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Draft Michael Mundine
Michael (also known as Mick) is a Bundjalung man and father of six children. Michael was born in Grafton on the North Coast of NSW Australia in 1947 and spent the better part of his youth roaming the missions up and down the NSW coast. On arrival to Sydney in 1965 he crossed paths with Koumajay Dr Charles Perkins. With the guidance of Uncle Charlie [as Mick referred to him], Michael began his involvement in the struggle for the betterment of Aboriginal people in Sydney's Redfern community, and specifically the Block.

In 1975 Michael was employed as a painter on the Block with the newly formed Redfern Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC). His tough and honest work ethic caught the eye of the Board of Directors of the Company and he was promoted to foreman. He was appointed office manager a few years later. In 1983 the then retiring Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Richard Pacey encouraged Michael to apply for the position.

Since then Michael has also served as director of

• Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service

• Redfern Aboriginal Children's Service.

• Redfern Community Development Employment Program (CDEP).

• In 1994 he helped resurrect the new Redfern Aboriginal Legal Service as its chairperson, a position he still holds..

Michael has also been involved in many non-indigenous groups including:

• Redfern Waterloo Community Council which represents a wide cross section of local stakeholders advising the Premier of NSW;.

• Redfern Drug and Alcohol Task force and the Redfern Community Safety Taskforce;.

• Redfern Waterloo Chamber of Commerce; • Property Council of Australia.

Michael is a keen sportsman with a particular affinity for rugby league football. In his youth he played with the Baryulgil Red Devils and the Woodenbong All Blacks. In Sydney he played with the Redfern All Blacks and in 1974 led the South Sydney Jr. league team to victory in the Grand Final. He played representative football for many years and in 1981 was with Zetland when they won the Grand Final, the Kentucky Cup and the Aboriginal Knockout all in the same year. Now retired from representative sport he coaches basketball and touch football every year and runs a women's circuit class three times a week at the Redfern Gym.

‘The best way to describe Michael Mundine is that he is a people person with an abundance of common sense and a lot of love in his heart. His vision for Redfern is for a better future where the next generation, so Aboriginal people can share in the prosperity that all other Australians already enjoy’

Draft Aboriginal Housing Company
IHW Aim prov low rental housing to local families and empl and trainng for abl buiding workers

Research and planning

 * 2000 Planning team formed. planning workshops provided opportunity for consultation with community and professionals. Recommendations were accepted by the Board, and formed the foundations for a series of audits.

and responding to NSW Premier's 10 best design examples of 2001


 * 2001 The Social Plan received a national award for excellence in community housing in the category of innovation


 * 2002 Top 12 final year architecture students at Sydney University interpreted ..


 * 2002 Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project was set up by the NSW Government to act as liaison between the community and the government, described as a whole of government / whole of community approach.


 * 2002 The exhibition 'Dreaming of the Block' ran for some months. Feedback was documented by social planner.


 * 2003 A working model was created to test the feedback, and to enable more consultation. It was presented in July to Col Gellatly, Director-General of the Premier's Department and a range of other deparment executives.

The government requested that the Macquarie Bank conduct an independent financial forecast for the Pemulwuuy Project. The findings revealed that upon completion of the project, the AHC would be financially independent for the next 20 years.

The AHC signed a memorandum of understanding with the key stakeholders in Redfern's future, inlcuding the NSW Government, The South Sydney Council and the University of Sydney.

The NSW government commissioned the Government Achitect's Office to prepare new designs that included 62 home for Aboriginal families.

Working with NSW government
The Block was central to many aspects of the general redevelopment of Redfern.

Aboriginal Housing Company, Pemulwuy Project Profile 2000-2005 (2005).


 * 2003 Red Square was the name given for a proposed civic space opposite Redfern Railway Station at the junction of Lawson and Eveleigh Street. It was part of the Aboriginal Housing Company’s plan for The Block. The proposal was taken up in the 2003 NSW Government’s RED Strategy consultation


 * 2004 Ken Morrison from the Property Council of Australia said “If that Redfern station area is going to be the hub of a new commercial zone then The Block will just have to go”. [February 16]


 * 2004 Ministerial Directions Paper [May 14]


 * 2004 October Cabinet papers sighted

The State Government has a $5 billion plan to redevelop Redfern and the surrounding suburbs that involves seizing control of Aboriginal housing on the Block and letting private developers take over two-thirds of the area's public housing estates.


 * 2004 Premier announced establishment of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority RWA 'to shake-up the area and renew the last part of the city fringe'. Also announced that Frank Sartor would have responsibility. [26 October]


 * 2004 Redfern Waterloo Authority Actintroduced [November 11]


 * 2004 Cabinet reported SMH [November]

Redevelopment of the Block would increase the value of Redfern Railway Station by 25 to 30 per cent. Without this, commercial development of the station would probably be impracticable, according to the Department of Commerce


 * 2004 December 16 Final Report on Inquiry into issues relating to Redfern and Waterloo http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/77220A893AEA0E16CA256F6C00098A80


 * 2005 January 17 - The Redfern-Waterloo Authority established, one of its briefs to develop Redfern Railway Station


 * 2005 February 8 Minister Sartor personally met with the AHC Board for the first time. He made it clear that he would not support the Pemulwuy Project. The Minister wanted to establish a taskforce with the AHC, which would include representatives from State, Federal and local Governments, and/or of the Minister's choosing. Under this proposal, the Minister retained the power to unilaterally overrule any suggestions proposed. The offer was made on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis.


 * 2005 February Redwatch reported

AHC Board Continues Support for Pemulwuy Project

Minister Sartor is quoted in the 16th February edition of the Sydney Central Courier as saying “We need a new vision for the block and I don’t think the plan [for new housing developed by the Aboriginal Housing Company] is sufficiently different enough”. The Minister has met with the AHC Board to press his views; however the AHC’s Board has subsequently reaffirmed their continued support for The Pemulwuy Project as being the best long term solution for The Block.

Minister Sartor was seen to be in a rush to sort out what would happen on The Block so the RWA can provide some certainty about the area to potential developers interested in the station development. The Government does not seem to have an issue about the need to provide Aboriginal housing in Redfern Waterloo, just about how much should be on The Block near the station. >


 * 2005 February The AHC board decided to leave it and to continue to work to bring the Pemulwuy project to realisation. They proceeded to establish the Pemulwuy Vision Taskforce, chaired by Australian Labor Party elder statesman Tom Uren, to look further at both the Pemulwuy Project and at the broader vision for the area. REF

A map of Redfern Waterloo has been published in the Government Gazette, which shows the initial areas declared as state significant within the Redfern Waterloo Authority (RWA) boundaries. The map includes private land as well as the publicly owned land which were to pass to the RWA under the provisions of the Redfern Waterloo Act.
 * 2005 May 5 Minister Sartor was reported as taking planning control of Redfern's Block

The declaration of The Block within the gazetted area of state significance of the RWA will put the future of the Aboriginal Housing Company's Pemulwuy project under the planning control of its major opponent. Minister Sartor has made plain his opposition to the proposed 62-house project on the Aboriginal owned Block. The City of Sydney Council will no longer have planning control over the Pemulwuy project.

Sartor makes land claim for Redfern’s Block

The state government has taken planning control of Redfern’s Block from the City of Sydney by declaring it and other surrounding privately owned lands as state significant under the Redfern Waterloo Authority. The declaration also includes Government land along the railway corridor.

The Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC) that wants to develop the Pemulwuy housing project now has to get Frank Sartor’s approval for the project to proceed. Frank Sartor has previously told the AHC that he does not want the Aboriginal housing project to proceed.


 * 2005 July 1 The Redfern-Waterloo Authority assumed responsibility. (Redfern Waterloo Partnership Project ceased operating.)


 * 2005 August 3 Frank Sartor recorded as Minister for Planning and Minister for Redfern Waterloo


 * 2005 August Minister Frank Sartor's open letter to Mick Mundine.

The Minister said he was only prepared to replace the 19 homes still existing around The Block and that the Government would find housing for the balance of the 62 homes elsewhere in Redfern-Waterloo. The letter re-stated the Minister’s position and attempted to hold the AHC responsible for the failure of the RWA and the AHC to sit down ‘to come up with a shared vision for The Block’.


 * 2005 August 29 The Minister admitted publicly that the RWA and the AHC had reached an impasse. He said, ‘[e]verything's negotiable except for concentration of high-dependency housing there’.


 * 2005 September 7 Mick Mundine's reply - abridged version posted at REDWatch


 * 2005 September 19 Sartor publicly apologised for a racial slur made during a Koori Radio interview. It prompted calls to resign from the Opposition, and a reprimand from Premier Morris Iemma.


 * 2005 October 7 The Redfern-Waterloo Authority commenced their website


 * 2006 June 1 The Minister for Redfern Waterloo, Frank Sartor, entered into an agreement with the Mal Brough on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia to co-ordinate NSW Government and Federal activity in Redfern-Waterloo.

Geoff TO DO
Prior to the RWA announcement, the Premier’s Department had been working with the AHC on the Pemulwuy Project.[21] The project was based on an award-winning[22] social plan[23] and included 62 homes to be built in The Block area. There had been many meetings discussing crime prevention, design and other issues of concern to the AHC and the RWPP.

As the land owner of The Block, the AHC expected that, in the words of Minister Sartor to NCOSS and other organisations:

The RWA will... consult closely with the Aboriginal community and the Aboriginal Housing Company when considering plans for The Block and Aboriginal housing. The government recognises the importance of The Block and it will remain a place of significance to the Aboriginal community.[24]

In early December 2004, the RWPP had spelt out the Government’s position on The Block:

No decisions have been made about the future of The Block. The Aboriginal Housing Company and the Minister for Redfern-Waterloo are working together to establish a sustainable vision for the area.

There is a continuing dialogue between the Minister’s office and members of the Aboriginal Housing Company. Whatever happens on The Block, a broad community consultation strategy will occur.

The site is of great significance to Aboriginal people in NSW and across Australia...

The NSW Parliament Social Issues Standing Committee Inquiry into Issues Relating to Redfern-Waterloo acknowledged that the redevelopment of The Block is of utmost importance.

There is no intention by the State Government to compulsorily acquire The Block.[25]

However, the first time Minister Sartor personally met with the AHC Board on 8 February 2005 he made it clear that he would not support the Pemulwuy Project. Instead the Minister said he was only prepared to replace the 19 homes still existing around The Block and that the Government would find housing for the balance of the 62 homes elsewhere in Redfern-Waterloo.[26] DONE

The Minister wanted to establish a taskforce with the AHC, which would also include representatives from State, Federal and local Governments, to establish ‘a new positive vision for The Block and its environs’.[27] Letter from Frank Sartor to Action for World Development, 31 August 2005. done

While the Minister promised it would have an Aboriginal majority it would not consider the Pemulwuy Project or The Block being used for Aboriginal housing. Apart from the AHC representatives, the other members would be Government representatives or of the Minister’s choosing. Under this proposal, the Minister retained the power to unilaterally overrule any suggestions proposed.[28] Frank Sartor, Ministerial Briefing Paper to AHC Board Meeting, 8 February 2005. done

The offer was made on a ‘take it or leave it’[29] basis. [29] Interview with Board Members at the AHC Board Meeting, 8 February 2005. and the AHC board decided to leave it and to continue to work to bring the Pemulwuy project to realisation. done

The AHC then proceeded to establish the Pemulwuy Vision Taskforce, chaired by Australian Labor Party elder statesman Tom Uren, to look further at both the Pemulwuy Project and at the broader vision for the area.[30]

On 29 August 2005 the Minister admitted publicly that the RWA and the AHC had reached an impasse. He said, ‘[e]verything's negotiable except for concentration of high-dependency housing there’.[31] A subsequent request by the RWA for a copy of the AHC’s plans for The Block ‘as a means of moving matters forward’ brought some hope of an agreement.[32] Hope died a few days later, however, when an open letter from Frank Sartor to Mick Mundine, AHC Chief Executive Officer, appeared on the front page of the RWA’s first newsletter.[33] The letter re-stated the Minister’s position and attempted to hold the AHC responsible for the failure of the RWA and the AHC to sit down ‘to come up with a shared vision for The Block’.

The ongoing battle between the Government and the AHC is being documented on the AHC’s website.[34]

Pemulwuy Project
support / opposition ??


 * date ? The NSW government drew up plans for the development of government owned land


 * Redfern-Waterloo Authority (RWA) created by the government.


 * The government withdrew its support for the Pemulwuy Project


 * September 2006 ? The Built Environment Plan was released by the government.

Awards

 * 2001 National Award for Excellence in Community Housing in the category of Innovation, for Community Social Plan


 * 2004 International 2004 CPTED Innovation Award from the International Security Management and Crime prevention Institute & the International CPTED Association, for Community Safety Report.

More References

 * Aboriginal Housing Company
 * Aboriginal Housing Company Ltd (AHC) in Redfern-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
 * Aboriginal Housing Company in Redfern Oral History
 * AHC Community social plan; Redfern - Pemulwuy Project. 2nd edition. Redfern; AHC, 2007
 * Bellear, Kaye in Redfern Oral History
 * Bellear, Robert W. [ed] Black housing Amber Press, 1976 pp.4-5
 * Inquiry into issues relating to Redfern and Waterloo 16 December, 2004 Final Report
 * Col James in Redfern Oral History
 * Living black Redfern redevelopment. SBS TV, 20 Jun 2005
 * Living black Redfern's redevelopment plans continue. SBS TV 25 Oct 2006
 * Redfern-Waterloo Authority
 * Pemulwuy Project
 * Pemulwuy Project amendment
 * Farrelly, Elizabeth Secret Business Puts a Community at Risk SMH, 29 November 2004
 * Memorandum of Understanding between the NSW Government, South Sydney City Council, the University of Sydney and the Aboriginal Housing Company Ltd 1 March 2003 in Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements Project
 * Metropolitan Strategy Ministerial Directions paper May 2004
 * 'Minister Sartor’s Comments on Koori Radio Impact on Redfern Waterloo' in REDWatch 23 September 2005
 * Redevelopment of the Block; Legislative council Inquiry into issues relating to Redfern-Waterloo. Chapter 3. August 2004
 * Redfern-Waterloo Authority
 * REDWatch
 * Rice, Elizabeth The Two Realities on The Block in Indigenous Law Bulletin ILB 46, 2005
 * Ryle G and Jobson D Maximising market value the main game in Redfern plan SMH 29 November, 2004
 * Turnbull, Geoff Actions speak louder than words: Redfern-Waterloo’s recent experience of ‘Consultation' in Indigenous Law Bulletin ILB 47, 2005 Actions speak louder than words
 * Willis, Dr Ian Howie 'Aboriginal Housing Company' in Aboriginal encyclopaedia of Australia 1994 Canberra; Aboriginal Studies Press, 1994
 * Wilson, Jacqui Urban Indigenous Housing Issues in Redfern in Indigenous law Bulletin [2005] ILB 45, 2005

Breaking the silence
[ANTAR] stated that the government response makes sense, but they are concerned that they refused to fund the program.

Both the NSW Government and Opposition have refused to provide the funds because these are Aboriginal children at risk and so they don't think that enough voters will care.

task force headed by Aboriginal leader, Marcia Ella-Duncan.

118 rec govt accised of sitting on the report for nearly 9 months Marcia after process of three years, keen to see something happen frusttr nsw defens – lloking to implement 88 of the rec Programs exist where people are doing it themselves eg rekindleing the spirit outside Lismore, establishing safe havens Still a shoroud of silence, dangerous for women who speak up, of backlash, Living black http://news.sbs.com.au/livingblack/