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24 July 2007

In this Update: Minister Changes RWA Human Services Ministerial Advisory Committee (HSMAC) / AHC Pemulwuy Project Presentation – 4.30pm, 14th August 2007 at RCC / Settlement Neighbourhood Centre Hall DA going to CoS Council / DA for CoS Neighbourhood Service Centre to move to 158 Redfern Street / RWA Development Applications & Determinations / CoS Community Forum for Redfern Waterloo and Eveleigh – Wednesday 25 July 6-8.30 pm / CoS Urban Design Study – Chippendale, Darlington, North Newtown, Erskineville & Alexandria areas / Waterloo Green Safety Audit Undertaken / Tribal Warrior looks for new Trainees / PIA Seminar on “Urban Redevelopment or Planning for the Public Good? — Redfern-Waterloo” – 1st August 2007 / REDWatch Meeting – 1st August 2007 6pm / South Sydney Business Conference - Wednesday 8 August 2007 / Connect Redfern Family & Children’s Services Updated lists for Term 3 2007 / Have your say – Summary of Current Consultations

[Please use the list of articles at the top of the email to find what is of interest to you. We do not expect you to be interested in everything. Depending on your email programme and computer settings these headings may also give you a link to jump directly to the story of interest.]

In this Update:

Minister Changes RWA Human Services Ministerial Advisory Committee (HSMAC)

AHC Pemulwuy Project Presentation – 4.30pm, 14th August 2007 at RCC

Settlement Neighbourhood Centre Hall DA going to CoS Council

DA for CoS Neighbourhood Service Centre to move to 158 Redfern Street

RWA Development Applications & Determinations

CoS Community Forum for Redfern Waterloo and Eveleigh – Wednesday 25 July 6-8.30 pm

CoS Urban Design Study – Chippendale, Darlington, North Newtown, Erskineville & Alexandria areas

Waterloo Green Safety Audit Undertaken

Tribal Warrior looks for new Trainees

PIA Seminar on “Urban Redevelopment or Planning for the Public Good? — Redfern-Waterloo” – 1st August 2007

REDWatch Meeting – 1st August 2007 6pm

South Sydney Business Conference - Wednesday 8 August 2007

Connect Redfern Family & Children’s Services Updated lists for Term 3 2007

Have your say – Summary of Current Consultations

Coming Events (look at the new local events entered on the REDWatch website that are not covered here)

Minister Changes RWA Human Services Ministerial Advisory Committee (HSMAC)

The RWA Community Consultation webpage has been updated with the names of some new Community Members on the HSMAC. According to the website, Ms Lynette Stewart and Ms Mabel Chang have been reappointed by the Minister, while Mr Robert Perry, Mr Chris Carbin, Ms Rebekah Torres and Mr Michael Shreenan have been chosen by the Minister to replace Ms Jill Edwards, Mr Howard Glenn, Mr Dominic (Dom) Grenot, Mr Paul Knight and Ms Shirley Lomas.

What is not said on the Website is that the HSMAC will no longer be jointly chaired by NCOSS and the RWA Human Services Manager, but in future will be chaired by the RWA CEO Robert Domm. The Director of NCOSS and Helen Campbell from Redfern Legal Service had represented the non-government service sector on the committee, which also includes local, state and federal Human Services Departments. Helen Campbell has been advised that her services are no longer required on the HSMAC.

In a further development, rather than update the full listing of the HSMAC on the RWA’s Human Services website, the details of the full membership of the HSMAC have been removed from the website. This means that, like the other Ministerial Advisory Committees (that never meet the Minister), the government appointees to these committees will not be publicly known to the community.

Before the initial appointments in 2005 to the MACs the Minister called for “Expressions of Interest” (EOI) before making the new appointments. No new EOIs were called for before current appointments, so it is not known on what basis the Minister selected those that he wishes the RWA to listen to from the community. Some may have previously made EOIs in 2005. It is known that it wasn’t possible for one member, the HCAP worker Mr Michael Shreenan, to have made a 2005 application as he only moved to Australia in 2006, so some additional basis must also have been used by the Minister other than EOIs..

The other concern for some in the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) community may be the reappointment of Ms Mabel Chang. Mabel Chang is the only person to represent the CALD community in Redfern Waterloo on both the old Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project committee and now the RWA Human Services Committee. She was initially appointed to the Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project Community Council and was made an interim appointee of the RWA Human Services Advisory Committee (HSAC) until a new CALD representative could be found. No other CALD representative was found, and she was appointed to the initial HSMAC and has now been reappointed to this committee.

The RWA website is also undergoing some changes with the earlier FAQ section currently dropped and some re-naming of Tabs and Pages. REDWatch takes PDFs of all RWA web pages when they change and these are available if required from mail@redwatch.org.au.

AHC Pemulwuy Project Presentation – 4.30pm, 14th August 2007 at RCC

The Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC) is putting the final touches on all the reports required by the Director General of the Department of Planning for their Pemulwuy Project Concept Plan Application for The Block. Prior to the submission being made to the Department of Planning the AHC will do a presentation to the local community at the Redfern Community Centre at 4.30 pm on Tuesday 14th August 2007. Come along to the presentation; see what is proposed and what has changed as a result of continued input from the community during the preparation of the concept plan. It is expected that the concept plan will go to the Department of Planning in late August and, following assessment by the Department, will then go on formal exhibition for further community comment.

Settlement Neighbourhood Centre Hall DA going to CoS Council

Julie Cracknell and Peter Lonergan have drawn up plans for modifications to The Settlement and sketch plans have been circulated to Settlement members ahead of the DA submission to the CoS Council. DoCS has provided $100,000 for some of this work. In the redevelopment the backyard will become a much greater focus for programs. A number of craft and activity rooms will open onto a $15,000 children's playground to be constructed with a grant from The St George Foundation. The new kitchen will be moved to the back of the building, where the stage is at the moment, so that it can open out onto a BBQ area. Above the new kitchen and toilets a new level will be built to accommodate three separate project rooms so that a number of different activities can be run at the same time. This is the link to the Sketch Plans of Settlement Building Changes (157 KB JPG).

DA for CoS Neighbourhood Service Centre to move to 158 Redfern Street

Readers may recall that earlier the CoS notified a DA to move the Redfern Neighbourhood Service Centre to Redfern Town Hall. Part of the earlier DA was to move the War Memorial at Town Hall from the rear upstairs meeting room to the main hall so that the rear room could be used without having to be open to the public. The memorial moved but City of Sydney has decided not to relocate to the Town Hall. The CoS has now advertised DA Number D/2007/1274 to move the Neighbourhood Service centre from Lawson Square to 158 Redfern Street, Redfern (Between Renwick Street and the TAB). The DA is to “use and fitout of ground floor as commercial office space to accommodate the City of Sydney Redfern Neighbourhood Service Centre. Works include new glazed shopfront with security grille and the addition of two awning fascia signs and one window sign. Proposed operating hours are from 9.00am to 5.00pm Mondays to Fridays and 9.00am to 12.00pm Saturdays” The estimated cost of work is $250,000 (this excludes costs associated with the earlier DA). The DA exhibition closes on 7th August 2007.

RWA Development Applications & Determinations

In the last update we missed advising of the Redfern RSL application for the construction of a 25sqm smokers’ deck above existing car park of the Redfern RSL Club, with access from the first level gaming room. The proposals can be seen at the Redfern Neighbourhood Service Centre Ground Level, Tower 2 1 Lawson Square, Redfern or on the RWA website at DA 022-06-07. – DA Exhibition closes 25 July 2007.

The RWA has also approved the RWA DA for the change of use for the RWA Training Facility and Yaama Dhinawan at 255 Wilson Street at North Eveleigh to be used as a café, for functions and as a training facility. The DA approval has allowed operating hours from 8am - 10pm 7 days a week, which is reduced from the 12pm close requested in the application. The deck along Wilson Street cannot be used for any activities after 8 pm and the retractable glass doors must be fully closed by 8pm. Parking and deliveries are to be at the rear. The approval also sets noise criteria for the centre’s use which was one of the major concerns of Wilson Street residents. You can download from the RWA website the full approval conditions for DA 019-04-07 (PDF 606 KB).

CoS Community Forum for Redfern Waterloo and Eveleigh – Wednesday 25 July 6-8.30 pm

From 6-7pm there will be an opportunity at Redfern Town Hall (73 Pitt Street, Redfern) to meet with council officers and councillors to discuss your own local problems. This will be followed by a community forum. The CoS Inner South Forum Flyer (PDF 149Kb) advises that the forum will include a grants program presentation, a presentation on Sustainable Sydney 2030, as well as an update on local projects, the cycle strategy and local development applications. The flyer provides the following information about local issues:

Redfern revitalisation - The City’s upgrade to Redfern and Regent Streets is almost complete and the precinct has already taken on new life. Public artworks will be installed in the coming months and the City is investigating the relocation of the Neighbourhood Service Centre from Lawson Square to Redfern Street.

Redfern Park upgrade - Stage 1 works on Redfern Park have begun with the eastern part of the park closed for the upgrade. The Baby Health Facility remains open and residents can still enjoy use of the western side of the park. Earthworks for the new grandstand and oval are also underway.

Waterloo Oval Youth facility - The new skate park’s popularity has confirmed the need to upgrade the Waterloo Oval and Youth Facility, in line with the City’s Youth and Skate Facility Needs Study. Planning and consultation for the upgrade begins this year.

CoS Urban Design Study – Chippendale, Darlington, North Newtown, Erskineville & Alexandria areas

This is an opportunity to have input into CoS Council about your area. What makes it distinctive, what you like, what could be improved? What you want to see fixed what should be allowed to be developed and what should not be changed. The Urban Design Study involves a review of the urban and built form of the study area, including the character of existing development, building heights and densities, and recommendations for new planning controls for the area. Last year there was a study of Redfern Waterloo and this year two other areas in and surrounding the RWA area have their Urban Design Studies underway. Residents and property owners have been sent information about the process in their areas. The areas currently under study are:

Chippendale, Camperdown, Darlington, West Redfern and North Newtown - a meeting was held on Saturday 21 July 2007 (sorry we only found out about it after the last update) but CoS are still looking for community input so it is not to late to get your comments in if you missed the meeting. There will be a questionnaire on the CoS website you can use to make your input (until it is put up you can download a copy from the REDWatch site of the Chippendale Darlington Urban Design Questionnaire PDF 90KB). For more information contact the Project Manager Karen Wang Tel: 02 9265 9774 Email: kwang@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.

Erskineville, Alexandria (West) and Newtown (South)a meeting is planned between 6:00pm – 8:00pm on 7 August 2007 at Erskineville Town Hall, 104 Erskineville Road, Erskineville. RSVP by 1 August to Project Manager Tatjana Djuric-Simovic, Tel: 02 9265 9388 Email: tdjuricsimovic@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au .

If you wish to see the outcome of the completed Urban Design Studies you can look at the documents from either Green Square or Waterloo and Redfern..

Waterloo Green Safety Audit Undertaken

Community Members and Police have undertaken an important safety audit of the Waterloo Green. We are told that a draft report has identified a number of areas where improved DoH maintenance could make a very large impact on both community impressions and community safety of the green area. The draft report identifies proper maintenance of the large number of inoperable lights in the area, graffiti removal, and general maintenance of buildings, gardens and facilities as key areas which, if addressed, could significantly improve safety in the area. Hopefully the audit will lead to some real community safety improvements for Waterloo Green and its surrounds.

Tribal Warrior looks for new Trainees

Tribal Warrior www.tribalwarrior.org is looking for 35 people who want to train for a career in the maritime industry. Trainees spend 10 days at sea with 4 other trainees, a skipper and a deckhand and have the opportunity to learn all about...seamanship, navigation, coxswain, anchorage, deckhands and even have the possibility of getting a Master's ticket! It will involve being part of a programme running over 12 weeks sailing from Sydney to Tweed Heads (13 August), Tweed Heads to Rockhampton (25 August), Rockhampton to Townsville/Palm Is (6 September), Townsville to Palm Is (18 September), Townsville/Palm Is to Rockhampton (30 September), Rockhampton to Tweed Heads (12 October) and Tweed Heads to Sydney (24 October). To find out more about this exciting opportunity, please contact the Tribal Warrior Indigenous team Sera on 0400 374 237 or Karen on 0417 444 571 or email indigenous@jobfindfindcentre.com.au .

PIA Seminar on “Urban Redevelopment or Planning for the Public Good? — Redfern-Waterloo” – 1st August 2007

The Planning Institute of Australia have arranged a continuing education seminar on urban redevelopment with Redfern-Waterloo as a focus. They are still waiting however for the RWA or the Department of Planning to confirm their participation. The initial plan was to have the RWA or the Department of Planning talk about the Redfern Waterloo re-development, Geoff Turnbull to provide a residents’ perspective looking at “Community Issues in Regeneration” and an overseas’ perspective on “Practical Urban Regeneration” provided by Chris Bailey who is currently Director, Urban Design, Parramatta City Council. It is of considerable concern that the RWA appears unable or unwilling to discuss their activities with planning professionals and to openly discuss the urban regeneration challenges facing Redfern Waterloo. Details of the proposed seminar, which will still proceed without the RWA, can be found at PIA NSW August PD Seminar. (162 KB PDF).

REDWatch Meeting – 1st August 2007 6pm

REDWatch meets to discuss local Redfern Eveleigh Darlington and Waterloo issues. Meetings are open to all interested members of the community. Changes in the Human Services MAC and further discussion of the Rachael Forster Hospital housing plans will be among the topics discussed on 1st August 2007 at the Factory Community Centre. More information about REDWatch can be found on the REDWatch website www.redwatch.org.au/redwatch/incorporation/

South Sydney Business Conference - Wednesday 8 August 2007

A business forum is being arranged by the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Australian Technology Park on Wednesday 8 August 2007 8:00am - 2:30pm. Local business people can join some of the Rabbitohs team and special guest speakers for a morning of entertaining and informative business talk. Details on the full programme cost and registration can be found at www.souths.com.au/sponsorship/corporateevents.asp.

Connect Redfern Family & Children’s Services Updated lists for Term 3 2007

Connect Redfern has produced their Term Three 2007 lists on Redfern Waterloo which can be downloaded from either the REDWatch web site or from the RWA website . The REDWatch link also contains links to a number of directories of services including the searchable Lincs directory which includes information on local services submitted by CoS and other councils.

Have your say – Summary of Current Consultations

Below we have listed consultations currently open for community input and provided a link for further information: