Wednesday, April 28, 2010

A special gift for Mum



A hose left lying on brick paving can cause slip and trip hazards.

Sons and daughters are being urged to give a special Mother's Day gift this May - a safety audit of the home for elderly parents, especially those living alone.

Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects, says home safety is one of the most important gifts sons and daughters could give their mums.
Queensland state manager of Archicentre Ian Agnew says elderly people often do not recognise dangers in the home that can lead to serious injuries or fatal incidents.
Fires can cause serious injury or death. They also destroy a family's most cherished possessions and home. In Australia each year, some 70 people die as a result of fire, and probably more than 1000 people suffer from serious burns in house fires.
Mr Agnew says that this year, especially with the Federal Government's Home Insulation Program problems, people are urged to check if their elderly parents have had insulation installed under the scheme, and if so have they had it inspected for safety issues.
Archicentre has a number of top areas listed for home safety - these include:
. Install new batteries in the smoke detector and test the alarm is working efficiently.
. Ensure all deadlocks have keys in them on the inside of the door.
. Loose electrical extension leads across the floor can create a trip hazard.
. Loose rugs which may cause slip and trips especially at the tops of stairs.
. The storage of stacks of old newspapers creating a fire hazard in the home.
. Check for slippery or unsafe steps or decks which may need repair or the removal of slippery moss or slime.
. A hose left lying on the brick paving can cause slip and trip hazards.
. Look for leaking taps or damaged downpipes that could make paths slippery and hazardous.
Mr Agnew said many of these hazards can be quickly observed and removed.

Monday, April 26, 2010

STAR SIGNS ... with Horace Cope

TAURUS (Apr 21 to May 20)
You ponder the ultimate philosophical question – should Melbourne Storm get their two premierships back if all other NRL clubs are found to have also rorted the salary cap rules.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 21)
You suspect they’re starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel when you get a scam email from a Nigerian barista.

CANCER (June 22 to July 23)
You can’t believe your eyes and ears when a current affairs TV host announces an upcoming segment on a miracle cure for arthritis. Why would such a thing be needed, seeing that program – and similar shows on other networks – have run similar stories in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and twice last year?

LEO (July 24 to Aug 23)

Ditto for weight-loss schemes, come to think of it.

VIRGO (Aug 24 to Sept 23)
And anti-hair loss schemes. And ... oh, okay, you get the picture.

LIBRA (Sept 24 to Oct 23)
You wonder if Tony Abbott's mind is on the job when he starts using an exercise bike during Question Time.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 to Nov 22)
You think Joe Hockey might be shaping up for a leadership challenge when he starts wearing Speedos in public.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 to Dec 22)
Hearing that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown might hang on to power even if his party comes third in the first-past-the-post vote in early May, you suspect the mother country uses the hare-brain electoral system.

CAPRICORN (Dec 23 to Jan 20)
Your Anzac Day celebrations were going peachy until some eagle-eyed real Diggers at your local pub realised all those medals across your chest were 1960s Ekka mirror-maze prize medallions.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 to Feb 19)
You realise poor old Oz is going down the gurgler after hearing a Channel 10 news report that the “nation’s elite” had attended the Sydney funeral of Lady McMahon, and then naming the standouts among those elite mourners as John Laws, Malcolm and Lucy Turbull and Eileen Bond.

PISCES (Feb 20 to Mar 20)
You could not have agreed more when Peter Ftizsimons said on a Sixty Minutes segment about the Australian flag on Sunday night that it was an absolute disgrace and it had to go – but enough about his bandanna.

ARIES (Mar 21 to Apr 20)
As an advocate of quality and original TV you place full-page newspaper ads to let people know Channel 9's Hey Hey It's Saturday screens on Wednesdays, just in case people try to avoid watching it on the wrong night.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Feathers could fly in the Valley



PROPERTY

Visitors to the Valley who might have starved to death a few years ago if they wanted to eat only chicken burgers are now being spoilt for choice.
Sure there was always McDonalds in the Valley mall, but chicken has never been their main marketing thrust.
The chicken choice for hungry punters drawn to the Valley entertainment precinct changed last year with Country Chicken opening up on the Wickham Street side of McWhirters. Soon after Nandos chicken began trading in Licorice Lane in the TCB building across the mall.
Well, if the owners of those two fastfood outlets thought that Maccas and each other was the end of competition for a while, then their feathers could soon be well and truly ruffled.
The fitout is rapidly gaining pace for an Oporto chicken burger store in what was the TAB outlet on the southern side of the main Valley mall.
One of the big names behind this franchise is former Gloria Jeans owner David Cacciola and the Indie will get an update in coming days of when this outlet will open.
Still only a rumour at this stage, but the Indie is also looking into claims that the former Vietnamese Bakery that sadly closed its doors and deprived Indie staff of very reasonably priced ham and salad rolls just a few shops up from the Oporto venture some months ago might be a Red Rooster outlet!
All this seems good news for hungry music punters ... but not so much for the nation's current chook population.

Music dies in the Valley


PROPERTY

The music has finally died in the Valley mall - well, the sale of recorded music, that is.
Rumours have been rife for months that long-term McWhirters tenant The Music Shop was closing its doors, and sadly that has finally happened, with the final trading taking place over a few hours of frenzied cut-price deals on Monday, April 19.
The loss of a music shop that has been part of the Valley landscape for some eight years might not seem the biggest of deals but its departure is ironic in the heart of the Valley entertainment precinct, Australia's first and one that markets itself largely around the provision of loud music.
The shop is understood to be the latest victim of the trend among music lovers to download songs and albums from the internet straight onto their computers and portable eletronic gizmos.
The Independent understands that this downturn in trade, together with the shop's lease ending and McWhirters wanting the owners to sign up for a further three-year lease commitment, proved the final straw.
Regardless of the reasons for the closure, it's another nail in the central Valley's languishing day economy and comes only months after McWhirters' major retail tenant,Loot, closed its doors.
Other traders in McWhirters hoping that a new big-name retailer might soon join their ranks will be disappointed with the news that an Indian restaurant is understood to be taking up the Music Store shop space.
Such a venue would not attract the flow of daytime passersby that local traders are hoping to see return to central Valley area much sooner than later.


STOP PRESS: For-lease signs have been posted on the windows of the now-deserted The Music Shop floor space, and The Independent understands the restaurant people had a last-minute change of heart and will not be proceeding with that project.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Valley’s sad claim ... It’s grot the lot!




NEWS


Above: Trudgian Park ... an eyesore

Local Councillor David Hinchliffe has started a campaign to Clean Up the Valley and The Independent in applauding his initiative is doing its bit to help.

When the long-term Central Ward representative approached the Indie seeking to take some paid ad space for his campaign, the only community newspaper left serving the Valley and surrounding suburbs immediately said: “Take one ad space, we’ll donate the second!”
It means that in the months ahead, we will publish photographs of some of the worst of what Cr Hinchliffe calls the Valley’s “grot spots” with open letters from Cr Hinchliffe urging the owners to be civic minded and clean up their own little patch for everyone’s sake.
In the first “grot spots” Cr Hinchliffe names the City Council’s own Trudgian Park at the corner of St Pauls Terrace and Brunswick Street, and a nearby commercial premises that are both badly in need of some tender loving care.
The Independent will further support this campaign by devoting additional space each issue to revisit earlier “grot spot” nominees, record the progress made on them and to congratulate the owners for showing their pride in our locality – or to add them to a shame file if nothing has been done!
Cr Hinchliffe in nominating Trudgian Park, named after Rev. Trudgian, the former minister who was responsible for City Mission in the Valley from the 1950s to early 80s, as his first Grot Spot , says in his open letter to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman: “I have been asking for more than 12 months since the terrible suicide of a young girl in this park, for the council to remove all low vegetation in the park which provides spaces for people to drink, urinate, defecate, fight and sleep it off.
“Almost every Saturday morning, I have to call the council call centre or the police to have it cleaned up.
“These spaces are no good to the people who misuse them and they certainly do no good for the image of the Valley.
“At the same time as we should be providing more services for people who are caught in this vicious cycle of alcoholism and self-abuse, we should also be cleaning up areas which simply encourage more of that type of destructive behaviour.
“The Valley has precious few parks. It’s terrible to trash the few we have. As the council puts more people in the area they should provide clean, green spaces where the public can sit and enjoy the winter sunshine or eat their lunch. When I visited last Saturday, Trudgian park smelt of vomit, faeces and grog.
“Private property owners are almost as bad, with many leaving their properties overgrown and unrepaired. This creates precisely the sort of environment with this sort of behaviour festers.”
In his letter to the nearby commercial premises that house the Korean restaurant Jong Ga, Cr Hinchliffe writes: “I am writing to ask that you please clean up the front of your building. This request is part of a campaign I have initiated to encourage property owners in the Valley to “do the right thing” and clean up their premises. (pictured below)
“One of the problems raised at frequent safety audits in the Valley is the state of the landscaping in front of many private properties including your property. “These areas provide an overgrown area where people can hide out, drink, urinate, defecate and sleep. “I cant see how the presentation at the front of your building would attract anyone to dine at the Korean restaurant upstairs.
“I would be grateful if you would remove all the overgrown vegetation from your site and have someone come around just twice a year to make sure it is trimmed. That is not much to ask.
“The more that everyone takes some pride in the maintenance of the Valley, the better the Valley will be. This applies to City Council as well as to private property owners.

‘Have your say on hours'


NEWS

The man behind a campaign against proposed changes to trading hours and lockout times for entertainment venues is concerned apathy may cost Brisbane’s music scene dearly.
Queensland Lockedout organiser Zach Salar fears an apathetic approach to an online government survey on liquor industry changes may seriously harm, especially to the Valley Entertainment Precinct.
Mr Salar is urging Brisbane’s youth to vote online and prevent the government from bringing in plans of a 2am lock-out and reduced trading hours on weekends.
“Besides the questions being loaded and offering no alternative responses other than yes, no and maybe, the Government has given Queenslanders until April 16 (Friday) to fill the survey out,” Mr Salar said.
“There’s a groundswell of support opposing lock-outs and especially a 2am one, but sometimes the youth of today are apathetic and don’t react until it’s too late or after it’s been introduced. “We need to be proactive and voice our opinion and concerns with the way this Government has become the rulers of social thoughts and actions and oppose this.”
Mr Salar said Lockedout did not oppose all of the eight questions put forward on the Government survey.
“We want more police in entertainment precincts, safe and frequent public transport system and powers for police to ban offenders from specific areas,” Mr Salar said.
“What we don’t want is draconian laws conjured up because of peer pressure and not based on factual information. “The Parliamentary Inquiry into liquor reform was critical of police for not submitting evidence that a lockout works and an independent observer Professor Ross Homel also slated it.”

The government website survey can be accessed via http://getinvolved.qld.gov.au

Cop shop opens at last


NEWS


The delayed Fortitude Valley police station has finally been opened, with both sides of politics offering quite different views on whether it was a time for rejoicing or recriminations.


Local MP Grace Grace (pictured above at the opening with Police Minister Neil Roberts) welcomed news of more local police but the LNP Opposition labelled the project “late and over budget”.
Mr Roberts said the new $16 million facility would provide police with the resources necessary to service the unique present and future needs of the Brisbane Central District.
“This modern redevelopment and extension to the existing heritage listed Fortitude Valley Station will enhance efficiency and allow local police to better meet growing demand in the central Brisbane area,” Mr Roberts said.
“The station will house 105 general duties officers, as well as a number of functions including Police Liaison Officers, Criminal Investigation Branch, Tactical Crime Squad, Intelligence Officers, Administrative Officers and Station Client Service Officers,” he said.
Ms Grace said of the policing boost to her electorate:  “This new establishment will enable police to focus on local issues by working closely with community
“This massive investment in central Brisbane policing shows the government’s commitment to enhancing community safety in this area.”
The Opposition said the station was supposed to have opened 18 months ago and cost $3 million less.
LNP shadow Police Minister Vaughan Johnson welcomed the redevelopment and the boost to policing in the Valley, but questioned why the project was so late and so over budget.
“The redevelopment of the Fortitude Valley police station was announced way back in February 2007 and Public Works Minister Robert Schwarten claimed then that construction was ‘expected to take 12 to 18 months’,” he said.
“More than three years later, the redevelopment is finally done, albeit at a cost of $16 million, up from the initial budget of $12.89 million.

Building industry confidence rising but fragile

PROPERTY

Confidence in the Queensland building industry is on the rise, but it is only just on the verge of recovery and remains fragile. That’s the finding of the latest survey of industry conditions from Master Builders, Queensland’s peak body for housing and construction.
Master Builders’ director of housing policy, Paul Bidwell, said the report covering the March 2010 quarter shows that conditions in the residential and commercial sectors were still less than ideal.
“And [the recent] decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates for the second consecutive time, is undoubtedly a setback,” he said.
“Despite poor conditions in the first three months of 2010, the outlook is for conditions to improve over the coming months. However, in order for market conditions to stabilise, the industry needs some breathing space.
“The interest rate rise, and any further increases in the short term, will dampen demand and make it more difficult for the recovery to take hold.
“It is also clear that the recovery is currently two-speed, with the commercial sector lagging behind the residential market. In fact, without government stimulus spending, the commercial sector would be on its knees.
“Aside from a lack of demand, the other two key constraints to business growth within the industry, are the planning approval process and the availability and cost of finance.
“At a regional level, the survey results indicate substantial differences in the industry’s performance across the state. “The Darling Downs, South-West Queensland and Central Queensland are the stand-out regions, reflecting the strength of their local economies.
“In sharp contrast, the Gold Coast and Far North Queensland are still battling the effects of the global financial crisis.
“The key business constraints in each region are largely consistent with the state-wide results. Interestingly, however, the better performing regions face a different set of constraints with the availability of finance, the planning approval process, infrastructure charges and labour costs rated as more critical constraints in these regions."
The report also highlights that housing affordability continues to be a major concern in all regions. Unfortunately, the outlook for housing affordability is bleak, with the majority of businesses expecting affordability to worsen over the coming 12 months.
“On a positive note, news that the unemployment rate in Queensland has ticked down slightly is a very positive step towards increasing confidence amongst those contemplating buying a new or existing home. This news will be welcomed in those parts of the state where the building and construction industry is languishing, particularly the Gold Coast and Far North Queensland.”

• The Master Builders Survey of Industry Conditions report is one of a series of industry and economic reports Master Builders produces for the building and construction sectors. For copies of the state and regional reports, visit www.masterbuilders.asn.au and click on ‘Publications’ and ‘Housing industry reports’.

Super auction night to test market


PROPERTY

The current state of the Brisbane property market – especially the higher end that has been a little soft – will be put to the test when PRD Property Warehouse presents a special Summer Group Auction next Wednesday April 21.
A selection of six of the inner city’s finest properties available will go under the expert hammer of Jason Andrews, REIQ auctioneer of the year’.
The standout property that “must be sold” according to the agents is 111 St Pauls Terrace, with an award-winning home sitting on 1003 square metres of prime real estate in the heart of Spring Hill (pictured above).
“It’s vacant and ready for a new owner to move straight in,” says Nick McGuire of PRDnationwide New Farm. “This truly is one of a kind.” The home boasts five substantial bedrooms, three modern bathrooms, a large media room and wine cellar. A 76sq/m deck overlooks the cityscape and the Story Bridge.
Mr McGuire says the auction event would be a fantastic opportunity to buy quality properties. “It should be an exciting night,” he says.
The Summer Group Auctions on Wednesday April 21 are at 6pm for a 6:30pm start at 98 Commercial Road, Newstead.
To RSVP, contact Jessica Ray by this Friday April 16 on 3246 1111 or via email to jessray@prd.com.au PRDnationwide New Farm also has a “How to Buy at Auction” Fact Sheet available on 3246 1111.

Focus on New Farm icon



PROPERTY

A New Farm residential landmark will be the focus of the New Farm and Districts Historical Society’s monthly meeting on Saturday week, April 24.

The meeting at 2pm at the Merthyr Road Uniting Church Hall will be a story both to be told and heard. Coronet Court Flats is truly a New Farm icon, with impeccable credentials on both architectural and historical fronts.
Owner and chief custodian Tamsin O’Connor will no doubt provide a thoroughly entertaining insight into this beautiful and much loved building. As always, all are invited to join in for the compulsory Q & A and the delightful afternoon tea.
New Farm and Districts Historical Society Inc office is located at front of the Ron Muir Meeting Room, New Farm Library, right behind the green bench at 135 Sydney Street. The society’s office is open every Thursday from 2pm to 4pm.
The society’s postal address is PO Box 1141 New Farm 4005. Photos courtesy of the society

South Africa, then and now


EXHIBITION


Social and political change comes to life in the images collected by Paul Weinberg for the fascinating exhibition Then and Now: Eight South African Photographers, now showing at Brisbane Powerhouse until Sunday May 2.
The exhibition presents works by eight important South African photographers who were active in the struggle against Apartheid and contrasts their work during the Apartheid era with their work in the new democracy.
The contrasts and parallels between works from both periods provides insights into South Africa’s troubled cultural and political history along with more intimate glimpses of the lives of ordinary people as they experience the challenges and excitement of contemporary South Africa. David Goldblatt, perhaps South Africa’s most famous photographer, is included in the exhibition along with Paul Weinberg, Guy Tillim, George Hallett, Eric Miller, Cedric Nunn, Graeme Williams and Gisele Wulfsohn.
The exhibition also marks and presents the personal and artistic journeys of these socially committed photographers as they enjoy new personal and artistic freedoms. With the demise of Apartheid, the freedom to explore new personal and artistic concerns is evident in many of the works, as is an ongoing sense of social commitment.
Paul Weinberg is a South African born photojournalist and documentary photographer who was one of the founding members of the Afrapix photographic agency. Afrapix was a key group in the collective photography movement and its members were well known for their uncompromising visual portrayal of the apartheid system and popular resistance to it.
This socially significant collection is a must-see and will be shown at Brisbane Powerhouse until May 2.

Clare’s mighty milestone sweet music to my ears


MY SHOUT ... with Ivor Thurston


My goodness me, don’t the years just fly by! I was virtually gobsmacked the other day when a very close personal friend of mine, the lovely Clare Hansson, rang out of the blue to invite me to a little soiree she’s having at the Brisbane Jazz Club this Sunday.
I just shook my head in wonder when Clare explained what the occasion was for: her little band, The Clare Hansson Trio, is celebrating 30 years of jazz ... for all the right seasons. Thirty years!
That couldn’t be right for any number of reasons, I thought. Clare would have had to have not just learnt the piano but become brilliant at it while still a teenager! Still, I’m happy to run a few pars about the event, and I’ll certainly be there with my hushpuppies tapping out of control while I enjoy a Pimms Dakota with citrus peel – or 10.
I made up my mind just the other day that I’m going to let my hairs down more in future. Clare reminds me that it was in April 1980, when hotelier Gary Balkin – another very close chum from, dare I say it, even further back in the mists of time – booked the Clare Hansson Trio for his newly acquired Bonaparte’s Hotel.
Who didn’t get blown apart at Bonaparte’s back then, eh? History was made. Clare’s brand of trio jazz is swinging, stylish, sophisticated, classy, elegant and, above all, entertaining. She treasures her fellow musicians as soul mates and sets up an empathetic rapport as they communicate musically and emotionally.
Many of Brisbane’s finest bass players and drummers have contributed their individuality to the tapestry of the Clare Hansson Trio sound. And in this celebration concert on Sunday, Clare will honour all those who have inspired her to continue to create, to compose and to grow musically. Clare’s first note was played at the Brisbane Jazz Club was in 1974 with her late husband Bernie Hansson before she dreamed of leading a trio. On April 18 the fulfilment of a dream come true will be a reunion of music makers and music lovers.
For the Sunday afternoon of jazz by the river this Sunday, Clare will be joined by her son Philip Hansson, his beautiful double bass inherited from his father Bernie. Philip was the driving force of the trio from 1985 to 1989, and recently Clare was honoured among prominent Queensland artists celebrated at a QPAC photographic exhibition.
Two of Clare’s favourite singers, Lyn Gillett from Melbourne, and Sue Wighton – now I won’t even risk getting into trouble come Sunday by saying just how long that sassy siren of a songstress and I have been friends – will join the trio on stage to recreate some of the evergreen songs made famous by other great songstresses.
Clare tells me many of Brisbane’s musicians will be invited to the stage to pay tribute to this outstanding trio during the concert from 1pm to 4pm. So, there are so many reasons to take in this special event, not the least of them being the fact that this venue has one of our city’s great outlooks.

• To book for this special occasion on Sunday, go to: www.brisbanejazzclub.com.au and follow the prompt or phone 3391 2006.


GOT THE GOSS?
Got some pub or club news that Ivor would be interested in sharing with the hip and funky people that make up the Indie’s readership? Send Ivor and email to: ivor@theindependent.com.au and he’ll look into it!

Winemakers love coming to grip with a new grape


WINE ... with David Bray

It was 40 years ago that the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (or whatever it was then called) told me it would be a good idea to think about other grape varieties than those then being used to make wine here in the sub-tropics.
Trouble was there didn’t seem to be much to choose from. Didn’t have the knowledge to realise there were interesting grapes growing in the world apart from France and Germany.
We thought we would have to wait for new varieties bred by CSIRO, as indeed some were and still are. These days, with the Australian industry in serious over-supply trouble, many of our enterprising winemakers are working with an ever-widening range of grapes from the wide world of wine.
It wasn’t so long ago that we were introduced to verdelho, tempranillo, pinot gris and/or grigio, to list but a few of the better known newcomers. Interesting example, verdelho. Anywhere else in the world, specifically the island of Madeira and in the Douro Valley of Portugal, it goes into fortified wine. In this country and notably in the Swan Valley and the Granite Belt it is giving us very drinkable and increasingly popular white wine.
One place to see how the trend is progressing is the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, first held in Mildura in November 2001. It now attracts more than 600 entries from throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The show aims to provide an alternative to the mainstream wine shows, a dedicated forum for alternative or emerging wine varieties and to encourage alternative, more cutting edge judging procedures. See www.aavws.com/ - And then there is Strange Bird, guide to the Granite Belt Alternative Wine Trail. It will lead you more than a dozen alternative wine grape varieties growing in vineyards across the Granite Belt. The list is growing and Golden Grove, for example, has recently added vermentino and nero d'Avola. See http://www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.au/pages/strange-bird

***

Which brings me now to assyrtiko, well on the way to your local shelves and wine lists. Jim Barry Wines says it is set to be the first in Australia to plant what is apparently the popular Greek wine variety when 200 cuttings are released from quarantine in February.
Managing director Peter Barry says: “Assyrtiko is to Santorini what riesling is to Clare. It is the grape variety most commonly grown on the island and is considered by wine experts to be one of the greatest wine grapes in Greece.
“I tasted Assyrtiko when I visited Santorini in 2008 and again in London in May the following year. I liked the fresh, crisp, acidic qualities of the wine, as well as its low pH and steel backbone. I particularly liked the unwooded style, as I believe this wine carried itself well without the need for oak.”
Peter said he plans to grow the variety at a micro level in South Australia’s Clare Valley, producing a small volume initially, on a west facing slope at 480m.
“At this stage, my interest is in micro-viticulture not macro-viticulture,” Peter said. “We will be using a single vine to take the eight dormant cuttings, thus establishing the true mother vine and our very own Santorini clone.”
The vines are expected to be producing fruit by 1214 or 2015. The plot is for the style to be crisp and dry.

***
Australians are used to their wine being labeled according to the grapes squashed and fermented to produce the liquid inside the bottle. The French and a good deal of the rest of the old world tend to buy by the geographical location of the vineyard. But things are changing.
The Confederation of French Wine Cooperatives has come out in favour of introducing “easy-drinking” products with labels stating the type of wine instead of the appellation. Example: wine maker Chamarré, whose motto is “Made in France, Enjoyed Everywhere”, exports to around 30 countries.
It has, we understand from several respected newspapers including the Guardian, tossed away the concept of terroir and uses grapes from thousands of growers across the country to produce single varietal and blended wines with catchy, stylish labels. (This of course is what has been happening in Australia for quite some time.)
Côtes du Rhone wines like Le Freak Shiraz-Viognier and Rhôning Stones are showing up on supermarket shelves around the world, as are Languedoc wines like Bois-Moi (“Drink Me”), Abracadabra Blanc and Petit Bistro Syrah, which has a label depicting a romantic Van Gogh-inspired café scene. Reforms recently approved in Brussels allow all European wine producers to list the grape variety and vintage on their labels. Makers of low-end wines had previously only been able to call their products table wine in many countries.

Extraordinary tunnel vision


FILM ... with Tim Milfull

Beneath Hill 60 (M)
Director: Jeremy Sims
Stars: Brendan Cowell, Steve Le Marquand, Gyton Grantley
Rating: 3.5/5 122 minutes, opening April 15


Executive producer Ross Thomas found the inspiration for his film Beneath Hill 60 in an unusual place – not far from where he worked in the north Queensland mining industry.
In fact, Oliver Woodward – the main character of a film that grew out of an original desire to create a simple war memorial – worked in an office in the same building as Thomas, only decades before. When he uncovered the story of Woodward’s involvement in one of the most dramatic events in the First World War, Thomas felt duty bound to revive the public profile of Woodward and his fellow miners as true heroes of the Australian armed forces.
Until the middle of the Great War, Woodward (Brendan Cowell) had been playing a vital role managing mineral and ore supplies to the war effort. After a sudden secondment to his home in the Far North, and a disgraceful flutter of white feathers impugning his reputation, Woodward found himself finally on the Western Front, but in very different circumstances to his fellow Diggers – the young man had been commissioned to command a team of ex-miners who regularly tunnelled under enemy lines to plant explosive charges.
With this new film, actor-turned director, Jeremy Sims (of Chances fames all those years ago) has consolidated his reputation as a filmmaker after the impressive Last Train to Freo.
Basing his production in Townsville, and with the support and sponsorship of an entire community, Sims and his crew fashioned an entirely believable version of the ruined fields of Flanders for his beleaguered cast to slog through. The result is a slick juxtaposition of two battles, one global conflict that threatens humankind, and a deeply personal discord that threatens one’s humanity.


A cruel, ruthless masterpiece




Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky
Director: Jan Kounen
Stars: Anna Mouglalis, Mads Mikkelsen
Rating: 4.5/5 120 minutes, opening April 15


While I missed last year’s Coco avant Chanel from Anne and Camille Fontaine, I reassured myself with the news that the film tried too hard to encompass Chanel's entire life, and yet avoided key moments like her activities during the Second World War.
In Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky, Dutch director, Jan Kounen and first-time screenwriter, Chris Greenhalgh rather neatly sidestep these kinds of issues by concentrating on a discrete period in the life of the legendary designer – the time between Chanel (Anna Mouglalis) stepping into and out of the life of an equally legendary twentieth-century figure, Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky (Mads Mikkelsen). Almost a decade after witnessing the composer’s dramatic Parisian debut with the Ballets Russes, Chanel steps forward to rescue the family, who are now refugees from the Bolshevik Revolution. But Chanel has an ulterior motive, and Stravinsky is only too willing to participate in the destruction of his family.
Kounen and Greenhalgh offer a deliberately cruel ruthlessness in Chanel and Stravinsky as a counterpoint to the subtle elegance of their surroundings. The mansion – immaculately appointed with Chanel’s own flair – plays mute witness to the selfish desires of these lovers.
All else is ignored, from the refugee family to the designer’s empire. And when either eventually come up for air, the creative accomplishments are extraordinary. Mougalalis and Mikkelsen are excellent in their portrayals of these megalomaniacs, and the production design and costume work of Marie-Helene Sulmoni and Chatoune & Fab is faultless.
With Gabriel Yared’s original score more than ably complementing the Russian’s original strident work, Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky is a masterpiece.


THE BINGE


German festival boasts rich and varied program of riches

Audi Festival of German Film - screening from April 28 to May 4
Cold Souls (MA15+)
Cure (MA15+)
Eden is West (M)
DVDs now available through Madman Entertainment


Space doesn't permit enough reflection this week on the richness of the 2010 Audi Festival of German Film (April 28 to May 4), but I have had a chance to preview a few films, and check out a comprehensive program.

Amid the work of directors like Sönke Wortmann (Pope Joan & Maybe, Maybe Not) and Fatih Akin (Soul Kitchen & Short Sharp Shock) are a number of films that exploit European predilections for drama and comedy and food. There are also a few children's films (The Crocodiles & The Crocodiles Strike Back & The Treasure of the White Falcons), but I’m specifically looking forward to seeing Michael Haneke’s Golden Palm-winning The White Ribbon. For more details, visit www.goethe.de/australia

***

The month of March saw the release of a number of exciting films on DVD. Cold Souls sees Paul Giamatti stars as himself in a battle to regain control of his own soul after losing it in a storage accident. Sophie Barthes offers an intriguing psychological and existential premise here that echoes the work of Charlie Kaufman and Woody Allen.
In Cure – finally on DVD after a theatrical release more than a decade ago – Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to the great Akira) directs a nasty serial killer-thriller that predates the current reign of J-horror transfixing audiences.
And the haunting Eden is West is the ever controversial Costa-Gavras’s (Missing) contribution to a mounting cinematic discourse about the immigration and people-smuggling that is dividing Europe and the rest of the world.

Where am I?



The Indie’s popular contest is back, and you’ve got the chance to win a $60 prize voucher to enjoy some tucker and a drink at the Brunswick Hotel in New Farm.

All you have to do is tell us where this is. And here’s a hint. It could be a scene from Oliver straight out of 19th Century London, but it’s not. Email your answer to editor@theindependent.com.au to reach us no later than 5pm on Friday week, April 23, 2010. Or drop us the answer in the post by the same deadline to PO Box 476 Valley Q 4006. All correct entries will go into our prizebarrel, and one lucky winner will be off to the Brunnie on us. Bon appetit!

One bad apple spoils it for the rest

FROM MY CORNER .... with Ann Brunswick

At the weekend it was necessary for me to replace the batteries in one of my small hand-held appliances. So, as usually happens, a quick trip to the local supermarket to make one particular purchase saw me standing at the checkout with a hand basket groaning with various items.
Luckily they included the necessary batteries.
But during my trips up and down the aisles it amazed me to see the number of items thoughtless shoppers had just dumped on shelves apparently after deciding they didn’t need them or couldn’t afford them after all. You too have no doubt seen cans of soup deposited among deodorants, dishwashing liquid left abandoned in the biscuit aisle, and weedkiller among the baby nappies.
It appears some people are just too lazy to return unwanted goods to their rightful shelves. They just dump them wherever they can. The worst offenders are those who abandon fresh meats or smallgoods still wrapped in white paper and carrying their price sticker.
Of course those goods must be of no use to anyone after being left to warm on a shelf and, hopefully, they are thrown in the bin. What a waste. There are children starving in Africa, as my mother would say.
Like me you also may have seen the supermarket staff who must walk around their store retrieving such items and either placing them back in their rightful spots or discarding them. That too is a waste of time and money but only necessary because of the thoughtlessness of others. But back to my weekend shopping experience. As my eyes scanned the battery display they fell upon a rather ugly sight.
There among the larger heavy-duty batteries on a lower shelf, some kind consumer had carefully placed a half-eaten apple. Its formerly white flesh had browned quite nicely. No doubt it had been picked up in the supermarket’s fruit section and gnawed at until the anonymous shopper tired of having to move his or her jaws, and instead chose to throw it away, without paying for it.
***

During the week it was my pleasure to stroll around the Queensland Art Gallery at South Bank. For that trip it was my usual displeasure to use the Cultural centre bus station, the subject of previous rants in this column.
Yet again it was my lot to witness numerous people missing their buses courtesy of the silly “lead stop” system employed at the station, where buses are not allocated specific positions along the platform but simply pull in behind each other with the first to arrive taking the first spot.
Again last week it was obvious how this system causes people to sometimes walk or run the full length of the platform in an effort to catch their bus. Again several people, including little old ladies, could not make the dash in time and had to watch their bus pull away without them.
As has been said on past occasions in this column, does anyone who designed this system actually ever use the bus station?




The Easter hols saw me head west in my trusty Land Rover to refresh my acquaintance with my country roots. My only regret was that my visit did not coincide with a B&S ball, knowing from experience just how much fun they can be for both a B and an S. On my way back to Brisbane my trip took me across a railway crossing, one without automatic flashing red lights.
The picture above shows the warning sign someone in either Queensland Rail, the Department of Transport, or the Department of Main Roads thought appropriate for this particular level crossing.
Is it just me or is it rather obvious that someone in a vehicle of any size attempting to cross the line would tend to give way to a train? Given that the locomotive alone would weight several hundred tonnes, it does seem like a sensible thing to do.
To my mind, putting a give-way sign on a level crossing runs the risk of having it treated the same way as most drivers treat them elsewhere – as a green light to roll through an intersection and stop only if forced to do so. Let’s face it, real-life experience suggests most drivers have no idea what a give-way sign means. Similar railway crossings usually carry a stop sign and a “watch for trains” warning which seems far more sensible to me.
***

Speaking of the choo-choos, Your Ann had need to travel by City Rail again the other day, and was most amused as the announcements being made – over both the speakers and on the fancy electronic message boards in those new-fangled carriages – as we approached the Valley.
Please don’t hold me to the exact words used, but we were being reminded to take care “whilst” detraining from the service, and then to take care again “whilst” leaving the station itself.
Isn’t “whilst” a lovely, if old-fashioned word? Goodness, it must be quite a whilst since I last heard and read it in general usage.

Did anyone doubt the system was very sick indeed?

POLITICS ... with Mungo MacCallum


So Kevin Rudd has finally admitted what everyone else realised some time ago: fixing the health system is going to cost a huge amount of money and it’s no good pretending otherwise.
Ambitious reorganisations are simply not enough. Certainly they are useful and necessary, and Rudd’s plan to reform hospital funding and planning is by any measure a good start; the only real criticism is that it doesn't go far enough.
But the cost of keeping abreast of new medical technology is rising much faster than the rate of inflation, and this means that an ever increasing proportion of national revenue will have to be devoted to health simply to remain standing still. And this does not include the problems of an increasingly long-lived population and the inordinate demands the ageing make on health care.
The choice is stark and straightforward: if the system is to provide the level of service to which the public has been conditioned to believe it is entitled, someone is going to have to pay and in the end, as always, the buck stops with the taxpayer. A sensible government would already be explaining this dilemma and preparing the public for the inevitable; indeed, a really sensible government would have begun the process long ago.
But because of the media-conditioned aversion to tax increases of any kind for any purpose, the problem has been allowed to fester away until fixing it has become a near-revolutionary task. It is to Rudd’s great credit that he has at least embarked on the process; but the hard part – persuading the punters to abandon the habits of a lifetime and accept that there is no such thing a free health system – is yet to come. Perhaps he could make a gentle start by raising the Medicare levy – perhaps doubling it.
If the voters believed that it would provide value for money, they might even accept it. But at present they are still being told by their respective premiers that Canberra is the source of unlimited wealth and that if the feds would only release it all would suddenly be well– all gain and no pain.
Victoria’s John Brumby is, as usual, the worst offender; until last week his health policy consisted entirely of insisting that Kevin Rudd should give him a gigantic bucket of money or he would refuse to play.
This has since been refined into something a tad more sophisticated, but the core demand remains. The general view of the commentariat was that Brumby is just grandstanding for his local state audience and this is probably true; the standout was (of course) Dennis Shanahan in The Australian who wrote admiringly that Brumby had raised some serious and relevant questions and was quite capable of sabotaging Rudd’s plan for the hospitals in the same way he sabotaged the national water agreement, and wouldn’t that be fun? It used to be thought that the outlying states – Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia – had cornered the market in parochialism.
Brumby, egged on by Shanahan, has upped the ante considerably. Nonetheless, the likelihood is that despite some lukewarm support from Kristina Kenneally in New South Wales, he will finally be brought to heel when the crunch meeting of COAG begins next week.
Rudd has already started to hand out the biscuits: $500 million for emergency services of Saturday, $740 million for aged care beds on Sunday, and there is doubtless more to come. The bribes will help, but the overriding issue is that the voters really want health and hospital reform, and are likely to inflict a horrible punishment on any politician who is seen to be standing in the way of it.
This is a much bigger issue than the water rights of a few recalcitrant irrigators, and Brumby is smart enough to see it. Incidentally this does not necessarily mean that Rudd’s fallback threat of a referendum would succeed; during a long campaign the premiers and others could muddy the waters considerably. But it does mean that no premier hoping for re-election will want to be the one who pulls the plug. Rudd’s plan – or a slightly amended version of it – will probably get past COAG.
Then comes the hard bit. It is to be hoped Rudd is up to it; his behaviour over the asylum seekers suggests that he is still finding the hard decisions a bit too hard. The announcement that processing of Sri Lankans and Afghans would be frozen for three months and six months respectively justifies Tony Abbott’s description as a quick election fix – being seen to be doing something about an apparently intractable problem.
Rather than taking Peter van Onselen’s counsel and showing leadership, Rudd has capitulated to the shock jocks and to the scaremongers of the opposition. Dennis Shanahan called it a populist response to a highly successful populist campaign waged by Abbott and his shadow minister Scott Morrison; Van Onselen accused Abbott and Morrison of trying to rabble-rouse their way into government.
But there was little doubt that it was a cop out, and one which is unlikely to provide the government with much relief. For starters it is a broken election promise: Rudd's policy was that asylum seekers whereto be fully processed within ninety days. Now the Afghans will have to wait twice that long before their first interview.
The justification, if it can be so described, is that conditions have changed; the prospect that the boat people can be sent home without having a well-founded fear of being persecuted (the teat for a genuine refugee) are now brighter.
This assessment is highly dubious. Sri Lanka is certainly more stable, but then, the most ruthless dictatorships often are.
The stability does not mean that the government will be any less brutal to what it sees as rebel Tamils, especially those who have attempted to flee its shores. And Afghanistan, of course, remains a bloody mess, as it always has been and probably always will be.
Manuel Jordao, an senior official of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, may well have been right when he said that people smuggling, with the introduction of spotters’ fees and cut price fares, was out of control. Rudd’s move does nothing to bring it under control; at best it buys him a little time.
Given that his opponents are constantly accusing him of procrastination, this may not be the shrewdest of moves.

Monday, April 5, 2010

The pitfalls of having tunnel vision

FROM MY CORNER .... With Ann Brunswick

Reading coverage of the opening of the Clem7 tunnel it struck me how many people were saying they became confused and took the wrong exit at its northern end. Having driven through the tunnel for the first time at the weekend, before the freebie period expires, it is obvious to me those who were complaining have very good reasons to do so.
Approaching the northern exit from within the tunnel there are signs giving you several exit options. One points you to “Sunshine Coast” via Lutwyche Road. The other inexplicably says “Spring Hill”. Given that Spring Hill is hardly adjacent to the tunnel exit this certainly caused confusion in my mind. The same exit sign also had “Eagle Farm” and a pointer to Brisbane Airport on it.
It caused me so much confusion that the exist destinations on other signs were a blur to me. So, “Spring Hill” it was. My rationale was that at least that particular exit would land me somewhere familiar. But then the next sign had no mention of Spring Hill. It pointed to Eagle Farm, and another sign pointed me to Ipswich and Toowong. The Ipswich and Toowong exit, my reasoning went, would take me to the inbound inner-city bypass, and so it did. I
t was then possible for me to toddle home to my inner-west abode. Which all poses the question, do traffic engineers have any grasp of reality? Spring Hill is nowhere near the tunnel exit, so why put it on the exit sign?
On Sunday a friend related her similar experience. “Why put Spring Hill on the sign. The exit is nowhere near Spring Hill,” she said. Here’s a hint for free, unlike the no-doubt expensive professional advice that led to Spring Hill being used to confuse motorists.
Why not have the first exit sign in the tunnel say something like “Inner-City Bypass”. Then the second sign could point drivers either to “Kingsford Smith Drive” or “Hale Street”. That way everyone would know where they were going. Too difficult? Apparently it is.

***
On the subject of the tunnel, approaching it from the west on the inner-city bypass takes you up Hale Street past the What-Used-To-Be-Called-Lang-Park Stadium and under Musgrave Road.
At that point if you look to your right (only if you are not behind the wheel, mind) you catch a glimpse of The Place-Where-Footy-Players-And-Cougars-Supposedly-Hook-Up-For-Intimate-Moments Hotel, before continuing on. As you drive over the crest of the hill to your right you can see the-Very-Rich-But-We-Still-Cry-Poor-So-We-Get-Taxpayer-Subsidies Boys School and next door the Just-As-Rich-But-We-Also-Cry-Poor-So-We-Get-Taxpayer-Subsidies Girls School.
Up to this point the speed limit on the inner-city bypass is 60kph. But it changes towards the bottom of the hill to 80kph just as you approach on your left the It’s-A-Miracle-No-City-Council-Has-Flogged-Off-The-Land-To-One-Of-Their-Sleazy- Developer-Mates Golf Course.
At about that point the speed limit lifts to 80kph, although in my experience most other drivers have been doing that speed since the What-Used-To-Be-Called-Lang-Park Stadium. A few hundred metres further there is an exit that takes you to the Royal Totally-Rebuilt-At-Great-Expense-But-Apparently-Still-Inadequate Brisbane Hospital and the Royal Soon-To-Disappear-Thanks-To-A-Really-Stupid-Decision-By-Peter-Beattie Children’s Hospital.
For some bizarre reason at that point there is a large traffic sign saying the speed limit is 60kph. It took me a moment to workout that the sign in fact applies only to exiting traffic.
Is it too difficult to position the sign so it doesn’t cause confusion? Apparently it is. Then, if continuing on the bypass, the 80kph limit falls to 60kph halfway through the tunnel under the Royal It’s-The-Same-Crap-Every-Year-Just-Higher-Admission-Prices Brisbane Showgrounds. But then a hundred metres or so further, it jumps back up to 70kph.
Again, is it too difficult to do away with yo-yoing speed limits simply by removing the 60kph sign in the tunnel and have only one drop in speed, from 80kph to 70kph? Apparently it is.

***

From my Corner would like to send a big heartfelt cheerio to the Queensland Railways employee enjoying a cup of tea on the platform at Bowen Hills about 8am on Monday as our cattle train ... I’m sorry, I meant CityRail service ... made its way into the city.
The passengers whose faces were pressed solidly against the windows probably got a better view of this than I did, but said employee nonchalantly pulled his tea bag out of his cup, wandered over and threw the soggy mess between our carriage and the platform and onto the tracks below. As our cattle train service .... I’m sorry, I meant City Rail service ... moooved ... I’m sorry I meant moved ... off, our litterbug looked quite happy with himself and his actions.
Certainly none of the three other QR employees he was with gave the slightest impression that he had done the wrong thing. I guess he can at least take credit for being a very good bad example for all those school kids on the train who saw his actions and now know exactly where their empty drink cans and chip packets are meant to go after they’re finished with them.

Colorful new home for MOB



NEWS

Museum of Brisbane (MoB) has celebrated the opening of its new Ann Street location by launching its new contemporary art space known as Mezzanine with a solo exhibition of geometric sculptural objects by Rebecca Ross (pictured)until May 9.
Drawing influence from Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the commissioned exhibition, Radius of Action, is an installation of colourful large-scale objects that exactly match the artist’s personal dimensions.
Ross was awarded an inaugural Lord Mayor’s Young and Emerging Artists Fellowship in 2003. Mezzanine is an adventurous new MoB program aimed at making contemporary art more accessible.
The program will showcase emerging and ascendant Brisbane-based artists who work across a range of genres and have developed their practice in different parts of the globe. Ross is an example of this type of artist who, though living and working in Brisbane, has used her international experiences, such as working in Venice, to explore ideas of travelling and memory in this exhibition.
Challenging the design of traditional gallery spaces, MoB’s Mezzanine gallery features non-traditional hoop pine panelling throughout. Mezzanine will see a range of contemporary art practice including installations, new media and performances including collaborative duo Fiona Mail later this year.
While Ross has exhibited widely, Radius of Action is her first museum exhibition. It will show alongside MoB’s social history exhibition, The Big Picture, which draws historical Brisbane stories from the 1928 painting by William Bustard.
While City Hall is being repaired MoB is now located on the ground floor of 157 Ann Street. MoB is open 10am-5pm, seven days a week.
Admission is free. For further information about MoB visit www.museumofbrisbane.com.au or phone council on 3403 8888.

Mall makeover to cost millions



NEWS

Fortitude Valley’s main mall will be redeveloped at a cost of many millions of dollars – but not before all stakeholders are given the chance to have their say in how the new mall should look.
That’s the undertaking from Phillip Di Bella, chairman of the Valley Malls Advisory Committee. Mr Di Bella gave the assurance that local traders, members of the public and anyone else with an interest in the area would all be consulted when he addressed a recent breakfast meeting run by the Fortitude Valley Chamber of Commerce at Fat Boys and Ric’s in the mall.
Mr Di Bella (pictured below) said the committee was determined that mistakes that had plagued similar redevelopments in the past would not happen over the Valley mall. To this end, up to $500,000 would be provided to VMAC to ensure “a proper survey is undertaken before any major work begins”.
The recently opened $8 million plus makeover of the nearby Chinatown Mall was plagued by delays that added six months to its construction timetable. Council said all available blueprints and plans failed to identify inadequate and decayed underground infrastructure when the mall remake got under way. Major delays were caused as utilities infrastructure was upgraded to satisfy Energex in particular.

Mr Di Bella said the Valley Mall revamp would cost more than the $8million plus spent on the Chinatown Mall and that it “needed input from as many people as possible. “We have been given a commitment from the Lord Mayor that the public has input into what they would like to see in the Valley mall makeover.
“If people want to see change, be part of that change.” Mr Di Bella said one of his key tasks was to link all players in the process – the council, the public and various committees.
“All organisations are pushing to make sure the Valley mall gets the attention the City has had.”
Mr Di Bella, who is also chairman of the Queen Street Mall Advisory Committee, said he expected the Valley mall would “adapt some of the ideas of the Queen Street mall but with its own flavour”.
A frank and upfront Mr Di Bella told the breakfast gathering that he accepted Fortitude Valley was a “hard task”. He had “inherited” zero dollars when he came onto the VMAC last year, and understood why some local business people had long faces over the Valley’s image. But he urged traders to “get rid of those long faces” and be a positive part of the move forward.
“They have not had the tools to move forward. We have now been given plenty of tools to move the Valley forward over the next three to four years.” Mr Di Bella said he also expected the VMAC to “ruffle a few business feathers” by making sure that in the interim, the mall had a total facelift with traders being asked to ensure all outdoor furniture, planter boxes were clean and presentable.
He said VMAC would adopt a “broken glass” approach –“if something is broken, we’ll get it fixed straight away. The committee’s area would cover from St Pauls Terrace, including the troubled Brunswick Street West area, the mall proper and well beyond that towards New Farm.

Is the city bike idea on the rack?


NEWS

Some 70 car spaces in New Farm and the Valley will disappear when City Council introduces bikeracks on the road as part of its CityCycle program later this year, the local councillor claims.
And David Hinchliffe (Central Ward) says that although he supports the scheme in principal, he thinks the issue of helmet hire might be its downfall. The bike-hire scheme does not include renting helmets, which has led to criticism about the scheme’s viability.
CityCycle will be the first bike hire scheme introduced in a country where wearing bike helmets is compulsory. Councillor Hinchliffe says lack of consultation, loss of parking, proliferation of advertising and absence of helmets are deficiencies in the CityCycle project.
“I try to be upbeat about initiatives like this but I have to say it could have been handled a lot better. “JCDecaux, the French company who has the contract is basically an advertising company. The bike hire scheme is a way for them to make money from advertising.
“There are about 150 illuminated advertising signs including huge billboards and just 110 CityCycle stations. Most of the bike stations will take up between three and seven on-road car parks and most will include a large commercial advertising sign.
“Incredibly, residents who will have illuminated three meter signs installed outside their homes have not even been consulted.
“There’s been no consultation with businesses like the Purple Olive restaurant in James Street who will lose much-needed parking in front of their property.
“There are 23 senior billboard signs on major arterials heading into the city planned as part of this scheme. These were originally supposed to be eight square meters, but information provided by council officers reveals the billboards will be 50 per cent larger than that, at 12 square meters each.
“There are 130 illuminated advertisements going into our inner city. Dimensions were previously never provided, but were likened to a standard bus shelter advertisement. However, information provided by council officers is that illuminated signs will be 1.5 meters wide by three meters tall – much larger than a normal bus stop. They will also feature illuminated rotating advertisements, so three times as much revenue can be made from a single sign
“This means there is a total of 153 advertisements planned as part of the scheme yet there are only 110 bike station locations identified at present,” Cr Hinchliffe said.

Chance missed to axe lockout


NEWS


THE missed opportunity to scrap the lockout is one of the disappointments in a series of parliamentary recommendations aimed at combating bad behaviour on licensed premises, two leading lights in Australia’s first designated entertainment area – the Valley Entertainment Precinct – say.
They argue the existing 3am lockout, with 5am closure, has not worked and should have been scrapped in recommendations brought down by the Queensland Parliament’s Law, Justice and Safety Committee’s inquiry into alcohol-related violence.
If the recommendations are accepted by government – and industry insiders believe most if not all the findings will be implemented – a 2am lockout will apply in entertainment precincts that would have to close at 4am on Friday and Saturday nights.
From Sunday to Thursday, those venues will have to close at 2am anyway. For suburban venues outside entertainment precincts, existing extended trading hours would be cut back to no later than 1am Sunday to Thursday and no later than 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. On those nights, the lockout would apply just an hour before closing.
Les Pullos, licensee of Ric’s Bar, Bank and Vault in the Valley Mall, supported most of the recommendations but was critical of the decision to maintain a lockout.
“They have missed the opportunity to get rid of the lockout provisons which are not popular and are largely unproven and should have been given the chop,” he said.
Valley Liquor Accord chairman Danny Blair echoed that sentiment. He said that while the VLA supported the report in general, retaining the lockout went against the advice of foundation professor of criminology and criminal justice at Griffith University, and director of the university’s institute for social and behavioural research, Ross Homel.
“The lockout has caused more problems than it’s worth and the report even quotes Professor Homel who has labelled it an ‘absolute, 100 per cent failure’.”
Mr Blair said winding back trading hours during the week would have negligible impact on reducing violence and would disadvantaged shift and hospitality workers.
“Staying open until 4am, instead of 5am, is plausible but it should be for the entire week, not limited to only Friday and Saturday nights,” Mr Blair said.
“We live in a seven-day economy and not all people work 9 to 5 Monday to Friday and have weekends off. There’s no evidence to suggest reducing the hours midweek would reducing alcohol-related violence.”
Both men praised recommendations that police presence be increased. Les Pullos: “Provided that the promised increase in police numbers is delivered and that policing is performed in a proactive rather than a reactive manner, I think we can live with these reforms.”
Les Pullos said of the recommendations to windback bottle shop hours to a 9pm closure: “I don’t think they will prove particularly helpful.” Young people by 9pm had already bought the “ridiculously priced liquor that encourages a binge drinking culture”. “On-premise operators are restricted from even so much as displaying a price on a wine list in public,” he said.

Urgent action needed over housing downturn

NEWS

Two research reports into the slowing pace of housing construction in Queensland reveal the state currently to be the worst performing in Australia. The reports, authored by Access Economics Director Chris Richardson, show Queensland’s housing industry has reached its lowest share of national activity in two decades and there is now a real risk that up to another 30-37,000 positions could be shed in the short-term.
In the wake of their release, the Urban Development Institute of Australia Queensland has called on the state government to take immediate action to address the rapid decline of Queensland’s housing sector following the release of this independent economic analysis.
“Our research shows the industry in Queensland contracted sharply through 2009, with construction falling by around 8.5 per cent,” Mr Richardson said. “Housing commencements have dropped by a staggering 30 per cent since mid-2008 and the industry faces notable holes in completions which could stretch through to next year and beyond.
“Housing investment has dropped across the state to below 7 per cent of the Queensland economy, its lowest point since 2001. “Between the second half of 2008 and the end of 2009, 10,400 jobs were lost in the construction sector.”
The reports pinpoint a number of systemic issues currently faced by the housing sector, such as land not being approved for release at a rate that meets demand for housing, the length of time taken to work through the application and approval process with state and local authorities, and crippling infrastructure charges making many developments unviable or the end product unaffordable.
Mr Richardson said a scarcity of finance to developers was merely an additional layer atop these problems. He said the lack of funding had been accentuated by the collapse of a number of middle-tier financial firms and by the withdrawal of Suncorp from commercial lending and that the tight finance market would further slow Queensland’s recovery from the Global Financial Crisis.
“The current pace of Queensland’s recovery lags that of the broader national economy,” he said. “Swings in housing construction account for some two-thirds of the year-to-year variability in the performance of the wider Queensland economy, and shifts in housing directly correlate with the retail sector which accounts for 25 per cent of spending.”
Another key finding of the Access Economics reports was the unrelenting upward pressure the current situation was having on house prices. “The Queensland population continues to rise at a rate of 2.5 per cent; however, only one new home is being built for every 4.3 extra people added to the population,” Mr Richardson said.
“Demand is outstripping a very weak supply, pushing house prices up strongly and making them unaffordable to many Queenslanders.”
UDIA (Qld) President Warren Harris said the multiple factors identified by the Access Economics reports, when combined with other industry-wide issues, had created a “perfect storm” in Queensland.
“Although the Global Financial Crisis and lack of commercial funding for housing development has been the most recent catalyst in the significant fall in housing approvals in Queensland, in essence it is the straw that broke the camel's back,” Mr Harris said.
“Housing affordability is at historically low levels, interest rates look set to increase and mortgage stress is becoming increasingly evident. Land supply, approval delays and associated costs are adding further uncertainty among developers and increased taxes have been introduced, such as the recent massive jump in land tax as a result of the latest increase in land valuations.
“The challenge now is for the government to recognise just how serious the problem actually is and to immediately implement actions and strategies to deal with it comprehensively and confidently.”
Mr Harris also pointed to March 2010 ABS figures showing Queensland was the only state to report negative growth in full-time construction jobs in the last quarter with a loss of 4269 full-time jobs. And all indications from the industry and the Richardson reports are that this is only the start. “Urgent action must be taken to address the crisis in Queensland and protect Queenslanders’ jobs and opportunity to own a home,” he said.
“We are calling for the immediate establishment of an Industry Recovery Taskforce which includes representatives of state and local government, industry and relevant trade unions to consider and deliver immediate solutions such as lifting the restrictions on vendor financing, deferring land tax payments and creating a moratorium on infrastructure charges.
“The UDIA (Qld) also calls on the state government to fast-track projects that can deliver much needed housing now and reaffirm its commitment to the South East Queensland Regional Plan’s urban footprint, to provide clarity around the extent of developable land available and certainty for our members.” Mr Harris added the UDIA (Qld) hoped the Queensland Government would make a firm commitment to easing the housing construction crisis by providing a swift and significant budgetary response.
“Government needs to address the financial pressure on developers so the pipeline of projects required to house Queenslanders can be delivered, and that means reinstating council assistance for local services and charges so industry isn’t forced to carry the burden of these costs,” he said.
“Likewise, we would ask government to defer upfront payment of infrastructure charges, so developers can pay at settlement rather than bearing additional costs and interest payments through the development phase.
“We call on the government to focus its attention on these issues, because our wants as an industry reflect those of the broader Queensland community – affordable housing for our children, job opportunities, and a sustainable future.”

Regent’s loss a cross Brisbane will have to bear

NEWS

Film lovers who watch the 1959 Hollywood biblical epic Ben-Hur over Easter should pause to ponder its connection with a soon-to-be-lost Brisbane icon.
The flamboyant Australian actor Frank Thring Jr, who plays Pontius Pilate in the sword-and-sandal classic, which will screen on the TCM pay-TV channel on Easter Sunday, was the son and namesake of the great impresario who once ruled over a chain of Regent theatres around the country. Both Frank Thrings have passed on, but the Melbourne Regent has been restored and is now a popular venue for large theatrical productions. The Brisbane Regent is facing closure and partial demolition to make way for a high-rise office tower.
Brett Debritz, who runs the savetheregent.com website, urged Brisbane movie lovers to attend screenings at the Regent, especially at the heritage-rich Showcase cinema, before the complex’s scheduled closure in June.
The planned office tower on the site will incorporate the 80-year-old theatre’s heritage-listed grand foyer – if it survives the demolition and construction process – but not the ornate bar area, the red-brick Elizabeth Street facade and former stage-door entrance, or any of the four cinemas.
The bar and the Showcase have been refused listing by the Heritage Commission, giving the green-light to developers to demolish everything except the already-listed foyer. Mr Debritz said the tenants, Birch Carroll and Coyle, were organising a film festival for the cinemas’ closing weeks in May and June, offering people a good opportunity to go and see what the city is about to lose.
“I urge people to attend not just the festival, but any other screenings in the complex between now and then – especially those at the Showcase cinema,” Mr Debritz said.
Mr Debritz said the Regent’s four cinemas would be replaced by three smaller rooms, two of them with the capacity of just 60 seats and none of them commercially viable venues. Under a deal with the Queensland Government, they will be open to the public but only on weekends – and it is not clear what kind of films will be screened or for how long this arrangement will stay in place.
“Sadly, the owners of the building, with government and council approval, have resisted attempts either to incorporate the Showcase cinema into their plans or to restore the original auditorium, giving Brisbane a badly needed second large multipurpose theatre,” he said.
“What we will have when this development is finished, assuming the foyer survives the demolition and construction work, is a red carpet to nowhere.”
Mr Debritz said the Brisbane Regent was sold several years ago by the estate of Dr James Mayne, who was also a benefactor of the University of Queensland and Wesley Hospital. The 2003 book The Mayne Inheritance put forward the theory that the Mayne family fortune was built after James’s father, Patrick, committed a murder for which another man was hanged.
John was determined to make amends for his father’s misdeed by bequeathing much of his property to the people of Queensland through a trust administered by the university. “James Mayne specified in his will that the Regent should be preserved if at all possible,” Mr Debritz said.
“Along with thousands of others who have signed a petition to the State Government and joined the Save the Regent Facebooks groups, I say it is possible and it can and should be restored to its original glory.”

It’s time to check those smoke alarms

NEWS

April 1 is commonly known as ‘April Fools Day’, but Queensland Fire and Rescue Service is urging Queenslanders to avoid being labelled a fool by changing the battery in their smoke alarms.
Grace Grace MP, State Member for Brisbane Central said people need to remember only working smoke alarms can save lives. “The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) with the support of Duracell is appealing to everyone to not be an ‘April Fool’ and change their smoke alarm battery on April 1,” Ms Grace said.
“Tragically many lives are lost as a result of people not having working smoke alarms. This makes the cost of replacing your smoke alarm battery as valuable as saving the life of a loved one.
“One in five Australians will experience a house fire in their lifetime and the absence of a smoke alarm can increase the possibility of a fatality by 60 per cent. To escape a fire people need to be awake and only smoke alarms in working order can provide the necessary warning signs.
“It is illegal to not have a working smoke alarm which meets Australian standards installed in your home and penalties apply to those who do not comply with safety regulations.” Ms Grace said the State Government had introduced laws more than three years ago which require all homes from to have a smoke alarm.
“Since that time the percentage of households in Queensland with an operational smoke alarm installed has been consistently increasing from 72.6 per cent in 2004-05 to 90.1 per cent in 2008-09,” she said.
“The Bligh Government has also introduced a rebate scheme for deaf and hearing impaired people in Queensland to purchase warning systems that includes strobe lights and pillow shakers. “More than 350 applications for the rebate have been approved to date and I would encourage all Queenslanders with impaired hearing to take advantage of the scheme.”
Ms Grace said she was also alarmed by the number of people who take down or remove the battery from their smoke alarm when it was accidentally triggered by cooking. “These choices can have a deadly consequence and it is important people are not complacent especially when it comes to their own safety and the safety of their loved ones,”
Ms Grace said cleaning and testing smoke alarms regularly goes hand in hand with replacing the batteries. “Smoke alarms should be tested regularly by pressing the test button and they should also be vacuumed or wiped over at least every six months. Smoke alarms have an expiry date and it is important this is checked as the actual smoke alarm may be due for replacement,” she said.
“When it comes to rental properties it is the tenant’s responsibility to ensure they regularly clean and test their smoke alarm.”

The QFRS offer a free community engagement Safehome program which is available to owner-occupiers and tenants in Queensland houses and units. People can request a booking by calling 1300 369 003 or online at www.fire.qld.gov.au

Renovator an ‘endangered species’


PROPERTY

The “renovator's delight”, a traditional stepping stone into the Australian housing market is an endangered species which is being rapidly priced out of the reach of first home buyers.
Angus Kell, Queensland spokesperson for Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects, said the traditional idea of buying a home cheaply and improving it with “sweat equity” to trade up to a better property is also disappearing.
“The average house price rise across all capital cities in 2009 was 13.6 per cent according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics House Price Index figures. The demand for housing will increase as the population increases and with Australia building only between 130,000 to 135,000 new homes per year, we are far short of the 180,000 the Master Builders estimate the country needs."
Mr Kell said the good news is if you do your homework, buy the right property and plan carefully you can make money given the rising house prices and demand. “The current situation places the focus on careful planning to locate the Renovator’s Delight and on working through a realistic plan for the renovation which is affordable and well designed to capitalize on the structure of the property.”
Mr Kell said through Archicentre’s pre-purchase inspection services we are also seeing many people considering the “Renovator's Delight” doing their homework utilising an Archicentre Design Concept which allows the property purchaser to establish a basic design plan and costs for their renovation including staging of the project to ensure their options are financially viable.
“With housing prices being driven up through a lack of supply and high demand, even rundown properties are becoming the subject of hotly contested auctions, with purchasers, who have paid a premium price for the property, faced with extra unbudgeted costs if they have not checked the property out carefully.
Mr Kell said the “Renovator’s Delight” has become a highly sought after property type in the current climate, but given their ever increasing costs can become a highly expensive exercise, especially if the property has major structural faults, termites, dodgy wiring and plumbing which have been carried out illegally.
“A thorough pre-purchase property inspection can actually save money as knowing the condition of the property can often provide a bargaining point with the vendors and many buyers are making the sale conditional on a pre-purchase housing inspection.” Archicentre’s national pre-purchase home inspection statistics reveals all homes inspected had a range of faults including illegal building, rising damp, roof faults, faulty electrical wiring and cracking.

Archicentre’s “Renovator’s Delight” Top Tips for making money

• Stay within a realistic price for purchase that you can afford
• Have a pre-purchase inspection from an independent source to assess the cost of any faults
• Ensure your renovation is designed to add value and is possible within the house structure.
• Plan your renovation in stages that are strategic and affordable
• Maintain a tight control on costs and tender for professional work to the get best quote
• Limit waste of materials
• Avoid expensive fittings such as imported taps
• Approach your renovation on a business model and keep an eye on the main aim to make a profit.