Alliance members sign Memorandum of Understanding.
The Alliance for Public Parklands group members have formalised their relationship to enable them to take a coalition approach to advocating for the common interests of the five parklands, and protecting and promoting the landscape, biodiversity, health and heritage values of the parklands.
The members signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 29 September 2021.
The MOU:
ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC PARKLANDS (APP) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING 29 SEPTEMBER 2021
PARTNERS:
Name: Blacktown & District Environment Group Inc (BDEG)
Incorporation No: 9874756
Incorporated: 13 July 2000
Address: PO Box 207, Doonside, NSW 2767
Telephone: 0491 156 268
Email: blacktowndeg@hotmail.com
Attention: Wayne Olling
Name: Centennial Park Residents’ Association (CPRA)
Address: c/- 43 Robertson Road, Centennial Park, NSW 2021
Telephone: 0402 248 447
Email: p.tzannes@optusnet.com.au
Attention: Peter Tzannes, Co-Chair, Julie Osborne, Co-Chair
Name: Friends of Callan Park Inc (FOCP)
Incorporation No: Y2925212
Incorporated: 1999
Address: PO Box 238, Rozelle, NSW 2039
Telephone: 0408 643 786
Email: focp.admin@gmail.com
Attention: Hall Greenland, President, Cynthia Nadai, Secretary
Name: Friends of Fernhill and Mulgoa Valley Inc (FFMV)
Incorporation No: 17 262 513 589
Incorporated: 27 February 2020
Address: 478 Mulgoa Road, Mulgoa, NSW 2745
Telephone: 0411 487 512
Email: president@ffmv.org.au
Attention: Dr Michael Barkley, President, Lisa Harrold, Public Officer
Name: North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group Inc (NPRAG)
Incorporation No: 1500383
Incorporated: 13 March 2015
Address: PO Box 748, Granville, NSW 2142
Telephone: 0412 990 880
Email: infonprag@gmail.com
Attention: Suzette Meade
RECITALS
A. An alliance of community groups representing the interests of their members and other citizens – Alliance for Public Parklands (APP) – has been formed in response to the NSW government’s creation of the Greater Sydney Parklands (GSP) entity and proposed legislation that will significantly impact current and future values and protections for the five iconic foundation parklands included in the GSP’s scope of management and responsibility.
B. As a result of a series of meetings and consultations amongst the APP group members, it has been agreed that the group will formalise their relationship and take a coalition approach to advocating for the common interests of the five parklands, and protecting and promoting the landscape, biodiversity, health and heritage values of the parklands.
C. The group has created a set of guiding principles which details priorities and key concerns of the Alliance. See below.
Governing law New South Wales
Date of agreement 29 September 2021
1. PURPOSE
The partners agree to work together to oppose any attempts by the Greater Sydney Parklands agency to sell off, commercialise or alienate the public lands contained within the five foundation parklands by way of development or by the granting of leases that will effectively privatise any or part of the parklands and diminish their environmental, social, cultural, health and heritage values to the public, including the tangible links to the past which connect parklands across generations.
Such a collaboration shall be referred to as the Alliance for Public Parklands (APP).
The partners agree to work together in good faith to achieve common goals and aims.
1.1 Guiding Principles of the Alliance for Public Parklands
The partners acknowledge the following statement of principles to guide their collaboration under this agreement.
The Alliance for Public Parklands is a coalition representing the interests of all 5 iconic parklands currently within the scope of the Greater Sydney Parklands (GSP) agency created by the Department of Planning, Industry & Environment.
Genuine community engagement, respect for biodiversity and heritage and a desire to restore the natural environment sit at the heart of our efforts.
Restoring trust. The approach taken by the government in the way that it created the GSP is harming public trust. A full and broad public consultation process on the future of our iconic parks should be undertaken to restore public trust.
A separate board and separate management are required for each parkland within the GSP. A “one size fits all” approach to managing these five great parklands is unworkable. Each park has its own unique site-specific challenges and management issues.
Any prospective legislation should protect against inappropriate development and sell-off. Privatisation by way of leases should be prohibited. Uses that exclude or alienate general public access should be discouraged.
The Alliance rejects vesting of Fernhill Estate in the Western Sydney Parklands Trust by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces in December 2020 and subjecting Fernhill Estate to 2% commercialisation under the provisions of the Western Sydney Parklands Act, its Trust and management, or any ensuing Trust acquiring ownership/management of Fernhill Estate.
The Alliance rejects the vesting of 62% of Callan Park into the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces in December 2020. The Callan Park (Special Provisions) Act 2002 should be respected and not changed. The Callan Park and Broughton Hall Trust should be created to manage 100% of the site.
Government has funding obligations such as funding for public services and facilities such as health, education and sport. Parklands are also essential to public health and should be funded accordingly by government. Self-funding models may encourage inappropriate land uses, diminish green and open spaces and negate heritage values. Board focus on self-generated funding will detract from its main purpose of providing parks for the people.
Trusts must be accountable to the community and Trustees should have relevant skills. Boards should have a range of skills including parkland management, cultural landscapes, biodiversity, ecology and heritage. First Nations must be represented. Each parkland should draw upon the expertise of other relevant agencies (Heritage NSW, National Trust, NPWS, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, etc.). The Boards should be balanced, fearless and free of conflicts of interest.
Genuine community representation and diversity must be built in. There needs to be genuine community participation through representation on Boards and Advisory Committees. Publications, especially Minutes of Board Meetings, must be provided in a timely fashion. Board Meetings should be open to the public.
There must be an explicit commitment to heritage and landscape protection in all of the parklands. Any legislation must commit to the conservation, protection and interpretation of natural and cultural values. New hardscaping which could negatively impact values should be avoided.
Biodiversity, ecological and wildlife habitats must be protected. As a nation we are failing to protect biodiversity. This is a key concern of the Australian public, particularly in the wake of devastating bushfires in 2019/20. In Greater Sydney, our fauna and flora are rapidly diminishing, especially on the Cumberland Plain. Conservation of these precious resources is imperative, and the parklands provide crucial zones and corridors for natural habitat.
2. COMMENCEMENT AND OPERATION
2.1 Commencement
This agreement commences when all partners have signed this Memorandum of Understanding.
2.2 Additional partners
Additional partners to this agreement may be added at the discretion of the Group, by majority agreement of the partners. Majority decisions must be Minuted and distributed to Authorised Officers of each partner to this MoU.
3. STRUCTURE OF THE ALLIANCE
a) The Alliance will be structured as a group of equal partners, with equal voting and decision-making status within the Group.
b) Only the Authorised Officer of each partner or their Authorised Delegate can vote, ie there will be one vote per partner.
In addition, the Group Convenor will be entitled to one vote.
c) Regular meetings of the group must be attended by a representative of each partner (list of Authorised Officers has been provided by each partner) OR by majority attendance, with a written ‘apology/approval to proceed’ of any absent members.
d) Minutes of each meeting will be taken and distributed to all partners, including absent members.
e) Within this structure, it is recommended that a Group Convenor be nominated, with responsibility for calling meetings and distributing Minutes to group members.
f) We nominate Katey Grusovin as inaugural Group Convenor. Responsibility for preparing Minutes is to be shared amongst the partners to this MOU.
g) Meetings will occur as required, at least bi-monthly.
h) A partner to the Alliance has the right to express their viewpoint under the name of their own organization, independent of the Alliance. This right applies to any instance where the Alliance viewpoint contradicts the partner’s constitution, charter, object or advocacy perspectives.
4. CONFIDENTIALITY
4.1 Disclosure of Confidential Information
No confidential information may be disclosed by any of the partners to any person except:
a) Representatives of the recipient of the confidential information or its Related Entities requiring the information for the purposes of this agreement (that is, with Executive members of each individual partner) or
b) With the consent of the partner who supplied the information which consent may be given or withheld in its absolute discretion; or
c) If any partner is required to do so by law.
4.2 Use of Confidential Information
A partner who has received confidential information from another under this agreement must not use it except for the purpose of exercising its rights or performing its obligations under this agreement.
5. TERMINATION
Clause 4 (“Confidentiality”) will survive termination (for whatever reason) of this agreement.
5.1 Right to terminate
Any partner has the right to terminate their participation in this agreement by notice in writing to the other partners, setting out reasons for the Termination.
6. MEDIA RELEASES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
A partner may not make media or other announcements or releases in the name of the Alliance and relating to this agreement and the dealings that are the subject of this agreement without the majority approval of the other partners.
7. DEFINITIONS
These meanings apply unless the contrary intention appears:
Partner means an organization that is a signatory to this MoU.
Authorised Officer means a person appointed by a Partner to act as an Authorised Officer for the purposes of this agreement.
Confidential Information means all confidential, non-public or proprietary information regardless of how the information is stored or delivered, exchanged between the partners before, on or after the date of this agreement relating to the business, technology or other affairs of the any partner.
Alliance means the partners listed within this document. Any subsequent partners to the Agreement will be listed in a revised version of this Agreement.
8. AUTHORISED OFFICERS
Blacktown & District Environment Group Inc: Wayne Olling – delegate Mark Fuller
Centennial Park Residents’ Association: Peter Tzannes – delegate Julie Osborne
Friends of Callan Park Inc: Hall Greenland – delegates Cynthia Nadai; Sue Steedman; Carole Allen; Roslyn Burge
Friends of Fernhill and Mulgoa Valley Inc: Michael Barkley – delegates Lisa Harrold; Pat Barkley
North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group Inc: Suzette Meade
Group Convenor: Katey Grusovin, 15 Virginia St,Kensington NSW 2033, M: 0414 520 383
