The Australian government’s recent announcement that compulsory employer superannuation contributions are to be raised from nine per cent to 12 per cent by July 2019 will effectively give every working Australian a 33 per cent rise in their personal investment power. Tom Richardson reports.

Ethical investment decisions may need to take sustainability factors into account

Should Australians  be making more socially responsible choices with their superannuation investments? Ethical investment may mean mean avoiding industries like tobacco, pornography, gambling, weaponry or alcohol, and considering the environment and sustainability factors.

The United Nations has written six Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). Assets under management by signatories to those principles are now more than US$33 trillion, an estimated 15 per cent of the world’s investment assets.

“The Australian network is the biggest and most successful of the United Nations supported Principles for Responsible Investment initiative, with 125 signatories,” executive director of the United Nations PRI James Gifford said.

Mr Gifford said that the Australian investment community was ahead of the game compared to most other countries.
“Australians seem to be very attuned to environmental and social issues, and [the Australian network has] prioritised coal seam gas and fracking as issues that need attention.”

So what are the options for an everyday Australian investor looking to invest their superannuation? The Responsible Investment Association of Australia (RIAA) provides certification and membership to providers of responsible investment products and services.

RIAA chief executive officer Michael O’Connor says that ethical investment “is all about making your money in alignment with your values.”
“Responsible investors are concerned about environmental risks such as climate change, social risks such as how a company looks after people in its workforce, and good corporate governance.”

Most people’s priorities for super investment are good performance, safe returns and a reliable retirement income, so can all this be achieved when investing ethically?
“I think one of the great myths out there is that if your investing ethically you won’t do as well, in fact ethical and responsible funds quite often outperform the market. They’re doing more research for every decision they make, this is because they care not just about the financials but also the environmental, governance and social risks,” Mr O’Connor said.

The RIAA gives accreditation and membership to appropriate asset managers, investment funds and financial advisers. One such manager, Sydney based investment firm Perpetual, runs an ethical and socially responsible investment (SRI) fund that returned 39.7 per cent for investors in 2012; an achievement that made it one of the best performing investment funds in Australia for the year.

A survey published by The Economist earlier this month showed that carbon dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere had reached their highest levels in four million years. Australian investors are heavily orientated towards carbon polluting industries, such as mining and mining services companies.

However, Mr O’Connor argues that the investment community must move with the changing social and scientific environment and warned that Australian companies involved in the coal industry, such as Whitehaven Coal and Aurizon, were in his organisation’s sights.
“I think every responsible investor in Australia right now is aware of the issues around fossil fuels and the service industries around fossil fuels.”

Aligning a socially responsible portfolio with competitive returns and professional risk management is not easy Mr O’Connor admits, but it is a task the responsible investment industry must confront.
“The problem is to demonstrate for example that fossil fuel exposure should be considered equally with something like tobacco exposure. The challenge is that 17per cent of the stocks on the [Australian Stock Market] have fossil fuel exposure, my task is to push funds to demonstrate that they are doing something about this,” Mr O’Connor said.

Despite a history of sexual harassment scandals, the number of single mothers in the Australian Defence Force is increasing. Sally Rugg reports.

Despite fears about leaving their children, mothers are joining the army in increasing numbers. Photo: MATEUS_27:24&25 / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

A single mother of three is one of the latest members of the Australian Defence Force, amidst a large recruitment campaign targeting women. The “Women in the Army” campaign aims to increase female intake from 10 per cent to 12per cent by July 2014, despite opposition from conservative groups.

The campaign has used advertisements in magazines, on television, radio, billboards and across social media platforms to encourage women to consider a career in the Army.

Peta Browne, who began her training in early May, had noticed a lot of advertising promoting female enlistment in recent months and felt encouraged by Australian Defence Force (ADF) staff to join on a full-time basis, despite being a sole parent to her three children.

“When I initially called about going reserve, and had my YOU [Your Opportunities Unlimited] Session they were very encouraging toward full-time Army,” said Browne. “They wanted more women.”

After having her first daughter at 17, Browne never thought she would be able to join the Defence Force. But, she said she believed the Army has changed considerably over the last twenty years, allowing more women the opportunity to enlist.

“I believe it’s gotten stronger [and] smarter,” said Browne. “It’s more family-friendly and focused on the community. I don’t think 20 years ago a single mum could have joined.”

Single mothers in the armed forces are becoming more common. The 2012 Defence Census reported that 21 per cent of female ADF members with dependent children were sole parents. In comparison, only 4 per cent of male members with dependent children were sole parents.

Being a single mum has inspired Browne to join the Army, rather than deterred her. “Coming from a single-parent home and then being one myself but still achieving everything I set out to showed me that we really do live in the land of opportunity, and I felt compelled to give back,” said Browne.

Browne’s mother and her children’s father will share physical custody of her three children in Western Australia, while Browne is completing her training in New South Wales.
The presence of women in the combat roles within the Defence Force has always been controversial, with the idea being strongly opposed by conservative groups including the Sydney Traditionalists.

Edwin Dyger, founder of the Sydney Traditionalist Forum, the group’s representative body, said, “The concept of putting women in uniform is nothing short of misguided wishful thinking turned into state policy.”
“Embedding women in the armed forces is simply a political act, a product of irresponsible feminist agitation which will undoubtedly cause functional and qualitative problems for the army,” said Dyger in a statement to Reportage Online.

When asked whether it is appropriate for single mothers to be able to join the armed forces, Dyger said, “The fact that such questions are even seriously considered is evidence enough of the utter absurdity of the proposition.”

Browne is aware of the risks involved in enlisting in the armed forces but believes that it is an honour to serve for Australia. “My greatest hope is that I serve my country well, that I can help people in a time of need.”
“My fear is that I won’t make it home to see my kids grow up. That particular fear is a reality you accept may happen when you enlist, but it’s not one you tend to dwell on,” said Browne.

The recruitment campaign targeting women follows a series of reviews into the treatment of women in the Australian Defence Force that revealed an undercurrent of sexual harassment towards female members. The reviews, including the DL Piper report, were prompted by a sex scandal involving cadets at the Australian Defence Force Academy in 2011.

It has been five years since seven Baha’i leaders were unlawfully imprisoned within Iran. With the Baha’i community condemning their captivity, Anika Chapman investigates.

The Bahai'i community's Universal House of Justice. Photo: Adib Roy / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

On the fifth anniversary of the imprisonment of seven Baha’i leaders, the Australian Baha’i Community held a national forum calling for their immediate release.

The Baha’i community, faith leaders and relatives of the victims rallied inside NSW State Parliament on May 7 to protest the religious persecution and imprisonment of these leaders.

The captives included Afif Naeimi, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mahvash Sabet, Saeid Rezaie and Vahid Tizfahm. All seven have been forced to serve a 20 year prison sentence for crimes against the Iranian government.

Mehrzad Mumtahan, nephew of the captive Saeid Razaie, said these leaders were unfairly imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.
“During the five years, not one piece of evidence has been presented . . . because there is none,” said Mr Mumtahan.

The Baha’i faith was founded in Iran in 1844, and has continued to spread globally since. May 14 is the fifth anniversary since the seven leaders were imprisoned under Iranian rule. These leaders were gaoled as part of the Iranian government’s systematic persecution of the minority Baha’i community.

In light of this, Venus Khalessi, director of public information at the Australian Baha’i Community, said the organisation would launch a new campaign called ‘Five Years Too Many’.  According to Ms Khalessi, the Iranian government encouraged the persecution of the Baha’i community with a campaign to demonise them.

“From cradle to grave, Baha’i are persecuted . . . they’re practically scapegoats,” she said.

Dr Natalie Mobini, also a member of the Australian Baha’i Community, said the rally was designed to raise greater public awareness of the seven leaders in detention.
“We are gathered here in Sydney to call for their immediate release,” Dr Mobini said. “We are part of an international call for justice . . . the one protection and defense for the leaders has been international scrutiny.”

Rob Stokes MP represented New South Wales and the Federal Coalition when he also condemned the Iranian government’s treatment of the prisoners in his speech as parliamentary host. “When any of us are persecuted for our religious beliefs, all of us are persecuted.”

Foreign Minister Bob Carr echoed Mr Stokes’ sentiment in a message. Minister Carr said, “Australia calls on Iran to respect the rights to freedom of religion [and] reiterates its concerns at continuing human rights abuses in Iran, including those affecting the Baha’i community”.

But Farzad Sarai, former Iranian citizen and friend of prisoner Behrouz Tavakkoli, believes change would not come quickly or easily. “I believe the Iranian people must change before they [the prisoners] are released.”

Dr Mobini said the release of the prisoners would still fail to achieve justice. “They have been deprived of five years of their lives,” she said. “It has indeed been five years too many.”

Is Australia’s national cricket team barely functioning compared to the dominance showcased by Steve Waugh’s “untouchables” over a decade ago? Daniella Doughan reports.

Ponting hits a six in the “Glory Days”. Photo: nellistc / Foter.com / CC BY

Cricket Australia’s CEO James Sutherland said they will “bounce back,” yet the Australian cricket team’s glory days appear to be behind them. Whether it is a lack of experience, shortage of skills, poor management and coaching, or the widely criticised rotation policy, the first XI have fallen below the (admittedly high) standards they set themselves.

After a 4-0 series whitewash defeat to India in March, the Australian team clearly has some planning to do before the upcoming Ashes series, which starts in July. Perhaps after being spoilt with a series of undefeated victories and a lethal combination of stand-out players in the past, cricket followers may find  it difficult to cope with a cricket team not sitting on top of their game.

Trent Moran, 26, is a long-time cricket supporter and SCG member and believes the problem is a lack of faith in emerging players. “No one gets a good enough go to prove themselves before they get dropped,” he says.

A shift towards the next generation was unfortunately inevitable. The Warne, McGrath and Waugh days were never going to last forever – that was a given. Include the retirements of Gilchrist, Hayden, Langer, Ponting and Hussey and there are serious gaps in the line up. These still haven’t been filled, and the transition phase seems to be lasting longer and longer, with more debutants unveiled every series.

The selectors gave out 29 new test caps between 2000-2009, including Clarke (04), Watson (05), Johnson (07), Haddin (08) and Siddle (08). 21 caps have already been handed out between 2010-2013, and it’s possible more will receive their baggy green for the upcoming Ashes series in England.

As a result, players are making their debut, playing about three tests, and then getting dropped from the side as it “under-performs.”

Former player Darren Lehman hopes the Australian cricket team will make some good decisions when they travel to England the the Ashes series. Photo: kevinmcc / Foter.com / CC BY-NC

Michael Clarke had filled the skipper’s role smoothly until the India tour. After an amazing summer series at home, India proved too difficult even for him to post consistent big scores. He didn’t play the fourth test because of a seven to 10 week back injury – something selectors and Australian cricket fans are hoping won’t cast a shadow over the Ashes campaign in July.

After the suspension of Watson, Johnson, Khawaja and Pattinson for the third test in India for failing to complete a self-evaluation, coach Mickey Arthur and captain Michael Clarke received widespread criticism over their disciplinary judgements.

Former player and current Queensland coach Darren Lehman expressed his thoughts on Twitter: “Adults we are, not schoolboys! Please let’s act properly and make good decisions in India!”

Former test cricketer Damien Martyn believes that from here on in, the biggest challenge facing the Australian team is finding the “winning feeling.” A feeling which for some, they are yet to experience, and for others, might seem rather distant.

This “winning feeling” is surely a subtle throwback to 1999-2001, where Steve Waugh’s “untouchables” won 16 straight test matches, marking a dominating period in Australia’s sporting history.

Cricket Australia’s 2013-2014 contracted player list was released this month, as was the 16-man squad for the Ashes. Despite not making the contracted player list, Jackson Bird, Usman Khawaja and Chris Rogers all made the Ashes squad. They join Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Ed Cowan, James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Phil Hughes, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner and Shane Watson.

Watson has since stepped down from the vice-captaincy role, leaving wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to take this leadership position and putting doubts around the hope for current keeper Matthew Wade.

Playing cricket for Australia is often regarded as one of the top jobs in the country, and the Ashes is often regarded as one of the top competitions in sporting tradition. The stakes have never been higher, rivalry fiercer or opinions broader – July can’t come soon enough.

The New South Wales Government has announced the introduction of the South East Light Rail in the Sydney suburb Surry Hills, leading through  Devonshire Street. Lucy Marks reports.

Sydney's light rail service will extend into Surry Hills and Devonshire against the wishes of local residents. Photo: Scotticus_ / Foter.com / CC BY-NC

The New South Wales Government has announced it will be proceeding with the South East Light Rail’s controversial route through Devonshire Street into Surry Hills, despite all efforts by action group PUSH (People Unite Surry Hills) to thwart the plan.

“The action group was formed in response to the significant anxiety being felt across the community because of the lack of information and consultation, particularly with what we call ‘the voiceless community,’” says PUSH founder and director Venietta Slama-Powell.

The group’s aim is to force the Government and the light rail company to abandon the planned route from Anzac Parade to Chalmers Street, via Devonshire Street. “They actually want to cut right through the middle of a parkland, demolish homes, and go up a very narrow street,” Ms Slama-Powell says.

The Surry Hills community is concerned about the heavy impact on businesses and residents, including the acquisition of 59 apartments and potentially more.

Ms Slama-Powell says the State Government “are going to have to acquire [more] property on Devonshire Street, because there won’t be access for emergency vehicles.”

There is a concern that key landmarks such as Bourke St Bakery and The Book Kitchen in Devonshire will be closed down.“They just wouldn’t be able to operate during the demolition or construction period, which could be anywhere between six to 10 years,” Ms Slama-Powell says.

The businesses of Crown Street are feared to be severely impacted as the dust and noise pollution take effect, as well as the road blocks surrounding Devonshire St. The community is certain the village atmosphere will be ruined. “People will generally want to avoid Surry Hills . . . it’ll basically be the new Cleveland Street, right in the heart of Surry Hills,” Ms Slama-Powell says.

PUSH called for an independent feasibility study to investigate all alternative routes. “We have no evidence that there has been an independent feasibility study on the ground level route of Devonshire, nor the tunnel,” Ms Slama-Powell says.

The findings of the study carried out by Transport for NSW in 2011 and 2012 are outlined in a Sydney’s Light Rail Futures brochure. However, the full report has not been published despite many calls for it to be made public.

“PUSH has placed a Freedom of Information request for detailed information after receiving very little information from Transport New South Wales,” Ms Slama-Powell says.

The Surry Hills community and PUSH are supported by Alex Greenwich, the Independent MP for Sydney. He reiterates the community’s concern that no evidence-based, meaningful information has been provided and supports a suggested underground tunnel alternative. “The Minister has made clear that the South Easy Light Rail will travel down Devonshire Street. The details are not established despite our calls for this to be made public. It is vital that the community works together to influence the process and reduce impacts.”

In a letter to the Minister for Transport  dated 31 January 2013, Mr Greenwich outlined the reported benefits of “undergrounding” the Devonshire leg of the route.

Outside Bourke St Bakery, the protest continues. Photo courtesy of PUSH

Mr Greenwich says that this alternative would “save five minutes on the journey, attract new patrons from buses and make extending the service beyond Randwick in the future more viable.”

Tunneling under Surry Hills, as opposed to street level light rail, “has the additional benefit of protecting the amenity of Surry Hills residents, retaining Wimbo Park and preventing demolition of the Olivia Gardens apartment building,” says Mr Greenwich.

A spokesperson from Transport for NSW says the option of tunneling under Surry Hills and the Easter Distributor, “was considered and assessed,” however, this option would meet “major engineering challenges, including the geology of the earth beneath the Eastern Distributor, which consists of soft alluvial soils.

“A tunnel would add hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the project.”

Mr Greenwich had made calls in Parliament for Gladys Berejiklian, the state government’s Minister for Transport, to meet with the community for consultation and the exchange of information.

Ms Berejiklian’s meeting with PUSH on March 21 marked the beginning of direct dialogue with the community, and a public forum was organised for Monday, April 15. However, the forum affirmed no changes to the route would be made, and those who asked questions were directed a glossary information pack entitled Sydney’s Light Rail Future.

Surry Hills resident Will Brincat voiced the community’s frustration and disappointment. “What was the point of coming here if there’s no way of saving Devonshire Street?”

Ms Slama-Powell addressed Ms Berejiklian directly, saying, “Please don’t offend us in the future by suggesting this is a consultation, because this is not a consultation.”

Transport for NSW says local input will now be considered in the design and planning of the Light Rail Project while acknowledging that project has already begun. Transport NSW says feasibility studies were carried out in consultation with key stakeholders via a series of round table meetings. During these meetings, route options were amended or added, based on the stake holder discussion.

Ms Slama-Powell says a representative of the Surry Hills community was not at the discussions. “They don’t regard the local community, or the public or local businesses as stakeholders.”

Although opposed to the project, PUSH and Alex Greenwich support the need for new developments in transport.

“There is strong support for improved public transport and for light rail,” Mr Greenwich says, “but the Government needs to get the best route that is most suitable with least impacts. I am working with local residents and community groups to get the best outcome possible.”

Over a month ago, Tasmania was leading the way in altering Australian euthanasia laws. With New South Wales now following suit, which Australian state will be the first to legalise voluntary euthanasia? Joshua Hewitt reports.

NSW Greens Legislative Councillor Cate Faehrmann introduced the euthanasia bill to the Senate. Photo courtesy of catefaehrmann.org

Cate Faehrmann of the New South Wales (NSW) Greens party has introduced a bill into the NSW Senate that would allow terminally ill people the right to choose when they die.

The recently introduced bill would allow a patient with a terminal illness, who is experiencing severe pain or suffering, the right to seek assistance to end his or her life.

Ms Faehrmann appealed to her colleagues to “think about the suffering that people are asking us to help alleviate. I hope that in this debate, compassion and courage are the victors over fear and self-interest.”

Since her election in 2011, Ms Faehrmann has publicly advocated for voluntary euthanasia, describing current laws as “insane”. According to Ms Faehrmann, medical intervention is keeping people alive who may have died were they not provided with “extraordinary assistance”.

New South Wales is not the first state to introduce voluntary euthanasia legislation into parliament. Similar bills have been introduced into other jurisdictions, including the Northern Territory’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995, which was overturned after nine months by the Federal Government.

Tasmania has also introduced a draft bill for voluntary assisted dying, which MP Nick McKim says will be deliberated in Tasmanian parliament no later than early 2014.

Ms Faehrmann said much has changed since then, and that successful assisted-dying schemes have been introduced into other parts of the world. This included areas such as Oregon and Washington in the United States. She believes her bill is a combination of the best legislation from around the world.

NSW Parliament will be voting on the euthanasia bill in the near future. Photo betta design / fotor.com / CC-BY-NC

A supporter of the bill’s passage is Richard Mills, President of Dying With Dignity NSW. Mr Mills said up to 85 per cent of Australians support voluntary euthanasia and that opposition to the legislation comes mainly from religious lobby groups. According to Mr Mills, such overwhelming support should not be overlooked by the parliament. He said the legislation would have no effect on people other than those seeking voluntary euthanasia.

Cate Faehrmann agrees, saying, “voluntary euthanasia gives choice back to the patient”.

Greg Donnelly, a member of the NSW Legislative Council representing the Australian Labor Party, does not share this view. He said this simplifies the debate to suggest that only those with a religious view oppose euthanasia legislation. Mr Donnelly is a Catholic and says he has a strong belief in the dignity of human life.

Mr Donnelly said he believes palliative care is the alternative to legalising euthanasia, and that he has been pressuring his colleagues and the government to put the appropriate funding and resources into such care. According to the minister, if more money were spent on such end-of life-care the euthanasia debate would fade. However, he acknowledges that it would not disappear completely.

While Mr Donnelly dismisses the church’s influence in the debate, it is clear that there are some church leaders who are attempting to influence their parishioners.

In a letter to members of the Wollongong Catholic diocese, the Bishop, Reverend Peter Ingham, said, “As a Church, we uphold the dignity of the human person. All human life is sacred from conception until death and therefore euthanasia, defined as the deliberate shortening of life, as opposed to the decision not to sustain life by artificial means, is morally wrong”.

The debate will continue in the NSW Senate over the next week before a vote is taken. If the bill passes in the upper house, it will proceed to the lower house, where both sides of parliament have said they would allow a conscience vote on the bill.

Ms Faehrmann is confident on its success, but believes any vote will be close.

Thousands of backpackers flock to Australia every year. For many, one year of adventure is not enough. To extend their stay, they are required to undertake 88 days of  labour in regional areas.

Reporters Lucy Marks and Courtney Taylor followed two backpackers to Mildura to investigate the poor conditions that they experienced in regards to accommodation, pay and actual farm work.

Watch their shocking story of how backpackers in Australia get exploited and have to work for only $12 per day.

Amid rising concerns about human impacts on the environment, a group of Australians are working to clean up their local beaches. Sivert Eimhjellen reports.

Responsible Runners are looking forward to growing their community and raising awareness about cleaning up after ourselves. Photo courtesy of Responsible Runners.

What started as a one-man rubbish cleanup every Sunday afternoon on Bondi Beach has grown into a network more than 160 people doing weekly cleanups on eight different Australian beaches.

“Everybody is welcome,” says Justin Bonsey, 35, founder of Responsible Runners. “Friends, fun and fitness, what better way to keep the beach clean?”

Since the startup in November last year, Responsible Runners (RR) has attracted the attention of, among others, ABC News 24 and The Sydney Morning Herald. The non-profit organisation is based purely on volunteer work and the interest is growing. With more than 160 “runners” and 13 official RR ambassadors, the message of keeping the beaches clean has more than 1700 “likes” on Facebook.

“You can only do so much on your own,” says Mary Botto, the RR ambassador for Balmoral, RR’s latest expansion that kicked off in early May. According to her, RR is not only good for the environment, it’s a great way to make friends.

“It’s nice to be around like minded-people, people who care about the environment, their local beaches and parks, the community, health, and this is a great way to meet those people,” she says.

Responsible Runners also works closely with other environmentalist groups such as Boomerang Alliance, an Australian National Environmentalist network consisting of 27 different groups. “They’ve been doing this for years, whereas Responsible Runners is fairly young,” says Justin.

There are numerous environmental non-profit organisations in Sydney, and working together is important according to Justin. “We all coordinate to make sure that we are on the same message,” he says.

Every week volunteers dedicate their time to collecting rubbish. Photo courtesy of Responsible Runners.

The Boomerang Alliance, with the help of Justin and other RR ambassadors, had a role in the recent legal dispute between the Northern Territory government and a coalition consisting of Coca Cola Australia, Schweppes Australia and Lion.

The dispute over the 10 cent recycling scheme for soft drinks and cans has been going for about two years. The Boomerang Alliance’s role was to promote awareness and collecting signatures for a petition in favor of the recycling scheme that ended up being signed by 68,000 people. It was later handed to the office of the New South Wales Premier.

“We organised 16 events in 16 days in different communities around Sydney collecting signatures and to raise awareness,” Justin says. “Many Australians don’t even know that the recycling scheme is being considered right now, on a national scale. So we want to make sure they know about it and give them a way to get involved.”

But Responsible Runners also face criticism. Sally Betts, Waverley Council Major, has criticised the group for bad logistical handling of an event a few weeks ago in Tamarama Park, near Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The event was to collect rubbish in cooperation with Bushcare, another volunteer group managed by local councils or NSW government agencies.

According to her, the rubbish that was collected was not disposed off. Instead, it was left without notice for the Council to collect.

“I am sure that their intentions were extremely good, but this event was not managed at all well and therefore leaves a bad image rather than a positive one,” she says.

“Not only did we have to put up with some criticism from the community, we had to suddenly, without any forward planning, find trucks to collect Boomerang Alliance’s rubbish collection.”

Justin says the event was part of the ‘Kicking the Can Campaign’, one of the many campaigns Responsible Runners held in cooperation with Boomerang Alliance to promote awareness about the recycling scheme debate.

“We collected 500kg of waste for free for the Council, which is actually their job to do,” says Justin, adding that everyone recycled and disposed as much waste as possible before they left.

“We are not getting paid for what we do,” he says. “We do it because we care.”

Despite the incident, the Waverely Council appreciates Justin and his group’s efforts. “Justin is a great role model and advocate for good policy,” Sally Betts says.

While he claims to always have been interested in the environment, Justin Bonsey’s interest in environmental activism started while he was at university. Originally from San Diego, he studied Japanese at The University of California and did his Masters in Finance and Economic Policy in Colombia University, New York.

While studying in San Diego, he successfully campaigned to promote a plastic recycling scheme and lobbying the university administration about it. Today, his activism through Responsible Runners is reaching a bigger audience than ever before.

He hopes to see the group go national. “We’ve gotten interest from all over the country… with two more groups hopefully popping up in Cronulla and Newcastle within the next few weeks,” he says.

Is the New South Wales government ignoring Darling Harbour’s significance in attempts to demolish Sydney Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Centres? Belinda Grant-Geary investigates.

The proposed International Convention Centre from Cockle Bay. Image: Darling Harbour Live

A place for people to go. Rolling green landscapes full of life, entertainment, meeting and conferences spaces. Playgrounds for children and adults to interact in a space owned by the public.

John Richardson, director at architects Cox Richardson and project director for the Sydney Exhibition Centre and Darling Harbour, says this is what the harbour precinct was designed to achieve and what it has been providing to Sydneysiders and visitors for 25 years.

The New South Wales Government plans to demolish the Sydney Exhibition and Convention Centre, and the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Darling Harbour. A new convention centre, entertainment theatre and high-rise hotel will replace the buildings. The new development application proposal was on public exhibition and closed on May 10.

“The original idea was that it was a place for people and what is happening in this kind of proposal is that the place for people is being reduced,” says Richardson.

He says the site has cultural, social and historical significance to Sydney and that a master plan of Darling Harbour’s architectural significance should have been undertaken.

Philip Cox, Sydney Exhibition Centre’s key architect and winner of the highly regarded Sulman Medal for public architecture, says the buildings are significant and the demolition, a disaster.

“Firstly, the buildings commemorate the bicentenary of the nation as a permanent memorial. Secondly, they are an integral part of the original Darling Harbour scheme which has been recognised world-wide as one of the finest maritime urban spaces,” Cox says.

Ramin Jahromi, associate at Cox Richardson, has worked with Mr Richardson in creating an advocacy website which is critical of the process that has seen design proposals approved that demolish the noteworthy structures.

“It’s not as if the space we have at the moment doesn’t work or doesn’t have a sense of history or a sense of social significance,” Jahromi says.

Jahromi says the structures were a centrepiece for Bicentennial, and they are being wiped away.

Richardson and Jahromi believe the Government is not taking into account the significance of Darling Harbour.

Richardson says people looking back will be very surprised with the decision to demolish these buildings.

The Sydney Exhibition Centre is an example of long-span architecture with vertical steel masts, horizontal outriggers and delicate ties. Photo: Bentley Smith / CC-BY-NC-SA

The current facilities cannot support Sydney’s events industry according to a spokesperson for Infrastructure New South Wales. She says that even with extensive refurbishment, costing hundreds of millions, the facilities would not be large or flexible enough to meet the industry’s requirements.

However, the Government’s new plan will involve closure of the centres until 2016, and require temporary facilities to support the events industry during construction.

Cox says organisers of international conferences are well satisfied with the existing complex and the current proposal will not attract a greater number of conferences due to the three-year closure.

“It is possible to expand the exhibition centre by 4,000 square metres, however these plans have been ignored by the present Government,” he says.

Architect David Chesterman says there is no strong cause for demolishing structures with such strong character.

“There is great value in respecting history and I think you could perfectly well expand and improve the facilities within their existing framework,” he says.

Paul Ashton, Professor of Public History at UTS, says heritage value can attach to buildings and places that are relatively new, like those at Darling Harbour, through association with significant events or people.

He says the centres have been significant in the urbanisation and growth of the city through their association with events such as the Bicentenary and the Olympic Games.

“They are a very powerful symbol of Sydney’s dramatic evolution into a global city and one of the top global cities in the world. It really is part of the history of the emergence of modern Sydney,” Ashton says.

Jahromi says Cox Richardson worked with Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority to produce a master plan for proposed extensions to the buildings.

The state government received two main bids as part of the tender process and neither proposed retaining the Exhibition, Bayside Convention Building or the Entertainment Centre according to a spokesperson for Andrew Stoner, Deputy Premier for New South Wales.

Kirsten Orr, Associate Professor of Architecture at UTS, says it is important to retain a diverse collection of buildings from different eras because they embody the aesthetic, cultural, social and political values of a particular period in our history.

“Despite this, too often the heritage value of significant buildings of the modern era tends to be under-valued and overlooked in favour of economic expediency,” she says.

The 2012-13 Hyundai A-League was arguably the most exciting season played to date for Australia’s top football league, James Pennington reports.

Central Coast Mariners player Patrick Zwaanswijk celebrates a fairy tale ending for his team. Photo: Peter McAlpine

It is amazing how things can change in a year.

In April 2012, the then-chief of the Hyundai A-League, Lyall Gorman, answered fans’ questions about the new team being established in Western Sydney. He’s excited and full of passion about the new side being hastily assembled. At that stage, the club had no name, colours or, most importantly, players. For Gorman, however, those were mere details. He sensed the strength of Western Sydney as a bedrock for sporting success and wanted to do it right.

“I know the sense of anticipation and expectation of this football community. They’ve been waiting a long, long time for their own united football team. It’s exciting to have their input on the core values of the club: passion, respectfulness, inclusiveness – all these words give me a lot of faith that we’re going to build something very special here,” he said.

The implications for the A-League if the seemingly-rushed process failed was overruled by Gorman, as he simply replied that failure was not something he had considered for a moment.

Fast-forward to April 2013, and one can only imagine the pride Gorman (now the chief executive of the new club) must have felt watching Western Sydney Wanderers’ supporters group, the Red and Black Bloc, march up Foveaux Street in Surry Hills towards the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS). The fans were boisterous and incredibly noisy, but all well intentioned, and created an atmosphere inside the SFS unseen at any previous sporting fixture.

Their beloved team fell at the final hurdle, going down 2-0 to the Central Coast Mariners who, by denying a Wanderers fairy tale, completed their own: finally getting up in a decider after three heartbreaking grand final losses in previous seasons. Not even the most one-eyed Wanderers fan could begrudge the Mariners as their long-awaited victory parade took place through central Gosford a week after the grand final.

It was, all in all, an excellent finish to a ground-breaking season in domestic Australian football. The stories were overwhelmingly positive, and not just from the noisy red and black of Western Sydney, or the overjoyed yellow of the Central Coast Mariners. Under the guidance of new CEO David Gallop (formerly the head of the National Rugby League), the Football Federation Australia (FFA) has brought the round-ball game into the mainstream of Australian sport – no mean feat, with the competition of three other winter codes and cricket in summer.

In an interview with Fox Sports, Gallop echoed Lyall Gorman’s sentiments from a year ago, arguing football’s broad appeal will be its main strength going forward. “Football is the only game that can truly represent Australia in all its diversity and multiculturalism. Football is the only true international game. The base of the pyramid at 1.7 million participants is more than a threat, it’s a reality for our opposition,”  he said.

Those participation rates point to a bright future with continued interest from the Australian sporting public. There are some chinks in the A-League armour to be worked out: sporadic bouts of crowd violence gave a frequently sceptical mainstream media an easy opportunity to bash the game and declare a return to the medieval days of European hooliganism. Probably of greater concern to the game’s administration is the financial issues facing individual clubs such as Adelaide United and even the champions, the Mariners. With memberships and television ratings increasing, though, a steady hand from the FFA should avert major disaster.

So, where to next season? The novelty value will have worn off slightly for the Wanderers, but the Red and Black Bloc will be no less vocal and they will look again to build a title challenge. Marquee signings such as Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey will continue to make a positive impact on their clubs – and may well be joined by other big names from across the globe. Certainly, the quality of football in the 2012-13 season will not hurt the recruitment drive of Australian clubs. Picking a winner for the next season is all but impossible, with a competitive set of playing rosters from across the country.

For the moment, though, these are discussions for another day. Just now, Australian football fans should applaud two great stories of the A-League for 2012-13 – the glorious entrance of the Wanderers juggernaut, and the comprehensive, fully-deserved championship for the Central Coast Mariners.