Where We Are
At…..
DOWNLOAD MAY 2015 NEWSLETTER
There has been some feedback that there are residents who do not know what the Community Working Party is doing.
DOWNLOAD MAY 2015 NEWSLETTER
There has been some feedback that there are residents who do not know what the Community Working Party is doing.
We, the Working Party, are a bit like ducks—looking cool and
calm floating along the surface but paddling madly under the water!
Working to engage with politicians is a slow process and it
is important that we take each step with care.
We also working on plans for future activities to gather information,
public attention and media support.
We follow up on residents’ concerns and hold regular meetings
with representatives from the Redfern Legal Service (RLS) who have been very
supportive and positive in their approach to our dilemma.
We are also encouraging the Friends of Millers Point to
spread the word through other organisations about our housing plight and seeking
wider public support.
We
encourage residents to attend all the public meetings that are held in the
community. You not only get the chance to hear what is happening but also have
the opportunity to ask questions. Bring your neighbour along.
If
you need transport to get to the Centre ring Marcia on 9241 2875 and we will
see what we can do.
We are a Community -let’s stay together!
Community Working Party Newsletter
Meeting with the Minister
The Hon. Brad Hazzard MP is the Minister for Family and
Community Services, and Minister for Social Housing. Unlike his two
predecessors he has indicated a willingness to meet with community representatives
and has ex-pressed in various interviews his willingness to consider
alternatives for the elderly in the Millers Point community.
On Radio 2UE he said: “Mike Baird’s given me the very clear
two priorities of care and compassion…
In the SMH he has been quoted as saying: “I’m not ruling out
trying to get more
Public housing in and around the Millers Point area and …. The
CBD because there are lots of older residents who’ve been in that area for a
long time” he said adding that moving was a “tough ask”.
Representatives from the Working Party, accompanied by Flo
Seckold will be meeting with the Minister in Friday 22 May, 2015.
We are particularly appreciative of the work that our Local
Member Alex Greenwich has put into bringing about the meeting with the Minister Alex with the Lord Mayor,
Deputy Lord Mayor and Chief Executive Officer of the City of Sydney Council
will also be attending the meeting.
We
hope to be able to re-port a positive outcome from this initial discussion at a
public meeting and look forward to the community having the opportunity to talk
with the Minister in Millers Point in the near future.
It is a refreshing change to have a Minister who will communicate
face-to-face with the residents and listen to the issues and options.
Sydney City Council
We must acknowledge the
excellent support we are given by the Harry Jensen Centre staff. They have been
wonderful! Their service to the residents is an important part of community
life in Millers Point.
The Centre and the Abraham
Mott Hall have been important to the community in our battle. We have held public
meetings, had 40 guests to Working Party meetings, made a major submission to
the Government’s Discussion paper, held barbecues and had a super Spring Picnic
last September. Our weekly Working Party meetings and occasional weekend
planning meetings need a central space and the Centre has met those needs.
The support given by the City of Sydney
Council - Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Deputy Lord Mayor Robyn Kemmis and the
Councillors with the Chief Executive Officer Monica Barone and her many helpful
staff members - continues to be greatly appreciated. The situation so far would
have been difficult to survive without their support.
