gloss in Radiant Jewels, $42.

Australis Nail Colour in Bombshell, $7.95.

Careless about cancer, report

By Megan Haggan

NEW research has shown that almost half of all Australian adults think it’s likely they’ll one day develop skin cancer – yet many still don’t regularly check their skin for potential cancers. In the last 12 months, 40 per cent of men and 36 per cent of women didn’t check their skin, or have a friend, family member of health professional check for them.

More than three million Australians (23 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women) rarely or never used sun protection when outdoors in the summer sun.

David Wild, from the Cancer Council ACT, says we need to be more vigilant.

Napoleon Perdis Loose Eye Dust in Electric Blue,

“Canberrans love their sports and the great outdoors, which is why we all need to be vigilant when it comes to protecting our skin and eyes from too much,” he told “CityNews”.

“In Canberra, melanoma is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and women, making it 10 per cent of all cancers diagnosed.

“Cancer Council ACT once again urges Canberrans to adopt a combination of the five sun protection behaviours when UV levels reach three and above – never just rely on one form of sun protection.

“In Canberra, sun protection will be necessary for part or most of each day between August and May. UV levels are already reaching ‘extreme’ levels in Canberra, increasing your risk of sunburn and skin damage.”

Turning a house

Our house is usually the single-largest and most-significant purchase we’re ever likely to make – so it makes sense to make them as comfortable and as welcoming as possible! Here a couple of local companies discuss ideas in renovation...

Consistent, non-porous Caesarstone

CANBERRANS like the look of granite – but they love the consistency and lack of porousness of Caesarstone, says Greg Thompson, from The Kitchen Connection.

“Caesarstone is real stone, crushed and made into sheets which give consistent colour,” Greg says. “And it’s non-porous, unlike natural stone.

“At the moment the promotion we have underway will allow us to laminate kitchen bench tops with stone for around $9000.”

Greg says that stone has been popular for some time, as it has a “classier feel”.

“Granite’s been around for ages, and people love it because it’s good to work on, and it’s always cool to the touch. Caesarstone is the same.

“But because granite’s porous, it can’t be used in a commercial kitchen; and a lot of consumers like to have a non-porous surface as well.

“The other thing is that with a natural product, there’s variations, so what I call Blue Pearl here in Canberra might be thought of as Black Pearl in Queensland; Caesarstone is reproducible to the point where no matter where you are or whether you’re doing a bunch of kitchens at once, it will be completely consistent.”

into a home

Let there be light

JUST Rite is offering the Velux range of skylights, which can provide the solution to creating bright, sunny interiors – even if the installation is a flat ceiling under a sloping roof.

According to Just Rite, the solution’s simple: a shaft is all that’s needed to capture light and fresh air into the home.

The skylights include the Model FS Fixed Skylight, which has been designed for out-of-reach applications. The FS captures abundant daylight for rooms where the main requirement is to bring in as much light as possible, visually expanding hallways, stairwells, and any other closed-in, dark spaces. For a dramatic effect, home-owners can use them in a “bank” above vertical windows, to create a spectacular sunroom.

There’s also the Velux VS openable skylight, which includes an operator hook that ensures easy opening and closing with a Velux control rod. A small winder handle is available when the skylight is installed, and the VS comes with a fitted insect screen which is easily removed for cleaning.

Just Rite also offers the Model

VSE Electric Openable Skylights, which has been pre-electrified, allowing plug-in installation without the need for an electrician to complete the electrical wiring.

The skylight features a chaindriven mechanism which is smooth and quiet and, when fully open, the VSE allows excellent ventilation, says Just Rite. It also includes dual rain sensors, which automatically close the window in inclement weather.

More information at www. justrite.com.au or call 6280 5300

Don’t tempt a summer thief

INCIDENTS of burglary/ break and enter are on the rise in the ACT, says Mark Norton, managing director of ADT Security Australia – and Canberrans may be at particular risk over the summer period.

Figures from the ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety show an 8.25 per cent increase in these incidents between the year summer 2008-spring 2009, and summer 2009-spring 2010.

ADT Security’s first “Secure Homes Report” showed that 29 per cent of respondents had been the victim of a break-in – and 22 per cent of residential break-ins had occurred while a family member was at home!

“With the busy Christmas holiday period drawing near, the survey revealed that more than 61 per cent of respondents worry about the safety of their homes while they are on holidays,”

Mark says. “Ninety three per cent do something to try and prevent a break-in, whether it’s simply letting the neighbours know they’ll be away, or setting timers on radios and lamps to create a sense of

occupation.

“Between end-of-year work parties, catch-ups with friends, Christmas Day with relatives and New Year’s Eve celebrations, most of us find ourselves away from home more often than usual in the summer months.

“Unfortunately, this provides more opportunities for unwelcome visitors to target your home.”

Because so many Canberrans leave the Territory for holidays, they may be particularly at risk, he says.

“Some homes are more tempting to thieves than others. Homes that are located in quiet streets with minimal traffic tend to be particularly susceptible.

“Other factors include heavy foliage cover, proximity of access routes (for example, pedestrian laneways or open parkland), poor lighting and the lack of security systems.

“In fact, the Australian Institute of Criminology reports that house alarms are the single most effective deterrent of burglars.

“The bottom line is thieves just don’t want to get caught. They would sooner rob a house without an alarm than one with. That’s why it’s important to use stickers or signs that advertise your home is protected by an alarm.”

Tips from the farmer’s gate

CANBERRANS are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their buying decisions – which is why many are buying their meat fresh from the farm gate, from local producers, says Lachlan Graham, from Argyle Prestige Meats in southern NSW, near Harden.

Lachlan shared some tips for buying farm fresh meat without paying a fortune:

• “Always order your beef or lamb in vacuum-sealed meat cuts,” he advises. “Airtight packaging not only tenderises and keeps the meat fresh, but it can store up to four weeks in the fridge.”

• T-bone and sirloin steaks are great for barbecuing, Lachlan says, and rump or oyster blade cuts are the best value for the barbecue dollar.

• “Ordering in bulk and sharing with family, friends or colleagues can save you up to 50 per cent in comparison to purchasing from your local butcher.

• “Farm-fresh sausages are tastier on the barbecue because they lack the additives and preservatives found in most supermarket varieties.”

• Lachlan says that when it comes to the barbecue itself, we should make sure the plate is super hot before placing the meat on the barbecue. “This seals in the juices, and keeps the flavour.”

Keep your home safe

• “Inform neighbours of your holiday plans, so that they can keep an eye on your property, and be sure to provide them with emergency contact details,” says Mark.

• “Consider hanging old clothes on the line to give the impression someone is home, or not away for an extended period of time.”

• Avoid placing expensive gifts under the Christmas tree until closer to the day, he advises.

• “Ask neighbours to put out your garbage bins on bin night, and offer to do the same in return for them when they need it.

• “Lower the telephone ringing volume so that it cannot be heard from outside your home, and avoid leaving a recorded message indicating that you are away on holidays.

• “Make sure children don’t reveal holiday plans to strangers or online at websites such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace.”

• Mark also advises getting a “no junk mail” sticker on mailboxes to prevent catalogues piling up, and/or asking a friend or neighbour to collect mail while you’re away.

• Install sensor lights at the entry and exit points of the house, as these act as a deterrent to thieves, he says. “If possible, time these outside lights to switch on automatically at night.

• “Leave a car in the driveway, if possible, or arrange for a neighbour to keep a car there and move it around from time to time.

• “Consider installing a monitored alarm system. While some people place their faith in an unmonitored alarm in the hope it will deter intruders, these are unfortunately often ignored by neighbours, especially if they frequently go off.”

your week in the stars

With Joanne Madeline Moore

November 29 - December 4

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Rams are no shrinking violets! This week, with restless Jupiter and rebellious Uranus squaring Mars, your reckless and rambunctious side takes over. Aim to be dynamic (rather than domineering) and proactive (rather than pushy). Ego trips and power plays will get you nowhere fast. You’re more accidentprone than usual so tread carefully.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

The Sun and Mars are both activating your lust and loot zone, so get ready for a fiery week. Some Bulls will enjoy a hot and heavy romantic encounter; others can expect a heated argument over joint finances. Saturday’s bold, impulsive energy blasts you out of your comfort zone and gets you moving forward again with renewed confidence.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

Your people skills are put to the test this week, as three planets stimulate your relationship zone. For chatty Twins, the secret to successful communication lies in less talking and more listening. Mercury moves into cautious Capricorn on Wednesday, so it’s the perfect time to slow down, and think things through carefully before you act.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Have you been burning the midnight oil? All work and no play can make Crabs super cranky. It’s time to adjust your home/work balance so it is in fact, balanced. Things won’t run according to plan this weekend so, if you expect disruptions and delays, then you won’t be disappointed. Veering off the safe path leads you into exciting new territory.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Calling all Leo drama queens! This week, with plenty of planetary action in your drama zone, you’ll be hard to ignore. Use the creative energy surge in positive ways, as you aim to be feisty and flamboyant (rather than bossy and belligerent!) If opportunities come along to be involved in projects you’re passionate about, don’t hesitate to jump in!

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

You’re in domestic mode as you whip yourself into a cleaning frenzy, or renovate up a storm. You want everything to be perfect, which could lead to friction with family members who are sick and tired of being criticised. Just remember – not everyone is as fussy and fastidious as you! If you sweat the small stuff, it will be a very long week.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

Librans tend to drop projects and people when the going gets tough. This week, Venus moves into tenacious Scorpio, so it’s time to be more persistent. Your inspiration comes from birthday great Winston Churchill: “Never, never, never quit.” On the weekend, “think global, act local” as you do your bit to support your local community.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

With the Sun and Mars in your money zone, you’re in the mood for spontaneous spending sprees and credit card burnout. Overdoing the retail therapy could land you in financial hot water now – and psychological therapy later on! So think (carefully) before you buy. Venus vamps into your sign, so you’re at your seductive Scorpio best.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Sagittarians (like Billy Connolly and Ben Stiller) are the jolly jokers of the zodiac pack. With the Sun, Mercury and Mars moving through your sign, your playfulness and sense of humor are highlighted this week. So it’s time to amuse others as you play the role of the ribald raconteur! You’re full of big ideas but don’t make promises you can’t keep.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Capricorns are capable and ambitious folk, always busy improving your lot in the outside world. But what about your inner life? It’s time to (temporarily) jump off the treadmill and soothe the soul with a few hours of splendid solitude and quiet contemplation. From mid-week onwards, don’t let your curiosity (and obsessions) cloud your judgment.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Aquarians oscillate between longing to be part of a group, and being the eccentric, larrikin loner. This week, with three planets in your “group zone,” you’ll want to congregate with like-minded individuals. You have much to contribute – and lots to learn. On Saturday you’re in a rebellious mood, but aim to be a rebel with a cause.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Professionally speaking, being a passive Piscean just won’t work at the moment. With the Sun and Mars both barnstorming through your career zone, you need to be as confident and proactive as you possibly can. Be inspired by Walt Disney (born on December 5): “All your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them.”

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2010.

general knowledge crossword

Across

1 Name the Australian Antarctic explorer, Sir Douglas

7 What is a combination of eight related items?

8 Which word describes short pieces of waste thread or yarn?

9 What are small districts enclosed within larger ones?

10 Name a type of person who, through infatuation with superiors, endorses their every act.

11 What do we call altar attendants of minor rank?

14 What is a brief statement giving a general view of some subject?

18 Which term is descriptive of the proximal segment of the foot?

19 What designates a casino attendant who works at a gaming table?

21 What do we call a child during the earliest period of its life?

22 In the US, what is an animal found without an owner's brand?

23 Name a light finger-shaped chocolate-coated cream cake.

Down

1 Which colloquial term describes swags?

2 What is a more familiar name for decapod dibranchiate cephalopods?

3 Name another word for bouquets.

4 Which term describes that which relates to the ear?

5 What is a place in which bees are kept?

6 To go back on one's word is to do what?

12 To be involved in an ongoing stop work protest is to be what? (2,6)

13 What do we call one who forms figures by cutting marble, wood, granite, etc?

15 Which small Australian tree is useful as fodder, firewood and fence posts?

16 What are creative musical compositions?

17 To be crafty or cunning, is to be what?

20 What is a more familiar term for the fleur-de-lis?

all about property

Industrial space picks up

NEW industrial space in the ACT is showing steady take up as tenants and owner occupiers look to take advantage of weaker market conditions. Walker Corporation’s 30ha Monaro Industrial Park in Hume has seen leasing transactions over the last quarter with the latest to Allied Pickfords. The relocation and storage specialist has pre-committed to 12,608sqm of office and warehouse space on Sawmill Circuit and will take occupancy of the facility in April.

The 10-year deal was brokered by Colliers International at $115 per sqm pa and with outgoings at approximately $20 per sqm.

According to leasing agent Andrew Green, the deal continues a solid run of

commercial property

t im Humphrey

signings at this location.

“We have been extremely happy with the take up in the park to date – and it’s been encouraging how quickly the blocks have both leased up and/or sold” Mr Green said.

“A key factor has been a willingness by Walker Corporation to offer some really competitive packages”

On the purchase front, Downer EDI has also recently acquired a 10,000sqm block and is currently constructing a new facility on-site with expected completion

in February or March.

Other owner occupiers to have purchased land in Monaro Industrial Park include Inniamo Transport (which acquired a 5000sqm block) and Trussme (a 3000sqm block).

In other news, Prices Furniture Discounts has leased 1721sqm of bulky goods style showroom at 32 Barrier Street, Fyshwick at a rate of $150 per sqm pa. This 10-year lease was brokered by Peter Triantafillopolis, of Colliers International.

Tim Humphrey is editor of “Property Daily”, a market news and intelligence service focused on commercial property markets nationally. www.propertydaily. com.au

Pay, it’s the right thing

THERE are good reasons why introducing parking charges in the Parliamentary Triangle is the right thing to do.

Parking should be treated the same throughout the Territory and the Chief Minister’s action – lobbying his Federal colleagues to help create a level playing field – should be supported and applauded.

With a few exceptions, all-day parking currently remains basically free at Russell Hill and in the Barton/Parkes area. All-day parking in Civic, by contrast, and close to the town centres of Belconnen and Woden is paid.

This sort of inequity distorts investment decisions on where to place office facilities (locations with free parking are preferred) to the detriment of Civic and the town centres.

And once the office workers move in, there’s little incentive to use public transport, car pool or seek a more environmentally friendly way of commuting than travelling by car.

I am tired of arguments such as: “There’s no point trying to encourage workers to take the bus, because half of them live nowhere near a bus stop”.

They assume that there is no value unless all workers replace

property c atherine c arter

the single-driver vehicle method. But, in fact, getting even a quarter of the workers in the Parliamentary Triangle to consider alternatives promises considerable environmental savings.

And the choice isn’t limited to a car or the bus. There is bicycle riding or a walk to work for those who live close enough. And, there is a range of car-pooling options to consider. Throw in park-andride facilities and you add a boost to local economies to the mix. Even if only some of the people consider some of the alternatives, some of the time, we gain.

A parking charge could, by encouraging the use of alternatives, reduce increasing morning and afternoon road congestion.

The National Capital Authority has released a discussion paper about parking in the parliamentary triangle and is asking for public comment. I urge anyone with views on the matter, whatever they are, to take this opportunity to be heard.

Catherine Carter is ACT executive director of the Property Council of Australia

B

Sat 9:30-10:00 32 Bindaga Pl Elders Belconnen 0428 486 692 5BR A Sat 11:00-11:45 45 Bandjalong Cr McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0407 777 601 4BR A

Arabana St Peter Blackshaw Gungahlin 0408 219 148 3BR A

Blackshaw Belconnen 0418 628 043 3BR E

Arabana

Arabana St Elders Belconnen 0428 486 692 4BR G

Agent 1/103 Bandjalong Cr Richard Luton Properties 0413 832 535 3BR G

Gidabal St Peter Blackshaw Manuka 0412 997 894 4BR A

Agent 1 Mirning Cr Elders Belconnen 0428 486 692 4BR A

Sat 11:30-12:00 79 Pockett Av Richard Luton Properties 0410 542 667 4BR I

12:00-1:00 4 Mathews Pl Dwyer Dunn 0419 002 780 4BR I

3BR I

Blackshaw Tuggeranong 0412 726 025 5BR I

L.J. Hooker Tuggeranong 0438 627 772 4BR G

BONNER

Canberra Region Property Summary

COOK

Canberra Region Property Summary

FORREST

Canberra Region Property Summary

HARRISON

HAWKER

HIGGINS

HUGHES

LYNEHAM

MELBA

LYONS

MACQUARIE

23 Aroona Ct First National Gungahlin 0417 687 379 5BR G Sat 1:45-2:30 19 Margany Cl Philip Kouvelis Real Estate 0417 459 427 4BR H Sat 2:45-4:00 133 Jabanungga Av Independent Belconnen 0419 000 079 3BR I

Berra Cl Peter Blackshaw Inner North 0403 808 780 3BR J

Agent 21 Birrigai Sq Peter Blackshaw Belconnen 0412 060 792 3BR J

Agent 9/3 Bural Ct McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0414 701 465 3BR I

16 Bural Ct L.J. Hooker Tuggeranong 0418 624 913 3BR J U

Agent 43 Carina St L.J. Hooker Gungahlin 0419 296 458 3BR K

Gecko Woden 0401 218 325 3BR J

Independent Dickson 0418 693 635 4BR E

Richard Luton Properties 0431 602 251 4BR I

Jaru Pl Independent Gungahlin 0416 135 270 4BR H

Karrugang Cct McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin 0407 777 601 3BR J

Lingiari Ct Independent Dickson 0418 693 635 3BR J

Margany Cl L.J. Hooker Gungahlin 0419 296 458 4BR H

Agent

Mawalan St Peter Blackshaw Gungahlin 0408 219 148 3BR I U

Maynard St L.J. Hooker Gungahlin 0419 296 458 3BR I

O'CONNOR

Canberra Region Property Summary

PHILLIP

QUEANBEYAN

O'MALLEY

RED HILL

REID

RICHARDSON

RIVETT

SCULLIN

SPENCE

WESTON

Canberra Region Property Summary

YARRALUMLA

YASS