Image: The City is asking for community feedback on a proposed Aboriginal knowledge and culture centre in Redfern. Photo: City of Sydney.
By DANIEL LO SURDO
The City of Sydney has asked for feedback from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community about how a proposed Aboriginal knowledge and culture centre in Redfern can be best used in the inner city.
The City purchased the two-storey property at 119 Redfern Street with plans to establish a local Aboriginal centre in response to the community’s need for a culturally safe space to practice and share cultures.
This requirement has been highlighted by the City’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel, which found that a “space to gather, share and practice the cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in and connected to Sydney” was essential.
Upgrades on the building underway
Creating a local Aboriginal knowledge and culture centre in Redfern is one of the key action areas under the City’s reconciliation plan, which serves to reflect the needs and aspirations of Sydney’s First Nations communities, and recognise their impact and contribution.
Accessibility upgrades are being conducted on the building, including a new entry and a lift installation. Tenants vacated the property in 2019, with the works expected to be finished in August this year.
The building’s ground floor will include the new entry and lift, and will also have a reception area, two rooms, and two shopfront spaces. The first floor will have two rooms, one of which with an adjoining verandah, a storeroom and an accessible bathroom.