REDWatch Co-ordination Group Report for 2021-2022

REDWatch had another year of strong action, capacity building and advocacy.

Some the issues REDWatch has been active on since 1 July 2021 include:

• The Elizabeth Street / PCYC site moving from Build to Rent to Build to Sell
• The Council Rezoning of the Botany Road Corridor
• Waterloo South gateway, exhibition and determination 
• Waterloo South People and Place framework and tender input
• Redfern North Eveleigh Paint Shop Planning Proposal Exhibition
• Redfern North Eveleigh Clothing Store Consultations and move to EOI
• The Large Erecting Shop Rezoning and proposal to incorporate the LES as part of South Eveleigh
• Affordable housing and Social housing redevelopment issues including South Eveleigh public housing and the need for more affordable housing including support for Aboriginal Affordable Housing.
• Improving Human Service Delivery for public housing tenants through regular meeting with DCJ and SLHD and Participation in the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative and Coordination Groups.

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 REDWatch meetings 2021-2022 year:

REDWatch usually meets at 6 pm on the first Thursday of the month at the Factory and in the period of this report also online. 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 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.

• 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
• November 2021 -  City of Sydney Candidates Forum with ARAG and FOE (Wednesday)
• December 2021  - No meeting
• February 2022 – Waterloo South: What makes high-density work for the community? Laura Crommelin, Philip Thalis and Tim Williams
• March 2022 - Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) briefing on the Waterloo South Exhibition Proposal
• April 2022 – Waterloo South: The mood, thoughts, issues and possible responses to the Waterloo South Planning Proposal
• May 2022 - Federal Candidates Forum with ARAG and FOE (Wednesday)
• June 2022 – The Housing Market – Ben Spies Butcher and Prof Nicole Gurran.
• July 2022- REDWatch members meeting
• August 2022 – Redfern North Eveleigh Paint Shop Precinct Exhibition Briefing - TfNSW
• August 2022 – Waterloo South – LAHC moving to Delivery
• August 2022 – Redfern North Eveleigh Paint Shop Precinct Saturday  Public Meeting
• September 2022 - No meeting
• October 2022 – Waterloo South LAHC introduces their community engagement for people and place.
• November 2022 - What does LAHC need to do to deliver positive outcomes for public housing tenants from its Waterloo plan? 

REDWatch worked with Counterpoint and Groundswell in capacity building for public housing tenants in Waterloo. This included involvement on a working group and the preparation of presentations on:

• Waterloo Redevelopment - How did we get here?
• Waterloo South Redevelopment: Unpacking the Planning Proposal

REDWatch also worked with other organisations to help them understand what was happening in Waterloo and provided speakers on the public housing redevelopment and Eveleigh at events organised by other organisations.

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 (WRG)
• The Waterloo Human Services Collaborative
• The Waterloo Human Services Co-ordination Groups
• Mirvac South Eveleigh’s Community Liaison Group
• Mirvac South Eveleigh’s Advisory Panel

REDWatch also wants to acknowledge the support offered by Counterpoint Community Services who allow us to use the Factory Community Centre for our monthly meetings and who cover our insurances. Counterpoint also assist REDWatch with some of their staff time and we work collaboratively with them on public housing issues through Groundswell, the WRG and on Human Services Issues.

One of the major challenges facing REDWatch at the moment is to keep our website working. It is old and keeps breaking down. We want to retain all the important information on it but also have a website that will service our communities into the future. That involves either so pro bono work or the need for a major fundraising campaign to pay someone to build a new site and transfer the existing material.

REDWatch has had another very busy year. The developments that are reshaping our area are ongoing and require ongoing monitoring by REDWatch. To do that REDWatch needs members to support the organisation and the Coordination Group to keep the organisation going and fulfilling its important community role.

We will continue to build on the work that has gone before and we thank everyone for their continued support and for giving the community a voice in the decisions made about our area.

Alice Anderson & Geoff Turnbull (Co-spokespersons)  December 2022