Category: News

The Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee has recommended the Federal Government not proceed with proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA).

Campaign Co-Chair Kirstie Parker said the proposed changes would significantly weaken protections against racial hatred.

“We know that racism makes us sick and we know that legislative protections play a key role in shaping acceptable social norms.

“One recent study from Victoria revealed that 97 per cent of participants had experienced racism in the past 12 months. Eighty-four per cent of the participants had been sworn at or verbally abused and 67 per cent had been spat at or had something thrown at them,” said Ms Parker, who also co-chairs the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples.

“If we are to close the unacceptable health and life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians, racism must be addressed. The RDA in its current form has a critical role to play,” she said.

Campaign Co-Chair Mick Gooda, who is also the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, said the evidence speaks for itself and the proposed changes should not go ahead.

“Evidence clearly demonstrates experiences of racism are associated with both poor health outcomes and health risk behaviours. Racism is linked to anxiety, depression, poor mental health, psychological distress, suicide risk, diabetes, smoking, alcohol and substance misuse and emotional and behavioural difficulties,” Mr Gooda said.

“Before making any changes to the RDA, the Federal Government should explicitly consider the evidence on the impact of racism on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It must ensure that any proposed change does not have a negative health impact,” Commissioner Gooda said.

The submission details the significant evidence that links Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s experience of racism with negative impacts on health.

The Close the Gap Campaign has advised the Attorney-General that strong anti-racism measures, including protections of the type currently included in the RDA, are required to combat interpersonal and systemic racism.

The submission makes two recommendations:

That the Australian Government does not proceed with introducing the Freedom of Speech (Repeal of S.18C) Bill 2014 (Cth) into Parliament;

That prior to introducing an amendment to Part IIA of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), the Australian Government, utilising the existing evidence base, assess the impacts the proposed changes could have to the physical and mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and that this assessment be made publicly available.

The Close the Gap Campaign is Australia’s biggest public movement for health equality. It is a coalition of Australia’s leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous health and human rights organisations.

At this year’s National Close the Gap Day approximately 150,000 people participated in 1,298 events across the country showing their support for closing the gap.

Correy Edmed remains king of the mountain after another BDO Brisbane Coot-tha Challenge hill climb crown, held as part of Bike Week 2014.

The 34-year-old conquered the 2.3 kilometre 9 per cent climb to Coot-tha’s summit in a gut-busting 6 minutes and 50 seconds, edging out close rival Ben Cook by just two seconds.

Correy and Ben were among a field of 1,500 riders who tested their limits in the timed run up the mountain as part of the 75 and 110 kilometre routes of the BDO Brisbane Coot-tha Challenge while a further 600 revelled in the flatter courses of the Great Brisbane Bike Ride.

The rides, organised by Bicycle Queensland, wrapped up Bike Week 2014 and bought to a close nine days of cycling fun, education and encouragement.

Bicycle Queensland CEO Ben Wilson said the camaraderie of the big rides day was the perfect finish to the Bike Week program.

“The purpose of Bike Week is to encourage more people to cycle more often and the response from riders new and old has been outstanding,” he said.

“From a friendly 30 kilometre spin to the 110 kilometres up Mt Coot-tha and beyond, the big rides take in some of Brisbane’s top cycling experiences and offer an entry point for those who haven’t been on a bike in a while or a challenge for the more seasoned rider.”

Mr Wilson said the Closed Streets for Kids event was a new addition to the Bike Week program and proved to be a hit with young bike riders.

“The free event gave biking youngsters control of Riverside Drive between Jane Street and the Kurilpa Bridge and it was wonderful to see the next generation of Coot-tha Challenge riders having fun on their bikes and improving their road rule knowledge and skills at the same time,” he said.

“I think the parents may have learned a thing or two as well.”

No major incidents or injuries were reported among the participants and Mr Wilson thanked Brisbane’s other road users for their patience and courtesy as the riders completed their ride.

A full list of hill climb times is available at www.coot-tha.bq.org.au/ride-info/hillclimb

Bike Week 2014 is partnered by the Queensland Government with support from BDO, Transcity Joint Venture and SCODY.

Des Skordilis is this month’s winner of the Bent Books Poetry Prize. Congratulations Des, your $50 Book Voucher is waiting for you at Bent Books in West End.

SCOUT

A stray cat showed up

To my door one afternoon

She was so feeble

And scruffy and she

Had these big hazel eyes

That stared right into

The core of my soul

You could see her ribs

And she struggled to

Walk up three flights

Of stairs and I would

Just sit on the deck

With her at night and

She’d just watch me

Think too much about

The existential chaos

That perturbs my brain

Most of the time

And I felt less alone

With her there because

I could see her struggling

Her breathing was off

But so was mine and

I felt a bond with this cat

I could see myself in her

Later, I found out she

Lived down the road

But the owners went

On holidays for six weeks

And she was craving food

And affection because

Apparently the lady that

Was supposed to look

After her wasn’t feeding her

So I spent my last seven dollars

On cat food and wrapped her

In a towel because she

Was so frail I couldn’t

Even stand looking at her

I thought she was sick

Turns out she was just aged

She was twenty-one years old

The average lifespan of a cat

Is twelve to eighteen years

And I thought that was

Impressive and I found

Out her name was Scout

Her owners are back home now

So she doesn’t come around anymore

But at least I know she’s still kickin’ on

And I’ve never been a cat person

See more of Des’ poetry at: http://halfstrange.wordpress.com/

Queensland Ballet’s Coppelia is glorious.

Sumptuous, brilliantly danced and boasting a ripe sense of humour this performance will engage Queenslanders just as company director Li Cun Xin hopes.

It does no harm to his more ambitious goal: to make Queensland Ballet internationally renowned and respected.

The principal dancers are sublime.

Meng Ningning is delicate, graceful and robust at the same time. Her representation of the girl pretending to be a doll that operates under the spell of Dr Coppelius is brilliant dancing, acting and comedy all at once. The sequence where he has her mimic a range of folk dances in quick succession just about had the premiere audience on its feet. She plays with the doctor, the audience and the character while performing a most demanding dance sequence with simple grace.

Emilio Pavan is the perfect complement. The company dancer’s incredible strength, beauty and grace is breath taking. The fact that he is an absolute hunk of a man, with the best glutes and quads on the planet, doesn’t hurt either. His acting ability matches Meng’s, creating a playful and romantic presence that leaps off the stage. Into the bargain, the two of them perform a range of dace feats to create living, breathing sculpture as well as sublime dance and musical theatre.

The second male lead, Nathan Scicluna, almost reaches the soaring heights of the principals. The part does not give him quite as much scope but he makes the most of his opportunities. His humour, charm and wry representation of the dopey bloke who can’t detect romance when he trips over it is a highlight. His Aussie sense of humour reflects that of choreographer Greg Horsman, fully realising the comic potential of his scenes. Arguably, he is the most likeable character on stage.

Horsman has done a brilliant job of bringing a popular and classical work to a modern audience. The fact that Coppelia is so popular and well known presents him with a challenge. Every change he makes to Marius Pepita and Arthur Saint-Léon’s original is scrutinised and challenged by balletomaines.

He has left most of the most famous dances alone, with the delightfully dangerous exception of Australian Rules Footballers in well-known team colours dancing the famous Mazurka with a football. One of the best known pieces of music and popular dances, becomes hilarious, risky and delightful with this simple twist. Of course, it will only confirm the prejudices of some thick-necked northerner who believe that footballers should stay close the ground and rarely, if ever, touch the ball with their feet.

He also teases out the narrative elements as fully as he can, portraying Dr Coppelius as a tragic father obsessed by the loss of his daughter. This adds a great deal of sympathy and depth to that character, so that we sympathise with his aloofness in the first act, villainy in the second and welcome his re-appearance and rapprochement  in the third.

He uses all this and more to give the third act some substance. That act has often been dropped in modern performances of Coppelia as it adds little to the narrative and is simply a showcase of a range of dance styles.

Horsman’s integration of the Scot and German ancestry of the Australian/German village of Hahndorf lent a nice touch of local colour to this and again he applies a good deal of humour to leaven the load. Dr Coppelius is brought in to make peace with the rest of the company, who he has battled consistently through the previous two acts.

What does not work so well, is the inclusion of an extended prologue to introduce the daughter and transport the Doctor and his daughter’s ghost from nineteenth century Germany to Australia.

Yes, being able to love the doctor is a valuable narrative device and yes, localising the scene allows for touches such as the Magpie Mazurka. Essentially though, the prologue and animated story projected on screen form an awkward pause before the ballet begins. Rather than working as an aperitif, or foreplay, it is simply delays the action.

It would have been truly radical and extremely difficult to insert a new dance involving the death of a central character into such a classic ballet, so it is clear why Horsman did not try. However, if his narrative device is worthwhile, then something of that nature is required. It would be a far more elegant solution than an animated in-ship GPS, as the daughter dies and is tipped over the side of the ship on a half-lit stage.

All up, that is a minor complaint.

The staging is beautiful, the dancers stunning, the humour hilarious and the acting delightful. The premieré audience was pleased, thrilled and warmed to the innermost cockles. Li Cun Xin will press his company dancers for more technical excellence and because of the superlative standard set by the principal dancers and the high quality of the performance overall, I’m sure he will get it.

If you love theatre, dance or the ballet and you can afford a ticket take the opportunity. It is wonderful.

This Saturday get off your pass

Musgrave Park has a free Hip Hop class

You will be shown the groove by Josh or Ben

The Free lessons start at ten

They go for an hour and then

you can Rap your rellos, jive your friends

Google the guys from lyrical

or just get down there and drink your fill

Its fun and educational

You’ll be amazed how good you feel

The lessons go until the end of June

Start next Saturday its not too soon.