Ash Bolt
The Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative will get a $15.6 million funding boost to its plans to redevelop its North Geelong site if Labor is elected at this month’s federal election.
Corio MP Richard Marles, Corangamite MP Libby Coker and Indigenous Australians shadow minister Linda Burney visited the Morgan Street site on Thursday, April 28 to announce the commitment.
The Co-operative supports a community of more than 3500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people “from birth to dreaming”, chief executive Simon Flagg said, and had outgrown its current facility.
It has planned a $26 million redevelopment of the site that would allow the service to expand and bring together an early years centre, meeting space, a hospitality area and additional health consulting rooms.
“This is about creating more than just an organisation where [the community] comes to get a service from – it’s about creating a home where community can come together and really get all its cultural needs met, be together, connect, and get the best support,” he said.
“This new building will help us achieve that.
“The key purpose of this building is to give our community a place to come connect, gather, learn about culture, strengthen our community, and have a place where community can call home, but also to help the wider Geelong community know we are here and celebrate the rich Aboriginal culture we have as a community.”
Mr Marles said he was proud to support the development.
“This investment will not only ensure that the Wathaurong Co-operative can meet the increasing demand but create a modern hub that will provide essential culturally appropriate services to the Indigenous community,” he said.
“Geelong is growing and the First Nations population in Geelong is growing with it. This building has been fantastic for the Wadawurrung people and the Indigenous community of Geelong, but the population has outgrown it.
“We really need to see a new centre.
“The work that the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-op have done in in presenting this proposal, in having a vision for what they want this to be, what they want their community to be, what they want their organization to be in the future … is really exciting.
“So we’re really pleased to be able to support it with this announcement.”
The Co-operative appointed architect Woods Bagot to design the redevelopment in February and Mr Flagg said he expected that process would be completed by July or August.
“We’re finalising our design to make sure the community and the organisation really drive that – it’s designed to be culturally appropriate in the way we need it,” he said.
He said the organisation was also looking for further grant and philanthropic funding for the project.
It had already secured $2.4 million from the state government.
