REDFERN – WATERLOO PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT – Text Version

REDFERN – WATERLOO
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

The COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

and

The STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES

1 June 2006

REDFERN-WATERLOO PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

An Initiative of the Commonwealth and New
South Wales Governments to cooperate on enhancing the economic and social
revitalisation of Redfern-Waterloo in relation to the Indigenous community.

1.
PARTIES

The parties to this Agreement are the
Commonwealth of Australia, represented by the Minister for Families, Community
Services and Indigenous Affairs and the State of New South Wales, represented by the Minister
for Redfern-Waterloo (the Parties).

RECITALS

  • The Redfern-Waterloo area, including Eveleigh and Darlington, contains sectors of significance social
    and economic disadvantage, particularly amongst the Aboriginal community
  • Unemployment, inadequate job skills, training and education and
    consequential reliance on welfare are major factors in this disadvantage
  • The New South Wales Government established the Redfern-Waterloo
    Authority on 17 January 2006 to facilitate the economic and social revitalisation
    of the area, building upon Its existing initiatives
  • The Parties have a long-standing history of Programs and
    service delivery to the Indigenous community in Redfern-Waterloo
  • The Parties have agreed to work closely together on employment
    and enterprise, education and training, health, housing and delivery of
    other human services as a means to address social and economic
    disadvantage, to reduce welfare dependency through wealth creation and to improve
    delivery of services
  • The Redfern-Waterloo Partnership Agreement is made pursuant to
    the National Framework of Principles for Delivering Services to Indigenous
    Australians, endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments in 2004,
    and the Overarching Agreement on Indigenous Affairs between the
    Commonwealth of Australia and the State of New South Wales
  • In addition, services will be delivered in accordance with the
    priorities of the Redfern Waterloo Plan and in consultation with the local
    Aboriginal community and the Sydney City Council

2.
PERIOD OF OPERATION

This Agreement shall come into force on 1
June 2006 and operate for a period of ten years.

This Agreement expresses a cooperative relationship
between the Parties on matters of mutual interest relevant to the Aboriginal
community in the Redfern-Waterloo area. Accordingly, it does not purport to
create binding legal relations between the parties and may be terminated in
accordance with clause 6.

3.
MAJOR AREAS OF COMMONWEALH / STATE COOPERATION

The Parties, in accordance with COAG’s National
Framework of Principles and the Overarching Agreement on Indigenous Affairs,
support building partnerships with Aboriginal communities and organisations
based on shared responsibilities and mutual obligations.

The areas of Commonwealth/State cooperation
will include the following.

a) Employment and Enterprise

  • New South Wales, through the Redfern-Waterloo Authority [RWA]
    and under the proposed Redfern-Waterloo Plan, will use its influence as a
    major landowner to actively facilitate Aboriginal employment and training
    both in the construction phase of the urban renewal process and in any
    subsequent employer activity arising from the construction phase. The RWA
    will also explore all avenues during the urban renewal process to provide
    and promote commercial opportunities for local Aboriginal businesses.
  • The Commonwealth, through its relevant agencies coordinated by
    the Indigenous Coordination Centre (IC ) Sydney, will apply federal programs and
    services as appropriate and with flexibility as needed, to meet the Redfern-Waterloo
    Plan’s employment and enterprise objectives.

b) Education

  • The ICC with relevant Commonwealth agencies will work with the
    RWA to link existing State, and Commonwealth Indigenous education programs
    and investigate expanding such programs in Redfern-Waterloo.
  • The ICC with relevant Commonwealth agencies will work with the
    RWA to explore ventures involving accredited private education providers
    that may wish to run programs for Aboriginal students in Redfern-Waterloo.

c) Indigenous Housing and The Block

  • The Parties will work together to support the provision of`affordable
    Indigenous housing in Redfern-Waterloo.
  • The Parties in consultation with the local Indigenous community
    will seek to conclude an agreement with the Aboriginal Housing Company
    [AHC], the owner of the area of land known as the Block, for the
    sustainable development of the Block and its environs.
  • The Parties agree that any government funding for development
    of the Block and its environs will be contingent upon the production of a
    sustainable vision for the site supported by both Governments, the AHC and
    the local Aboriginal community
  • The Parties will agree on any appropriate involvement of the
    City of Sydney
    in any redevelopment of the Block and its environs.

d) Human Services

  • The Parties will work together on priorities identified through
    the Human Services Review, as an integral element of the Redfern-Waterloo
    Plan, to improve service delivery and to help Aboriginal families become
    self-sufficient.

e) The Redfern-Waterloo Plan

  • New South Wales will ensure appropriate commonwealth representation in the
    development of the Redfern-Waterloo Plan. This will include participation
    In the Human Services Review, relevant Ministerial Advisory Committees and
    on any committee established to develop a sustainable solution for the
    Block.

4.
CONSULTATIVE MECHANISMS

The Redfern-Waterloo Authority and the
Sydney ICC of the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination will consult and
meet regularly to ensure the objectives of the Partnership Agreement are
realised.

Where. any significant issues relating to
the implementation of this Agreement cannot be resolved by the consultative
mechanisms, either party may refer the issues to the office of their respective
Minister for discussion and agreement between’ the two Ministers.

5.
VARIATION OF AGREEMENT

This Agreement maybe varied by agreement of
the Parties.

6.
TERMINATION

This Agreement may be terminated at any
time by either Party by giving written notice to the other Party

SIGNATORIES

Signed for and on behalf of the
Commonwealth of Australia:

Mal Brough

Date: 28/6/06

Witness:

Date:

28/06/06

Signed for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales:

Frank Sartor

Date: 17th May 2006

Witness: Robert
Domm 

[Text of Agreement taken from fax copy of
agreement from Mal Brough MP 29-Jun-2006 supplied by the Redfern Waterloo
Authority 6 November 2006]