22 November 2005

In this Update

RWA produces new Redfern-Waterloo Update

Save Redfern Oval Information Rally on Sunday, December 4 – 12 midday

RWA produces new Redfern-Waterloo Update

A new update has been released by the RWA. An online 191Kb version of this RWA Update can be found on the RWA site here.

The key stories in the update deal with the sale of Redfern School and the Indigenous Land Councils National Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Youth which is planned for the site.

Given that we have just finished a consultation about the draft human Services Plan which proposed three youth precinct’s which did not include Redfern Public School we are surprised to see in the RWA Update Mr Sartor saying that the new Centre “will form the heart of a new youth precinct for the local community, as outlined in the RWA’s Human Services Plan”.

Reports from the RWA meeting today to re-organise youth services into the new youth precincts / one stop shops continue to indicate that the ILC / School was not being discussed as a new youth precinct as mentioned by the Minister in the RWA Update. Clarification will be urgently required when people get back to their offices and see the RWA Update.

Services based at Redfern School who could get no answers about what would happen to them will be pleased to hear that “Immediately following the Government’s announcement of the proposed sale, the RWA commenced relocation discussions with a number of community organisations that have occupied parts of the former school buildings under short term arrangements pending sale of the site.”

In a further article on ‘Progress on Human Services’ we learn that the template for one stop shops will now be used for family violence and health services as well as youth services. This will come as news to services involved in the non youth areas.

The RWA Update also announces “$2 Million Funding for Youth” but fails to mention that the Redfern Waterloo Street Team is being disbanded and that this funding was going to the Redfern Waterloo’s Street Team so some of this funding will have to go into filling the service hold left by the Street team. It looks like $5,000 of this will go towards the Midnight Basketball program at the PCYC announced in the RWA Update for Friday and Saturday nights.

We are very pleased to see that the work of those involved in Blackout Violence gets finally acknowledged given the lack of such recognition in the Draft Human Service Plan which looked like the RWA wanted to appropriate the programme.

The DoH announcement regarding Matavia and Turunga refurbishments covered by the DoH media release at http://www.redwatch.org.au/media/051024doh is also repeated in the RWA Update.

On the Built Environment side the RWA Update announces that the Minister for Planning Frank Sartor has delegated to the RWA the power to deal with development applications under $5 million on State Significant sites.

The RWA Update also has two photos of Member for Heffron Kristina Keneally with Minister Sartor at the Redfern School sale signing.

The other interesting photo in the RWA Update was of the back of Mr Ross Smith at “The RWA’s meeting in October to discuss the Human Services Plan”. Mr Smith later stormed out of this meeting being unable to ask the questions he wanted to ask.

A text version of the RWA Update November 2005 is available.

Save Redfern Oval Information Rally on Sunday, December 4 – 12 midday

South Sydney Rabbitohs, Souths Juniors, PCYC, CFMEU and Metro Local Aboriginal Land Council are arranging a “Save Redfern Oval Information Day” on Sunday 4^th December 2005 at Redfern Oval. More information is available on the Souths Website.

In addition to the articles referred to yesterday we have been sent an article ‘Why the Rabbitohs need to return to Redfern Oval’ from Rob Welsh at Metro Land Council which we have posted on the REDWatch site so people can easily access it here. We have also received comments by Liberal Councillor Shane Mallard who has posted a comment on Redfern oval on his Blog.