“This marks a significant step in our $28 million dollar investment in the local community, rejuvenating an important part of Redfern by providing attractive homes for tenants and opening up the area for new private development,” Mr Brown said.

“There are currently 88 units on the site in 10 separate buildings, each two to four storeys high.

“These units, built in the 1950s are no longer suitable housing for our tenants and are also very expensive to maintain.

“The demolition contractor has secured the site and begun the careful process of taking the buildings apart.”

Mr Brown said the contractor has lodged a detailed demolition plan with Housing NSW to clear, level and have the 9,709 m2 site ready for the start of construction.

“The work to demolish the buildings and prepare the site is expected to take four months, with the construction of the 106 new public housing dwellings due to start in August 2008,” Mr Brown said.

Ms Keneally said the new housing will be better suited to local people in need such as the frail aged, people with a disability and smaller families. 

“There will be a mix of small, multi-storey buildings, with 66 homes for elderly tenants and 40 terrace houses with backyards for families,” Ms Keneally said.

“What is also great about this project is that it is the most environmentally sustainable Housing NSW development to date.”

State Plan Priority R4: Building Harmonious Communities

State Plan Priority E6: Housing Affordability

Paul Andersen from Landcom says the only concerns are transport and general affordability, but so far the proposed development has met with little opposition. Ms Keneally says the location at Green Square means it is close to amenties. “There are several bus routes that run past, as well as the Green Square Station up the road, and it’s part of the arterial road network.”

The vertical village is a development strictly targeted at older people. Ms Keneally says services such as in-house support, or medical care are available to “support people to age in a community in which they are living”.

The proposed village has been designed keeping in mind the specific needs of seniors. “Lifts of course are essential to any vertical apartment,” says Ms Keneally. “There are other features of the apartment that might not be immediately recognisable that would certainly be in place to support people as they age – so, wider doorways, bathrooms and kitchens that are designed in such a way that they can be wheelchair accessible, light switches, and a whole range of features which are in fact easily adaptable to someone should they require a walking frame or a wheelchair.” 

The project will be part of the Green Square town centre set to be developed on Botany Road in July 2008.

Photo: Labor Party - Caption: Kristina Keneally and Frank Sartor with …  

Source: South Sydney Herald November 2007 www.southsydneyherald.com.au

The Iemma Government is spending a record $873 million this year on capital works and maintenance programs to ensure schools are safe and efficient places to teach and learn.

South Sydney Schools to benefit from the Capital Works and maintenance include:

Alexandria Park Community School

·         Retaining Walls Erskineville Public School

·         Painting and wall repairs

·         External ground works

·         Electrical Upgrade Gardeners Road Public School

·         Painting

·         Stormwater upgrade Green Square School

·         External ground works

These projects will make a real difference in the daily lives of students and teachers

The average age of a school in NSW is 30 years. The Iemma Government is working with schools to modernise their facilities like canteens and libraries so they keep pace with the changing demands of schooling in the 21st century.

While there will always be work to be done at schools to upgrade facilities, constant maintenance work will be needed.

Over $700,000 per day is being spent on maintenance, to ensure schools and TAFEs are safe places to teach and learn.

Since coming to office, the Iemma Government has increased the NSW education and training budget by 87 per cent to $11.2 billion.

Capital works is up by 168 per cent, and maintenance is up an impressive 189 per cent since the previous Liberal – National administration.

Kristina Keneally

Member for Heffron

Shop 117, 747 Botany Road, Rosebery NSW 2018

Phone: (02) 9699 8166 Fax: (02) 9699 8222

Email: kristina.keneally@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Source: Advertisement from South Sydney Herald October 2007

"The Government is planning for the ageing population, helping to provide appropriate accommodation which is close to services," Mr Sartor said.

"At the same time, we want to protect communities from excessive development and ensure that proposed seniors' living developments are compatible with the local area."

Mr Sartor said that there would be more than 2.6 million people aged over 55 years living in NSW by 2028, which would be nearly one-third of the state's population.

He said that the "vertical village", which is an Anglican Retirement Villages project, would be a significant first for older people living near the City and in the Eastern Suburbs.

NSW Ageing Minister Kristina Keneally said the initiative would meet a need for quality retirement residences in the Eastern Suburbs, which at present has few options.

Anglican Retirement Villages CEO Ken Barber said concept plans for the village would soon be developed.

"Victoria Park lets older people live close to their current suburb and to maintain close contact with family and friends," Mr Barber said.

The facility is expected to be completed by 2010.

There will be an investment of $13 million for the supply of new public housing and upgrading of existing public housing as well as $1 million for feasibility work to begin the upgrade of Redfern Station. $1.9 million has been assigned to improve child and adolescent mental health in-patient services at Sydney Children's Hospital.

Source: South Sydney Herald July 2007 http://www.southsydneyherald.com.au/

The Minister for Housing, Matt Brown, has announced that $27m will be spent on demolishing the existing 106 apartments and replacing them with 40 family terrace houses with small backyards and 66 units designed specifically for seniors.

The western side of the land parcel which is bounded by Elizabeth, Phillip, Morehead and Kettle streets is expected to be sold to a developer who will be allowed to construct 158 high rise dwellings for private sale.

“This new, state-of-the-art development is great news for the people of Redfern,” says local member for Heffron, Kristina Keneally.

The Sydney City Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, also welcomes the announcement but says, “I am concerned about the future of existing tenants and keeping public housing in the inner city.” 

The Housing Minister has assured her that all of the current residents will be offered alternative housing in the area and given the opportunity to return to the new units on their completion.

Councillor Tony Pooley, who was mayor of South Sydney at the time the Master Plan was approved and a resident of Redfern, says the existing public housing is in very poor condition.

“There is no question that the accommodation has to be rebuilt,” he says. “The area was originally swamp land, there are subsidence problems and the Department of Housing is simply not able to keep up with the maintenance needed on the units.”

Cr Pooley is pleased that this model will see an overall increase in the number of bedrooms originally planned and that taxpayers will be saved the $5m spent every ten years on maintenance costs.

Long-term Waterloo Department of Housing tenant, Ross Smith, is more sceptical of the project outcomes for the Redfern residents. Mr Smith says that while Department officers have spoken to many tenants on a house-by-house basis, he is doubtful they will organise a general meeting where issues can be aired publicly.

“We all recognise the need for change but there should be genuine consultation between the residents and the Department,” Mr Smith says. “Many of these people have lived in this complex for three or four generations and while they have been told they can return there is a ‘fishhook’ in the wording.

“In the Minto redevelopment the change of unit sizes meant that the new housing was not always ‘appropriate to their needs’ and some tenants had to move away from a community which they had been part of for a long time.”

There is also a concern that the proposal will allow different building standards for the new private and public dwellings. The private section will be populated by high-rises with greener common spaces and a more appealing streetscape, according to Mr Smith.

“There is a line drawn down the middle of the road with the disadvantaged on one side and the wealthier on the other. This is not following State Government policy of ‘salt and peppering’ those in need of assisted housing into the general community,” he says.

The South Sydney PCYC, which occupies adjoining land owned by the Department of Housing, will not be affected by the project. They have been offered a lengthy renewal of their lease and a choice of relocating to the former Redfern Public School site recently redeveloped by the Indigenous Land Council.

The problem may be that if the need for repairs and ongoing maintenance forces the PCYC to move from the immediate housing estate area, it may be difficult for many of the youth it serves to follow.

Source: South Sydney Herald June 2007 www.southsydneyherald.com.au/

The proposal to have a swimming pool at Green Square is an issue that Kristina Keneally, MP for Heffron, feels strongly about. “South of Cleveland Street there are no swimming pools, no active community facilities and no indoor sports facilities.” She goes on to add, “Residents that live north of Cleveland Street enjoy access to 5 swimming pools and a number of active community facilities.”

Councillor Tony Poley, former Lord Mayor of South Sydney which covered the Green Square area until it merged with the City in 2004, agrees. “City of Sydney Council has yet to resolve a Development Application approval,” he says. “An independent group did an initial review of leisure facilities in the area but there is no doubt that there is a need for aquatic facilities here.” Cr Poley adds, “Considering how fast DAs can be put through, such as the recently approved Surry Hills Library, there is really no excuse for the Lord Mayor to have taken so long over this matter.”

At last week’s Finance, Properties and Tenders Committee meeting, councillors asked to be advised of details for community facilities in the Southern (Green Square) area. Council resolved to prepare a feasibility study, including public consultation for locating the proposed pool at the former South Sydney council offices site, 132-138 and 140 Joynton Avenue, Zetland.

A brief has been prepared with project outcome defined and a business plan is being developed. Recreation planning consultants SLG Group have been engaged to undertake the project. It is anticipated that the recommended Facilities Mix, draft business plan and Project Brief will be available for presentation to Council in August this year.

The consultants have already undertaken market research by phone survey and are completing consultations with local community groups and other stake holders.

The total budget projection is currently $28 million based on provision alone and may vary once Council determines the mix of facilities and the timing and phasing of construction.

A spokesperson for Lord Mayor Clover Moore said, “The intention is all there. It has all been planned. It is just a question of how long it is going to take.”

Source: South Sydney Herald June 2007 www.southsydneyherald.com.au/

Ms Keneally has been promoted to the front bench following this year’s State election, taking over the Ageing and Disability Services portfolio. 

She has received ample attention as the first US-born NSW Minister, but maintained that being American-born is not really relevant in terms of what she brings to the role. “Forty per cent of the Heffron electorate was born overseas, so I would imagine that many of the people of Heffron would be happy that a fellow immigrant was in the Cabinet, arguing on their behalf,” she said.

It may have been the sharp, yet laid-back manner of the MP that has won her the favour of her electorate. She received a clear majority of 58 per cent of first preference votes in the March election, bringing home the win in an otherwise lacklustre campaign by the Labor Party. 

Ms Keneally said she was thrilled to be selected for her new portfolio. “I was sworn in on a Sunday and then on Tuesday morning at 6am I was on a plane to meet with the Federal Ministers to negotiate a new funding agreement for disability services.

She said, “It was certainly a ‘jump straight into it’ sort of event, but it was good to be there because we have a strong view that the current government funding is not sufficient. It was important for NSW not to miss a beat, despite the change of ministers.”

The State Government has committed $1.3 billion to improve disability services over the next four years. The funding package will include increasing respite care, day programs, increasing transition to work programs and early intervention for children with disabilities. “It’s about strengthening families so that children with disabilities can grow up in their family. It’s also about increasing adult participation in the community and in work,” she said.

In terms of ageing policies, Ms Keneally plans to hold a Seniors’ Summit later this year which will bring together senior citizens, academics and services providers to look at issues faced by an aging population. “It’s no secret that the number of people over 65 will double in the next 20 years. There will be demands on both mainstream and specialist services.”

The Government has introduced an ‘Ageing well in New South Wales’ policy which will encompass things such as the $18 million ‘Healthy at Home’ program and the ‘Care Call’ program, which will make phone calls to elderly people in public housing who are at risk of being isolated.

“I think ageing is going to be quite an interesting part of my new role,” she said. “Almost 50 per cent of our Cabinet is new. It’s about new faces, fresh energy and new ideas. I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Source: South Sydney Herald May 2007 http://www.southsydneyherald.com.au/

Among the new faces on the frontbench team is newly-elected Balmain MP Verity Firth, former NSW Rural Fire Services chief Phil Koperberg and Canterbury MP Linda Burney. It had been earlier speculated that Maroubra MP Michael Daley would also be promoted, but he was overlooked for a position.

The NSW Liberal Party campaign to target controversial Labor ministers before the State election did little to hurt former minister Joe Tripodi, who lost the energy portfolio but retained Ports and Waterways.

Other targeted MPs Frank Sartor and Treasurer Michael Costa held on to their respective Planning and Infrastructure portfolios.

Ms Keneally said that Disability Services and Ageing was a ministry she had long been passionate about.

"Like many lower house members, I have gotten to know the families in my electorate who care for a person with a disability," Ms Keneally said. "I am passionate about ensuring that the most vulnerable in our society are included and supported and protected.

"This portfolio does exactly that, it supports people with a disability to live the best possible life they can in their community."

The NSW Government has committed $1.3 billion over the next five years to strengthen disability services in NSW, the new minister said.

However, Ms Keneally said that her commitment to the electorate of Heffron would be unwavering as there were "lots of exciting things" happening, including the development of the Green Square town centre and the Redfern Waterloo Authority's economic revitalisation of the Redfern area.

A spokeswoman for the Sydney Ports Corporation would not comment on the reappointment of Joe Tripodi as Minister for Ports and Waterways but the recent Liberal candidate for Coogee, Jonathon Flegg, was forthcoming. "He [Joe Tripodi] has no ability as a minister whatsoever," Mr Flegg said. "The only reason he has a position on the frontbench is because he is a broker in the party."

"It really highlights the way the Labor Party works, they don't have a merits-based system. It's about mates rather than merits."

However, local environmentalist and chairperson of the Botany Bay Catchment Alliance, Lynda Newnam, said that Mr Tripodi came with good economic credentials.

"He probably recognises that there are big problems at Port Botany with congestion," Ms Newnam said. "They are not going to go away and the lines that the Government has been spinning for years are just not accurate. Hopefully he [Joe Tripodi] is going to start afresh."

Source: Southern Courier New face of Iemma ministry

In the electoral domain of the SSH, winners were grinners on the Saturday night of the election, with the three candidates forecast to win by the SSH all claiming victory.

Kristina Keneally returned for her second sitting in the Heffron seat with a significant yet predictable 24.2 % win over the Liberals and the Greens. Both of the latter recorded positive swings in part due to the absence of competing parties. Special mention must be made however of the Greens’ Ben Spies-Butcher for a hard-earned 6.0% swing in his favour.

The seat of Marrickville was always going to be close following a tough 2005 Bi-election win for Labor. Consistent with voting outcomes for the night, Marrickville voters baulked at change. Labor’s Tebbutt improved on her previous 10.2% winning margin adding a further 5%, despite a +4.0 % swing in favour of the Greens’ Fiona Byrne.

Of the performance Carmel said from her celebrations at the Royal Exchange Hotel in Marrickville, “We are very happy with the result, and the fact that we improved on 2005 is a real endorsement of our efforts in the electorate”.

Tebbutt announced after the elections that she had relinquished the Education Minister portfolio to spend more time with her family. While not ruling out a comeback to the frontbench, the Marrickville MP said she was cognisant the opportunity may not arise again.

Clover Moore will celebrate her twentieth year in the seat of Sydney next year, formerly the seat of Bligh. Moore further added to her dominance in the seat, with a 2.5 % swing in her favour, recording more than 40 % of the primary vote. This is the first time she has hit punched above 40% since 1991. The Liberal party’s Edward Mandla faired second best with 20.6%, marginally in front of Labor’s Linda Scott (19.9%).

Clover greeted her party faithful at Friscos in Woolloomooloo, thanking both Council and MP staff and supporters present. “It’s such a fantastic victory,” said Moore. “We have fabulous opportunities ahead of us and we are going to look to make the most of them.”   SSH

Source: South Sydney Herald April 2007 – www.southsydneyherald.com.au

'This is the biggest Infection of new talent into a Cabinet line up NSW has seen,' Mr Iemma said.

The Parliamentary Labor Party has been refreshed and reinvigorated by the election result and that has given me with an opportunity to make significant changes to the front bench line up," Mr Iemma said.

"Each of the MPs that I will nominate to the Governor will bring talent, energy end intellect to the Cabinet and I am very proud of them, and I am confident they will serve the people of NSW well," Mr Iemma said.

The new Ministers to be nominated to the Governor are:

• Matthew Brown    
• Kristina Keneally
• Linda Burney         
• Phil Koperberg
• Verity Firth            
• Paul Lynch
• Paul Gibson           
• Nathan Rees
• Kevin Greene         
• Graham West

I have made a promise to the people of NSW to deliver real improvements in the services that hardworking families rely on, and my new Cabinet team will be working hard to deliver that promise," Mr Iemma said.

"There is an enormous amount of hard work ahead to deliver the commitments we have made.

“I am confident the Cabinet I am naming today will serve the people well,” Mr Iemma said.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank retiring Ministers for their service to the people of NSW," Mr Iemma said.

The new Cabinet will be sworn in on Monday.

NSW Government - Cabinet List (30 March 2007)

This has caused concern for residents, including those at the Erskineville Housing Estate, which is bordered on one side by Ashmore Street. 82-year old Hal Alexander, a tenant of 12 years, said he is suspicious of what the government is promising for Ashmore Street, especially after the unsuccessful attempt to build private housing on the estate in 2002.

Ms Keneally reacted to the claims in the Telegraph by door knocking along Ashmore Street to assure people that “the worst case scenario would be some disruption to parking on Ashmore Street.” In a visit to the Erskineville Housing Estate she especially assured Mr Alexander and 24-year tenant, Veronica Jones, that the estate wouldn’t be turned into a pumping station or threatened in any way.

However, Greens candidate for Heffron, Ben Spies-Butcher, told the SSH that “residents are overwhelmingly concerned, not only over the local implications over the pipe, but also the environmental implications of a desalination plant.” He has called for a public meeting to discuss the desalination plant, and says the Greens favour a “combination of stormwater harvesting, stronger water efficiency standards, increased rebates for water tanks and tighter water restrictions.”

The State government has hedged its election bid on the desal plant, despite approving it originally in 2005 and then going back on its decision to build it last year. Ms Keneally said that they “definitely will” build it if they win, despite its potential to provide only about 9 per cent of Sydney’s water supply. The opposition is officially opposed to a desalination plant and is running on pumping recycled water back into the water supply for all purposes, including drinking.

Spies-Butcher also had another challenge to Keneally. Whether he can win the seat or not, he wants to at least raise the issues. Last month he held a media conference in Waterloo.

Among others present were Greens Upper House Member, Sylvia Hale, and local public housing tenant, Irene Doutney. Ms Doutney said to the Herald that “public housing residents in Redfern and Waterloo need to be told the truth. Despite the Redfern-Waterloo Authority announcing its intention to redevelop public housing in the area two years ago, we are yet to see the plans. It is intolerable that residents are not being told what will happen to their homes.” Irene Doutney supports the call for certainty. “To live in public housing is to live in fear and insecurity with constant rumours of building sales and relocation. Since the establishment of the RWA, with its much publicised redevelopment plans, these fears have greatly increased,” she said.

The local Member for Heffron, Kristina Keneally, has responded to this call by the Greens for the Government to come clean. Her response was strong and passionate. “The Greens are in a sorry state if they have to resort to baseless claims designed to scare public housing tenants. This is usual Greens claptrap in South Sydney – to scaremonger, to make up wild fantasies and to be opposed to policies that seek to help economically vulnerable people access education, training, skills and jobs.”

“If Sylvia Hale or the Greens candidate in Heffron spent any time with public housing tenants or on the estates in Redfern and Waterloo, they would know that the Government’s commitment to public housing in this community is strong and clear: all public housing tenancies in Redfern and Waterloo are secure. We will not decrease the number of tenants or dwellings,” she said.

Ms Keneally went on to point out that “the Iemma Government has invested over $20 million in public housing, either upgrades or new stock, and over $13 million in affordable housing in Heffron over the last 4 years. If Sylvia Hale or the Greens candidate in Heffron spent any time reading the Redfern-Waterloo Authority’s plans for the area, or participating in consultation on these plans, they would know the facts.

The RWA’s Built Environment Plan

–          which was publicly exhibited and underwent extensive consultation

–          does not seek to redevelop any public housing.”

Source: South Sydney Herald March 2007

State Labor MP for the Redfern seat of Heffron, Kristina Keneally, also nominated the 22-year police veteran.

Ms Burn spent 15 months as local area commander of Redfern until December last year, when she was promoted to assistant commissioner.

She took over after the 2004 riots, which were sparked by the death of local teen TJ Hickey, who was impaled on a fence in Redfern when he fell off his bike.

There was speculation he was being pursued by police at the time.

Ms Burn was known for her hands-on approach to her job, mixing with the Redfern community on daily walks through neighbourhoods and developing programs to reduce family violence and promote relations between Aborigines and police.

She also accompanied Aboriginal children to the State of Origin rugby league matches as part of the community's Youth Mentor Program.

Mr Mundine hailed her efforts.

"A lot of people in the Redfern-Waterloo area, they really respect her because she really came in at the grass roots level and really mingled with the people and she's got a lot of respect," he told reporters.

Mr Watkins said Ms Burn was a "model for police in NSW and women throughout the state".

Ms Burn said she had been humbled at receiving the award on International Women's Day.

"I'm also very honoured and I think it's wonderful that I've been recognised and it's a reflection about what can be achieved when police work closely with the community, such as the Aboriginal community, and I think that their recognition is fantastic," she told reporters.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Policewoman-named-NSW-Woman-of-the-Year/2007/03/09/1173166959931.html

As the SSH spoke with those present, it was said that Commander Catherine Burn “changed the police culture in the area.” “She walks among the people and chats with us so that we can get to know each other and she can understand things better”. “She is often over at the Block to see the good programs we are doing and listening to our ideas.”

None of this means that things are totally easy in police-community relationships. However, as we have reported events, the staff of the SSH have been very aware of police in general mingling respectfully with people and have seen friendly conversations and the unassuming presence of Catherine Burn at the centre of that.

Probably no-one is surprised that she has now been promoted to the role of Assistant Police Commissioner, but we regret her going from us after such a short time. The South Sydney Herald wishes you well, Assistant Commissioner Catherine Burn, and we are sure that many South Sydney residents would join us in doing so. We support your three nominations to be NSW Woman of the Year.

Source: South Sydney Herald February 2007