SYDNEY COUNCIL THREATENS JUANITA NIELSEN’S HERITAGE HOME

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The proposed new budget is on exhibition for 28 days.

“Local Action Plans [LAPs] were introduced – as an idea, and a
good idea at that  – by Lord Mayor Clover Moore and this will be their first
year of implementation. They were given the tick of approval previously by
Sydney Council after extensive community meetings and a visit from an overseas
expert from Seattle, Mr Jim Dears.
 
“The community put enormous hours of its own time into attending
meetings and workshops” Woodhouse said, “apparently all to no avail.”
 
The Local Acition Plan scheme is split into two components: what
council does, and what the community can do.
 
“The new proposed budget, which goes against Council’s own
Corporate Plan, will allow Council to do its projects, such as minor street
upgrades –  using ratepayers’ money –  but will stymie plans the communities
have been working on.
 
“The money for the communities’ component is to be cut off.
 
“For example, this heritage society plans to undertake a heritage
assessment and seek heritage-listing of Juanita Nielsen’s 1840s workers’ cottage
at 22 Victoria Street Kings Cross, as an individual heritage item, based on its
social significance.
 
“Juanita Nielsen was a well-known and succesful campaigner in the
1970s who helped save Victoria Street from ovedervelopment using union bans. She
ran a her own newspaper, NOW! , from 22 Victoria Street where
she lived. She was murdered in circumstances which have still not been
satisfactorily resolved: a  reward still exists for infomation leading to the
capture of her murderer.
 
A council heritage plaque exists in the footpath outside the
cottage as  constant reminder of her sacrifice.
 
“We regard this site as more than a cottage:  it’s a shrine of
remembrance” Woodhouse said.
 
Currently, the cottage is for sale with “development potential”
and is under threat.
 
“We fear for its upkeep and its integrity” Woodhouse said.
  
“In addition, the heritage society plans to implement a Street
Beautification Scheme which will involve neighbours and whole street
communties in planting new shrubs and maintaining their own streets under a
local management plan – again without any expence to council. This Scheme will
also be still-born.
 
 
“These LAPs are therefore important to the community because the
scheme was to provide community grants for these small, but important, green and
sustainable projects” Woodhouse said.
 
“The new proposed budget, currently on public exhibition, will
allow the LAP scheme to continue but excises the component which gives community
organisations such as ours any money: it’s all allocated to Council for its own
projects such as street upgrades etc.

“But the community grant component is what gives the LAPs their
community credibility” Woodhouse said.

“To cut out – or even reduce – the $500,000 of money
allocated for the community’s component of the LAP grants is a slap in the face
for communities and a betrayal of public trust:  its conceit and deceit.

“Council needs to implement strategies that are designed FOR us and
NOT AROUND us, so to better prop up its poor record of involving the community.

“This city is its people, not a bean counter in Town Hall”
Woodhouse said.

“In addition, we find it an insult to be considering such a small
cut when council is currently budgeting for a $67 million surplus and has $500
million in its current account: the same night this new budget was put out for
public exhibition council gave the nod to writing a one-off cheque for the same
amount, $500,000, to stage a one-hour Sydney of Festival opening in front of
Town Hall !

For further comments and a photo of Andrew Woodhouse on the steps
of Juanita Nielsen’s threatened house, please phone

Andrew Woodhouse 0415 949 506

and

Councillor Marcelle Hoff  9246 7719