The protest
will begin outside the state Government’s Redfern Waterloo Authority (RWA)
offices (1
Lawson Square, Redfern)
at 6:30pm. Protesters will then march to The Block, where Isabel Coe of the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy will conduct a ceremony around a “sacred fire” that
symbolises unity amongst those in attendance.
The protest
will end with a series of speeches from community leaders including champion
boxer Anthony Mundine and Aboriginal Tent Embassy founder Michael Anderson.
The AHC
owns the land and properties that make up The Block. According to a draft
document released by the RWA, the land will be rezoned to prevent an AHC plan
for the construction of 62 new homes for Aboriginal residents.
Mick
Mundine said, “The community, both black and white, need to demand that control
of The Block’s land remains in Aboriginal hands. The Block was one of the first
pieces of land given back to the Aboriginal people and is where the civil
rights movement in Australia
began.
“We deserve
the same rights as any other Australians and we should be able to use our land
as we see fit. We will not be dictated to, or stood over by, government
ministers like Frank Sartor.”
Coe said,
“The Tent Embassy is here to fight for Aboriginal sovereignty and that’s what
the protest is all about. We’re going to remind Frank Sartor that The Block was
created to provide proper homes for Aboriginal people.
“The new
paternalism being spread by the Government is what we have to attack. It’s
racism in a new dress. The NSW Labor Government is adopting the same
paternalism that the Liberals use at a Federal level. Enough is enough,” Coe said.
High
profiles members of the Aboriginal community, Australian Labor Party and Church
are supporting the protest. Organisers will also draw on the resources of local
reconciliation groups, including Reconciliaction and Redfern Residents for Reconciliation.
Aside from
Anthony Mundine and Michael Anderson, other speakers on the night will be
Isabel Coe, Mick Mundine and Redfern’s Aboriginal pastor Ray Minniecon.
The Bishop
of Gippsland John McIntyre, a former
Anglican minister in Redfern, is travelling to Sydney
from Melbourne
for the protest and will also address the ceremony.
McIntyre
said, “We cannot stand by and be silent on this threatened injustice being
perpetrated by the State Government and their developer mates. If Frank Sartor
has legitimate concerns about how the redevelopment of Redfern will occur he
needs to enter into dialogue with the Aboriginal community.”
Trevor
Davies from the Darlington Branch of the ALP said the RWA is facing significant
opposition from local members over their plans for The Block. He expects that a
number of Labor politicians will join branch members at the protest.
Davies
said, “The NSW Government is doing some good things in Redfern and Waterloo, suburbs which
have been neglected for far too long. But their reluctance to support the AHC
on the Pemulwuy Project is a black mark that will go down in history as a lost
opportunity to help build a prosperous Aboriginal community in the heart of
Redfern.”
For
further information or media inquiries, contact:
Peter
Valilis, Aboriginal Housing Company, 0400 804 022
Isabel Coe,
Aboriginal Tent Embassy, 0423 647 695
Trevor
Davies, ALP Darlington branch secretary, 0400
008 338
Lyn
Turnbull, Redfern Residents for Reconciliation, 0418 655 246