In its
first year of operation the Redfern-Waterloo Authority has put in place the
building blocks for change in the area, including employment, urban renewal and
service improvements, Minister for Redfern Waterloo, Frank Sartor said today.
“I
congratulate the Redfern-Waterloo Authority on an outstanding first year”, Mr
Sartor said.
“Over the
past 12 months, the RWA has become an important part of the local area and the community’s
interaction with government and non-government organisations.
“It has
also implemented programs which are creating jobs and improving efficiency of existing
services.”
Achievements
so far
- The RWA recently negotiated for
the Indigenous Land Corporation to invest $25 million to develop the
former Redfern
Public School into a
national centre for Aboriginal sporting, social and cultural excellence. - The RWA has publicly released
two parts of the three part Redfern-Waterloo Plan which will provide an
overall strategic vision and a comprehensive strategy to facilitate social
and economic revitalisation for the Redfern Waterloo area. - The Human Services Plan was
approved in December and is currently being implemented. The Human Services
component of the Plan is designed to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of government and non-government agencies providing human
services in Redfern and Waterloo. - The Employment and Enterprise
Plan is currently on public exhibition. It proposes a range of innovative
strategies to stimulate jobs growth of up to 18,000 new jobs over next 10
years. This includes a program to bring together leading Sydney restaurateurs together and
Aboriginal elders to set up a cross-cultural training and employment program
in Indigenous Australian cuisine. - The final section of the
Redfern-Waterloo Plan, the Built Environment Plan has been drafted and
will soon be available for public comment. - A Jobs Compact was signed with
the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) in May 2005 to
enable job creation and enterprise support strategies, particularly for
the local Aboriginal community. It has already created 19 jobs for unemployed
locals at the $40 million Carriageworks redevelopment at North
Eveleigh. - An Indigenous Enterprise Hub to
facilitate Aboriginal enterprise operates out of the RWA’s office. The
Enterprise Hub is a joint initiative between the RWA, the NSW Department
of State and Regional Development and the Department of Education. - The RWA assumed direct
management of the Australian
Technology Park
in April 2005 and a new Masterplan for the Park was approved in June 2005.
The site will focus on industry development, a significant factor in
attracting valuable investment opportunities to NSW. - Also at the ATP, construction
of the NICTA / DSTO building will commence early this year, along with $5
million in major infrastructure works. It is the first building to be constructed
at the ATP in more than five years, and is expected to bring around 600 jobs
to Redfern. Around 2000 new jobs are expected to be created at the ATP
over the next three years.
“In the
first 12 months of a 10 year commitment, the RWA has done an important job.
“In 2006,
the Authority will build on this ground work and introduce a range of new
initiatives and programs to improve the local environment and social fabric for
residents of Redfern and Waterloo”,
Mr Sartor said.