Vanstone urges RWA and Aboriginal Housing Company to start talking - 4th October 2005

Federal Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Amanda Vanstone, has weighed into the debate about the future of The Block. Currently the Aboriginal Housing Company and Redfern Waterloo Authority, run by NSW Labor Minister Frank Sartor, are not talking because of a disagreement over the amount of housing to be built on the historic site. On the stalemate, Vanstone said, "Let's stop the battle between the two parties and see what else could be done that we can all be proud of. I think you could do something quite different with that area. It's not an area we've got control over, although obviously we've got an interest."

When pressed about her own vision for The Block, she replied, "When I'm ready to pop that out I will, but I'll give you a hint. I think you could do something much more imaginative and still provide appropriate housing to everyone that is now entitled to housing there. I'm not sure either of the plans (by the RWA and AHC) are anywhere near imaginative enough"

Peter Valilis, AHC project manager, when told of Minister Vanstone's comments, said, "The RWA doesn't have plan, all they've put forward is that there will be no more than 19 houses. Our Pemulwuy Project for the Block consists of five years-of planning and we have already won awards for our work. The AHC invites Minister Vanstone to come and look at the plan so we can discuss our, and her, ideas for the Block".

Vanstone did not say when she would visit the AHC. On the subject of NSW Minister for Redfern Waterloo Frank Sartor, she said he was yet to invite her to discuss plans for The Block. Vanstone made the point that the future of Indigenous affairs would be in cooperative arrangements between State and Federal governments.

Representatives of the RWA would not say whether they had specifically discussed the redevelopment of the Block with the Commonwealth Government. However, Kelly Gudgeon, a spokesperson for Minister Sartor, did confirm that the Federal Government had said it wishes to work with the NSW Government to achieve mutually acceptable outcomes in Redfern-Waterloo on Indigenous issues.

Gudgeon said, regardless of whether there is a Commonwealth involvement, the RWA would not support the Aboriginal Housing Company's plan for 62 houses on the Block.

Federal Labor Member for Sydney, Tanya Plibersek, was sceptical that the Federal Government would take an interest in The Block. "I've been trying for the past five years to get a Commonwealth commitment to Aboriginal housing on The Block. The Commonwealth has shown no interest in the Redfern housing issue. We've been knocked back and ignored time and time again."

"The Commonwealth Government says it's not our responsibility, but of course it is. Public and community housing have always been a joint state and federal responsibility. The fact that the Government will not even respond to the Aboriginal Housing Company is lazy and worse".

On the Redfern Waterloo Authority's failure to negotiate with the Aboriginal Housing Company, Plibersek observed that residents in her electorate were frustrated because things weren't moving quickly enough. However, she predicted that a compromise would be reached before the 2007 election