Logan Aldridge got the news his job was being terminated in the middle of a class at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in the inner-Sydney suburb of Redfern on Monday morning.
A day later, he was handing out sausage sandwiches and petitions to hundreds of supporters who flocked to the social enterprise centre to protest against the shock announcement that would close.
Aldridge, who had visited the centre for years before being employed there as a lifeguard and personal trainer, said he came to work thinking “everything was sweet”.
“They’d told us we had security, gave us contracts … reassured us,” he said.
“It’s hit a lot of people, especially some of my work colleagues who’ve been here for eight, 10 years. It’s unfair to me, it’s unfair to my culture, it’s unfair to my friends, my family that invested in this facility.
“There’s so many kids that come in here day in, day out, that don’t have the best lives at home, but they feel safe,” Aldridge said. “It keeps them off the streets, and it kept me off the streets.”
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
Sydney’s lord mayor, Clover Moore, said on Twitter she was “very concerned” about Monday’s snap announcement that the centre would close. She said she had requested an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the closure and how it could be kept open.
The hub has provided health and wellbeing services for Indigenous people in Sydney since 2006, including sport, fitness, conferences and community classes.
It employs about 50 people, mostly Indigenous.
The site had been owned since 2010 by the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, a federal statutory body which manages and acquires assets worth millions of dollars on behalf of Indigenous people, until the NSW Aboriginal Land Council took ownership on 30 June.
In a joint statement on Monday, the two bodies said they had worked in “good faith” to come to an agreement on how to continue services, which had been delivered by the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence Ltd, a subsidiary of the corporation.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach agreement on terms for ongoing support of the organisation and as a result it will close,” the statement read.
“We are disappointed by the outcome and will work to support affected staff and community.”
But on Tuesday a spokesperson for the land council said it had “nothing to do” with the staffing situation and it was the corporation’s decision to close the business with seven days’ notice.
The federal Indigenous affairs minister, Linda Burney, said she had spoken to the corporation’s leaders and the MP for Sydney, Tanya Plibersek, about the situation on Tuesday, and “strongly encouraged” the two bodies to come to a solution for the centre, which she called “the beating heart of the Aboriginal community in Redfern”.
A spokesperson for the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation said all operation decisions were ultimately at its discretion, but it was continuing to work with the land council to attempt to “broker an arrangement” where the site could continue to be used. They said discussions would remain ongoing with Burney’s office.
The @theNCIE is a vital centre of Indigenous excellence in the heart of Redfern - I stand alongside our communities with the strongest commitment to keep it open for the future. #NCIE pic.twitter.com/flaa0ppoGY
— Councillor Linda Scott (@ClrLindaScott) August 2, 2022
Trainer Jake Prindi has worked at the centre for the past six months, and was told he would have job security for at least a year-and-a-half.
“Then we’re told we’re being terminated in seven days,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting. “As a casual employee, it’s tough … but it was also shocking to think in an organisation like this it would happen,” he said.
Prindi said he and other casual employees were offered a four-week redundancy payment based on their average salary to sign a non-disclosure agreement. He refused.
“Our primary goal is to keep the space open,” he said. “We have 1,000 active members out there that use this facility. It’s a massive ripple effect.
“People have taken time off work, time off school to come here. We’re fighting for the rights of our community.”
The corporation said confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions were “consistent” with standard separation agreements issued in the past.
The former rugby league footballer Dean Widders has been integral to the centre for decades.
“If you come here any day, it’s about inspiration,” he said. “And it comes from everyone’s blood, sweat and tears that we all put in.
“It’s a safe place for Aboriginal people to come to and turn their lives around, to be surrounded by people with positivity … that’s why it’s important – this is where the kids can come together.”
Widders said no matter what the outcome, the Redfern community could be counted on to “put their lives on the line” for the space.
“We’re talking about the voice on a national stage,” he said.
“Today, you saw the voice in action. You heard the voice of kids in the community, of old women who are sick of being angry, being let down. If everyone’s serious about listening to the voice of Indigenous Australians, keep this place open.”
