The REDWatch Planning Framework for the Redfern-Waterloo Plan
THE REDWATCH PLANNING FRAMEWORK
FOR
THE REDFERN-WATERLOO PLAN
PART A:
OVERVIEW OF THE REDFERN-WATERLOO “PLAN IN OUTLINE”
As the Redfern Waterloo Plan is being developed in stages over 10 years, we need a "Plan in Outline" - a broader framework into which these stages will fit over this length of time. Without this we can end up in a position where the individual stages, when completed, create a different picture from the one we had in mind at the outset.
REDWatch believes that the NSW Government needs to take at least the following steps - which together create a “Plan in Outline” - if it is going to be able to make a Redfern-Waterloo Plan that can create the future the community has in mind:
1. NEGOTIATE THE GROUND RULES FOR THE REDFERN-WATERLOO PLAN (RWP)
§ The Redfern-Waterloo Plan (RWP) will be a very broad Plan which integrates human services, jobs, infrastructure and new development/redevelopment.
§ The usual development rules don’t cover this sort of Plan.
§ REDWatch thinks the NSW Government should negotiate with the local communities about the best ground rules for making this sort of Plan.
§ This needs to be done as soon as possible, so that all stages of the RWP can be developed according to these ground rules.
§ For REDWatch’s ideas on what these ground rules should deal with, see the following pages which include:
¨ ideas for community input into the RWP, including the negotiations on the ground rules
¨ the main things the ground rules should cover.
2. START DEVELOPING THE STAGES OF THE RWP
§ Ideally, the ground rules would have been completed and had joint community and Government approval before this stage began.
§ However, the Government has already begun work on developing Stage 1 of the RWP.
§ To overcome this problem, any stages of the RWP that are developed before the community and the Government have agreed on the ground rules should be interim only.
§ As soon as the ground rules are agreed, the interim stages of the RWP should be checked against them, changed where necessary, and put back to the community for final approval.
§ After that point, the RWP’s stages should be developed in the way the agreed ground rules set out.
3. IMPLEMENT THE RWP IN STAGES
§ As part of each stage, the community and the Government need to check the way the current stage of the RWP will affect stages already planned or implemented.
4. REVIEW THE RWP’S OUTCOMES
§ The community and the Government need to make regular checks on:
¨ How well each of the stages already implemented is working
¨ How well these stages are working together - as an integrated Redfern-Waterloo Plan – to create the future the community wants.
If all this is to be achieved, REDWatch believes that the PRIMARY ground rule is:
1. |
No stages of the RWP will be implemented at all until the local communities have reached agreement with the NSW Government on “The Plan in Outline”. |
PART B:
SUMMARY OF STEPS FOR “THE PLAN IN OUTLINE”
§ REDWatch believes that “The Plan in Outline” needs to cover at least the following:
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
TO
REDFERN-WATERLOO
v
VISION
v
VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
v
OBJECTIVES
v
PRIORITY OUTCOMES
v
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
v
REVIEW STRATEGY
§ The pages that follow give a list of what the ground rules for developing “The Plan in Outline” could be, followed by a more detailed explanation of why each of the ground rules is needed.
PART C:
LIST OF GROUND RULES FOR REDFERN-WATERLOO PLAN
“THE PLAN IN OUTLINE”:
1 (i) |
No stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan will be implemented at all until the local communities have reached agreement with the NSW Government on “The Plan in Outline”. |
1 (ii) |
“The Plan in Outline” includes all the areas outlined below. |
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT:
2 (i) |
The NSW Government will develop a Statement of Commitment to Redfern-Waterloo and make it publicly available. |
2 (ii) |
When adopted, the Statement of Commitment will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
VISION:
3 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on the Vision for Redfern-Waterloo. |
3 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Vision will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
VALUES AND PRINCIPLES:
4 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on the Values and Principles for Redfern-Waterloo. |
4 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Values and Principles will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
4 (iii) |
This means that the NSW Government will act in accordance with the Values and Principles agreed to by the local communities when it: § develops the Redfern-Waterloo Plan § implements the Redfern-Waterloo Plan § reviews the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
4 (iv) |
This also applies to any person or body acting in partnership with the NSW Government, or acting on its behalf, on any matter relating to the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
OBJECTIVES:
5 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on: § the specific Objectives for Redfern-Waterloo § the Guidelines for making trade-offs among these Objectives. |
5 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Objectives and Guidelines will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
PRIORITY OUTCOMES:
6 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on: § the Priority Outcomes for Redfern-Waterloo § the key linkages needed to achieve them § a Strategy for making these linkages, including an advocacy strategy for matters beyond the control of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority or the Redfern-Waterloo Minister. |
6 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Priority Outcomes - and the Strategy for achieving them - will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY:
7 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on the Implementation Strategy for the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
7 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Implementation Strategy will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
7 (iii) |
This means that no specific stage of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan will be implemented until the local communities have reached agreement with the NSW Government on: § outcomes for that stage of the Plan, including: ú what the outcomes for this stage of the Plan are ú how these outcomes will help achieve the overall objectives and broad outcomes for the Redfern-Waterloo Plan as a whole ú what changes need to be made to other stages of the Plan to support the outcomes for the current stage ú what other things are needed to support them ú who needs to do all these things ú when they need to do them ú who will pay for them § a strategy for turning the above agreements into action § a review strategy, consistent with the ground rules for Implementation (see below), that will allow everyone to be able to tell that these outcomes have been achieved. |
REVIEW STRATEGY:
8 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on a Review Strategy for the Plan which includes: § review of the specific stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan § review of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan as a whole § how these reviews will be linked. |
8 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Review Strategy will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
8 (iii) |
This means that no specific stage of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan will be implemented until the local communities have reached agreement with the NSW Government on: § what will indicate success or failure for that stage of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan § the type of information that will be collected to measure success or failure § how and when the results will be reported to the local communities § how the local communities will be involved in working with the NSW Government to decide: ú what the results mean ú what changes need to be made to improve the results. |
PART D (i): GROUND RULES FOR STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT:
What the NSW Government will do - and will not do - in Redfern-Waterloo
§ The NSW Government needs to put its commitments to Redfern-Waterloo in one place – and stick to them.
§ This is needed because over the years it has given different messages at different times about what it will do in Redfern-Waterloo, and this is still happening.
§ For example, even the nature of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority (RWA) itself has changed in the last few months, as the human services activities of the Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project have been added to it.
§ The Government is also giving mixed messages about how it will act in Redfern-Waterloo.
§ For example, the messages expressed in the RWA Act are:
ú strong on government control
ú weak on community participation.
§ On the other hand, Minister Sartor and the CEO of the RWA are trying to reassure people that:
ú they will consult widely on what people want for the area
ú they will strike an appropriate balance between the interests of the local communities and those of other people with an interest in the area.
§ Despite that, the recent designation of key sites in Redfern-Waterloo as “state significant development” leaves people wondering how much say they will really have.
§ The local communities need more certainty than that.
§ A Statement of Commitment setting out in one place what the Government will – and will not – do in Redfern-Waterloo would be a good first step in providing more certainty.
§ Preparing the Statement is not a complicated task, as there is plenty of existing material that could be used.
§ The main work will be in:
ú sorting out some of the contradictions among existing statements
ú making it clear what some of the existing statements mean in practice.
The ground rules for the STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT could be:
2 (i) |
The NSW Government will develop a Statement of Commitment to Redfern-Waterloo and make it publicly available. |
2 (ii) |
When adopted, the Statement of Commitment will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
PART D (ii): GROUND RULES FOR VISION
VISION:
The sort of place we want Redfern-Waterloo to be
§ REDWatch supports a Vision which acknowledges:
ú the Aboriginal heritage of Redfern-Waterloo
ú the diversity of the Redfern-Waterloo communities
ú the local, regional and state-wide roles of the area.
§ One version of this Vision is as follows:
THIS VISION ACKNOWLEDGES:
§ THE PRIOR OCCUPATION OF THE AREA NOW KNOWN AS REDFERN-WATERLOO BY THE GADIGAL PEOPLE OF THE EORA NATION
§ THE AREA’S CONTINUING SIGNIFICANCE FOR ABORIGINAL PEOPLE LOCALLY, REGIONALLY AND ACROSS AUSTRALIA
LOCAL VISION:
Redfern-Waterloo is a place:
§ Where local residents can continue to live
§ Where new residents are welcome
§ Where there is a sense of community
§ Where jobs and training are available for the local communities
§ Where people can meet their daily needs easily.
REGIONAL VISION:
Redfern-Waterloo is a place:
§ That provides specialist employment and services for local people and people from regional areas
§ That is welcoming to Aboriginal people from regional areas.
STATE WIDE VISION:
Redfern-Waterloo is a place:
§ That provides specialist employment and services for local people and people from across NSW
§ That is welcoming to Aboriginal people from across the state and beyond.
§ The ground rules for the Redfern-Waterloo Plan need to include a process for allowing the local communities to reach agreement on a shared Vision for the area.
The ground rules for the VISION could be:
3 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on the Vision for Redfern-Waterloo. |
3 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Vision will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
PART D (iii): GROUND RULES FOR VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
VALUES AND PRINCIPLES:
How everyone needs to act to make Redfern-Waterloo the sort of place we want it to be
§ The local communities need the chance to tell the NSW Government about:
ú the values it thinks are important
ú how it thinks these values can be put into action in the Redfern-Waterloo Plan.
§ From REDWatch’s knowledge of the existing material, values supported by the local communities include:
ú human rights
ú social justice/social equity/a “fair go”
ú respect for diversity
ú respect for local knowledge, skills and experience
ú respect for the environment
ú respect for heritage.
§ The ground rules for the Redfern-Waterloo Plan need to include a process for allowing the local communities to reach agreement on:
ú the values they share
ú the principles that would allow these values to be put into action in the Redfern-Waterloo Plan.
The ground rules for the VALUES AND PRINCIPLES could be:
4 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on the Values and Principles for Redfern-Waterloo. |
4 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Values and Principles will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
4 (iii) |
This means that the NSW Government will act in accordance with the Values and Principles agreed to by the local communities when it: § develops the Redfern-Waterloo Plan § implements the Redfern-Waterloo Plan § reviews the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
4 (iv) |
This also applies to any person or body acting in partnership with the NSW Government, or acting on its behalf, on any matter relating to the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
PART D (iv): GROUND RULES FOR OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES:
The overall things we want for Redfern-Waterloo in the long run
§ What the NSW Government wants for Redfern-Waterloo is summarised in the RWA Act as:
ú to encourage the development of Redfern–Waterloo into an active, vibrant and sustainable community, and
ú to promote, support and respect the Aboriginal community in Redfern–Waterloo having regard to the importance of the area to the Aboriginal people, and
ú to promote the orderly development of Redfern–Waterloo taking into consideration principles of social, economic, ecological and other sustainable development, and
ú to enable the establishment of public areas in Redfern–Waterloo, and
ú to promote greater social cohesion and community safety in Redfern–Waterloo.
§ These general objectives need to be broken down into more specific objectives to be aimed for in all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan (RWP).
§ Combined with the Review Strategy outlined later in this document, this will allow everyone to be able to tell:
ú whether the RWP is working along the way
ú whether, at the end of its 10 year life span, it is still working.
§ The ground rules for the RWP need to include processes for allowing the local communities to work with the NSW Government on deciding:
ú what these specific objectives should be
ú how trade-offs will be made when not all objectives can be met at the same time.
The ground rules for the OBJECTIVES could be:
5 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on: § the specific Objectives for Redfern-Waterloo § the Guidelines for making trade-offs among these Objectives. |
5 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Objectives and Guidelines will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
PART D (v): GROUND RULES FOR PRIORITY OUTCOMES
PRIORITY OUTCOMES:
The most important short and medium term things we need to achieve if Redfern-Waterloo is going to be the place we want it to be
§ The local communities of Redfern-Waterloo are experts in this area.
§ They know the things that need to change if life is to be better in Redfern-Waterloo, and the things that need to stay the same.
§ They also know:
ú which things are the ones that need tackling first
ú what things need to be pulled together to tackle them successfully.
§ Initially, the local communities need to work with the NSW Government to develop agreement on:
ú the broad outcomes that can cover all proposed aspects of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan (RWP): human services, jobs, infrastructure and new development/redevelopment
ú how these outcomes are linked to each other
ú how to ensure these outcomes and linkages are used to guide all stages of the RWP.
§ As specific stages of the RWP are developed, the outcomes and linkages will become more specific, as will the strategies to address them.
(Outcomes relating to mental health provide a good example of the type of linkages that are needed, as they would need to be included in:
ú the Human Services stage of the RWP (preventive, early identification and intervention, and support services; acute assistance; and reintegration back into the community)
ú the Jobs stage of the RWP (suitable employment opportunities for people with either ongoing or episodic mental health issues, which incorporate approaches to minimising job loss following an episode, reinforcing self-confidence and recommencing employment)
ú the Infrastructure and New Development/Redevelopment stage of the RWP (housing choices ranging through acute care, hostel/supported accommodation and suitable public housing options; transport options that enable people to access hospitals, other health establishments and services, and other services.)
Some of these areas would overlap with the outcomes needed for some of the other issues identified and mapped. At the end of the process we would end up with outcomes that were integrated across all the activities of the RWP.)
The ground rules for the PRIORITY OUTCOMES could be:
6 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on: § the Priority Outcomes for Redfern-Waterloo § the key linkages needed to achieve them § a Strategy for making these linkages, including an advocacy strategy for matters beyond the control of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority or the Redfern-Waterloo Minister. |
6 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Priority Outcomes - and the Strategy for achieving them - will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
PART D (vi): GROUND RULES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY:
What everyone needs to do to make Redfern-Waterloo the place we want it to be
§ The NSW Government has said that the Redfern-Waterloo Plan (RWP) will be implemented in stages.
§ This means that we need an implementation strategy that deals with both:
ú how the specific stages are implemented
ú how their implementation remains linked to the RWP’s overall objectives and priority outcomes
§ The implementation strategy also needs to deal with:
ú mapping the linkages between outcomes for specific stages of the RWP
(The broad level linkages will already have been developed as part of the work on Priority Outcomes)
ú identifying any changes needed to other stages of the RWP to ensure a linked approach to achieving outcomes
ú identifying any changes needed in areas beyond the control of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority or the Redfern-Waterloo Minister to support the current stage’s outcomes.
The ground rules for the IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY could be:
7 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on the Implementation Strategy for the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
7 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Implementation Strategy will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
7 (iii) |
This means that no specific stage of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan will be implemented until the local communities have reached agreement with the NSW Government on: § outcomes for that stage of the Plan, including: ú what the outcomes for this stage of the Plan are ú how these outcomes will help achieve the overall objectives and broad outcomes for the Redfern-Waterloo Plan as a whole ú what changes need to be made to other stages of the Plan to support the outcomes for the current stage ú what other things are needed to support them ú who needs to do all these things ú when they need to do them ú who will pay for them § a strategy for turning the above agreements into action § a review strategy, consistent with the ground rules for Implementation (see below), that will allow everyone to be able to tell that these outcomes have been achieved. |
PART D (vii): GROUND RULES FOR REVIEW
REVIEW STRATEGY:
How we will know that things have changed and what everyone needs to do if they haven’t
§ As the NSW Government has said that the Redfern-Waterloo Plan (RWP) will be implemented in stages, we need a review strategy that deals with:
ú reviewing the specific stages of the RWP
ú reviewing the RWP as a whole.
§ For both the specific stages and the RWP as a whole, the review strategy also needs to deal with:
ú monitoring - recording what is actually being achieved
ú evaluation – working out whether the results are:
better than expected, and why
about what was expected, and why
less than expected, and why
ú review – deciding whether any changes are needed and, if so, what they should be.
§ The review strategy also needs to specify:
ú the time frames for reviewing both the specific stages and the RWP as a whole
ú the general process for linking the review of the specific stages with the review of the RWP as a whole
The ground rules for the REVIEW STRATEGY could be:
8 (i) |
The NSW Government will reach agreement with the local communities on a Review Strategy for the Plan which includes: § review of the specific stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan § review of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan as a whole § how these reviews will be linked. |
8 (ii) |
When adopted, the agreed Review Strategy will guide all stages of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. |
8 (iii) |
This means that no specific stage of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan will be implemented until the local communities have reached agreement with the NSW Government on: § what will indicate success or failure for that stage of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan § the type of information that will be collected to measure success or failure § how and when the results will be reported to the local communities § how the local communities will be involved in working with the NSW Government to decide: ú what the results mean ú what changes need to be made to improve the results. |