21 March 2002 - Redfern/Waterloo Package of Initiatives announced with $7.2M funding over 3 years to target the highest priorities identified by the community. The Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project (RWPP) established following stone throwing by youth at buses in Elizabeth St and after calls for government to address issues in Redfern. It was established through the place making section of NSW Premier’s Department in partnership with South Sydney Council, which was subsumed by City of Sydney in 2004.
March 2003 - The Redfern Waterloo Street Team established (Central Sydney Area Health Service, Metropolitan Local Land Council, South Sydney Youth Services, Aboriginal Resource Centre with DoCS Metro South East Region as lead agency)
October 2003 - RWPP called for nominations for a Community Council to advise the RWPP on community concerns about Redfern Waterloo issues. It includes elected representatives as well as representatives from different sectors. Appointed for 12 months it met during 2004.
6 February 2004 - Redfern-Waterloo added to City of Sydney LGA when South Sydney Council was and City of Sydney merged by proclamation.
14 February 2004 - Civil Unrest upon death of an Aboriginal young person.
March 2004 - Redfern Community Centre opened after years of discussion and pushing by groups like Redfern Residents for Reconciliation for a Council run community centre next to The Block.
First half of 2004 - Morgan Disney undertook a review of Redfern/Waterloo Human Services.
10 March 2004 - Redfern-Waterloo Community Safety Plan adopted by Council. It operated from 2004 to 2007. It was produced by the Redfern-Waterloo Community Safety Plan Taskforce and was an initiative of the RWPP with Council as the lead agency. Redfern Waterloo Community Safety Plan
March 2004 - Redfern-Waterloo Community Safety Plan Action Review (copy held)
2004 - Centacare’s Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Counselling Service Program funded under The RWPP located at The Factory as a partnership project.
27 May 2004 - State Government Extends Redfern-Waterloo Partnership Project until 2006 announced. At the time of the announcement, RWPP programmes included:
2004 - Strike force Coburn – Analysis of Redfern Local Area Command Response To Civil Unrest 15-16 February 2004 - www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/Pages/inquiryprofile/issues-relating-to-redfernwaterloo.aspx#tab-otherdocuments
August 2004 - Interim Report on Inquiry into issues relating to Redfern and Waterloo - Final Report December 2004 NSW Government Report to Inquiry into issues relating to Redfern Waterloo
December 2004 - The Redfern-Waterloo Plan #1 factsheet advises the RWPP to continue until 2008 in parallel with the RWA, produced Human Services plans with Govt and NGOs working together to solve the areas problems with Government moving towards pooling funding and or amalgamating services (copy of factsheet held)
November 2004 - Making Connections: Better Services, Stronger Community – Report on Review of the Human Services System in Redfern and Waterloo for NSW Premier’s Department. Morgan Disney & Associates released. Review of Human Services in Redfern and Waterloo
December 2004 – Lawson Street Community Health Centre announced Community Health Facility Factsheet and Redfern Mobile Needle Exchange Van To Close and New Primary Health Care Facility to Open
December 2004 - Government Announces Jobs Plan for Redfern Waterloo
3 December 2004 - Human Services review Factsheet released explains outcome of Morgan Disney report and announces the Implementation Working Group Human Services Review Factsheet
March 2005 - Human Services Advisory Committee (HSAC) with Govt and NGO Co-Chairs replaced the proposed Human Services Implementation Working Group (HSIWG). It first met on 3 March 2005 as part of the transition of Human Services from RWPP to RWA completed by 30 June 2005. It eventually becomes the Human Services Ministerial Advisory Committee (HSMAC) Redfern-Waterloo Human Services E-Newsletter - Issue One - March 2005
April and May 2005 - Cluster Groups held. The Cluster Groups were Aboriginal, Health, Families and Children and Youth clusters. Links to final cluster reports:
April 2005 - Reshaping Public Housing announcement of changes in eligibility and income criteria to ensure that access to public housing is targeted to those most in need. This increased the level of human service needs of people coming into and in public housing, which is cumulative over time.
May 2005 - CEO Steering Group established to advise the minister on the content of the Human Services Plan Redfern-Waterloo Human Services E-Newsletter – Issue 3 - May 2005 and CEO Steering Committee Announcement
May 2005 - Implementation Senior Officers Group set up in Human Services Plan
26 May 2005 - Case Co-ordination Framework Direction regarding privacy arrangements signed for management of complex cases and crisis cases involving children, young people and families in the Redfern-Waterloo area. The Case Co-ordination Project went on to include NGOs under HSP1 (printed copy held).
June 2005 - Evaluation of the Redfern/Waterloo Pathways to Prevention Project by Erebus International (printed copy held)
16 June 2005 - Terms of reference released for Employment and Enterprise Advisory Committee and the Built Environment Advisory Committee to sit alongside the earlier Human Services Advisory Committee Ministerial Advisory Committees Terms of Reference
1 July 2005 - Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project absorbed into RWA. This has significant implications for human service follow up.
July 2005 - Miller Group conducts community consultation about community reaction to the Lawson Street Redfern Community Health Facility to assess alternative locations. Report was never released but it is subsequently announced Redfern Community Health Facility will be located in the former Court House and Police Station.
October 2005 - Draft of RWA Human Services Plan Phase 1 (children and families, Aboriginal people, young people, health services) released for comment and submissions. Draft Human Services Plan - October 2005
October November 2005 - Comment and submission on Draft RWA Human Services Plan 1 - Submissions can be seen at Redfern Waterloo Human Services Plan Phase 1. Elizabeth Rice’s comments were of particularly of interest given her previous work for NSW Human Service’s CEOs Group.
October 2005 - Reading List supplied by RWA on One Stop Shops
December 2005 - Final RWA Human Services Plan Phase 1 released (Children and families, Aboriginal People, Young People, Health services) RWA Final Human Services Plan (Phase 1) - 22 December 2005 - PDF and Final Human Services Plan comparison with Draft
October 2005 - The Draft Redfern Waterloo Street Team Evaluation December 2005 RPR Consulting Appendix released as RWST Literature and program review (full copy of draft held).
December 2005 - The Final Redfern Waterloo Street Team Evaluation by RPR Consulting – Release of report under FOI denied - The Street Team was subsequently wound up.
14 December 2005 - Report on Youth Taskforce and Youth Cluster Outcomes by EJD Consulting (print copy held) – This is the May 2006 membership of the RWA Youth Taskforce Membership
12 December 2005 - Draft RWA Employment and Enterprise Plan released and a couple of submissions are at Draft Employment and Enterprise Plan - 12 December 2005
Late 2005 and early 2006 - A series of Taskforces announced including:
2006 - Draft Housing and Human Services Accord on exhibition and finalised in 2007. Little information on HNSW website about progress. Is this a basis useful for Waterloo Human Services?
April 2006 - Human Services Plan Implementation Framework and Report #1 (not released)
19 May 2006 - Final RWA Employment and Enterprise Plan Redfern-Waterloo Employment and Enterprise Plan 19 May 2006 - PDF and Comparison of Draft and Final Redfern-Waterloo Employment and Enterprise Plans
1 June 2006 - A ten-year Redfern – Waterloo Partnership Agreement signed between the Commonwealth and NSW to co-operate on enhancing the economic and social revitalisation of Redfern-Waterloo in relation to the Indigenous community (print copy held by REDWatch).
6 June 2006 - The RWA Human Services RWA Evaluation Framework and RWA Human Services Plan Performance Indicators .
24-25 July 2006 - RWA Human Services 2 day Forum – Issues Papers and workshop reports along with comments on the Forum papers and the draft Human Services Plan Phase 2 are under Human Services Plan Phase 2 on the REDWatch website.
October 2006 - Draft RWA Human Services Plan Phase 2 (Older people, people with disabilities, migrant communities, homeless people) released October 2006.
November 2006 - Redfern Waterloo Case Co-ordination Framework Guidelines (soft copy held). This replaced the Redfern Waterloo Case Co-ordination Principles and Guidelines (revised early 2006) to reflect programme running under joint auspice of Senior Offices Group and operational Management Group (operational mangers and NGOs).
November 2006 - Creating a Culture of Work in the Redfern Waterloo Area by Arrilla Indigenous Consultants and Services - Creating a Culture of Work in the Redfern Waterloo Area
May 2007 - Human Services Plan Implementation Report #2 (not released)
14 June 2007 - Redfern LAC finalised Waterloo Green Safety Audit (soft copy held)
16 August 2007 - Helen Campbell EO of Redfern Legal Centre is not reappointed to the Human Services Ministerial Advisory Committee and provides report to community on her time on the HSMAC - HSMAC NGO Report Back - 16th August 2007
September 2007 -The Waterloo Green Action Plan 2007 – HSMAC response to community concerns about anti-social behaviour and related safety issues on Waterloo Green response has a Human Services element - Waterloo Green Action Plan
May 2008 - Redfern-Waterloo Community Safety Plan Process and Outcome Evaluation by Jenny Bargen CHD Partners. Redfern LAC’s CSPC subsumed the Community Safety Taskforce and the Community Safety Plan was absorbed into a Citywide Safe City Strategy 2007-2012. The Neighbourhood Advisory Boards continued Safety Audits of the public housing estates. Redfern-Waterloo Community Safety Plan Evaluation 2008
July 2008 – Final RWA Human Services Plan Phase 2 (Older people, people with disabilities, migrant communities, homeless people) Draft was October 2006 - RWA Human Services Plan Phase 2 - July 2008 and Human Services Plan Text Comparison of Final with Draft
2008 - Establishment of Redfern Waterloo Community Drug Action Team (CDAT) with Government and Non-Government agencies.
2008 - A Community Assistance Support Team (CAST) was established to engage Street Drinkers.
July 2008 - 18 Month Evaluation of Human Services Plan Phase 1 released. This is the only evaluation released even though regular evaluation was promised over its 10 year life (It wound up after 6 years with the RWA windup) Human Services Plan Phase 1 - 18 Month Evaluation Report
30 Sept 2008 - Community Safety Meeting about problems around Waterloo Shops – (Minutes held)
October 2008 - Community Safety Survey Results Redfern/Waterloo local businesses (copy held)
2008 - Waterloo NAB restructures into Thematic Action Groups, the Waterloo Learning Employment Enterprise Action Group (LEEAG), Waterloo Safety Audit Group (WSAG) (subsequently Waterloo Wellness Safety Audit Group (WWSAG)), Waterloo Events Group (subsequently the Redfern & Waterloo NAB Events Group) and Housing Standards.
November 2008 - Inquiry into Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Final Report 081125 Final Report for website.pdf
2009 - Possibility of wet centre for street drinkers explored by City of Sydney and FaCS.
14 July 2009 - MOU between City of Sydney and Housing NSW 2009-2012 to work collaboratively with the community to significantly improve the amenity, safety, health and well-being of residents living in and around public housing areas MOU between City of Sydney and Housing NSW
July 2009 – High-rise caretakers like in Scotland at the top of wish list supplied by The Factory to Local Member and Planning Minister Kristina Keneally.
November 2009 - NSW Ombudsman Report on The implementation of the Joint Guarantee of Service for People with Mental Health Problems and disorders living in Aboriginal, Community and Public Housing
2009 - Change in Legislation to allow Alcohol Free Zones on LAHC land achieved.
January 2010 - National Centre for Indigenous Excellence opened its doors on the former Redfern Public School site.
February 2010 - Redfern Health Centre opened in the former Court House / Police Station site.
19 February 2010 - Waterloo Green Neighbourhood Project publically announced. Project was to place concierges into building improve security, address maintenance and provide jobs for public housing tenants. Pilot for Stronger and Safer High Rise Public Housing
April 2010 – Waterloo NAB LLAG’s 11 week landscape gardening course starts
2010 - Redfern Waterloo Drug and Alcohol Taskforce established (Govt & NGO)
October 2010 - RWA Family Violence Taskforce, Action Plan and Forum (NGOs admitted in October 2009)
2010 - NSW DoCS Early Intervention Team with a manager and four case workers covering the Redfern Waterloo area
October 2010 - What the Community told us (Report on Key Stakeholder Consultation) HNSW
27 January 2011 - RWA Places Draft Built Environment Plan Stage 2 for Redfern and Waterloo public housing on exhibition. Many submissions made over the following month – for details see Built Environment Plan Phase 2 - Public Housing Estates
2011 - Draft Community Services Consultative Framework discussed with agencies
6 April 2011 - REDWatch and NGO’s establish Groundswell Redfern-Waterloo in response to the need for training and capacity building following the BEP2 announcement.
29 April 2011 - Redfern Waterloo Public Housing Tenant Survey HNSW Housing NSW Baseline Study
15 June 2011 - Redfern Waterloo Operational Area Social Infrastructure Plan NGO Workshop by Cred Community Planning. Government agencies workshop held 29 June 2011. A combined NGO and Government Workshop was then held on 27 July 2011 – report Community Facilities Review - Cred Community Planning
July 2011 - The $138,000 federally funded Beyond Walls project commences operation out of the Factory Community Centre to work with street drinkers. The RWA supported the project, which was to make recommendations to CDAT. Only limited term funding secured and the project lapsed within 2 years for lack of funding.
July 2011 - RWA Stakeholder Engagement Report on Feedback Received from Exhibition of the draft BEP2 – this report on the BEP2 consultation refers to human health issues raised in submissions. (soft copy held). RWA Releases BEP2 Stakeholder Engagement Report
August 2011 - Housing and Mental Health Agreement - The primary mechanisms for implementing the Agreement are the Housing and Mental Health District Implementation and Coordinating Committees (DIACCs). The agreement was to be implemented in partnership with NGOs. Last Housing and Mental Health Agreement - Annual Report 2013-14 indicates implementation hampered by restructuring in FACs regions and programmes, which has been ongoing since Going Home Staying Home.
August 2011 - HNSW Preliminary Master Plan Consultations for Redfern and Waterloo start - HNSW Preliminary Master Plan
November 2011 - Redfern Community Safety Audit (2010) released after much delay and agitation. It raised a number of concerns about safety and Redfern public housing Redfern Community Safety Audit (2010),
31 December 2011 - Windup of RWA. Its ends RWA’s Human Services Co-ordination and operation of committees such as HSMAC EEMAC and BEMAC. Some employment programmes passed to ATP and human service programmes were to continue under relevant agencies. As there was no longer a central co-ordination point to refer Human Service issues, from this point onwards, we have included approaches made directly to agencies with the aim of achieving improved human service outcomes in this document as getting action became a major issue.
April 2012 - Scotland establishes Social Housing Charter recognised the need to ensure tenant support. There are calls for it to be implemented in NSW - Scotland Housing sets a high bar – Can NSW measure up?
May 2012 - SMDA Report for Social Impact Scoping and Assessment Consultation Outcomes Report
2012 - What Residents want out of the Redfern & Waterloo Preliminary Master Plan HNSW – feedback from tenants for Redfern and Waterloo (copy held). Details of the Preliminary Master Plan (PMP) were never released. After a review of the PMP and BEP2 by the Government Architect, government did not proceed with planning controls or master plans for Redfern or Waterloo.
13 September 2012 – Critical incident in McKell Building Redfern. The next day The Factory raised concerns in an email to senior agency people about the co-ordination hole left with the winding up of human services co-ordination by the RWA.
16 October 2012 - Special Community Safety Meeting initiated about Housing Issues requiring attention especially those raised by Redfern NAB
30 October 2012 - Community Forum at Redfern Community Health Centre on proposal for Automatic Needle Dispensing Machine Redfern Health Centre After Hours Needle Dispensing Machine
November 2012 - Draft Waterloo Green Neighbourhood Project: Mid Term Evaluation by Hal Pawson and Crystal Legacy City Futures Research Centre UNSW. (Only Executive Summary released).
December 2012 - Waterloo Safety Audit report released, conducted by Waterloo Neighbourhood Advisory Board lead by City of Sydney Council Waterloo Safety Audit report 2012
December 2012 - ADM Management Plan Working Group established includes NGOs and interested community members. Draft SSWSHS Redfern Harm Minimisation Program Management Plan
4 February 2013 - Push for new HS mechanism with SMDA and other parties as reported in South Sydney Herald in - www.southsydneyherald.com.au/human-services-co-ordination/#.URIDDWciuN4
January 2013 - Kate Reakes started in her part time role of SLHD’s Harm Minimisation Program Manager and liaison officer. Kate successfully provided the link role between SLHD and the community that NGOs and REDWatch had requested. The case for the 2018 SLHD senior Link worker role was based on Kate’s early work.
Early 2013 - A human services group, involving NSW Health, senior Police, Housing, Family and Community Services was set up during the Automatic Dispensing Machine (ADM) discussion. This group expanded in early 2013 and was to meet monthly to address Redfern’s complex social, drug and welfare issues. In the second half of the year, NGO and community representatives were invited to every second meeting until this ceased. Sydney Local Health District Statement on Installation
March April 2013 - Discussions regarding need for NGO and community involvement in a human services integration mechanism with Area Directors Clive Bradshaw and Paul O’Reilly as well as with SLHD’s Nobby Alcala and the Redfern LAC Commander
26 June 2013 - City of Sydney Social Housing Wellbeing and Safety Action Plan Workshop. A draft plan was prepared but not progressed
28 November 2013 - Letter to Co-ordinated Services on Health & Drug Related Issues about every second meeting not working for community and NGO representatives. Long standing mechanism like CDAT were also sidelined from a process that they had focused on for many years. (copy held)
28 January 2014 - In response to the letter about process the Co-ordinated Services on Health & Drug Related Issues Committee unanimously agreed that community members should not be at the table. The agencies were not comfortable with community people at the table as there were concerns about confidentiality / high level co-ordination and a need to focus on drug health. From this point, onwards NGOs and community groups received only an occasional glimpse of what agencies were doing in Redfern and Waterloo. At some point, a decision was made to wind up this group.
May 2014 - First collections from sharps bins introduced to Redfern and Waterloo Estates after community pressure based on success of Northcott bins. The Factory / Counterpoint asked to manage trial on the three sites.
September 2014 - Meeting about setting up a broad human services group with Karen Kiel from SLHD
November 2014 – The Factory applied for The Floating Support, to support tenants at risk of eviction, via Partners in Recovery Inner West Sydney (unsuccessful)
January 2015 – Peter Jack started working in Redfern as the Aboriginal AOD Outreach Worker for Sydney Local Health District
4 February 2015 - Following Sept 2014 meeting Karen Keil from SLHD proposed a Draft Terms of Reference for a Govt NGO mechanism
20 April 2015 - Michael Shreenan provided feedback on Govt NGO mechanism
Mid 2015 - Consultation undertaken by Judith Stubbs and Colleen Lux regarding Redlink
June 2015 – Waterloo Low Rise Building Safety Audit report released, conducted by Waterloo Neighbourhood Board lead by Counterpoint (previously The Factory and subsequently it merged with South Sydney Community Aid). Waterloo Low Rise Building Safety Audit 2015
15 July 2015 - Karen Keil from SLHD advises Health currently reluctant to establish another committee.
29 July 2015 - Redlink launched in Redfern with $1.3m committed for the centre and its outreach services. It operates out of the McKell building after a $3.2m security upgrade.
31 July 2015 - REDWatch formally proposes to Redfern Co-ordinated Services on Health & Drug Related Issues a broader human services co-ordination mechanism for human service co-ordination in Redfern and Waterloo following individual discussions at Redlink launch.
24 September 2015 – Letter from Redfern Co-ordinated Services on Health & Drug Related Issues advised that they could see no “obvious benefit” for an additional meeting.
26 October 2015 - City of Sydney Council resolved to write to FACS Minister to advocate for better coordination of service delivery and a mechanism for community consultation and representation following concerns from NGO’s REDWatch and NABs about the response to a establishing such a mechanism.
December 2015 – Sydney Local Health District submitted joint funding application with NUUA under the Social Housing Community Improvement Fund re: sharps waste management in Redfern and Waterloo (unsuccessful)
16 December 2015 - Waterloo Estate & Waterloo Metro redevelopment announcements.
11 February 2016 - Minister Hazzard asked to address Human Services in parallel with Master Planning by Councillor Irene Doutney at Public Meeting early 2016. Minister asks Paul Vevers to follow it up.
18 February 2016 – Minister Hazzard NCIE Meeting
22 March 2016 - Draft Central to Eveleigh Infrastructure and Social Issues Review (Darted September 2015) released.
2016 - REDWatch Called for Human Services alongside Master Plan and has discussions with FACS Regional Director Mandy Young about a human services mechanism.
5 July 2016 - Tenant Support Service Co-ordination Workshop on human services with Mandy Young. Follow up meeting in July (report of 5 July meeting held).
August 2016 - SLHD asks Inner Sydney Voice to sit on Green Square Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Steering Committee
Late 2016 and early 2017 - Counterpoint and Inner Sydney Voice seek to follow up on Tenant Support Service Co-ordination with Gary Groves after he replaces Mandy Young and in Targeted Early Intervention (TEI) forums.
10 March 2017 - SLHD EquityFest – Dr Teresa Anderson announced SLHD will also do HIA for Waterloo
1 May 2017 - Meeting with Dr Teresa Anderson at SLHD to map out Health needs in Waterloo. This involved the need for a HIA lens across the Master Plan, a Waterloo Health worker, a Waterloo Health Forum and the need for Human Service integration in Waterloo.
July 2017 – UNSW Community Development Project (CDP) ceases after 20 years in Redfern and Waterloo
2 August 2017 - REDWatch letter to FACS Executive requesting Human Service Plan and reply from Anne Skewes advising there will be a significant human services stream alongside the master plan.
August 2017 - SLHD undertakes gaps analysis of Waterloo studies with Health Impact Assessment Lens
August 2017 – Redfern NAB carries out Community Safety Audit, report being finalised
September 2017 - Draft Redlink Evaluation Stage 1: Process Evaluation by Judy Stubbs
27 & 28 September 2017 - SLHD’s Building a Healthy and Resilient Waterloo Now and into the Future Forum
16 November 2017 - Human Service Element in Master Plan Workshop for NGO Managers.
30 November 2017 - Human Services element in Waterloo Master Plan Workshop for NGO frontline staff.
February 2018 - Scheduled start date for SLHD Waterloo Health Link worker
Human Service Govt bodies under Case Coordination Framework:
HSP Review includes above plus
This potted history has been prepared by
Geoff Turnbull, REDWatch Co-Spokesperson
16 January 2018
]]>Background
In November 2008 REDWatch wrote to then Minister for Redfern-Waterloo, Kristina Keneally, calling for the establishment of a Heritage and Tourism Committee for the Eveleigh Railyards. REDWatch did so on behalf of a large number of heritage groups that had come together as part of a campaign to keep the Blacksmiths functioning at the ATP and to protect Eveleigh Heritage (see attachment).
The Redfern Waterloo Authority (RWA) had a number of Ministerial Advisory Committees composing relevant government and non-government bodies along with community representatives. The request was to establish such a mechanism to look at heritage issues across the former Eveleigh Railyards.
In late 2009, Kristina Keneally, by then Premier and well as Minister for Redfern Waterloo, requested the RWA to establish a Redfern Waterloo Heritage Taskforce (RWHT). This taskforce had a much wider scope than we had originally requested, covering heritage across the broader RWA area including Aboriginal and public housing heritage as well as Eveleigh railway heritage. It did however include a representative from Tourism NSW as originally proposed.
Among the problems with the structure were that none of the heritage groups that called for the establishment of the Heritage and Tourism Committee were involved in the new RWHT; REDWatch, the Redfern Waterloo Chamber of Commerce and City of Sydney being the only organisations represented from the initial group requesting the committee be established.
The RWHT held its first meeting on 9 December 2009 and had to report by March 2011, so existed for only a short time. With delays in finding suitable Aboriginal representatives and an independent heritage expert, the committee had little time to do its work with all members present. The approach proposed by the RWA was a call for projects that would be supported by the committee and where possible some resources from the RWA or ATP.
The Eveleigh Railyard precinct was dealt with by establishing an Eveleigh Steering Committee (ESC). ESC meetings were open to all interested people and while Guido Gouverneur from Wrought Artworks was unanimously elected as the spokesperson for the ESC, that position was not included on the RWHT. At the request of the ESC, the RWA CEO and RWHT Chair, Mr Roy Wakelin King chaired the ESC meetings.
It is important to understand that the RWHT and the ESC happened at a time when there was still considerable tension between the ATP and some of the people, who had a long term heritage interest in the site, over the handling of heritage on the site. The original letter to Ms Keneally had come from the Save the Blacksmith campaign the year earlier. The RWHT and ESC occurred at a time when heritage was moving from being seen as a liability, to being seen as an asset, and there was not a great deal of trust. This was on both sides. On one side the ATP put up projects without them being discussed through the committee and on the other side projects like LES War Memorial Project and Professor Lucy Taksa’s Book and Website Project not eventuating because of failures to agree on a basis to work together.
The major work to come through the RWHT was the Eveleigh Railway Workshops Interpretation Plan. The proposal for this plan was strongly supported by the RWHT; however the RWHT had been wound up by the time a draft was ready. RWHT members were given an opportunity to make submissions but not the opportunity to discuss with the RWHT areas where there were concerns.
In spite of its short comings, the RWHT showed that there was benefit in bringing together such a taskforce. One of the RWHT’s final recommendations was “To this end, this report recommends that a government and community based body be established to ensure that this collaboration continues into the future. There will be key issues of governance and access to funding to be resolved in the establishment of such a forum, however it is considered important that such a body be established for the foreseeable future to help maintain and continue the good work undertaken by the RWHT.”
With the winding of the RWA into the SMDA, the community aspects of the RWA were lost and all the Advisory committees ceased to function. The key issues of governance and access to funding have been given as the reasons for not setting up a new body.
In August 2013, at REDWatch’s urging, the City of Sydney Lord Mayor wrote to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure requesting a community and government planning and heritage taskforce be convened to provide input into planning and heritage matters for the Eveleigh Railway Workshops.
Council also resolved that “in the event that a government heritage taskforce is not established within a reasonable time, the City will work with the Australian Technology Park, Carriageworks and UrbanGrowth and other members of the previous Taskforce, with a view to bringing the parties together to explore how a co-operative effort could strengthen heritage interpretation and promotion across the former Eveleigh Railway Workshops site for the benefit of all parties”.
REDWatch has continued to push at any opportunity with stakeholders the need for a heritage mechanism for Eveleigh.
Where to now?
We understand from the PAC approval for the Mirvac CBA development that there is an intention for a CMP that covers the entire Eveleigh site, which is being worked on by UrbanGrowth. While having not seen the detail of the proposal we welcome the move to have a mechanism that governs new, as well as existing, buildings and public space within the Eveleigh precinct.
While we do not have the detail of what is currently proposed REDWatch welcomes the opportunity to make some input to UrbanGrowth over how a new heritage mechanism might operate.
In REDWatch’s view, the sale of the ATP and its breakup of ownership along with the imminent work on North Eveleigh make it imperative that a heritage mechanism be put in place before the site fragments further.
Where site owners recognise their heritage as an asset we are hopeful that they will also see there is increased value for their site if their site is seen as a part of the precinct wide heritage offering rather than just an isolated offering. We have used this argument in the past to encourage heritage events to be co-ordinated across the Eveleigh site so that publicity can be maximised resulting in a larger turnout and an improved heritage offering.
We are encouraged by Mirvac, Carriageworks and UrbanGrowth working together around the 1917 Great Strike centenary to see how they can co-ordinate their activities and promote a wider co-operative heritage event. There are regular opportunities such as History Week, which could be used to leverage publicity out into widely promoted heritage events that could be looked at going forward. Regular heritage tours could be promoted to inbound tour operators and be part of Sydney’s tourism offering. This current cooperation can also be important for establishing a longer-term mechanism.
We were also encouraged by Mirvac’s preparedness to have their recent work on rebranding the ATP as the Eveleigh Workshops used across the former Railway workshop site. All this indicates to us that now is a good time to progress the Eveleigh heritage discussion.
Heritage has not always been seen as an asset at Eveleigh and as land prices escalate and market tastes change, a more negative approach to heritage may again re-emerge. We hence agree that there should be some heritage mechanism that applies across the entire Eveleigh site which recognises that all the developments are within an important heritage precinct and that there are ongoing obligations arising from being within such a heritage precinct.
It seems to us that the CMP will need to deal both with bodies that hold heritage buildings and assets, as well as new buildings that will be within the precinct. We assume this is the case given that the CBA building approval references the proposed UrbanGrowth CMP.
There is clearly a need for new buildings to be sympathetic to the former railway precinct and to interpret the history of the site within the new development. The question post construction is what role these buildings play in the ongoing development and promotion of heritage. Do, for example, the owners / strata bodies pay a levy towards heritage activities or do they just benefit from proximity to them with the costs being born by those that hold heritage assets?
While we think that it is possible to run a model based solely on the heritage asset holders, we think this might also limit what is delivered across the site. It is likely that we would see organisations funding heritage activities that primarily benefit their sites and potentially not funding broader activities needed to promote / interpret the entire precinct.
A couple of examples might be useful here.
What happens to Eveleigh Stories when UrbanGrowth moves away? Does it stop development of new stories and ways of connecting those stories to people, or will there be a mechanism for the stories to continue as part of say a digital or self-guided tour of the former railway precinct. To be preserved it could be handed over to someone; to continue development it will need resources from somewhere. If those resources are just from heritage building holders, it is possible that the stories will only be about people from their buildings or sites, and not the broader railyard heritage.
Eveleigh Stories are just one part of the rich social history that exists about the Eveleigh Workshops. It has long been suggested that there should be an official repository for such material on the site; maybe a place where visitors and family members can look up records of friends or family who worked on the site. This was part of the aim of liberating worker records held by Lucy Taska. But there will a cost associated with an official repository / welcome centre – if we really want to add this meat to the Eveleigh Workshops bone then it will need funding. Even if it is not done on site there should be an official repository nominated so there is a place where all the material can be collected.
Some levy arrangement on new developments, as well as on holders of heritage assets, would provide a basis for the development of heritage and tourism collateral that would add to the existing heritage offering which holders already have an obligation to maintain and make available to the public. The development of new heritage offering is also likely to be seen by non-heritage building owners as adding something new to the total area’s heritage offering rather than simply supporting the heritage building and asset owners.
There is also the possibility of some cost recovery through sale of items to tourists could be used to offset some of the recurrent costs. Such merchandising was used by Eveleigh Works at their launch earlier this year. It has not been a feature of earlier heritage events at Eveleigh.
We would not suggest a funded project approach like that undertaken by the RWHT. We would favour an approach that looks at developing the heritage offering, its interpretation and presentation and creating a tourism offering across the former Eveleigh site. An Eveleigh heritage committee itself could seek grant opportunities from the Heritage or Tourism funds to help develop particular projects or heritage offerings.
If the heritage co-ordination mechanism is of a purely co-operative nature then possibly only those that see a benefit from co-operation and can fund it will be at the table. They would cover their own costs and conceivably contribute to joint costs. Hopefully these would be the bodies that own / manage heritage buildings and their immediate public domain and / or heritage collections.
There are however, other stakeholders that need to be considered or have something to bring to the table in this discussions that may not be there in a purely cooperative venture. The Heritage Office and Tourism NSW would be two government bodies which might miss out, as well as a range of specialists and interest groups.
For this reason it would be much better if it was possible at the start to set up a mechanism that provided representation from the broader community as well as heritage custodians.
From REDWatch’s perspective a wider mechanism that has stakeholder representation sends a clear message that an Eveleigh Heritage committee is about Eveleigh more broadly and not just about the asset custodians.
We recognise that there are many different potential stakeholders and would suggest a representative mechanism being selected from an EOI process across different categories of stakeholders.
For example, we could say that in addition to heritage operators and state bodies, that the committee would have two representatives each from groups such as heritage operators, surrounding community organisations, heritage groups and retired workers, and heritage specialists. That would provide eight additional stakeholder members. Under split rotation with say terms of 2 or 4 years there could be turnover of half these representatives every 1 or 2 years in a way that retained corporate memory and stable governance. The EOIs and committee appointments could be made by the ongoing committee.
This is just one possible model, but we put it on the table as a suggestion.
Below I have mapped out some of the parties which currently, or in the past, have had an interest in participating.
Heritage site Owners / Operators / Under Licence - Mirvac, Carriageworks, UrbanGrowth C2E, Transport Heritage NSW (LES), RailCorp (North Eveleigh & South Eveleigh operational), City Rail (Redfern Station) City of Sydney (Proposed to manage some open space in the precinct – ideally represented by History people rather than heritage planners)
State Bodies - Heritage Office, Tourism NSW
Heritage Operators - Eveleigh Works, 3801 Ltd, Historic Electric Traction (HET), LES tour operators such as Lachlan Valley
Surrounding Community Organisations - South Sydney Business Chamber, REDWatch, ARAG, City West Housing, strata bodies of surrounding buildings such as Water Tower apartments, etc.
Heritage Groups and old Workers - ARHS, The National Trust, Retired RTBU, ATP Tour Guides
Academics and Heritage Experts - Don Godden, Dave McBeth, Lucy Taksa, Juliet Suich, Peter Phillips (ICOMOS)
Aboriginal Representation – on the broader RWHT, Dillon Kombumerri, Senior Architect Indigenous Design with NSW Government Architect’s Office and David Beaumont from the City of Sydney provided Aboriginal input. It is not clear where Aboriginal interest in Eveleigh Railway Heritage might come from.
Another model would be to have a committee of the heritage asset holders and a broader advisory committee of specialists. It is REDWatch’s view that as the Eveleigh Railway Heritage is a community asset as well as an asset of its custodians that the final mechanism should involve real input from heritage specialists and stakeholders in addition to heritage asset holders.
It should be emphasised that we are making these suggestions within a vacuum, as we are not aware of what conversations may have taken place between UrbanGrowth and the Heritage Office about possible mechanisms.
REDWatch however has had an ongoing interest in having an Eveleigh Railway Workshop heritage mechanism in place and we are prepared to be involved in discussions with all stakeholders to help determine a viable mechanism to deliver on this.
We look forward to the opportunity to discuss these comments and for further involvement in this important discussion.
Yours Faithfully
Geoffrey TurnbullREDWatch Co-Spokesperson
c/- PO Box 1567
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Ph Wk: (02) 9318 0824
email: mail@redwatch.org.au
References:
Letter to Kristina Keneally 2008
RWHT Final Report: www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/heritage/rwht/110222rwa/download
]]>She also expressed her appreciation to the families and businesses of Heffron who gave her a vote of confidence at three consecutive State elections.
"I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given to serve the community as Premier and a Minister,” Ms Keneally said.
“And I also want to thank those people in my electorate and across the State who placed their trust in me.
“While my mother and grandmother were both born here, I came to Australia as a migrant. To have had the chance to run for office, represent my local area, and serve as a Minister and Premier of the great state of NSW is both a great privilege and a humbling reminder of the welcome and opportunity that Australia and its people provide to new arrivals.”
Ms Keneally will take up the position of Chief Executive Officer at Basketball Australia later next month.
“I’ve loved working with Basketball Australia during my time as Chair – we’ve achieved a lot in a short space of time, including a new and improved NBL television deal with Channel 10, the establishment of the WNBL Commission, and return of the NBL All Stars game. Naturally, I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work as CEO,” Ms Keneally said.
“We’re on the brink of such an exciting time for basketball in Australia. With the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics, our teams are set to strut on the world stage.
“Australia is ranked as one of the top-five basketball playing nations in the world; our success at an international level is something other Australian codes can only dream about. It’s something to be proud of, and we’re going to capitalise on it in a big way.”
Ms Keneally said the decision to resign as Member for Heffron was not one she took lightly.
"I know the people of Heffron asked me again at the 2011 election to represent them as a Labor MP, and I take seriously that responsibility,” Ms Keneally said.
“I am proud of the passion, determination and commitment that I was able to bring to my roles as local member, Minister and Premier.
“Even on the toughest days as Premier, I always had the strength to get back up again and keep working for the people of NSW.
“Put simply, after nearly a decade in Parliament, I now acknowledge that it is time for a new phase in my life.
“As I said in my inaugural speech – I believe in living life with passion – and I believe the people of Heffron deserve a member who will fight for their interests with one hundred per cent determination and commitment. I am stepping aside so that may happen.”
Ms Keneally said she first stood for Parliament in 2003 as a candidate for the Australian Labor Party because she believed in the principles of social justice, the importance of community, and a fair go for all.
“There is no greater honour than serving the people of NSW as Premier. As I’ve said before, I truly believe NSW is the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family,” Ms Keneally said.
"Enacting Labor principles in Government, especially in areas like disability services where our Stronger Together funding fundamentally changed the landscape for the better, has been the most significant part of my political career.
"I'm proud to have led a Labor Government that lowered public transport fares under MyZone, secured billions of dollars of new federal funds for the health system, kept the state budget in surplus and restored the State’s AAA credit rating in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
"None of this was achieved alone. I thank my Cabinet, parliamentary colleagues, State Party officials and all the staff who have worked with me, for their shared commitment to the Australian Labor Party and for their support over many years.
“I’d like to pay particular tribute to the rank and file of the Labor Party who continually volunteer their time and effort to keep our party strong and progressive at all levels within Australian politics.
“I've worked with many fine and passionate people in both government and the Labor Party, and I have learnt much from them.”
Ms Keneally also gratefully thanked her husband, Ben and their two sons, Brendan and Daniel, for their constant support.
Ms Keneally said she hopes her announcement today presents the Labor Party with a chance to continue to renew its team in the NSW Parliament.
"As Premier, I put in place a determined push to renew the Labor Party's parliamentary ranks. That call for renewal applies to me just as much as it applies to anyone else,” Ms Keneally said.
“By stepping away now, I offer the ALP the chance to send to Parliament a new and energetic member who can contribute to the next Labor Government in NSW.”
Also see: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/keneally-quits-politics-to-take-top-basketball-spot-20120623-20ubg.html
]]>Media Conference / Photographic Opportunity
Where: Parliament House: Rear Gates under the Knowledge Tree, Domain Lawn
When: 10am, Wednesday 2nd May 2012
Speakers: Member for Heffron Kristina Keneally
Interview Opportunities: Other parliamentarians; mobility-challenged community members
Joel Pringle from the campaign said “despite Redfern being one of the cityʼs busiest stations, with over 42,000 people using it every day, its accessibility issues continue to be ignored. Last week the Minister for Transport released a $100 million blitz list of urgent station upgrade works, but Redfern was once again overlooked and ignored. Not even one lift to one platform.
“With 12 platforms Redfern Station is second to Central for inter-change possibilities and the sixth busiest station for entrances and exits. People with disabilities, older people, parents with young children, pregnant women, people with short-term mobility issues, and people with luggage or shopping have great difficulty in accessing or cannot access the station at all. Redfern Station needs to be on the accessibility upgrade list and at the top, so that these vital works can commence.
“Public transport should be available to everyone. It is unacceptable that a key station on our rail network is shut off to some members of our community.”
“It’s great to have so many varied groups within our broader community working together to achieve an outcome we all need. When the government’s infrastructure report is released later this year, Redfern Station must be at the top of the list,” said Pringle.
A parliamentary debate on access at Redfern Station is expected by the end of August 2012.
Supporters of the 'Lift Redfern Station' campaign include the University of Sydney; local community organisations: The Factory, South Sydney Community Aid and The Settlement; South Sydney Business Chamber; Gadigal Information Services; South Sydney Rabbitohs; full supporters list at: http://liftredfernstation.wordpress.com/about-us/
For more information: http://liftredfernstation.wordpress.com/
]]>On the “The Callan Park Mess” Sartor says Keneally planned to ‘compensate’ Sydney Uni for loosing Callan Park, doing it behind the RWA’s back and against a cabinet decision. According to Sartor it didn’t go ahead because, from what he was told, the amount Sydney Uni was prepared to pay was much lower than what the site was worth. In a statement on the REDWatch website Sydney Uni has responded by documenting their undertakings to pay full market price and say it appears Sartor was unaware of developments that took place after he left cabinet.
Source: South Sydney Herald February 2012 www.southsydneyherald.com.au]]>With Kristina Keneally stepping down there will be an by-election on 25th August to fill her seat.
So far two candidates have nominated:
The Liberals have announced they will not contest the seat. If anyone else nominates by the forum we will invite them as well.
Both Mehreen and Ron have agreed to attend the REDWatch meeting and let you know why they want your support on polling day and to answer your questions from the floor.
Candidates will present followed by a Question and Answer session.
Please pass on word of this forum with the flyer from the link below - REDWatch Heffron By-Election Candidates Forum Flyer
The NSW Government will provide $2 million to re-develop and revitalise The Block in Redfern — creating 62 homes and providing 9,000 metres of commercial, community and cultural space.
The revitalisation of The Block — known officially as the Pemulwuy Project — will create 300 jobs. This comprises 200 in construction and another 100 ongoing jobs once the project is completed.
Premier Kristina Keneally today announced the funding during a visit to Redfern with Member for Marrickville, Carmel Tebbutt.
"For many years, the Block has played an important role in the local community as well as the wider Indigenous community," Ms Keneally said.
"Its renewal and redevelopment will ensure that it continues to play just as an important role in the future."
The Pemulwuy Project will occur in three stages and includes;
The $2 million grant will allow the Aboriginal Housing Company to complete the Development Application process and demolish all remaining properties on the Block.
The DA and demolition process is part of the $60 million project to create a new residential, commercial and cultural precinct for the local Redfern community.
"While this project is still in the early stages, it is exciting to see it move forward," Ms Tebbutt said.
"I look forward to this historic site becoming a sustainable and safe area for local residents and businesses, as well as Indigenous Australians.
"The NSW Government recognised the importance of this project when we approved the Pemulwuy Plan in July 2009.
"Today's funding announcement is a further example of the Government's support for and faith in this project."
This funding was approved by Cabinet before Friday 4 March 2011 — in line with the NSW Government's caretaker conventions.
]]>Proudly wearing a Redfern-branded cap, Ms Keneally addressed the crowd who were excited about watching the Rabbitohs take on the Newtown Jets.
Ms Keneally, a Rabbitohs member herself, said: ““Redfern is a cultural hub with people from all walks of life and is a very special part of Sydney.
“I am proud to officially launch this new branding to encourage more visitors and businesses to take advantage of what Redfern has to offer.
“We can all own the Redfern brand and be ambassadors to encourage people to the area and help shape the future of Redfern, Waterloo, Darlington and Eveleigh.”
The Lord Mayor also addressed the crowd, highlighting the important developments in the area including the redevelopment of Redfern Oval.
The Redfern brand is an initiative of the Roll Up Redfern Group comprising City of Sydney, Redfern-Waterloo Authority (RWA), South Sydney Business Chamber (SSBC), REDWatch and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Roll Up Redfern was formed in 2009 to work collaboratively on business and community issues in Redfern and Waterloo and to continue the journey of positive developments in the area.
Redfern offers a range of cultural, sporting and business activities including the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, Redfern Park and Oval, Eveleigh Market, Australian Technology Park including Channel 7, CarriageWorks, and Family and Culture Day at The Block, plus a great mix of shops, art galleries, retro furniture stores, cafes and restaurants.
The Redfern brand is a significant and exciting community activity.
Redfern brand merchandise, including t-shirts, caps and bumper stickers, is available to purchase from the South Sydney Football Club Merchandise Store (Level 4, 265 Chalmers St, Redfern) or South Sydney Business Chamber (88 Pitt St, Redfern) or email info@ssbchamber.com.au to place an order.
The Redfern Brand Presentation for Businesses and Community Organisations will be held 5.30 fore 6.00 Wednesday 9th February2011.
]]>In 2004 the (then) Department of Housing commissioned the study “Managing our High Rise Buildings – A Framework for managing our high rise buildings in Central Sydney Division.” The study was undertaken by a consultant and documented the tenancy, building management and community engagement aspects of managing high-rises. It sought to provide a strategic framework for managing the 23 high rise buildings that the Department manages.
The study concluded that:
The Strategy proposed that individual Management Plans for each of the high rise buildings be prepared, outlining an integrated approach to asset management, tenancy, building management and community engagement strategies for each building.
Subsequently, CSR staff undertook work to develop draft pilot plans for 3 groups of high rise buildings:
In developing these plans, staff undertook some consultation with residents in those high rise buildings and local organisations serving social housing residents and communities.
A corporate decision was then taken that the development of management plans for every building was not the best use of limited staff resources and that the recommendations of the High Rise Strategy report could be implemented in more effective ways. It was decided that high rise buildings could continue to be managed as part of a business as usual approach, using the tools already available, such as Local Allocation Strategies, the Human Services Accord and community development projects like HCP. Opportunities to implement the recommendations of the strategy would be identified as they arose.
Subsequently, the Federal Government’s Nation Building Stimulus funding became available in 2008 and provided an opportunity to put significant investment in the upgrading of core services within high rise buildings in Redfern and Waterloo. Over $ XXXm has been spent over the last 3 years in upgrading lifts, sewerage systems, repairing concrete and painting.
The High Rise Strategy report also made an important contribution to HNSW’s Long Term Asset Plan (LTAP) developed in 2008.
In addition, following the recommendations of the High Rise Strategy report, and representations from a number of sectors, work was done on a possible ‘concierge’ model for some high rise buildings. The Waterloo Green Neighbourhood Project was subsequently developed as a pilot project to significantly improve management and security in the 6 Waterloo high rise buildings. This will result in the investment of $12m over 3 years in an innovative pilot project. In announcing the project, the Premier and local Member, Kristina Keneally said that if the project proved to be successful it would be rolled out in other high rise buildings.
The consultations that were carried out to develop the draft pilot management plans for the 3 groups of buildings, covering 7 high rise buildings in Redfern and Waterloo, during 2007 informed the development of subsequent initiatives.
A summary of the consultations findings for the 3 groups of buildings is set out in the Appendix.
The issues were prioritised as
|
Building Maintenance
|
|
|
Common Area Cleaning |
|
|
Safety
|
|
|
Information and Service |
|
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Community Cohesion |
|
|
Relationship with Team |
|
Tenancy Issues
Residents Kit
Pets
Recycling
Graffiti
Illegal occupants
DoH related
Allocation
Building Maintenance
Lights
Foyers
Balconies
Car parking
Fire Stairs
Bathrooms
Inspections
Lifts
Laundry Room
Security Screens
Pests
Open space/ Grounds
Cleaning
Intercoms
Laundry/ Bin
Roof/ Ceilings
Walls
Feedback on Maintenance
Community activities
New tenants
Things I like about living here
Community Centre
Tenant Reps
Regular contact with elderly
Tenant consultation
CCTV
Vandalism
Fire doors
Youth issues
Graffiti
Nuisance & Annoyance
Security guards
Police patrols
Common grounds
Theft
Drug Use
Unauthorised entrants
Source: This document has been supplied to REDWatch by HNSW on 31 January 2011
]]>Contents
A New Lease of Life For ‘The Block’
Statement from the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer
Employment and Enterprise Plan
Aunty Beryl Celebrates & Cooks For Royalty
Sponsorships/Grants Provided by the Redfern-Waterloo Authority
Redfern -Waterloo Authority Financials
The vision of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority (RWA) is to establish Redfern-Waterloo as an active, vibrant and sustainable community by promoting and supporting greater social cohesion and community safety, respect for the cultural heritage, and the orderly development of the area in consideration of social, economic, ecological and other sustainable development.
In 2001, the NSW Government made a commitment to revitalise the Redfern and Waterloo area through a ‘partnership’ with the local community focused on delivering strategic urban renewal, improved human services and job creation. Three years later, the Government created the Redfern-Waterloo Authority Act 2004 No 107 and, in January 2005, the Redfern-Waterloo Authority was established.
Since then, this partnership has helped changed not only the face of Redfern-Waterloo, but the perception of the area by the wider community and, in February 2010, independent data was released showing a reduction in local crime combined with solid increases in housing prices over the last two years.
“What we are seeing in Redfern and Waterloo now are the results of a strong partnership between Government and the community, including local Aboriginal leaders, creating thriving and safe suburbs,” the NSW Premier Ms Keneally said when presenting the data with Police Minister Michael Daley.
Key highlights for Redfern-Waterloo in 2009 – 2010:
A range of partnerships between the RWA and the community continue to focus on local issues, while The Greater Sydney Partnership – a marketing alliance spearheaded by founding Chairman Peter Holmes à Court – selected Redfern as the location to launch its exciting initiative in April, 2010. The partnership aims to further enhance the interests of Sydney as Australia’s only true global city.
On Sunday, 7th February, 2010, more than 5,000 fans braved inclement weather to watch the Rabbitohs in a pre-season game against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at the Australian Technology Park Performance Centre. The match was described as their “return to Redfern” and they certainly didn’t disappoint, thumping home to a 42 to 12 victory.
Management of Australian Technology Park, which is one of the RWA’s strategic development sites, recently became a senior partner of the Rabbitohs and also undertook sponsorship of the Rabbitoh’s charitable arm, Souths Cares. The former Redfern Oval has been renamed the ATP Performance Centre as part of the two-year sponsorship deal.
Souths Cares assists disadvantaged youth and their families in the South Sydney region through education, training and employment programs and players are taking an active, highly visible role within the local community in support of Souths Cares.
Rabbitohs Chief Executive and Souths Cares Board Member Shane Richardson said: “The Australian Technology Park is one of the leading organisations in the heart of the South Sydney district, so for Souths Cares to have an opportunity to partner with them was an opportunity that we jumped at.
“Our players and staff have made a big impact on the local community and having the backing of the Australian Technology Park will allow us to take the next steps with the Teachers’ Aide and Workplace Mentoring programs which are touching our people now.
“We’re providing our players with the best training facilities, as well as our community with the best support through Souths Cares’ programs, all with the backing of the Australian Technology Park.”
The RWA brokered 10 jobs for Indigenous workers on the upgrade of the former Redfern Oval through the City Of Sydney’s Aboriginal Employment projects.
The RWA, of course, supports local sporting groups and associations at a grass roots level including the Redfern All Blacks and Waterloo Storm in the Koori Knockout.
The financial year began with the former Planning Minister, and now Premier, the Hon Kristina Keneally announcing approval in July 2009 of the $60m Pemulwuy Project Concept Plan for The Block – a project capable of delivering 300 jobs, 62 homes and over 9,000sqm of commercial uses, shops and community and cultural space.
The State Government and the Department of Planning worked closely with the Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC) throughout the assessment process and the proposed redevelopment will include:
The proposed redevelopment will significantly improve the area’s attractiveness, boost the viability of further commercial investment and restore a sense of respect and pride in The Block as a positive cultural meeting place. The Plan promotes a secure and aesthetically pleasing site by incorporating principles of crime prevention through environmental design and will support the area’s long and vibrant history.
A number of amendments have been made following public exhibition of the proposal to address public and agency feedback, including the requirements of the AHC to:
The AHC has also committed to consulting with the local community and stakeholders throughout the rejuvenation of the precinct and will ensure all future applications are consistent with the concept plan.
Pemulwuy was an Aboriginal warrior believed to have been born in 1750 who was about 38 years old when the First Fleet arrived. He was of the Eora people, whose land – now known as Botany Bay – was most directly affected by the arrival of the British.
Pemulwuy fiercely resisted the British colonisation of Australia, using fire as a weapon, destroying crops and animals, and raiding settlements. As his legend grew, so did his supporters. At one point, he had more than 100 followers who knew him as the “rainbow warrior” for the colours he wore.
Pemulwuy was shot dead on the orders of Governor Philip King in 1802 and decapitated. Some believe his head was bottled, sent to England and then returned to Australia in 1950 but his remains have never been recovered.
The Hon. Kristina Keneally M.P. NSW Premier
Minister for Redfern-Waterloo Parliament House
Macquarie Street
Sydney
Dear Minister Keneally,
It is with pleasure that I forward you the sixth Annual Report of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority for the year ending 30 June 2010.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the NSW Annual Report (Statutory Bodies) Act 1984 No 87, the Annual Report (Statutory Bodies) Regulation 2000 and the Redfern-Waterloo Authority Act 2004 No 107.
Yours sincerely,
Roy Wakelin-King AM
Chief Executive Officer Redfern-Waterloo Authority
Redfern - Waterloo Authority
Redfern and Waterloo are located just south of Sydney’s Central Business District. To the south-west are Sydney’s economic gateways, Port Botany and Sydney Airport.
The Redfern-Waterloo Authority (RWA) was created by a NSW Government Act of Parliament in Oct 2004 (Redfern-Waterloo Authority Act 2004 No 107) and established on 17 January 2005.
The RWA is responsible for revitalising Redfern, Waterloo, Eveleigh and Darlington through strategic urban renewal, job creation and improved human services in consideration of social, economic, ecological and other sustainable development, public spaces, Aboriginal community needs, social cohesion and community safety.
Under the direction of the NSW Government’s 10-year urban renewal program for Redfern-Waterloo, the revitalisation of the area has instilled renewed confidence in the region and encouraged an influx of creative enterprise and private investment. With the amount of commercial, residential and community facilities being developed or refurbished as a direct result of RWA initiatives, Redfern-Waterloo is seeing the benefits of a commitment to reinvestment, jobs and sustainable economic prosperity.
Since the inception of the RWA in 2005, the NSW Government has directly facilitated the investment of well over $600 million towards infrastructure development, the provision of improved human services and employment opportunities for the local community including dedicated roles for Indigenous workers.
(see pdf version)
It gives us great pleasure to present the Redfern-Waterloo Authority’s (RWA) Annual Report for 2009/2010.
This was the fifth year of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority since its establishment in 2005 under the Redfern-Waterloo Authority Act, 2004 (the Act).
2009/2010 was an outstanding year for the Redfern-Waterloo Authority with much of its earlier hard work coming to fruition. This has resulted in positive progress in the revitalisation of Redfern-Waterloo which will have direct and lasting benefits for the area.
The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) was officially opened by the former Prime Minister in February 2010. This world class facility has put Redfern on the nation’s map as the best place in Australia to celebrate and promote Indigenous culture, arts, education and sport. It will bring visitors and students from all over the country to the area as well as provide an exciting new local facility for the people of Redfern and Waterloo. The establishment of this facility was a direct result of the work of the Authority under its Redfern-Waterloo Built Environment Plan.
In January 2010, Channel 7, Pacific Magazines and Global Television moved into 8 Central Avenue at Australian Technology Park (ATP). The establishment of these major corporations at ATP demonstrates the increasing confidence the business community has in the future of the Redfern-Waterloo area. The arrival of these organisations has seen more than 2,000 staff members introduced to the local area, resulting in a real boost to the local economy.
In March 2010, operations commenced at the new community health centre which was established using the proceeds of the sale of the Rachael Forster Hospital site. This was a direct result of the work done by the Authority in developing a concept plan for this site and returning the proceeds from the sale to the Redfern community.
The NSW Premier also announced in July 2009 the approval of the Pemulwuy Project Concept Plan for the redevelopment of The Block. This project will deliver 300 jobs, 62 homes and over 9,000sqm of commercial uses, shops and community and cultural space for this iconic area of Redfern.
Redevelopment of the Redfern RSL site began in early 2010 with the commencement of demolition works. This site will be developed over the next two years, resulting in an 18-storey mixed use building comprising 86 residential apartments and retail and commercial uses. It will also result in a new RSL Club being returned to the site by the end of 2011.
Whilst a tremendous amount of work continues in the built environment, the Authority has also continued its work in the broader area of urban renewal for Redfern-Waterloo.
In February 2010, the NSW Premier and Minister for Redfern Waterloo, the Hon Kristina Keneally, presented a report card that demonstrated all indicators for the renewal of Redfern and Waterloo were moving in the right direction including increased training and job numbers and increased demand for housing. The Premier also highlighted the significant decrease in crime statistics for the local area as being a very positive indicator of the urban renewal process occurring in Redfern-Waterloo.
The Eveleigh Farmers’ Market continued to go from strength to strength winning the Sydney Morning Herald 2010 Foodies Award for Best Markets in Sydney after trading for only seven months. More than 3,000 people attend the markets on a weekly basis to enjoy freshly grown produce sold by the growers/producers themselves.
The RWA also introduced the Eveleigh Market Christmas Banner competition in 2009 inviting every youth service in Redfern-Waterloo and every school in the City of Sydney Local Government area to participate. The NSW Premier announced the winner, Alexandria Park Community School, at a special Christmas Market held in December 2009.
To ensure that the important heritage of the Redfern-Waterloo area is preserved, the RWA established the Redfern-Waterloo Heritage Taskforce in 2009. This Taskforce will identify opportunities for the active conservation, interpretation and adaptive reuse of the heritage of the Redfern-Waterloo area.
The RWA formed a new partnership “Roll up Redfern” in 2009 with the City of Sydney, Redfern-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, REDWatch and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. This group is focused on promoting the key strengths of the Redfern-Waterloo area including highlighting the iconic landmarks and organisations and the diversity of the local community and culture.
The RWA’s Employment and Enterprise programs continued to deliver strong results for both Aboriginal and non Aboriginal people in the area of training and employment during 2009/2010.
The RWA’s Aboriginal Employment Model was developed to ensure the creation of employment opportunities for Aboriginal people in the hospitality and construction industries and continues to exceed its targets. The Koori Job Ready in construction course is helping Government and private sector organisations to employ Aboriginal people on their construction projects, with well over 500 employment opportunities being created in this sector alone.
The Redfern-Waterloo Human Services Plan Phase 1 Evaluation Report was released in July 2009. This report revealed some very good progress on many of the actions contained in the Plan and has resulted in key human service agencies working more collaboratively, sharing information and targeting specific new initiatives in the area.
The RWA once again supported a range of groups during the year through the Community Grants Program. This included support of sports, arts, cultural and educational activities and events in the community.
The RWA continues to be focused on creating a vibrant and safe community through urban renewal, improved human services, training and job creation for the community of Redfern and Waterloo.
Dr Col Gellatly AO Chairperson
Roy Wakelin-King AM Chief Executive Officer
In order to achieve its aims and objectives, the RWA maintains an undertaking to:
CEO ----------------------
: V
: Business Administration
:
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V V V
Human Services Community Relations Training, Employment & Enterprise Planning and Urban Renewal
The NSW Premier and Minister for Redfern-Waterloo, the Hon. Kristina Kenneally, is responsible for the control and direction
of the RWA. The Minister has established a Board of Governance and, while the Board establish the policies and directions for the RWA, its day to day management is the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer.
There are four Board Committees:
Audit and Risk Management Committee
The Audit and Risk Management Committee is the focal point for communication between the Board, the external auditors, the internal auditors and management, as their duties relate to the financial accounting, reporting and internal controls and compliance.
The Audit and Risk Management Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities as to accounting policies and reporting practices of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority. It is to be the Board’s principal agent in assuring the independence of RWA auditors, the integrity of management and the adequacy of the disclosures to the public.
Membership:
Aug-Dec 2009 - John Mulally, Sam Mostyn and Jim Mitchell
Jan-June 2010 - John Mulally, Bonnie Boezman AO and Victoria Weekes
Affordable Housing Committee
In accordance with RWA Board Procedures, the Affordable Housing Committee Terms of Reference are as follows:
Membership: Ann Weldon, Lucy Hughes Turnbull and Warren Mundine.
Urban Renewal Committee
The Urban Renewal Committee reviews and advises on proposed urban renewal strategies in accordance with the RWA’s Built Environment Plan.
Membership: Col Gellatly AO, Lucy Hughes Turnbull, Richard Johnson and Michael Collins
Human Services Committee
Membership: Sam Mostyn, Lucy Hughes Turnbull, Ann Weldon, John Mulally
Minister for Redfern-Waterloo
:
RWA Board
:
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V V V V
Audit Risk Affordable Housing Urban Renewal Human Services
Committee Committee Committee Committee
Board members are appointed in accordance with Section 9 Schedule 2 of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority Act 2004
Dr Col Gellatly AO B Ag Ec 9 (Hons) UNE, M Comm (Hons) UNSW, Ph D NC State, FIPAA Term of appointment 23/01/08 to 16/01/11
Dr Col Gellatly AO was Chairperson of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority and Australian Technology Park as of 1 July 2007. Dr Gellatly is the former Director-General of the Premier’s Department, a role which he held since being appointed in 1994. He has held a number of senior management positions within the NSW public service, including as Director-General of the Department of Land and Water Conservation. He is also Chair of Pillar Corporation, a member of the Board of State Water Corporation, a member of the UN E Council, member of Board of the NSW Rugby League and an Administrator, Wollongong City Council. Dr Gellatly has a degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of New England, a Master of Commerce from the University of NSW and a PhD from North Carolina State University.
Mr Michael Collins FRICS - Term of appointment 18/01/09 to 16/01/11
Mike Collins is a Sydney property practitioner. He has been involved in property economics, real estate valuation, property consultancy and asset management for over 35 years, and is professionally qualified in property economics and valuation. He runs his own property advisory company based in the Sydney CBD. Mike is the Chairman of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Barangaroo Delivery Authority. He is also Chairman of the NSW Government’s Land and Housing Supply Coordination Task Force. He is a former Chairman of the Heritage Council of NSW and a former National and NSW President of the Australian Property Institute.
Mr Richard Johnson MBE M Phil (UCL) B.Arch Hons 1 (UNSW) FRAIA - Term of appointment 23/01/08 to 16/01/11
Richard Johnson is an award winning architect and 2008 Gold Medallist. He is a Visiting Professor of Architecture at the University of New South Wales and a Director of Johnson Pilton Walker Architects. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, an Associate of the Japan Institute of Architects, and a Member of the Design Institute of Australia. Mr Johnson was involved in the design of the Australian embassies in Beijing and Tokyo. He is the Chief Architect for the Sydney Opera House and is also currently working on projects including the Australian War Memorial, the Hilton Hotel and the Asian Wing of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He also serves on the Board of the Australian Technology Park and the Australian Architects Association. Mr Johnson has a Bachelor of Architecture (1st Class Honours) from the University of NSW and a Master of Philosophy (Town Planning) from University College, London. In 1976 he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to Architecture.
Ms Samantha Mostyn BA LLB - Term of appointment 18/01/09 to 16/01/11
Sam Mostyn has an extensive background business, management, law and sustainability. She recently left Insurance Australia Group (IAG) after six years as Group Executive, Culture & Reputation, a role in which she was responsible for Human Resources, Organisational Effectiveness, Corporate & Government Affairs and Corporate Sustainability functions. Prior to joining IAG in 2002, Sam held senior executive roles at Optus and spent two years in London as Group Director, Human Resources for Cable and Wireless plc. She serves on the Boards of the Sydney Theatre Company, the Australian Museum Reconciliation Australia, Australian Volunteers International and the AFL. She also serves on the NSW and QLD Climate Change Councils and Chairs the Advisory Council of CSIRO’s Climate Adaptation Flagship Project.
Mr Warren Mundine DUniv (Hon) FAIM MAICD - Term of appointment 23/01/07 to 16/01/11
A Bundjalung man, Warren is CEO of NTSCORP Ltd and Chairman of Indigenous Investment Management. Warren is an advocate for empowering Indigenous people to break the poverty cycle and build a strong Indigenous economy. A Doctor of the University (honoris causa) (Southern Cross University), Warren also holds several Chairmanships such as the Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce and NAISDA Ltd (NAISDA Dance College). He is also a member of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation Board of Directors, Macquarie University Council and the Southern Cross University Foundation. Warren is an Ambassador for the Song Room and the Indigenous Program of Football Federation Australia.
Ms Lucy Hughes Turnbull LLB (Sydney), MBA (UNSW) - Term of Appointment 18/01/09 to 16/01/11
Lucy Hughes Turnbull is a Director of the Board of Melbourne IT, an Australian publicly-listed internet services company with operations in North America, Europe and Asia. She is also a Board Member of Australian Technology Park in Redfern, the Centre for Independent Studies, the Redfern Foundation Limited, the Turnbull Foundation and the Cancer Institute NSW. Lucy was Sydney’s first female Lord Mayor (2003-4) and Deputy Lord Mayor (1999-2003). She served as a Councillor on the City of Sydney from 1999-2004 and chaired many council committees, including the Central Sydney Planning Committee, the Planning, Transport and Development Committee and the Finance and Audit Committees. Lucy is Deputy Chair of the Committee for Sydney and a Board Member of the contemporary art Biennale of Sydney. Her interests include history, contemporary culture, planning, architecture and design and, in 1999, published the book Sydney – Biography of a City.
Ms Ann Weldon - Term of appointment 18/01/09 to 16/01/11
Ann Weldon is a proud member of the Wiradjuri Nation and was one of the founding members of the NSW Aboriginal Children’s Service and Inner West Aboriginal Community Company to name just two. For the past 35 years, Ann has held executive positions and was a member of a number of committees including the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, Marrickville Aboriginal Consultative Committee and the Aboriginal Legal Service. She was elected to the Sydney ATSIC Regional Council for three consecutive terms as Councillor and as the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson. Ann was appointed to the inaugural NSW Aboriginal Housing Board in 1998 as an ATSIC nominee and was then appointed the first female Chairperson of the NSW Housing Board from 2000-2007.
Mr John Mulally BA LLB (Hons) - Term of appointment 23/01/08 to 16/01/11
John has over 40 years experience as a lawyer specialising in major property and infrastructure projects. He has acted for major Australian and off-shore developers and investors, Australian and State Government instrumentalities and off-shore Governments. This has included the acquisition, development and sale of major projects in all capital cities of Australia as well as in Vanuatu, Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Paris, St Petersburg, Kiev, Moscow and New York. He has also advised on major energy projects in Australia and off-shore and on major infrastructure and renewable energy projects in China and Africa. His role in these projects deals with the funding structure, legal requirements and integration of the commercial with the legal outcomes required to achieve project development. He is currently acting for Western Gulf Advisory AG of Switzerland which is a major funder of and an investor in Australian projects.
CEO – Mr Roy Wakelin-King AM BPS (UNE) GDP Bus (UTS) - Term of appointment 16/02/09
Roy Wakelin-King AM was appointed the Chief Executive Officer on 16th February 2009. Prior to this, Roy was the Deputy Director General of the Office of Public Works & Services with the NSW Department of Commerce. Roy was also CEO of the World Youth Day Coordination Authority which coordinated the delivery of Government services for the highly successful World Youth Day 2008. Roy has been an Executive Director within the NSW Ministry of Transport in the position of Director - Transport Operations Division. Roy has extensive experience in both operations and project leadership, particularly in the fields of transport and logistics. His experience includes a short Army career as a commissioned officer followed by a series of senior project and operational appointments within the NSW Government.
RWA Board Attendance FYR 09/10
Directors Board Meetings
A1 B2
Attended Held
Col Gellatly AO 9 9
Roy Wakelin-King AM 9 9
Richard Johnson 7 9
Lucy Hughes Turnbull 7 9
Warren Mundine 5 9
John Mulally 6 9
Michael Collins 8 9
Sam Mostyn 7 9
Ann Weldon 4 9
1 Number of meetings attended
2 Number of meetings held
Ministerial Advisory Committees
Invited residents of Redfern, Waterloo, Eveleigh and Darlington are also amongst members of three Ministerial Advisory Committees established to advise on matters relating to the development and implementation of the RWA’s Built Environment, Human Services and Employment & Enterprise Plans. These committees also include representatives from Federal, State and Local Government and the area’s Indigenous communities.
Disclosures
The RWA has no related party disclosures to declare.
Since the inception of the RWA in January 2005, the Redfern-Waterloo area has undergone a significant transformation as a result of a three-part plan for strategic urban renewal, improved human services and job creation comprising the following:
Built Environment Plan (BEP):
Identifying and developing sites within the area for commercial, residential and community uses;
Human Services Plan (HSP):
Delivering better coordination of health, youth and social services between non Government and Government organisations in the area; and
Employment and Enterprise Plan (EEP):
Creating business development and job opportunities in Redfern, focusing on the Indigenous community and local enterprise.
The Built Environment Plan Stage 1 was released in August 2006 and established a planning framework to stimulate social and economic renewal in the Redfern-Waterloo area through new business and housing, job creation and improvements to the built environment. The economic and social benefits generated by the BEP1 are evidenced by key developments such as the television/media complex at Australian Technology Park and the redevelopment of the Redfern RSL Club which commenced in early 2010.
The RWA in partnership with Housing NSW continued to develop the draft Stage 2 of the Built Environment Plan (BEP2) to provide for the renewal of social housing estates in Redfern-Waterloo and opportunities to enhance affordable housing by:
The Redfern-Waterloo community and social housing tenants in particular will be extensively consulted on any proposals for public housing renewal.
Significant achievements delivered through the Built Environment Plan to date:
Heritage Works
In late 2009, the RWA established the Redfern-Waterloo Heritage Taskforce (RWHT), the purpose of which is to identify opportunities for the active conservation, interpretation and adaptive reuse of the heritage of the Redfern-Waterloo area. The RWHT met for the first time in December 2009 and meets approximately four times a year with sub-groups meeting at other times. The Taskforce includes two Indigenous representatives and works on a project basis to address a broad and comprehensive treatment of the area’s diverse heritage values.
The preservation of Bays 1 and 2, the refurbishment of the pump room, the upgrade of the water tower and various other works at the former Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops at Australian Technology Park are among the heritage works invested in by the RWA, through its subsidary company ATPPML.
The Taskforce seeks to increase community awareness, understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the existing heritage and stimulate greater community initiative and participation in efforts to conserve it.
Built Environment Ministerial Advisory Committee
In February 2010, the Redfern community was joined by then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, for the official opening of The National Centre for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE). Mr Rudd said it was proud day for Australians and marked a new era in Indigenous education, engagement and leadership. The multi-use complex provides world-class sports, arts, educational and cultural programs for young Indigenous people and the wider community, and is the first of its kind in Australia.
The Redfern-Waterloo Authority helped the Indigenous Land Corporation to secure the site for the Centre. Facilities include a 25-metre heated pool, a YMCA-designed gymnasium and cardio hall, sports field, dining hall and activity rooms, hostel accommodation, conference facilities, meeting rooms and a ropes course.
Sol Bellear, an NCIE Director, said the Centre is already helping to build a more cohesive, more tolerant Redfern.
“The idea being that the Centre is inclusive not exclusive. We are here for everybody, not just Indigenous people.”
More than 100 young people will sleep, eat and learn in the facility at any one time, studying in the fields of sport, art culture and/or education.
“We will provide practical skills for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who need guidance and support,” said NCIE CEO Jason Glanville. “We are aiming to have 5,000 people rolling through the doors annually.”
Members of the general public have also embraced the Centre, with almost 1000 gym memberships since it opened in January 2010.
The RWA’s Human Services Plan was developed in two phases. Phase 1 focuses on improving services delivered to children and families, Aboriginal people and young people and was endorsed by NSW Government in December 2005. An independent consultation undertook an 18-month review of Phase 1 and The Redfern Waterloo Human Services Plan Phase 1 Evaluation Report was publicly released in July 2009.
The Report revealed good progress on many of the actions, and highlighted the fact that the Human Services Plan Phase One has resulted in key human services agencies working more collaboratively, sharing information and targeting specific new initiatives in the area.
Following recommendations made in the report, the RWA re-established the Redfern Waterloo Youth Services Taskforce and Family Violence Taskforce in 2009 to advance action in these areas.
The RWA continued to oversee the implementation of the Human Services Plan working collaboratively with both government and non-government agencies in the area to progress actions.
Significant achievements in Human Services include:
Human Services Ministerial Advisory Committee
The former Courthouse and Police Station at 103 Redfern Street is now home to a $10 million Community Health Centre. The Courthouse and Police Station was one of several key “strategic sites” identified by the RWA which can contribute to providing land for business and residential purposes. These sites maximise the advantage of existing public transport; the Sydney CBD, Airport and Port; recreational and cultural facilities; and nearby significant health and educational facilities.
The project was funded by the sale of the Rachel Forster Hospital site on the corner of Pitt and Albert Streets, Redfern, and was approved by the NSW Government in July 2008. The Centre operationally opened in February 2010 and provides a comprehensive range of services, creates up to 94 full-time jobs in the area, adaptively re-uses a significant building and delivers a range of important health benefits to local families.
Other aims and objectives of the development are to:
Through projects such as the Community Health Centre, the community is starting to see the results of both phases of the Human Services Plan, which identifies specific challenges faced by a broad section of the community particularly in the areas of population, drug and mental health.
The Employment & Enterprise Plan was published in May 2006 and was the first comprehensive training and employment strategy for the Redfern-Waterloo area. Its main aim is to deliver skilled job seekers to meet the specific employment needs of the market, to create educational opportunities and build on future growth potential.
The Plan focuses on:
Significant achievements to date:
Aboriginal Employment Model (AEM)
The RWA’s groundbreaking Aboriginal Employment Model (AEM) has brokered employment opportunities in the construction industry for over 600 Aboriginal people across 25 trades, from electricians to bricklayers, office administrators and crane drivers. Several private sector groups are also replicating the RWA’s model to manage Aboriginal employment on sites throughout Sydney.
The Model has been adopted by other NSW Government agencies, and has resulted in the achievement of Aboriginal employment outcomes on local construction projects including the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, Channel 7, CarriageWorks, the Black Theatre site, the Elizabeth Street Housing redevelopment, Redfern Community Health Centre, and the Redfern Street Redfern Park upgrades.
Employment and Enterprise Ministerial Advisory Commitee
The Yaama Dhiyaan Hospitality Training Centre held its third graduation ceremony for 2009 in October. Eight Aboriginal students received their Certificate II training in Hospitality Operations, and it was a also fitting way to acknowledge the company’s third anniversary.
Since opening its doors in October 2006, Yaama Dhiyaan has become a cornerstone training centre in the local community, having helped over 100 students graduate from the hospitality course. More than 66 percent have since gained employment or moved on to further education.
Aboriginal Elder, Aunty Beryl Van Oploo has taught at Yaama Dhiyaan since the beginning. “My dream to provide Aboriginal people with skills to work in hospitality has become a wonderful reality,” Aunty Beryl says.
“Along with the Koori Job Ready Course, this hospitality course empowers graduates to make decisions about what they want to do with the rest of their lives,” said RWA CEO, Roy Wakelin-King AM.
“It’s about giving young and older Indigenous people the skills and the opportunity to build themselves a positive and fulfilling future.”
Three months after celebrating the anniversary, Aunty Beryl was preparing afternoon tea for Prince William. Around 2000 people turned out on the streets of Redfern when the Prince visited the Community Centre in the heart of The Block on 18th January 2010 as part of a three day Australian tour. He was welcomed by a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony and met with members of the local Indigenous community.
“It was exciting because he chose our community to come to,” Aunty Beryl said. “I reckon he has similar reasons to his mum for coming to Redfern. He wants to touch everybody in society whether you are rich, poor or otherwise. He is a lovely man with similar traits to his mother and father.”
Charles Madden, director of Redfern’s Aboriginal Medical Service, was first to speak at the event, saying: “I’d like to thank Prince William for coming here to The Block today.” Mr Madden said. “It’s good to have him here because The Block has produced a lot of positive things for Redfern.”
Aunty Beryl and the team at Yaama served the Prince and around 60 elders an afternoon tea which included quandon and custard tarts, lemon myrtle butter biscuits, chocolate truffles and a fruit cocktail. It was the second time Aunty Beryl has served royalty. About 40 years ago, she did a catering job at The Rocks during a visit by Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, who was served kangaroo meatballs with bush tomato sauce.
Since the inception of the RWA in 2005, the NSW Government has directly facilitated the investment of more than $b00m towards infrastructure development, the provision of improved human services and employment opportunities for the local community including dedicated roles for Indigenous workers.
New facilities such as the Community Health Centre and National Centre of Indigenous Excellence are now providing first class services and facilities to the local community. The newly opened Farmers and Artisan Markets in North Eveleigh features over 70 regular stall holders offering a vast array of seasonal fresh and value-added produce including organic biodynamic foods from farmers and artisan producers across NSW. A number of other exciting businesses have also integrated into the industrial heritage of the Refern area including art galleries, furniture stores and restaurants.
Australian Technology Park & North Eveleigh
The NSW Government’s biggest investment in the Redfern-Waterloo area has been in Australian Technology Park. ATP is one of the country’s most dynamic technology and innovation precincts, providing a collaborative R&D environment which enables innovative ICT companies to forge exciting alliances and access support for global commercialisation. It also includes unique world class conferencing, exhibition and entertainment venues which have earned a national reputation for excellence.
ATP is located on almost 14 hectares of what was originally part of the Eveleigh Railway Yards and was an initiative of the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology (Sydney), with support from the Federal and NSW State Governments.
Owned and managed by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority since July 2000, it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the RWA and one of eight locally significant strategic sites under the jurisdiction of the RWA in April 2005. Five months later, an investment of more than $54m by the RWA resulted in construction of the 11,000sqm research facility for National Information and Communications Technology Australia (NICTA) and the Defence, Science & Technology Organisation (DSTO), which was completed in 2008, along with new roads and infrastructure.
In January 2010, Channel 7, Pacific Magazines and Global Television moved approximately 2,000 employees into a brand new state-of-the-art television and media office complex at 8 Central Avenue within the Park. This building was the largest commercial development in Redfern for more than a decade and the arrival of these global companies heralds the ATP’s evolution as one of Australia’s leading media centres.
Australian Technology Park will be a main driver in RedfernWaterloo’s economic growth over the next decade. Future capital investment is estimated at around $460m, with an ultimate workforce of more than 9000 permanent employees, representing a 20 percent increase in jobs for the area. The developing media environment at ATP will stimulate commercial interest and encourage associated industries wanting to seek synergies with such a large and dynamic industry presence to locate, if not exclusively within ATP, to Redfern-Waterloo, and particularly, the North Eveleigh precinct.
The former Minister for Planning and now Premier, Kristina Keneally, announced the approval of the Concept Plan for the redevelopment of North Eveleigh in January 2009.
The Concept Plan provides for a mixed use precinct for living, working and recreation and will offer affordable housing for key workers in the area, such as teachers, nurses and police.
The plan is for the site to be developed over the next five to seven years and will accommodate residential, commercial, retail cultural and community uses as well as public open space.
The concept plan proposes:
One of the outstanding features of this site is its historical and heritage significance. Approximately 30 percent of the site’s floor space is located within existing buildings. The heritage buildings and structures to be retained and adaptively used are;
The Carriage Workshop building currently occupied by the Ministry of Arts – Performing Arts Centre and the Anna Schwartz Gallery will continue to be used for cultural/community and commercial purposes.
The $550m redevelopment will create approximately 6,500 jobs including 3,300 construction jobs with 300 of these positions being for Aboriginal people. Approximately 3,000 permanent jobs will be created from the commercial, retail and cultural development of the site.
Eveleigh Market Named Sydney’s Best
In October 2009, Redfern-Waterloo’s premier market were declared the best market in Sydney after just seven months of operation by the Sydney Morning Herald 2010 Foodies Guide.
Eveleigh Market was judged the best on the criteria of ‘excellence of product, knowledge and understanding of what is stocked, attention to detail and engagement with business.’ The award acknowledged Management’s undertaking of authentic audits with stallholders on an ongoing basis to reassure product quality.
Eveleigh Market Manager, Ariana Aljinovic said it was an honour to receive the award, especially for the farmers and producers.
“Ever since we started operating, community support for the markets has grown,” says Ariana. “It’s no wonder considering the amazing range of products on offer from the more than 65 stallholders.”
The rain, hail or shine weekly event attracts up to 3,000 visitors every Saturday, while the Artisans’ Market continues to showcase the best in individually-designed local art, sculpture, ceramic glass, craft and Indigenous works on the first Sunday of each month.
The Eveleigh Market was created by a $3m refurbishment of the heritage Blacksmith’s Workshop undertaken by the NSW Government and the Redfern-Waterloo Authority.
The RWA sponsors and provides funding throughout the year to community projects, local sporting organisations and Indigenous enterprises. Following is a list of contributions by the RWA for the 2009/2010 Financial Year commencing 1st July 2009.
Organisation – Grant approved $ – Date Approved – Purpose -Alignment with RWA Plan
Waterloo Storm Rugby League Club - $3690 - 13/07/09 - Purchase of equipment to participate in 2009 Koori Knockout - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
IndgieLab 2009 - $3750 - 7/07/09 - To provide a place for a Redfern-Waterloo based artist to attend the week long Indigenous Artist Residency program in Bundanoon - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church - $3000 - 8/07/09 - To assist with their 150th Foundation Day Celebrations Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Darlington School& Community Association - $200 - 13/07/09 - To support a dinner to raise funds for children’s playground equipment - Priority 1 “Improve the health and well being of children”
Waterloo Storm Women’s Rugby League Club - $1500 - 14/08/09 - To assist them to participate in the 2000 Koori Knockout - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Redfern All Blacks Rugby League - $2164 - 7/09/09 - Purchase of equipment to participate in 2009 Koori Knockout - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Redfern United Football Club - $1800 - 29/09/09 - Purchase of equipment to participate in 2009 Koori Knockout - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
The Factory Community Centre - $300 - 14/09/09 - Assistance for catering for community lunch to celebrate the Asian Moon Festival - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Wrought Artworks P/L - $2000 - 7/09/09 - Assistance for refreshments for the Rail Heritage Conference delegation to the ATP 20 October 2009 - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
NSW Department of Community Services - $300 - 2/11/09 - Assistance for travelling and accommodation costs for Jane Hanckel to present at the Family Violence Taskforce meeting 3 December - Priority 5 “Reduce the incidence of family violence”
South Sydney PCYC - $1200 - 29/10/09 - Hire of a Boxing Ring for the PCYC/Police event 18 December, 2009 - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Tatiana Pogonza - $600 - 23/11/09 - Assistance for 11 year old local Waterloo girl Tatiana Pogonza to participate in the Sydney Comets Under 12’s Basketball Team - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community”
Babana Aboriginal Men’s Group - $1700 - 13/11/09 - Provision of 40 “Babana” Polo shirts to be distributed to Babana members - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Redfern United Football Club - $800 - 23/11/09 - Assistance for team to enter the Anthony Avery Memorial Touch Tournament January 23 and 24 2010 in Taree - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
South Sydney Community Transport - $200 - 1/12/09 - Catering assistance grant for Social Housing Tenants Information Meetings - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Joann Bostock - $780 - 9/12/09 - Assistance for team to enter the Anthony Avery Memorial Touch Tournament January 23 and 24 2010 in Taree Payment for jerseys - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Emelda Davis (South Sea Islanders Recognition 5) - $150 - 9/12/09 - Assistance to fund Community barbeque - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Redfern Community Centre - $2000 - 14/12/09 - Contribution to assist with costs for the Christmas Celebrations on the Block - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Redfern All Blacks Cricket Club - $700 - 21/12/09 - Payment of entry fee for two cricket teams to enter the Pemulwuy Shield held at the University of NSW 4-5 January 2010- Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
The Factory Community Centre - $300 - 25/01/10 - Assistance for catering for community lunch to celebrate the Chinese New Year - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Redfern Legends - $1200 - 25/01/10 - Payment of accommodation costs for the Redfern Legends (women’s team) to participate in the Annual Ella 7’s Indigenous Rugby Union Event 2010 - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Alexandria Park Community School - $1400 - 28/01/10 - Talented and Gifted Program - Priority 2 “Lift local school numeracy and literacy levels to at least the state average”
Redfern Community Centre - $1100 - 8/02/10 - OzTag team for youth - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
South Sydney PCYC - $5000 - 1/03/10 - Landscaping Project – Employment & Training program - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Inner City Aboriginal Women’s Consultative Group (Mudgin-Gal) - $4100 - 1/03/10 - International Women’s Day - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
South Sydney Community Aid & Multi-Cultural Centre - $5000 - 1/03/10 - Assistance for Playgroups in the Park - Priority 1 “Improve the health and well being of children”
Free Roamers - $626 – 1/03/10 - Participation in the Ella 7”s Rugby competition - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
The Factory Community Centre - $300 - 13/04/10 - Assistance for catering for community lunch to celebrate the Thingyan Festival 15 April 2010- Priority 10 “Build community capacity
NCI E - $100 - 13/04/10 - Assistance for catering for Youth Week activity “Friday Night Lights” - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity
The Coloured Digger Project - $3080 - 15/04/10 -Payment for the mobile stage for the Anzac Day March 2010 - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Tribal Warrior - $575 – 29/04/10 - Payment for Jumping Castle expenses for Family and Culture Day 27/3/10 - Priority 10 “Build community capacity”
Walan Barramal - $2000 - 6/05/10 - Support for students to attend VIBE conference in Moree - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity
Jack Carney - $500 - 18/05/10 - Assistance for 12 year old local Waterloo boy to participate in the Sydney Comets Basketball Team - Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity
The Factory Community Centre - $2000 – 25/05/10 - Support for children from the Yurungai Dance Group to participate in the World Festival of Children’s Theatre in Germany. Priority 6 “Increase participation of young people in the community” Priority 10 “Build community capacity
Total Grants $54,115
Due to the difficulty of dealing with tabulated data we have not included the Financials and the Notes to the Accounts in this text version. Those interested in the information contained in the accounts should consult the electronic version of the RWA Annual Report for 2009-10 - (pdf ~mb)
Charter
The RWA was formed under the Redfern-Waterloo Authority Act 2004.
Chief and Senior Executive Officer
Mr Roy Wakelin-King AM was Chief and Senior Executive Officer with the RWA during the 2009-2010 Financial Year.
Staff Numbers by Employment Basis
Permanent Temporary Full-Time Part-Time Casual
Staff 15 6 21 - 1
% 68% 27% 95% - 5%
Men 1 5 6 - -
Women 6 3 7 2 0
Aboriginal Person or 1 2 2 1 -
Torres Strait Islander
Person with a Disability - - - - -
Person from a racial, ethnic - 1 1 - -
or ethno-religious minority group
People whose first language 1 1 2 - -
is not English
Staff numbers by level Men Women Total
$60,584 - $78,345 0 3 3
$78,346 - $97,932 2 - 2
$>$97,932 3 6 9
$<$97,932 (SES) 1 - 1
Legislative Changes
Nil to report.
Overseas Travel & Corporate Credit Cards
Nil overseas travel
Nil corporate credit cards
Payment of Accounts
All agreed accounts were settled in a timely manner.
Corporate Services
Finance, accounting services were provided to RWA by the finance division of the Australian Technology Park.
Risk Management
The RWA has a Business Risk Map of its operations. The primary objective of the Business Risk Map is to coordinate risk management activities within the RWA to ensure the activity is focused on areas of greatest risk and is also used by Business Audit to derive its strategic audit plan.
Contributions are made by the RWA to the Treasury
Managed Fund for workers compensation, motor vehicle accidents, property loss, public liability and various other insurable risks.
RWA staff have assigned wardens and participated in emergency evacuation drills. No OH&S incidents have arisen.
Internal Audit and Risk Management Attestation for the 2009-2010 Financial Year for the Redfern-Waterloo Authority
I, Roy Wakelin-King AM, am of the opinion that the Redfern-Waterloo Authority has internal audit and risk management processes in place that are, in all material respects, compliant with the core requirements set out in Treasury Circular NSW TC 09/08 Internal Audit and Risk Management Policy.
I, Roy Wakelin-King AM, am of the opinion that the Audit and Risk Committee for the Redfern-Waterloo Authority is constituted and operates in accordance with the independence and governance requirements of Treasury Circular NSW TC 09/0. The Chair and Members of the Audit and Risk Committee are:
I, Roy Wakelin-King AM, declare that this Internal Audit and Risk Management Attestation is made on behalf of the following controlled entity:
These processes provide a level of assurance that enables the senior management of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority to understand, manage and satisfactorily control risk exposures.
Roy Wakelin-King AM
Chief Executive Officer
Redfern-Waterloo Authority
Managing Director
Company Secretary
Australian Technology Park Precinct Management Ltd
Freedom of Information Procedure
During the reporting period, no requests were made to the RWA under the Freedom of Information Act. In the previous financial year no requests were received under the Freedom of Information Act. In the same period, no major issues
arose, and there were no investigations or applications for review submitted.
Formal requests made under the Freedom of Information Act for access to documents held by the RWA should be accompanied by a $30 application fee and directed to:
The FOI Coordinator
Redfern-Waterloo Authority PO Box 3332
Redfern NSW 2016
The contact number for all FOI inquiries is (02) 9202 9100
Following is a full list of RWA Plans and Policies:
- Risk Management Policy
- Risk Management Plan
- Risk Management Framework
- Information Management & Technology Disaster Recovery Strategy
- Internal Audit Plan
- External Audit Plan
- Staff Code of Conduct
- Code of Conduct for Board Members
- Protected Disclosure Act Policy Statement
- Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
- OH&S Management Plan
- Ethnic Affairs Priority Statement
- Disability Access Policy
- Action Plan for Women
- Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy - Procurement Policy
- Complaints Handling Policy
- Business Ethics Statement
- Privacy Management Plan
- Corporate Credit Card Policy
- Energy Management Policy
- Fraud Corruption Control Strategy
- Environmental Management Policy
- New Starter Induction Program
- Waste Reduction and Purchasing Policy
Contact Details
Redfern-Waterloo Authority Level 11, Tower 2
1 Lawson Square
Redfern NSW 2016
Telephone: +61 2 9202 9100 Reception 9am – 5pm
Monday – Friday
Website: www.redfernwaterloo.com.au
Design and Produced by:
Creative Director: Mitchell Wade
Designer: John Liang
Information Architect: Michael Church
Photography: George Mourtzakis
Daniel Linnet
2009-10 Annual Report
You can access the Full PDF Version of this Annual Report at 09-10 Annual Report - Full Version (pdf ~2mb)
]]>It is located at the refurbished former Redfern courthouse and former police station.
The new $9.8 million Redfern Health Centre will include:
• Community health nursing services providing at home care;
• Mental health services including assessment, treatment, case management, psychiatric consultation and crisis intervention;
• Harm minimisation program integrated with a primary health care clinic;
• HIV/AIDs services including, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, health education, support groups and healthy living programs; and
• Patient consultation, treatment rooms and office space.
"This is about responding to the changing needs of the local Redfern and Waterloo communities - and providing a range of clinical services in a single location," Ms Keneally said.
"Redfern and Waterloo are characterised by a strong community spirit, which is also being shared by local health care providers. They are united in partnership with the common goal of caring for the health needs of the community."
Premier Keneally said the completion of the health centre forms part of the long term planning for the future of the Redfern Waterloo area - and is part of Redfern Waterloo's Human Services Plan.
The Human Services Plan sets out a framework for improving access to health and other essential human services for families, young people. Aboriginal people, older people, people with a disability, migrant communities and homeless people in the Redfern and Waterloo area.
The State Government commends Sydney South West Area Health Service (SSWAHS) for their work in this redevelopment to improve the integration of its mental health and drug health services for Redfern and Waterloo.
Minister for Health, Carmel Tebbutt, said the new facility will support important health services for the local community.
"The new service will provide community based nursing care and assistance, which helps patients access treatment at home and avoid tire in hospital," Ms Tebbutt said.
"Trained nursing staff will visit clients in their homes to assess their wounds, change dressings and provide assistance for those requiring intravenous medications.
"Registered nurses, social workers and psychologists will also provide support for locals living in the community who have mental health problems."
Source: Premier of NSW Media Release 5 August 2010. www.premier.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/100805-Redfern-Health-Centre.pdf
[REDWatch note - The new Redfern Health Centre replaces the old Redfern Health Centre which was part of the Rachel Forster Hospital site prior to the sale of Rachel Forster redevelopment. The new Redfern Health Centre was funded with some of the proceeds of that sale .]
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