Lindy Hume says “she is a supporter of large, family-friendly events but adds: ‘It’s also good for Sydney at the beginning of each year to have a good hard look at itself.’ She wants to emphasise the darker sides of the city and embrace the different elements of its “incredibly complex history”: the stories of settlers, indigenous people, convicts, immigrants. She says it is important for the festival to reflect the world in which it is presented.”