(2014) Affirmation
Morning light flecks and floods
the house. A thought breaks out.
A shower sprays.
It runs away.
Breakfast cereal box
as, watching the clock,
there is an idea to toss
and then off.
(2014) Our King From the North
Did dogs burst out barking
with the discovery in digging and dis-earthing
the finding of the King’s near complete skeleton?
(2014) Metaphors
Debilitated as a beached whale,
The child trembled like an old woman beyond the pale.
After the cyclone, the town is like a smashed termite top,
Hot as a flaming sunspot.
(2014) New Voices
What have we done
now that we’re committed?
How could Dexter and Rosalie
pull off this poetic con
to discover unchartered hinterlands of talent
believing they are better than ordinary?
(2014) A Minister for Sydney
It is an idea that keeps crying for a receptive ear. Bandied around from time to time is whether NSW should have a Minister for Sydney.
(2014) Transport for Sydney
Sydney’s transport congestion is notorious. Whether it be a clogged M5, crowded trains, poor to non-existent public transport in most of western Sydney, and hopelessly congested traffic at airports, we’ve got it wrong.
(2014) A Report Card on the NSW Planning System
Let’s imagine the planning system marked like a typical NSW government school report card for Simon Simpleton – an underachieving Year 6 student at Basket Case Public School.
(2014) Councils Should Earn the Right to Survive
Council amalgamation is off the agenda in NSW. A core promise before the 2011 election by Premier O’Farrell that there would be no forced amalgamations.
(2014) Why is Sydney Housing Unaffordable?
According to the public policy focused McKell Institute, twenty years ago it took three times the median salary to buy a house in Sydney. Now it takes nine times, a higher ratio than in London or New York at the peak of the market.
(2014) Paul Katz – A Towering Legacy
Paul Katz (1957-2014), who suddenly died on November 20 following a brief battle with cancer, was one of the world’s great architects. In his 57 years Katz moved from his native South Africa and studies in Israel and the United States to become the global leader of architects Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), overseeing some of the most exciting and innovative designs of any firm anywhere, realising many of the world’s tallest buildings and most significant urban renewal projects.