Back pedal on city bike plan, lord mayor told

NEWS

Angry residents and business owners in Brisbane’s inner north have called on Lord Mayor Campbell Newman to halt his new CityCycle bike hire plan due to start late this year.

About 60 people from the Valley, New Farm, Teneriffe and adjoining suburbs gathered outside Petersen’s Butchers on the corner of James and Kent streets in New Farm last  Sunday morning, with many claiming a total lack of consultation from City Council as to how the bike stations and associated illuminated advertising signs would affect their homes and businesses.
Some residents claimed they had not been consulted about bike stations planned for outside their homes, while others expressed concern that some station sites would put riders at risk of injury. They signed petitions calling on the bike plan to be put on hold until all concerns could be addressed.
Local councillor David Hinchliffe (Central Ward) told the meeting: “There has been far more ‘con’ than “consultation over this plan. “Businesses were not consulted. People who will have illuminated signs in front of their premises were not consulted. “It’s been mishandled right from the beginning. Council will meet only with individuals and not with groups. I wonder why?”
Several residents at the meeting denied they had been consulted at all, even though they had tried for months to find out more about the plan.
Narelle and Roger Shera, residents of Merthyr Road, New Farm, face a bike station taking up three car spaces outside their home. “It’s offensive to be told we have been visited and consulted when we haven’t,” Narelle said.
Roger said of the illuminated signs: “What happened to councils getting rid of all this advertising? Visual pollution is coming in a big way.”
More than 100 on-road parking spaces will be lost in New Farm and surrounding suburbs to make way for the CityCycle scheme.
The scheme is primarily designed for Brisbane residents to make short trips, and according to a recent council pamphlet extolling the project, work on bike stations and “installation signage” has already begun.
The residents had invited Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and Cr Jane Prentice to attend the Sunday meeting but staff for both said they had prior commitments.
Protest organisers Stacey Holland and Liliana Santone say residents are concerned about the following:
. carparking spaces outside homes and businesses will be lost – and they say many residents and businesses weren't even advised about this.
. large illuminated commercial advertising signs will be erected in front of homes and businesses - once again without consultation.
. late-night re-stocking of bike stations will be loud and disruptive.
. safety concerns for cyclists entering and exiting on-road bike stations.

Call for urban renewal coordinator

NEWS

A city councillor has called for the appointment of an urban renewal specialist to work with the community to turn some of the innercity’s grotty areas into public spaces we can all be proud of.

David Hinchliffe (Central Ward) made the suggestion in disclosing his latest
(see page 8) Targeting Ranwell Lane, a tiny laneway next to the open rail cutting off busy Gipps Street, Cr Hinchliffe said in an open letter to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman: “This lane borders on perhaps the most important and under-developed area of the Valley. It is in the very heart of the Valley almost directly over a major train station. The fragmented ownership makes it difficult for anything to happen.
“Lord Mayor, I think there is tremendous opportunity to appoint a special agent with full council powers to bring together property owners to achieve this area’s true potential.
“I propose an urban renewal specialist -- similar to the role played by the late Trevor Reddacliffe. You and I had tremendous regard for his role. Since his passing, we have needed this sort of specialist.
“The Urban Renewal Coordinator for the Valley needs to have commercial experience, clear and formal council powers, the resources of council's urban renewal unit and a budget to bring together property owners. That's what the late Trevor Reddacliffe had and that’s what is needed now. “I would be happy to discuss the sort of people who I believe could do the job.”

• Cr Hinchliffe’s Clean Up the Valley campaign is having mixed results. The Independent late last week saw several council workers busy cleaning up Trugian Place, named earlier as one of the councillor’s “grot spots”. Whether this was a normal part of council’s cleaning program or in response to the campaign remains to the seen. As will the chances that the park will remain clean from now on. We’ll monitor the park and report progress next issue. And another “grot spot” outed recently is now in danger of becoming the first entry into the councillor’s shame file. More on that also in our next issue on May 26.

Studio a sensible start for some home seekers

PROPERTY

By Sally Scott

With inner-Brisbane property prices continuing to creep up and fears of further rises in interest rates, it is seemingly impossible to get a foot into the ownership door, whether as an owner-occupier or a first-time investor.

You would like at least two-bedroom apartment, or even a one-bedder at a pinch – somewhere within a walk to town. However, even the most modest two-bedroom apartment in such a location can be out of reach for the first-time homeowner.
An option is to set sights a little lower, and start off with a studio apartment – basically one living area, in which to eat, sleep and spend your leisure time, and a bathroom. If you are living alone, which more and more people are doing these days, and have only a limited amount to spend, this could be the way to go.
As one young investor said: “Small apartments in inner-city locations are becoming much more the norm and are really very sought after to rent. See New York, London and Sydney, for example.”
Studio apartment can be a good starting point for a young person to become self-reliant. They are relatively cheap to furnish and decorate and to keep clean. However, on the downside, everything needs to be well organised and have its own place, otherwise it will resemble the worst teenage bedroom. There are a few inner-Brisbane studio apartments listed for sale but they move quickly, and the best don’t last long on the market/
Peter Gaston, of LJ Hooker at Kangaroo Point has been selling and reselling studio apartments in Shafston Mansions (pictured above) for six years now, and has a few on the market ranging in price from $139,000 to $195,000. Sizes range from 21sqm to 32sqm, some with balconies and air-conditioning. And the city centre is just two kilometres away, an eight-minute trip on the ferry.
Mr Gaston says the best apartments in the complex, which is set in magnificent heritage-listed surroundings, are those fronting the Brisbane River – and it shows in the pricing.
“The cheapest apartment that sold in 2008 to 2009 was 21sqm for $135,000 and the dearest was $188,000 with air-con and a balcony facing the river on the 10th level,” he said. And although most of the apartments are rented by students, there is a growing number of owner-occupiers. “There are 10 or more owner-occupiers now living in this studio-apartment complex,'' Mr Gaston said.
"They are great investment properties but, for first-home owners, they would not get better as a cheap inner-city start into the market.
”Council rates are around $1600 per year, and body corporate fees are currently between $650 and $710 per quarter (with discount), which also covers all electricity costs to apartments. There is also car parking available for owner-occupiers.
Spring Hill also has several studio apartments on the market, mostly in large hotel complexes. For example, Remax Everything Property Group is marketing one such property in the Ridge On Leichhardt (pictured below), an imposing building set right in the heart of this popular inner suburb. Fully furnished with an underground car park, the apartment comes with access to a pool, gym and BBQ and entertaining area. Agency principal Chris Hinds said the property was attractively priced with offers over $237,000 sought. “This is a price that will suit first-home buyers or astute investors,” he said. “The rental return is about $15,000 per year. “But why rent it out? You can live here yourself and enjoy all the benefits and facilities, and it’s only a five-minute walk to the Queen Street Mall.” Mr Hinds said there was increased interest in affordable apartments at this time of year. “We find these properties extremely popular due to investors purchasing and wanting to settle before the end of financial year for tax purposes,”' he said.




Shafston Mansions
9 Castlebar Street, Kangaroo Point.
Contact Peter Gaston LJ Hooker Kangaroo Point
Ph: (07) 3391 5399 Mob: 0419 712 470
www.ljhooker.com.au/ kangaroopoint

The Ridge on Leichhardt
55/189 Leichhardt St, Spring Hill
Contact Chris Hinds Everything Property Group, Adelaide St, Brisbane
Ph: 1300 128 011 Mob: 0410 063 800
www.everythingpropertygroup.com

CityCycle ‘non-existent consultation’

LETTERS


Dear Editor
We are writing to you to register our dismay at the virtually non-existent consultation and correspondence by Brisbane City Council with respect to the implementation of the CityCycle scheme.
We’re not prone to write to government or media about our views, but we are just astonished at the way this scheme has been rolled out. Personally the positioning of a CityCycle station in Hastings Street, Teneriffe has a direct impact on our quality of life, being located in close proximity to our fire exit – and will impact even more on fellow residents within our building with the expected late-night noise of bicycle relocation and servicing. In our particular circumstance there would appear to be an easy and obvious alternate location for the CityCycle station.
There is a public area directly opposite on the other side of Macquarie Street that would have minimal impact on any residents, would not require the removal of any off-street parking and has direct access to the river walk and Macquarie Street bike lane. No reasonable person would consider the single, double sided A4 leaflet we received declaring the CityCycle scheme and the positioning of the stations as a done deal as consultation.
From what we understand there are many fellow Teneriffe and New Farm residents and businesses that have real concerns and will suffer a negative impact with the roll out of the scheme in its current guise.
It seems obvious that council is pushing this scheme through with stealth and a blatant disregard for ratepayers. We believe the implementation of a CityCycle scheme is in essence a sound idea, but we strongly urge council to step back and reassess the imminent roll out, and properly consult with relevant citizens and listen to their concerns and where possible act on their concerns.
It’s just a matter of council being transparent and sensitive to local people, and not sign off on details behind closed doors, in secret and under the cover of darkness.

James Meale and Irene Cheratzu
Teneriffe Via email May 11

Where am I?

Clearly it’s got to be part of wartorn Beirut, or some other Middle Eastern troublespot? Well actually it’s right in the middle of the Indie’s patch, and some unkind people have suggested a bulldozer might be the best solution to its ongoing shabbiness.

If you know where it is, 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. Email your answer to editor@theindependent.com.au to reach us no later than 5pm on Friday week, May 21, 2010. Or drop us the answer in the post by the same deadline to PO Box 476 Valley Q 4006. One lucky winner will be off to the Brunnie on us. Bon appetit!

Emma Quigley of New Farm recognised the buildings from our 28 April Where am I? as part of the Royal Brisbane Hospital complex at Herston.Emma is off to the Brunnie for some tucker on us!

Hotel raises tempo

MY SHOUT ... with Ivor Thurston

Your humble correspondent and the Valley pub now known as The Tempo Hotel go way back. As a young man of the world who thought he had seen most things, it came as quite a shock some Sunday afternoons way back when the place was called the Hacienda, when I could never understand why such a handsome-looking woman, albeit rather a tall one, was standing beside me at the urinal.

You saw some funny things at the Hacienda. Later as a member of the fourth estate plying my trade at the nearby and now defunct Sunday Sun and Daily Sun newspapers, I and the current Mrs Thurston enjoyed many afternoons at the downstairs bar at what had then become the Dooleys Hotel, inbetween subbing stories, enjoying the music of a great Brissie band called Pop Properly. How they never made it to the big time has always been a mystery. Lovely, lovely chaps. I wonder if any of them are still alive.
In fact it was in that very bar, that some readers might remember had a rather open feel to it with lattice work fronting McLachlan Street, that a dear friend had taken me for a quite drink the afternoon of the day my mother died. He wanted to get me away from the sad subject of death for just a short while, and I was grateful to him for that. I don’t think I had even finished my first Pimms Dakota with citrus peel when an out-of-control car coming down McLachlan hit a cyclist and pushed him through the front glass doors of the shop on the opposite corner of Brunswick Street. The ambulance came ... and stayed, and my friend, trying to be helpful, said something like “They’re not rushing him to hospital so he must be alright.”
We found out later that there was certainly nothing the ambos could do for the poor bugger. My dear ma died in her home, more or less of old age, and went entirely the way she wanted to go. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It was also at Dooleys that we journos all gathered to drown our sorrows when the Daily and then Sunday Suns set for the last time. A sub-editor mate of mine and I got tangled up somehow giving each other a teary farewell hug, and we fell to the floor in what was then Tom’s Bar.
In a flash, the lovely Mrs Tom, Jan Dooley, was hovering above us warning that we’d have to leave if we “didn’t behave ourselves”. Personally, I thought with all the money we’d spend there over the years as journos, and given the circumstances of the night, we would have been entitled to take the pub with us when we finally left. That was Dooleys. Tom and Jan have long moved on, as has the Patrick’s Day march, and in recent times the pub became the Valley Hotel – its original name by the way – when it was run by the gaming-oriented Lassiters.
But now I am delighted to say that the new owner is one of my oldest and dearest friends Steve Hammond. Steve’s and my missus’s families hail from just about the same county in the Pommy part of Ireland, but that’s by the by. Aficionados of hotel purchases and mega makeovers will know that Steve, originally a property developer, has been in pubs in a big way for some years now, and his past acquisitions have included the Transcontinental, the LA up at Caxton and probably the jewel of them all, the Regatta. His company still owns the Chalk Hotel at South Brisbane, and many of us know the amazing place that became from the shell of the then Railway Hotel.
So would it be a safe bet that something big and rather spectacular is going to take place at the Tempo Hotel? Most likely, but at the moment he’s happy to make moderate changes as he refurbishes the main bar upstairs, renamed the Main Event, and that downstairs bar of Pop Properly fame that I mentioned before, that has become the Stage Door.
The good news for music lovers is that the Tempo Hotel will once again become a major live music venue with something for most musical tastes, while still catering for all the pub things that regular day patrons need – like cold beer and good, cheap tucker. “We want to keep a traditional pub in the Valley because there are really not that many pubs left,” he told me.
But live music will be the key with Steve promising that the venue will become a “one-stop spot for live music”. “My focus has always been simple. Everyone can have a drink at home; they must have a reason to come to a pub.” He plans to build up the pub’s live music reputation over the next 18 months, with work to be done on the main rooms. “It’s got some fantastic rooms for live music. We’ll change it so it’s workable. Watch this space,” he said.
So why the Tempo? It turns out that Steve’s father and a partner had a venue just outside Belfast in their 20s called the Tempo Ballroom. Had some big-name entertainers through its doors too, as you do. On a family trip back home, Steve made some inquiries into the whereabouts of the stained glass panel bearing the pub’s name. He’s entitled to take it as a lucky omen that he found the whole shebang still more or less in one piece but discarded and virtually forgotten behind a stained-glass business in the village. It’s been reframed and repaired, and is on its way to Australia, where it will take pride and place in some part of the Tempo Hotel.

Bringing a smile, and good taste, to the lips

WINE ... with David Bray

Now here’s a worry. If the people in power can change the way cigarettes are packaged, what is to stop them interfering with the wine industry? It would be a pity if they did because there is a good deal of thought and humour to be found on the front of more than a few wine labels.

We know that you can’t drink the label. Your reporter has written along those lines often enough. So how to rationalise a change of heart (thought, sensory appreciation) to justify an apparently sudden interest in those bits of paper decorating the front of some of our better bottles? Easy. There are more clever, entertaining, labels out there than there used to be, as producers try to attract the attention of the short attention span of the would-be purchaser wandering the bottleshop aisles.
There are of course some labels that are distinctive enough and have been around long enough, to announce their presence to moderately serious buyers. Think Grange, for goodness sake, with its extraordinarily plain yet very recognisable print label. And how about Veuve Clicquot’s uniquely coloured label? Cloudy Bay you can identify at five paces.
Some of the clever new labels have been mentioned before in this space. Three of my favourites, good bottles well worth having for the wine itself and made especially interesting by their labels: The Nosey Parker Barossa shiraz is a gutsy Aussie red that offers up dark berries and spice on the nose; supple, ripe tannins on the palate. The brains behind The Nosey Parker are Chaffey Bros. Wine Co., who say they wanted to create a wine to celebrate the world of wine waffle. The first Nosey (a 2007 Barossa Valley shiraz) was such a hit that Chaffey Bros. have unleashed a 2008. And they will tell you it's pure hedonistic delight. It’s confoundingly delicious, will inspire euphoria. The palate, we are assured, is firm and juicy, exhibiting nuances of saddle leather complimenting the black and blue fruits.
The Mollydooker Shake, they call it. It involves giving a perfectly good, well-behaved bottle of wine a good old heaving about. They are winemakers who are not only very good at their job, but also, so far as your reporter can tell, perfectly sane. Sparky and Sarah Marquis own and run Mollydooker Vineyards, a McLaren Vale winery that’s on its way to building a spectacular reputation, particularly in the USA.
The two principal characters (left-handed, both of them) are graduates of Roseworthy College, Sparky topping his year and going back to lecture. After many adventures and achievements, married in 1991, they were Australian Winemakers of the Year in 2000 and have several times had Robert Parker score their wines at 99 points. Their reputation is for quality wines delivered with sometimes quirky style. At least as important is the wonderful work they are doing in Cambodia, where they have opened Mollydooker’s first Children’s Centre.
The Rolling wines – 2009 sauvignon blanc semillon and 2008 shiraz – from Cumulus Estate in the Orange district – deliver distinctive, fresh ands fruit flavours. The name is said to be inspired by the rhythmic rise and fall of the Central Ranges. As for the label, here’s the authorised version: The fictitious, retro beauty ... is called Beatrice and as she rides her bicycle through the rolling hills she sports the scarf of the local football team and the oranges in her basket point to the brand’s locality.

A whole lot more of the funky relative newcomers were nicely displayed at the enterprising Purple Palate’s Gen Y Fest Paint the Town Purple event at the Marriott on May 6. As boss man John Lehmann says, they have attracted some of Australia’s most exciting winemakers with these “new wave wineries": fronting up were Arete, Barossa Belle, Bobby Dazzler, Cherubino, Clovely, First Drop, Godfrey Wines, Harewood, Heemskerk, Les Petites Vignettes, Loose End, Mollydooker, Preveli, R Wines, Smallfry, Some Young Punks, Vinaceous, Wine By Brad and Winegrowers of Ara..

***

Talking about Grange, as we were above, the latest vintage of this incredible wine recently became available and apparently sold out quick smart.

It was listed for sale by on on-line retailer as follows: Penfolds Grange vintage 2005 750ml $549 each; Penfolds Grange vintage 2005 Magnums 1.5ltr $1890 each. You are looking at $100 a glass. Imagine what you would pay in a restaurant. The other top-level Penfolds reds came out at the same time – Bin 707 2007, $175; Bin 707 2007 magnums $400; St Henri 2006 , $99, magnums $165; RWT 2007 $160; Bin 389 2007 magnums $140; Bin 28 2007 Magnums $75. Nice marketing.

Bell rings for 20 years of genius

THEATRE

It has been 20 years since John Bell established the only Australian touring Shakespearean company. Performing King Lear in Brisbane is one part of his Australian theatre tour to celebrate this extraordinary anniversary.

Short lived as it is, it is a unique opportunity to not only see the classical play but to see John Bell the legend himself striding the stage in all his glory and in all his passion. The legend of Bell Shakespeare began in 1990, when as John Bell puts it “we had nothing ..but a borrowed circus tent and a glorious mission, a mission to make Shakespeare and live theatre engaging and accessible for as many people in Australia as possible”.
Here is the living proof that passion maketh the man, and indeed maketh the successful theatre company. For those of you who are not familiar with the play, King Lear (John Bell) is an all-powerful king who decides to retire from kingship and hand his throne to his daughters, Goneril (Jane Montgomery Griffiths), Regan ( Leah Purcell) and Cordelia (Susan Prior) to rule in his stead.
Cordelia is exiled into the arms of the King of France when she decides not to play his game of who loves Lear the best.
The Earl of Kent (Peter Kowitz) objects and is exiled too. In the meantime, another tragic family disagreement forces the Earl of Gloucester (Bruce Myles) to become exiled albeit without his eyes whilst his bastard son, Edmund (Tom Walter) plots the takeover of all the kingdom by playing the sisters off against each other in their passion for his love.
Alas the renunciation of power by King Lear meant that he exposed himself to misery from the hands of his beloved daughters when that self-same power took over their senses. He is stripped of his army, his rights and his pride and sent out into a storm with the doors barred against his return. Now stay with me as the plot thickens. On the storm ridden moors, the King and the Earl and the King’s faithful Fool (Peter Carroll) and Poor Tom (who is the true son of Gloucester, Edgar, (Josh McConville) struggle through the cold and the rain to find shelter and sanity. Cordelia returns from France to find her poor mad father only for her to be captured by Edmund who orders her to be hung. During this crises, both daughters kill each other, Edmund is killed and finally King Lear dies of overwhelming grief.
Thus in the end the stage is satisfactorily littered with corpses. The real trick in the play is to work out what happened to the Fool.
Bell’s King Lear was a most enjoyable experience. This extraordinary company produced a polished expert ensemble with John Bell providing that intensity to his role that is pivotal to the play.
This force was counterpointed by a very clever and charismatic actor in Josh McConville who positively stole the show in his scenes with his youthful energy and stage presence. Congratulations to the obviously talented director Marion Potts who has the boldness and the vision to blend the timeless Bard with an innovative direction that is playful and reaps the profit all the more by having that inimitable raw Australian flavour.
This must have been the way that Shakespeare originally intended it to be played.

Oscar

Crowe and arrow miss the bullseye

FILMS ... with Tim Milfull

Robin Hood (M)
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt
Rating: 3/5 1
40 minutes, now screening

Most people, when they think of the legendary thief Robin Hood, will come up with images of a dashing Errol Flynn at best, a dodgy Kevin Costner at worst, or a pre-Saw Cary Elwes in the very funny Mel Brooks film, Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Until Ridley Scott came along, few people would have thought of the chunky Russell Crowe in the role. But in the director’s latest film, Crowe seems to have made the part his own, even if it’s more two-dimensional than most movie characters. Scott and screenwriter Brian Helgeland – whose credits include the excellent LA Confidential and Mystic River, and the atrocious Man on Fire and The Sin Eater – ignore the Robin we all know and love, who swoops down through Sherwood Forest liberating the rich of their booty and distributing it to the poor; instead, the new Robin Hood shows us the history behind the man, with the film opening on the final gruesome stages of King Richard the Lionheart’s decade-long Crusade, on which Robin has become a grudging participant as a common archer.
By the time, he returns to England, he serves under a new king, John (Oscar Isaac), and his little retinue of veteran soldiers are looking for work.
In meeting a promise to a dying man, Robin travels to Nottingham, where he meets the gorgeous but earthy Marion Loxley (Cate Blanchett), and her father-in-law, Sir Walter (Max von Sydow), who holds some secrets to Robin’s past.
At this stage, we’re almost halfway through the film, and there’s a foreign coup in the offing, as well as some nefarious shenanigans on behalf of the wicked Godfrey (Mark Strong) and a duplicitous Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfadyen).
Scott’s version of the legend is all suitably rollicking, gory and spectacular, but the film feels a little thin, and too obviously a very long advertisement for a sequel where Robin finally becomes an outlaw. It’s a big risk on the part of Scott and Crowe. Robin Hood 2 anyone?




Ribbon twirls a compelling, puzzling tale

The White Ribbon (M)
Director: Michael Haneke
Stars: Christian Friedel, Rainer Bock, Klaußner, Susanne Lothar
Rating: 4.5/5
144 minutes, now screening

Most of Austrian director, Michael Haneke’s films have been set in contemporary times, and ask us to consider certain small and large-scale societal issues. In The White Ribbon, however, the director leaps just under a hundred years, to a village in Germany where life is almost feudal – farmers work for the local aristocracy, while teachers and pastors and doctors are still regarded as respected pillars of the community.

The story is narrated by an elderly headmaster (Christian Friedel), who is reflecting upon some crucial events that occurred in his little village in the years before the Great War. At the time, he was in his thirties, and doggedly courting Eva (Leonie Benesch) a woman almost half his age.
The pupils at his school are, on the whole, a dour-looking and seemingly duplicitous bunch who looks as if they might have been driven straight over from the sets of The Village of the Damned or The Stepford Wives. The teacher’s peers include a cruelly pragmatic doctor (Rainer Bock) and his mistress, the self-effacing midwife (Susanne Lothar), and a fire-and-brimstone pastor (Burghart Klaußner), who rules his large brood with an iron fist.
When strange and shocking events begin to unfold in the village, its inhabitants soon become confused about where to point their accusing fingers, and the audience is plunged into an elaborate puzzle that doesn’t have any obvious solution.
Screened in stark, but beautiful black-and-white, and featuring some astonishing performances, The White Ribbon warrants more than one viewing and all manner of debate after the curtains close.

Rudd promises to stay .... so can we expect more bad polls?

POLITICS ... with Mungo MacCallum


The weirdest news story of the week has been Kevin Rudd’s promise that, if re-elected this year, he will serve out the full three years of his next term. Well, golly gosh and stuff me up a dead bear’s bum.

Did anyone seriously imagine otherwise? Rudd’s program has always been a long-term one: many of his pet projects will not come to fruition for nearly a decade. In spite of the silly rumours that he sees The Lodge as a mere staging post on his way to the top job with the United Nations, he will be quite as hard to extract from his current position as any of his predecessors.
When he does go, it will be kicking and screaming – which was the real point of the question which led to his pledge. The current upsurge of support for Julia Gillard has been driven at least partly by Rudd’s plunge in the opinion polls, which was in turn a result of his serial retreat from previously held policy positions.
No-one – well, no-one who can count –- is seriously suggesting that he will face a challenge before the election, but there is a school of thought developing the idea that he will be eased out shortly thereafter.
This relies on the perception that Rudd’s ascendancy is now irrevocably damaged; he will never regain the public’s confidence, and that it would be smart to make the transition before the voters really turn against him. And given Gillard’s unquestioned popularity – her fan base now encompasses right and left, old and young, rich and poor, gay and straight – it would be sensible to exploit her sooner rather than later.
Her supporters point to the fact that unlike Rudd, Gillard is admired even by the conservative commentariat; Alan Jones is an aficionado, and her weekly TV chats with Tony Abbott resemble those of a long-married couple who may have their disagreements, but would never say anything really nasty to each other. But the most remarkable confirmation of Gillard’s political saleability is her treatment by that bastion of the right, The Australian.
The national daily has conducted a series of campaigns against the Rudd government, but none have been so unremitting as those against its economic stimulus programs, in particular the home insulation scheme and the Building Education Revolution. But there has been a key difference.
In the first case, right from the start the paper has demanded the sacking of the responsible minister, Peter Garrett. But in the second case, there has been no suggestion that Gillard should fall on her sword. The paper’s attack on the BER has been obsessive, at times bordering on the psychotic; even after the audit which said the BER had largely succeeded in its basic aims of providing employment and improving education infrastructure, The Australian’s hit squad continued its frenzied assaults on every aspect of the scheme, insisting that it was widely loathed and despised by parents and schools alike.
In fact the audit declared that 95 per cent of school principals were happy with the results – nineteen in every twenty. You’d be lucky to get that sort of consensus about the pope being a catholic.
The malcontents The Australian was trotting out as typical of their group were revealed as an insignificant minority. But this did not, and has not, stopped its commentators from insisting that the whole idea has been an unqualified disaster. The idea, yes; but not its instigator and administering minister, who is still seen as one of the saving graces in a government to whose destruction the Murdoch press is dedicated.
One of them, but not the only one; which is one of the catches. Unlike the coalition, Labor has a front bench of considerable competence and ambition. Gillard is obviously the front runner, but Wayne Swan, Stephen Smith and Lindsay Tanner wouldn’t mind a crack at the prize, and further back in the field Craig Emerson, Tony Burke, Greg Combet and Bill Shorten have their aspirations. In the case of the latter group, the longer a change of leadership is delayed the better.
Rudd will have to fall much further before there is any real risk of rebellion. Alan Jones will just have to wait.
***

The worries about Rudd’s public standing crystallised around the deferral of the ETS, and last week brought more evidence that this was not only a panicky political overreaction, but a seriously bad idea.

As the sceptics, led by the industry-subsidised propagandists of the Institute of Public Affairs and their funereal mouthpiece John Roskam were triumphantly claiming victory for ignorance and apathy, 255 of America’s most reputable scientists published a plea for a return to rational discussion: the problem, they claimed, was too urgent and important to be left to be hijacked by extremists and demagogues. Australia’s own chief scientist, Penny Sackett, issued her own call for the government to show leadership and commitment.
But the most telling criticism of Rudd’s procrastination came from China, where Professor Pan Jiahua, described as a leading adviser to the Politburo, said Rudd’s decision had the effect of discouraging developing nations from implementing measures to contain emissions. Australia was already doing much less than China about the problem, and the message it was sending to the developing world was: “If even an industrialised country like Australia can’t do it, how can we?” Quite.
And to conclude on a more positive note: the formation of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, the representative body which will replace the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission as a national indigenous forum, is a sign that the great issue of reconciliation is still on the government’s agenda.
Unlike ATSIC the new body will be at arms length from government and its structure ensures that it cannot be taken over by a political clique; it recognises that individual delegates can only represent their own tribal groups (or nations) and cannot presume to speak for the Aboriginal people as a whole, any more that the President of, say Portugal, can claim to represent the whole of Europe.
But in both a concrete and a symbolic sense, NCAFP will fill­ the vacuum the abolition of ATSIC has left, and return a voice to our indigenous population. That’s the good news.

Taxing time on the telephone

FROM MY CORNER .... with Ann Brunswick

For some years now it has been my view that our nation’s biggest communications company Telstra has been running the country’s biggest practical joke. Surely that is the most logical explanation for its voice-recognition directory assistance service that in my experience never actually worked.

No matter how clearly a name was enunciated, the end result was very quickly a message along the lines of “please hold and an operator will be with you shortly” or words to that effect. Well it seems that the Australian Tax Office has joined in the joke. Last week it fell to me to fill in a form sent to me by the ATO requesting details of my superannuation fund.
It was one of those forms with little square boxes that need ticking, or crossing, or filling in with individual letters and numbers. Naturally, my attempt at filling in some of the squares fell far short of perfection and it soon became obvious a replacement form was needed.
So a search of the ATO’s website was needed to locate my nearest ATO office. But in doing so my eye fell upon a link on the site marked “find a form or publication”. You beauty, a trip saved. Surely it would be simple to find the replacement form and maybe print it off and then fill it in and send it back to the ATO.
But no, the link took me through several other pages before it was possible to find a list of forms related to superannuation. Finally the relevant document was located among several dozen forms. Then it occurred to me that my home printer was not available to produce a copy of the form.
You see, the previous week I had installed new ink cartridges at great expense and had since printed a couple of A4 sheets so naturally the printer was almost out of ink. But the good old ATO gave me the option of ordering a copy of the form by phone, so naturally that was the way to go.
The process involved listening to a recorded voice list six or seven common forms, after which callers are supposed to name the form they want and apparently the computer takes it form ... I mean ... from there.
The last option is to let the computer know that none of the options being offered is the one you want. Which was what I had to do. But the computer didn’t recognise “none” when expressed in my dulcet tones, so it offered to go through all the options once again.
That was when I hung up. Good one guys. It’s so much fun wasting time with you. Oh, and while visiting the CBD a few days later a trip to the ATO’s service centre proved equally fruitless. They didn’t have a copy of the required form. but they did promise to post one to me.
***

Police as they travel about in their vehicles have to obey the traffic laws as a general rule, right? I mean they can speed and go a little crazy when they’re racing to a robbery or an accident or an accidental robbery, but when they’re just pottering around, they obey the rules like the rest of us.

Well, apart from driving with their elbows out the window, which I understand is compulsory under police regulation 124C subsection 2. So my question is this: why doesn’t the same principle apply to the boys and girls in blue when they’re on their push bikes?
Time and time again, you see them in pairs riding leisurely through the main Valley mall, and clearly they’re not racing to a bank robbery or a murder scene. Us mere mortals might get off with a warning for such behaviour, but we might also equally be pinged with a heavy fine.
It’s not a long mall, so surely they can walk their bikes through it? Now I’m sure some spin doctor in the police department PR will pounce on this, and tell me it’s quite kosher for the coppers to ride their bikes in the mall while on duty. But if so, then the rule is wrong. It would be nice to see them lead by good example.
On the same subject, a friend tells me a friend of his was pinged $500 for riding his bike through King George Square a few months back! No warning, just a half-a-grand gesture for his heinous illegal act. But there’s a good chance he might get out of it.
He committed the offence at the height of summer, and I understand his lawyer will argue that if he had walked his bike across the square, he might easily have died of exposure to the elements!

New housing development meets local need

PROPERTY

The demand for subsidised rental housing in inner Brisbane has been eased by a Churches of Christ Care housing development at Spring Hill.

Although tenants in the thirty-five units moved in earlier in the year and are now enjoying stable and secure accommodation, the project was officially opened on Thursday May 6 by Community Services and Housing Minister Karen Struthers. State Member for Brisbane Central Grace Grace and Councillor David Hinchliffe (Central Ward) also attended the opening.
The new dwellings, a mix of one-bedroom and studio units, are rented at approximately 25 per cent of the total household income to assist individuals and families on low incomes. They were developed with the support of funding from the State Government.
Churches of Christ Care director David Swain said the development helped fill a gap in the inner-city housing market.
"We believe this development meets a vital need in the community to support those who are struggling with the rising costs of living and may be disadvantaged in the housing market,“ Mr Swain said.
“These new units are so much more than just bricks and mortar though. They mean that a person doesn’t have to couch surf, sleep rough or be subject to overcrowded accommodation, or unreasonable rent conditions.
"They mean the person can take their mind off their accommodation so they can get a good night’s sleep, look after their health, or pursue voluntary or paid work. It’s about individuals focusing on achieving their own potential.
Mr Swain said that as a not-for-profit organisation, Churches of Christ Care sought to support people to achieve their goals and "we have been doing so for 80 years".

The picture above shows Member for Brisbane Central Grace Grace, at left, with Ms Frances Paterson-Fleider, general manager for Churches of Christ Care Housing, Housing Minister Karen Struthers and David Swain, director of Churches of Christ Care.

Absent Bligh cops union blast

NEWS

By Don Gordon-Brown

What’s not going to go away any time soon .... which probably helps explain why Premier Anna Bligh went away sooner?
Those watching Monday’s Labour Day procession of proud unionists through city and Fortitude Valley streets could have easily answered what really is not as cryptic a question as it first seems – growing resentment to the sell-off of state assets.
Union after union voiced their opposition to the State Government’s multi-billion dollar privatisation of rail and ports infrastructure, forestry land and other public assets, kept quiet until the last state election was out of the way.
And the strength of that message seems to be getting stronger as the months pass. The Premier might have missed the march for right or wrong reasons – she found herself reluctantly in north America fronting a vital state trade mission – but the unions made sure they didn’t miss her on their special day.
Some unions had their own special axes to grind - the Nurses Union paid out over the pay fiasco - but anti-sell-off banners were everywhere, and typical of the contingents was the Electrical Trades Union and the Rail Tram and Bus Union, with their signs showing “Sold” plastered over Queensland’s public assets and unflattering photos of the Premier and minister Rachel Nolan as sale agents.
And ETU members handed out colourful bumper stickers that declared “See Queensland First before Bligh sells it".
Acting Premier Paul Lucas headed this year’s parade with outgoing ACTU national president Sharon Burrow, and took all the flak in his leader’s absence, with one irate unionist throwing an object at him during the traditional post-march speeches.
Theme for the 2010 Labour Day celebrations was “Australian Unions: Working for a Better Life”.
Many of the unionists marching on Monday also appear to be working up quite a head of steam in anger over a supposedly labour-leaning government doing a very unLabor-like thing – flogging off public assets in a one-off, can-never-be-repeated quick fix for some pressing financial woes.

Rail services boost home prices: survey

PROPERTY

Is your residential or investment property on track to record better-than-average growth in value? Well, being near some tracks certainly helps, according to the latest research from PRDnationwide.
It shows that growth hotspots are emerging along the city’s railway corridors, with easy commuting to the Brisbane CBD the catalyst for strong price growth in suburbs around Brisbane railway stations.
The research has shown values in the suburbs serviced by trains jumped by 10.3 per cent in the 12 months to December 2009. Suburbs without train services registered house price rises of 7.7 per cent - that’s 2.6 per cent less.
The median sale price in suburbs serviced by rail increased from $535,000 to $590,000, compared with a rise from $500,000 to $538,500 for suburbs without a rail link.
The better-faring suburbs are dotted along the lines of Brisbane’s Citytrain network stretching from Salisbury to Virginia.
PRDnationwide research analyst Josh Brown says that as traffic congestion worsens, Brisbane’s railway suburbs are booming with rising property prices and increased demand from city workers.
“Population growth in Brisbane is surging ahead and the capacity of roads to cater for the influx of residents, particularly during peak traffic times, is such that alternative methods of transport are in high demand.
“With the increasing costs of fuel, parking and traffic congestion, buyers are seeking areas of convenience and high amenity negating the need for frequent car usage.
“This has created an increased demand for suburbs located along, or within close proximity to major train lines as opposed to suburbs without train stations.”
The PRDnationwide research shows suburbs with a train station have experienced a 16.3per cent growth in demand from the half year period ending December 2008 to record 1,564 transactions.
Black spot suburbs – those not serviced by rail - have had 2.9 per cent less growth over this period with a 13.4 per cent increase taking sales to 1,758 indicating the higher demand for dwellings located in a suburbs with direct access to a train station.
Mr Brown said areas in Brisbane that are well supported by rail would continue to perform strongly and offered a great lifestyle opportunity for investment.
“The North Coast Rail Line suburbs have recorded a 17.2 per cent spike in growth over 2009 to record a final median value of $566,750,” he said.
This was followed by the Pinkenba Rail Line suburbs registering 16.7 per cent median price growth to record a median price of $857,500.
“The most affordable rail line within this precinct is the South Coast Rail Line suburbs with a final median price over the six months to December 2009 of $516,000,” Mr Brown said.
This was followed closely by the Ferny Grove Rail Line recording a median of $535,000.
The highest median price was recorded on the Pinkenba Rail Line with $857,500 recorded over the same period.
“In terms of the capital growth sustained over 2009, station suburbs have performed marginally better with an average of 9.7 per cent p.a a year capital appreciation, 0.3 per cent p.a. more than black spot suburbs.
“Individually, the Ipswich Rail Line and the North Coast Rail Line suburbs have achieved the most capital appreciation in housing stock, recording 10.6 per cent and 10.3 per cent p.a. average growth respectively.
"The most affordable, South Coast Rail Line has recorded a 27.7 per cent increase in sales activity from the previous December 2008 half year taking sales to 316 for the most recent December six month period.
“Continuing urban sprawl in Brisbane, coupled with an increasing number of people seeking a haven away from a busy city life, has prompted strong demand for property in areas away from the inner city yet still close to major transport corridors,” Mr Brown said.

Backpedal over plan, residents tell Lord Mayor

NEWS


New Farm and Teneriffe residents want Lord Mayor Campbell Newman to front a public meeting at 10am this Sunday, May 9, to answer their concerns over his new bike hire plan.

They say more than 100 on road parking spaces will be lost in New Farm and surrounding suburbs to make way for the CityCycle scheme that is expected to begin later this year.
The scheme is primarily designed for Brisbane residents to make short trips within project, and according to a recent council pamphlet extolling the project, work on bike stations and "installation signage" has already begun.
The residents have invited Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and Cr Jane Prentice to face them outside the local butcher's shop at the corner of James St and Kent St, New Farm.
Organisers Stacey Holland and Liliana Santone say residents are concerned about the following:
. carparking spaces outside homes and businesses will be lost - and they say many residents and businesses weren't even advised about this.
. large illuminated commercial advertising signs will be erected in front of homes and businesses - once again without consultation.
. late night re-stocking of bike stations will be loud and disruptive.
. safety concerns for cyclists entering and exiting on-road bike stations.

$13,000 to fight depression

COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

Merthyr Bowls and Norman Park Bowls have raised more than $13,000 at their first annual Bowl for Happiness Day, a barefoot fundraiser supporting beyondblue, the national depression initiative.
“Many of us have been touched by depression either personally or with loved ones and the chance to communicate, share stories and help, resonated loudly amongst our members and guests,” said Merthyr Club manager Ray Hughes. “So with a huge thanks to everyone that helped, attended and donated, we are very proud to announce that Bowl for Happiness was able to raise $13,330 which we have donated to beyondblue.”

Go Card info sessions
State Member for Brisbane Central Grace Grace is holding two more free public information sessions on Wednesday May 12 for seniors to learn about the upcoming changes to public transport and the go card. During the go ready program TransLink representatives explain how the go card system works. The program aims to help seniors to understand how to top up the balance on a go card, how to touch on and touch off correctly and how to transfer between services using a go card. The meetings on May 12 are for Kelvin Grove, Herston, Newmarket, Windsor, Wilston and Lutwyche residents at the Brisbane Softball Centre, Downey Park, 90 Green Terrace, Windsor from 10am to noon, and for inner-city and Spring Hill residents, first floor, Ruth Fairfax House, 89-95 Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill from 2pm to 3.30pm. RSVP to 3832 1322 or via email to brisbane.central@parliament.qld.gov.au

Arks, parks and Indiana Jones
The Brisbane Symphonic Band under conductor Stefanie Smith will give a free concert at Newstead House, Breakfast Creek Road, Newstead on Sunday May 16 at 2:30pm as part of International Museums Day that falls soon later. The concert is themed to celebrate all that is exciting about the search for the past and includes music from Indiana Jones and the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark, as well as Fanfare for the Common Man. Remember to bring a chair or a picnic rug and enjoy the beautiful gardens of Newstead Park as you join Brisbane Symphonic Band on this musical adventure. Newstead House will be open on Sunday 16 May from 10am to 5pm with Devonshire teas available from 11am to 1pm and 2-4pm.

History in the making
Local historians and writers Gerard Benjamin and Gloria Grant are guest speakers at the Queensland Women's Historical Association’s function at Miegunyah, 35 Jordan Terrace, Bowen Hills on Thursday, May 13. Their talk, A Novel Discovery: How 'Tom Hurstbourne, an 1865 manuscript penned in Central Queensland, was saved from oblivion will detail how the pair ucovered the long-lost manuscript for a novel written by one of Gerard’s forebears and based on Queensland’s emerging pastoral industry. The event is at 10.30am for 11am start, and the cost is $10 for non-members and $8 for members, which includes morning tea. Bookings to 3252 2979. The association’s email is: qwha@miegunyah.org and their web address is www.miegunyah.org

Help for the elderly ... and not so old!
The Metropolitan Senior Citizens' Centre in Church Street, the Valley, is a dynamic organisation that provides a variety of services for frail older persons and younger persons with disabilities living in the local community. The MSCC also self-funds an Activities for Seniors Program which offers a diverse rage of programs for all seniors. It also offers additional respite services based in its Bryce House Respite Centre. For more information about the MSCC and its services, contact centre coordinator Marion Dwyer on 3252 2731.

Bridging the gap
Social contract bridge players are welcome at the 50+ Social Club that meets on the third floor, 157 Ann Street, City on Mondays and Thursdays from 8.30am Contact 3279 1201 or 3356 7084 for more information.


Come a cropper
The Crop, the New Farm Writers Group, meets the first Wednesday of each month at the Queens Arms in James Street New Farm at 6.30 for a 7pm start.

Quiet time needed?
Looking for some peace and quiet? Take an hour out of your busy schedule for quiet group meditation. Sessions begin with a small amount of skills/spiritual input but are mostly in silence. We meet at 6 pm on Wednesdays at Merthyr Road Uniting Church. Everyone welcome. No fee. Contact Atholl on 0410 565 081 for more information.

Speaking from the heart
Do you want to know more about living longer and healthier: have you ever wondered how to do something about it - and in the process change your lifestyle for the better? Heart, stroke and blood vessel disease is the major public health problem in Australia, causing more then 35 per cent of all deaths annually. The Heart Foundation has a network of local volunteer speakers available to visit your club, community group or organisation to speak about general heart health focusing on the benefits of lifestyle change and practical information on how to go about it. To invite a volunteer speaker to your organisation to help raise awareness of heart health throughout the community, or if you would like to volunteer as such a speaker, please contact Margaret Richards at the Heart Foundation on (07) 3872 2507.

Computer training
Brisbane Seniors OnLine (BSOL) provides affordable computer training for over 50s in the Brisbane area and is seeking new learners who would like to receive one-on-one lessons in their own homes or in our city training centre. By arrangement, we can also provide training in other venues such as community centres or public libraries. BSOL teaches both Windows and Apple Mac. New volunteer mentors are always welcome. The cost to learners is $40 a year plus a one-off $20 joining fee. For this, learners receive approximately 12 one-hour lessons and ongoing support for the balance of the membership year. Membership is free to mentors. Contact BSOL on 3210 6983 or at www.bsol.asn.au .

Bags needed please!
The St Vinnies store on the corner of Brunswick and Alfred streets in the Valley urgently needs plastic bags to pop those great bargain buys into.

Centre’s wishlist
The New Farm Neighbourhood Centre requires a constant supply of goods and equipment to help it support people in the inner-city. The NFNC’s website – www.newfarmneighbourhood.org – includes a link to the centre’s wishlist of donations. Items the centre requires include bus tickets, supermarket vouchers, blankets, mobile-phone top ups, and instant meals. The NFNC is also seeking donations of time by people with administrative, fundraising, and graphic design skills. For further information ring the NFNC on 3358 5600.

Corker of an idea
The Queensland branch of the Huntington’s Disease Association is seeking bottle corks as part of its fundraising efforts. The association sells disused corks to a recycler. Corks can be dropped off at the association’s office at 385 Ipswich Road, Annerley. For details ring 3391 8833.

AA meetings
The New Farm Group of Alcoholics Anonymous meets at the HADS unit of the Royal Brisbane Hospital on Mondays at 7pm .It also meets every Thursday and Friday from 7pm to 8.30pm and on Saturdays from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at 505 Bowen Terrace New Farm.The 24-hour helpline number is 3255 9162.

Emotional help needed?
Emotions Anonymous (EA) is a non-profit 12-step organisation that has helped many people learn to live with unsolved problems as diverse as depression, anger, acrophobia, broken or strained relationships, grief, anxiety, low self-esteem, panic, abnormal fears, resentment, jealousy, guilt, despair, fatigue, tension, boredom, loneliness, withdrawal, obsessive and negative thinking, worry, compulsive behaviour and a variety of other emotional issues. Emotions Anonymous meets on Saturdays at 10:45am at the Community Health Centre, Biala, Level 3, 270 Roma Street, Brisbane (opposite the Fire and Rescue Station). No membership fee is required, only a desire to get well. For further information go to their website: www.emotionsanonymous.org

Potted plants
The Society for Growing Potted Plants hold meeting on the second Saturday of each month in the Uniting Church Hall at 52 Merthyr Road, New Farm, commencing at 1.15pm. There are interesting guest speakers and plants for sale. Visitors are most welcome at a friendly and informative afternoon. Contact Ann on 3276 7223.

Quilters meet
A small group of non-profit quilters who meet at 10am on the first Saturday of each month at Trinity Place, Church Street, Fortitude Valley, is are looking for new members. Experienced or beginners are welcome. For more information contact Barbara on 5496 1195.

Jigsaws solved
Jigsaw Queensland, a non-profit, post-adoption resource service, holds support meetings as follows: Open support group: Anyone touched by adoption is welcome – first Tuesday of each month (except January) 7pm to 9pm; adoptee support group: for adoptees only – third Wednesday of each month 7pm to 9pm; birthmother support group: for Birthmothers only – third Saturday of each month 1.30pm to 4pm except for December. All meetings are held at SANDS House, 505 Bowen Terrace, New Farm. Further information is available online at: www.jigsawqueensland.com

• Send your not-for-profit listing to us at: editor@www.theindependent.com.au

Cleanup campaign a winner

NEWS


The Clean Up the Valley campaign launched recently has struck a chord with Valley residents and business owners. Run by local councillor David Hinchliffe with this paper’s help, the campaign has fired the imagination of a large number of people who would be even prouder of our patch if it was a lot cleaner and tidier.

Responses have flooded into the Indie from locals with their own nominations to be considered for Cr Hinchliffe’s “Grot Spots”.
And typical of the community spirit behind such a strong reaction to the campaign was an email from Fortitude Valley Suncorp branch manager Grant Stoodley. “I read with interest the article on Councillor David Hinchliffe’s campaign to clean up the Valley.
“Suncorp Bank Fortitude Valley would like to lend our support to this worthwhile endeavour and volunteer our services one weekend to assist cleaning up any areas in need.
“I firmly believe Fortitude Valley is a fantastic area and deserves to be looked after, we should have pride in our local area and my team and I would like to demonstrate ours.
“Please let me know how we can assist in this endeavour.”
Grant and his staff are likely to be rubbing shoulders with the Indie crew shortly, as soon as Cr Hinchliffe gives us a suitable area to clean up. For his latest Grot Spot (see Page 8), Cr Hinchliffe has nominated the Fortitude Valley mall at weekends (see photos above).
In an open letter to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, he writes: “On these and other nights the mall is effectively a massive open-air venue, but without the sort of control that enclosed private venues can exert. This is why the Valley Chamber of Commerce and I have been calling for a total management plan for the Valley.
“This should combine detailed planning for effective public and private transport, improved pedestrian safety, cleaning in public and private spaces, coordinated police and private security, strict private and public alcohol consumption.
“The State Government has agreed this plan needs to be put in place as a high priority. I would urge that you and all council agencies work with the state. As part of this plan, I would urge that further bins are provided for rubbish. I know that we have provided about 20 extra bins in the Valley area, but more are needed. As well, we need to have more cleaners on duty so that the rubbish doesn't build up. When people see the cumulating rubbish, they think it is okay to add to it. Keep reducing the rubbish and mall users should get the message.
“I also ask that you consider what can be done in relation to those takeaway venues that are the main source of the rubbish – in particular McDonalds, Subway and New York Slice pizza. We have asked them to have their staff assist in picking up their rubbish, but they continue to decline.
"I realise that council has limited powers, but is there anyway we can look at denying planning approvals or any other remedy to limit these sorts of takeaways?”

In a separate email to The Independent, Cr Hinchliffe has expressed his disappointment that one of the Grot Spots named last issue is still in need of a thorough cleanup. His recent photos of Trugian Place on the corner of St Pauls Terrace and Brunswick Street will be uploaded to our website shortly. Cr Hinchliffe says that he’ll give the city council a little more leeway in tidying up this park, before he adds the location to a Shame File that this paper is happy to publish over the months ahead.

Help for homeless

NEWS

Local residents have dug deep via much-needed donations to ensure the City Council's Homeless Connect event on Tuesday, May 11 at RNA Showgrounds is a success.

Councillor David Hinchliffe (Central Ward) had called on all local residents and businesses to show their generosity and donate some needed items to the Homeless Connect event.
Essential items that have been donated include men's clothing and toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as towels, canned goods, blankets, and shoes.
“I thank all residents who have donated generously to help make this Homeless Connect one of our most successful. This Homeless Connect event is particularly significant as it will be first time the event has been held outside City Hall."
Because City Hall was currently closed for repair, the event would be held in the Commerce Building at the RNA Showgrounds from 9am to 2pm.
“Council will also provide free transport to and from the event. Pick-ups begin at 7.30am and run all day from New Farm Neighbourhood Centre, Footprints, 139 Club, Pindari Hostel and Roma House on the Northside and West End Community House, Brisbane Homelessness Centre, OzCare and Bowman Johnson Hostel on the Southside,” he said.
Councillor Hinchliffe said the event would provide free access to a wide range of essential practical services such as medical care, dentistry, optometry, counselling, accommodation advice, employment advice, legal assistance, ID assistance, and personal care services like haircuts, showers, food and clothing. “Homeless Connect is an important event where people can connect to services and enjoy a meal, music, activities and giveaways,” he said.
“This event provides the vital service of assisting people who are disadvantage to find new pathways and connections in their lives.
“Since the Homeless Connect program was introduced almost three years ago,more than 4200 disadvantaged and under privileged people have accessed services that would otherwise be out of reach,” Councillor Hinchliffe said.

Exhibition honours the homeless

A special photographic exhibition highlighting the plight of our city’s homelessness will open in the Valley on Friday week May 7. Governor Penelope Wensley will open the exhibition, Detours -- stories from the street, which will be on display at the TCB building, Chinatown, from 7am to 7pm until May 15.

The exhibition features photographs of clients of the 139 Club homeless shelter in the Valley. Local councillor David Hinchliffe is one of two photographers who have turned their camera lens to the cause of homelessness. “These pictures and the stories that go with each reveal the stories behind the faces of homelessness,” he says. One of his subjects was Lynette Vardy, above, who laughs in the face of adversity. She says despite difficult times, she relies on the friends she has met at the 139 Club to get by including her Friday girls’ coffee group. While Cr Hinchliffe supplied this shot in colour, the exhibition of 20 photos will be in stark black and white, as with the wonderful portraits below.







Top: Brigid Haug began her working life as a nurse in Rockhampton before illness changed the course of her life.
Middle: Mary Cumming, 46, says she's reluctant to smile because of dental problems. The 139 Club has given her something to smile about.
Above: Clinton Ross was on the streets for more years than he can remember. He says that despite his years on the street he never gave up hope.

Where am I?

Know where this is rather eclectic mix of buildings is? If so, 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.
Email your answer to editor@theindependent.com.au to reach us no later than 5pm on Friday May 7, 2010. Or drop us the answer in the post by the same deadline to PO Box 476 Valley Q 4006. One lucky winner will be off to the Brunnie on us. Bon appetit!


LAST ISSUE'S WINNER: Eagle-eyed Judith Beecham of the Valley was one of many Indie readers who recognised the rather haphazard collection of building rears fronting Wickham Street in the Valley and visible from the rail line between Brunswick and Gipps streets. Judith is off to the Brunnie for some tucker on us!

Majority would access equity to invest: survey

PROPERTY


A poll released by PRDnationwide shows 61 per cent of home owners would access equity in their property to fund another investment. Twenty-three per cent of respondents said they would use equity to complete renovations, while 12 per cent would not access equity.

PRDnationwide research director Aaron Maskrey said only small numbers of home owners chose to access equity for luxury items like a holiday (1 per cent) and a new car (3 per cent). “Property investors are now feeling more wealthy and prosperous, because the Global Financial Crisis has passed in Australia and their jobs are secure, so we've got quite a lot of buoyancy in the marketplace,” said Mr Maskrey.
“According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the total spend on housing financial commitments compared to the previous year, has increased by 10.1 per cent from $19.2 billion.
“Investors have strengthened with $6.4 billion being committed in January, the highest amount of investor commitment since February 2008. Investors now account for 30.4 per cent of the total housing finance commitments.
“With a current nationwide shortage of homes putting upward pressure on prices once again – the idea of accessing equity is becoming more popular.”

High-rise living goes under the microscope

PROPERTY


An upcoming Politics in the Pub debate will look at the push for higher density residential living in our urban renewal hotspots, and pose the question: “High Rise High Life?”
“Population Growth, Density and Development in Brisbane: Connections, Community and Changing Perspectives” rounds out the topic at the Brisbane Powerhouse turbine platform, New Farm on Thursday May 6 from 7pm to 8.30pm.
Nick Collyer, Community Development Co-ordinator at the New Farm Neighbourhood Centre, says there’s no charge for the event and no need to RSVP.
Now in its eleventh year of bringing people from the community together who share a common interest but bring different views or perspectives on various topics, Politics in the Pub is a free community conversation which discusses local issues from a range of different angles.
The discussion panel on May 6 will examine the issue of population growth and high housing costs driving new approaches to planning communities where medium-high housing is combined with critical infrastructure such as railway stations, employment, schools and parks.
The speakers will be addressing the question: Are we ready to embrace higher density housing? What are the implications? How do we hold on to and facilitate strong community connections in the new landscape, so that neighbourhoods are places of belonging??
Panel members include:
• Professor Peter Spearritt – University of Queensland, Deputy chair Queensland Shelter
• Councillor David Hinchliffe - Brisbane City Council Central Ward • Michael Kerry - Urban Planner, member of various Planning Boards
• Mary Philip - member Brisbane Youth Service Committee of Management and Chair, Community Gambling fund, and
• Larissa Waters, - Representative of the Queensland Greens
The forum will be chaired by Helen Ringrose. Meals and drinks available for purchase at the bar.

Leading lady gone ... and forgotten

FROM MY CORNER... with Ann Brunswick

Earlier this month it was announced that Lady Sonia McMahon, wife of former PM  Sir William McMahon, had died. Just a few days ago a colleague told me he had cause to track down some information from the Liberal Party and while trying to find a contact name and number from the party’s website he noticed that the NSW branch had put up its own tribute mini-site to Lady McMahon.
It quoted NSW Liberal Party president Nick Campbell as saying Lady McMahon’s death meant losing “an important link to the history of the Liberal Party”. “But no doubt she will be warmly remembered by the many whom she came in contact with,” Mr Campbell said. Right after Mr Campbell’s comments is a link telling website visitors : “ Feel free to pay your respects and leave a comment.”
Unfortunately right after that gracious invitation is the stark reality that “0 comments” had been received when my colleague last checked.

Flicking through The Courier-Mail recently my eyes fell upon a full-page advertisement letting readers know of a promotion running until June 1. It seems if you patronise a McDonald’s outlet for breakfast and buy one of their McValue meals you will receive a free copy of the Brisbane tabloid or its sister paper The Sunday Mail.
The McDonald’s fast food spots are foreign territory to me so it was necessary to undertake a web search to find out that the McValue meal includes a bacon and egg hamburger,a fried has brown, and coffee. The promo is part of a nationwide campaign designed, one would assume, to inflate News Ltd circulation numbers through the old trick of giving away papers. No doubt another spin-off will be to make it harder, if not impossible, for The Courier-Mail to run any more stories on Australia's obesity “epidemic”.

Some months ago the state government decided to rename the existing and soon-to-be-completed Gateway Bridges. They were to be called the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges after former long-serving head of the Queensland Treasury.
It’s a nice idea, but in reality what chance has Sir Leo got of having motorists and others use his name instead of the Gateway label that has been applied since the first bridge opened a few decades ago.
Certainly the government itself is not helping. It is planning an open day in May to mark completion of the second bridge. They are inviting all and sundry to “the Second Gateway Bridge Community Day”.

Rudd an embarrassment of Richos at the moment

POLITICS .... with Mungo MacCallum


Can this be the real Kevin Rudd we are seeing? Not the caring, humane Christian, friend of the homeless, chronicler of economic history and dumb animals, star of TV, Facebook and Twitter, but a calculating, ruthless, whatever-it-takes politician, a veritable born-again Richo.
Well, probably not; our Prime Minister is a far more complex and complete specimen of humanity than the notorious numbers man. But there were moments last week when the similarities were more apparent than the differences.
Rudd retreated to Tasmania while his perpetual clean-up man Greg Combet was sent out with the bad news of the inevitable, final demise of the home insulation program, an announcement which prompted cries of betrayal from the genuine insulators who had stocked up in anticipation of its return.
Another junior minister Kate Ellis was giving the job of unobtrusively breaking another promise: only 38 of the 260 child care centres aimed at ending "the double drop off" would actually be built; apparently other places were available and the double drop off was no longer important.
Asylum seeker policy had already been reversed: not only were the Afghans and Sri Lankans in limbo, but Chris Evans prepared to reopen the remote Curtin Detention Centre, which The Australian's Dennis Shanahan belatedly discovered was a hellhole - during the Howard years he had seen it as something of a holiday camp.
A task force was examining the Building Education Revolution and the auditors were sent in on the Green Loans Scheme. And to cap it off, the government pulled the plug on any idea of a Bill of Rights for Australia, a move welcomed by the autocrats of New Limited who know all about human rights and don't want any unelected judges interfering with their monopoly.
This orgy of recantation by the government was euphemistically described as "clearing the decks". Fortuitously, much of it coincided with the revelation that a football club had overpaid some of its players, a news event of such magnitude that it swamped the media for the rest of the week and seems likely to perform the same salutary function at least until the serious leaking of Ken Henry's tax review and the budget is set to begin.
Interestingly, the club responsible for this earth-shattering crime against civilisation was wholly owned by News Limited, whose chief executive John Hartigan indignantly denied any knowledge or responsibility. This lame and self-serving excuse was apparently quite acceptable, at least to the New Limited publications. The Australian is considered unlikely to demand his resignation with quite the fervour with which it pursued Peter Garrett over the pink batts affair.
Similarly, it would seem that Rudd is likely to get away with his massive tergiversations, but they will leave a sour taste nonetheless. Until now he has been almost obsessive about honouring his election commitments, determined not to fall back on the Howardian formula of "non-core promises" even when there is good reason for doing so.
The only real exception has been the private health insurance subsidy, and even then Rudd's proposal was only to means test this absurd measure rather than abolish it altogether, as he should.
But the last fortnight has seen a relentless determination to kill off difficult or embarrassing loose ends in what is clearly the lead up to a no-holds-barred election campaign. We are still getting glimpses of the old Kevin 07, the avuncular figure who won the nation's trust a mere three years ago. Dr Jekyll has not yet morphed irrevocably into Mr Hyde. But it is a safe bet that in the weeks ahead we will see rather less of Mr Nice Guy.
The newly implacable Kevin Rudd was obviously the one on show at COAG, adamant that no one was leaving until he had the agreement he wanted, or at least one that he could sell as a big win.
Operating on the widely held and well founded theory that every premier has his price, he simply kept shovelling out the goodies until his chief antagonist, Victoria's John Brumby, decided that perhaps hanging on to his share of GST was not a sacred inviolable principle after all, as long as the money kept flowing. Colin Barnett held out, but this was only to be expected as (a) he was the sole Liberal in the Labor den, and (b) he is a Western Australian. In the latter role he has form.
Back at the time of federation the West was the only colony that refused to sign up to the new constitution. Its negotiators held out for the ultimate bribe: a promise by the commonwealth to build a railway link between Kalgoorlie and Port Augusta. Rudd clearly believes that Barnett, too, will come to the party when the price is right.
Rather more surprising was the premiers' insistence that they retain a hand in the control of the funding money. From the commonwealth's point of view part of the attraction of the proposal was to relieve them of that responsibility; the feds would not only shoulder most of the present running costs, and of the huge increases which were predicted in the fairly near future, but would be prepared to take all of the blame if the voters maintained the habit of a lifetime and complained that things weren't good enough.
This was what Rudd meant by ending the blame game, a proposal which seemed to have universal approval. But under the arrangement which Brumby and his colleagues finally negotiated, they will continue to carry their share of the can. In practice the feds will set the terms and conditions for the distribution of the funds, and so will have ultimate control; the likelihood is that the states' input will eventually wither away.
But it was a less than perfect outcome. Still, whatever it takes.