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NEWS / life after coronavirus
It’s going to be a bumpy ride to the ‘other side’
AUSTRALIANS have lived through more change in a month, than most have experienced in their lives. And, says leading futurist Mark Pesce, it’ll be a bumpy transition if people think things will go back to normal.
Sydney-based Mark can usually map out years, even decades, in advance, but last month he couldn’t predict past 30 hours, that’s how rapidly things were changing.
“The normal we get back, isn’t going to be the normal we had,” he says.
“The way we work, learn and play will be different.”
Mark says the way that people travel will be different for some time.
“I’m part of a class of Australians who thought nothing of flying down to Melbourne or Canberra for a day,” says Mark, an author and inventor, who until recently made a living from public speaking across the country.
“[But] we’ll never look at travel the same way. That ease that’s associated with moving around the country to do things, there’s going to be more consideration when doing so.
“We won’t be able to travel around as much, it’ll be very expensive and hard to do.
“There will probably be a boom in domestic travel, once we can travel again [but] that might even mean lots of road trips.”
As for workplaces, Mark says people
DANIELLE NOHRA talks to a futurist who says the normal we get back, isn’t going to be the normal we had when it comes to
in businesses might only travel for the more serious meetings.
A “futurist” looks at patterns to effectively think about the future and its opportunities and disruptions.
“It’s about being able to tell people stories of what’s going on now and from that, tell them about what’s going to happen,” says Mark.
There are still a lot of unknowns because the nation hasn’t experienced this before, but Mark says what’s happening with workplaces and schools right now will leave a legacy.
Businesses won’t be able to use the excuse that employees are unproductive when working from home any more and they’ll be able to understand that there are benefits to it as well.
Attitudes will change, too, says Mark, and people will become more conservative.
“People will be left with this weird sense of uncertainty because we were all cruising along fine and then [a pandemic hits] and it will leave a mark,” he says.
“People will be a little more conservative on how they spend, which is not a good thing for the economy. A
work, play and education.
bad thing going forward is the residual anxiety that we feel but it depends on how much a person has been affected by this.”
Mark says people are also becoming more self-reliant by doing lots of do-ityourself projects, which can be a good and bad thing.
Becoming more self-reliant, he says, is a good thing, but it’s also a bad quality because Australia is built on a goods and services economy.
And, what about gatherings? Mark says there’s a lot of questions around how they’ll look, and he believes they will be a lot more spaced out.
“If we manage to eradicate the virus in Australia, I still don’t think we’ll have large groups of people gather ing,” he says.
“Right now, that’s not a good idea, but the question is: ‘When will we be comfortable about it?’ Some of that [depends on] your environment.”
Mark has friends in America who, even if they were told they could go out to dinner, wouldn’t, whereas Mark says he might be more obliged to because of the way the virus has been handled here.
“One question is: ‘When will the pub open?’” he says.
“That’s harder to do than a restaurant. It’s going to be around control.
“People will get used to having fairly
Time to ring the school bell, Andrew
THE ACT government’s fumbling indecisiveness around opening public schools for term two is genuinely hurting families.
In politics, there is smug comfort in having an elected team that is “representative” of the community. The local Liberals made a virtue of that when the names and resumes of its candidates for October’s ACT election were revealed.
Last week, I heard of the homeschooling despair of a mother of five (three under school age) who, at wit’s end, was teetering on writing to Education Minister Yvette Berry in protest at the schools still closed and no start date in sight. Well, good luck there because that same day Opposition Leader Alistair Coe accused the government of a “secret deal” with the Education Union.
He was light on detail, but one is left wondering why the Barr government is prepared to ignore the best public health advice in the country in the first region to declare itself coronavirus free and not make a decisive move to get the kids back.
There is widespread belief that the unions run this tired, old government and tummy rubbing with the teachers’ lot would be no surprise.
But I can’t help but wonder if understanding the parental problem is exacerbated by cabinet members not being representative of the community. I’m not sure there’s a single minister directly affected by the actual challenge of homeschooling little kids.
So come on, Andrew, trust the mums and ring the bell.
Ian Meikle, editor
controlled and spaced-out experi-
Another attitude that will change, is appreciation for human contact, says
“We have a generation of people who were raised in front of screens,” he
“Now we all treasure human contact in a way we did not a month ago.
“We appreciate the joy of being able to go out to dinner with friends or hug someone, and that whole generation, everyone under 20, would have taken
Mark believes this pandemic will also have a lasting change to tertiary
“UTS went from basically no online courses to all online courses in 10
“All the unis are doing this. They’ve developed this stable infrastructure to educate people from home.
“There’s a real moment here to actually put all that to work and to help train people so they’re ready for the economy that we’ll see on the other side, which will be a different
Tertiary education in the forms of short courses and micro-credentialing will be especially useful for people in the middle of their careers, who are left without work because of the pandemic.
Excellence in Funeral Service
Futurist Mark Pesce… “One question is: ‘When will the pub open?’”
POLITICS / the gloves come off Virus ceasefire ends with Coe call on schools
ACT Opposition Leader Alistair Coe
has fired the Canberra Liberals’ first real salvo for the election year. Well, election half year!
He joins with Liberals from around Australia demanding that schools re-open as soon as possible.
Credit goes to the Liberals who have not used the time of the COVID-19 crisis for electioneering but have provided a united community voice. However, the gloves are now off.
On the very day that the ACT recorded no active COVID-19 cases Mr Coe effectively launched his campaign. The election is set for the third Saturday in October and the Liberals will need to make considerable gains if they are to topple the tired Labor/ Greens government.
It is not just that the Liberals want to see kids back at school. They have made public the “secret deal” between the unions and the government regarding the timing of the return of public schools.
Despite the united front through the pandemic, Mr Coe explained “It is disappointing that the govern-
Credit goes to the Liberals who have not used the time of the COVID-19 crisis for electioneering but have provided a united community voice. However, the gloves are now off.
ment has not been forthcoming with information”.
He added that parents and the community should “know what the secret deal entails”.
The Liberal attack exposes two things.
Firstly is an ungrateful government that has the Liberals onside to handle the pandemic but does not reciprocate in a fair manner by keeping them informed. This is hardly the Australian concept of a “fair go”.
Secondly is the lack of transparency of a very long-term government with its secret deals. This has been exposed in the past – but is particularly obnoxious when there is a genuine attempt at a supportive and co-ordinated approach to solving the COVID-19 crisis.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr had pre-empted with a salvo of his own: petrol prices.
At the start of the year Mr Barr took the first step on fuel prices with
a pre-election policy of opening more competition in the market. Last week, with ACT fuel prices much, much more expensive than Sydney and regional centres by as much as 30c a litre, he threatened to legislate the margin. Alistair Coe called his bluff: “the Canberra Liberals are prepared to consider it on the next sitting day”.
The ACT is not the only election in this region in the next six months. The federal by-election for EdenMonaro is swinging into action with the resignation through ill-health of the popular and effective local Labor member, Mike Kelly.
Kelly was the first MP in four decades to win the “bellwether” seat of Eden-Monaro against the government of the day.
This by-election will be particularly interesting as it exposes the underbelly of the Morrison government. The failure of the Prime Minister to respond appropriately to the bushfires that ravaged the electorate must sit high in the minds of the constituents. On the other hand, one possible
Minister Andrew Constance, who was outspoken in his support of the local community and area during the fires. The other issue is the stumbling start of the Prime Minister with regard to COVID-19 – including arguing that, like himself, people should be able to attend a rugby match and church services on the weekend before the introduction of crowd restrictions and social distancing. However, most fair-minded observers would note that, apart from not attending his rugby match, he then seemed to get his act together. Although late off the mark, he did establish the national cabinet, he did pay attention to health advice from the people with appropriate expertise and
be an anathema to him and his party. These issues will overlap with the ACT election. While it is appropriate to give credit to the Liberals for being part of a united front with the government on the COVID-19 approach – it did mean that they have lost months of electioneering time. Through this time the Chief Minister and Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith were day in and day out front and centre for the media.
Presence is a considerable advantage in a Hare-Clark electoral system. With this in mind, more vigorous attacks on government can be expected from the Liberals.
St Clare’s College is an outstanding school, offering rich opportunities in the pursuit of academic excellence, cultural and artistic endeavours, sporting opportunities and time to develop spiritually, socially and emotionally.
Our motto is “Seek Wisdom” and our mandate is to open up all of the possibilities available to young women in a fast changing and dynamic world. We have both the opportunity and the obligation to change the world by empowering our students to recognise their potential and to embrace the opportunities open to them. We do this in partnership with parents and together we achieve amazing outcomes.
Our heritage and traditions coupled with our superb location, contemporary Learning facilities and dedicated professional staff make St Clare’s the Secondary College of choice in the ACT.
Alistair Coe… gloves off.
Andrew Barr… secret deals? Caricatures: Karl Speller
Composts & Soils Mulches
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CANBERRA MATTERS / West Basin
Stunned: the NCA’s lakeside land horse trading
IT’S not often that the community sector gets stunned completely by an ACT government development announcement. Residents already accept that this government justifies incompetence through the use of alternate facts, that they disregard the city’s heritage, and that it operates unchecked within its own reality.
The event that stunned many was the March 25 statement by the ACT government’s “much-admired” City Renewal Authority. It had decided to make use of the COVID-19 shutdown to boast about its dubious deal with the National Capital Authority. The NCA has horse-traded away parts of the lake for land in Curtin.
This will allow the ACT government to fill in part of West Basin to allow the lakeside parklands to be concreted over for development. Canberrans have made many submissions with evidence and facts about heritage, the environment, cultural values and science about why such horrible things should not be done to West Basin.
Residents already accept that this government justifies incompetence through the use of alternate facts, that it disregards the city’s heritage, and that it operates unchecked within its own reality.
Despite this, the agencies were out there representing their parallel universe proving yet again that they are unhinged from sensible urban design, environmental and heritage ethics.
The NCA today is an opportunistic developer-friendly agency that operates in lockstep with the ACT Planning Directorate in destroying the bush capital through ad hoc development decisions.
The most stunning aspect of the City Renewal statement was that most media reported their propaganda as fact. Whereas this mischievous exercise was about presenting loads of alternate facts.
For a government agency representing the views of the ACT Greens and ACT Labor to speak down to the local community with such disingenuous fantasies was an historic low point in good governance.
In Rebecca Solnit’s 2019 book “Whose Story Is This?”, she quotes psychologist Dacher Keltner: “While
people usually gain power through traits and actions that advance the interests of others, such as empathy, collaboration, openness, fairness and sharing; when they start to feel powerful or enjoy a position of privilege, those qualifications begin to fade. The powerful are more likely than other people to engage in rude, selfish, and unethical behaviour.”
George Orwell in talking about totalitarianism, says: “Totalitarianism demands the continuous alteration of the past, and in the long run probably demands a disbelief in the very existence of objective truth.”
Somewhere between those two quotes is an accurate description of the ACT’s Labor/Greens government’s attitude to residents on planning and development matters.
The situation is shocking. How did we come to have such barbarous proposals being promulgated as being good for this city?
They even dared to state that there was community support. For this we have to thank that notorious YourSay government portal that keeps on delivering altered realities for those
in power. How did we come to this?
Before writing this piece, I waited to see who responded and what they had to say. Notably local politicians of all colours were silent. There were community voices saying exactly what the government expected. These evidencebased opinions will be ignored as is the practice of this government.
The state of ACT politics is very depressing. One side of politics, the barbarians, carry on unchecked. The other side are notorious for their silence. They see no evil, hear no evil and do nothing. If there is any member of the ACT political parties who thinks that this government should cease acting like a populist authoritarian government, now is the time to speak up.
The City Authority states that West Basin is underutilised and degraded. If it is degraded, then the
NCA has allowed this to happen. The truth is that it is used often and has wonderful open spaces with complex biodiversity along the shorelines. For those who enjoy quiet walking and a place to contemplate – it is a fabulous alternative to the more crowded areas by the lake.
West Basin should be upgraded as a green space to encourage these types of quieter activities. Such parklands are presently in high demand during this lockdown crisis. The NCA and ACT government could do well to enhance this lakeside parkland rather than concrete it over.
Paul Costigan is an independent commentator and consultant on the visual arts, photography, urban design, environmental issues and everyday matters.
NCA’s land horse trading will allow the ACT government to concrete over West Basin’s lakeside parklands for development. Photo: Paul Costigan
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In adversity, it’s goodness and love that triumph
I WAS delighted when one of my favourite programs “Call the Midwife” resumed on ABC TV recently.
While I invariably shed a few tears watching it, I am drawn by the plots and the very human characters interacting with the harsh realities of life in Britain in earlier times.
The beautiful community of Anglican nuns, the vibrant young nurses and the other wonderful characters who weave in and out of storylines depict the best of human nature.
Whether they are dealing with difficult husbands or other family members, the direst forms of poverty or appalling examples of injustice, they go about their work seemingly without effort and always with a light touch. There is no preaching or moralising even when dealing with very sensitive ethical/moral issues.
For me, it is consistently a story of hope, the triumph of goodness and love in the midst of adversity.
There seem to be many parallels in the challenges thrust upon us today by the coronavirus. I think it is only extremists who would see it as the work of the devil or God’s punishment on a wicked world.
But I have reflected that it has brought out the worst and the best in us, but mainly the best!
I am in awe of the response right across every section of society from the
I think it is only extremists who would see coronavirus as the work of the devil or God’s punishment on a wicked world. But I have reflected that it has brought out the worst and the best in us, but mainly the best!
professionalism of our health carers, to the willingness (necessity!) of politicians to put aside partisan politics and point-scoring, and the great media coverage that has helped us all to better understand what is going on.
As an old Luddite, I am most impressed by imaginative programs to facilitate online learning, entertainment and the sharing of resources.
We are often cautioned by development agencies against being overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges which confront us. I love their slogan, which is to think globally and act locally.
Social commentator Hugh Mackay often writes about putting that into practice in our neighbourhoods.
Very early in the piece I received in my letterbox a note copied out to 70 neighbours in a section of our suburb of Campbell. Peter gave his contact details and suggested we set up a support group in the neighbourhood, inviting us to let him know of any needs we had or any ways in which we were able to be of assistance to others.
I responded by saying that I
was self-sufficient, but as a retired Catholic bishop, I was a good listener and may be of some assistance to a person living alone.
He put me in touch with a lovely lady a bit older than me not living far away. Every so often, I take my little dog, Clara, along with me and we stand in her splendid garden and talk with her through her front door for five or 10 minutes.
She has family in Canberra who keep in touch with her and are able to attend to her additional needs. Most people I come across casually seem to be more open to one another.
Adjacent to the Campbell shops, where I pick up my copy of “CityNews”, is the Southern Cross aged-care facility. I have been saying a weekly Mass there and generally ministering to the residents since 2009.
Sadly, since the restrictions have been imposed, my presence has been limited but in the limited access I do have, I have been pleased to see that as much as is possible is being done for these vulnerable people and, as always, they are looking out for each other.
“Call the Midwife”... consistently a story of hope with parallels in the challenges thrust upon us today by the coronavirus, says Pat Power.
Clara and I walk up Mount Ainslie most days. It is busier than ever these days and while it is never a time for socialising, people seem to be just as friendly with a greeting, a smile or a word of encouragement.
On the occasional visit to the supermarkets, I have admired the patience and helpfulness of the staff and have mercifully been spared the loutish behaviour continually re-played on the television.
For all these positives, I can understand how many people these days might be questioning where is a loving God among all this personal tragedy and mayhem.
American Rabbi Harold Kushner many years ago wrote a book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” and more recently, Australian Jesuit priest Richard Leonard wrote similarly in “Where the Hell is God?” Each writer explores what is often called “the problem of evil”.
I see the goodness and love of God in the people who have blessed my life. I am convinced that God has no favourites and wants what is best for every one of us. Knowing that Jesus, the son of God experienced all kinds of suffering and deprivation, we can do no better than live out his great commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you”.
Pat Power is auxiliary bishop emeritus of Canberra and Goul burn and Canberran of the Year, 2009.
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Got to love them and all the more on Nurses Day
By Danielle NOHRA
IF there is a year in recent history to really thank brave nurses, this is it and Tuesday, May 12, is the day.
This year nurses across the country, and the world, have been hailed for their hard work on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19.
And International Nurses Day (this year, labelled International Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organization) is a time to recognise the “invisible” work nurses do – especially in the face of a pandemic.
“Much of the work nurses do is invisible, we call this the hidden work of nursing and it is not well understood by the public,” says Calvary Public Hospital nurse Rachel Longhurst.
“This is partly our fault because we shield the community from the darkest elements of this job,” says Rachel, who is also an Intensive Care Unit/Coronary Care Unit educator.
“But I think we also undervalue ourselves much of the time [because] most nurses I know don’t want accolades, but it’s the lack of selfimportance that makes these people so special.”
There is also a misconception around what nurses do, with a common one being that they’re a doctor’s handmaid, says Rachel.
“I hope most people never have to find out what we do, because if they do, it means they’re inside an ICU unit, and I don’t wish that upon anyone,” she says.
Rachel, 33, of Belconnen, became inspired to
a lot of time with them in hospital, seeing the work done by nurses.
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personal and intimate things, and it’s incredible,” she says.
Rachel, who has been working in criticalcare areas in the ACT for almost 14 years, is used to working under pressure and says nurses are trying hard to rise up against the coronavirus and prepare for all scenarios.
“PPE is not a new concept for us. We deal with many patients on a regular basis who are infectious, from influenza to tuberculosis,” she says.
“We are just amending our practice and training to meet recommendations related to COVID-19.”
However, it’s been disappointing for Rachel to see nurses in the community being treated poorly by members of the community for being in their uniform.
“[These were] people who had not yet been to work, or were not working in areas where patients with suspected COVID-19 have been,” she says.
“We understand people are scared. But please treat us with kindness and respect. You never know when you may need our help.”
But, on the more positive side, Rachel says they’ve also witnessed community spirit during this time, and the staff have had donations from local businesses such as chocolate,
However, essential worker or not, Rachel says herself and her colleagues are just doing their jobs, and it’s been hard for any person making adjustments in this situation, not just
“It’s been hard for my [two] young children, especially with changes to schooling and
“They are finding it difficult not being able to see our extended family, not being able to see their friends, and to understand why their parents are not staying home like many
It’s the good days, though, that make it
“[The days] in which I feel like I’ve made a difference to a patient, family member or staff member,” says Rachel, who is responsible for ongoing education and training of all nurses employed in the ICU, as well as maintaining advanced qualifications of all ICU staff.
“That might be seeing my transition staff care for their first ventilated patient on their own, ensuring a patient’s voice is advocated for or sitting with a family member to help them understand what is happening to their
“[It’s a] privilege working with patients and families at such a vulnerable time. It can be hard, but we love having our patients return to us afterward and show us how far they have come.
“I’m always amazed by how perceptive families can be of us, as nurses, at such a difficult time [too]. They say things like ‘I don’t know how you do this’, ‘I noticed you haven’t had a break yet’ and they repeatedly say ‘thank you’.”
But not every day can be a good day in ICU and Rachel says there can be many challenges.
“[Especially] those days in which you suffer some form of moral distress, or more often in my role, when you are talking to a staff member who is suffering from some form of moral distress,” she says.
“There’s a messy side of ICU nursing. There’s death and dying and dealing with people and their families at a vulnerable time.
“It’s hard to tell people that even though they did everything right their best wasn’t enough to save a life.”
The invisible parts of the job can be tough, which is why Rachel says it’s important to thank all nurses this International Nurses Day.
Rachel Longhurst… “Please treat us with kindness and respect. You never know when you may need our help.”
Photo: Holly Treadaway
ME/CFS is a very poorly understood, hard to diagnose, and harder to live with disease.
The ACT ME/CFS Society provides regular self help courses and support groups for people living with from ME/CFS and their carers (parents in particular)
These can be attended in person*, online or through video conferencing.
The Society also provides regular health and wellbeing seminars as well as access to free counselling for members.
Online courses support health care providers with education regarding ME/CFS.
*Not currently under the Covid-19 restrictions.
The ACT ME/CFS Society works closely with Arthritis ACT and Society members have access to all the programs delivered at Arthritis ACT.
WE watch. It’s hard to be out there in this voyeuristic world of compliant souls stuck in iso-home-lation, toes gently curled by the daily news of the ebbing coronavirus scourge and bored witless by frigging jigsaws.
I know, I know… we mustn’t get complacent, we must still keep our distance, wash our hands, not drink disinfectant and maybe, possibly, oughta download the federal government’s COVID-19 tracking app.
With no obvious infection in the ACT, is it uncharitable to feel it’s all a little late? That’s what my doctor said and I think she has a point.
But there’s always the dreaded second wave, look at Singapore, so maybe there’s never a bad time to do this. Then again…
1 BACK to voyeurism, where journalistically life is lived on the phone and asking people to send pictures of themselves. Tellingly, no one refuses.
If it’s not them, it’s their pets. Has “Seven Days” unscientifically discovered some link between terracotta pots and cats’ bottoms? Gardening writer Cedric Bryant started it with a photo in his column mid-last month of his daughter’s moggy Zeus in situ with the (dad joke alert) advice: do not over-water. This flushed out a photo of Lotto, former cat of reader Jenny Hunter, of Cook, also pictured in hap pier times on a terracotta pot. In a touching burst of catharsis, Jenny writes: “He was a stray who adopted us and we reckoned he won the cat equivalent of lotto by picking our house number – hence his name. He was much loved and spoiled.”
2 Equally loved and spoiled is wunderdog Jamie. Clearly constrained from marching this year, Jamie saluted the Anzacs from home in this photo from owner Kay Malone . Jamie is a dog well used to taking orders – holding the title of Australian Rally Obedience Champion.
Let’s get away from pets because this morning I saw a neighbour talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into the house, told my dog... we laughed a lot.
“SEVEN Days” has had a couple of small municipal wins, despite the all-pervading priorities of the virus.
3 In February, I bemoaned the presence of an odd pole belonging to Evo Energy standing perpendicular to the pavement on the Lysaght Street boulevard in weed-riddled Mitchell (Floriade reimagined?). To their credit, it’s been relocated safely to the side of the broadwalk.
4 And in March in an expose of government neglect of Deakin’s La Trobe Park, my colleague Danielle Nohra reported Deakin Residents or jogging, could kill themselves.”
Cats, a dog and a couple of municipal wins
Not any more, the nocturnally active ratepayers of Deakin are saved. The raised cement slabs have been
flattened. Well done, City Services. And “fixing things” allows a segue to breathless news (and a silly waste of money on market research by Kennards Hire) that reveals 64 per cent of Australian women care more about their partners’ prowess in the toolshed than in the bedroom. Plane to see, really!
5 I’D be more afraid of attracting the attention of the fire brigade than the police from this crime-scene snap of the astonishing plugs and wires powering a grow house the cops raided in Kaleen recently. Tipped off by a member of the public and not the power supplier, the police provided photos of hundreds of lush, almost mature cannabis plants growing cosily in heated and insulated rooms in a suburban home, but it was the plugs that tripped me out.
6 AND didn’t the Canberra Theatre Centre unwittingly get this year right in the graphic design for its now (surely) abandoned subscription series? It’s still mournfully there on the side of the theatre, looking more like a public health warning than an advertisement these days.
Hmmms...
A friend sent me these, I share them just in case they missed your smartphone:
• Half of us will come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will have a drinking problem.
• I need to practice social distancing from... the refrigerator.
• Homeschooling is going well… two students suspended for fighting and one “teacher” fired for drinking on the job!
• My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.
• I’m so excited... it’s time to take out the garbage. What to wear, what to wear?
• I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyardia.
I’m getting tired of Los Livingroomia.
• Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitiser for good clean fun.
• Day 6 of homeschooling: My child just said: “I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year.”
Cats on terracotta pots… Zeus (left) and the late (great) Lotto.
Jamie, the Anzac dog... well used to taking orders.
THE
It’s that same old song on the tumble
THERE’S something quite eerie about the way our recently discarded prime ministers all perceive their tenure, their achievements and their downfall in exactly the same light.
Malcolm Turnbull’s recent performance on “7.30” was a classic. It might equally have come from the lips of Kevin or Tony; only the blessed Julia has risen above the scrum.
Invariably, they cry, their rise to the top had nothing whatever to do with personal aggrandisement; they were actuated solely by a selfless desire to make the world a better place.
And despite the shocking behaviour of their enemies, they have scores of remarkable achievements immediately to hand. The wonder is that we’re unaware that we now live in a paradise of their making. But perhaps that’s because they were cut down before the final curtain.
The two I know best, Kevin and Malcolm, are like the opposing
What
is it in
our system that makes it impossible for men such as Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd to prosper in the rough and tumble of federal politics, particularly when they are committed to policies that the great majority approves?
faces of a single coin. In 2007 I wrote “Kevin Rudd: The Biography” with a second edition a year after his victory in the polls. And, as it happened, I interviewed Malcolm for a book on another fascinating figure of recent Australian history in early January this year.
Both men were emotionally shattered by their fall from the peak. Overnight, both aged physically, if not emotionally. Both reflected on their parental losses, Kevin of his father, Malcolm of his mum, each of whom rejected them as little boys. And each found lasting love in their strong, supportive wives.
Both could easily have risen to the top of the parties that opposed them. Both were highly intelligent and had distinguished themselves in business and diplomacy before entering
politics. So they were both first-class prime ministerial material. Yet both failed Australia in the most vital policy issue confronting us – action to combat climate change.
So, what went wrong? What is it in our system that makes it impossible for such men to prosper in the rough and tumble of federal politics, particularly when they are committed to policies that the great majority approves?
The easy answer is that they were both hopeless at man management. Yet even that was balanced by the fact that each had excellent deputies in Julia Gillard and Julie Bishop to keep the troops in good order. Certainly it’s a factor, but by no means the major one.
No, the essential problem is the party structure that in each case gives the real power to a dominant faction actuated by a blind adherence to the atavistic passions of
Kevin and Malcolm... like opposing faces of a single coin. Caricatures: Karl
yesteryear – devotion to the Roman Catholic version of Christianity, the racism of whitefella supremacy, the nationalistic hubris of Anzac and a willingness to employ “whatever it takes” to win the day.
And lest we think that those days are over and the current leadership is now in safe hands, forget it. Among the Liberals, Peter Dutton is on the march and he’s backed by the same cast that took Turnbull down.
On the other side, Shorten and his
cronies are equally restless and if they can’t get their man up this time around, they’ll go for someone such as Tony Burke to carry the banner and they’ll own him when he reaches The Lodge.
So, how do we change the system to give the best and the brightest a fair go? Is moderation fated forever to be slain by the extremist? I wish I knew.
robert@robertmacklin.com
Speller
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Storyteller Sinclair puts the actor on the floor
By Helen Musa
WHEN Iain Sinclair was honoured at Melbourne’s recent Green Room Awards for his direction of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s “A View from the Bridge”, there was no shortage of old mates in Canberra to say, “I told you he’d do well.”
In fact, the former Canberra director has been doing well for some years, with a swag of awards, including the 2017 Stuart Wagstaff Memorial Award for Best Director in Sydney and a Sydney Theatre Critics Award for directing “Of Mice and Men”, the most recent of his shows to be seen here.
Sinclair’s reputation for teaching actors how to respect a text has been recently described by actor Anthony Gooley as “exacting and ferocious”, and even when dealing with Australian accents he once told his cast “If we ‘Summer Bay’ this thing, we kill it”.
His “day job” is at Melbourne’s 16th Street Actors’ Studio, but he was previously senior dramaturg at Playwriting Australia in Sydney before he made the move to Melbourne, where the opportunities for directing were stronger.
We caught up last week as he and his partner, actor Meredith Penman, were busy juggling life as the parents of two toddlers,
Robin and Stella, while he was teaching a six-week Zoom course on acting.
Somewhat smarting from the MTC’s cancellation of his planned production of Joanna Murray-Smith’s play “Berlin”, which would have opened on April 25, he says winning the Green Room Award was just the cream on the top of a favourite job – directing plays by Arthur Miller.
Sinclair makes no bones about this partial ity, saying, “when it comes to the truly great writers of tragedy, you can count them on the fingers of one hand: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Shakespeare and Arthur Miller”.
To him, Miller was the premier modern exponent of tragedy, “dealing with small human frailties in a world of pitiless gods… He’s more in the line of Euripides, writing about real people,” he says.
“All of Miller’s works are informed by ancient Greek theatre – and remember that like Elizabethan theatre, that had no lighting or sound effects.”
In a recent comment, Cate Blanchett, to whom he had been assistant director when she was at Sydney Theatre Company, said he’d worked there in his “early career”, but that is far from true.
Sinclair’s connections with Canberra are deep and his mum still lives here in Watson.
intention of studying Chinese and politics, but was quickly lured into theatre studies with Geoffrey Borny. He also appeared in young male lead roles for Canberra REP and in The Looking Glass Theatre’s Shakespeare nights on Aspen Island.
His rise to the top was by no means meteoric, but as he says, “The number one skill in theatre is tenacity”, and without doubt he cut his theatrical teeth in the ACT.
A grittier, gutsier Sinclair was to surface when, after putting himself through the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he took out an MA in text and performance studies, he came home to form the innovative Elbow Theatre, staging local scripts like Mary Rachel Brown’s “A Streetcar Named Datsun 120Y” and verbally demanding texts
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MUSIC
Fred Smith introducing the evenings in song. Elbow Theatre battled on for six years, receiving four Canberra Critics Circle Awards. But despite fundraising efforts – at the end of one such they blew the profits on treating the audience to a curry supper – it proved impossible to sustain.
He eventually made the break with Canberra, moved to Sydney and started doing productions for small companies like Tamarama Rock Surfers in Woolloomooloo and The Stables Theatre in Kings Cross.
I saw some of those early productions, including his “Lord of the Flies”, where he
transformed The Stables into a desert island using lots of sand and a restaging of Rabe’s “Hurlyburly” with Alex Dimitriades and Ed Wightman in lead roles.
While he won awards, notably for directing Kate Mulvany’s “The Seed” at Company B Belvoir in 2008, Sinclair’s big break came when he joined the STC as assistant director, working with Blanchett, Jean-Pierre Mignon, Gale Edwards and Max Stafford-Clark, who would later invite him to tour the UK as a member of his own company.
“Working with Max was the real gamechanger for me,” Sinclair says.
“He showed me his technique… but my big break was doing ‘Our Town’ at Sydney Opera House in 2010.”
Then Blanchett invited him to direct Lorca’s “Blood Wedding” at the Wharf Theatre in 2011 for which, armed with Spanish picked up during visits to his father in Chile, he translated the whole text.
There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then, and Sinclair has become one of the most eminent directors in the country, so let’s give him the last word.
“I think my job is putting the actor in the play right back on the floor. For too long it’s been about the actor and director,” he tells us.
“I’ve always been interested in storytelling so I like to work out how to empower and how to understand the story.
“Actors do the work but my job is the mediator, like the best man at the wedding.”
Promise of chilled-out charm
By Helen Musa
2019 WAS a bumper year for Canberra musician Mike Dooley.
Not only was he named “CityNews” Artist of the Year in November but the night after, in Melbourne, he won the “Best Music for Children’s Television” award at the APRA Screen Music Awards for his score for “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, an animated film based on John Bunyan’s version, which had been released in 850 theatres in the US and in more than 100 theatres in Australia.
During the lead-up to his hon ours, Dooley also composed “The Heavens Declare”, a commissioned work for two violins premiered at the Canberra International Music Festival. Dooley completed a song cycle “Truth and Beauty” based on the poems of Keats, a classical oratorio for gospel music choir and soloist, “Rockata” for solo piano, several works for the Canberra Wind Symphony and his first piano concerto, premiered by the National Capital Orchestra.
seen him in his studio producing easy-listening music.
Heady stuff, but by day, Dooley is also a working piano man and music producer who supports his family through his endeavours. A new venture creating “chilled-out smooth jazz and lounge recordings”, to which we were alerted by his collaborator, Daniel White, has
It was at his own wedding in 2011 that White first met Dooley, who was playing in a small jazz trio at the reception.
They kept in contact. Then, when White was holidaying at Ulladulla and responding to a natural affinity with the ocean “as most Canberrans do” he says, a tune came to his
mind, so he approached Dooley who said, “come over and we’ll see what we can do”.
The idea was to produce a chilled-out kind of sound reflecting the calming effects of the ocean.
White, although not an instrumentalist, had been a long-time fan of artists like Steely Dan, Sade and Miles Davis, with a more recent addiction to super-cool influencers, Christopher Goze and Chris Coco. Dooley, supremely eclectic in his musical tastes, responded to White’s suggestions of concept and melody and came up with a new composition “Oceana”, then recorded it under the new label DM [Daniel Michael] Ascension.
The new single, recorded and mastered over about six months in Dooley’s studio, involved a virtuosic break-out by Canberra sax player Dan Bray, an example of the “many amazing artists and incredible music” coming from Canberra, White thinks.
“Oceana” has now had airplay in Australia and in Spain on the Costa Del Mar’s famous “Chillout” radio channel. DM Ascension, White says, is a name replete with hints of all things “deep and meaningful” and an upward trajectory – a sign of more smooth jazz and lounge recordings with a distinct DM beat to come.
DM Ascensions “Oceana” can be heard at youtube.com
WATCH IT! / streaming and stuff
The Empire’s striking back again... and again
IT seems parents are reliving their childhood/teenage years and turning to the “classics” to impress the kids in this lockdown streaming world.
As a result, more than four decades on, “Star Wars” is peaking yet again.
Disney+, which crashed into the already crowded market in November, has wasted no time in taking advantage of the trend.
In this age of streaming though, no longer is the story of a galaxy far, far away what we knew it to be – the one I grew up obsessed with, those campy yet charismatic originals we all love as well as George Lucas’ later… efforts.
Now with “The Rise of Skywalker” just added by Disney (and you might want to take notes because it’s kind of hard to keep track), the universe spans three eras and nine films in its “main timeline”. Then there are two animated series of back stories with, incredibly, upwards of 200 episodes. Add to that two major spin-off films, “Solo” and “Rogue One”, and the latter has another instalment currently in development. Get your head around a spin-off of a spin-off.
This well-milked cash cow is further topped up by the flashy, live-action original series and space western “The Mandalorian”. Clocking in at a $15 million-an-episode budget, the blockbuster produced thanks to the bottomless wallet of the corporate mouse means it has now even dethroned Netflix phenomenon “Stranger Things” as the most in-demand
depending on your viewpoint, perhaps most ominous of all, it’s apparent knowledge that Donald Trump would be president 17 years before it happened. Could Homer Simpson be a sleeper agent for the KGB? Streaming has allowed companies to watch us just as much as we watch them. Not only do their HAL9000-like algorithms monitor the content we consume, but how long we do it and how we talk about it on the internet. Hence, the Nostradamus-like foresight and inevitable commercial success of the choices of Disney+.
“The Rise of Skywalker”... just added by Disney – the universe now spans three eras and nine films in its “main timeline”. But wait, there’s more...
television show in the world.
“Mando” is a galaxy-hopping bounty hunter who must protect “Baby Yoda” (not really Yoda, but think a miniature version of the beloved alien character whose cuteness the internet went ballistic for). The series’ ability to present a new side of this seemingly endless run of “Star Wars” consumption is admittedly something special. It also isn’t the only thing being revisited
ARTS IN THE CITY
on the platform. Disney dropping a modest $71 billion in 20th Century Fox means icons such as “The Simpsons” are not only available in their entirety, but also reinvented to cash in on a new generation and fans of old.
“Collections” compiles some of the best episodes across multiple seasons under one crack theme, putting them in a binge playlist.
“The Simpsons Predicts” is a pearler. As
‘Excited’ signing for the Beanies
By Helen Musa
CHILDREN’S music band The Beanies, made up of Canberrans Laura Dawson and Mim Rizvi with actor Michael Yore, have signed with ABC Kids Music. “We are beyond excited to be making music along side The Wiggles, Justine Clarke and the Teeny Tiny Stevies, who we have always looked up to,” they say. They’ve also unveiled a new album, “Full of Beans”, and a video of their song ‘“Sneaky Robber”, viewable on YouTube.
MURRUMBATEMAN painter/sculp tor Stephen Harrison pays tribute to his favourite vanished animal in “The Blue Thylacine”, an exhibition of ink/wash drawings and sculpture to hang (and view online) at Helen Stephens Gallery in Collector, which promises blogs, a list of works and a price list. “Drawing for me is like a window into my subconscious mind… These drawings could be about all extinct animals, especially the ones that have died due to human interaction,” Harrison says. At helenstephensgallery.com until May 31.
HARRISON is a regular exhibitor with “Sculpture by the Sea”, which plans to be back at Bondi this spring after an agreement was reached with Waverley Council to retain the exhibition for the next 10 years. The world’s largest annual free-to-the-
children’s band The Beanies… Laura
and Mim
have
THE ANU School of Music and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra will be taking their “Side by Side Orchestra” online during COVID-19 in a free virtual performance. ANU and CSO musicians will record their parts separately, with artistic guidance from CSO director Nick Milton. “We know how important music is in
to support artists who are struggling financially as a result of COVID-19. “Going the Distance” aims to support artists to undertake alternate activities like online programs and workshops when they would have ordinarily been participating in exhibitions or live performances. Donations to the campaign can be made at belcoarts.com.au/support
the title clearly suggests, it’s jumping on the internet’s preoccupation with the way the show has made spot-on predictions about world events years in advance. Smart watches, Nobel prize winners and,
Speaking of stalky AI, when you’ve finally Star Wars’d the kids into a bedtime stupor, “Westworld” is streaming on Foxtel Now, aiming to fill that “Game of Thrones” hole in your heart with all the HBO staples of nudity, violence and elaborate plot lines. It’s about a super company looking to monopolise entertainment by creating a completely digital world that people pay to immerse themselves in and endlessly live out all their wildest fantasies.
Hold on, doesn’t that sound kind of familiar?
NICK OVERALL
Local
Dawson, Michael Yore
Rizvi
signed with ABC Kids Music.
Duratone Hi-Fi PTY LTD
PUZZLES PAGE
Joanne Madeline Moore
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
Rams are in the mood to connect with others as Mercury activates your communication zone. But a budding romance or a close friendship could encounter some turbulence, as an old problem rises to the surface. You’re hoping for a speedy solution but with Venus shifting into retrograde mode you’ll have to be extra patient. You’re also keen to catch up on the latest news within your local community but resist the temptation to spread salacious gossip.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)
With Venus (your ruling planet) turning retrograde (from Wednesday until June 25) energy levels will be low, finances frustrating and relationships heavy going. Try to be a flexible Bull because things won’t run according to your preconceived plans. On Friday, powerful Pluto forms a fabulous aspect with the Sun (in your sign). So the best way to approach current delays and difficulties is to tap into your inner reserves of patience and resilience.
GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)
Despite the ongoing Coranavirus crisis limitations, are you making the most of professional opportunities? Mighty Mars encourages you to be proactive and creative, as you promote your work, show others what you are really capable of, and keep pivoting in adventurous new directions. Love planet Venus starts retrograding through your sign (from Wednesday until June 25) so you’ll find some relationships will be very rocky over the next few weeks.
CANCER (June 22 – July 23)
Resist the temptation to catastrophise minor events and make mountains out of molehills. Attached Crabs – is there a tug-of-war between you and your partner? The best solution is to compromise and meet them half-way. Singles – with Venus going retro (from Wednesday) your usual Cancerian charm will be hard to summon over the next few weeks. You’ll also feel rather unsociable, as you hunker down at home and spend a lot of time on your own.
LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)
When it comes to your social circle, current associations are in a state of flux. Some friendships could end suddenly, while others develop slowly in unexpected ways. So do your best to extend your peer group to include positive people with innovative plans. And are you worrying about money? Stop stressing and instead, be thankful for the things you do have. If you want to improve your financial situation, then you need to be creative and proactive.
VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)
This week it will be difficult for anyone to meet your super high expectations. Remember: ‘Perfection is a goal, not a destination’. With Venus reversing through your work zone, be careful what you post, text, tweet and email. And be extra cautious on dating sites, otherwise you could be drawn to someone you’d normally run a mile from! Are you having problems with your partner? There’s no substitute for sitting down and having a long chat with them.
LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)
Many Librans have a natural elegance that is hard to ignore. But with Venus in retrograde mode (from Wednesday until June 25) it’s time to re-define your personal style and make it as simple and striking as possible. Get rid of gimmicks and fancy flourishes; find your individual fashion voice; and Keep It Simple. So your motto for the moment is from Libran writer Gore Vidal: “Style is knowing who you are, what you want, and not giving a damn.”
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)
Singles: you’re impatient to find your soul mate but (with Venus turning retro) it’s not the ideal time to be searching and sampling. If your intuition tells you that a prospective partner is not the real deal, then avoid them like the plague! Attached Scorps: you could experience problems (or separations) from your sweetheart due to work, health or financial issues. On Friday (courtesy of powerful Pluto) you’ll be given the opportunity to make a real difference.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)
It’s tricky to find true love when many places around the world are still in lockdown! Singles: the search for your soul mate takes a further nose-dive, as Venus reverses through your romance zone for the next few weeks. So it will be difficult to find anyone who remotely rings your bell. Attached Archers: is your partner annoying you and cramping your style? Stop focusing on their perceived faults and instead, start appreciating their positive qualities.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)
Take the time to reflect, reconsider and recalibrate, as three planets turn retrograde. Your ruler Saturn cautions you to review your financial position and set a much more sustainable course for the future. Retro Venus urges you to revise your health and fitness routine, and reboot your food choices so they are much more nutritious. (Kale smoothies and kombucha cocktails anyone?) And then retro Jupiter lowers energy levels so you will (hopefully) slow down.
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)
With Venus reversing through your creativity zone, it’s a case of ‘Back to the Future’ as you dip into your bag of fabulously innovative Ideas from months (or even years) ago. So it’s a beneficial time to revisit, review and reboot your wonderfully weird concepts and bohemian thought bubbles. Most importantly of all, be patient. With Saturn reversing through Aquarius, it will take the rest of the world quite a while to catch up with your progressive plans!
PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)
Mighty Mars moves through your sign (from Wednesday until June 28) which increases motivation but also impatience. Then Venus starts reversing through your home zone. So do your best to be extra diplomatic with stressed relatives, as dramas increase and domestic harmony is in short supply. If you live with your lover, then expect some arguments over the distribution of household chores or a disagreement about a complicated family matter.
Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2020
(6)
9 To be dead is to be what? (8)
11 To slander someone is to do what? (7)
13 What is speech or writing in accordance with standard usage? (7)
15 Name a term relating to the centigrade temperature scale. (7)
17 What, in cookery, is a stew made of meat, flavoured with chopped onions and paprika? (7)
20 What do we call a person who makes a will? (8)
23 Which agricultural implement with a long curved blade is used for mowing grass, etc? (6)
24 Name imaginary female marine creatures having women’s heads and fishes’ tails. (8)
25 What are tricks of a playful nature? (6)
5 To
6
12
14
16 Which beetle was regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians? (6)
18 What is another term for an Academy Award? (5)
19 What do we call the stalks that support leaves, flowers or fruit? (5)
21 Name the principal outer garment worn by Hindu women. (4)
22 Which term describes bookmakers’ prices? (4)
GARDENING
Colours complete the picture
AUTUMN is a glorious time of
Bulb leaves are popping up, and it’s the ideal time to potter amongst the garden’s colour. The lipstick pink of salvia, as well as the deep burgundy of sedum “Autumn Glory”, and fuchsias and cyclamen in hanging gardens all complete the autumn picture.
In our garden, one of the delights of autumn is anemone japonica, which as the name suggests is a native of Japan and China, growing to about 90cm. People either love or hate them, due to their natural spread by rhizomatous roots. It has been suggested that they need to be on the environmental weeds list. This is nonsense. Anemone japonica is one of 70 species of anemone belonging to the ranunculus family, and presents a wonderful display in the autumn with its pure white flowers. If it spreads too much, simply pull some out by the roots after flowering.
BULBS may be available at reduced prices now, as garden centres want to sell out before winter. Is it too late to plant them? No, but this is positively the last reminder. Check where existing bulbs are planted, too. Are they in total shade as shrubs have grown around them? They can still be relocated but do it now, with no excuses being stuck at home.
BLESS our previous town planners! One big mistake was to plant Celtis australis or nettle trees as street trees. Native to the Mediterranean,
These are now actually on the ACT Environmental Weeds list. Examples can be seen in Knox Street, Watson and Mueller Street, Yarralumla. The problem is the cockys love the deep purple fruit, prolific at this time of the year. If you have power lines along the rear of your property they sit on the lines, eat the fruit and spit the pips into your garden. I can dig out 20-30 young seedlings a day at this time. Get rid of them now as they can grow to 10m plus in a relatively short time.
their drought ance.
WITH frost about, remove plastic watering system timers from taps. Even when turned off, these will hold water which expands with frost and your water timer will be no more! The same advice goes if you’re in the habit of leaving lawn sprinklers on the end of the garden hose in the garden. Put these away each night along with other associated watering equipment. For plants
in pots that may be susceptible to frost, place under evergreen trees and shrubs, or under the eaves against the home.
WINTER pruning is looming, so when did you last sharpen and
clean your secateurs? Mine are the Swiss-made Felco brand, now more than 30 years old and yet I can still sharpen the blades to shave the hairs off my arm.
These are not cheap, so be prepared to part with $120 plus. I clean mine with steel wool or sandpaper then use a good-quality sharpening stone such as Ezy-Lap Hone and Stone.
Japanese anemones are perfect for autumn colour.
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