Staff laid off and programs set to halt at Sydney’s National Centre of Indigenous Excellence

A decision to shut down operations at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in the Sydney suburb of Redfern as of 8th August has resulted in reports that young Aboriginal staff at the facility have been offered "small amounts" of money to leave their roles quietly,

With programs at the facility set to halt next week, staff were notified of their terminations on Monday morning.

The property, which has operated on George Street for 16 years, is currently owned by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) after it was transferred from the Commonwealth's Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) on 30th June.

The ILSC is still in charge of running operations at the site.

Former NRL star Dean Widders told NITV News he got an anxious phone call from his son, Dean Jnr, an employee of the Centre, after he received the news.

Widders advised “he just got called into a meeting without any notice, any explanation, to say that his job is going to be gone in five days and he's not gonna have any work. He has to find out how he's going to survive for the next few months.”

Speaking from outside the Centre, Widders described how busloads of children were turning up to the NCIE for their afternoon programs only to be met with locked gates.

Gomeroi and Wiradjuri woman Margaret Haumono, co-founder and Chief Executive of not-for-profit Redfern Youth Connect, posted a video on the group's Instagram page from the scene.

Haumono told NITV News “a lot of the young Aboriginal kids were quite distressed this morning.

"They've been told to sign non-disclosure agreements. They've also been given a small amount to actually be redundant from their jobs as well. And I was quite distressing to walk into that."

Dean Widders said a parting offer of $500 was a slap in the face for his son, adding “that was to say 'keep your mouth shut, go away silently'. That was a bit of an insult to him, to say this is what your livelihood is worth.”

Natascha Haupt, who works admin at NCIE, said not one member of staff was aware of the shutdown, also telling NITV News “there was no community consultation, no talks with anyone about this. It's disrespectful.

"They're basically closing down the Centre, they gave us a letter that was stating the money they would give us depending on our salary, how long we've been there, how many hours we did - paying us out basically.”

With the facility dogged by rumours of poor management for much of its operational history, Shane Phillips, a regular user of the Centre, said communication from the ILSC has been "really poor" throughout the process and that community members felt "insulted."

Haumono said it was a surprise following a meeting with the NSWALC on Tuesday, noting “they assured us there would be a three-year waiting process and then an EOI would go out for the fitness and aquatic centre and the community would get the first option at the tender.

"This completely came out of the blue."

In a statement, the NSWALC said they will be seeking new management for the centre.

NSWALC’s Chairperson, Danny Chapman advised “we will be opening a process to secure a suitable third-party to manage the fitness and aquatic centre on the site.

"The process will be open to both community and industry to apply."

SBS News reported that the closure follows ILSC and NSWALC being unable to negotiate a mutual agreement about the business.

Both ILSC Chief Executive Joseph Morrison and NSWALC Chief Executive Yuseph Deen said, in a joint statement, that both organisations "worked together in good faith" to try and secure NCIE's future.

They advised “unfortunately, we have not been able to reach agreement on terms for ongoing support of the organisation and as a result, it will close. We are disappointed by the outcome and will work to support affected staff and community.”

Images: The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern will officially close next week (top, credit: Facebook), youth turning up for their afternoon programs yesterday at the NCIE were met with locked gates (middle, credit: Instagram/Redfern Youth Connect) and sport programs at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (below, credit: Facebook).