NEWS

Valley lagging in bike scheme rollout

Thinking of grabbing a CityCycle bike from a rack in New Farm, Teneriffe, Kangaroo Point or West End and heading up to the Valley for a coffee or a shop? Plenty of time to get there within 30 minutes, dock your bike and not pay an extra cent over your subscription outlay? Take your time. Enjoy life. Then grab another bike, head home in the half-hour and save money all round?

Well, think again. There are no stations in operation anywhere near the Valley’s commercial heart. The Independent’s investigation found two on the very fringes of the suburb – outside the Olive Pit Restaurant in James Street, and at a rack further west on James Street just past the Palace cinemas. By our reckoning that’s two out of almost 20 stations shown on the CityCycle website as being stage one stations in Fortitude Valley for the multi-million dollar scheme.
That same site shows a reasonable percentage of stations in the CBD, New Farm, Teneriife, Kangaroo Point and West End are now operating, so why has the rollout in the Valley been delayed – and does City Hall owe scheme users an apology for at the very least giving them the impression that they could make a trip to our city’s second commercial heart and not get caught short?
Well, the answers from the Lord Mayor are simple: there is no delay in the Valley rollout, and no apology is clearly needed because the CityCycle bike hire like all public transport “requires some journey planning”.
“CityCycle users are encouraged to check the website, call the 1300 free call or download iphone applications so that they know which stations are operating, where the nearest station are and which stations have available bike racks,” the Lord Mayor wrote in response to one of our questions on the issue.
And asked if there were any specific reasons why the Valley rollout appeared well behind schedule, Campbell Newman wrote: “Fortitude Valley stations were programmed for the last quarter of the year and will continue to be built and commissioned up until Christmas 2010.
“The CityCycle installation is part of a planned, continuous rollout program. West End, CBD, New Farm and Kangaroo Point were in the second and third quarter of the 2010 program, so more stations are currently constructed in this area. Asked to identify the Forttiude Valley stations and the dates residents can expect to be able to hire bikes from them, Cr Newman said: 
“Nine stations are currently built in the Fortitude Valley. One station is currently operating in the Fortitude Valley at James Street and Harcourt Street. Eight stations are currently constructed and are currently awaiting electrical connection and commissioning to the network. These stations will be commissioned on a rolling basis up until Christmas 2010 – James and McLachlan Streets, Ann Street and Murri Way, Ann Street and Chester Street, Wickham Street and Murri Way, Gipps street and Wickham Street, Alden Street and Wickham Street, Bridge Street and Wickham Street and Malt Street and Brunswick Street
“The two stations at James and McLachlan Street (1) and Bridge and Wickham Streets (2) are planned to be operating in the next few weeks.
Responding to a question that said in part that “surely Valley residents are entitled to feel neglected in the rollout of the scheme, the Lord Mayor wrote: “The CityCycle call centre is responding to community enquires and advising subscribers and the community about operating station and the timing for the installation program.
“The eight stations above will be open in Fortitude Valley by Christmas.”

Top: The Stage 1 bike station beside the Fortitude Valley Post Office awaits commissioning.

Scheme hits 2500 users after five weeks

NEWS

The CityCycle bike hire scheme has reached about 2500 subscribers five weeks after it was launched, City Hall says.

“CityCycle is a great commuter transport option for those living in or near the inner-city and there is a quiet revolution occurring with more and more people taking it up every day,” Lord Mayor Campbell Newman (pictured) says.
“Every commuter who uses a bike instead of a car is one less vehicle on our congested road
network.” Cr Newman says safety considerations have been paramount in delivering the CityCycle scheme.
“We reduced the speed limit on CBD streets to 40 kph in readiness for this scheme, but we have also installed new Bicycle Awareness Zones and “share the road” signage, as well as road markings to make cycling in the CBD as safe as possible.”
Cr Newman says that those wanting to use CityCycle need to subscribe online and make sure they have a helmet, either purchased at the time of subscription or from the many bike, sporting or department stores that sell them. Users can purchase an annual ($60.50), quarterly ($27.50) or casual ($11) subscription.
And Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has rejected Opposition claims made on Monday October 25 and reported in this newspaper several days later that he had not used the scheme, outside media-related activities and startup day promotions, since the scheme began on October 1.
A spokesperson said the Lord Mayor had used the CityCycle scheme at least half a dozen times since it began at the beginning of last month, and definitely before he had been “rebuked” by ALP leader in City Hall Shane Sutton for not showing leadership on the issue by using the scheme.
“That number would have been larger except for the wet conditions experienced during October,” the spokesperson said.
“Cr Newman is an increasingly regular user of the scheme and uses CityCycle to travel to and from meetings in the CBD.
“For example, last week he arrived for a meeting at the Premier's office with his helmet under his arm after taking a CityCycle from King George Square to the Executive Building.
“He also undertakes a regular early morning ride around the inner city, most recently yesterday morning when he rode from the CBD to New Farm Park and back.”

• DO YOU THINK THE CITYCYCLE SCHEME WILL BE A SUCCESS OVER TIME?

Give us your views on this much-maligned but outwardly laudable project via email to:  editor@theindependent.com.au or send us a letter to PO Box 476 Fortitude Valley Q 4006

Mall smoking ban imposed

NEWS

The City Council has imposed a total smoking ban in the Queen Street Mall. Announcing the ban on Tuesday Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said that while he was reluctant to introduce new laws, community feedback had demanded action.
“Council consulted widely before making this decision and the overwhelming response from both residents and businesses was that some form of action must be taken,” he said.
“While I am reluctant to introduce more laws, council’s research and consultation feedback showed that 82 per cent of people wanted a total ban. Responses from media surveys and polls were similarly overwhelming.
“Health concerns about passive smoking and concerns that people avoid the mall because of the smoking were key considerations in the ban.”
Council intended to introduce the new law as soon as State Government approval was received. This process could take several months.
In July, the Brisbane community was asked to provide feedback on two options – either a total smoking ban or specified designated smoking areas in Queen Street Mall. More than 1200 comments were posted on council’s Smoking Ban blog, with hundreds of comments received through council’s Contact Centre.
Council also hosted four feedback sessions in the mall and invited the community to comment on the proposed options. Brisbane residents overwhelmingly supported a total ban with 82 per cent of respondents supporting that move, while 12 per cent favoured designated smoking zones.
Cr Newman said while the Smoke Free Places Local Law was being developed, an amnesty period and educational campaign would be undertaken. Once the law came into force, a three-step process would apply with council officers asking smokers to put out their cigarette, then give a warning before issuing a fine. Council expects fines of $200 to be issued under the new local law after it is approved by the State Government in a process expected to take several months.
The total mall ban has the backing of City Council Labor Leader Shayne Sutton who says it is long overdue.
“The issue of banning smoking in the Queen Street Mall is not new and organisations such as Cancer Council Queensland have been calling for the ban for some time,” Councillor Sutton said.

Skating around is the issue...

NEWS

Brisbane City Council’s Museum of Brisbane (MoB) is highlighing the enduring history and culture of skateboarding with The Stoke: Skateboarding in Brisbane exhibition now showing until February.

The Stoke manoeuvres behind Brisbane’s tight knit skateboarding fraternity and its camaraderie to chart the city’s historical affinity with skateboarding relevant to the international evolution of the sport. The exhibition features more than 120 boards – many from internationally renowned Brisbane born skateboarders such as Johnny Kwala.
Families and Community Services Chair Councillor Geraldine Knapp said The Stoke exhibition had something for everyone – from museum lovers, pop culture fans, hardcore skateboarders or the uninitiated. “The Stoke takes exhibition visitors on a journey through Brisbane’s own skateboarding culture and explores the intersection of physical and artistic expression that defines the pursuit of skateboarding,” Cr Knapp said.
“The exhibition also reveals an incredible community spirit and camaraderie that unites Brisbane skateboarders of all ages and walks of life,” she said.
The centrepiece of the exhibition will be a replica bowl, inspired by the legendary Moorooka Skate Shed.
“It is believed that Brisbane’s first local skateboarding competition was staged in the carpark of the Mt Gravatt KFC around Christmas 1974. “Since constructing the first public skate facilities in 1988, Brisbane City Council has long supported Brisbane’s tight knit skateboarding fraternity by closely consulting with skaters to construct and maintain the 31 skate parks across the city.”
During the The Stoke’s display period, MoB will host a free program of events including skateboarding parties, movie screenings and workshops at MoB and other key venues around Brisbane.
For further information about MoB visit www.museumofbrisbane.com.au or phone council on 3403 8888.



Top: Brett ‘Badhead’ Ballard at Sunshine Beach pool, 1985. Photograph by and courtesy of Toby Mellonie
Above: David Hoad performs a hippie jump at the Queensland Skate Titles in 1977. Courtesy of David Hoad and Glenn Kidd.

Pointing way to survival

PROPERTY News

The Reserve Bank's recent shock interest rate rise and continuing sky rocketing energy and water prices has prompted Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects, to released a “Home Buyers and Investors’ Eight Point Plan for Survival.”

Ian Agnew, Queensland state manager of Archicentre said: “With rising interest rates the financial risk increases, and massive increases in power and water bills, household budgets are being cut to the core and there is little margin for people to make a mistake when purchasing a property.
“An estimated 75 per cent of property transactions take place without a property inspection, placing buyers at risk of purchasing a lemon.”

1. Scout out the ideal neighbourhood setting. Find somewhere that is convenient to work and school and appeals to lifestyle interests. Areas convenient to schools, shopping centres, beaches, parks and clean air tend to appreciate rapidly.
2. Before commencing the house hunt, make sure finances are worked out. Most lending institutions require at least a 5 per cent deposit. Also keep in mind the multitude of hidden costs that include loan applications, establishment fees, legal and inspection expenses, government charges including stamp duty and insurance. These hidden costs can equate to 5 per cent of the property value.
3. Once you have succeeded with loan pre-approval, it’s time to get serious. Allocate plenty of time and patience in finding the right house. Rarely do people acquire the first house they fall in love with. If you have difficulty setting aside a few hours over the weekend, or perhaps during the week, consider using a buyer's agent, who will do the house-hunting for you.
4. Prior to offer, arrange a pre-purchase property inspection to ensure the house is safe and sound. According to Archicentre, health and safety risks exist in about one quarter of older Australian homes.
5. Most importantly, find out if any controls exist that could influence future renovations to the property. These might be planning scheme provisions or covenants.
6. If the property goes to auction, keep a fixed price in mind and try to control your emotions.
7. During private sales, try to hold your enthusiasm back in order to avoid subsequent heartbreak. A private seller might use your enthusiasm against you and resist negotiating. For a private sale be persistent and gradually increase your offer over time.
8. Upon settlement, seek out quality professional advice on any renovations or repair work you expect to undertake, particularly health and safety items identified in the inspection report before signing.
Mr Agnew said: “A professional inspection of the home will assist buyers in determining the condition of the property, the value of the property and the cost of repairs providing them with a bargaining tool to factor in repair or maintenance costs into their budgets.”

Rates decision condemned

PROPERTY News

Peak bodies covering construction and commerce have roundly condemned last week’s surprise rates rise by the Reserve Bank. Master Builders, Queensland’s peak body for housing and construction, described the ruse as “another major blow to Queensland’s construction industry which is struggling with the affects of the financial crisis”.
Master Builders director of housing policy Paul Bidwell said that while there have been glimpses of recovery since the global financial crisis, they have not been sustained. “It’s baffling how the Reserve Bank of Australian (RBA) made this decision about the national economy when the housing sector, which is the part of the economy that historically drives recovery, is still clearly struggling,” he said.
“Construction is a major contributor to Australia’s economy. It is responsible for more full time jobs than any other sector in Queensland.
“We have seen how six ‘quick fire’ rate rises from October 2009 to May 2010 dampened demand in the construction industry.

“By any measure, [the] decision to raise interest rates is the wrong decision. “The key to improvement is consumer confidence, underpinned by stable interest rates. This rate rise will most likely kill off any hope of short-term recovery.” T
he weak state of the industry was highlighted in the results of the latest Master Builders Survey of Industry Conditions released last week. The report shows that the residential sector slumped in the September quarter with 60 per cent of the businesses surveyed reporting weaker trading conditions and reducing staff levels.
“Conditions in Queensland’s residential and commercial sectors are still well below satisfactory levels and are forecast to remain weak in the short-term,” Mr Bidwell said.
The Chamber of Commerce & Industry Queensland (CCIQ) said the RBA had gambled on Queensland business resilience.
“The RBA decision to lift official interest rates to 4.75 per cent was a very bad outcome for the Queensland economy,” said CCIQ President David Goodwin.
“Queensland businesses have held significant fears over what another interest rate rise would do to what is at present, a fragile Queensland economic recovery.
“Interest rate rises are one of the major factors holding back economic growth in Queensland,” Mr Goodwin said.
“As a consequence of the RBA's decision, consumers will be less confident about the immediate period ahead, particularly as we head into Christmas.
“As the purse strings continue to tighten for Queenslanders this decision will detract from sales and business profitability.
“This was an important decision that will unfortunately undermine business confidence, investment and employment.”
The decision to lift rates additionally fueled further demand for the Australian dollar that was already hurting Queensland exporters and tourism operators.
“The Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Far North Queensland regions will be particularly disheartened with [the] decision as they continue to experience embedded sluggishness in their respective economies,” Mr Goodwin said.

New termite warning

RESIDENTIAL Property

Queensland home owners have been warned of major termite swarms resulting from perfect breeding conditions of high moisture and a good food source fuelled by recent heavy rains.

Ian Agnew, Queensland state manager of Archicentre said: “Often the first sign of a termite infestation is the sudden appearance of winged termites appearing in a home, ushering in the beginning of termite 'swarming' season with termites looking to start new colonies in homes.
“Following a swarm of several hundred thousand winged termites, which usually lasts a few minutes, the swarmers fly a short distance, then fall to the ground and lose their wings, “The vast majority of swarmer termites die within a day or so of the swarm, leaving tell tale small piles of wings on window sills, countertops or floors, which provide a major alert to the home owner that they have termites present.
“Soon after the swarm, females will emit a scent to attract male termites for mating and after pairing, the termites search for a location to begin a new colony nearby."
Mr Agnew said homeowners throughout Queensland should be on the lookout for tell tale signs of termite swarming to protect their properties from severe damage:
• Swarms of flying termites both inside and outside of the house.
• Small, papery piles of wings on window sills, counter tops or floors.
• Small piles of wood residue or shavings, as well as tiny holes in wood, crumbling dry walls or sagging doors.
• Bubbled paint or visible, pencil sized mud tubes running across concrete or connecting soil to wood.
Mr Agnew said that termite swarming was triggered by a combination of several successive days of above average temperatures followed by light rain. “Swarms activity varies geographically but occurs most often starting in the Spring - October to November and ends in Autumn - March to April. They can occur any time throughout the warm season.”
Mr Agnew said Archicentre’s pest inspectors had seen homes with up to $100,000 in termite damage that would not have been evident without a comprehensive inspection. However, they have also seen cases where people have spent thousands of dollars on pest treatments that were not needed.
“It is critical that home buyers and home owners seek independent professional advice.
“Home owners should take action to dry out sub-floors by increasing ventilation, removing debris and generally allowing more air to circulate.”
Mr Agnew said termite activity slowed down in the winter, but new nests might be being established now which would lead to problems during spring and summer.

Where am I?

It could be the side of one of those fancy Harley Davidson bikes, couldn’t it? Which would make it hard to guess where it is at any given time!

No, it’s stationary and right in the middle of the Indie’s patch. If you think you know the answer tell us and you’ll have 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, 19 November 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!

. Our lucky winner who identified the new facade to 4ZZZ’s building in the Valley was Justin Layfield of New Farm. Enjoy the tucker at the Brunnie, Justin.

Xmas celebrity book auction

COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

More than 60 authors, actors, politicians and other well-known Australians have donated their favourite or most inspirational book for a December 2 auction to raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Project and the Brisbane Youth Service.

The Christmas Celebrity Book Auction has been organised by the Queensland Chapter of the Don Dunstan Foundation. Former Brisbane lord mayor and president of the Queensland Chapter of the Don Dunstan Foundation, Jim Soorley, said each book carried an inscription by its donor explaining why they loved it, how it inspired them, or why they recommended it to others.
“The Christmas Celebrity Book Auction is a chance to invest in a unique keepsake or something different for a Christmas present while helping build a brighter future for disadvantaged Australians,” Mr Soorley said.
“The books will be sold through live or silent auctions with proceeds going to two very good causes — improving indigenous literacy and helping young people at risk.” Mr Soorley said a small pamphlet donated and signed by Gough Whitlam containing three major speeches he made in the 1960s before becoming PM was expected to provoke strenuous bidding.
He said other book donors who had written inscriptions in their favourite or most inspirational book included Nigella Lawson, Andrew Denton, Kevin Rudd, John Doyle (“Rampaging Roy Slaven”), Kate Grenville, Terri Irwin, Phillip Adams, Maggie Beer, Peter Garrett, Quentin Bryce, Bob Hawke, Anna Bligh, Senator Bob Brown, Margaret Olley, Kerry O’Brien, Campbell Newman and Robert Dessaix.

Event details:
• Date: Thursday 2 December 2010 — 5.30pm to 7.45pm
• Venue: The Queensland Terrace, State Library of Queensland, South Bank
• Tickets: $30 or $20 for Dunstan Foundation members, students, concessions
Entry includes wine, canapés, and entertainment by multiple ARIA-winning Brisbane songstress Katie Noonan.
Two business-class seats to any Qantas destination in Australia will be raffled on the night — $10/ticket or 11 tickets for $100.

Book your place online through: http://www.trybooking.com/IPJ. For event details email info@academicandgeneral.com.au.

Mining a rich seam of coincidence

GasLand (PG)
Director: Josh Fox
Rating:  3.5/5
107-minutes; screening from 18 November

The producers of GasLand must be offering silent votes of thanks for the timing of the release of their film in Australia, for coal-seam gas mining couldn’t be more topical.

The Queensland government has been crowing with joy over the announcement of a billion-dollar venture using ‘fracking’ technology that frees up previously inaccessible gas reserves, and regional commentators are praising the new hope that the industry will offer the state’s economy and employment statistics. But at what cost? There have already been disturbing reports about contamination of water tables in and around Kingaroy, despite denials of responsibility from the miners.
Filmmaker Josh Fox has firsthand experience of the side-effects. After hearing of an announcement of intent by gas mining companies to begin extracting gas from beneath his New York State property, Fox started to hear disturbing reports about things that sometimes go wrong in the process. Neighbours told of unexpected explosions, noxious gases coming from the ground, and most frighteningly, drinking water poisoned and contaminated to the point of being flammable.
The filmmaker set off across the United States to track the extent of coal-seam gas-mining, and the awful cost it can exact on the environment. GasLand is a frightening film, not only for the way that an industry has essentially raped a landscape, but also for the extent to which that industry has lobbied and finagled extraordinary concessions out of the US government, gaining astonishing access to previously safe territories, and safeguarding themselves from prosecution in the event of accidents or negligence.
And the chief villain in this film? Halliburton. Is it any wonder? Queensland beware – this technology might be an economic saviour, but the possible side-effects warrant considerable regulation.




Awards await? I feel it in my bones

Winter’s Bone (MA15+)
Director: Debra Granik
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes
Rating: 5/5 100-minutes; screening from 11 November

There’s a scene early on in Debra Granik’s second film, Winter’s Bone where a young woman stands in the doorway of her log cabin watching her neighbour dress a freshly killed deer. Her eight-year-old brother leans against her and suggests they ask for some meat – we can almost hear their bellies groaning with hunger. The sister looks down at the boy with disapproval and says: “Never ask for what isn’t offered.”

This simple statement sums up much of what this dark tale says about human dignity and tenacity. When the local sheriff comes knocking on the door looking for their father, Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) tips over the edge into barely-controlled panic, for the old man has signed over the house as security and then skipped bail. If he cannot be found within a week, the family will be thrown out into the gutter.
So begins Ree’s search for signs of her father in a strange redneck world where honour and tight-lipped secrecy travel hand-in-hand with shady arrangements to fill the pantry by cooking and dealing meth.
There’s so much happening in this quiet, but often harrowing story: Ree preparing her siblings for a life of hardship by teaching them how to shoot, dress, and cook squirrels; an astonishingly compassionate Army recruiting officer; an ugly Vietnam veteran ruling a community alongside a harem of vicious, wrinkled harridan sisters; and a surprisingly optimistic ending.
Jennifer Lawrence is simply amazing as Ree, offering what will hopefully be an award-winning performance, and her supporting cast of Deadwood’s John Hawkes and the likes of Dale Dickey (My Name is Earl’s daytime hooker, Patty) are excellent. I hope to see Winter’s Bone and its crew lining up for accolades soon.

THE BINGE

Soul Kitchen’s tasty treat

Soul Kitchen (MA15+) now available through Madman Entertainment
The Lost Thing (M) now available through Madman Entertainment
St George Brisbane International Film Festival – closes Sunday 14th November

Lovers of art-house cinema will be familiar with Turkish-born filmmaker Fatih Akin, who has made a name for himself as a daring filmmaker in Germany. Films like Head-On & Edge of Heaven offer wonderful but difficult stories of redemption and renewal. In Soul Kitchen, there are similar themes, but this film about a chef looking to keep his dream of an amazing kitchen live is much less emotionally-draining than its predecessors. Along with excellent performances, Akin’s film features a wonderful seventies and eighties soundtrack.
I’ve loved the storytelling of Shaun Tan since I read The Red Tree years ago. The film adaptation of his picture book, The Lost Thing marks the entry of Tan into animation, and as co-director with former music video producer, Andrew Ruheman, Tan has made a beautiful new version of this story about longing and loneliness. The DVD Extras feature an exclusive book – What Miscellaneous Abnormality is That? – production artwork, and a documentary.

The St George Brisbane International Film Festival will draw to a close on Sunday night, and there’s still time for cinephiles to catch up with some extraordinary films. Machete Maidens Unleashed! is the latest exploitation documentary from Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), and this time focuses on the extravagant grindhouse cinema of the Philippines. Hartley will be presenting the film on Wednesday night.
The Red Chapel tells the story of guerrilla doco-makers, Mads Brügger, who took a comedy duo to Pyongyang on the pretence of touring a show, but really wanting to document the repression of the world’s most reclusive police state. I don’t imagine this crew will be welcomed back in North Korea any time soon.
Lovers of animation will be lining up to check out the latest film from Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville). And The Illusionist is a lovely reminiscence of the vaudeville era adapted from a play written by the great comedian, Jacques Tati.

• For more details about the program, check out www.stgeorge biff.com.au

Making the most of every CrampAir flight

TRAVEL ... with DAVID BRAY

Any time longer than two hours up the back of an aeroplane is unpleasant at best, approaching torture more often. It took me a while to find this out. In the early days of my life as a reporter, the award said we flew first class. That was eventually traded away in return for something else, probably more basic pay.

Then I had some years on desk jobs before coming back into the world as travel editor and everyone knows travel writers go business at least, first if there is such a class available. When that run came to an inevitable end we had a few years of buying our own tickets and they were not extravagantly purchased.
Now, 10 years into retirement and eight of them into circling the globe for Wagnerian opera, we discover that advancing years make cramped seating for long periods too uncomfortable. It’s business class for us for anything over two hours, or economy-plus if it’s offered. We prefer the latter. It provides business class or near seating and acceptable cabin service at a sensible price. Check out British Airways World Traveller Plus.
The idea came from Virgin Atlantic a good 10 years ago. Or Qantas’s new premium economy which offers “extra width and recline, more legroom, laptop power connection, self-service bar and more.
As of a few days ago, Qantas was offering these premium economy return fares: Hong Kong $2016. Buenos Aires $2995, Los Angeles $2997, San Francisco $2997, Johannesburg $3288. It’s also worth considering the half-and-half fares that take you to an Asian hub (Singapore, Bangkok,) at tourist rates, six or seven hours then the rest of the way to, say, Frankfurt, Vienna, Paris, London, in business.
For example: “Fly with Qantas to Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong/Shanghai or Tokyo in economy class and then step up in business class with KLM via Amsterdam to your choice of European destination. From $3999 + tax $650.’’
We did that a few times but gave it up after a very cramped Singapore-Brisbane leg that came after Copenhagen-Bangkok-Singapore in business. Must be getting old. But if you are younger, fitter, not so grumpy, and decide to go cattle class there are some things you can do to make the time go by more comfortably.
That caring and efficient travel company Flight Centre recently offered its Captain’s Top 10 Tips Things to take on a long haul flight. They are as follows:
1, A neck pillow. Sleeping almost upright isn’t easy, but a neck pillow can make it a lot more comfortable.
2.Noise-cancelling headphones. They reduce ambient sounds allowing you to enjoy music and movies in peace.
3. A good book or magazine. It’s amazing how the hours can fly by.
4. Flight socks can help prevent DVT and keep your feet nice and warm.
5. Moisturiser and lip balm. Your skin can get very dehydrated during a flight – these will feel like lifesavers. Just make sure to check with your airline on what liquids and gels can be taken onto your flight.
6 Roll-on deodorant. No worries about airline aerosol restrictions and a welcome relief for you and your fellow passengers.
7 A toothbrush. Just cleaning your teeth mid-flight can make you feel immediately refreshed.
8.Cards and games. Play by yourself or with a friend to make time tick away.
9.A change of clothes. Get more comfortable or just freshen up.
10.MP3/PMP player. What better way to kill time than to listen to your own music, audio books, videos or podcasts. To which I would add a sleeping pill (if you use them) and/or enough spare cash for a decent slug of alcohol. Not too much mind you, but sufficient to induce a few hours’ snooze. Even 30 minutes is makes a difference. Be sure your passport is on your person, and a pen, because you will need to complete paperwork before you land,
And, ideally, take with you someone you know well enough to lean upon while you doze and to pick your way over without embarrassment. Above all, take tolerance and a good mood.

Bowled over by a fine drop

WINE ... with David Bray

Well, the Ashes tests are upon us and they are welcome as an antidote to the horribly disappointing events that have recently happened in international cricket. Cricket has for many years been a passion with more than a few winemakers. Some boast what amount to boutique cricket grounds, beautiful ovals on which past and present stars and never-likely-to-be-much good enthusiasts are invited to pleasantly civilised matches.

The South Australia seems to have more such places than other states. Ch. Tanunda has a superb set-up in the Barossa. Some wear their enthusiasm on their labels. Brokenwood in the Hunter has its Cricket Pitch label. And at least one, Jim Barry Wines, goes for cricket-themed labels.
We know the Barry business to be strongly Clare oriented, but the story here moves considerably eastwards, to Coonawarra, on the southern boundary of which is to be found the old Penola cricket ground. The first match was played on this ground in 1950. And the last in 1996.
When the 30-acre property came on the market Peter Barry bought it. He, in common with most vintners, had an affection for Coonawarra and particularly the region’s cabernet sauvignon fruit, so he planted a cabernet sauvignon vineyard.
The original cricket pavilion was retained and the vines planted around the cricket pitch. The blurb tells s us that “over thousands of years erosion and air-borne dust have laid down the famous Coonawarra 'terra rossa' soil. The limestone that underlies the area is porous and has an excellent water-holding capacity, providing a very good source of supplementary water during dry periods. Coonawarra lies well south of latitude 37° and it has a cooler climate than many of the other Australian grape-growing regions. This cooler climate results in a much longer ripening season, which in turn produces excellent fruit flavours and unique tannin structure”.
So here are two fine wines with cricketing labels:

• The Cover Drive cabernet sauvignon 2006 is 51 per cent Clare Valley and 49 Coonawarra and is nicely rich, soft and as the makers claim, “approachable”. $19.

• Silly Mid Off sauvignon blanc semillon 2009, made from Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills fruit, is the product of some testing vintage times but turns out to be pleasantly drinkable with “riper fruit flavours at lower sugar levels coupled with high natural acidity the standout qualities’. $19

Also from Jim Barry, here is a riesling of distinction. The Florita vineyard at Watervale is one of the area’s oldest. This is the vineyard where legendary winemaker John Vickery, sourced the grapes for his great Leo Buring Rieslings of the 1960s and 1970s.
At a time (in the mid-1980s) when the South Australian Government was paying farmers to pull up their wine grape vines to counter an oversupply of grapes and the industry was in a state of turmoil, Mark, Peter and John Barry went against conventional wisdom and bought the Florita vineyard in 1986.
Despite fruit being in oversupply and riesling being somewhat out of favour, overshadowed by the chardonnay boom , they knew that Florita was one of the best vineyards in the country and was crucial in their plans to produce premium rieslings.
“Traditionally, vines from Florita are hand-pruned to a level of 40 buds per vine to maintain the intensity of flavour. The grapes are harvested in the cool of the night at their optimum preserve the delicate riesling flavours and to retain natural acidity.” $40.
What I want to know next is why there’s no Maiden Over label?

A time to lead

POLITICS ... with Mungo MacCallum

Many years ago I interviewed the newly elected New South Wales premier Neville Wran about his ambitions for his state. Disappointingly, they appeared pretty unexciting: more cafes, more outdoor eating spots, more inner city nightlife. So if this was really the limit, I asked, why had he given up a stellar legal career for the thankless drudgery of state politics? Nifty did not miss a beat. “To keep the other bastards out,” he rasped, and, when you looked at the other bastards – left-over henchmen from the appalling regime of Robin Askin – this seemed a pretty laudable aim.

One could argue that Tony Abbott’s guiding credo is not all that different, although his negativity in opposition probably has less justification. But then comes the more pertinent question: just who are the bastards he is seeking to replace, and what, if anything, do they represent?
The question has to be pertinent, because the bastards themselves are asking it, and in increasingly shrill and desperate tones. Over the last few days the ALP and its supporters and critics have been engaged in a positive orgy of navel-gazing, without, it must be admitted, finding much except fluff.
It started with Greg Combet's launch of the book All That's Left, a collection of essays edited by Tim Soutphommasane and Nick Dyrenfurth, seeking to identify a sense of purpose and direction for the party. Combet, a leading figure of the left and a senior cabinet minister widely seen as a prime ministerial aspirant, was unable to go beyond cliché: Labor needed to reaffirm its guiding values of equity, social justice and compassion.
Some, like the Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Hartcher, saw in this an implied rejection of the right wing powerbrokers who installed Julia Gillard as leader, and in particular the trolls of Sussex Street and their chief nibelung Mark Arbib, now improbably waving the banner of gay marriage. But other commentators blamed Gillard more directly.
In The Australian (where else?) Ross Fitzgerald said bluntly that she lacked the political courage to attempt any big reform. Peter van Onselen described the challenges facing her as colossal but not impossible, and pointed to a lack of ideological direction and concerns over what the party stands for. Paul Kelly, as always the most pompous, saw her besieged by policy challenges that demand far-reaching and convincing responses that so far seem beyond Labor’s political character. Surprisingly, he refrained from setting her a series of tests.
The AWU national secretary Paul Howes said the challenge was to effect change to make society more equal, prosperous and progressive and to involve the electorate in the changes – but added that Gillard seemed unwilling to provide real leadership on climate change and refugees.
Mark Latham, in an only marginally rabid essay in The Monthly, also suggested climate change as one issue on which Labor could and should crusade but concluded that the difficulties were too formidable; the unions in particular would be too much baggage. And the same applied to his other ideas, that Labor should become the party of social capital, rebuilding a sense of community, and that Labor should take on the existing power establishment – which of course includes the unions.
Boof’s conclusion was that the future actually lay not with Labor but with the Greens – a conclusion with which Bob Brown naturally agreed, although he might have had his doubts about its source. And so the list went on, with the pontificators lining up to give their views on the dire plight of Labor and the need to relocate its heart and soul – but not one making a solid suggestion for a positive move Labor can make in government.
Because this is the real point: Labor is in power, still, in every parliament in Australia except one. This situation is unlikely to endure for very long, but the time for frenzied introspection is after losing, not before. Government is a time for action, and if a defeat appears to be looming, this makes the need to get things done in the days remaining all the more crucial.
And in Gillard’s case, the stricture does not apply: her minority government may appear tenuous, but there is no reason to suppose it will collapse in the foreseeable future. She and her colleagues should not get caught up in post mortems about the campaign of 2010; leave that to the historians and the academics, and, if the party must involve itself, to the backroom apparatchiks; that, after all, is what they are paid for.
She is there to govern and must be seen to be doing so, to be – how should one put it? – moving forward. And the unexpected re-emergence of the banks as a major public issue provides a perfect opportunity to do so. Gillard and Swan lost the early initiative to the opposition but there is ample opportunity to regain it.
Their proposed legislation to lower exit fees should be seen as just a start, as should Joe Jockey’s bill to bring in the ACCC and Nick Xenophon’s limited exercise in the senate. Swan should establish a root-and-branch enquiry into the industry with the aim of increasing competition and eliminating anti-social charges and practices and he should do it before Christmas. There will be no lack of public support.
Some 80 years ago Pete Seeger sang:
I saw the weary farmer, ploughing his sod and loam;
I heard the auction hammer, just knocking down his home.
But the banks are made of marble, with a guard on every door
And the vaults are stuffed with silver that the farmer's sweated for.

Attitudes haven’t changed that much; just about everyone still hates the banks, and of course they have always had a special place in the demonology of Labor and the left. It’s time to take the lead and get stuck into the real bastards.

Windows of missed opportunities

FROM MY CORNER .... with Ann Brunswick

In the past week it was necessary for me to purchase a new desktop personal computer for home use. The new system came with the latest Microsoft operating system Windows 7 already loaded and ready for use, well almost.

Unfortunately, when I tried to connect to the internet via my existing broadband modem, nothing happened. Oh, it must be a matter of simply re-installing the modem drivers from the disk it came with when purchased a few years ago. The disk was inserted and I worked my way through all the steps, but all to no avail. The same happened with my existing printer. Reloading the drivers from the printer’s original disk achieved nothing.
To cut this story short, a trip to a nearby IT retailer with my credit card resolved the problems. I knew that was the fastest way to resolve the problems when my eyes fell on the bright blue sticker on the modem’s box on the shelf saying “Supports Windows 7”
So, I am now the owner of a new modem and a new printer purchased for several hundred dollars apiece. One wonders what response might be forthcoming from Mr Gates of Microsoft fortune if a letter of complaint actually reached his desk. Maybe: “Oh, you wanted to use Windows 7 and actually connect to the net with your existing modem and use your old printer? Gee, we never thought anyone would want to do that!”
Now I won’t go on about how even the new modem was so difficult to install. Oh bugger it, I will. The instructions inside the package, of course, said to simply insert the disk and follow the instructions. Which is exactly what I did, but nothing happened.
In the end it was a matter of ringing my ISP (one of the few to whom the word “service” in ISP actually does apply) and having one of their tech-heads walk me through several steps that simply did not appear on the prompt screens generated by the disk. Within no time I was up and running and searching the world wide web again. I did remark to my ISP representative that every time it was necessary for me to install a new modem, the so-called “intuitive” steps on the disk never actually achieve what they claim they will.
He told me, in a very knowing voice, that it was a common problem. Quite an understatement, one would think.

***

In my previous column I remarked upon the inevitability of rail commuters facing fare hikes following the public float of Queensland Rail’s coal haulage business. My argument – shared by many others, I hasten to add – was that selling off QR’s profitable minerals’ haulage business would bring to an end the ability to use those profits to subsidise inevitably uneconomic passenger services.

One who agreed was Dusty Miller of Spring Hill who emailed: “If you have a look at the annual report of Translink for 2009/10 you will see that the income of $1,207 million was essentially: user charges $304 million, grants and other contributions $898 million, interest $5 million.
“I made some enquires and learned that the state government pays subsidies of about $3 for each $1 collected as fares. This applies to all public carriers in Queensland and costs the government well over $1 billion a year.
“It would seem that to relieve the government of these subsidies ALL fares would have to go UP
by about four times! Or maybe, triple would do if QR, the buses and ferries became more efficient!”
Well said, Dusty. Once QR National is floated we – the paying passengers – will surely miss the $200 million in profits it poured into government coffers each year.

***

This coming weekend the Liberal National Party will use its state council meeting in Cairns to reveal the party’s new motto. Apparently the call went out from party heavyweights for members to make their own suggestions for a suitable motto for the party that was create through the merger of the Liberal and National parties in 2008.

A newsletter sent to LNP members said the chosen motto would “further unify, strengthen and encourage our membership and appeal to Queenslanders more broadly”. Given the state of the current government of Anna Bligh, the LNP may need a only a very simple motto such as “How Much Worse Could We Possibly Be?”.
Unfortunately for readers of this column, the closing date for submissions was last Friday. Still I am sure they would welcome late entries.

Park looks set to function as is

NEWS

Local residents may have finally won their long battle to stop a function centre being built in New Farm Park, with Lord Mayor Campbell Newman vowing to fight any appeal against the latest court ruling against the plan.

The Planning and Environment Court recently upheld council’s decision to refuse a development application for a proposed kiosk and function room facility on the site of the park’s original kiosk that burnt down in 2000. Many residents opposed the scale of the redevelopment, with some wanting the kiosk to be rebuilt to its original design that matched the park’s nearby rotunda, a concept supported by Central Ward councillor David Hinchliffe.
“Now that the umpire has finally made a decision, I believe we need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a kiosk on a smaller scale, similar in style, design and size to the original which burnt down almost exactly 10 years ago in 2000,” he said.
“There is definitely a need for a kiosk, but with venues such as the Powerhouse, Merthyr Bowls Club and New Farm Bowls Club nearby, we do not need a venue of anywhere near the size proposed in Blue Sky’s application. It has now been buried once and for all.”
Cr Newman said the application was refused by council in 2004 and had been appealed by developers.
“Before I became Lord Mayor, I promised the people of Brisbane that I would not support anything but a kiosk of similar size on this site and I have stood by this promise,” Cr Newman said. “We refused the development because the size and scale was unacceptable and we wanted to protect the heritage value of New Farm Park.
“New Farm Park is one of Brisbane’s oldest and favourite public spaces, and we will continue to protect its character.”
The original kiosk burnt down in September 2000 and a development application for a restaurant and convention centre was lodged with council in December 2003. Council rejected the development application in May 2004 and an appeal was lodged in the Planning and Environment Court in July 2004.
Campbell Newman said the decision was justification for council’s refusal to approve the development application.
“It’s great to see that the court acknowledged our serious concern that the development would have a negative impact on the Park,” Cr Newman said. Despite the decision the developers are able to appeal through the Supreme Court, but Cr Newman said that council would fight any such appeal.
“We are committed to protecting the heritage and character of Brisbane and we will strongly fight any appeal,” Cr Newman said.
“I want to ensure that this special destination retains its cultural significance and heritage and I am determined to follow this through and see the park get a suitable kiosk for its many users.
“As our city grows, we need to carefully protect its heritage so it is important that as a council we do all we can to protect and care for these important locations.
“We’re now hoping that this decision paves the way for a new kiosk to be built in keeping with the heritage aspects of the park for users to enjoy.”
Cr Hinchliffe said the case had been the longest running planning appeal in Brisbane’s recent history.
“I commend the court in bringing down its ruling supporting council’s rejection of Blue Sky’s kiosk proposal even though it is more than six years since the appeal was lodged.
“The kiosk proposal was honestly assessed by council officers and both Labor and Liberal councillors rejected the application.
“Councillors on both sides believed that it was excessive, there would be too much noise from functions and too much traffic.”

On yer bike Campbell, ALP urges

NEWS

Forget power to the people ... the Opposition in City Hall wants the Lord Mayor to lead from the front when it comes to the new CityCycle bike hire scheme by putting power to the pedal ... his own.

Although the scheme opened a month ago, Campbell Newman still has not ridden a CityCycle bike, Labor leader Shayne Sutton claims. And this “failure” to ride one of the distinctive yellow bikes is an indictment of the botched scheme.
Councillor Sutton believes the reason the Lord Mayor hadn’t ridden a bike yet was because of safety concerns about the project.
“Campbell Newman has already admitted that accidents between motorists and CityCycle cyclists are inevitable, so perhaps that’s why he hasn’t used his own scheme yet,” Councillor Sutton said.
“Actions speak louder than words and Campbell Newman’s failure to use CityCycle is an indictment of this botched scheme.
“I have always said that CityCycle will only be successful if there are safe bikeways for cyclists to use, but Campbell Newman had made no attempt to create a safe cycling environment in the inner-city or come up with a solution to the helmet issue.
“If the Lord Mayor won’t use his own CityCycle bikes, how can he expect anyone else to? “I’d also like to know whether the Lord Mayor’s Public Transport Chairperson Margaret de Wit has used the scheme either.
“Labor Councillors have always supported the idea of a bike hire scheme, but Campbell Newman has completely botched the implementation of CityCycle,” she said.

• The Independent ran out of time to get a response from the Lord Mayor. His comments will be posted online shortly.

Here’s lurching at you, kid....

NEWS

The Living Dead did a great deal of good in the inner city last Sunday, with the Brisbane Zombie Walk raising more than $10,000 for the Brain Foundation of Australia.

Organisers are still working out the final numbers who took part in the annual event, but well over 5000 people registered. Many others obviously just thought, bleedin’ hell, and joined in anyway.
A final count on the funds raised and crowd numbers will shortly be available online at www.brisbanezombiewalk.com, where zombie merchandising is also up for grabs.

Photos: John Garozzo

Heritage protection ‘needed for our character housing’

PROPERTY Residential

The growing risk to Queensland’s distinct “timber and tin” character housing has seen it named in the National Trust of Australia’s “Our Heritage at Risk Top Ten List” announced last weekend.

The trust says Queensland’s extraordinary growth is placing increasing pressure on the state’s traditional timber buildings, particularly in the inner residential precincts of towns and cities.
The push for increased urban densities is resulting in reduced allotment sizes, residential towers overwhelming character areas, inappropriate infills spoiling streetscapes and even approvals that allow demolition of all but the front wall of a character house.
“The key to managing this extraordinary growth is encouraging appropriate development in the right places, while protecting the character areas for the future,” National Trust of Queensland executive officer Stewart Armstrong says.
“The National Trust is urging all governments to protect our character areas through clear identification, strengthening planning provisions and offering incentives to owners while encouraging appropriate development in other areas.’
Also included in the 2010 “Our Heritage at Risk Top Ten List’ are historical burial places and cemeteries, cemetery headstones and monuments across New South Wales and Queensland. Due to vandalism, neglect and lack of maintenance, cemeteries and gravestones are in poor condition across the two states.
One of the key issues is the confusion over who is responsible for the maintenance of graves and what consultation with descendants needs to take place before repairs can be undertaken.
The National Trust of Queensland is supporting a review of the legislation to clarify roles in caring for these socially and spiritually significant places of Australian heritage.

• For more information on the 2010 Our Heritage at Risk lists, please visit www.heritageatrisk.org.au

Building confidence ‘dead’

PROPERTY News

Despite all of the talk about a recovery and the re-emergence of the mining boom, confidence in the building industry remained subdued during the September quarter, according to a report released by Master Builders.

Master Builders director of housing policy Paul Bidwell said the latest Survey of Industry Conditions report highlights that rising interest rates, tight finance conditions and ongoing global economic uncertainty continue to take toll on the building and construction industry.
“Despite anecdotal evidence suggesting the financing situation is improving, businesses continued to report difficulties in securing finance,” he said.
“Tighter lending criteria and higher financing rates are also creating headaches for potential buyers, particularly those at the lower end of the income scale. And the risk-averse attitude of many consumers is contributing to a more difficult trading environment.
“So, it’s no surprise that nearly 60 per cent of businesses in the residential sector reported weaker trading conditions during the quarter.”
Local government planning approvals and infrastructure charges were other major constraints currently facing builders. The situation in the commercial sector was not much better with 50 per cent of businesses reporting weaker conditions over the three months to September.
“The availability of finance remains a critical constraint, although there are signs that this is improving very slowly,” Mr Bidwell said.
“Private sector demand also remains soft and there is growing concern about the sustainability of current activity levels once the remaining stimulus spending winds down.
“Most respondents are not confident about the short-term outlook either, with the majority expecting conditions to stabilise at the current less than satisfactory levels, rather than improve.
“The silver lining in this gloomy outlook is the fact that most businesses do not currently believe conditions will deteriorate further, unlike the last quarter’s results.”
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) decision to leave rates on hold during the quarter helped to calm industry nerves; however, this may change next week if the RBA decides to lift the official cash rate.
“Another rate rise will kill off any hope of short-term recovery,” he said “Businesses have seen how six interest rate rises from October 2009 through to May 2010 dampened demand, so they will be acutely aware of the potential impact of any further rate rises on consumer confidence and housing activity.”
Further jobs were lost during the quarter with more than a third of businesses reporting that they had reduced the size of their workforce. The building and construction sector is a major contributor to Queensland’s economy, employing about 10 per cent of the state’s workforce. Yet, since August 2008 the industry has shed almost 24,000 full-time workers. “Given that businesses usually shed staff as a last resort, these figures highlight the substantial pressure that many businesses in the industry are under,” said Mr Bidwell.
“While this attrition rate is expected to improve slightly during the December quarter, it will still remain high with one in four businesses forecasting a reduction in employee numbers.”
Master Builders Survey of Industry Conditions report provides information and analysis on industry expectations and business performance, based on a survey of Master Builders members across Queensland. For copies of the state and regional reports, visit www.masterbuilders.asn.au and click on ‘Publications’ and ‘Housing industry reports’.

• Master Builders is the peak industry association representing building and construction in Queensland since 1882. With more than 10,000 members, Master Builders is the voice of the industry. Their services support members to operate professional and profitable businesses that deliver superior quality outcomes to their customers.

Soaring bills will spark design rethink

PROPERTY Residential

Australian home owners facing a triple whammy of rising charges for electricity, water and gas will be in for a major shock this summer when for the first time they face power bills which will include the cost of running air conditioners with the higher electricity costs.

Air conditioning is one of the most expensive appliances to run in the home and business during Australia's hot summer. Between 2005 and 2010 general consumer prices have increased 16 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Archicentre, the building advisory services of the Australian Institute of Architects, says the sky rocketing costs of energy and water will be highlighted over summer and provide a strong focus on future housing design.
Archicentre Queensland state manager Ian Agnew said: “The use of air conditioning, both in homes and in businesses, is one of the prime drivers of peak demand and on extreme days of heat have contributed to major black outs in some states.
“The ongoing severe cost rises in water and power, and the changing political landscape on climate change and sustainability, has placed sustainable housing design and 'Green' retro-fitting on the economic and environmental agenda in Australia."
“The key to year-round comfort is passive solar design. This is where a highly trained architect carefully combines materials, methods, building form and the sun's natural energy to help keep your house cool in summer and warm in winter.
“This approach saves money, respects the environment and enables you to live comfortably year round". The energy-wise home requires a complex mix of well insulated, high thermal mass, intelligent glazing and ventilation, all arranged in a way that enhances comfort, anywhere in Australia."
"Insulation is paramount to the energy-wise home experience. Lining the roof, walls and floor can reduce heat loss in winter, and heat-gain in summer. Materials with a high thermal mass, like stone, brick or rammed earth, take a long time to heat up and a long time to cool down. Walls with a high thermal mass should be shaded to minimise a heat load in summer.

Where am I?

After the last one proved too difficult, we thought we’d make this issue’s Where am I as eazy as possibly peazy. Well, within reason.

Got an inkling where this is? If you think you know the answer tell us and you’ll have 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, 5 November 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!



Sorry! We obviously made last issue’s competition too difficult. No-one identified the building top that sits over the Avis Rent-a-Car office in Wickham Street, the Valley.

Sun to set on a state icon

FROM MY CORNER .... with ANN BRUNSWICK

As you read this it is certain that the outpouring of public grief that began earlier this week is continuing, and will no doubt continue for some days, weeks, or even months and years to come.

In scenes reminiscent of the mass hysteria that followed Princess Diana’s sudden death, Queenslanders have been weeping enough to fill Wivenhoe Dam in the past few days. Yes, the shock news of the death of the Sunland passenger train triggered waterfalls of tears among those of us who love rail travel.
Premier Anna Bligh has announced a $189 million project for Queensland Rail to build two new Tilt Trains. The project will also upgrade the existing two Tilt Trains. Unfortunately, the news was also accompanied by the announcement that the Sunlander services would be coming to an end after serving our state valiantly for the past 45 years.
Premier Bligh said the Sunlander would be replaced by the new Tilt Train services which in the process would reduce travel time between Brisbane and Cairns by five hours. She also made the observation that the Tilt Trains are the fastest in Australia, travelling at up to 160km an hour.
Did you catch those key words “up to”. Yes indeed, the Tilt Trains may travel at “up to” 160 clicks, but they are far from fast trains as they are known in many European and Asian countries.
It is a point this column has made once or twice before. A check of Queensland Rail’s own website reveals the facts. The Tilt Train takes 23 hours and 55 minutes to travel the east coast between our state capital and the far northern sub-tropical city of Cairns. That‘s a distance, as Queensland Rail itself points out on its site, of 1691 km.
Now my trusty calculator tells me that means the Tilt Train has an average speed of 70km an hour.
Wow! If you are on board don’t forget to protect your neck from the whiplash and muffle your ears from the sonic boom as it rockets along and reaches mach 0.12. It is indeed a tragedy that our iconic Sunlander must bite the dust. It has been so much a part of our history. As a young girl living at Bald Hills I would often pedal my Malvern Star to the nearby local station just to watch that morning’s Sunlander trundle past having left Roma Street Station on its way north. It was always an occasion to wonder who was on board and where and why they were travelling in what seemed to be such luxury. Then it was time to pedal back home in time for dinner before it got dark.

***

In making her announcement about the Sunlander and the new Tilt Trains, Premier Bligh said the investment in the new trains had been possible only because of asset sales, including the current public float of the QR National mineral haulage business, and the creation of a separate rail company dedicated to passengers.

Having had to squeeze on to trains at most times of the day it makes me, and no doubt other passengers, wonder why that suburban passenger rail company doesn’t come anywhere near breaking even or making a profit.
And of course now that the profit-making coal haulage business is being sold off, there will be no opportunity to use those profits to offset losses on passenger services or to improve services by adding extra carriages to reduce crowding. No, such improvements, if they ever come, will need to be achieved by higher fares.

Pollies go to war over our right to know

POLITICS ... with Mungo MacCallum

The debate on Afghanistan was long overdue and the Greens are to be congratulated for forcing it upon a reluctant government. But it must be said that we have learned very little from it to date.

A very large majority of the parliament supports the idea of having troops there – or at least most members say they do, but they would, wouldn’t they, because that’s the policy of the major parties. Julia Gillard supports the idea hugely and Tony Abbott supports it even more. But neither wants to send any more troops there and both would really like to withdraw troops as soon as possible … well, within a few years anyway, although it would be a mistake to set a timetable. And we will probably need to keep some involvement going for a some time after that, but we’re not quite sure what or for how long.
It used to be an axiom of military operations that before embarking upon any action, you should have a very clear idea of your objective. In the case of Afghanistan, this is not so. Originally the idea was to wipe out Al Qaeda and capture or kill Osama bin Laden – or so we were told.
Australia was involved because there had been an attack on American soil on September 11 2001 and thus the ANZUS Treaty could be invoked, but the invasion was also approved by the United Nations security council; all tickety boo. Nearly nine years later we are still involved, but the aims have changed.
We are still upholding ANZUS but we are apparently running a holding operation in Oruzgan province while training the Afghans to take over. Al Qaeda is dispersed, mainly to Yemen, Somalia and possible Pakistan; Osama is said to be living comfortable in Pakistan. Afghanistan is as far from peace and stability (let alone democracy) as it has ever been; the fragile and corrupt regime of Hamid Karzai and his fellow warlords holds sway in some areas while the Taliban rule unchallenged in others. The former are slightly less misogynist than the latter, but more dependent on the drug economy.
Apparently there is now talk of some sort of accommodation between elements of the two with a view to power sharing in Kabul and designated areas of influence elsewhere; this might lead to a ceasefire, but would be of dubious benefit to the people.
Both parties are deservedly loathed by a majority of the population. But the presence of foreign troops is resented even more, and not only in Afghanistan. There is abundant first-hand evidence that the principal motivation for most terrorist extremists is the invasion of what are regarded as Muslim lands by infidels. In a very real sense the diggers in Oruzgan are unintentionally moonlighting as recruiting agents for Al Qaeda.
And then there is the nuclear arsenal next door, Pakistan. The Taliban were created in Pakistan by Pakistan, with the overt and covert support of some very important people in the military and the secret services.
No one seriously believes that significant remnants of that support do not still exist. Pakistan is a large and powerful nation whose widespread poverty is due not to a lack of resources but to the fact that the military have grabbed most of them for their own use. While it remains at best ambivalent about its neighbour no end to the strife is possible.
Indeed, history would suggest that no end to the strife is possible under any circumstances and that foreign intervention only makes things worse. There is certainly plenty to talk about, and the debate has a long way to go past the slogans of the party leaders; but it is hard to see anything substantial coming out of it. So far the only serious proposition has come from the Greens’ Adam Bandt, and it was not really about Afghanistan: Bandt wants parliament, not the government, to have the final say over declarations of war.
It sounds attractive, but there are problems. Parliament as a whole can never be privy to all the information held by the intelligence agencies, both military and civilian, and while this may at times be misleading (Iraq’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction spring to mind) it is better to have it than not. And if only parliament can declare war, presumably only parliament can un-declare it; but in practice peace negotiations also have to be kept secret.
In any case, if Bandt’s intention is to give parliament the power to block the executive from getting into wars of which it disapproves, that power is already there; parliament can simply refuse supply, thereby denying the government the wherewithal to fight.
This would, of course, lead to an immediate election, but it seems only fair that the people should also have a say. As it is, it appears that while more Australians than not oppose the war in Afghanistan, they are prepared to trust the government: the anti-war movement is yet take to the streets.
But while Bandt’s idea may be naïve, it is hardly less so than those of John Howard, who enthusiastically and unilaterally took Australia into the coalition of the willing in Iraq. In published extracts from his forthcoming doorstopper, Howard writes that he was really unhappy when the then leader of the opposition, Simon Crean, wanted the endorsement of the United Nations security council before he would offer his support.
In other words, splutters our former Prime Minister, he was prepared to wait on the whim of Jacques Chirac and Vladimir Putin! Of course our man of steel had no such hesitations; ignoring the wishes of his own people and the vast majority of the nations and populations of the world, he flung himself fearlessly behind the whim of George Bush and Dick Cheney.
That’s leadership. Couldn’t we send him to Oruzgan?

One giant sand trap

TRAVEL ... with DAVID BRAY

Now here’s a rare thing. Unique in fact. As a life-long golfer and fairly frequent traveller, your reporter has never set eyes on a golf course he didn’t want to play. Not until a few weeks ago.

Coober Pedy has such a course, surprising in the fact that it’s there at all, totally lacking in appeal. Mainly because its surface boasts not one blade of grass. Sandy soil and stones, 18 holes, 5706 metres, par 72. We are told it is mostly played at night “with glowing balls” (a topic I pursued no further in our tour group bus). Players carry a little square of plastic material around to hit off.
They are welcome. But get this: Coober Pedy is the only club in the world to enjoy reciprocal rights at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Checked this one out and the story – from the Aussie Golfer blog – is that the Coober Pedy clubhouse burned down in 2002.
After the replacement was built, the club president sent St.Andrew's a photograph of the course and told them it was about time they got their course in good shape and asked if they would like reciprocal membership.
Surprisingly, a letter arrived from St.Andrew's Links Trust granting reciprocal rights on the provision they grant St.Andrew’s an opal mine. The opal mine and reciprocal rights were given and Cooper Pedy became the only course in the world with reciprocal rights with St.Andrew’s. One small catch: The reciprocal rights granted to Coober Pedy members is for the Balgove Course, the nine-hole and perhaps worst course in the St.Andrew’s Links Trust portfolio. Still a good story.
We find ourselves in Coober Pedy as part of a busy two-day, one- night expedition. That’s how long it takes us to get back of Bourke, underground at Coober Pedy, flying low over Lake Eyre and higher over the channel country into Birdsville.
In fact from front door to back home again is 37-and-a-half hours and I reckon we see more of this astonishing country on this trip than ever before. We are with a group of 60 souls, almost all of us well into the mature years.
Here’s the way it goes:
6 am: Taxi to airport. Head for Alliance check-in counter 11, where there’s no doubt about the demographics of the group – couples, 65-plus, most of us used to a bit of travel. Our transport is an Alliance Fokker 50, high wing, 60 passengers, two each side of the aisle. View is much the same from each, so no real need to swap when the views appear after 90 minutes of cloud.
Two hours to Bourke for fuel, 20 minutes to stretch the legs. Fine clear sunny day. Another two hours plus to Coober Pedy. One of the least appealing townscapes ever. Bare, barren a million holes and heaps.
Lunch underground, then off on a three-hour town tour including a couple of interesting churches (underground), the golf course and a nicely informative film about opals, followed by an opal-cutting demonstration.
Check in to the Desert Cave motel. Dugout room, by request, listed as four-star and pretty close to it. Comfortable, clean and as we find later in the night, very very dark and very very quiet.
Good company in the underground bar and at dinner where the food is adequate and wines good.
SES is running an exercise at the airport, but we get away on time and are quite soon at Lake Eyre where the pilots take us down to 1000 feet and we see just what an enormous expanse of water lies here still.
Onwards and upwards, Goyder Lagoon over fascinating patterns views of the Channel country, it looks almost water-logged and down to Birdsville, sunny, cool and home to an extraordinary museum of Queensland country life.
Reasonable lunch at the pub. Where else? And a three-hour plus flight home, with a glass or so of wine see us through. Down on time and the baggage carousel turns out to be right at the escalator to AirTran terminal.
Eight minutes to the next one. Change at Central, 12 minutes wait.
Home at Toowong by 7.30.

This is an excellent way to see remote and important parts of our country most of us would not otherwise venture into. It sounds hurried but wasn’t really so, even for those of us well into our 70s.

• Australian Air Holidays Weekend in the Outback. $2195 per person.

Secrets to Giesen’s success

WINE ... with DAVID BRAY




It seems as though sauvignon blanc has been around for a very long time and so it has. A few wineries at Marlborough on New Zealand’s South Island really got it going way back in the early 1990s. I loved it, and so did a good deal of the wine-drinking world.

In just on 20 years we have encountered the grape grown in vineyards all over the place and processed neat and in varying blends into wines ranging from brilliant to very good and plain ordinary.
No surprise then that the Giesen Brothers (Theo, Alex and Marcel) and their winemaking team have been wanting to push the boundaries for Marlborough sauvignon blanc. We are told their aim was “to dispel the myth that the region’s sauvignon blanc was a one trick pony”.
They wanted to show sauvignon blanc could make complex, multi-dimensional wines. Well here’s a wine they reckon does that: Giesen traditionally fermented sauvignon blanc. $39 or thereabouts at your local shop.
A fair amount of thought and hard work goes into this job, as of course it does into many of the fine wines now offered on our market. If you would prefer simply to drink and enjoy the stuff, read no further. If on the other hand you find that knowing how that delicious liquid came to be made improves your pleasure, read on. This is basically based on notes provided by Giesen.
The vines were pruned to two canes then shoot thinned to remove double shoots, downward growing shoots and to clear dense areas. After flowering and fruit set the vines were thinned to a maximum of two bunches per shoot.
The vines were hand-leaf plucked to improve fruit exposure and promote even ripening. Near veraison greener bunches were dropped by hand to even up maturity. Pre-harvest a quality control thin was conducted to remove damaged or botrytis infected bunches. The maturing fruit was regularly tasted to monitor acid degradation and flavor profile to select the optimum harvest day.
The first block was picked on April 8 2009 with the last on April 21. fruit was hand harvested into small picking crates which were put in a cool store overnight to chill the fruit before processing. Three days before harvesting they picked a bucket of grapes and crushed them to make a wild yeast starter, which was left in the warmth of the pump shed to get the temperature up.
This bucket of juice, skins and stems started fermenting within a day or two, at which stage they added more freshly crushed grapes. When the vineyard was harvested these yeast starters were brought into the winery, drained off and added to the juice from each block. The idea was to ferment the juice using the yeast that was on the grapes and therefore indigenous to each vineyard.
The whole bunches were pressed without de-stemming and crushing. The pressure was gradually increased with minimal rotating and macerating and the juice was run off to tanks before the barrels were gravity filled. A selection of oak was used including one new barrel and used barrels including some which were five-years-old and previously used for chardonnay.
Once the juice temperature was around 16°C the wild starter was introduced and the ferment was under way. From there the winemaking team were “hands off” with no nutrient additions or temperature control.
The ferments mostly went to dryness with some petering out at around 5 grams/litre residual sugar. It was decided not to allow malolactic fermentation so sulphur was added to the barrels about two weeks after the end of ferment. The wine rested on yeast lees for five months until blending in early October 2009.
End of the technical talk. Hope you learned a lot. It really is a good wine.

Cast brings book battle to life

FILMS ... with Tim Milfull

The Social Network (M)
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4/5
120-minutes


Within minutes of the opening of David Fincher’s new film The Social Network, the jilted Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) has dealt with his most recent relationship break-up by writing a program that crashes the servers at Harvard University.

It’s an astonishing solution for dealing with grief, but a perfect way to introduce the audience to the powerful intelligence behind Zuckerberg’s wild eyes. Based on Ben Mezrich’s book, The Accidental Millionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal, and adapted to the screen by Aaron Sorkin (who also wrote The West Wing), The Social Network is a fascinating analysis of the rise and rise of one of the world’s richest young men.
In a clever move, Sorkin tells Zuckerberg’s story through two court cases that were running at the same time; in fact, both shared witnesses for the defence and the plaintiff. In the first case, Zuckerberg is defending himself against charges of stealing the intellectual property of fellow Harvard students, twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Arnie Hammer and Josh Pence), and Divya Narendra (Maz Minghella); while in the second, Zuckerberg’s former best-friend Eduardo Severin (Andrew Garfield) is suing him for his considerable share of Facebook – a company by now worth tens of billions of dollars, which was based on an idea pitched to the programmer by the Winklevosses.
In between alternating rounds of testimony by Zuckerberg, the plaintiffs and their witnesses, we learn of how Facebook became a global phenomenon that has attracted more than half-a-billion members.
The Social Network is nothing less than fascinating viewing, firstly for the background about the social network, but also for some astonishing performances from Eisenberg, Garfield, and the ever more impressive Justin Timberlake as the charismatic but duplicitous Napster-founder, Sean Parker, and an excellent soundtrack by Trent Reznor.




Upholster uprising ultimately uplifting

Made in Dagenham (M)
Director: Nigel Cole
Stars: Sally Hawkins. Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson
Rating: 3.5/5
113-minutes

For those not in the know, Dagenham is an East London suburb that became one of the Britain’s industrial focal points in the 1930s after Ford Motor Company decided to establish one of their offshore factories there.

By the 60s the suburb was one of several throughout the United Kingdom that offered much-needed employment for tens of thousands of people. In 1968, when millions of people around the world were protesting about everything from claims to better education and wages, to an end to the Vietnam War, Ford decided to reclassify the entire workforce of female upholsterers to a lower pay-scale, claiming they were unskilled.
Directed by Nigel Cole, Made in Dagenham is a dramatisation of the events that followed on from Ford’s actions, as the women affected so drastically by the decision decided to take industrial action.
Led by Rita O’Grady (Sally Hawkins), and advised by shop steward, Albert Passingham (Bob Hoskins), the strikers bucked the orders by their umbrella union to stand down and let other (male) union actions take precedence.
William Ivory’s old-school screenplay tugs at the heartstrings of his audience, and makes heroines out of O’Grady, Passingham, and Secretary of Employment, Barbara Castle (a much-welcomed performance by Miranda Richardson). Sally Hawkins shows all the charming naiveté of her performance in Mike Leigh’s Happy-go-Lucky and I’m looking forward to her upcoming role in the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Never Let Me Go.
This old-fashioned David versus Goliath story pushes all the right buttons.



Going the BIFF in a new way

With a new opening night, new management and new locations, the 19th St George Brisbane International Film Festival has worked hard to refashion itself in a new image.

With the tagline of The Plot Thickens... the event also takes some new directions, and there are some exciting things to see in the program released by director Richard Moore last week.
Opening night on 4 November will feature Australia’s first 3D feature, an updated version of Mark Lewis’s Cane Toads: An Unnatural History.
This time around, and in all their 3D glory, Lewis offers Cane Toads: The Conquest, and the news isn’t good for Australia’s ecology.
With the G-rated CineSparks being cut loose, BIFF has taken on a much more adult flavour; even so, those parents with brave enough kids might like to check out the Dive-In Cinema scheduled for screening at Spring Hill’s Centenary Pool.
Elsewhere, from Palace Centro and Palace Barracks to Tribal Cinema at the old Dendy site in George Street, the range of films and documentaries is breathtaking. There are a dozen or so Australian productions screening, with four world premieres, and 40 world movies from countries as diverse as Tunisia and Uruguay.
The late night Shock Corridor program is back with some frightening fare, including a bizarre take on the theme of Santa – Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale; a weird tale of a malevolent tyre –Rubber – and the Mexican cannibalism film, We are What We Are.
Those looking for something realistic should thank former docomaker Richard Moore, because he’s included quite a few documentaries, including one of the best I’ve ever seen, in Marwencol (pictured above). There’ll be more about BIFF in the next issue of The Indie.

• For more details about times, ticketing, and films on offer, check out www.stgeorgebiff.com.au