Council consults with City’s Indigenous community

24 August 2007

Seven Indigenous Sydneysiders will help City of Sydney undertake one of the most comprehensive consultation projects ever attempted with Sydney's Indigenous community as part of Sustainable Sydney 2030.

"Sustainable Sydney 2030 is a collaborative project, which requires input from Sydneysiders," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP. "We need to hear Indigenous voices and ideas to help us shape a Sydney we can all be proud of in 2030."

Robbie Ryan, a 25-year-old local footballer, Rhubee Neale, a 35-year-old musician, and Leon Winters, a 48-year-old male nurse who has lived around Redfern for almost twenty years, will be engaging with the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community for this project.

The Sydney locals, chosen through Aboriginal Training Schemes, will be heading into cafes, TAFES, universities, parks and events over the next six weeks to interview at least 500 Indigenous community members either individually or in small groups.

"When a visitor arrives in Sydney, how will they know the Aboriginal people are the traditional owners? What signs and points of cultural identification can we develop that will proudly celebrate this community? These are questions we need to be asking when we develop our future vision for Sydney. The Indigenous community will help us answer these questions and this is why their input is crucial to the success of this project," Ms Moore said.

Over the course of the project, the consultants will receive training to develop their skills as interviewers. Talking to locals from Glebe, Redfern, Alexandria, Woolloomooloo, Millers Point, Surry Hills, Darlington, Chippendale, Waterloo, Erskineville and the Block, the consultants will be asking questions such as "How can the city be more Aboriginal friendly?"

The seven Indigenous locals will be employed for a further six weeks in November 2007 to provide feedback to the community about the progress of the Sustainable Sydney 2030 project.

Sustainable Sydney 2030 is a strategic planning project that will create a plan to guide the development of the City of Sydney for the next 20 years and beyond. To date, the City has directly consulted with more than 3000 Sydneysiders from all walks of life through forums, workshops, talks, roundtable lunches and a schools poetry project.

In addition to individual interviews, the City of Sydney will be running three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Forums in September at the Juanita Nielsen Centre (Woolloomooloo), Redfern Community Centre and Glebe Library. All community members are invited to the Indigenous Community Forums, further details below or please visit our website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/2030

Tuesday 11 September, 11am - 1pm

Juanita Nielsen Centre, Woolloomooloo

Wednesday 19 September, 11am-1pm

Benledi House, Glebe

Wednesday 26 September, 11am-1pm

Redfern Community Centre RSVP required, please call 9265 9115