15 August 2006

In This Update

Human Services Forum Papers Available

Carlton United Brewery Public Meeting Tuesday 15th August 6.30pm - 8.30pm

Keep The Block in Aboriginal Hands Rally

Minister Sartor’s Response to Block Rally

Redfern Park Draft Plan of Management and Draft Masterplan - Public Exhibition, 9 August to 20 September 2006

City of Sydney Draft Heritage Development Control Plan (DCP) 2006 Exhibition

City of Sydney 2006 Local Action Plan

Bad Developer Award Nominations

Sydney premiere of Melanie's film "Kanyini"

TIS (Telephone Interpreter Services) information cards in 9 languages

Coming Events (entered on the REDWatch website)

Human Services Forum Papers Available

The RWA has kindly provided REDWatch with the MS Word files for the HSP Phase 2 Forum Groups. These are now up on the REDWatch website along with the other Phase 2 files at http://www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/humanservices/phase2paper. The RWA will put these up on their website in the near future.

The documents provided by the RWA are the reports from each of the five groups for each day of the forum. The release of these reports helps to make the process of the Forum more transparent both to those who attended and those with an interest in the discussions. While there is a consolidated report of the first day’s discussions there is no consolidation of the second day. Here are the links to download each of the Word files and the links to the associated web pages on the REDWatch site. To provide some idea of the makeup of the various groups we have also provided the list of organisations involved in each Forum workgroup.

Workshop Participant List RWA Human Services Forum Phase 2 - 24 July 2006

Yellow Group - Day 1 Report MS Word 219 Kb.

Red Group - Day 1 Report MS Word 201 Kb.

Pink Group - Day 1 Report MS Word 190 Kb.

Green Group - Day 1 Report MS Word 188 Kb.

Blue Group - Day 1 Report MS Word 190 Kb.

Consolidated Summary of Human Services Stage 2 Forum MS Word 279Kb.

RWA HSP Phase 2 Forum – Summary of key Themes– Read Text Webpage

RWA HSP Phase 2 Forum – Summary of key Themes– Download Word Version 48Kb.

Yellow Group - Day 2 Report MS Word 198 Kb.

Red Group - Day 2 Report MS Word 182 Kb.

Pink Group - Day 2 Report MS Word 183 Kb.

Green Group - Day 2 Report MS Word 44 Kb.

Blue Group - Day 2 Report MS Word 177 Kb.

Carlton United Brewery Public Meeting Tuesday 15th August 6.30pm - 8.30pm

In late invitations to residents, business proprietors and workers in the vicinity of the Carlton United Brewery site Chris Johnson, Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel appointed by the Minister for Planning, has invited people to a meeting on Tuesday 15th August about the proposed development of the Carlton United Brewery site. At the meeting the Expert Advisory panel made up of Neil Bird, Lucy Turnbull, Michael Collins and Chris Johnson will present a range of issues on which they would like to get comment from those attending. This meeting is to ensure they have “consulted all those who live and work around the site”.

The Public meeting is on Tuesday 15th August, 6.30pm-8.30pm at University of Technology Sydney, on Broadway, opposite CUB in Room 2.4.29, ground floor of Building 2, access through Tower 1. This is expected to be the only public meeting held by the Advisory Panel. The invitation can be downloaded from CUB Public Meeting Invitation - 15 August 2006 File is 550Kb PDF.

Keep The Block in Aboriginal Hands Rally

There was a good turn up of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people at the rally on 10^th August 2006. Following speeches in front of the RWA offices by Rob Welsh from Metro Land Council, Anglican Bishop John McIntyre and Geoff Turnbull from REDWatch the protest moved to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy where it was welcomed by Isabel Coe and some visiting elders. The protest then walked around The Block to the Redfern Community Centre where the rally was addressed by AHC CEO Michael Mundine and Project Director Peter Valilis. Boxer Anthony Mundine also addressed the crowd as did Lyle Munro, Tom Uren, Jack Mundy, Shane Phillips and many others.

While media coverage centred in large part on the possibility of Anthony Mundine standing against Carmel Tebbitt in the seat of Marrickville there was very good coverage of the issues both in print media and on television. Major print / radio coverage included Boxer Mundine keen to move into politics (AAP) 'The Mouth' Mundine to enter politics (Daily Telegraph page 7) Mundine yet to declare his political intentions (ABC News) Champion boxer considers politics (AAP) From pugilism to politics: will Mundine will stand at the next election? (ABC World today). There was also TV coverage on a number of channels.  

Minister Sartor’s Response to Block Rally

Thanks to a helpful journalist and subsequently the RWA we finally managed to get a copy of the media response issued on Friday 11^th August 2006 by Minister for Redfern-Waterloo Frank Sartor on Thursday’s Block rally. The media statement starts by saying:

“In October 2004, Cabinet decided it would not support re-concentrating high-dependency housing on the Block. Since then, the NSW Government has established the Redfern-Waterloo Authority, with the support of the major political parties, to tackle complex issues in the area and drive urban renewal. The Government is now finalising the draft Built Environment Plan to revitalise the Redfern-Waterloo area, create new jobs and opportunities and set parameters for future development, including …” The media statement then goes on to list some of the main achievements expected from the plan, details of the extent of consultation and details of the recently released Employment and Enterprise plan especially as it “continues to improve opportunities for the local Indigenous community…” The full text of the Ministers response can be found in text form at http://www.redwatch.org.au/media/060811sartor/ or as a PDF on the RWA site Click here (pdf~20kb).

The Minister’s response does not go into any discussion about the merits or otherwise of the Pemulwuy project. It simply affirms that in October 2004, Cabinet decided it would not support re-concentrating high-dependency housing on the Block” – end of discussion. The rest of the statement does not mention The Block, the Pemulwuy project or the issues raised at the rally about Aboriginal housing. If the Minister’s representation of the cabinet decision is correct then the solution should be quite easy: show the Minister and cabinet that the Pemulwuy Project is not “re-concentrating high-dependency housing on the Block”. This has been argued strongly over many months by experts in the field, but the minister has not changed his position. It is increasingly apparent that the solution can only be achieved by the NSW cabinet reversing its October 2004 decision.

When the Premier’s Department was working with the AHC back in 2004 (the AHC was one of the “partners” in the “Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project”) the government was considering funding housing on The Block if they could gain control of it from the AHC. At that stage the project would have been primarily “high-dependency” housing, but the government seems to have thought it would have been able to manage the social implications of high dependency housing if it was in control.

The AHC refused to give up control of The Block and the NSW government decided they would not fund the housing project and according to the Minister “not support re-concentrating high-dependency housing on the Block”. Since the fall out with the NSW government the AHC has been looking at funding the project themselves. The project has been reworked to include a high proportion of home ownership as well as maintaining the provision of housing for the 20 or so families that currently continue to live on The Block within the Gadigal apartments, which form part of the larger Pemulwuy development around Eveleigh St.

The housing component in the Pemulwuy project the cabinet decided not to fund is not the same as the housing component in the Pemulwuy project that the AHC now wants to build. The big difference is that in October 2004 the NSW government was planning to provide funding for the project. The AHC has subsequently made it plain to the NSW government that it does not want government funds because of all the strings cabinet tried to attach to the funding in 2004. The NSW government continues to act as if it is trying to protect non-existent government funding in the project rather than dealing with the project on its merits as would be the case with any private development. All the AHC is seeking is development approval to build a housing project just like any other developer would do. The Minister’s move to change building controls over the AHC’s land seems designed to stop the project via another route.

The Minister’s retreat to the October 2004 Cabinet decision also opens up the question of exactly what the cabinet did decide in October 2004 about The Block and Redfern Waterloo and by inference how much of what has happened subsequently is the implementation of already finalised decisions. In the December 1 2004 Sydney Morning Herald Minister Sartor ’insisted that the plans are still being developed, and have not been finalised’ but now he is saying that at least as far as the Block is concerned the decision had already been made in October 2004.

It has to be remembered that the Sydney Morning Herald saw and reported on a series of documents prepared for NSW cabinet in October 2004. While these documents predate by at maximum a few weeks those that finally went to cabinet they still provide the best window into the NSW government’s concerns about The Block and the basis for the cabinet decision to “not support re-concentrating high-dependency housing on The Block”. The SMH documents reflect the view that the government could still gain control of the project from the AHC. In October 2004 the AHC refused to hand over control of The Block in exchange for NSW Government funding of the housing development and this lead to the cabinet decision.

What the documents seen by the SMH do reveal is concern within government at how The Block would affect the government’s property values in any redevelopment around Redfern Station if the Block was not developed appropriately in tandem with the developments around the station. This is the context of the October 2004 cabinet decision referred to by the Minister.

Driving Aboriginal people off their land with a shotgun, a pile of blankets or a fountain pen was not acceptable at anytime in the last 200+ years and it is certainly not an acceptable position for the Carr NSW government in 2004 or the Iemma Government in 2006. The Iemma government has overturned a number of bad decisions taken under Premier Carr and the cabinet decision regarding the Block in October 2004 is another decision that justice dictates should be overturned. It is one thing to make decisions about what the government may or may not fund, it is an entirely different thing when the government tries to change planning laws to stop a housing project going ahead because it failed to take it over or because of an irrational fear that it might affect the government’s own property development returns. The Iemma cabinet must rescind the motion and Minister Sartor must push cabinet to make the change. It is not acceptable for Minister Sartor to try and duck the criticism aimed at him as the Minister responsible for Redfern Waterloo by just blaming an earlier cabinet decision – he needs to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Articles on some of the contents of the leaked Cabinet Documents relating to the Block can be found in Fixing the Block: $27m development planned – SMH 29.11.2004 and Land and secrets on The Block – SSN 15.07.2005. The full SMH reports can be found on the REDWatch website or with pictures at http://www.smh.com.au/investigations/redfernplan/index.html .

Redfern Park Draft Plan of Management and Draft Masterplan - Public Exhibition, 9 August to 20 September 2006

The City of Sydney has released the draft Plan of Management and draft Masterplan for Redfern Park for public comment. The plans have been developed following discussions with a number of potential users and community groups. The exhibition phase allows everyone to comment on what the Council is proposing. The documents are on public exhibition from 9 August 2006 to 20 September 2006.

The proposed plans can be viewed at the Town Hall One Stop Shop, the Redfern Neighbourhood Service Centre or the Waterloo Library [Also now available at the Redfern Community Centre]. More information can be found on the council website at Redfern Park Draft Plan of Management & Draft Master Plan. The documents can also be downloaded from the City of Sydney Website from the links below - but be warned some of the documents are quite large and will take a while if you are on dial up.

Redfern Park Plan of Management & Tree Management Plan | PDF 2.7Mb
1. Master Plan | PDF 2.6Mb
2. Aerial Perspective | PDF 1.3Mb
3. Park Perspective + Stand Plans | PDF 1.1Mb
4. Park Structure Materials | PDF 1.2Mb
5. Grandstand Comparison Study | PDF 1.8Mb

Written submissions will be accepted up until 5.00pm on 20 September 2006 addressed to: Redfern Park Draft Plan of Management , GPO Box 1591, Sydney NSW 2001.

City of Sydney Draft Heritage Development Control Plan (DCP) 2006 Exhibition

The City of Sydney Draft Heritage Development Control Plan (DCP) 2006 is currently on exhibition between 14^th August 2006 and 11^th September 2006. The draft DCP seeks to amalgamate the controls relating to heritage buildings, sites and building elements into a single document. Copies of the draft can be obtained from City of Sydney service centres or downloaded from the City of Sydney link above.

City of Sydney 2006 Local Action Plan

Following a survey throughout the city earlier this year and a series of public meetings, the council has released details from the surveys and produced its initial local action plan. Responses to the council surveys have been released in Local Action Plan - Graphs (490KB). Questions covered include: What do you like most? What do you like least? What is unique that should be protected and enhanced? How would you improve your neighbourhood? and What are the most important recreation and leisure activities outside your home?

Further details on the Local Action Plans can be found at Media Release - Neighbourhood improvements ready to roll and the plan details for each area of the city can be found at Local Action Plan - Projects (35KB). We have reproduced below the general list for the entire city as well as what is proposed for Redfern Waterloo. Darlington has been taken up in a broader area including Chippendale, Newtown and Erskineville. Redfern East has been included with Surry Hills, Strawberry Hills, Moore Park, Paddington and Centennial Park.

GENERAL LIST

1. Identify and enhance village centres
2. Continue tree planting
3. Reinvigorate shopping strips – more landscaping, replace street furniture, upgrade pavements
4. Review parking permits and enforcement
5. Bundle overhead cables to reduce pruning and preserve our trees
6. Improve pedestrian safety
7. Broaden parking permit policy
8. Increase pedestrian links between open spaces
9. Reduce impacts on residents of commercial garbage collection
10. Review entertainment venue operating hours
11. Introduce new community gardens
12. Landscape garden beds in traffic islands
13. Provide opportunities for volunteers to contribute to landscaping beyond existing Council programs 
    

INNER SOUTH (REDFERN WATERLOO)

1. Continue upgrade of Redfern and Regent Streets
2. Continue upgrade of Redfern Park
3. Reduce traffic impacts
4. Plant more trees
5. Provide planter boxes on roundabouts and traffic islands
6. Upgrade street lighting
7. Add more sustained STA bus services
8. Provide better pedestrian and cycle pathways
9. Increase dumped rubbish collections
10. Establish Redfern Street as a niche shopping precinct
11. Introduce community bus services
12. Instigate 40km/hour speed zones
13. Compile a comprehensive traffic management plan

Bad Developer Award Nominations

Our attention was caught on Saturday by an article in the Sydney Morning Herald titled Payola: a state-sanctioned business model. The article started by drawing attention to the contrast between the NSW Urban Taskforce annual Development Excellence Awards night and the NSW Greens Bad Developer Awards which are being held on consecutive nights. The SMH article went on to look at the levels of donations to political parties from developers and at a website set up by the Greens to make available details of who is giving what to whom in NSW called http://www.democracy4sale.org/. If you are looking for further information on the Bad Developer Awards or ““Toasters” Sylvia Hale has the presentation of the nominations from last year’s up on her website at http://www.sylvia.nsw.greens.org.au/specials/bda2005/img1.html and if this gives you some ideas for nominations for this year’s awards which will be announced on Thursday 24th August 2006 you can download an application form from www.sylvia.nsw.greens.org.au.

Sydney premiere of Melanie's film "Kanyini"

A fundraiser is being organised for the Sydney premiere of Melanie Hogan's film "Kanyini". This film drew wide acclaim at the Sydney Film Festival for its sensitivity and clarity in the discussion of the plight of Aboriginal people in our country today. Uncle Bob Randall and the Film Director Melanie Hogan will be in attendance to present the film and mingle with guests after the after show for wine and canapés. The event is being organised by Macquarie Bank, Hopscotch Films and Film Director, Melanie Hogan at the Hayden Cremorne Orpheum, 380 Military Rd, Cremorne for the Sydney and tickets are $30.00 her head and all proceeds will go to the Mutitjulu Foundation which supports Bob Randall's community. For more information contact Beverly Baker, Community Liaison Manager, Banking & Property Group, Macquarie Bank Limited Phone: +61 2 8232 4170 Fax: + 61 2 8232 7533 Email: bev.baker@macquarie.com .

TIS (Telephone Interpreter Services) information cards in 9 languages

The Inner and Eastern Sydney Migrant Interagency recently developed a Telephone Interpreter Services (TIS) information card in nine languages (Chinese, Russian, Indonesian, Greek,  Arabic, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Italian) to inform clients from CALD backgrounds about their right to request the telephone interpreting service and the responsibilities of government and non-government organisations to provide such a service when requested. If you’re interested in ordering this information card, please contact Susana Ng, Multicultural Development Officer from City of Sydney on 9288 5982 or email sng@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au