TN’s and Teargas - Swanston Gazette Print Edition 2
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Yarra City Council Design & Development Update
Partner Hard + Colour News Story9/10/22
Understanding Journalism (COMM2657) - Assignment 2 Yarra City Council has proposed changes to introduce requirements for new developments for building height, building design and proximity to the road in the Fitzroy/Collingwood area after entering consultation with the local community.
The changes are intended to come into affect early next year.
The council intend to alter existing Design and Development Overlays (DDOs) as part of the Yarra Planning Scheme.
The proposed changes would introduce requirements for new developments in regards to building height, building design and proximity to the road in the Fitzroy/Collingwood area.
In a summary of the consultation period provided by a council spokesperson, Madeline Riseborough, which ran from September 27 until October 5, the council list multiple strategies it employed to engage with local residents and businesses.
“When we investigate DDOs to apply to our activity centres we investigate the capacity, feasibility and a whole range of factors when drafting DDOs for any area,” Riseborough said.
This includes the launch of the Your Say Yarra website, allowing users to interact with a map of the area with pop-up text highlighting summaries of existing DDOs and the proposed changes.
Using focus groups the council targeted groups such as renters, you
ng adults and culturally/linguistically diverse communities (CALD) who they claim do not typically engage with typical outreach measures
Paris Maritine, a local resident and live-music booker for venues su
ch as the famous John Curtain Hotel in Carlton, said the council has “great intentions”, with their commitment to community outreach but has criticised the system as a whole.
“The repeat rigmarole of severing and surveying and offering meetings and offering public consultations, it’s just all consuming.”
Maritine said that due to the financial backing of building developers, local residents are “repeatedly worn out”.
“The system is just flawed because the process is just so arduous on those people.”
Martine proposed introducing a scheme based on a UK model, the ‘Assets of community value’ policy introduced under the Localism Act 2011. It allows councils or groups to nominate properties of cultural significance, providing them with extra protections against developers if the property is to be sold.
“We need to look at that model quite seriously. We need people with the political will to do it,” she said.
When asked if the Council would vouch for a similar model if legislated Riseborough said they could not provide comment “as we have not done any investigation into anything of that nature”
Building home to beloved Fitzroy pub Labour-in-Vain sold for 6.6M to reported hospitality father-son duo following a month of doubt.
After a month of uncertainty the Leopoldseder family can breathe a sigh of relief as they opened the door for another day of trading.
Venue Manager, Vanessa ‘Ness’ Leopoldseder, pondered the future of the family-owned business after a month of anxiety following an unsuccessful auction.
“It’s great it didn’t get sold to a developer,” said Leopoldseder, elaborating that due to the various restrictions on the historic building many potential developers “got scared away at the auction”.
The building containing the venue as well as craft-store, Zetta Florence was sold last week by real estate agency, Colliers to an unknown 70-year-old male, his son and daugher-in-law, apparently with a background in hospitality according to Leopoldseder.
Located on Brunswick St, the door creaked open for another day of same ol’ service as regulars shuffled inside soundtracked by a crack of snooker-breaks - Like a weathered-monument of a war hero, this uncut gem of a pub is nestled amongst up-market, $7-for-1-oyster kinda restaurants serves as a reminder of the no-frills experience that many locals desire and consider their go-to knock-off pint spot.
Leopoldseder explained “We’re lease holders, there’s been the same families owning the building for about 40 years and while the grandmother was alive she refused to sell the building and now she’s passed away and the children are splitting up the money.”
However there is no need for immediate panic proclaimed Leopoldseder as the venue still is still leased until 2025, “we’ve got a few years, we’re not closing tomorrow.”
Built in 1853, the Labour in Vain operated as a pub and hotel to the bourgeoning inner-north suburb until it was forced to close in 1925 as a drinking establishment by the licence reduction board. It spent an intermittent 72 years as a butchery and confectioner (two-seperate businesses mind you, that would be gross) before reopening in 1998 as a licensed watering-hole once again, solidifying it’s place in the crown of ol’ Fitzroy jewels.
The Leopoldseder family has been running the show since 2005, “It’s very much family orientated, my mother, we call her the office lady, she’s literally the one who runs the business, she’s the reason that front door gets opened everyday.”
Even though with the cornerstone status the venue holds in the community Ness proclaimed the venue’s independence and wariness of working with the council, “We’re outsiders, we like to do things our way.”
She criticised the council’s lack of meaningful programs, including an offer of having a council chosen live band play on the street in-front of the building; although, she praised the generous grant money the venue received from the state-run initiative, Music Victoria which allowed them to install a new sound system for live music.
“I’m not allowing the local council to put on a show outside my business without having any input into as to what that show’s gonna be.”
Admittedly, she is unsure what might happen when the lease is up, whether the Leopoldseder clan will part-ways running the place after a 20 affair with the beloved grog shop or negotiate a new lease with the incoming owners.
Despite the uncertainty, the family ethos remains steady on course in the face of turbulent times, as 'Ness declared - “it’s for the community, it’s never for us to make money”, “our family philosophy is “we don’t give a shit about money.
Making up for lost time: The Rookies’ triumphant 8th birthday on home turf.
21/9/22COMM2835 Journalism Reporting & Writing
If a nostalgia trip to a seemingly bygone era of sweaty dance floors and silky saxophone solos was what you were looking for, The Rookies’ eighth birthday was the place to be. With sixth and seventh birthdays thrown in there for good measure, on an unassuming, drizzly Wednesday night Fitzroy’ The Rooks Return came alive to celebrate the band whose roots had flourished from that very space.
Born from the moody lights and seemingly never ending flow of Fernet Branca at the Brunswick street dive bar, The Rookies have been slinging free-flowing jazz and uninhibited political commentary every Wednesday since 2014. Band leader and agent provocateur, Greg Sher (alto saxophone) is joined by an ever-rotating ensemble of musicians and commonly members of the crowd to thump out jazz classics, original songs and even a few contemporary pop numbers.
With the venue stripped of any furniture that wasn’t bolted down and balloons blown The Rookies took what little stage they could claim back from patrons and did what they do best.
With a healthy spread of cakes and fairy bread spread around, the band took their positions behind their respective instruments, double bass, drum-kit, keyboard, trombones, too many trumpets to count and even a set of bongos.
Sher took his usual spot atop the bar armed with a microphone and well-used saxophone. The band launched into a barrage of bops, cruising between their own back catalogue of modern lounge tunes and raucous classic jazz covers that sent the crowd into frenzy.
Fan favourite “Love is Everywhere”, from the band’s 2019 debut album sent the crowd wild as band fixture, Ben Gillespie (vocals/trumpet) croons to the soft strumming of double bass before the microphone was aimed back towards the eager crowd, singing back every single word.
As bartenders cracked tinnies for customers who some how made it through the near impenetrable crowd the iconic quips of the bands frontman were met with cheers.
“We’re not free until everyone is free.” Sher declared.
“I never thought we would be able to get this culture back after Covid, I mean it we all probably cried,” Sher said, reflecting on the effect of numerous lockdowns.
“We all just felt like we had lost something so incredibly pure.”
If one wanted any evidence that the socially-distanced, QR code ordering nights of the past were over, consider this Watergate, but you know in a spilt beer and late-night kebab kinda way.
Do you believe in life after lockdown? Well The Rookies do as they careen into their second-to-last song, a cover of Cher’s (yes, that Cher, not Sher, I think they just really have a thing for namesakes) 1998 classic ‘Believe’, that sent one the many trumpet players into a sea of hands, crowdsurfing his way around the bar, trumpet and all.
After all the vertical chaos just prior, a hush washed over the audience as, party poppers and bottles of bubbly were dispersed. The crowd knew what was coming, the big one, as per the traditional Rookies-on- a-Wednesday set closer: an albeit slightly modified version of jazz titan Louis Armstrong’s timeless song ‘On The Sunny Side Of The Street’.
Somehow stretched out to 15 minutes and enduring multiple premature party poppers, the band finally launches into the final verse with a slightly more up to date lyric, swapping out Armstrong’s “I'll be rich as Rockefeller,” for “I’ll be as rich as Kerry Packer!”.
As smeared cake was wiped off tables and patrons descended into the smokers, vapes at half mast, there was a sense of strengthened resolve; that after enduring the longest COVID lockdown in the world maybe we really are on the sunny side- no, I’ve already hit my pun quota. Not ending it like that.
Simply put - maybe, just maybe, we’re free again.
Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment Protest
19/8/22COMM2835 Journalism Reporting & WritingAround 70 protesters have gathered on Victoria’s Parliament steps to challenge the latest legislation they claim is targeting environmental activism at logging sites.Victorian Greens lower house MP for Prahran, Sam Hibbins, said the “draconian” laws are an “absolute disgrace”.Flanked by members of international environmental activist group, Extinction Rebellion, Hibbins accused the Andrews government of supporting illegal logging of native forest and passing anti- protest legislation “to stop citizens defending our forests on the ground”.
Despite the protest the bill was in parliament’s upper house later in the day and is set to be ratified into law.
Interviewed after the protest Hibbins said “this is a precedent in all sorts of other anti-protest laws. It’s really the government acting as essentially the henchmen of the fossil fuel corporations”.
“It isn’t because any safety of workers or anything like that,” "they know the one thing, that’s standing in their way, that’s stopping them logging native forests, is protesters,’ said Hibbons
The protest is aimed at the proposed amendments to the Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment (Timber Harvesting Safety Zones) Bill 2022, which allows for much harsher penalties against protesters at logging sites.
Hibbons said, “The bill basically puts in place the potential for imprisonment and, or a massive twenty odd thousand fine for protesters”.
Under the new amendments, the maximum jail sentence for obstructing or impeding timber harvesting operations is up to 12 months and fines upwards of $21,000.
The amendments to the bill also introduce offences for individuals conducting protest activities in Timber Harvesting Safety Zones.
Timber Harvesting Safety Zones are small, restricted sites where logging takes place. It is illegal for an unauthorised person to enter.
The power to search bags and vehicles and confiscate any prohibited items has been given to authorised officers - as well banning notices for up to 28 days can be issued to any individuals where there is reasonable grounds to believe that a person has committed or continues to commit a specified offence.
In relation to similar laws in other states, Hibbins said “this is really concerning, we’re seeing it in Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania even.” “When you look where we are in history, we’re facing a climate crisis, we’re facing an extinction crisis.”
Sentiment against the bill is shared by the United Workers Union and the Victorian branch of the Maritime Union of Australia as outlined in a letter sent to Premier Daniel Andrews, as well as the Ministers for Workplace Safety and Agriculture.
A full copy of the letter could not be obtained however a United Workers Union (UWU) spokesperson has provided a statement calling the amendments a “attack on the right to protest”.
UWU spokesperson said “The union movement and its associated class movements have used protesting as a tool to win change for workers and the wider community for centuries and we hope to continue to do so.”
The unions contend the legislation undermines democracy and the right to protest and will not result in improved workplace safety for forestry workers.
The Victorian National Parks Association is Victoria’s leading nature conservation organisation and the independent non-for-profit group has also criticised the Andrews government.
Parks and nature campaigner at the VNPA), Jordon Crooks said: “It shows the government has really poor priorities. With fines of $21,000 and a year in a jail for just walking into a logging coupe, which is public land, it’s just crazy.”
“They can rush through a bill that locks up protesters and citizens but they can’t legislate new national parks,” Crooks said.
When questioned about the possible injury of forestry workers, a reason cited for the amendments Crooks said: “They always used the principles of non violent direct action” and “the Andrews government is legislating for a problem that isn’t there. But doing so because their mates in the timber industry and the CFMEU have pressured them to stop any oversight."
Crooks compared the current situation to the Hazelwood coal-mine protests that occurred in 2009-10.
“I remember protesting around the Hazelwood coal-mine when that was running, and the laws that got put around that area and that mine were just as draconian as these laws that are now in the forest,” Crooks said.
In 2014, the open-cut style mine caught fire due to a bushfire occurring in the surrounding area. The blaze took 45 days to bring under control. Research done by Professor Adrian Barnett, from the Queensland University of Technology alleged there was a high probability smoke from the fire has caused over 10 premature deaths in the Latrobe Valley area.
“Victoria is meant to be the most progressive state in Australia,” “but when you’re locking up protestors...,” “the average forest protestor is a 65 year old woman taking pictures of habitat trees they don’t want cut down,” Crooks said.
VicForests, the state-owned enterprise responsible for undertaking logging and commercial timber sales in Victoria declined to give a direct comment on the amendments to the bill, saying “It might be worth contacting the government on matters regarding bills.”
