rioters bloc
3rd August 2006, 15:56
There's a rally next Thursday, August 10, in Redfern, to support Aboriginal housing in Redfern & to oppose the Redfern Waterloo Authority's plans to redevelop the area into an extension of the CBD.
The march starts at 6.30 pm at 1 Lawson Square, Redfern (just near the station, outside the old TNT towers, which now hold the offices of the State Government's Redfern Waterloo Authority) & ends at The Block.
There's a lot more information in the media release below. The issue of the Redfern redevelopment is really vital: because of the potential impacts on Indigenous people in particular, on public housing and affordable housing more generally, because of the secretive & unaccountable way decisions are being made... This is a good chance to continue, or to start, learning about & fighting what's going on.
Media Release from <http://www.redwatch.org.au>:
Black and White unite to keep The Block in Aboriginal hands
In a media release on 25 July 2006 Aboriginal Housing Company CEO Mick Mundine and Isabel Coe have called for supporters of Aboriginal housing on The Block to attend a historic protest against the NSW Government on August 10th. They fear that NSW Minister for Redfern-Waterloo Frank Sartor is trying to take control of The Block away from Aboriginal people.
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 Australiansm 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.”
The march starts at 6.30 pm at 1 Lawson Square, Redfern (just near the station, outside the old TNT towers, which now hold the offices of the State Government's Redfern Waterloo Authority) & ends at The Block.
There's a lot more information in the media release below. The issue of the Redfern redevelopment is really vital: because of the potential impacts on Indigenous people in particular, on public housing and affordable housing more generally, because of the secretive & unaccountable way decisions are being made... This is a good chance to continue, or to start, learning about & fighting what's going on.
Media Release from <http://www.redwatch.org.au>:
Black and White unite to keep The Block in Aboriginal hands
In a media release on 25 July 2006 Aboriginal Housing Company CEO Mick Mundine and Isabel Coe have called for supporters of Aboriginal housing on The Block to attend a historic protest against the NSW Government on August 10th. They fear that NSW Minister for Redfern-Waterloo Frank Sartor is trying to take control of The Block away from Aboriginal people.
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 Australiansm 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.”