Sports centre a sign of self-determination

BY ANNE VON FEHRN

The National Indigenous Development Centre (NIDC) is the biggest project ever undertaken by the Indigenous Land Council (ILC), a Federal Government body helping indigenous people acquire and manage land.

The site will feature various top class sports facilities, as well as offering ongoing mentorship and education for indigenous children.

“We want to create long term educational, social and cultural benefits for Indigenous people,” said ILC manager David Galvin.

But Mick Mundine of the Aboriginal Housing Company said the ILC has left a lot of unanswered questions. “In the actual planning document, the wording leaves too much room to the question whether the centre will remain under indigenous control,” he said.

While Mick Mundine has welcomed the Redfern sports centre, he says the ILC has to come clean about its long-term intentions. “Why is there no asset management plan in place yet’ The only developers that don’t have such a plan are the ones that actually intend to sell the project once it’s finished,” he said.

David Galvin has rejected those claims, saying a detailed maintenance plan will be ready by the time the centre opens. “The ILC has no intentions to sell this property,” he said.

Meanwhile, other community voices are coming out in support of the ILC. Millie Ingram of the Wyanga Elders Group in Redfern said speculation about the ILC’s intentions was damaging.

“The ILC is an organisation for Aboriginal people to own land and facilities and that’s what they have to make sure is what happens when the process is finished,” she said. She added that other ILC projects such as the aged care facility in Redfern are run in the true spirit of self-determination.