Mick Mundine, CEO of the AHC, threatened legal action
against Sartor for his now infamous “black arse” jibe on radio and
urged a local boycott of the minister.
In an open letter to the community, Mundine said if
residents turned “a blind eye for long enough” the Minister would
sell off other infrastructure in the developers.
“Redfern cannot move forward if Mr Sartor is still in
charge,” said Mundine.
The AHC was also angered by a report the NSW Government would
try to oust Mick Mundine as CEO of the Aboriginal company.
The sticking point between the AHC and the minister has been
the number of houses which should be built on The Block. The AHC want 62 but
Sartor is adamant 19 houses should be the limit
Earlier this year Frank Sartor was under pressure to resign
the Redfern-Waterloo portfolio. Opposition Leader Peter Debnam added his voice
to the demand.
“Minister Sartor and Labor clearly want to remove
Aboriginal residents from The Block so Treasury can reap top dollar,” said
Debnam in a press release.
Both the Liberal Party and the AHC wanted the Premier,
Morris lemma, to lake over the Redfern Waterloo portfolio. The new premier
backed Frank Sartor.
A spokesperson for the Minister confirmed his resolve to
keep the portfolio. “The Minister is committed to his role as the Minister
for Redfern-Waterloo… and Mr Sartor said he would continue to work diligently
as Minister for Redfern-Waterloo,” said Zoe Allebone.
Meanwhile, as both sides continue to row 250 Aboriginal
families wait for homes on The Block.
REDWatch reported last week that there may have been a
meeting between Mundine and the Minister in a bid to re-open discussions on the
development of The Block. The meeting could not be confirmed.
The AHC wants the Minister to assess housing company’s development application for The Block on its
merits.
The company also wants guaranteed consultation with the
Aboriginal community before anything on redeveloping The Block is included in
the Redfern Waterloo Plan.