Areas to change in the RWA Bill

REDWatch Media Statement

Geoff Turnbull, spokesperson for Redfern residents group
REDWatch, expressed concern today over revelations in the Herald regarding the
State Government’s plans to redevelop Redfern-Waterloo.

“We have been frantically meeting over the last couple of
weeks trying to digest the Redfern Waterloo Authority bill currently before
parliament. As residents we do not have the resources to respond quickly to the
Government’s agenda.” Mr Turnbull said.

“Our group has already identified a range of concerns in the
Bill, including a complete lack of provision for community consultation,
extremely broad powers vested in the Minister and a lack of detail over the
Plan itself.

“We are seeking meetings with the Government and the
Opposition to allow time for residents to comment upon the bill, and to seek
some amendment to the Bill to address our concerns.”

A meeting of REDWatch held over the weekend has identified a
range of concerns that the group will seek to raise with parliamentarians in
coming days.

  1. The
    Bill must spell out the Authorities objectives.
  2. The
    Bill must establish a Community Consultative Committee advising Minister
    and Board, with fixed terms of appointment, to ensure community
    involvement in developing and implementing any plan for the area – in
    addition to advisory committees on specialised matters.
  3. There
    must be a legislated process for consultation, including public display of
    the Plan and provision for public submissions, on the initial Redfern
    Waterloo Plan and for any [material] amendment to the Plan.
  4. (a) A
    strategic vision for the whole area must be publicly available at the same
    time or prior to any individual element being made available and being
    executed – at latest within 12 months from when the legislation is
    enacted.

(b) The Authority must report annually
against a full set of performance criteria to be established through the plan

  1. The
    legislation must include detail of any planning instrument to be used by
    the Authority, and any new instrument must allow for public consultation.
  2. There
    must be strict limits placed on the Minister’s authority to enlarge the
    boundaries of the Authority.
  3. Any
    exemption from the Heritage Act needs to be specific and justified.
  4. The
    Plan must be subject to a comprehensive social evaluation and audit.

Further Information Contact:

Geoff Turnbull 02 9318 0824                    Email:
turnbullfamily@stassen.com.au
REDwatch
C/- PO Box
1567
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Ph Wk: 9318 0824