Andrew, mate; Scomo here…
JON STANHOPE
Come on, Libs, hit the phones
PAUL COSTIGAN
When the rules are made by men
HELEN MUSA
Pushing to break the ‘prison cycle’
SHANE RATTENBURY
Looking the part
The men making make-up for men
Injured in a motor vehicle accident?
Don’t delay call MEJ.
BREASTFEEDING in Australia is declining because the “invisible” work of caring for a baby means mothers don’t get the maternity leave they need.
So says Dr Julie Smith, who has studied the economics of breast feeding for more than 20 years.
Dr Smith warns that motherto-baby feeding will be displaced if breastfeeding support is not prioritised by health services and governments.
The researcher from the ANU’s Research School of Population Health warns of the urgent need for tough regulation with the newly emerging markets in human milk.
“Expanding Australia’s humanmilk banking system will save lives and save on health costs. With pasteurised donor milk for NICU now selling at around $300 a litre internationally, companies are keen to generate new markets,” says Dr Smith.
“It is only a matter of time before Australian parents will see UHT human milk promoted alongside formula in the shopping aisles.”
She says Australian women produce more than 40 million litres of milk for our infants and young children each year.
“This value is not counted in our national food statistics, or noticed in the national budget,” says Dr Smith.
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“Because we don’t measure it, we don’t appreciate its value, and governments fail to invest
in programs and services that support it.”
Dr Smith says breastfeeding is worth at least $3.6 billion to the economy, using market values.
“Most industrialised countries have sufficient paid maternity leave so mothers can exclusively
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breastfeed for six months, in line with the World Health Organization,” she says.
“Women’s time is not free. If we don’t document the cost of feeding and caring for babies and young children, it is taken for granted by
“Having a baby or toddler is amazingly time-intensive, yet official statistics ignore this
Previous ANU research showed that introducing just a few weeks of paid maternity leave in 2011 increased breastfeeding and improved mothers’ mental health months down the track.
Dr Smith says we should count breast milk as part of the national
“Norway counts breast milk as part of its national food statistics and we should, too,” she says.
“My research shows it takes mothers about 40-hours each week to care for a new baby, including around 18 hours to breastfeed, yet this is not considered relevant to health or work policies by government statisticians.
“Failure to help mothers with breastfeeding costs the nation almost $4 billion in lost baby milk production, and hundreds of millions of dollars in preventable health costs.”
GERMAN breads, cakes, deli goods, wines, beers, spirits, crafts and new and used vinyl records will feature at the German Markets Day at the Harmonie German Club, Narrabundah, 9am-1pm, Sunday, June 23. Free entry.
ANYONE with a Welsh background or interest in Wales and its culture, history and/or language is welcome to join the Welsh Society of Canberra for its annual midwinter lunch at the Weston Creek Labor Club, Stirling, from noon on Sunday, June 23. More at facebook@ canberrawelsh or call 0426 872284.
FREE tea or coffee and cake is on offer to all visitors to the Coffee/Op Shop at Christ Church Hawker, corner Beetaloo Street and Belconnen Way, Hawker, 9am-noon, on Saturday, July 6. And there’s stuff to buy such as books, pre-loved clothes, trash ‘n’ treasure and a cake stall with home-made jams.
ROD and Judy Roberts will talk about the restoration of Allwood Cottage in the Hall region at the next meeting of the ladies of the Gungahlin Day VIEW Club in Nicholls on Wednesday, June 26. Lunch costs $35 and is open to visitors. Book at 6262 2556 before 9pm, Sunday, June 23.
AUTHOR Margie Wade will entertain the ladies of the Weston Creek VIEW Club with some of her “Canberra Secrets” at their next monthly lunch at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, from 11am on July 2. The club welcomes visitors and new members. Lunch costs $28; book at 6286 4626 by 5pm, Thursday, June 27.
AMID the controversial political football that is the ACT inquiry into school violence, a frustrated father of a Catholic school fourth grader who attempted suicide took to social media for help and guidance.
The parent was stunned by the hundreds of similarly heartbreaking stories the post attracted.
Surely when a child is bullied to the extent that they hide a knife under the pillow and ask: “If I go to heaven, do I have a wish to come back?”, the rights and confidentiality of the bully must no longer be a wall behind which those in authority can cowardly and unconscionably stand behind.
FRESHLY gonged former ASIO director-general Dennis Richardson has given weight – for real Canberrans – to the origins of the cynical and political self-serving “Canberra bubble”. The one-time ASIO director-general, who was recognised with a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Queen’s Birthday honours list, says: “The Canberra bubble was created by the politicians who are
elected right round the country who happen to spend 100 days or so a year in Canberra. They create the bubble, but it’s their way of avoiding accountability by referring to it.”
MEMBER for Monaro John Barilaro has become the poster boy of the nuclear-energy debate and wants it known that he’s no NIMBY when it comes to a nuclear power plant in his own patch, although such a facility is at least a decade down the track. Emboldened by an increased majority at the last NSW poll, the state National Party leader repeated his favourite nuclear quote: “This isn’t Homer Simpson driving the power plant”, to sell the point that “we’ve been stuck in a rut here, fixated on ideology rather than watching what’s happening across the globe”.
I SAT down to breakfast with Mike Pezzullo on Saturday. It was the end of a heavy week for the man whose day job is secretary of the Department of Home Affairs. But my guess, having been privy to another, deeper and more personal side to the veteran bureaucrat – it was a week he’d more than adroitly take in his stride.
It was Pezzullo the private citizen who presented a short but illuminating (one of his favourite words) speech on religious freedoms
and obligations to 60 Christian men at a Deakin cafe. If Pezzullo’s speech was outstanding, the longer Q&A session was brilliant. His speech was recorded and is downloadable at goodshepherdcurtin.org
FORMER ACT chief minister
Kate Carnell also had a busy week commenting on a broad range of issues. So busy in fact she confused the gender of the Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton. Appearing on the ABC TV’s “The Drum”, Carnell was asked her opinion on the Prime Minister’s prompt response on the issue of Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo “leaning” on Senator Rex Patrick
Ms Carnell said: “I’m very pleased he got involved... because it was the appropriate approach for the PM to take to speak to the minister and for the minister to speak to the head of her department”.
DESPITE conceding defeat in his Senate campaign, former Canberrabased retired army major general Jim Molan has threatened to soldier on, promising to become an even bigger pain in the side of the NSW
Liberal Party. Molan is now being touted as Australia’s most popular politician, scoring a record 132,000 first preference votes.
“Gentleman Jim” is keeping his options open, which he says “really means I’ll give it a go”, referring to the possibility of returning to the Senate via the possible casual vacancy created by a US-bound Arthur Sinodinos
OLD Parliament House, where Bob Hawke served the first five of his almost nine years in office, hosted a public screening of the Labor legend’s state memorial service from Sydney Opera House.
Around 100 people gathered in the House of Representatives chamber, applauding only when Kim Beasley, Anthony Albanese and former union boss Bill Kelty spoke, but not after PM Scott Morrison’s contribution.
Arts editor HELEN MUSA remembers Peter Batey, founder of the Bald Archy Prize, who has died in a car accident.
THE founder of the Bald Archy Prize, Peter Batey, pictured, has died in a car accident. He was 86.
Driving back to his home in Coolac, NSW, from Cootamundra on June 14 he is believed to have suffered a seizure and run into a tree.
Batey, one of the most colourful personalities in the Australian arts, was born in Benalla, Victoria, in 1933 and went on to train in the Melbourne Conservatorium Drama School.
In December, 1963, he joined the Canberra Rep as its full-time manager, overseeing its move into the then-new Playhouse in 1965, where his production of the play “Romanoff and Juliet” was the first show.
The Bald Archy Prize has debuted annually in Canberra in recent years, at the Watson Arts Centre. Popular subjects over the years were the late media mogul Kerry Packer, Pauline Hanson, Julian Assange, Jacqui Lambie, many prime ministers, cricketers and TV personalities.
Batey was awarded an OAM in 1999.
In the 1970s he collaborated with and directed Reg Livermore in “Betty Blokk Buster Follies”, “Wonderwoman”, “Sacred Cow” and “Son of as an antidote to the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW. The judge was the white cockatoo of Coolac, Maude, and they quickly attracted leading cartoonists and satirical artists to the competition from around the country.
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IT was surprising to see that Chief Minister Andrew Barr has used almost all of his foreword to this year’s Budget Paper No. 2 to attack the Federal Liberal government of Scott Morrison.
This is the first time, of which I am aware, of a state or territory government using its Budget papers as a platform for a politically partisan attack on the Commonwealth government.
The Chief Minister accuses the Liberal Party of a raft of failings. Not investing in Canberra; failing to invest locally in national infrastructure; undermining our largest employment base and refusing to contribute fairly to funding essential services such as hospitals and schools.
The facts are different. The Commonwealth is by far the biggest contributor to the ACT economy. Indeed, it is the engine room of our economy. It is also the case that the nature and level of Commonwealth payments and grants to the ACT are set independently, by the Commonwealth Grants Commission.
The ACT has done no better or worse under the last six years of Liberal government than it did under the previous six years of Labor rule.
The attack in the Budget papers
How does Barr think Morrison will respond? Could it be that he actually believes he can bully or embarrass the Prime Minister into submission?
follows the very partisan commentary offered by the Chief Minister during the Federal election campaign in which he effectively claimed that he would find it impossible to work with Scott Morrison and a Liberal government.
It is clear that the Chief Minister, like many of us, had been conditioned by three years of polling to assume that a Labor victory was a lay down misere and his graceless performance following the “miracle” of Morrison’s win reflected his dismay that we were wrong.
What I was left wondering about Barr’s partisan attacks on Morrison, the Liberal Party and Commonwealth government during and after the election and now in the Budget papers was the nature of the response that he expects his continuing attacks will produce.
How does he think Morrison will respond? Could it be that he actually believes he can bully or embarrass the Prime Minister into submission? Is Andrew waiting patiently by the phone for a call from Scott? How does he imagine, I wonder, the conversation will go? Something like this, perhaps:
“Andrew. Mate. ScoMo here. I understand you need a hand out. Stage two of your tram – how much do you need? – just ask. No, no need for a business case.
“Out of interest: what is the cost benefit? Bill Shorten must have known, surely, before offering you $200 million. Oh, so you haven’t done one, but you think about 42 cents return on every dollar. Wow-that much? Travel times will improve, of course. What, the bus is faster? No worries, you can’t expect everything to be perfect. Happy to offer you whatever you need.”
Unhappily, we all know, as a result of the behaviour of the Chief Minister and his Ministerial colleagues towards ClubsACT and the group of non-Labor Party aligned clubs, led by the Raiders Group, which had the audacity to publicly oppose the Labor and Greens coalition at the last ACT election, how they react to political opposition. Their response has been to openly ostracise and to attack the clubs continuously and remorselessly. The spiteful treatment by the ACT Labor and Greens Parties of community based clubs is unprecedented and immature.
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“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is not a sentiment one associates with the current ACT government but we can hope and perhaps pray that the Morrison government is a tad more mature and professional towards its political opponents than our government has been towards those that don’t support it.
Having strayed on to the subject of the Labor/Greens war on community clubs, I recently approached the ACT government for a copy of the terms of reference for research which it has commissioned from an ANU academic on the subject of problem gambling. A serious issue, undoubtedly, deserving of serious attention.
Unfortunately, because of the war which Labor and the Greens have declared on community clubs I now regard, until convinced otherwise, every action taken by the ACT government in relation to clubs or gambling as almost certainly the opening of another front in that war.
The fact that my request for the terms of reference for the ANU research was refused on the grounds that they are commercial-inconfidence has fuelled my cynicism. Since when, and why, are the terms
of reference for mundane social research commissioned by a government from an Australian university so secret that they cannot be made public?
I will return to the subject of the recent Budget on another occasion. Suffice to say, there is still no need to panic, just yet, but if you are one of those Canberrans who dreams about stage two of the tram or a new convention centre or a sports stadium or a fully functioning health system or an affordable house or a fair and progressive rates regime or justice for Aboriginal people then dream on.
Jon Stanhope was chief minister from 2001 to 2011 and represented Ginninderra for the Labor Party from 1998. He is the only chief minister to have governed with a majority in the Assembly.
LET’S talk about one aspect of the aftermath of the May 18 Federal election.
This piece follows up my April 24 column about how locally elected Federal politicians avoid dealing with the priority issue for local residents – the city’s planning and development mess.
During the election campaign it was difficult to engage with local Labor candidates on Canberra’s planning woes. The clear message was that planning and development matters were for their colleagues in the ACT government – not the Federal politicians.
This contrasted with politicians elsewhere who were fighting for their seats and were keen to demonstrate what they were doing for their local communities. Miraculously these Federal politicians discovered the importance of being “local”.
In contrast, local Labor candidates were fairly comfortable about winning and didn’t spend energy on proving how
The Canberra Liberals need to demonstrate they could offer something different to the out-of-touch regime now in power as the ACT government.
“local” they were. They were content to move around majestically while being focused on the important Federal matters.
Yet once elected, Alicia Payne stated how she was there to be an advocate for the people of Canberra. Worryingly, it seems that this means that she will be a local advocate when she thinks it is relevant. She is already using spin to avoid real issues. Take her response when canvassed about saving West Basin from becoming yet another apartment suburb. She was asked about heritage values, the scam to fill in part of the lake to create more land sales and about the loss of biodiversity. Her response?
She got the chief minister’s staff to repeat the usual spin about how this fantastic development was good for the city and the development will be under the watchful eye of the City Renewal Authority. Great! We all know what that means.
Significantly Payne’s statement (be -
ing the Chief Minister’s words) avoided mentioning the heritage values, the vast parkland areas, the trees and the lakeside biodiversity that will be lost. The accompanying photo should assist Alicia and other Federal members to understand the realities of what people are talking about. Notice the amount of open spaces?
We know the Chief Minister and his barbarous developer-friendly agencies ignore trees, parklands and biodiversity and see open spaces and the foreshore as land banks to be sold off.
Hopefully, our Federal politicians could look at the evidence (the real stuff not the fabricated junk prepared by the ACT government). As locally elected Federal politicians they need to take a stand on behalf of this city as the national capital, its heritage values, biodiversity and green spaces –and to take a stand for common sense. And now to turn attention to the Canberra Liberals. They had smiles on their faces once the Federal election results came in. They have convinced themselves that they could repeat this success and that they have their own links into the Federal government. Fair enough!
Here’s a challenge for the Canberra Liberals if they think they want to be seen as relevant on local planning issues. The Canberra Liberals need to demonstrate they could offer something different to the out-oftouch regime now in power as the ACT government.
Why not join with the residents and oppose the outlandish proposals for West Basin? As ACT Liberals, they should have easy access to their Federal colleagues and in particular those with the final say on what the National Capital Authority can sign away for development.
Get on those phones and call up your colleagues and get this sorted and then take that success to the
coming 2020 ACT elections.
When it comes to West Basin, hordes of experts have spoken and Canberrans have packed out meetings. The science is in. Stop being pro-development at all costs. The evidence stacks up to keep West Basin free of apartments. Sensible parkland development is required.
Who will deliver on this? Will it be our so-called local advocates, the five Labor politicians, or could it be the Canberra Liberals? We are watching.
Paul Costigan is an independent commentator and consultant on the visual arts, photography, urban design, environmental issues and everyday matters.
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IT is over 10 years since I helped set up the Community Alliance Party, now called the Community Action Party (CAP).
“CityNews” carried a front page article on the formation of the party in its March 6, 2008 issue and the launch of CAP was held at the Albert Hall and addressed by Prof Jenny Stewart and ex-National Capital Development Commission head, Tony Powell.
The CAP was set up to help redress problems resulting from majority government and its lack of consultation, and to promote more attention being paid to social justice issues. With an election coming up it is time to address the problems of a Labor Government, apparently held hostage by developers and big business interests, and an insipid opposition.
My major in political science from the ANU would suggest that we need a non-aligned party or independents who can hold the balance of power and who are then able to force the major parties to recognise the importance of catering to the needs of many ordinary people such as the low paid, the homeless, those coping with mental health issues, the young and those confronted by ever increasing rate rises, extra charges and levies.
In other words, all those not benefiting from the promotion of unfettered population growth in the ACT; a policy designed to address increased rate requirements and the demands of developers and big business.
So I urge those who understand my sentiments to join the CAP or any other party with a social justice conscience or support an independent with similar views. Those interested in joining CAP can express an interest to communityactionpartycap@gmail.com
Ric Hingee, Duffy
‘Completely ignored’ by bureaucracy
I WOULD like to lend our support to columnist Paul Costigan’s citynews.com.au article on Section 72 at Dickson (“Crunch time looms for Dickson parklands”).
We are the proprietors and operators of the Parklands Apartments, which are on the eastern end of Section 72, off Hawdon Place.
We are based in Brisbane and only found out about the proposals when we noticed a piece in your magazine about a year ago, on Homeground.
We have made various submissions, which have all been met with responses that indicate that we are all hugely in favour of community housing, which we are not.
We have enjoyed our nice quiet position since 2005 when we bought the property, even though our immediate surrounds consist of derelict buildings or a vacant lot where the planetarium was. We now understand that a new road is to cut in beside our hotel on an east-west
axis. Having seen the plans and made submissions as to what we would like to see next door we have been completely ignored, other than for standard PR blurbs. John Gates, Newstead, Queensland
LETTER writer Yvonne Dickson states: “It makes me crazy when I see old men stating” about climate change (CN, letters, June 13). Why pick on old men? This is a sexist and ageist comment. It is not only men, old or otherwise, that don’t believe in the climate-change scare.
Yvonne isn’t on her own about being made crazy, except what makes me crazy is the people who will not accept that climate change on earth has been going on in both directions for millions of years. She – like a lot of other people – needs to do her research just like I have, instead of blindly following the rhetoric from the people who have a vested interest in selling the renewables.
Even Patrick Moore (former president of Greenpeace International) has now stated that the world needs carbon dioxide and without it this would be a dead planet. He says the crops and trees will not grow and we will have no food. Maybe there is too much carbon dioxide produced in some countries, but that is not the case in Australia.
Vi Evans via email
I HAVE found the “Dose of Dorin” cartoons quirky over the years, some amusing and some so-so (and so it was on penalty rates, CN, June 13). I am sure the PM would like to take credit for a lot of stuff, and there is plenty he could. But changing penalty rates is definitely not one.
The responsibility for simplifying award penalty rates in hospitality was an action of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) headed by Iain Ross.
Iain was appointed by the previous Labor government, and formerly was a senior official at the ACTU. The same man presided over the recent 3 per cent rise in the minimum wage, which has been well received (including by the government) in addressing low wage growth (which is actually a global problem).
I have a labour market economics background, and have been pleasantly surprised by some of Iain Ross’ decisions (given his background might suggest certain outcomes). He appears to have found the common ground, delivering decisions that try to make workplace relations work, simpler and sustainable.
I don’t know what dose Paul Dorin was on, but I’ll just assume it was the flu.
Martin Gordon, Dunlop
AN important lesson for emerging political leaders can be learnt from the memorial service for Bob Hawke. The consistent message of his success centred on his being simply genuine. The person we saw on television, the person in the cabinet, the person as prime minister was simply Bob Hawke.
This is a rare quality in modern politicians. Our current leaders too often rely on a nickname, wear a baseball cap, ride public transport, or mix with the locals at the pub. How much of this is genuine? It might bring temporary popularity –but history will not be kind. “The real Julia Gillard” was illustrative as she discarded being “too stage managed”. Negative campaigning is effective. In 2016 Labor ran a very effective “Mediscare” campaign. In 2019 the coalition ran the “death tax” scare, the “Bill you cannot afford” and “taxing pensioners”.
These tactics were deployed by Keating and Labor in 1993 to defeat John Hewson’s “Fightback” and GST. They finally
The level of trust in Australian democracy has reduced from around 80 per cent in 1996 as John Howard came to government to around 40 per cent in 2018 under Scott Morrison.
came back to bite Labor at the last election.
Leadership has given way to populism, which is why the genuine side of our political leaders has gone missing. They say and do what needs to be done, to win popularity – to win the next election. Targeting specific groups, especially in vulnerable electorates, has become an art form. Mirroring what the majority wants to hear seems more important to them than leadership through setting a goal and working to deliver.
Khalid Ahmed, of Canberra University’s Institute of Governance and Policy, recently provided evidence of the incredible optimism in the out years in the ACT Budget. The net operating balance is predicted to dip to below $100 million over the next two financial years.
However, like magic, it will spring into surplus at about the time of the
next election. How much spin is in the prediction of a half a billion turn around by 2022-23?
Where is the political vision? Who is using evidence to determine what is in the best long-term interest of the community as a whole? There is an enormous amount of research available. However, it does take analysis, thoughtful consideration and being put into the appropriate context before being adopted. Sometimes, mostly thanks to public servants, this even happens.
Lip service to evidence and research is common in politics. However, the modus operandi of Parliamentary Committee systems is largely based on evidence and research. Compromises do have to be made and some members will always attempt to cherry-pick the evidence to suit their preconceived ideas.
Unfortunately, electoral issues, popularity, the view of donors and a myriad of other political factors too often trump evidence and research. Trump! I am glad I used that word! Last month the US President tweeted:
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Former prime minister Bob Hawke… The consistent message of his success centred on his being simply genuine.
Caricature: Paul Dorin
“The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that despite the tremendous success with the economy & all things else, 91% of the news about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?”
Apparently, anything disliked by a politician ought to be framed as “fake news”. In marked contrast, a UK House of Commons committee looking
into this issue reported in July last year: “The term ‘fake news’ is bandied around with no clear idea of what it means, or agreed definition.
“The term has taken on a variety of meanings, including a description of any statement that is not liked or agreed with by the reader.
“We recommend that the government rejects the term ‘fake news’, and instead puts forward an agreed definition of the words ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’”.
Mark Twain has timeless advice for politicians regarding the truth: “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything”, and on another occasion: “When in doubt tell the truth. It will confound your enemies and astound your friends.”
The level of trust in Australian democracy has reduced from around 80 per cent in 1996 as John Howard came to government to around 40 per cent in 2018 under Scott Morrison. Fake news, dissembling, misinformation and disinformation might work for elections. However, such an approach undermines the credibility of the individuals concerned and emasculates our democracy.
Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.
Recently, I was approached by a patient looking for a second opinion. The week prior she had been to a retail hearing aid store in her local shopping centre, hoping to get some advice regarding her hearing loss. As a pensioner, she should have been able to claim free hearing aids as part of the Australian Government’s hearing loss scheme under the Office of Hearing Services, but when she inquired about the program she was told by the salesperson that the governmentissued hearing aids were of poor quality and inadequate for her needs.
”We need to speak out and about what is going on in the hearing aid industry if we want change.”
– Dr Vass
The salesperson insisted what she needed was one of their more expensive hearing aids, priced at over $7,000 for a pair. Anxious about not being able to afford what seemed to be a necessity, she reached out to a friend who suggested she make an appointment with me for a second opinion.
After consulting with the patient and looking over her results, it became
clear to me that the assessment from the shopping centre was completely wrong. The patient had had surgery on one ear 20 years ago which had resulted in worse hearing loss in that ear and not the other. Yet the “hearing test” from the shopping centre showed that her hearing was equal in both ears. Was this because the tester was incompetent or the equipment was faulty? Or was it just an attempt to cover up a medical condition that would have required the patient to be seen by a doctor before hearing aids could even be considered for her? It is likely we’ll never know the answer, but any of the above explanations would be unacceptable.
We need to speak out and about what is going on in the hearing aid industry if we want change. Anyone who has a similar story can report it to the ACCC.
If you would like to have a complimentary second opinion with Dr Vass please phone 02 6282 2717 to make an appointment.
THIS year the ACT government set a significant new direction in justice policy.
In the ACT, as we’re seeing across Australia, while crime rates are going down, incarceration rates are still going up.
Prisons cannot simply turn away people sentenced by the courts. It begs the question as to what can be done to avert this challenging trend over the long term.
In most jurisdictions, the response from governments over many decades has been more of the “same old”: building larger prisons, rather than addressing the issues that see individuals commit crime in the first place.
This “same-old” policy has netted us the “same-old” outcomes – rising incarceration rates, and for many, a prison “cycle”, where too many prisoners keep cycling in and out of the criminal-justice system.
In the ACT, we have the same trends, but we don’t accept this outcome. We need to do things differently to get different, and better, results. That’s why
Jails are tough places to be. As much as we want to have a human-rights-compliant jail, my view is that the best thing we can do for human rights is to make sure people don’t go to jail at all.
earlier this year, the government took an explicit decision to adopt a Justice Reinvestment approach instead.
Justice Reinvestment is honest about the reality of incarceration in Australia. It sees that the most just justice system is one that acts early to help prevent the circumstances that can lead to crime in the first place.
As columnist Michael Moore wrote (“Can Shane deliver on prison reform?” CN, June 13), there is a clear responsibility here to put words into action. It is one thing to suggest “Justice Reinvestment”: and another to deliver.
That’s why in the past six months the ACT government has committed $85 million towards extensive, evidence-based Justice Reinvestment programs, to make sure we are putting words into action.
In February, the ACT government took a major step to rule out an expansion of the Alexander Maconochie Centre high-security campus – an Australian first. We will not spend the more than $200 million of capital
expenditure to build a warehousestyle prison, plus more than $25 million a year in operating costs. Instead, we will redirect funds into Justice Reinvestment programs.
Part of the spending is to build a new, low-security Reintegration Centre “outside the wire”. This stands in strong contrast to the maximum security inside the fence. More like a prison “farm” seen in other jurisdictions, detainees will spend their time focused on transitioning to life on the outside, potentially even going to work as they serve out their sentences.
Similarly, the money that would otherwise go to building a bigger prison is now also being used to support those most in need: victims of crime; Aboriginal detainees, who make up an unacceptable proportion of our prison population; female detainees; and/or those at risk of homelessness.
For example, we know that on average, one in five prisoners say they did not have a secure place to live in the four weeks leading up to their time in prison – a reason often cited when
If you have a business that offers or would like to offer ACT Seniors Card holders a discount on goods or services you can list for free in the 2019-2021 ACT Seniors Card Directory.
The Directory is the go-to publication for seniors looking for goods, services and trades in the ACT.
The Directory will be printed in August and made available to the 65,000 Seniors Card holders in the ACT. Your business listing will also appear online at www.actseniorscard.org.au
The Business Participation Guide is available online www.actseniorscard.org.au or call COTA ACT 02 6282 3777 for more information.
Applications can be sent to seniorscard@cotaact.org.au
The closing dates for business applications for the hard copy of the Directory is 30 June 2019.
refusing bail.
That’s why we’ve invested $6.9 million to establish a bail-support program, and another $13 million on a Justice Housing program so that more people don’t find themselves in prison simply because they don’t have anywhere secure to live.
What is the alternative? Had we kept with the “same old” approach, by current estimates, we would end up building bigger prisons every five years. By simply housing, rather than rehabilitating prisoners, we would fail to end the prison cycle, at significant cost to the community.
Jails are tough places to be. As much as we want to have a humanrights-compliant jail, my view is that the best thing we can do for human
rights is to make sure people don’t go to jail at all. For the potential victims, they’re better off because the crime doesn’t occur, and for the potential detainees, we can help them set their lives on a different trajectory.
This is no small task. It’s not an overnight fix, or a sound grab. This is not the end – our Justice Reinvestment strategy, and the reducing recidivism targets, extend to at least 2025. This work must continue.
You can only say so much in one tweet, but I am happy to reassure Michael Moore and “CityNews” readers that there is much more substance behind those 140 characters.
Shane Rattenbury is the ACT Minister for Justice and Corrections.
By Kathryn VUKOVLJAK
MAYBE it starts out with a beard and brow enhancer, and progresses to a bit of concealer and lip balm for a confidence boost, but Nik Studio says guys like make-up, too.
Nik, together with co-founder of Tinboy Cosmetics Mario Agostini, has created a range of make-up for men and they say it’s perfect for those who have been secretly pinching things from their girl friends’ make-up bag.
“Guys are more into grooming than ever, and why not?” says Nik.
“It can be used to feel better about ourselves, or to look better on social media. None of us are perfect, but it’s okay to be you, and we’re here to help.”
Mario says there’s not much make-up available for men that isn’t outrageously expensive, so they created a simple range including moisturising BB cream, concealer, mineral powder and amplifier – a more manly way of saying mascara.
“It’s a fun product and designed not to come off during sports or
photographers, there’s so much talent here,” says Nik.
presented in quite a feminine way,” he says.
FROM July 1, water bills will increase by 1.9 per cent, following the release of the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission’s 2019-20 plan for the ACT.
The inflation will see a “typical” Canberra household, which uses 200kl of water a year, pay about $22 more a year.
Supplier Icon Water says the key drivers for the price adjustment have been the Consumer Price Index and government charges.
“In setting prices, the ICRC takes into account the changing costs of delivering water to the region (more than 52 billion litres in 2017-18) and treating the sewage of almost half a million people,” says Icon Water’s managing director Ray Hezkial.
“This includes capital works to upgrade our assets, including more than 6000 kilometres of pipes and a range of plants, pumping stations and reservoirs.”
Since starting the company more than two years ago and working with a team to create the product, Mario and Nik are still based out of Canberra, where they met as kids.
“We love Canberra and as much as possible we use local models and
With a background in fashion, hair, cosmetics, photography and modelling, Nik also models for the website as the face of the cosmetic line. He says he and Mario designed the product to appeal to both men and women.
“It doesn’t have to be just for men, though it gives men their own product, rather than using make-up that might be packaged or
“What we’ve created is a range that’s ultimately for anyone who wants to look and feel good. I think there’s a fear that make-up for men takes away masculinity, but we don’t agree.
“Men have been wearing make-up for centuries, and we say embrace it and enjoy it.”
tinboycosmetics.com
For example, Mr Hezkial says Icon Water expects to spend more than $10 million throughout 2019-20 upgrading the tertiary filters and disinfection system at Canberra’s primary sewage treatment plant.
“This will make sure sewage is cleaned and treated to stringent standards before it’s released back into the Molonglo River,” he says.
“We also expect to spend more than $16 million replacing water and sewer mains.”
FOR years I’d wanted to visit the red heart of our continent to see for myself that enormous monolith we now call Uluru.
I thought of it as a symbol of the antiquity of our country and perhaps of the first Australians in their 60,000 years of occupation. And since I was about to embark on a book tour publicising my latest work that deals with our Aboriginal and colonial history, I figured now was the time.
The book is “Castaway”, the true story of the 14-year-old French cabin boy Narcisse Pelletier who in 1858 was abandoned by his captain on a far-north Queensland beach. And there he would have perished were it not for the “Night Island” Aboriginal people who took him in.
He became part of their tribe for the next 17 years until grabbed by a group of British sailors in 1875, forced into their ship and subsequently returned to his French village.
In the book I recreate those 17 years, based on the field notes of our greatest anthropologist,
I had no idea of what I was about to experience at Uluru, much less the change that it would wrought in my perception of our nation. For Uluru is a magical place where the laws of nature seem to have given way to a dreamtime enchantment.
Donald Thomson, who lived with the Night Islanders for some months before the missionaries arrived with their bibles and the mounted police with their genocidal guns. For those 17 years saw the worst of the frontier war in Queensland’s hidden history.
Naturally, I spent time in the area and with the people. I made some good friends there in that special place above the Daintree. And I became convinced that until we make acknowledgement of our shocking colonial past in the form of a treaty with the First Australians we could never truly claim ownership of this great southern land.
But I had no idea of what I was about to experience at Uluru, much less the change that it would wrought in my perception of our nation. For Uluru is a magical place where the laws of nature seem to have given
way to a dreamtime enchantment as the watchers from around the world gather on the gentle slopes perhaps three kilometres from The Rock.
It is evening and the sun behind us is dipping low. Silence is the coda of the red centre and in the creeping darkness it has a presence. It is not just the absence of sound, it is an entity, the silence that comes of space itself, the orchestral silence in that moment after the conductor taps the baton and raises his arms…
The rock is slumped in its classic pose on the red sand like the giant shoulders of an ancient man, and the dying light reflects a beaten and distorted head held between them, the bulbous Aboriginal nose unmistakable, and one eye socket, camera left, twisted and tortured; on the other no eye at all, only smooth space where the eye should be. And all around the features are the wrinkled lines of age, worn and beaten by wind and rain over untold millennia. It is unmoving but it
seems to say all we need to know about the suffering and the endurance of those First Australians. And during that mystical time of sunset, there’s a very long moment when it glows from within and around the base a golden luminescence appears, rising from below as though discharging the day’s heat and power in a single beat of the force within.
Around us, the international tourists are opening bottles of champagne, as though they need the penumbra of alcohol to filter the power in it before it reaches their cortex. They are crossing one item off their bucket list.
For Australians it is something very different. And in the morning as we made our way around the base and heard the tales of the dreamtime and felt the massive power of it, I realised it is our Mecca, our Jerusalem, the ancient heart of the land we call home. Our place of pilgrimage.
robert@robertmacklin.com
MATURE-AGE mentors and patient adults are needed to assist school students build Meccano models and help children struggling with reading or using numbers. The School Volunteer Program of the ACT, which is recruiting volunteers to work in schools in 2019, provides training and induction. Its next Mentor Orientation Seminar is 10am-12.30pm on Wednesday, July 31. Chat to Nola on 0434 537555 or view svpact.org.au
THE Canberra Seniors Centre is inviting over 50s to join its free Craft and Chatter group, which shares skills in knitting, sewing and embroidery (but is happy to try other crafts). The group makes items for the centre’s fetes as well as for personal use. At the Canberra Seniors Centre, 10 Watson Street, Turner, 10am-noon, Thursdays. Contact Pat on 6248 9509, or via canberraseniors.org.au
THE Parks and Conservation Service is looking for 15 seasonal firefighters to help protect the ACT next fire season. The service is looking for people who work well in a team and are keen to learn new skills. Successful applicants will be given full training in bushfire fighting, chainsaw operations, driving four-wheel drives, advanced first aid and other on-the-job duties. More information about the positions is at jobs.act.gov.au. Applications close on June 26.
MAKING a house a home is a continuous journey. In the early days it could be a journey towards finding the right design. Then the experts come in to deal with services such as plumbing or the perfect feature wall. And don’t forget the furniture! Or other items such as quilts or heaters to keep Canberrans warm over winter. There’s always room for improvement, but once that’s all done, it’s time to enjoy the perfect home… at least until maintenance is needed or the house is ready for a refresh!
CHRIS Perkins never knows what building materials will be coming through the front door at Handyman’s Trading Post.
“We’ve got two sheds packed to the brim with new and used building materials,” says Chris, who took over the store in 2015 but has been working there for nearly 25 years.
The store itself has been around for 36 years, and Chris believes it’s the only one of its kind in the area.
“We have a variety of products but we do get a lot of doors in such as sliding doors, french doors, hinge doors, and front and back doors,” he says.
“We also have doors with brass handles that you can’t source anywhere else.”
At most furniture stores, Chris says it usually takes about six to eight weeks for customers to
get their order but at the Handyman’s Trading Post they don’t have to wait.
“The beauty of our shop is you can see what you’re buying and take it home right away,” he says.
And Chris says if they don’t take it home that day, it might not be there the next day.
“We get things in daily so you’ve got to get it while you can,” he says.
As for the service Chris and his team deliver, Chris says they haven’t had a complaint in 36 years.
“Just have a look at our Google reviews,” he says.
“We treat everyone the same and we tell it how it is so they know exactly what they’re getting before they leave with it.”
Handyman’s Trading Post, 34 Geelong Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 4036 and email build@htp.net.au
NOW is a great time to insulate the home by double glazing the windows, says the sales manager of TwinGlaze, Melanie Hugg.
“Thirty per cent of your home’s wall space is windows and doors. By double glazing you will make your home much warmer in winter, cooler in summer and reduce noise,” she says.
TwinGlaze is a recently launched Canberrabased business and provides an affordable double glazing option that fits into your existing window frames, says Melanie.
“There’s no construction and no mess. We work with your windows, by removing the glass and leaving the frames in place, so the installation of new TwinGlaze windows is quick and easy.
“Our clients say they have had a reduction in their energy bills of up to 40 per cent! They say their home feels more quiet and comfortable,” says Melanie.
Call TwinGlaze on 6190 1011 or email canberra@twinglaze.com.au
PERFECT for almost any surface, the general manager of Rivoland Tiles, James Hibberson, says porcelain tiles are the popular material of choice for home or commercial spaces.
Porcelain tiles have so many great characteristics, according to James, such as being strong, resistant to hot and cold shock and resistant to chemicals, which he says makes it the perfect material for almost any surface.
What’s even more amazing, he says, is the size options available, which can be as big as 1600x3200mm but only 5-6mm thick.
“The large format porcelain is popular for its smooth, clean line appeal,” James says.
“It’s great for the home in kitchen splashbacks, bathroom feature walls, plinths, internal and external cladding.
“Commercially these products have so many benefits – they are lightweight, suitable for external and internal walls and very easy to maintain.”
But it’s not all about porcelain tiles at Rivoland and James boasts that they’re one of the largest tile stockists on the eastern coast and the largest supplier of tiles in the Canberra region.
“We love helping people, helping families build their dream home or making their investment a success.
“We do our homework and understand the market needs and desires – and most of all we do it with passion and a smile.”
Rivoland Tiles. Queanbeyan showroom at 100 Crawford Street, call 6297 4510. Mitchell showroom at 55 Darling Street, call 6241 1557. Visit rivoland.com.au
“We believe we are this size because the experience to understand not just what is needed for their project, but what people need too,” he says.
THERMA Quilts is a locally owned and family-run business that specialises in making and servicing quilts, eiderdowns, pillows and cushions and anything made from feather and down.
The company’s unique cleaning process, which involves the feather and down being cleaned separately from the product casing in a specialised steamer and washing machine, helps the feather and down regain its loft and thermal resistance.
“Our eco-friendly detergents mean that there are no harsh chemical residues on products,” says a company spokesperson.
“Using our cleaning process, we can clean quilts, sleeping bags, down jackets and more when they are in need of rejuvenation.”
“With time and usage, body proteins and lipids (natural oils and perspiration) are absorbed on to quilt casings and into the feather and down inside,” Therma Quilts says.
“Regular servicing of your quilts would ensure that your down is fresh, fluffy and keeps you nice and warm during winter.
“In addition, if your quilt is not warm enough or too warm, we are able to adjust it to your requirements.”
Therma Quilts, Unit 9, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell. Open 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday. Call 6241 6859 or visit thermaquilts.com.au
OWNER Jason Duncan, of Duncan’s Plumbing, and his team of office and trades staff promise to deliver the best plumbing in Canberra.
Boasting a skilled team, a range of top-of-the-line equipment, dedicated vehicles and a workshop test bay customised for fault testing, Duncan’s Plumbing offers a huge array of services for the region.
“We are licensed for both the ACT and NSW, and our tradesmen in the field are in constant contact via mobile and an internet-based SMS service, providing you with flexible, reliable assistance at need,” he says.
“Our maintenance services include all plumbing and drainage.
“We also install all manner of appliances (gas, electrical, tapware, hot water systems, toilets and more), perform backflow prevention testing, service thermostatic mixing valves, and certify, fix, install and repair all gas units.”
Duncan’s Plumbing has been in business for more than 40 years and has been servicing the region for more than 20.
Duncan’s Plumbing, 1/9 Page Place, Page. Call 6254 5678, email office@duncansplumbing.com.au or visit duncansplumbing.com.au
STEVE Milutinovic started his cabinet-making business in 1983 and 35 years on, the company has grown into specialising in home renovations, extensions and new homes.
Bordeaux Construction offers commercial fit-outs and joinery and is also a fully licensed builder in NSW and ACT.
“We pride ourselves in achieving the highest standard for our customers in design and workmanship,” Steve says.
“Our prices are competitive and we work with you to achieve your desired outcome.
“We offer full trade co-ordination and have our own experienced and reliable tradesmen and expert staff to assist you in your project. Our custom-built, cabinet making workshop can also build joinery items to suit your needs whether for home or office.
award for ‘Special Care’ residences as we specialise in housing needs for the aged. Come talk to us about alternative living such as granny flats or self contained units,” says Steve.
obligation-free quotes.
Bordeaux Construction, 8 Aurora Place, Queanbeyan, call 6299 4642. Visit bordeauxbcm.com.au or facebook.com/ BordeauxBCM
WITH a love for building, fixing and doing, Wayne Hicks started Hicksy the Handyman as a one-stop stop for all property maintenance needs.
“We cater to everybody’s needs, we’re very versatile and are able to repair and replace anything that needs to be done,” he says.
Wayne provides services such as garden care, painting, landscaping and preparation of homes for sale to plumbing, electrical, cleaning, glazing and brick-laying.
“All of your property maintenance needs are covered under the one roof, with one bill, and one point of contact, and all covered by our quality guarantee,” he says.
“We’re reliable, we’re on time and we charge reasonable prices.”
Hicksy the Handyman. Call Hicksy on 0407 112345 or email wayne@ hicksy.com.au
products has changed but heating has remained a constant in their growth.
The store has also grown and, after four shop moves all in Wollongong Street, Mike is proud of their large showroom with an attached warehouse.
“We have over 80 wood heaters on display in our showroom along with 25 working models of gas log fires,” he says.
“We also offer, arguably, the largest range of wood-cooking stoves and boilers in NSW and the ACT, along with appropriate tanks and infrastructure to support domestic hot water and hydronic systems.
“We have Bromic Outdoor heaters
Fyshwick Home & Heating owner Mike Bresnik.
He says they also stock Hark smokers in both gas and wood, Green Mountain grill pellet smokers and the USA famous Big Green Egg, which are all supported with a range of accessories, sauces, rubs, wood chunks/chips and a range of flavoured pellets.
“Not only can we keep your body warm, but your belly as well,” he says. Mike says their experience in the field ensures the customer gets great choice and advice for not only new purchases but also spare parts, flues and accessories.
Fyshwick Home & Heating, 88 Wollongong Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 5522 or visit homeheating.com.au
TRADIES keep Canberra moving; from heating, carpentry, and plumbing, to high-vis workwear and safety gear.
“CityNews” speaks with some local, trusted professionals who have Canberrans covered for all their housing and work-clothing needs.
Reliable Aaron delivers top sparky services
FOR three years, Clark Electrical & Air Conditioning in Mitchell has been serving the community with quality and reliable electrical services, says owner Aaron Clark.
But Aaron’s been a sparky for much longer, almost 28 years, and says his experience has added to the quality of his own business.
“I started by myself as a sole trader six years ago and loved the work and keeping clients happy,” he says.
From there Aaron established Clark Electrical and has since been offering a reliable service across Canberra and its surrounds.
“We are reliable, honest, down to earth and give the correct advice when it comes to repairs, installations and any
other electrical or air conditioning work within the home,” he says.
“[We’re also] friendly, clean, neat and tidy. Just good old-fashioned service with a smile and a great attitude towards work.
“[And] with Clark Electrical you know exactly what you’re getting up front with no hidden costs.”
Aaron says they also keep their customers up-to-date with their much-loved mobile app, which lets them know when the tradesmen are on their way.
Clark Electrical & Air Conditioning, 5/12 Sandford Street, Mitchell. Call 1300 230462 or email aaronclarkelectrical@gmail.com
Multiple trade services under one roof
AFTER noticing a need for a multi-disciplined approach to maintenance services in the ACT, Justin Hyland established Pacific Facilities Maintenance about seven years ago.
“We contribute a multi-disciplined approach [to the Canberra region], offering a tailored suite of services, including electrical, air conditioning, carpentry, plumbing and essential services,”
FOR high-vis workwear, safety equipment and boots, Seears Workwear has the lot, says a Seears spokesman.
Seears Workwear is family owned and operated, run by Pat Seears and his son Shane.
The 1400 square-metre store sells clothing and safety gear for pretty much every kind of industry and worker, he says – from building labourers, chefs, blue and white-collar workers to hospitals, major companies, and government departments such as Defence.
“We also have a corporate section,
where we provide a free measureand-quote and free delivery service,” he says.
“We are a very competitively priced business and are always negotiable on large bulk orders.
“We offer a full embroidery and screen-printing service, too.”
Seears keeps a huge range of stock on the premises and sells online at seearsworkwear.com.au
Seears Workwear, 60 Barrier Street, Fyshwick. Call 6280 4111 or visit seearsworkwear.com.au
Justin says.
“I felt that we could offer a more personalised approach with a local engagement.
“We have a showroom in Mitchell and have a mobile fleet of vehicles.”
It’s a one-stop-shop for all maintenance services, he says, which is convenient because there’s only one, local, single point of contact that delivers anything from fire and security services to refrigeration services.
Justin describes their service as honest and punctual and says they set a high standard of customer service delivery, striving for ultimate customer satisfaction.
And with a goal to “install, maintain and sustain”, Pacific Facilities Maintenance ensures it practices sustainability, both for its clients and for the environment, providing an excellent service. Pacific Facilities Maintenance, Unit 3, 125 Lysaght Street, Mitchell. Call 6262 4673, email service@ pacificfm.com.au or visit
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NO school? No problem. You can still take the little ones out for a day of fun and learning, with fantastic indoor and outdoor activities available throughout the school holiday period to keep the kids busy.
Zoo keeper shows reptile to young visitor.
THE National Zoo and Aquarium can guarantee a fun-filled day of adventure, with its marketing manager, Meg De Sousa, saying there’s always a variety of activities available for families during every school holiday period.
“Children can enrol in our Zoocation program which offers a unique experience for primary-aged children,” she says.
“[During it] children will get up close and personal with many of the zoo’s animals, play games, make toys for the animals and will learn something along the way.”
Meg says all the experiences at the zoo offer fun and exciting learnings of specific animals and, more generally, ways to help
conserve the natural world.
“It is also a great way to get the kids out of the house to burn some energy [which is] even easier to do with the AdventureLand Playground,” she says.
“With ‘The Lion King’ soon to be released, our lion enclosures have been quite popular (not that they needed much help to be).
“[And] our cheetah and puppy duo, Solo and Zama are always a hit. Our visitors are always commenting on how cute they are.”
National Zoo & Aquarium, 999 Lady Denman Drive, Canberra. Visit nationalzoo.com.au or call 6287 8400.
OVER the school holidays, Power Kart Raceway is offering a free ice cream with every go-kart session purchase, says marketing manager Dan Rawson.
Located in Griffith, Dan says Power Kart Raceway has Canberra’s ultimate go-karting experience, featuring world class electric go-karts on an F1 style indoor circuit.
“We also have Australia’s first synthetic ice rink, as well as glow in the dark mini golf,” he says.
“We have everything under one roof,
to cater to everyone. [And] we can host birthday parties, corporate events and school groups.”
But it’s not all about fun at Power Kart Raceway and Dan says they take safety seriously and strive to ensure everyone is having an enjoyable but safe experience.
Power Kart Raceway, 125 Canberra Avenue, Griffith. Call 6239 5599, email enquiries@ powerkarts.com.au or visit powerkarts.com.au
Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium features a combined aquarium, metropolitan zoo and easily walked open range section, as well as amazing up-close and personal animal encounters and tours.
With the now recently opened Adventureland playground, a truly unique playground featuring a total of 55 activities including various sized fibreglass animal sculptures for children aged 2-12 to explore and play on.
You can also experience the unforgettable with an overnight stay at the internationally recognised Jamala Wildlife Lodge. There is truly something for everyone at the National Zoo and Aquarium!
Open 7 days a week from 10am to 3.30pm Come along and see the
GET up close and personal with a range of birds at the Canberra Walk-in Aviary.
The aviary is a 1000sqm planted walk-in enclosure that has about 550 birds from about 60 different species.
“The aviary is great fun for all ages. You have the chance to get up close and personal with a range of birds,” says Mick Logan, owner and manager of the aviary.
“While not all birds will interact with you, you get the chance to observe, up close, species of birds that otherwise would be hard to see in the wild.
“We give you a small plate of food and a tub of mealworms and you can wander around and feed the birds.”
Mick says that people are welcome to take photos of the birds.
“Providing the weather is fine you can have a great time feeding the birds or just observing our feathered friends,” Mick says.
Winter opening hours are 10am to 3:30pm daily.
Canberra Walk-in Aviary, Federation Square, O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls. Call 6230 2044 or visit
DURING the upcoming winter school holidays, families can enjoy a range of fun, family-friendly activities at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD), according to marketing manager Melissa Holcroft.
“With so much to see and do for people of all ages, MoAD is a fun day out for the whole family,”
Melissa says.
“We offer visitors a unique, hands on museum experience that flips the traditional idea of a museum on its head.
“There are free craft sessions daily, dress ups and inquisitive trails that will take visitors, young and old, on an adventure throughout the museum.”
Running daily, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, Melissa says the interactive exhibition, “PlayUp”,
While 14-year-old Isaac was starring in his cricket team he was falling behind in the classroom. To his mother’s relief, another cricket mum whose own son had been studying at Kumon for years, suggested Kumon to her and so she enrolled him.
“It didn’t take long before I could see the systematic nature of the maths program fill in Isaac’s learning gaps. He’s also much faster and more accurate than ever before”, his mother Heather explains. She went on to say; “The daily worksheets are also teaching him to be more disciplined and provide balance in his life, which was once solely focused on sport.”
is one of the museum’s popular adventures, which takes visitors through a range of exciting and immersive experiences.
“Older children will love exploring ‘DressUp’, a hands-on exhibition that facilitates a connection between young people and inspiring figures such as Beyonce, Adam Goodes, and Frida Kahlo,” she says.
“Visitors can dress up in costumes inspired by the outfits of these iconic figures and many more as they learn about the challenges they overcame to make a difference.”
Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, 18 King George Terrace, Parkes. Call 6270 8222, email info@moadoph.gov.au or visit moadoph.gov.au
Kumon Maths and English programs cater for children from preschool to year 12 with a daily approach to developing excellent academic skills. The Kumon Instructor will tailor your child’s study program based on their specific needs. Students attend Kumon classes twice each week and receive homework to do every other day.
There are four Kumon Centres located in Canberra. For almost 30 years, they have collectively helped thousands of students improve their maths and English abilities. Call your local Kumon Centre today to see how your child can get the ‘Kumon advantage’.
Stay in touch with the names making news on Sundays from 10am as 2CC and “CityNews” present Canberra’s only local weekend news and current affairs program.
It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities.
Be part of the conversation and call 6255 1206 between 10am and noon.
LONSDALE street is the celebrated thoroughfare of trendy Braddon, one of Canberra’s oldest suburbs.
Settled in 1922 and gazetted as a division name in September 1928, Braddon was previously known for its many car dealerships and automotive services but has since become one of Canberra’s most trendy suburbs.
Braddon’s commercial area, which consists of small art galleries, restaurants, cafes, bars, gift and clothes stores, is centred on Lonsdale Streets, which is parallel to Northbourne Avenue.
With only a short walk to Civic, Braddon has become a popular living option with many of its former suburban houses being replaced by apartments.
Sophie finds her passion in ink
INSPIRED by her father, a former tattoo studio owner, Sophie Estelle
opened her own studio in Braddon, Outkast Tattoo Co more than a year ago so she could share her creativity through tattoo art, too.
Sophie loves using bold lines and bright colours in her tattoo art but says everyone in the studio is capable of creating anything the customer’s heart desires.
Sophie also enjoys trying her hand at American traditional tattoos, which are “old school” tattoos featuring bold, black outlines and a limited colour palette. Another love of hers is Sailor Jerry tattoos, which stick to the style of traditional tattoos.
“I love doing tattoos because for so long I could never find what worked for me and what clicked with my creative mind and since starting tattooing I’ve been so happy and can’t wait to grow,” she says.
“The whole team at Outkast loves what we do and we have so much fun every day creating art and giving our customers a great experience.
“We have an awesome little ship with a great atmosphere and everyone leaves with a smile on their face, including us.”
Outkast Tattoo Co., Unit 103, 27 Lonsdale Street, Braddon. Call 0477 048048 or visit the Facebook page at @tattoosbyoutkast
designed to showcase everything they offer at Pialligo Estate and while it has no dine-in tables, Chris says they’ll be sending out food via delivery apps or orders that can be picked up from the window.
“We’ll be available on food-delivery platforms including UberEats, Menulog and Deliveroo,” he says.
“We’re offering pizzas using fresh vegetables from the garden and meats from the Pialligo Estate’s smokehouse.
“We’ll have 18-hour, slow-cooked lamb shoulder, slow-cooked beef cheeks and whole, roasted Bannockburn chicken.
garlic pizza bread and a salad of your choice. Chris says the “Pizza Box” includes a charcuterie and garlic pizza bread as well as two pizzas of choice, while the “Just the Two of You Box” includes a charcuterie, garlic pizza bread, a pizza of choice and a salad of choice. Overall, Chris says Pialligo Urban is a celebration of a paddock-to-plate experience, which also supports local businesses in the region. It’ll be open seven days a week from 5pm to 10pm.
Pialligo Urban, 17 Lonsdale Street, Braddon. Call 6109 9500, email urban@pialligo.estate or visit pialligourban.com.au
FOR about eight years, Lellow Kids has loved watching its home on Lonsdale Street grow while it continues to offer families quality clothes for their children, says store manager Jen Takiari.
“We get to see excited expectant couples and their families, meet the new babies, help them choose their first shoes and watch them go off to school,” she says.
“The majority of our labels we’ve had since we opened but we are always adding new and exciting things, too.”
Stocking clothing, shoes and gifts for newborns to 10-year-olds, Jen says Lellow Kids has a variety of Australian and European brands, many of which people won’t find anywhere else in Canberra.
“We have a great shoe selection, [including the largest Bobux shoe collection in Canberra], and our staff are trained to measure and fit,” she says.
AFTER taking over Lonsdale Street Cyclery almost two years ago, John Ross has a goal to
“I wanted to establish a cycling commu -
“Riding has environmental benefits, health benefits and it’s good for the community. Having one less car on the road can
According to John, Lonsdale Street Cyclery has a great range of bikes such as Orbea, Bombtrack and electric bikes, and he says they offer regular servicing and repairs on bikes, both minor and major,
“I want to provide people with the right knowledge, and sell them the right gear,” he says.
“We have a great workshop and great, experienced mechanics. [But] a big part of our work is keeping people enjoying their cycling.”
And, for people looking to experience the benefits of cycling, John says now’s a great time to get a bike with their end-of-financialyear sale.
Lonsdale Street Cyclery, 9/7 Lonsdale Street, Braddon. Call 6257 7885, email or visit @LonsdaleStreetCyclery
MORTGAGE brokers, Nectar Home and Finance help find its clients the right deal, says the owner of its Braddon location, Martin Zachara.
“As mortgage brokers, we’re working for the client,” he says.
“Our goal is to find the best deal for the client and we want our clients to have a positive experience.”
Before shifting his attention to mortgage broking, Martin spent 15 years working in the banking industry, in retail banking, residential lending and commercial lending and found it had little focus on the clients.
“I felt working with the bank, the focus was on the bank. I wanted to focus more on the clients and their needs,” he says.
“Over the years I have seen many clients come back and I have assisted them with additional purchases.
“I get a lot of pleasure seeing my clients grow financially, knowing that we have placed them with the right products.”
Martin says he can assist with all aspects of mortgages, from first home owner grants to assisting self-employed customers, investors and corporate property developers looking to finance large projects.
Nectar Home Mortgage and Finance, Level 1, 18 Lonsdale Street, Braddon. Call 0402 156952, email martin.zachara@nectarmortgages.com. au or visit nectarmortgages.com.au
By Helen MUSA
“Prima Facie” translates from Latin as “first face” and, in legal terms as “at first view”, but in the hands of playwright and former defence lawyer, Suzie Miller, it has taken on a disturbing double meaning.
For while a person who brings a case against another in a court of law must establish a prima facie case to be heard, in sexual assault cases, the female plaintiff is rarely believed.
Miller, a graduate of the NIDA Playwrights’ Studio with masters degrees in theatre and law and who has a dozen or so plays under her belt, is no longer practising law.
As she emphasises to me when we talk about her coming play, “Prima Facie” staged by Griffin Theatre Company’s Lee Lewis, she’s in a good position to present both sides of the case when it comes to sexual assault.
As a lawyer, she is duty-bound to follow the rules and to win but, as a woman, she has become convinced that it’s hard to achieve justice for women
You have only to look at the case of associate justice of the Supreme Court of the US, Brett Kavanaugh, she says, dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct but nonetheless nominated for the position by President Donald Trump.
In the fictional one-woman play, which won the 2018 Griffin Award, Sheridan Harbridge plays tough criminal lawyer Tessa who, after a night out with a colleague goes horribly wrong, suddenly finds herself on the other side of the bar, exposed to the same kind of interrogation to which she’s been subjecting plaintiffs.
Now it’s down to the “her-wordagainst-his” justice system and the cards are stacked against her as the alleged perpetrator comes across as a “good guy”.
Miller’s play is about as up-to-date as it’s possible to be, but it was written in 2017 before the #MeToo movement and the recent Geoffrey Rush case – she wonders what it would have been like if the young woman at the centre of that case had been believed.
“On the face of it,” is how Miller likes to define the legal term, but she plays with that very term, for when Tessa decides to pursue legal action over non-consensual sex, “on the face of it” people make the assumption that she’s
By Helen Musa
WHEN it comes to connecting with Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation, the ANU has always been at the forefront.
One of the first universities in Australia to jump into Indonesian studies in the 1950s, it has maintained its edge and the university’s Indonesia Update each year is a must for business people, scholars, journos, environmentalists and anyone seriously wanting to stay in touch with developments in our huge northern neighbour. This year’s update in September will look at Indonesian democracy after 20 years.
But while ANU scholars such as Virginia Hooker, Chaitanya Sambrani and Elly Kent have kept tabs on the visual arts in Indonesia, it hasn’t been a major focus of the updates.
Now ANU researcher Caroline Turner, one of the architects of the Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane, is putting that to rights, organising a conference on contemporary Indonesian art. By no accident, the conference, “Contemporary Worlds Indonesian Art,” coincides with the National Gallery of Australia’s first exhibition on the same subject.
“The whole issue is defined by male-driven assumptions,” she says and the play has been confronting for apparently decent men in the audience, who have told her they didn’t know it was an issue because of the assumption that the onus is on the woman to say:
“It’s not cool”.
“Sex is something danced around,” Miller says, and lots of men have told her the play was a revelation.
Baby-boomers are as familiar with the concept of “date rape” as anyone else, but often dismiss it by saying: “I would’ve just told them to rack off”. But Miller is not convinced, saying the issue was often wallpapered over.
“Many women in the ‘60s and ‘70s placated men by ‘finishing it off’ if things got a bit out of hand, and only later do they think, ‘I was raped’.”
Once in a court of law, one
factor missing from the narrative is the element of sheer terror in women, exacerbated by the certain knowledge that if they complain about it they won’t be believed.
A drunken night leads to heavy petting, but there are different levels of heavy petting she says.
“Suddenly he’s doing something not right, you’re in survival mode and if you complain, people will say: ‘Oh I don’t know if that’s rape’, and you feel so frozen, so threatened,” she says.
“The question is whether a man asks for consent or only assumes consent, we need to make men more responsible.
It’s something that everybody could be exposed to and that’s why it’s an issue.”
The play addressed the ambiguities.
He’s a lawyer and she’s a lawyer. They’ve had sex once. She doesn’t want to do
it again, but he proceeds, he’s got his hand over her mouth and it’s not just “playing around” in a minor way.
“Men must learn not to use their strength,” she says.
Miller wrote “Prima Facie” for lawyers and non-lawyers, and audiences are lapping it up, she says. The setup is a defence lawyer who becomes the plaintiff in a rape case. Towards the end, for five minutes she addresses the audience as jury in a “voir-dire” speech, another legal term where counsel speaks directly to a witness or jury.
“Tessa is in a unique position… she knows they won’t find him guilty, but she can truthfully say: ‘At least I found my voice’.”
“Prima Facie”, The Playhouse, June 26-29. Book at canberratheatrecentre.com.au
The timing has made possible visits from experts and artists from the region. Speakers will include south-east Asia’s top art critic, TK Sabapathy, curator Alia Swastika and firebrand artist FX Harsono, a founder of Indonesia’s New Art Movement and leading advocate for the powerless.
As well, there will be scholars Antariksa, from Yogyakarta, and Wulan Dirgantoro, from the University of Melbourne, along with contemporary artists Tisna Sanjaya, Tita Salina, Zico Albaiquni and Melati Suryodarmo, all of whose work will be on show at the NGA.
“Contemporary Worlds: Indonesian Art” conference, Monday, June 24, Sir Roland Wilson Building, #120 McCoy Crescent ANU, registrations to hrc.cass.anu.edu.au
FX Harsono public lecture, Sir Roland Wilson Building, at 4.15pm, June 24, free but register at hrc.cass.anu.edu.au
“Contemporary Worlds: Indonesia”, NGA, June 21-October 27.
By Helen Musa
slightly different style.
SWING is huge in Canberra and the musicians are always busy, but sometimes they need to have a bit of fun, too.
With that in mind six of our big bands – TraXion, Blamey Street Big Band, ConneXion, Twilight Jazz Band, Spectrum Big Band and In Full Swing – formed the Canberra Big Band Collective.
The co-operative venture has been going for a few years now, although each band still has its own calendar and clientele. Sometimes they interchange players and, as when Leisa Keen recently went from Blamey to Spectrum, directors. They’ve also begun to reach out to towns in the region, including Wellington, Goulburn and Yass.
This year the Big Band Collective members are determined to beef up their profile as they head into the second show of the 2019 three-part concert series, as TraXion and Blamey perform a concert, “Swingin’ Through Time”. The lively hoofers of Canberra Swing Katz dance club, who quite literally jump at the chance to play with live musicians, will be there, too.
Of the three gigs a year, Blamey Street Big Band spokesperson and sax player Brigid Cummins says: “We’ve got an alternative playing roster, so each gig has two bands playing and gives a chance for the community to have a different experience, as each of us has a
“It works well, because otherwise, we will never get to see each other play because we’re so busy. “
Blamey Street Big Band, she says, “plays a range of stuff, usually good swing like Count Basie”. But now, she says, they have a new musical director in bass player Brendan Clarke.
“He’s been working with fantastic groups in Sydney, so he’s brought us more modern stuff as well,” she says.
Musical director of TraXion Jim McMullen is better known as a director for Canberra Philharmonic Society. TraXion takes a particular interest in new swing repertoire, such as Gordon Goodwin and GRP All Stars, but keeps up a staple of swing classics, such as Count Basie and Glenn Miller.
Spectrum plays jazz, swing, Latin and rock. The “In Full Swing” playlist begins with Gershwin’s “’S Wonderful” and ends with ska-swing number, “Zoot Suit Riot”.
But the director of ConneXion, pianist Sally Greenaway, tops them with the claim that her 18-piece band has more than 500 charts under its belt.
As McMullen puts it: “These evening shows are a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves to master interesting pieces and showcase the range of music that big bands play.”
“Swingin’ Through Time”, Harmonie German Club, Narrabundah, 6.30pm, Saturday, June 29. Book at eventbrite.com.au or at the door.
By Helen Musa
EIGHT performers will compete for the title of Miss Burlesque ACT with the winning concoctor of striptease, sexuality and satire winning $1000 cash, more than $2600 worth of prizes plus flights and attendance at the Miss Burlesque Australia finals in Perth on August 24. Last year’s winner, Artemis Seven (Morgan HeathWilliams, of Nicholls) later represented Australia at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. At The Abbey, Gold Creek, 8pm, June 29. Book at eventbrite.com.au
THE 40th annual Midwinter Arts and Crafts Show will feature more than 100 local artists, crafters and entertainers. At Yarralumla Uniting Church Centre, Denman Street, Yarralumla, over the weekend of June 28-30 with the official opening and fashion parade at 5.30pm on Friday.
MUSIC for Canberra and the Canberra Youth Orchestra, joined by soloists Rachael Duncan, Tobias Cole and Andrew O’Connor, Canberra Choral Society, Canberra Children’s Choir and Seasoned Voices, will perform Carl Orff’s hit cantata “Carmina Burana” at Llewellyn Hall, 7.30pm, Saturday, June 29. Book at premier.ticketek.com.au
THE Art Song Canberra concert “Venus Unwrapped” is an exploration through the repertoire of female composers throughout history. It features soprano Sarahlouise Owens with pianist Natalia Tkachenko. At Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, 3pm, Sunday, June 23. Book at trybooking.com or tickets at the door (cash only).
CANBERRA comedian Frankie McNair sold out her debut show “Frantasia” at the Canberra Comedy Festival early this year. She’ll reprise “Frantasia” at Civic Pub, Braddon, 8.30pm, Thursday, June 27. Book at canberracomedyfestival.com.au
CANBERRA’S A Chorus of Women, joined by the Luminescence Children’s Choir and conducted by Johanna McBride, present an updated performance of “The People’s Passion” by Glenda Cloughley, re-inspired by Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg and NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. At Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, 7.30pm, Friday, June 28, and 5pm, Sunday, June 30. Book at trybooking.com or tickets at the door (cash only).
LEONARD Weiss will conduct Musica da Camera in “Reimaginings” – Arensky’s “Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky” and “Like Snowdrops You Will Shine” by Sydney composer, Katia Beaugeais and Max Richter’s re-composition of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”. At Holy Covenant Anglican Church, Cook, 2.30pm, Saturday, June 22. Book at musicadacamera.org.au or tickets at the door.
By Dougal MACDONALD
THIRTEEN producers are credited with this film, the fourth under the MIB label and the first without Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones playing its lead characters.
Of all the movie franchises disgorged from studios based on comic book heroes saving the planet from intergalactic bad guys, MIB was best at bringing comedy to the genre. This time, the enemy is within. And there are two new agents to deal with the crisis.
Chris Hemsworth plays Agent H. The role doesn’t require great acting prowess and it’s fair to say that he rises manfully to the task. The change in the MIB formula comes from his offsider, a rookie who’s wanted to join MIB since childhood. Tessa Thompson plays Molly, which is the film’s first and strongest comical element, because while she works for MIB, it’s clear that she’s not a man.
Liam Neeson plays Agent High T who’s managing Agents H and M in the field. Playing Agent C, resentful that H and M have
We never see actor Kumail Nanjiani who provides the voice of Pawny, a teeny-tiny CG character who’s H and M’s main safeguard in the field, but without him, the story would be less amusing.
The travails of negotiating the customary risks, excitements and dangers infesting comic book movies are leavened by the comic values that writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum have given director F Gary Gray to play with.
FINNISH director Dome Karukoski’s first English-language film is an affectionate homage to the man who gave hobbits to the world’s readers and moviegoers.
The screenplay by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford follows JRR Tolkien
FISHERMAN’S Hook isn’t solely a seafood establishment, with a menu as big as the ocean and featuring duck, ribs, hot pots, steak, pasta, pork belly, lamb, chicken, and much, much more.
There’s Italian, Brazilian, Asian, Spanish, Japanese, Indian and cuisine from many other countries, too. How the chefs keep it all straight is beyond me.
Fisherman’s Hook is relatively new on the Kingston Foreshore. It has a prime spot with a large outdoor area, lovely views of the water and comfy cloth chairs inside. Several other eateries have occupied the space before, starting with C Dine and last with Prego.
I was determined to have fish and, with such a mas sive menu, decided to concentrate instead on the more manageable lunch specials. The ceviche and market fish both caught my eye.
The prices are reasonable, especially for the portion size, with lunch specials on our visit starting at around $16 and topping off at around $28. The wine list isn’t expensive and the staff are lovely and eager to please.
Johnson
battered anyway. The chips were piping hot… and the salad, lovely and fresh.
We shared the cut-to-order ceviche salad ($25), in the mood for a fresh and lively start. The ceviche itself was impressive, with the fresh fish happily taking on the flavours of the chilli, lime, coriander and lemongrass dressing. It was presented on top of a huge mixed salad, but featuring tomatoes, onions and other ingredients that seemed to disrupt the flow.
I then ordered from the “something special” section of the menu – lightly battered market fresh fish with battered chips, garden salad and tartar. I asked what the fish was and winced when I was told: “I’m not sure, I think it starts with an M”. A bit of staff training is in order.
The fish was confirmed to be Marlin when it was served and, while a generous portion, the batter wasn’t as light as I was expecting and somehow the fish seemed too firm and dense to be
One of our party ordered the Pad Thai, which was pleasant – not overly spicy, but definitely flavoursome ($16).
The last dish was the Wagyu sirloin and Fisherman’s Hook was more than happy to change the battered chips and salad for mashed potatoes and veggies ($28 for 200 grams). Three stacks of very-fancy-indeed swirled potato, topped with a flower, accompanied the tender meat.
Other items on the specials included a red curry ($19), chicken katsu (Japanese, $19), stir-fried rice ($16), a range of house burgers on brioche (several types and they sounded lovely – $15 to $19), salt and pepper calamari ($19), chicken parmigiana ($19) and a schnitty ($19). There’s no doubt Fisherman’s Hook has something for everyone.
Fisherman’s Hook, 17/19 Eastlake Parade, Kingston Foreshore. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday; Lunch, Friday to Sunday.
from childhood under the guardianship of a Catholic priest, to Oxford and the friendships that he made there, action at the Somme in the Lancashire Fusiliers during World War I, his courtship of Edith in Oxford days and marriage in 1916 and publication of “The Hobbit” in 1937.
Karukoski’s film delivers a gently judged combination of those elements. If it has a shortcoming, it is that the high points of its central character, earnestly played by Nicholas Hoult, flow across the screen with an evenness varied by a brief battlefield sequence filmed with a real sense of its horror at what looks like a considerable expense.
As Edith, Lily Collins provides the narrative with deft support, setting the scene for how it must have been during a 55-year marriage and four children. Derek Jacobi plays Professor Wright, giving gentle impetus to Tolkien’s writing development and Colm Meaney is Father Francis, his mentor in loco parentis after his widowed mother died when he was 12.
Tolkien’s estate is estimated to have been in the order of £500 million. From little things, big things grow.
“Tolkien” pleased me but I didn’t get excited by any part of it.
At Dendy, Palace Electric and Capitol 6
“Wild Rose” (M)
FROM Scotland comes a film about selfdiscovery, determination and musical talent, set in Glasgow with a brief excursion to Nashville, Tennessee, which claims to be the country music capital of the universe.
Rose has a passion for singing country and an ambition to perform at Nashville. She’s been an unruly child, bearing two children in her teens, giving her mother (Julie Walters) a hard time.
“Wild Rose” hoists Jessie Buckley from a modest career in TV series to what will likely lead to stardom if the right people offer her work. Her singing voice is pure and clear.
The film lets Rose pursue an unexciting career as a cleaning woman before striking a friendship with Susannah (Sophie Okonedo) that ultimately sets her on the way to Nashville. And self-discovery, which some may consider predictable.
The music is enjoyable. The Scottish articulation of the English language is often difficult. But overall, “Wild Rose” is an enjoyable telling of a story that always merits telling provided the tellers get it right. Which, in this case, is how it pans out.
At Dendy, Palace Electric, Capitol 6
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ONE of my favourite plants is the euphorbia family. Just look at this amazing display of Euphorbia wulfenii or Spurge, with its bright-yellow flowers growing alongside wisteria in an historic home in Yass.
It is just one of more than 2000 members of this family, being one of the largest genera of the plant kingdom.
Euphorbias grow in almost every part of the world. We are all familiar with E. pulcherrima (poinsettia), so popular for Christmas decoration with its deep-red bracts.
Unlike poinsettias, the evergreen, perennial euphorbia is hardy in hot and cold weather. However, one of the problems with E. wulfenii is that it seeds prolifically and can be a menace in the garden.
But don’t be put off from growing these super plants as many new cultivars have been bred in recent times with Plant Growers of Victoria leading the way. Theirs are sterile, don’t produce seed and can be planted with confidence.
Different varieties provide interest in the garden at different times of the year.
A favourite, of which I have recently increased the number in our garden, is Ascot Rainbow with its variegated leaves and yellow flowers growing to 50cm x 50cm. Possibly even more attractive is Rudolf. No guessing why
leaves in winter followed by tiny red flowers in spring.
Silver Swan has white-tipped silver leaves with cream flowers though winter into spring. It is slightly higher at 70cm tall x 75cm spread.
Blackbird is a compact variety with rich burgundy leaves and yellow flowers in winter to spring; to just 40cm high and 50cm wide. Then there’s Cherokee, an even more compact plant with a mass of tiny yellow flowers from spring through summer. Grow this in conjunction with Sedum Autumn Joy to give a continuation of flowers from late summer to winter.
Tiny Tim is absolutely perfect as a container plant for a sunny balcony. Its tight, mounded habit produces green flower spikes in early spring.
One word of caution, the sap of all Euphorbia can cause skin problems, so wear gloves at all times when handling them.
IT’S amazing the number of females named after plants – Iris, Daphne, and who could forget Hyacinth of the BBC comedy show, Rose and Rosemary.
Rosmarinus officinalis, or “ros marinus” from the classical Latin meaning “the dew of the sea” is a native to the Mediterranean region.
It’s drought resistant and has been used for thousands of years.
The ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all considered it sacred.
To us, it’s a symbol of remembrance for war commemorations such as Anzac and Remembrance Day. The soldiers having seen it growing wild in flower on the heights of Gallipoli.
The ancients used it for body perfume, in the embalming process of mummies, as incense and even today for shampoos and soaps.
It is still used in numerous culinary ways, particularly as a stuffing for various roast meats. Its leaves can be used as a tea.
Euphorbia flowers… reminiscent of satellite
Its blue flowers and small growth make it ideal as a low hedge bordering a driveway or path.
While many may consider this plant as rather common, it’s one of the most useful plants in any garden or in pots on a balcony. There are numerous cultivars of which Blue Lagoon is one of the most popular with its intense blue flowers. Although for culinary purposes I recommend Chef’s Choice.
Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Aries are the natural entrepreneurs of the zodiac. Thursday’s Sun/Uranus connection stimulates your entrepreneurial side. So smart, savvy Rams will take a creative idea and spin it into a viable venture. And with the planets activating your domestic zone, it’s also time to focus attention on loved ones. So your motto for the moment is from birthday great, singer-songwriter Carly Simon: “I am blessed to have so many great things in my life, especially family and friends.”
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)
Are vague worries doing your head in? Stressing about things that might happen is not the sensible way to go. This week the Sun and Uranus encourage you to stop worrying and start doing. Concentrate on positive changes you can make right here and right now. Plus aim to be more proactive about appreciating (and protecting) your neighbourhood and local environment. If you network with like-minded souls, then you really can achieve a lot. Think global; act local!
GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)
Don’t fall into the trap of undervaluing (or neglecting) your numerous versatile talents. With Venus currently in Gemini and Mercury (your power planet) moving into creative Leo, it’s time to express yourself in a way that makes your heart sing. Be inspired by birthday great, singer-songwriter Carly Simon (who was born on June 25): “There’s always a creative side to me, even when it’s quiet musically… like painting or decorating or planting a garden.”
CANCER (June 22 – July 23)
With the Sun, Mercury and mighty Mars all marching through your sign this week, it’s time to crawl out of your cosy Crab cave and take on the world with confidence, good communication skills and plenty of chutzpah. No excuses Cancer… get motivated and get moving (especially on Thursday). Be inspired by birthday great, the writer, lecturer and political activist Helen Keller (who was blind and deaf): “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)
Awesome opportunities are around this week, but they aren’t immediately obvious. They are hidden in unexpected places, waiting for you to discover them. So don’t waste the chance to let your Cat creativity and unique talents shine! But is a fair-weather friend or acquaintance leading you up the primrose path to financial trouble? Try to keep a sensible head on your Leo shoulders. Singles – an introduction from someone in your peer group could lead to long-term love.
VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)
Are people aware of the substantial amount of work you’re doing behind the scenes? Don’t be disappointed if others aren’t showing their appreciation. Your efforts will be applauded (and rewarded) further down the track. Attached Virgos – are you seeing your partner clearly? Singles – this week you’re more gullible than usual, so don’t fall for an online dating profile that’s all gloss and no substance. If someone looks too good to be true, then avoid them like the plague!
LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)
Librans are fabulous at formulating romantic ideas, discussing dreams and talking about future plans. But with the planets activating your life direction zone it really is time to be passionately proactive and actually walk your talk. This week, actions definitely speak way louder than words! So your motto for the moment is from entrepreneur Elon Musk (who was born on June 28, 1971): “I don’t create companies for the sake of creating companies, but to get things done.”
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)
Be extra careful in the way you communicate on Monday, otherwise you could say too much or be misunderstood. When it comes to loved ones, it’s time to completely change your current modus operandi. Plenty of praise and ebullient encouragement will get you a lot further than negative remarks and constant criticism. With the Sun and Uranus on your side, you’ll find the more positive energy you put into close relationships, the more they will sparkle and shine.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)
Misunderstandings are likely on Monday. With Neptune scrambling interpersonal communication, it will be very easy to misinterpret what others are saying. So if you’re uncertain, then take the time to double-check. On Thursday you’ll need to get your Sagittarian skates back on, when the Sun and Uranus send a lucky opportunity your way via a colleague or close friend. You may have to jump in and make a split-second decision… which is your speciality.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)
Creative and innovative communication is the secret to a successful week. But resist the inclination to launch half-baked projects or jump to hasty conclusions. Listen closely to what others are telling you Capricorn, otherwise you’ll misunderstand their true meaning and motives. And be careful what you post online, as a confusing comment could lead to unexpected consequences. Thursday is a fabulous day to shake up a stale romance or a lacklustre platonic relationship.
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)
Mercury shifts into your relationship zone mid-week, when you’ll be more inclined to keep the lines of communication open. Attached Aquarius – really listen to what your partner is saying. Unhappily single? A firm friendship is the foundation for a successful long-term romantic relationship. On Thursday, the Sun and Uranus provide an opportunity for you to sparkle and shine. A welcome change (at home or work) could also put a smile on your Aquarian dial.
PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)
The buzz word this week is honesty. But have you been less than 100 per cent truthful with a family member? On Monday, the Venus/Neptune square could lead to confusion involving your true motives. Someone could question your version of events or you could disappoint a loved one by blurring the lines between fact and fantasy. Things improve later in the week, when the Sun and Uranus help you initiate positive changes within your immediate sphere of influence.
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2019
4 Name the principal island of the Society Islands. (6)
7 What is an illicit lover, especially of a married person? (8)
8 What are the fruits of the oak? (6)
9 Which early English king was known as "the Unready"? (8)
11 Which West Asian republic is bordered by Syria and Israel? (7)
13 What is a clear transparent mineral resembling ice? (7)
15 In which bivalve molluscs may pearls be found? (7)
17 What is a term applied to a person to express an attribute? (7)
20 Which male horse is often kept for breeding? (8)
23 What is another name for oxen? (6)
24 Which term describes that which is not practical? (8)
25 Name the devoted male servant to Robinson Crusoe, Man ... (6)
1 Name the son, in the Simpsons. (4)
2 What are bets called? (6)
3 Which number is designated by the Roman numeral IV? (4)
4 What is the buying and selling of commodities? (5)
5 Name an exclamation of joy, applause, or the like. (6)
6 Name a classical ballroom dance. (5)
9 What is a pretext, or subterfuge? (6)
10 Name the Australian runner who won Olympic Gold for the 1500m in 1960, Herb ...? (7)
12 Who defeated Napoleon at Trafalgar? (6)
14 To be present, is to do what? (6)
16 What is an alternative term for a cashier? (6)
18 Who was the Biblical leader of the twelve apostles? (5)
19 What is another name for a composition? (5)
21 Name an exclamation, expressing sorrow, grief, or the like. (4)
22 Columbus is the capital of which US State? (4)
Christie wants to make tax-deductible charity donations before the financial year ends on June 30.
She told me she had letters from several organisations she supported asking for donations.
"I just want to make sure that the donations are tax deductible,” she said. I replied that her enquiry was very pertinent for this time of year and that the main criteria for receiving a tax deduction were that the amount must be made to a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR), it must be $2 or more and it must be a gift.
"If you make a gift to a crowdfunding appeal on the internet, that platform must be registered as a DGR," I said.
"By way of example, if you make a payment of $50 through the crowdfunder GoFundMe, you need to check whether it is listed as a DGR in Australia.
"You do this by going to the Australian Business Register (abr.business. gov.au) type in GoFundMe and check its DGR status. Unfortunately, the site indicates that it is not registered as a DGR, so you cannot claim a payment made to GoFundMe as a donation.
"This contrasts with PayPal, which shows the PayPal Giving Fund is registered as a DGR so the donation made through PayPal is tax deductible.”
I told Christie that another potential area for confusion was donating overseas.
"I often see clients who have made substantial donations to an overseas charity before checking if the organisation is registered as a DGR in Australia. Sadly, they then discover that the donation cannot be claimed," I said.
"I recently saw a client who had made a donation to a recognised charity in the UK on the death of a family member but the gift was not deductible in Australia and the client was very surprised as the charity is known here.”
Christie said she hadn't realised this issue with overseas donations and would look carefully at some of her planned donations.
I told her that I had noticed a lot of people make donations as a gift in the name of the donee then giving the donee the donation receipt.
"It is important that only the person whose name is on the receipt makes the claim," I said.
"Again, I have seen clients with no income making substantial donations in their name and expecting that their higher-income partner can claim the donation. This is not correct.
"Lastly, buying gifts or raffle tickets from a charity is not a donation.
The reason for this being that you receive a benefit for your money.
"And, Christie, because it's so close to financial year end, I need to remind you that any deductible superannuation contributions you wish to make this year must be made before June 30.
"Most public funds will have an earlier cut-off date. If you make the payment direct to your SMSF then June 30 will apply.”
If you have any questions about donations or any other type of tax deduction, ask the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd on 02 6295 2844.
Disclaimer
This column contains general advice, please do not rely on it. If you require specific advice on this topic please contact Gail Freeman or your professional adviser.
