A National Indigenous Development Centre is planned for the Redfern Public School Site.

The National Indigenous Development Centre (NIDC) is being developed by the Indigenous Land Corporation, which is a federal government authority that buys land for the social, cultural, economic and environmental benefit of Indigenous Australians.

The range of facilities likely to be incorporated into the NIDC include:

• A training field
• A swimming pool
• Short stay accommodation for 100 people attending training/development camps
• Basketball and netball courts
• A dining/function centre

The NIDC will run sporting, educational and social/personal development programs for Indigenous people from across Australia. It will house a number of key Indigenous and youth development organisations:

The Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Team is committed to introducing Rugby Union to young Aboriginal men and women around Australia. The organisation offers educational scholarships for young Indigenous people from regional and remote communities, and will participate in leadership courses.

National Aboriginal Sports Corporation Australia is a not-for-profit organisation operating to service the development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sport. NASCA offers a range of programs for Indigenous Australians including:

• Sporting clinics with high-profile athletes
• National development programs in golf, rugby league and netball
• A joint program with professional athletes aimed at young people from the Redfern/Alexandria area.
• Educational scholarships

The existing Murawina Aboriginal Childcare Centre will move into a new building on the site. Murawina will continue to provide affordable day care to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children from the local area.

The Exodus Foundation will operate a specialised literacy tutorial centre at the NIDC. The program will be offered to local Indigenous students between 10-14 years old who are experiencing difficulties at school due to low literacy levels. The education programme, developed over the past 10 years, has helped many students improve their levels of literacy and numeracy and school behaviour and attendance.

Negotiations are currently under way with the PCYC to operate out of the Centre.

Community Consultation on the NIDC

A concept plan for the NIDC will be submitted to the Department of Planning in March, after which the detailed design will be completed.

The Indigenous Land Corporation will be working to keep the community informed throughout the design and construction of the project. As the construction phase approaches the ILC will be particularly interested in engaging with the local community on how potential construction impacts might be reduced. The ILC will also be providing information and seeking feedback on the issue of how local groups and organisations might use the facilities of the NIDC once the Centre is complete.

If you want to be involved in any future community engagement processes, want to be kept informed, or have any questions or comments about the National Indigenous Development Centre proposal, please contact Stuart Waters at Twyford Consulting. Postal: PO Box 6004 Wollongong NSW 2500 Phone: 1800 11 00 55 Email: Twyford@twyford.com.au