The 2009-10 year started with the NSW Government approval of
the Pemulwuy Project Concept Plan. This was a great start to the year given REDWatch’s
role over the years of campaigning for Pemulwuy Project to be allowed to
proceed. As the AHC worked to bring the project to reality there has been less
of a need for REDWatch involvement and I have maintained a watching brief.
In the follow on from Wendie & Guido’s struggle to keep
the Heritage Blacksmith operating at the ATP, REDWatch was involved with rail
heritage groups in calling on the Minister for Redfern Waterloo to set up a
Heritage Taskforce. A Heritage Tour and Forum in September 2009 laid a good
basis for the announcement by the RWA of the establishment of the Redfern
Waterloo Heritage Taskforce (RWHT) and subsequently the Eveleigh Steering
Committee, Heritage Projects and the Eveleigh Heritage Interpretation Strategy.
REDWatch has been represented on the RWHT and a lot of time has gone into
working with the RWA and heritage people to try to achieve some outcomes. The
year has seen REDWatch push for the RWA/ATP to make public key heritage
documents including the ATP Conservation Management Plan (CMP under revision),
the ATP Section 170 register, the ATP Heritage Asset Management Strategy (HAMS)
and, most recently, the announcement that the RWA will include an exhibition
requirement in the CMP for heritage work at the ATP. With the future of the RWHT
uncertain after the end of this year and with the RWA morphing into the new
Sydney Metropolitan Development Authority (SMDA) the challenge is to keep
Heritage on the agenda and see the recognised potential delivered. REDWatch
will have a role to play in this, but increasingly the fight needs to be driven
by the heritage community.
The year has seen RWA CEO Roy Wakelin King regularly attend
REDWatch meetings. Bernie Coates from HNSW has also attended some meetings.
Together with the RWA and HNSW, REDWatch was able to arrange for Jim Diers to
provide input into the discussion about the benefits of government and
community working together more co-operatively. Co-operation will need to be an
ongoing focus through the BEP2 and HNSW Master Planning processes. REDWatch can
play an important role in making processes transparent and in working to ensure
the broad range of public housing residents concerns are properly taken into
account in the BEP2 and Master Plan processes. Towards this end REDWatch has
set up a public housing section on its web site raising some of the issues, held
a discussion with HNSW about social mix and has also participated in HNSW
forums.
2009-10 also finally saw the release of the RWA Human
Service Plan 18 month Evaluation and the restarting of some of the RWA
Taskforces. REDWatch was involved in helping set up a Human Services Forum with
the RWA and the Inner Sydney Regional Council for Social Development, and also
in follow up discussions on RWA interactions with human services. We have
continued to express concerns about the lack of progress in addressing the area’s
human services challenges and pursued issues relating to Community Safety
planning. These will become more important during the discussions about the
future shape of HNSW properties in Redfern & Waterloo.
Two members of REDWatch sit on the RWA Human Services
Ministerial Advisory Committee (HSMAC) as individuals and I sit on the Built
Environment Ministerial Advisory Committee (BEMAC). While the last year has
seen much greater dialogue between REDWatch and the RWA this has not flowed
through to any real consultation on the MACs about issues of concern. On
important issues like BEP2 or Redfern Station the BEMAC has not been allowed
information about what is being formulated let alone being given the
opportunity to provide any “advice”.
Ironically while the RWA does not consult the community
about its plans prior to exhibition the Department of Planning encourages
developers in the area to discuss their project proposals with local community
groups before they go to the DoP. As a result REDWatch has had the opportunity
to be briefed on Part 3A projects and to make comments early in these
developments.
REDWatch held a Transport Forum during April which included
local community transport (South Sydney Community Transport) and Railcorp
giving a presentation about the challenges in upgrading Redfern Station. Sydney
Buses did not turn up and questions submitted to them from the meeting met with
less than satisfactory responses. The Forum was well received and we
appreciated the assistance of the RWA in trying to get the major transport operators
to attend it.
In 2009-10 REDWatch also organised a successful community
meeting in Darlington with University of Sydney Vice Chancellor Michael Spence
and also participated in another meeting organised by the University with the
support of Council about the University’s interest in purchasing North
Eveleigh. The University has subsequently set up a separate mechanism for
residents to raise concerns and contact the University although more remains to
be done. Encouraging Sydney University to develop a close relationship with
residents to its south and east will remain a focus especially as the
University’s Concept Plan for the Abercrombie Street Precinct is about to be
exhibited and with its ongoing interest in purchasing North Eveleigh. REDWatch
went on record writing to State Members and Ministers during the year in support
of the sale of North Eveleigh to Sydney University.
In June 2010 residents in Leamington Avenue found their
homes under threat from the proposed City Relief Line. REDWatch supported their
campaign by providing analysis, advice, contacts and by making documents
available on our website. This campaign was successful and a new residents
group has come into existence with aims now wider than the initial campaign. REDWatch
has also provided support to Alexandria residents in their interactions with
the ATP regarding Channel 7 and the impact of ATP parking on their area.
Many people know of REDWatch and so approach us if they are
looking for information or advice. REDWatch is able to play a key role in assisting
such local campaigns and providing support to people initiating such action.
The REDWatch website continues to be an important part of
REDWatch’s activities. It fills the role of a virtual resource centre where
people can access information about the area and this certainly helps handle
some of the enquiries received over the phone. As an indication of the
importance of the website in September 2010 the REDWatch website averaged 383
visits / 1487 pages and 5062 hits per day. I must thank Nicholas Lam for his
hosting of the REDWatch site and for acting as our systems administrator. Nic
has been doing this since the site was set up in early 2005. Nic has recently
moved to China and REDWatch now needs to pay for its own hosting although Nic
will still assist us with technical support. One implication of this is that we
will need to do some fundraising to pay the $38.50 a month that the hosting
will cost. I must also thank Lyn Turnbull who adds the bulk of the coming
events which I am sure keep people coming back to the website.
The website plays a crucial role not only in making news
available but also in REDWatch’s lobbying and campaigns. The heritage section
set up to campaign over the Blacksmith Shop, the Large Erecting Shop, and Eveleigh
heritage more broadly, has been important to those campaigns and now provides a
significant public repository of Eveleigh heritage information. The new section
on Public Housing similarly aims to provide a resource for the community in its
discussion with HNSW as we have previously for people in Darlington during the
North Eveleigh Concept Plan.
The website has not been maintained as well as in previous
years. This is partly because more is happening and it requires more time and
partly because I have had less time to do the work. I am hopeful we can divide
tasks up so more people can be involved.
While the Redfern Waterloo Issue Updates were not put out by
REDWatch their existence did drive traffic to the website and spread the word widely
about what was happening. This was in part because the information referred to
was put on the REDWatch website and because people received a monthly or more
frequent update. Lyn and my inability to find the time to keep this going this
year has had an impact on new people becoming involved with REDWatch and in
people not having a convenient overview of what has been happening across a
breath of issues. The lack of RWIUs has probably avoided some tension with the
RWA as there has not been regular competing analysis in the public arena about
what is happening. Discussions have tended to be held more directly with the
RWA on issues of concern rather than needing to resort to public statements.
As spokesperson I continue to be the public contact point
for REDWatch. My office phone and mailbox have been given as the contact points
for REDWatch, and I deal with a range of inquiries from the media, students,
agencies, residents and the general public looking for information about
REDWatch or issues connected to the area. Where possible I refer these inquires
to others to provide the assistance sort.
One of the important areas for the spokesperson is dealing
with many media inquiries, providing background briefings on issues, doing
interviews and making referrals to people that should be spoken to for a story.
This helps to raise the issues of concern to REDWatch but not necessarily with
it always being associated with REDWatch’s name. I have also spoken on behalf
of REDWatch at a range of public and consultation meetings, and liaised with
local agencies.
In the last year I have represented REDWatch on the Roll Up
Redfern Committee with Sydney Council, RWA, Chamber of Commerce and South’s
Football Club. This committee works to address perceptions of the area including
with appropriate branding. Some REDWatch members have also participated in the
focus group for the branding project. I also attend Police Community Safety
Precinct Committee Meetings in addition to meetings of the Redfern Waterloo
Heritage Taskforce, Eveleigh Steering Committee (alternate with Bruce Lay) and
RWA BEMAC meetings.
REDWatch still continues to be like a second full time job
even though I have had to cut back on some REDWatch activities over the last
year. My ability to attend daytime meetings and respond to the demands of the
spokesperson’s role continues to be dependent on the flexibility offered by my
business. This business continues to contract and at some point I will be
unable to continue with the flexibility of the last 6-7 years. This change has
implications for REDWatch and we need to look at how REDWatch will continue its
work into the future without a defacto staff person.
There have been some changes to the Co-ordinating Group during
the year. The Co-ord Group co-opted Michael Chapman to fill the vacancy left at
the last AGM. Lyn Turnbull stepped down to make room for Jose Perez. Bryan
Keough stepped down as Secretary as he was spending a lot of time in Hong Kong
and Wendie McCaffley replaced him as Secretary. The Co-ord Group has met
monthly to discuss issues, arrange events and help guide REDWatch and me as
spokesperson. I wish to express my gratitude to the Co-ord Group and members
for their assistance over the year.
It continues to delight me that REDWatch represents such a
wide range of people with an interest in Redfern Waterloo, Eveleigh and
Darlington. The mixtures of housing tenures, political affiliations, people who
work in the area and the diverse networks that people belong to enable REDWatch
to hold together a broad range of perspectives, to tap into the knowledge of a
diverse community and hence provide a credible community voice in our dealings
with government.
The REDWatch Christmas party when Ian Thompson (our founding
Liberal Party Member) was back in Sydney saw people from all political
persuasions talking about the areas issues and captured the diversity REDWatch
has strived to maintain.
I look forward to working with everyone in the year ahead.
Geoffrey Turnbull REDWatch Spokesperson
2009-10