NOTICE OF Council MEETING
PUBLIC SUPPLEMENTARY
AGENDA - B
An Ordinary Meeting of City of Parramatta Council will be held in PHIVE COUNCIL CHAMBER AT 5 PARRAMATTA SQUARE, PARRAMATTA on Monday, 22 May 2023 at 6:30PM.
Gail Connolly
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Council 22 May 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM SUBJECT PAGE NO
8 Minutes of the Lord Mayor
8.1 Visit of His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi Prime Minister of the Republic of India............................................................................................................. 3
8.2 Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week....................................... 5
After the conclusion of the Council Meeting, and if time permits, Councillors will be provided an opportunity to ask questions of staff.
Council 22 May 2023 Item 8.1
ITEM NUMBER 8.1
SUBJECT Visit of His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi Prime Minister of the Republic of India
REFERENCE F2022/03176 - D08987726
REPORT OF Lord Mayor
CSP THEME: WELCOMING
workshop/briefing date: Nil
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this Lord Mayoral Minute is to welcome His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to the City of Parramatta during his scheduled visit to Australia in May 2023.
Recommendation:
(a) That Council acknowledge the Lord Mayor’s correspondence sent on 21 April 2023 to His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, inviting His Excellency to visit the City of Parramatta during his stay in Sydney in May 2023.
(b) Further, that Council welcomes the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia and His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to the City of Parramatta and acknowledge the event to be held on 23 May 2023 at the Qudos Bank Arena located in Sydney Olympic Park.
BACKGROUND
1. Council passed a resolution at the Council Meeting held on 11 April 2023 that supported the objective to make the ‘Little India’ precinct in Harris Park a national and international destination and its invitation to the Prime Minister of India to visit ‘Little India’ in May 2023.
2. Council resolved a Lord Mayoral Minute at the Council Meeting held on 24 April 2023 to:
a. reaffirm its commitment to the precinct in Harris Park colloquially known as ‘Little India’, and to
b. invite His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to the City of Parramatta to lay a foundation stone at the Gateway entrance to the precinct to commemorate the establishment of the ‘Little India’ precinct in Harris Park.
3. On 21 April 2023, the Lord Mayor sent a letter to His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, inviting His Excellency to visit the City of Parramatta during his stay in Sydney in late May 2023.
4. His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India is scheduled to visit New South Wales for a Bilateral Meeting with the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minster of Australia, in late May 2023.
5. This meeting follows Prime Minister Albanese’s State Visit to India from 8 to 11 March 2023. Reaffirming the strength of the bilateral ties that have deepened under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in June 2020, and based on the foundation of mutual trust, shared democratic values, common interests and strong people-to-people ties, both Prime Ministers held the 1st Annual Australia-India Summit in New Delhi on 10 March 2023.
6. On behalf of the City of Parramatta, the Lord Mayor invited His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to unveil a ceremonial stone commemorating the establishment of the ‘Little India’ precinct which will be placed in an important location at the Gateway to the Harris Park precinct.
7. Council welcomes the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia and His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, to the City of Parramatta, noting the event to be held on 23 May 2023 at the Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. The Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and a number of Councillors have been invited to the event to represent the City of Parramatta Council.
8. The plaque will be jointly dedicated by His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India and the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minster of Australia during the event to be held at the Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park on 23 May 2023.
9. The City of Parramatta, particularly the suburb of Harris Park, is the epicentre of the Indian diaspora in New South Wales. It is renowned as a thriving, dynamic, multicultural hub, home to authentic Indian eateries and a variety of Indian themed shops selling colourful saris, glittering jewellery and spices.
10. The Council wishes both the Prime Minister of India and Prime Minister of Australia every success during this Bilateral Meeting and looks forward to strengthening the ongoing bonds of friendship between our great nations.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL
11. There are no new financial implications for Council as a result of this Lord Mayoral Minute.
Lord Mayor
There are no attachments for this report.
ITEM NUMBER 8.2
SUBJECT Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week
REFERENCE F2022/03176 - D08983725
REPORT OF LORD MAYOR
CSP THEME: WELCOMING
workshop/briefing date: Nil
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this Lord Mayoral Minute is to recognise National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2023) and to honour the legacy of the Stolen Generations on Sorry Day (26 May 2023).
Recommendation:
(a) That Council recognise National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2023) and honour the legacy of the Stolen Generations on Sorry Day (26 May 2023).
(b) That Council note City of Parramatta’s Warami Festival from 26 May-8 July 2023, featuring First Nations focused events and activities held during National Sorry Day, National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week.
(c) Further, that Council acknowledge City of Parramatta’s ongoing work to develop a First Nations Strategy.
(d) Finally, that, upon completion of the First Nations Strategy, the Lord Mayor write to the Hon. Linda Burney MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon. David Harris MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty as well as all State and Federal Members of Parliament within the City of Parramatta.
BACKGROUND
1. City of Parramatta Council’s Warami Festival celebrates 60,000 years of First Nations culture with a program of events and activities from 26 May-8 July 2023. This includes opportunities to commemorate National Sorry Day (26 May 2023) and celebrate National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2023) and NAIDOC Week (2 – 9 July 2023).
2. Calling Parramatta home for over 60,000 years, Warami celebrates the Burramattagal clan of the Darug people’s connection to the land and community. Warami, a Darug word meaning ‘good to see you’, also enables people from diverse backgrounds to immerse themselves in the culture and traditions of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
3. National Sorry Day, or the National Day of Healing, is an annual event that has been held in Australia on 26 May since 1998. Warami Festival begins with National Sorry Day on Friday 26 May from 10am-2pm to honour the contribution and legacy of the Stolen Generations. The gathering at Old Government House will feature a Welcome To Country and Smoking Ceremony, workshops, performance and storytelling.
4. Warami Festival also showcases First Nations arts, music, culture and heritage with:
a. ‘The River: Burramatta to Cockatoo’, a new exhibition at Old Government House,
b. ‘The River Can Tell A Story’, a mixed media commissioned artwork by Dennis Golding, and
c. Riverside Theatres performances from indie-pop/dance outfit PIRRA and digeridoo-violinst duo Heartland.
5. The Festival finishes with Burramatta NAIDOC Day on 8 July from 10am-4pm in The Crescent, Parramatta Park. Residents and visitors can enjoy food, live music, dances and stories, traditional arts and crafts workshops and a range of market stalls. The theme for 2023 National NAIDOC Week is ‘For Our Elders’, an acknowledgement of the role our Elders have played, and continue to play, in our communities and families.
6. On 28 March 2022, Council resolved to support Constitutional Recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the key principles of the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’. Following a Lord Mayoral Minute on 22 June 2022, the Lord Mayor wrote to the then new Federal Members of Parliament expressing City of Parramatta’s support of this.
7. In consultation with City of Parramatta’s First Nations Advisory Committee, mob, community and stakeholders, City of Parramatta Council are working to develop a First Nations Strategy that will go out to public exhibition later this year.
8. Should Council affirmatively resolve this Lord Mayoral Minute, the Lord Mayor will write to the Hon. Linda Burney MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon. David Harris MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty as well as all State and Federal Members of Parliament within the City of Parramatta regarding the completed First Nations Strategy.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL
9. There are no new financial implications for Council as a result of this Lord Mayoral Minute.
Lord Mayor
There are no attachments for this report.