Staff From Redfern’s National Centre For Indigenous Excellence Speak Out About Sudden Closure
"They blindsided us. It's not really fair"
Redfern has been rocked by the sudden closure of a First Nations community hub, the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, after an abrupt message from management announced that the centre would officially close next week.
Housing sporting groups, a fitness centre, and several social enterprise groups including Redfern Youth Connect, employees at the centre arrived at work on Monday to discover their jobs no longer existed. Shock turned to anger as employees were offered $700 severance packages in compensation and asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, leading hundreds to gather in the centre for an ad-hoc demonstration protesting the closure.
Norma Ingram addresses an absolutely packed protest meeting at NCIE. Workers, community members, people who use the many services, all united against the abrupt sackings and closure yesterday. “We are ready for a fight” pic.twitter.com/p7qgNn8lS7
— Padraic Gibson (@paddygibson) August 2, 2022
A trainer at the facility, Jake told Junkee that he and other employees at NCIE had been warned of “changes happening” at the centre four weeks ago, and was subsequently asked to sign a new employment contract. “We signed new contracts, with (management) saying that we’re gonna keep our jobs and the fitness aquatics centre was gonna stay open,” Jake told Junkee. “Then they just laid it out to us yesterday in a meeting. They blindsided us. It’s not really fair.”
Jake said that while he is angry about losing his job, he’s far more concerned with the effect that the closure of NCIE will have on the greater community and Redfern in general. “You know, we’ve had funerals here,” Jake said. “We’ve had weddings here, we’ve had a safe space for kids to come in over the weekend here. And it’s just really disappointing. You know, it’s almost disgusting that this has all happened.”
Owned by the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) — which manages services and businesses designed to benefit First Nations people — NCIE was placed under the ownership of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council in late June. In a joint statement, the ILSC announced that while “both parties have continued to negotiate a suitable arrangement in good faith over a long period of time, a suitable agreement could not be reached”, as the reason behind the divestment.
Two young employees at NCIE, Eden and Tash told Junkee that the facility’s sudden closure felt “disrespectful” to employees and the wider community.
“I think it (the closure) impacts us a lot here at NCIE,” Eden told Junkee. “We have a swim school of 300 kids that we teach to learn to swim, a lot of kids in our area use this place as a safe place for them.”
“Even today I’ve had members saying it’s not even about the fitness inside of this stuff. It’s about the community. And the fact that they’re taking away, the only thing that’s trying to be better, keep people off the streets, especially the kids that come in — it makes me sick. It’s disrespectful,” Tash told Junkee.
I strongly encourage the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council work together to find a solution so the centre’s programs and services continue to benefit the local community.
— Linda Burney MP (@LindaBurneyMP) August 2, 2022
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney reacted to the NCIE’s sudden closure on Twitter, where she “strongly encouraged” both the ILSC and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council to “find a solution” to keep the centre open.
“The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence is the beating heart of the Aboriginal community in Redfern,” Burney said in a Twitter post.