25 May 2006

In This Update

Human Services Stage Two Consultation Process

NSW Legislative Council Calls for Redfern Waterloo Street Team Papers

REDWatch Meeting to Discuss Human Services Sunday 28 May Factory Community Centre

South Sydney Herald Fundraiser & Trevor Davies Birthday Party

Redfern Station Redevelopment Design Work to Commence

Red Square Day – Saturday 3 June 2006 12.00-2.00 pm

Development Applications and Consents

Macdonaldtown Stabling Yards Update

Aboriginal Vacancy on RWA Board

In the Media

Coming Events

Coming Events (link to Coming Events entered on the REDWatch website)

Human Services Stage Two Consultation Process

In a letter to agencies received on May 22 2006 the RWA has spelt out the process for consultations on the second stage of the Human Services Plan. Phase two of the Human Services Plan will focus on improving services delivered to homeless people, people with disabilities, older people and migrant communities living in the area.

The process centres on a forum to be held over two days from 24 to 25 July 2006 to which agencies have been invited to send one representative. The aim of the forum is to engage members of the community, service providers and public policy experts in the development of phase two of the Redfern-Waterloo Human Services Plan.

Prior to this, formal written submissions from organisations and members of the community not attending the forum are welcome. Pre-forum submissions will be made available to all forum participants as a resource to inform discussion. The closing date for written submissions on changes to Stage Two services is Friday 14 July 2006.

Information kits to assist in the development of submissions will be made available to those wishing to make a pre-forum submission. Please contact Steven Todorovski on 9202 9100 or reception@rwa.nsw.qov.au  to request an information kit. Submissions can be mailed to Stage 2 Human Services Plan, RWA, PO Box 3222, Redfern 2016 or emailed to humanservices@rwa.nsw.gov.au .

This is a very different process from the cluster groups used last year where a number of meetings were held around the needs of each cluster to identify the issues needing to be addressed. That process found there was a lot of overlap between the clusters and this process is aimed to avoid that repetition. One area of concern however to emerge from agencies is that with one representative only from their agency they will not be able to send workers from their organisation with specialised experience in each of the focus areas and will have to decide on either a specialist for one area or someone with a more general overview over all areas.

We have also been reminded that part of the rationale for the current membership of the HSMAC was that they were chosen for their expertise in the Stage One consultation areas and that at the time people were told that representation would change for Stage Two. That of course was before this committee was appointed as a Ministerial Advisory Committee by Minister Sartor so we are not holding our breath that there will be a change of membership.

NSW Legislative Council Calls for Redfern Waterloo Street Team Papers

On May 10 the Legislative Council agreed to a call for papers motion from Sylvia Hale for documents connected to the Redfern Waterloo Street Team. These documents should have been delivered to the Parliament yesterday but these papers were not delivered due to the proroguing of Parliament. As a result a new motion will need to go back through the Legislative Council and we will have to wait a bit longer to see what is in the public box. Only Parliamentarians can read documents considered to be Cabinet in Confidence which is where we would expect the RWST Evaluation to be, given it has been denied release by the RWA under FOI. Parliamentarians can however challenge the classification on the documents and take them to an independent arbitrator.

The motion originally agreed to was:

That under standing order 52 there be laid upon the table of the House within 14 days of the date of the passing of this resolution the following documents created since January 2005 in the possession, custody or control of the Premier's Department, the Minister for Community Services, the Department of Community Services, the Minister for Previous Redfern Hit Waterloo or the Previous Redfern Hit-Waterloo Authority:

a)       any document relating to the evaluation of the Previous Redfern Hit Waterloo Street Team, and in particular the document produced by R.P.R. Consulting entitled "Evaluation of the Previous Redfern Hit Waterloo Street Team",

b)      any document relating to the financial management or auditing of the Previous Redfern Hit Waterloo Street Team, and

c)       any document which records or refers to the production of documents as a result of this order of the House.

REDWatch Meeting to Discuss Human Services Sunday 28 May Factory Community Centre

With the announcement of the Stage Two process for the Human Services Plan REDWatch thinks it is opportune to focus their next meeting on this and what has been happening on Human Services. Faye Williams from Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development will attend to talk about the NGO experience of the implementation of Stage One and we would be happy to also hear from others about how the process is travelling. As promised in the last update we have been working on a report on NGO perceptions of the implementation but we have decided to leave this until after the REDWatch meeting. So if you have comments to make come to the REDWatch meeting or drop us an email with your comments at mail@redwatch.org.au . REDWatch is open to any interested residents and friends of Redfern Eveleigh Darlington and Waterloo to become involved. Everyone is welcome to come along and join in the discussion. REDWatch meets at The Factory, 67 Raglan Street Waterloo.

South Sydney Herald Fundraiser & Trevor Davies Birthday Party

Yes local personality Trevor Davies has today turned 50 and he has combined his birthday party with a fund raiser for the South Sydney Herald. Join with Councillor Tony Pooley (MC), Alex Mitchell (Sun Herald), Meredith Burgmann MLC (President NSW Upper House) and Duncan Gay MLC (National Party Leader NSW Upper House) for a night of stories to celebrate Trevor’s birthday and raise funds for the South Sydney Herald. Cost $30 ($20 Concession). The function will be held at Sydney Town Art @ The Foundry [181 Lawson Street, Darlington] from 4 – 8 pm Sunday 28 May 2006.  RSVP: trevrssh@bigpond.net.au  or 0400 008 338.

Redfern Station Redevelopment Design Work to Commence

The Homepage of the RWA has changed in the last few days and now contains the following announcement:

The Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport, John Watkins, has announced that concept design work will soon commence on the major redevelopment of Redfern Station. The concept design study will be jointly funded and managed by the Redfern-Waterloo Authority and RailCorp. The upgrade of Redfern Station is a core element of the RWA’s Built Environment Plan. The RWA and RailCorp are currently evaluating tenders and will undertake community consultation on the resultant design options. The planned Redfern Station upgrade will provide:

    * Enhanced station access, including access for families with prams, the elderly and people with disabilities;

    * Increased capacity;

    * Improved entry and better connection with the surrounding area; and

    * More efficient interchange facilities for passengers.

The upgrade of Redfern Railway Station is a key element in the renewal of the Redfern town centre, providing improved access for workers, residents and visitors. Redfern Station is the tenth busiest station in the Metropolitan CityRail network in terms of passenger movements and second most accessible after Central in terms of the number of rail services that stop at Redfern. The redevelopment of Redfern Station will be a key driver in the area’s economic revitalisation over coming years.

Red Square Day – Saturday 3 June 2006 12.00-2.00 pm

Over 200 Sydney University Architecture students have been working on proposals for RED Square and the Block area. On June 3rd their work will be displayed downstairs at the AHC and the students will be thanked by Hon. Dr. Tom Uren, Chairman of the Pemulwuy Project Advisory Panel and Senior University Representatives. Everyone is welcome to come along and look at the ideas for what the top of Eveleigh Street could become.

Red Square is the name for a proposed civic space opposite Redfern Railway Station at the junction of Lawson and Eveleigh Street. It is part of the Aboriginal Housing Company’s long term plan for The Block. The proposal was taken up in the 2003 NSW Government’s RED Strategy consultation but has been ignored to date by the RWA. The proposal for RED Square involves opening up the top of Eveleigh Street by a support beam from land in Eveleigh Street to the Bridge across the railway line and opening up the entrance to the Block as a public space. Information on the non-housing component including Red Square can be found in this extract from Architecture Bulletin.

Development Applications and Consents

Development Applications and Consents are notified on the RWA website. The only recent development application is for an attic addition to existing terrace house at 108 Lawson Street.

Exhibition of the Darlington Catering and Cooking Training Centre has now closed and is being determined. We notice from Clover’s e-news that Clover Moore has put in a submission. Her e-news said: The proposed catering and cooking training centre in the former Canteen and Carpenters Building, Wilson Street Darlington aims to provide young Aboriginal people with much-needed skills that reinforce important and traditional ties with their communities. I have made a submission supporting the facility because it offers hope for young people. My submission also emphasises the vital need to promote rail access to the site in order to reduce traffic and parking impacts on neighbouring residents. I have opposed the proposed façade for the new centre, which is undistinguished and inappropriate to both the site and local area context. The façade should be revised to complement the railway heritage and local streetscape. As Member for Bligh, I have repeatedly asked the NSW Government to protect railway heritage at the Eveleigh site. My submission is available from my Electorate Office or my website.

Details of all development determinations are also available on the RWA website. We notice that in one of the recent decisions DA 001-12-05 (1.7Mb PDF) the previous heritage protection of the First Aid Station has been removed to allow for the construction of the Pedestrian Platform, Access structure and Substation for the new Contemporary Performing Arts Centre. We do not know the importance or otherwise of this structure but it is the first removal of heritage protection by the RWA and hence worthy of note. The approval indicates that the building will be documented before removal. The approval for modifying the previous City of Sydney DA states:

Approval is granted to modify the approval granted on 9 July 2004 for the Adaptive reuse of the Carriageworks Workshops Building and the Blacksmiths Shop as a Contemporary Performing Arts Centre accommodating physical theatre and circus with large and medium performing spaces and the conservation of the place by the deletion of condition no. 10 Demolition of the First Aid Station Building is not approved due to Iack of adequate justification. This building must be retained as part of the proposed pedestrian entry to the satisfaction of the Director, Heritage Office subject to the following conditions:

•           Prior to the demolition a full archival recording (both measured drawings and photographic recording) of the First Aid Station Building shall be prepared in accordance with the Heritage Office's guidelines.

•           The interpretation of the First Aid Station Building shall be incorporated into the interpretation of plan and strategy of the whole site as requested in Condition 4 of the original Section 60 approval.

We notice that the determination DA 194-9-2005 ( 2.3MB PDF) for the construction of new private roads and associated drainage works and landscaping for Garden Street and Henderson Road, Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh has also been posted. The 2005 ATP Master Plan for the ATP is also now up on the ATP site at http://www.atp.com.au/dyncontent.cfm?MenuID=110 . The recent RWA Draft BEP seeks to further expand the park to the west and to increase the floor space from that shown in last years Master Plan.

Macdonaldtown Stabling Yards Update

A community meeting in Erskineville on May 10 2006 received a report on what changes had been achieved from TIDC as a result of the public consultation. A TIDC Community Liaison Group will have its first meeting on May 30 and will have a role of monitoring the rules of construction. We have placed a copy of the report from the meeting on the REDWatch website at http://www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/statesignificant/stabling/. We have also included the Rules of Construction and contact details for the organisations involved that can be contacted about issues that arise from the construction.

Aboriginal Vacancy on RWA Board

We noted in a recent article Department sacks respected indigenous official concerning Marcia Ella-Duncan’s sacking from the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs that she had recently “resigned her position on the agency charged with redeveloping the Redfern area, citing the pressure of her other responsibilities.” The Act required the RWA Board to include an Aboriginal person and Minister Sartor will now need to find a new member of the Aboriginal Community to appoint.

In the Media

We were interested to see an article by Debra Jopson Aborigines caught in vicious circle of housing neglect - 15 May 2006 on a report “Indigenous Housing: Assessing the Long Term Costs and the Optimal Balance Between Recurrent and Capital Expenditure” which reports that Aboriginal housing was run down as a result of lack of adequate government funding. We found it provided an interesting counter point to some of the comments that have been made about the causes of the rundown of AHC houses on the Block over the years. Another good reason we would have thought for a mix of tenancies.

A proposal from one of Australia's oldest private schools for a private school education for some aboriginal people in Redfern Waterloo who can get “World Vision” style sponsorship in A college of dreams has certainly generated some debate in parts of the Aboriginal community about the return of the mission mangers.

In a small piece on page 22 in the May 21 Sun-Herald we also learnt the NCOSS Director Garry Moore is leaving NCOSS on 9 June 2006 to go to Marrickville Council as Community Services Manager. This raises the question as to what will happen to his position as co-chair of the RWA Human Services Ministerial Advisory Committee.

Coming Events

As we receive information about coming events these are added to the REDWatch website. There is normally quite a lot on so keep an eye on http://www.redwatch.org.au/Events. If you have a local event let us know and we will add it to the site.