REDWatch Co-ordination Group Report for 2020-2021

REDWatch meets at 6 pm on the first Thursday of the month at the Factory. These monthly meetings focus on a key challenge or issue facing the local community. REDWatch meetings are open to everyone, as is membership of the incorporated association that organises its activities.

REDWatch had another year of strong action and advocacy. We have successfully been able to take our monthly meetings online with COVID-19 lockdowns making it not possible to be meet in person. This has been a difficult time for some of our tenant members with limited internet access.

The issue areas REDWatch focused on included:

• Waterloo redevelopment master plan 
• Developing a Waterloo human Services plan with Government and NGOs
• Affordable housing and Social housing
• Council Plans for the Botany Road Corridor
• The South Eveleigh heritage and public space protection
• Redfern station southern bridge proposal 
• North Eveleigh Redevelopment

As a group, we continually look at how to engage with people from across the communities and who work in government.

We achieve this by remaining political party neutral and creating opportunities for voices that are not normally heard, to have centre stage. 

List of meetings this year:

• July 2020 - Council and LAHC present on Government plans for Redfern Build to Rent and Waterloo South Public Housing
• August 2020 – Where is the Waterloo Human Services Plan? Session based on Waterloo Impact Report from Counterpoint.
• September 2020 – The Future of Eveleigh (Mirvac South Eveleigh, Carriageworks and Transport for NSW)
• October 2020 – AGM & What is Community Development.
• November 2020 - community networking opportunity
• December 2020  - REDWatch end of year drinks
• February 2021 – Transport for NSW Redfern Station and Surrounds
• March 2021 - Council planners explain their Waterloo South proposal
• April 22 2021 - REDWatch Workshop on Connectivity around Redfern Station
• May 2021- Cancelled due to Covid
• June 2021 - Health Equity – what it is and why it is important …. and you get a bite to eat at The Factory
• July 2021- Presentation on Waterloo South Gateway determination
• August 2021 – City of Sydney presented Botany Road Planning Proposal
• September 2021 – Tenants Union and tenants on Community Housing Providers (CHPs)
• October 2021 – AGM and Blak Douglas on artist Roy Kennedy

REDWatch coordination group also meet monthly to resource and coordinate our activities. Our office bearers meet other community groups, local decision-makers, elected officials and make written submissions and media statements on a diverse range of issues.

REDWatch is a member of the following ongoing groups:

• Better Planning Network
• Groundswell Redfern Waterloo
• The Waterloo NAB’s Waterloo Redevelopment Group
• Mirvac South Eveleigh’s Community Liaison Group
• Mirvac South Eveleigh’s Advisory Panel
• The Waterloo Human Services Collaborative and Co-ordination Groups

REDWatch has a strong history of providing a place for people from across the community to come together to discuss the issues, receive information and creating space for collective actions. As a part of this REDWatch requests Council and Government bodies dealing with the local community to present to the community and answer questions in a community-controlled space.

We will build on all this into the future and we thank everyone for their continued support. 

Alice Anderson & Geoff Turnbull (Co-spokespersons)