A personal view of Australian and International Politics
Contemporary politics,local and international current affairs, science, music and extracts from the Queensland Newspaper "THE WORKER" documenting the proud history of the Labour Movement.
MAHATMA GANDHI ~ Truth never damages a cause that is just.
An Israeli airstrike hit a car in the Lebanese coastal town of Jiyeh, south of Beirut. (AP Photo/Mustafa Jamalddine)
In short:
Israeli strikes on vehicles have killed at least 12 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Militant group Hezbollah and Israel have continued trading blows despite a US-mediated ceasefire announced last month.
What's next?
Representatives from Israel and Lebanon are due to meet for two days of peace talks in the United States.
Israeli
strikes have killed at least 12 people in Lebanon, including two
children, according to Lebanon's health ministry, on the eve of a new
round of peace talks between the two countries.
Militant group Hezbollah and Israel have continued trading blows despite a US-mediated ceasefire announced last month.
The hostilities have largely focused around southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are occupying a self-declared security zone.
But,
according to Lebanese security sources, seven drone strikes targeted
vehicles, including some on a coastal highway, just south of Beirut,
well beyond the main area of conflict.
According
to Lebanon's health ministry, eight people, including two children,
were killed in those strikes while three others were killed in strikes
on cars further south in the Tyre district while one person was killed
near the southern city of Sidon.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes.
It
said it was striking Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon and
told residents to leave nine towns and villages where it intended to act
against the group.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced new attacks on Israeli forces in the south, including using kamikaze drones.
The United States is set to host two days of talks between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday and Friday.
The
talks will build on an April meeting led by US President Donald Trump
and aim to advance "a comprehensive peace and security agreement",
according to US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
But Hezbollah has strongly opposed the face-to-face contact between the two nations.
A building was damaged during an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, last week. (AP: Hassan Ammar)
The
militant group has confirmed that the commander of its Radwan force was
killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs last week -
the first attack on the capital since the April 17 ceasefire.
Ahmed Ali Balout was one of the most senior Hezbollah figures killed in the war so far.
UN worried about ongoing fighting
Beirut claims 380 people had been killed in intensified Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem vowed to turn the battlefield into "hell" for Israeli forces.
The
UN peacekeeping force deployed in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL,
said it was increasingly concerned about fighting between Hezbollah and
Israeli soldiers near its positions, putting peacekeepers at risk,
including with explosions of drones in and around UN bases.
During
a meeting with the US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa on Monday,
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged the US to put pressure on Israel to
cease fire and stop home demolitions in the south.
Israel
has been razing villages in the south, where it says it aims to shield
northern Israel from Hezbollah militants embedded in civilian areas.
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that Hezbollah's
disarmament would be a fundamental demand in peace talks with Lebanon.
But Hezbollah refuses to disarm, saying the subject of its weapons is a matter for national dialogue after the war.
The
Lebanese health ministry says 2,896 people have been killed since the
war broke out on March 2, including 587 women, medics, and children.
About 1.2 million people have also been displaced from their homes in Lebanon, many of them fleeing from the south.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says six people are dead after one of Russia's biggest drone attacks of the war so far. (Reuters/State Emergency Service of Ukraine)
In short:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says six people are dead in one of Russia's biggest drone attacks of the war so far.
At least 800 drones were launched by Russia's military.
It came as authorities in Russia's capital Moscow ordered restrictions on the spread of photos of drone attacks.
Russia
has launched a massive daytime aerial assault on Ukraine, with
Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying six people had died as a result.
The
attacks came after a short-lived ceasefire between the two sides to
mark the the anniversary of the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany over the
weekend.
The Ukrainian president said the Russian military had launched at least 800 drones through the day on Wednesday, local time.
"My
condolences to their families and loved ones. Since midnight, at least
800 Russian drones have already been launched, and the attack is
ongoing, with additional drones entering our country's airspace," he
wrote in a post on X.
"According to our intelligence, after all the waves of drones, missile launches against Ukraine are also entirely possible.
"Our
warriors are defending Ukraine, but Russia's obvious aim is to overload
air defense systems and inflict as much grief and pain as possible
specifically during these days."
Damage was reported across Ukraine following hours of Russian attacks. (Reuters: Nina Liashonok)
A
presidential adviser to Mr Zelenskyy told Reuters Russia's strikes hit
Ukrainian railway facilities 23 times through the course of Wednesday.
Slovakia closes Ukrainian border
In
his post, Mr Zelenskyy suggested Russia had launched the attacks to
coincide with US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing.
"In
this difficult geopolitical moment, Russia is clearly trying to disrupt
the overall political atmosphere and draw attention to its evil —
seeking to do so at the expense of Ukrainian lives and Ukrainian
infrastructure."
On Wednesday afternoon, local time, Poland's military said Russia's attack on Ukraine had concluded for the time being.
At
the same time, neighbouring country Slovakia announced it had
indefinitely closed its border crossings with Ukraine for security
reasons.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is accusing Russia of acting out of desperation in launching these latest strikes.
Meanwhile,
authorities in the Russian capital Moscow announced they were imposing
restrictions on the publication of photos of videos showing the
aftermath of "terrorist attacks", including drone strikes, according to
the Interfax news agency.
Russia
launched its invasion on Ukraine in February 2022, more than four years
ago, and has conducted near-daily drone and missile attacks in recent
years.
Drone deal with Lithuania
Both sides of the war have increasingly embraced drone warfare as the conflict has dragged on.
In
recent weeks, Ukraine has used drone technology to target Russian oil
infrastructure in a bid to undermine the country's economy.
It
has also spruiked its expertise in drone warfare to allies in a bid to
shore up support for its war efforts, in a move that has gained
particular importance since the outbreak of the Iran war.
In
a further sign that Ukraine was emerging as a key player in drone
technology, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Lithuania signed a drone deal
on Wednesday.
"A Ukrainian
military expert team will work in Lithuania to develop the necessary
security capabilities … to counter modern threats and strengthen the
security of our countries and the entire region," Zelenskiy said after
meeting the Lithuanian president in Bucharest.
"The challenges we face are shared, and we must overcome them together," he added.
Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers have made generational equity the test for this budget. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)
Labor is betting the house on young Australians' desperation to buy their own.
The
political gamble of ripping up investment property tax settings barely
12 months after explicitly promising not to do so is high risk.
With
public trust in institutions sinking to historic lows, there's less
chance of forgiveness for a government that goes back on its word.
But
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers are making a
calculated guess, no doubt backed up by reams of internal Labor
research.
They know the job of
convincing the electorate to accept sweeping changes to negative gearing
and capital gains tax is already half done.
No
one born after the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles needs
an economics degree to understand that the current housing system is not
working for them; they've experienced it firsthand.
Never
mind the crushing disappointment of turning up to an auction only to
realise the winning bidder was motivated by a raft of generous tax
settings.
Labor unveils 'ambitious' plan for tax reset in 2026 budget
Banking on young voters
Housing
prices have now climbed so high that plenty of millennials and elder
Gen Zs wouldn't even consider registering for a paddle.
Most
parents are also acutely aware — and increasingly anxious about — how
hard it is for their children to get a foothold on the property ladder.
So, Labor can bank on those voters as supporters of any policy changes that help level the playing field for first home buyers.
But
ask any Australian who is happy with Tuesday night's tax U-turn, and
it's likely they would have backed such a proposal at the ballot box a
year ago.
If this base from
which the government could build consensus for reform already existed,
the question is why they didn't use it to secure an election mandate?
In
the coming days, the one thing Albanese, Chalmers, and any other
minister fronting a camera are guaranteed to be asked is "why now?"
What changed to make a proposal that was so untenable just a short time ago into the centrepiece of a federal budget?
Chalmers
attributes the backtrack to a recent realisation that the housing
crisis was too severe to limit the government's response to boosting the
supply of homes, when other levers were at its disposal.
And
if that dubiously timed epiphany doesn't convince, he urges Australians
to focus on the "substance" of the policy announcement over the
politics.
Not a suggestion the
Coalition will be taking up, having already vowed to oppose the changes,
citing the standalone impact of a forecast reduction in 35,000 new
dwellings built over the decade.
An opportunity for opposition
Labor
is offsetting that with a $2 billion investment in local infrastructure
to support the construction of 65,000 additional new homes over the
same period.
Beyond that, the government is relying on its persuasive powers to dissipate voter anger eventually.
The
strategy has all the hallmarks of Labor's approach to rewriting the
stage-three tax cuts in its first term after promising not to at the
2022 election.
In fact, it was
that experience that drove journalists to question Albanese's assurances
last year that negative gearing and CGT reforms weren't on Labor's
agenda.
Stage three had proven that governments don't change their mind until they do.
Being
constantly asked to restate his position visibly irritated the PM last
year, but in the end, Australians gave him the benefit of the doubt.
It is unlikely he will be afforded the same luxury in 2028.
Labor
has so comprehensively dismantled the pact made between voter and
politician at the ballot box, that there is little chance ministers will
be taken at their word next time.
That presents a significant opportunity for political opponents to exploit.
Evergreen
scare campaigns about secret plans to impose inheritance taxes or
include the family home in certain asset calculations are far more
likely to take hold in an electorate primed to assume the government is
probably lying.
Albanese's
thumping 94-seat house majority gives Labor a buffer to weather such
attacks, and lots of his caucus will be happy the party has expended
political capital in this way.
Many
members of his current frontbench were there when former Labor leader
Bill Shorten first took similar tax changes to the electorate a decade
ago.
Shorten picked up 14 lower
house seats at the 2016 election with a policy platform that included
winding back CGT and negative gearing.
But
it's the election three years later, when those same policies, along
with others, copped substantial blame for Labor's defeat, that likely
sticks more in the mind.
The
political gamble of ripping up investment property tax settings barely
12 months after explicitly promising not to do so is high risk. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
A blatant transfer of wealth
With
all of the revenue from the changes announced on Tuesday being returned
in the form of tax offsets for workers and businesses in the short
term, Labor can neutralise some criticism.
But
the government will still be accused of redistributing wealth from
older, wealthier asset-owning Australians to younger, generally poorer
workers.
Labor argues this
blatant transfer of wealth is actually "rebalancing" a system that for
many decades allowed those asset owners to tip the scale in their
favour.
Albanese and Chalmers have made generational equity the test for this budget.
If
the reforms help younger Australians believe home ownership is within
reach, Labor can expect to collect a political dividend.
But
if the promise of a fairer housing market fails to materialise, the
government will have traded one of the most valuable commodities in
politics — trust — for very little in return.
Rising fuel costs have had little impact on sales of big cars. (ABC South West WA: Jonathan Daly)
In short:
Sales of large utility vehicles have been minimally impacted by rising fuel costs in March and April.
Electric vehicles now make up 16 per cent of the total market share.
Overall, car sales are down in 2026 compared to the same time in the past two years.
Large
utility vehicles have remained a popular choice for Australians despite
increasing fuel prices through March and April, while the market share
of electric vehicles has increased to 16 per cent.
Fuel
prices reached a national average peak of 319 cents per litre for
diesel and 224.5 cents per litre for petrol on the week ending April 12,
according to the Australian Institute of Petroleum.
Prices
have since been trending downward, with the national average for diesel
being 247.2 cents per litre and petrol 183.6 cents per litre on the
week ending May 10.
According
to data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), sales
of 4X4 utes have decreased to 13,251 compared to 15,672 in April last
year.
However, 4X2 sales have slightly increased to 1,775 in April this year from 1,719 in April last year.
Sales of $100,000+ utes increased from 803 in February to 930 in March before declining to 560 in April.
NRMA
spokesman Peter Khoury said the biggest investors in new cars right now
were fleet-running businesses, including governments.
However, he said car sales across the board had been down over the past two months.
"I
think that's just a reflection of consumer confidence, concern about
the economy, concern about the global economy," Mr Khoury said.
"So
as a percentage, all petrol and diesel cars have fallen, and so it's
not a huge shock that those numbers have headed in that direction."
While
the Ford Ranger, Toyota RAV4 and Toyota HiLux, three of 2025's best
sellers, have remained popular with buyers, the general top 10 has
started to change.
Hybrid car Haval Jolion and electric vehicle BYD Sealion 7 have jumped in popularity compared to the same time last year.
Large vehicle stronghold
Mr Khoury said for almost two decades, utes have had a stronghold in Australia.
"Because
they're used by so many people, whether it's trades, builders, farming,
you see strong sales for utes generally," he said.
"If
you look at the breakdown of new cars and the type of car sold, the
majority is still held overwhelmingly by SUVs and new larger vehicles."
Peter Khoury from the NRMA says utes are popular with many different types of Australians. (ABC News: John Gunn)
However, he said, electric vehicles are growing increasingly popular, making up about one in six new car sales in April.
"The
fact that that coincides with the worst petrol prices that we've seen,
certainly diesel prices on record, is telling," Mr Khoury said.
He said increasing variety and lowering prices were also drawing buyers towards hybrid and electric vehicles.
"Two months of an oil crisis and counting, no doubt was a contributing factor," he said.
"I think what that just did was that made it more attractive for Australians who were looking to buy a new car [to buy an EV].
"I don't think people went out and made that investment off the back of the oil crisis."
Jim Chalmers's 2026 budget will include changes to tax concessions that could prove unpopular with many. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
There's a point where the momentum takes over.
After
being rejected twice by an electorate that didn't want to give up
lucrative tax arrangements for property, the Albanese government has
sniffed the breeze and decided the time is ripe for change.
There
will be plenty of attacks pointing out that the prime minister
specifically ruled out the changes at the last election and has
therefore broken an election promise.
But
the mounting pressure over housing and the burden it has placed on
younger Australians has reached a point where many believe it is no
longer acceptable to simply turn a blind eye.
Since
the turn of the century, Australian real estate values have soared to
extraordinary levels, saddling would-be first home buyers with debts
that, in many cases, will not be repaid by the time they retire.
But the bigger concern is the impact on Australian society.
Most
of us, perhaps naively, like to believe this is an egalitarian country
where hard work and ambition, rather than your background, determine
your future.
Real estate has
changed all that. Over the past few years, it has become apparent that
the only way many younger Australians can afford to put a roof over
their heads is if their parents have stumped up the cash for a deposit.
That's rapidly transforming us into a class-ridden society where the landed gentry rule.
If you weren't born into property, you'll never own it.
Handouts are easy. Reeling them back in, even when they've gone too far, can be nigh on impossible.
Paul
Keating abolished negative gearing way back in 1985 but reversed the
decision in 1987, after a highly effective scare campaign from the
property industry erroneously claimed the decision had caused rents to
soar.
Negative gearing
allows investors to write off annual losses — if the rental income
doesn't cover the interest bill and other costs — against their other
income.
Like all tax breaks, the more money you earn, the greater the benefits you stand to reap.
But
it's helped transform the simple human need of providing shelter into
an Australian obsession, a casino where the house always wins.
Back
in Keating's day, investors bought existing houses 90 per cent of the
time, prompting his quip that they were simply "swapping flats on Bondi
Beach" and hence did little to expand the rental stock.
Things
haven't changed much now. According to economist Saul Eslake,
negatively geared investors overwhelmingly buy existing houses, often
targeting lower-priced homes that are the normal terrain of first home
buyers.
"Negative gearing does
nothing to increase the supply of housing, since the vast majority of
landlords buy established properties," he says.
"Precisely
for that reason, it contributes to upward pressure on the prices of
established dwellings, thereby diminishing housing affordability for
would-be home buyers."
According to Australian Taxation Office numbers, only around 23 per cent of negatively geared investors buy new homes.
Keating
also introduced a capital gains tax to broaden the tax base and ensure
those earning a living from trading assets paid tax alongside ordinary
workers.
You were taxed on the profit from your investment after inflation was stripped out.
But
in 1999, Peter Costello changed that. To simplify the system, the
discount was upped to a flat 50 per cent, regardless of how inflation
had performed, for anyone who held an asset for more than 12 months.
You only paid tax on half your earnings. And here's what happened to the price of Australian real estate.
The trend goes sharply higher almost immediately after the changes to CGT in 1999.
Other
factors helped too. Interest rates, having fallen sharply throughout
the 1990s, maintained a downward trend while a big step up in
immigration fuelled demand, and the resources boom fired up national
income.
Eurovision fans have been descending on Vienna ahead of this week's event. (Reuters: Lisa Leutner)
The Eurovision Song Contest will burst onto the stage in Vienna this week, and millions of screens around the globe.
But behind the colour and campness, this year's competition is shaping up to be among the most politically charged in history.
National
broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland —
which are responsible for sending performers and televising the contest
— are boycotting the event.
They say they are protesting the war in Gaza and taking a stand over Israel's participation in Eurovision.
The
Irish broadcaster RTÉ said taking part was "unconscionable given the
appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there".
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said it believed Israel had used the event "as a political instrument".
The ABC has contacted the Israeli broadcaster, KAN, for comment.
Demonstrations
against Israel taking part have become a feature of Eurovision in
recent years, amid ongoing wars in the Middle East.
There are also counter demonstrations planned in support of Israel and its 28-year-old performer, Noam Bettan.
After he was selected as Israel's entrant this year, Bettan said he was excited to get the opportunity to compete.
"I
feel amazing, I'm proud to be here, I'm happy to be here. I value this
place [Israel] so much, I've waited for this for so many, many years,"
he said.
Vienna police have described the competition in the Austrian capital as one of the biggest security events they have overseen.
"We
expect there will in fact be blockades and disruptive actions,
particularly on the day of the final, whether through authorised or
unauthorised gatherings," said Xenia Zauner, a senior police official
who will oversee the security operation.
SBS defends decision to compete
Barbara
Berreiro-Leon, a film and visual culture lecturer at the University of
Aberdeen, acknowledged that while Eurovision's slogan is "united by
music" and it tries to be apolitical, it regularly attracts controversy.
"Every
single piece of art is political in one way or another," Dr
Berreiro-Leon, who teaches a subject about Eurovision, told the ABC.
"That's
because you want to send a message. It could be a cultural message
about feminism, human rights, or it could be anything.
"We cannot really separate politics from real life."
Thirty-five countries are participating in Eurovision this year, including Australia.
A
spokesperson for broadcaster SBS, which coordinates and televises the
competition in Australia, told the ABC, "our position remains that, as a
public broadcaster, making a decision to be involved based on the
inclusion or exclusion of any country would undermine SBS's editorial
independence and impartiality".
Noam Bettan will represent Israel at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
Russia
was expelled from Eurovision in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of
Ukraine, but Dr Berreiro-Leon said she thought it was unlikely Israel
would be banned.
"I don't know
if [Israel would be expelled] because of what's happening in Gaza,
because it would have come to that already, but I think that if more
rules are breached by the [Israeli] broadcaster that would be the only
reason why they would be removed from the contest," Dr Berreiro-Leon
said.
Last weekend, organisers
the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) cautioned KAN, after videos
emerged urging people to "vote 10 times for Israel". Eurovision gave KAN
a formal warning, and the broadcaster removed the content immediately.
"Employing
a direct call to action to vote 10 times for one artist or song is also
not in line with our rules nor the spirit of the competition,"
Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said.
Delta Goodrem gets a rehearsal in before representing Australia at Eurovision. (Supplied: SBS publicity)
Delta Goodrem tipped to dazzle
Singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem will represent Australia.
The 41-year-old will perform her new single Eclipse in the second semifinal on Thursday, local time.
"I
feel very honoured and grateful to be a part of what is an institution
of 70 years of amazing music," Goodrem told journalists on Sunday.
Dr
Berreiro-Leon, who saw Goodrem perform at a Eurovision event at the
Australian embassy in Vienna last Friday, said she was "impressed".
"Delta's vocals are really, really good, and I think she also has this big charisma," she said.
"People
are saying that she might win the second semifinal, and I can see that
happening, actually, so I think she's going straight through the final,
and I can say that probably top 10, even top five."
Several Eurovision fan websites also list Goodrem in the top 10.
Delta Goodrem is considered a strong contender to make the Eurovision final this week. (Reuters: Lisa Leutner)
Lachlan
Woods, president of the Eurovision Song Contest Fans of Australia
Network, said more than 200 Australian fans were travelling to Vienna to
cheer her on.
"I think it's
really exciting that we've got such a strong entry this year. I've heard
bits and pieces about what the performance is going to be like, and I'm
very excited about it," Mr Woods said.
"Seeing
such a well-respected artist like Delta on the global stage, such as
here at Eurovision, it's just something that we can really be proud of
as Australians."
He said that an Australian entry was still a bit of a novelty among the Eurovision fan community.
"If
I had a dollar for every time someone asked me why Australia is in
Eurovision, I could afford the return flight back and forth to
Eurovision every year," Woods joked.
EBU
invited Australia to compete as an interval act in 2014 and as a
wildcard entry in 2015, due to Eurovision's popularity down under.
Broadcaster SBS then struck a deal to keep coming back.
Labassa today sits out of view in a quiet cul-de-sac. (Compass: Danielle Bonica)
At
the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in Caulfield North stands a luscious
secret waiting to be discovered, a hidden monument to Melbourne's
history.
The majestic mansion, Labassa, holds the memories of hundreds of people who once called it home.
Following
the devastation of WWII, approximately 25,000 Jewish refugees arrived
in Australia, desperate for a safe, secure place to rebuild their lives.
Among
them, some 9,000 Jewish refugees landed in Melbourne, where the
splendid building at the end of the cul-de-sac became home to the
fortunate few who inhabited the top floor.
For
Rachel Apfelbaum, who lived in the mansion as a child, returning to her
former home, Labassa, rekindled the memories of her time there.
"It's hard to fathom that we actually lived in this magnificent place," she said.
"I can't believe I'm back here after 70 odd years. Wow, wow, wow."
Origins and high society
In
1887, millionaire Alexander Robertson bought a modest home with a
desire to create "the most magnificent house in Melbourne" and indeed it
did become a centrepiece of Melbourne's high society.
Labassa,
then Ontario, became a lavishly designed 35-room mansion, surrounded by
6 hectares of manicured gardens featuring tennis courts, stables and a
conservatory. It was an elegant estate ready to welcome guests of the
most noble variety.
Labassa is a historic mansion located in North Caulfield, Melbourne. (Supplied: National Trust)
In
1904 Ontario was bought by the son of gold mining millionaire John Boyd
Watson II, and though he renamed the mansion Labassa, the flair and
extravagance of high society flowed on with grand dinner parties and
elite social gatherings.
Shortly after Watson II's death in 1911, Labassa was subdivided and by the mid-1930s the mansion contained at least 10 flats.
It was at this time caretakers James and Emily Brearley were employed.
Emily
took care of the delicate furnishings as thoughtfully as she did the
people who lived there. She spent 43 years at Labassa, and her name,
when spoken, continues to bring a smile to the faces of those who
remember her.
Louise Lovely, a silent film star, lived in Labassa during the 1920s and 1930s. (Supplied: National Library of Australia)
Even
after the mansion had been converted to flats, its grand drawing and
dining rooms were preserved, continuing to provide a background for
extravagant parties.
The mansion's staircase, intricate marblework and ornate ceilings also continued to attract a glamorous crowd of tenants.
Socialites,
war heroes and movie stars, including Louise Lovely, also known as
Nellie Cowen, a star of the silver screen, all called Labassa home.
Transition to a home for Jewish refugees
Between
1945 and 1961 approximately 25,000 Jewish refugees migrated to
Australia after the war, and the entire first floor of Labassa was
converted to flats to provide safe homes.
Rachel remembers sliding down the banner with her cousin as a child.
"I still remember everything, beautiful leadlight windows, my favourite banister … I'm so excited to be back."
The stairway banisters Rachel Apfelbaum and Susan Gruner would ride down. (Compass: Danielle Bonica)
Rachel returned to Labassa in 2025 after 70 years. She first came as a child with her family after the war.
"I remember this beautiful big room and the window," said Rachel as she wandered through the old mansion.
"When I first saw Labassa, I got a shock," Rachel's mother Helen recalled.
Helen and Rachel Apfelbaum return to Labassa with Vicki Shuttleworth. (Compass: Danielle Bonica)
"That they built such a beautiful home … one of the ladies said to me, 'Touch the walls, you'll see, practically like gold.'
"And we did. It was beautiful."
The hallway was partitioned to make flats to welcome Jewish refugees after World War II. (Compass: Danielle Bonica)
Many families arrived with nothing after surviving the Holocaust.
With just a mattress on the floor and no hot water, Helen still felt she was going "from hell … back to life".
"We had one big room. No furniture. Just a mattress. But it was beautiful … we came from nothing," she said.
Helen,
now nearly 100 years old, can no longer climb the magnificent staircase
to her old number-four flat, "So I am going to see it for her," Rachel
said.
The staircase and the wallpaper show the grandeur of Labassa. (Compass: Danielle Bonica)
Rachel wanders upstairs and gently touches the doorway.
"This is the indentation of a mezuzah, which my father would have put up," she said.
A mezuzah is a small decorative case holding a scroll inscribed with Torah verses, affixed to the front door as a sign of faith.
"Wow, it's still there after all these years," Rachel said.
The mark left on the doorway from the mezuzah from the Apfelbaum family. (Compass: Danielle Bonica)
Rachel fondly remembers Mrs Brearley, the legendary caretaker of the mansion.
"I can still see her. She always wore an apron.
"I can't remember if she had a stick or a strap but there was always something that she would tap."
Mrs
Brearley is remembered as an abiding presence and a keeper of secrets
as the flats filled with sounds of children running and playing.
Susan Gruner came to Labassa in 1957 with her family when she was 11 years old.
Susan Gruner revisits Labassa. (Compass: Tracey Spring)
As she retraced the steps to her old flat memories come flooding back.
"I made friends really easily. Everybody was just lovely," Susan said.
"Nobody asked me, 'What's your religion?' They just said, 'Can you play skippy?'"
Some of Susan's childhood secrets remain hidden in the mansion.
"We used to look for hidden treasure. At the time I didn't realise it was the whole house that was the treasure."
The Gruners arrived from Hungary in 1957. (Compass)
Over
time the residents saved small deposits to purchase their own homes in
the area, forming the "little bagel" area of Melbourne.
Labassa was ready for the next wave of residents.
Labassa's bohemian epoque
Melbourne became a hub for the counterculture movement in the 60s and 70s.
University crowds, beatniks, hippies, rockers, poets, musicians and artists were drawn to the soul of the mansion.
The bohemians who took over iconic Melbourne mansion Labassa. (Compass)
Performer
Jane Clifton, widely recognised for her iconic role as Margo Gaffney in
the TV series Prisoner, was a resident at the mansion in the early 70s.
"There used to be magnificent parties here," she said.
Jane Clifton lived at the mansion in the early 1970s. (Compass: Danielle Bonica)
"The Doors would be playing and strobe lights going, with people in crushed velvet dancing."
Jane
lived in the former servants quarters and recalled: "Many of the people
who came to Labassa were drawn to the house because they appreciated
its beauty, its aesthetic."
Jane rehearsed in the grand rooms, sharing her life, shaped by creativity and community.
"It was a time of happiness and hope and freedom," she said.
With no longer any oversight from Mrs Brearley, nor from real estate agents, the atmosphere could get a little rowdy.
"One young man used to ride his motorcycle up the stairwell," said Vicki Shuttleworth, author of Labassa, House of Dreams.
Melbourne was very much "a party town", she said.
Yet this wave of occupants also saw the mansion as a sentient being and looked after it well.
"The
hippies … saw it in humanistic terms … some people even saw it as
living breathing being that was mystical and restless, and other people
saw it as a conscious entity, so people related to the house in a very
personal way,"
Vicki said.
Rescued in the 80s
By
1980, Labassa faced an uncertain future, and the National Trust,
wanting to preserve the mansion's significant history, bought it for
$282,500.
"It's not just a
building, it's a story. The humanity of the house has survived," said
Vicki, who created the Labassa Lives project, a collection of more than
700 stories of personal connection to the mansion.
Labassa
stands as a time capsule of legacies, a house of dreams for Melbourne's
elites, a sanctuary for the Jewish community, and a studio of creative
freedom for bohemians.
Its romantic nostalgia fills visitors with curiosity about the architecture, and the memories of those who called it home.
Today, Labassa is cared for by an army of dedicated volunteers and is open to the public.
Peter, a volunteer rings the bell.
The tour begins.
And the stories continue to be told.
Watch From Labassa — If These Walls Could Talk on Compass tonight at 6:30pm on ABC TV or stream now on iview.
