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| Redfern Aboriginal Housing Company | |
|---|---|
| Name | Redfern Aboriginal Housing Company |
| Formation | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Redfern, New South Wales |
| Region served | Inner Sydney |
| Leader title | CEO |
Redfern Aboriginal Housing Company is an Aboriginal community-controlled housing organization established in 1979 in Redfern, New South Wales to acquire, manage and preserve housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in inner Sydney. Formed amid urban dispossession and housing shortages following post-war migration and redevelopment plans, the organisation engaged with groups such as the Aboriginal Legal Service and the Black Power movement (Australia) while interacting with state agencies like the New South Wales Housing Commission and federal programs such as the Aboriginal Employment Development Program. Its formation occurred in the context of events including the 1967 Australian referendum, the Tent Embassy, and local actions around Redfern Park and the Redfern riots.
The organisation emerged after grassroots mobilization by figures linked to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the Aboriginal Medical Service (Redfern), and activists influenced by the Stolen Generations discourse, negotiating land and property issues with the City of Sydney and the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council. Early campaigns referenced precedents set by the 1967 Australian referendum and legal frameworks like the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, while coordinating with services such as the Aboriginal Legal Service and the Redfern Waterloo Legal Centre. In the 1980s and 1990s the organisation engaged with infrastructure programs funded through collaborations with the Commonwealth Grants Commission, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia), and housing policy initiatives shaped by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. The history includes dealings with developers linked to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and responses to urban renewal projects such as those associated with the Gentrification of Sydney and the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The company operates under a community-controlled board model influenced by governance practices shared with bodies such as the Aboriginal Housing Office (New South Wales), the National Native Title Tribunal, and the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council. Its constitution and membership processes reflect interactions with statutory instruments like the Corporations Act 2001 and reporting relationships with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Leadership over time has included community elders connected to institutions such as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and partnerships with agencies including the Inner Sydney Health Service and the Housing NSW portfolio.
The organisation developed and managed properties across precincts adjacent to Central railway station (Sydney), Redfern Park, and the Eveleigh Railway Workshops, coordinating tenancy models alongside services such as the Aboriginal Medical Service (Redfern), the Aboriginal Legal Service, and local nonprofits like Mission Australia. Housing initiatives intersected with welfare reforms enacted by the Fraser government and programs from the Department of Social Services (Australia), while linking tenants to employment pathways through schemes like the Job Network and training tied to the TAFE NSW system. Community services included cultural programs connected to the Koori Mail and educational partnerships with institutions like the University of Sydney and TAFE NSW.
The organisation played an activist role during high-profile events including the Redfern riots and the campaigns around the Long Walk (Indigenous rights) and worked with movements such as the Australian Black Power movement and advocacy groups like the Aboriginal Legal Service. Its political engagement involved lobbying state ministers from the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and federal representatives from the Australian House of Representatives, and participating in policy debates following inquiries like the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and reports by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Notable projects involved redevelopment proposals near the Prince Alfred Park, collaborations on heritage preservation linked to the Heritage Council of New South Wales, and proposals engaging developers associated with the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and private firms appearing in planning processes before the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. The organisation’s work intersected with national initiatives such as the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing and urban programs tied to the City of Sydney revitalisation strategies.
Controversies have included disputes over redevelopment deals involving private developers and financiers connected to projects reviewed by the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales and oversight questions raised by entities like the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Critics invoked concerns familiar from inquiries such as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and debates before the New South Wales Parliament about governance, transparency, and outcomes for tenants in precincts affected by Gentrification of Sydney and infill development associated with the 2000 Sydney Olympics urban legacy.
The organisation’s legacy informs policy debates in forums including the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council, the Aboriginal Housing Office (New South Wales), and federal consultations within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia), contributing case studies to reviews by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and influencing subsequent programs such as the National Indigenous Australians Agency initiatives. Its experience has been cited in scholarship at institutions like the University of Sydney and policy analyses by the Lowitja Institute and continues to shape discussions about Indigenous-controlled housing models, urban Aboriginal cultural precincts, and land tenure approaches referenced in Native title in Australia debates.
Category:Indigenous Australian organisations Category:Housing in Australia