Bringing culture to Barangaroo

By Alice Blain

The NSW Greens are urging the Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) to consider setting up an Aboriginal cultural centre at the Barangaroo site.

Greens Councillor Irene Doutney, who suggested the party make the submission, says Barangaroo would be an ideal location for a centre of this kind.

“Barangaroo is one of the last high profile sites around Sydney Harbour that’s going to be developed and there’s no national Aboriginal cultural centre in Australia…it would be criminal to not include a centre of this kind here.”

The centre, which Cr Doutney says is long overdue, would be run and coordinated by the Indigenous community.

“Aboriginal people would run and curate the centre…I would stress that it is up to the Aboriginal community to decide what their cultural centre says and does.”

Aboriginal artist Gordon Syron says the proposal is widely supported by the Indigenous community.

“It would be wonderful, it would give us all a different perspective…we’d all be saying we do matter, we do count and it would give us a whole different feeling.”

“This could be the most positive thing that has happened in a long, long time for the Aboriginal people.

“It would also be something very unique…the tourists could go down there and talk to Aboriginal people and buy Aboriginal artefacts and artwork from Aboriginal people,” he says.

The initiative to include a centre of this kind at Barangaroo, was first put to the City of Sydney Council over a year ago by Labor councillor Meredith Burgmann.

Cr Doutney says she is making the submission to the BDA with the NSW Greens to progress this idea and ensure the Authority respects the cultural importance of the Barangaroo site.

“I mean they’ve name it Barangaroo after a very strong Aboriginal woman, how insulting if they don’t put something there,” she says.

A spokesperson from the BDA says they are currently engaged in an extensive consultation period about what should be included at the site but the Indigenous community do have an important role to play in the decision making process.

“Clearly there has been strong ideas and thoughts about an Indigenous cultural facility and that’s been supported by a lot of groups and obviously those suggestions are very welcome but no final decision has been taken as to the form and nature of the cultural facilities,” the spokesperson said.

“I think that Indigenous communities have a very important role in helping provide ideas and suggestions as to how and what shape these cultural facilities should take.”

Cr Doutney says there have been numerous calls for a centre of this kind but they do not go far enough.

“The National Trust have called for an Indigenous art gallery but that’s just not enough,” she said.

“Ultimately what I think should go there should be what the Aboriginals want to go in there and I can imagine that will include a number of different things.”