Fifty workers at the renowned (NCIE) were told on August 1 that their jobs were finished and the centre would close its doors within a week.
A week later, a strong community campaign is calling on the state and federal governments to save the centre and its mostly First Nations employees.
NCIE, a not-for-profit social enterprise, opened in 2010 in Redfern after the (ILSC) purchased the land of the former Redfern Public School.
NCIE includes a swimming pool and a gym and holds sports, fitness and health classes. It hosts football matches for Aboriginal communities from regional areas. It offers conference rooms, community spaces and runs classes including tutoring and educational support, which are open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
Its grounds became a vaccination centre during the pandemic.聽It is currently home to Redfern Youth Connect and the Tribal Warrior Association's Clean Slate Without Prejudice program.
The ILSC, a federal organisation which assists interests in land, salt water and fresh water country, divested NCIE to the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) on June 30. A month later, the NSWALC announced it was closing the centre.
A聽500-strong community meeting on August 2 heard from a range of community members opposing the closure and sell-off.
Tribal Warrior Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Shane Phillips, who coordinates a range of programs in NCIE, said the threat to close NCIE 鈥渉as disempowered, displaced and disrespected our people鈥.
NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong supports聽the calls on the federal and state governments to provide interim financial support to ensure the centre stays open. She said聽鈥渕uch-needed services [need to] keep running while a longer-term sustainable solution is achieved鈥.
The ABC reported on August 2 that the federal Linda Burney said聽she had 鈥渟trongly encouraged鈥 the ILSC and NSWALC聽and MP for Sydney Tanya Plibersek to work together to find a solution for the centre, which she described as 鈥渢he beating heart of Redfern鈥.
Community members have been gathering at 1pm every day at NCIE. At the聽briefing on August 4, Phillips and Margaret Haumono, an executive director of Redfern Youth Connect addressed a sizable crowd. 鈥淸It鈥檚] great that people keep turning up,鈥 Phillips said. 鈥淲hen the announcement came down we had 1000 people here within 24 hour鈥檚 notice. The NSWALC need to make a statement really quick. We will occupy and defend this place if needed.鈥
on August 8 that 10聽organisations have called on the state and federal governments to enact 12 measures, including: staff continue to be employed; the ILSC and the聽NSWAL collaborate to ensure the facilities remain open,聽the site will not be sold and agree that all income be used on the centre's operations; establish an inclusive governance e model together with key聽Redfern stakeholders and consideration be given to a local entity to become the new management.
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