48 Hours in Melbourne

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Posted on by Brad Heap
Southern Cross Station

This gallery contains 48 photos.

I have just got back from a very fast weekend holiday in Melbourne.

At 7.45am on Friday I caught the daylight XPT Train from Sydney to Melbourne. I really like trains so spending over 11 hours on a train is better and cheaper than flying. Upon arriving in Melbourne I headed to the airport to meet a friend flying in from NZ to join me for the weekend. Once we had checked into our accommodation (Space Hotel) we went for a midnight stroll around the CBD.

On Saturday we got up early and headed out to the MCG and walked around the former Olympic Stadiums. From there we caught a tram to St Kilda and Luna Park before spending the afternoon shopping. In the evening we investigated Southbank and Crown Casino. The casino complex is massive, by far the biggest casino I have been in, and also just as impressive in eating my $5 I put in a pokie machine in rapid time.

Having tired our legs out with so much walking on Saturday, we spent Sunday morning at Melbourne Museum. Their dinosaur exhibition is amazing (see video below). From there we went shopping at Spencer Street Mall – which has a very Dressmart feel to it. After this me and my friend parted ways, they flew back to NZ and I caught the overnight XPT train back to Sydney.

This was my third visit to Melbourne, it is one of my favourite cities, in fact I came very close to moving there a few years ago – but a better opportunity arose in Sydney. The city has so much shopping, trams, and culture. Everywhere you go and look there is something unique and different to see. I simply love it.

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Sydney’s Historical Revisionism – divisive not productive

Posted on by Brad Heap

Last night the City of Sydney Council voted to use the word ‘invasion’ to describe the arrival of European settlement in Australia in official council documents. The decision was made under the threat of the resignation of the Aboriginal advisory panel if the word was not used. However, instead of moving Sydney and Australia forward, the decision by the City of Sydney has opened up a can of historical worms with its attempts at revisionism.

The reality is Australia was settled not invaded. If Australia was invaded it would have involved guns, wars and people conquered. However, for the most part the initial establishment of Australia was peaceful. Sure there are stories about violence against some Aboriginal communities, however, there are equally as many stories about the trade between the European arrivals and established Aboriginal communities. The main problems in Australia’s history, such as the White Australia Policy, came later.

I believe it is right to attempt to amend the wrongs of the past. It is especially important to help those people where as a result of the past there is still pain, disadvantage and suffering today. However, this change does not seek to make any difference to the lives of people; instead it is mere political pandering to a select few who play politics.

What the city of Sydney (and Australia) really needs to do is work to be inclusive to all, acknowledging its indigenous heritage, and building partnerships with all communities to move forward together as a united nation. However, while Europeans continue to be seen as invaders and Aboriginals as lazy this will not happen. It is time for both sides to stop living 220 years in the past and instead have a cultural perspective change and focus on future.

 

We can do better than mandatory detention of refugees #gobacksbs

Posted on by Brad Heap

Throughout this week SBS’s Go Back To Where You Came From sparked a number of discussions in my workplace. One key topic of discussion was on the life of refugees compared to those living in extreme poverty. Just because you are poor doesn’t make you a refugee, and just because you are a refugee shouldn’t confine you to a life of poverty.

Unfortunately, however, the problems of poverty and displaced peoples are often connected. The west has also been trying to solve both problems for decades now with little success. The reality is no matter how hard we try, it is human nature to start wars, which naturally displace people. Also with wars, famine, floods, and a growing global population there is always going to be hunger.

The two extremes of the refugee debate in Australia are “Stop the boats. Close the borders.” and “Let everyone who wants to come in, we have enough room.” Of course neither extreme is workable so we end up with a compromise position somewhere in the middle.

At the moment the current Australian Government policy is to make it as hard as possible for refugees to enter Australia through the use of mandatory detention and the threat of deporting people to Malaysia. We are like the big bully picking on the weakest most vulnerable kid in the playground. We act tough when in reality we just have a warped sense of entitlement.

Too often we forget that being a refugee gives you a ticket to the most unlucky lottery in the world. Some people are fortunate they win the lottery easily and make it to the west relatively quickly. Others face years of going from country to country running from the constant threat of death. By the time someone gets in a rusty, old, overcrowded boat they are at a state of desperation.

Upon arriving in Australian territory asylum seekers are thrown into prison – after all these people have gone through to make it alive this far you think they would have a little more luck in the lucky country. Quite simply the approach taken by the Australian authorities is inhumane, unjust and unnecessary.

In an opinion piece on theage.com.au Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser outlines a 10 steps to solve the refugee crises in a much better way. He writes:

Australia should not seek to avoid its obligations by shifting asylum seekers to another country. There are many questions and problems relating to the so-called agreement with Malaysia. The whole idea of swapping asylum seekers including children in this way, as if they are commodities, is odious. It is trading in people. It is neither an appropriate nor a just solution.

Mandatory immigration detention centres should be abolished. Detention for the purpose of health, identity and security checks alone should be permissible.

We should be especially concerned about children in detention. The previous government made a commitment to get children out of detention, yet in February there were more than 1000 children in detention

The punitive approach taken to asylum seekers who come to Australia by boat – who are detained often for years – and to those who have come by air – who are living in the community but are denied any form of government support – should be replaced by a humane and compassionate policy where support is given to those in distress.

A strong, multicultural Australia that draws strength from its diversity, that debates real issues of importance to ourselves and to common humanity, has contributed so much in the past. It must do so again.

The pettiness and meanness of the current debates about asylum seekers and indeed on other issues that are dealt with on a totally partisan basis must be put aside.

We should also ask ourselves what we as Australians need to do so that politicians will learn to appeal to the best of our natures and cease playing politics with the lives of vulnerable people.

You can read the full article here: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/how-australia-can-solve-its-asylum-seeker-problem-20110624-1gjlt.html

Fraser’s ideas make sense and are completely workable. One can only hope that somehow the politicians in Canberra hear him, and the voices of everyone else who are saying that there is a better way.

#gobacksbs What now? How can we go from passive watchers to active change makers?

Posted on by Brad Heap

Over the past three evenings SBS have aired Go Back To Where You Came From – their Amazing Race meets Survivor reality TV documentary on refugees. It is compelling and emotional watching and the interactive feedback via Twitter and Facebook has seen it get decent media coverage.

Now that the show has concluded the question that lingers is “What now? How can we go from passive watchers to active change makers?” As of this morning smh.com.au is reporting that the government is continuing to push on with negotiations to send asylum seekers to Malaysia for “processing”.

The Malaysian solution is the first thing that needs to be stopped. Even refugee advocates believe Nauru is a better alternative than Malaysia. As #gobacksbs showed Malaysia is home to 100,000 refugees who live in extreme poverty and are at risk of beatings just because they are refugees. UNICEF Australia has a letter writing campaign in force to object to the Malaysia solution, it may only be a symbolic action to get involved but please do.

In the long term Australia needs to close its detention centres and take a much more humane approach to dealing with refugees. Richard Ackland makes these comments in another smh.com.au article:

“…people who were treated humanely and in non-detention environments were more likely to be compliant with authorities, including those facing return to their country of origin. Rates of absconding were also very low – about 1 per cent.

We’re talking about countries where asylum seekers are processed in the community, including open reception centres. This is the norm in many European countries, as well as South Africa and New Zealand.

In Australia people held in detention deteriorate quite quickly, they develop grievances and are less able to engage with the authorities. There are the inevitable pitched battles and rarely are those facing removal compliant.”

Unfortunately the only way we are going to see change in Australia is through political pressure. I hope that some back-bench Labor MPs saw #gobacksbs last night and will put internal pressure on the Labor party to stop pandering to racists. I also hope that in the wake of the grass roots action will increase. Imagine seeing a day of action for refugees like we saw for the carbon tax a few weeks back.

Most importantly it is time for those 600,000 viewers of #gobacksbs last night to find their voice and speak up. Start local – talk to friends and family about the refugee crises and the myth of “illegal immigrants”. Send letters to MPs and media outlets voicing your opposition to mandatory detention and let them know there is a better way. Finally, if you want to take direction action, get involved with UNICEF, World Vision, and other NGOs. The only way change can be made is through people power.

 

Photos: Vivid Sydney 2011

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Posted on by Brad Heap
P1170511

This gallery contains 30 photos.

Tonight a group of friends from uni and I went to Vivid Sydney and had a fantastic time. Vivid Sydney is on every night for the next week and a bit at Circular Quay and The Rocks and it is well worthwhile checking out. But don’t take my words for it, instead let my photos below convince you.

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Photos: Manly to Spit Bridge Walk

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Posted on by Brad Heap
Departing Sydney

This gallery contains 23 photos.

Yesterday a group of us from uni walked the Manly Scenic Walk (Manly Wharf to Spit Bridge). The walk is only 9km but advertised as being between 3.5 – 4.5 hours, and somehow it managed to take a group of us 20-something year olds five hours to complete. This was mainly because we went down every side track possible and stopped at every corner to take photos. The best of my photos are below:

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Walking Sydney Town Hall to ANZAC Bridge and return

Posted on by Brad Heap

This afternoon I decided to walk across ANZAC Bridge. Almost every weekend I stretch my legs over the Sydney Harbour Bridge but today I decided it was time for a change.

Walking from Town Hall to ANZAC Bridge I got myself a little bit lost through the back streets of Pyrmont but eventually managed to find the pedestrian access to the bridge.

The bridge is a marvel. When Sydney builds something they typically do it in a way that simply takes your breathe away. I simply love the fact that all the major Sydney landmarks are easily accessible by foot it is something that other cities (hint hint Auckland) still need to learn.

Overall the walk from Town Hall across the Bridge and return took just over an hour and is about 6km. It is a decent but busy walk but is a lot less tourist crazy than the Harbour Bridge.

Below are some photos I took along the way.

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Brian “Head” Welch’s Stronger

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I have just finished reading Brian “Head” Welch’s Stronger – Forty Days of Metal and Spirituality. The book is a forty day devotional consisting of a few scriptures and then a few pages of either commentary or stories from Welch about how these scriptures have impacted his life.

This is the second Welch book I have read (see here my comments on his first) and like his previous work this book comes across in an easy to read style that engages the reader in a way that they can relate to. This is what makes Welch’s work particularly good, this is a book about God written not by a high and mighty spiritual perfectionist but instead by a guy who has been on top of the secular world and seen his world crumble all around him and somehow in all the mess, the drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll he found God who has given him a whole new perspective on life.

Overall, Stronger gives an excellent insight into the struggles of everyday life but also how you can live your life with God in control without coming across as some weird ultra-religious zealot. I would recommend anyone who struggles with how they can keep their faith real and relevant in modern society to pick up this book and give it a read, it is short but will challenge the depth of your soul.

 

The consequences of the apathetic generation

Posted on by Brad Heap

Over the last few weeks a revival has happened in New Zealand politics – but not a good revival. On both the left and the right of the political spectrum we have seen a return to the 80s in both politics and politicians.

Let’s start with the Act Party. Strange things happen in politics sometimes. But you can’t get much stranger than Don Brash, former leader of the National Party who is no longer an MP and not a member of the Act Party demanding that Rodney Hide, current Parliamentary leader of the Act Party resign and give the leadership to him or else he will ‘destroy them‘. Out of this coup we have seen the undead zombies of Rogernomics arise with cries of “sell it, sell it, sell it all”.

Meanwhile in the land of the loony left we have the rise of the Mana Party. Rebel former Maori Party MP, Hone Harawira has broken every promise he has made to start this party which features such great minds as Sue Bradford, Matt McCarten and John Minto. The key policy planks of Mana seems to revolve “buy it, buy it, buy it all”. They want to nationalise all monopolies and duopolies and tax and tax and tax everyone into equal poverty.

The co-current leader of the Greens, Russel Norman, sums up the current situation pretty well: “…who wants to relive the battles of the 1980s and 1990s? We’re in 2011 for God’s sake. We need a progressive force that actually deals with where we are now, not tries to refight the 1980s and 1990s.”

That is exactly how I feel. At the moment the NZ National Party wants to step back in time and see MMP removed and replaced with essentially FPP on steroids. Both the extreme left and right parties want to return to the past as well… as for Labour… well where have they been for the last three years? Let alone now… who knows that they stand for or want?

Personally I wonder if the success in the revival of 80s politics is actually a result of the failure of my generation to stand for what they believe in. Political apathy amongst my peers is high. No one cares about politics because ultimately many of them feel that no matter what they do, nothing will change. We see National governments and we see Labour governments and essentially they do the same thing… talk, talk, talk, build a white elephant here and hey presto throw in a big sports tournament and we have another three years gone.

Wasted money on white elephants and sports tournaments are enough to get old people angry enough to go to the extremes to try and make a difference. But for many young people making a difference is a turn off. The world won’t change in the typing of a status message on Facebook so therefore it isn’t worthwhile doing.

As a result, we find ourselves where we are today, a generation of young people who are being neglected because politicians know we don’t care and therefore they don’t need to cater to our needs. They know they can simply hold a sports event every three years which will get us drunk enough to forget about our real needs. And unfortunately by the time we wake up from this hangover we will be bearing the consequences of this neglect for many years to come.

 

Censoring Royal Wedding Commentary Will Only Increase Popularity For Republicanism

Posted on by Brad Heap

This afternoon ABC TV was forced to cancel its plans for The Chaser comedy team to provide satirical commentary of the royal wedding on Friday night. The official reason for the cancellation of the broadcast was because the conditions of use of the BBC footage cannot be used “in any drama, comedy, satirical or similar entertainment program or content“.

Personally, I am disappointed. I was looking forward to The Chaser’s very dark sense of humour and satire being dished out upon the royals. Yesterday some media commentators were arguing that nobody’s wedding should be subject to ridicule or cruel jokes. However, on the flip side, how many people’s weddings are broadcast live to people around the world? If you are going to have something extremely public then expect some people to ridicule it.

The news of the forced cancellation of The Chaser’s coverage comes after it was also revealed that the previous two English Labour Prime Minister’s Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have not been invited to the wedding, however, the two previous Conservative Prime Minister’s Margaret Thatcher and Sir John Major have.

So much for the Royal Family supposedly having no ‘perceived political preferences‘. It is very obvious they favour those people who hang onto the past, protect the class structure, and don’t challenge the rule or power of the establishment.

Earlier today I was having a discussion with colleagues about the need for Australia and New Zealand to become a republic. The feeling amongst my colleagues was there wasn’t the mood or need to change. However, the censorship of the media, the political bias in the wedding invitations, and the ability for the Crown to overrule any law of Australia and New Zealand is reason enough for us to move on.

For me, the monarchy is a thing of the past. While the pomp and ceremony of the wedding is fascinating to watch, it is merely a sideshow designed to reinforce and strengthen the rule of the Crown while other parts of the world are in revolution. The sooner we abandon the monarchy, eat our own cake, and have our own revolution the better.

Finally, regarding the censorship of the broadcast, The Chaser’s Julian Morrow makes a very valid point: “For a monarchy to be issuing decrees about how the media should cover them seems quite out of keeping with modern democratic times …. but I suppose that’s exactly what the monarchy is.”

Hear hear.