Decision details

By Councillor Weldon

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         the recent NSW Government announcement that the Waterloo South redevelopment will comprise 50 per cent social and affordable homes, 15 per cent of which will be reserved for Aboriginal residents;

(ii)        the increase in social and affordable housing for the Waterloo South redevelopment has come about as a result of concerted resistance and advocacy led by the local community (with support from the City);

(iii)       in addition to the inclusion of Aboriginal housing, the Redfern Waterloo Aboriginal Affordable Housing Alliance have called for targets for Aboriginal employment in both the construction of and ongoing service provision in all government redevelopments in the Redfern Waterloo area;

(iv)       London Borough Councils promote local employments and skills opportunities through agreements (referred to as s106 agreements) with developers. Agreements generally involve obligations for developers to provide a number of employment and skills initiatives that benefit the local community. For major projects, this includes requirements that a certain proportion of people working on the construction of the development are local residents or that they create and fill a set number of jobs or apprenticeships for local residents as a proportion of development costs or area;

(v)        in the redevelopment of public housing estates in London, s106 agreements have provided return to work and youth employment pathways for tenants. Agreements generally include provisions for skills development and ongoing training as well as supported employment for local residents with accessibility needs and/or learning difficulties; and

(vi)       following this meeting, Councillor Weldon intends to write to relevant NSW Government Ministers regarding opportunities to implement local jobs initiatives as part of the proposed Waterloo Estate redevelopment; and

(B)       the Chief Executive Officer be requested to update Councillors via a CEO Update:

(i)         on how the City promotes local employment and skills opportunities, particularly with reference to community members who face barriers to ongoing employment;

(ii)        outlining options for the City to implement local employment and skills initiatives/targets through planning mechanisms for development on both public and private land and directly through the City’s capital works projects; and

(iii)       with recommendations for the City to promote local employment and skills opportunities through engagement (partnership and advocacy) with relevant NSW Government departments.

Note – at the meeting of Council, the content of the original Notice of Motion was varied by Councillor Weldon. Subsequently it was –

Moved by Councillor Weldon, seconded by Councillor Kok –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council affirm it’s ongoing commitment to promoting local jobs and training, noting:

(i)         one of the ten strategic directions in Sustainable Sydney 2050: Continuing the Vision is ‘an equitable and inclusive city’, which aims to ensure people can flourish and fully participate in the social, cultural and economic life the city has to offer, including through equitable access to education and learning opportunities;

(ii)        the City’s Eora Journey Economic Development Plan delivers a range of initiatives to create and maintain the conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our area to thrive as students, employees or business owners;

(iii)       the City’s Inclusion (Disability) Action Plan 2021-2025 sets out practical ways we can continue to create a more inclusive city, including by providing people with disability opportunities for participation and access to meaningful employment opportunities;

(iv)       the City supports the direct employment of people who face barriers to employment because of disability or cultural background through targeted positions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers, job seekers with a disability and refugee job seekers;

(v)        in June 2023, the Lord Mayor launched the City’s new Aboriginal Workforce Strategy, which is a deliverable from the City’s Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan that aims to make the City of Sydney an attractive workplace where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel welcome and encouraged to apply for roles; and

(vi)       Councillor Scott’s adopted motion for the City to employ more apprentices and trainees, promote opportunities for apprenticeships and traineeships within the Local Government Area and for the Chief Executive Officer to report biannually on the progress the City has made in this endeavour;

(B)       Council acknowledge the opportunity to implement local employment and skills opportunities and initiatives as part of the proposed Waterloo Estate redevelopment, noting:

(i)         the recent NSW Government announcement that the Waterloo South redevelopment will comprise 50 per cent social and affordable homes, 15 per cent of which will be reserved for Aboriginal residents;

(ii)        the increase in social and affordable housing for the Waterloo South redevelopment has come about as a result of concerted resistance and advocacy led by the local community (with support and planning from the City);

(iii)       in addition to the inclusion of Aboriginal housing, the Redfern Waterloo Aboriginal Affordable Housing Alliance have called for targets for Aboriginal employment in both the construction of, and ongoing service provision in, all government redevelopments in the Redfern Waterloo area. Council resolved to support this campaign in 2020;

(iv)       in the redevelopment of public housing estates abroad, local governments have established return to work and youth employment pathways for tenants;

(v)        in London, for example, Borough Councils promote local employments and skills opportunities through agreements (referred to as s106 agreements) with developers. The Agreements set obligations for developers to provide employment and skills initiatives that benefit the local community and generally include provisions for skills development and ongoing training and supported employment for local residents with accessibility needs and/or learning difficulties. For major projects, this includes requirements that a certain proportion of people working on the construction of the development are local residents, or that they create and fill a set number of jobs or apprenticeships for local residents as a proportion of development costs or area; and

(vi)       following this meeting, Councillor Weldon intends to write to relevant NSW Government Ministers regarding opportunities to implement local employment and skills initiatives and/or targets as part of the proposed Waterloo Estate redevelopment; and

(C)       the Chief Executive Officer be requested to update Councillors via CEO Update:

(i)         on how the City promotes local employment and skills opportunities, particularly with reference to community members who face barriers to ongoing employment;

(ii)        outlining options for the City to implement local employment and skills initiatives/targets for development on both public and private land and directly through the City’s capital works projects; and

(iii)       with recommendations for the City to promote local employment and skills opportunities through engagement (partnership and advocacy) with relevant NSW Government departments.

Carried unanimously.

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