澳华总工会发公开信，欲抵制Eastwood“韩国城”项目

近日，悉尼西北Eastwood区“韩国城”项目在华人社区引发热议。澳大利亚华人总工会执委会近期召集专业人士讨论有关情况，并计划申请法院禁令暂缓“韩国城”项目。

此外，澳大利亚华人总工会还发表了一封致莱德市全体市民的公开信，呼吁更多民众关注此事。

澳大利亚华人总工会致莱德市全体市民公开信全文如下：

莱德市全体市民：

今日澳洲2023年7月19日报道，为庆祝悉尼西北Eastwood区“韩国城”项目的正式启动，上周在一间韩国酒吧举办庆典活动。

记者早先得知，“韩国城”命名一事曾在当地社区引发争议。有华人居民称感到不公，批判此举为“偷窃”；也有西人居民表示，有分裂社区之嫌，恐“影响族裔团结”。

项目动议发起人之一以及“韩国城” 项目工作组主席、韩裔议员Daniel Han接受了今日澳洲App记者的采访，就此前社区中出现的反对之声做出回应。

他说，“我不认为这是分裂社区，‘韩国城’带来的利好会像 ‘泡沫’一样蔓延整个社区。”。

针对这一局势，澳大利亚华人总工会执委会近期召集包括法律，会计以及城市规划等有关方面的专业人士组成城市发展组开会讨论有关情况，得出有关专业意见，现在公开发布如下：

1. 城市规划和设计：这种类型的项目可能需要遵循具有法律约束力的规划法规。

如果” 韩国城” 的设立对周边的基础设施，如道路、公共设施或整个社区结构产生影响，可能需要符合某些城市规划流程。

在这样的流程中，公众的反馈和评审可能是必要的。

目前DA的审批权已经由city council转移到第三方的planning panel, 同样的， city council是否有审批social planning的权限。

2. 平等权利和反歧视法规：如果” 韩国城” 的设立对华人社区或其他种族社区产生不公平的影响，可能会涉及平等权利和反歧视法的问题，反歧视法阻止在公共生活的许多方面基于种族、国籍或民族而进行的歧视。

而且该项目有可能把韩裔社区与主流社区以及其他民族社区隔离的隐患，对韩裔社区的发展有可能存在不利影响。

3. 商业法规：如果” 韩国城” 的设立对商业运营产生了影响，比如改变了某些商业法规或许可证的状态，可能需要在商业法律方面进行深入探讨。

4. 公众参与和透明度：在大多数民主社区中，公众对于大型项目的决策有着发言权。如果政府没有提供适当的公众咨询和政治协商，或者决策过程不够透明，可能会引发法律问题。

5. 合规的执行团队：“韩国城” 项目工作组主席和副主席都是韩裔议员，在项目的实施过程中存在行政失当的隐患。

6. 程序正义：“韩国城” 项目也许是一个不坏的方案，我们并不明确反对，但是在审批过程中缺乏必须的正当的程序。同时，我们也没有在媒体报道中看到韩国社区在Eastwood持续举办过韩国社区的大型民族社区活动，我们看到的是一年一度的青苹果节，一个民族社区的称呼都是历史的积淀自然形成的，“韩国城” 项目让人感觉到是两个韩国市议员人为催生的。

7.非本地韩裔文化展示：“韩国城”地标牌上方为牌坊形状，辅以英韩双语标注。此外，垃圾桶上也出现韩国国花木槿花图案和韩文介绍。既然是澳大利亚的领土，为什么要有其他国家的国花图案？

8.漠视民意以及行政失当：Ryde city council明知道 “韩国城” 项目存在争议却没有暂停施工，并开展广泛的听证会和政治协商，是否存在行政失当？

9.不可逆转的影响：Eastwood“韩国城”的命名势必会对有关商业投资，人口流动，教育，就业以及房地产的价格等一系列走向产生不可逆转的影响，在项目批准之前，有关方面是否做了相应的评估报告并公之于众？

针对这一情况，澳大利亚华人总工会城市发展组联合托洛茨基平台联合发起莱德市城市发展论坛，邀请包括韩裔社区组织在内的各方面的社区以及专业人士及组织参加，就“韩国城” 项目以及其他有关城市发展项目进行讨论并采取相应行动：

1. 申请法院禁止令，要求暂缓“韩国城” 项目的施工。

2. 要求Ryde city council以及州政府举行听证会和政治协商会。

3. 要求州政府和联邦政府任命独立调查委员会做相关调查。

4. 组建包括律师，会计师，城市规划师，民俗专家等专业人士的专业团队，组织编制有关评估报告并提交有关方面。

5. 一切有必要的法律和社区行动。

我们诚挚邀请所有市民参加我们的正义行动！

联合秘书处

[email protected]

An open letter to all citizens of Ryde City

Dear Citizens of Ryde City,

On July 19, 2023, Australia Today reported the official launch celebration of the "Korea Town" project in Eastwood, Northwest Sydney. The event took place at a Korean bar last week. However, the naming of "Korea Town" has sparked controversy within our local community. Some Chinese residents feel it is unfair and criticize it as "stealing," while some Western residents are concerned about potential community division and its impact on ethnic unity. Daniel Han, a Korean Australian and one of the initiators of the project, who is also the chairman of the "Korea Town" project working group and a Ryde City Councilor, responded to the opposition by stating that he believes the project will not divide the community and that its benefits will spread like a "bubble" encompassing the entire community.

In response to this situation, the executive committee of the Australian Chinese Workers Association recently gathered professionals in legal, accounting, and urban planning to form an urban development panel. The purpose was to discuss the situation and provide relevant professional opinions, which are now publicly released as follows:

1.Urban planning and design: Projects of this nature may be subject to legally binding planning regulations. If the creation of a "Koreatown" impacts surrounding infrastructure, such as roads, public facilities, or the overall community structure, specific urban planning processes may be required. During this process, public feedback and review may be necessary. Currently, the approval right of DA (Development Application) has been transferred from the city council to a third-party planning panel. Similarly, the authority of the city council to approve social planning needs further clarification.

2.Equal rights and anti-discrimination statutes: The establishment of "Koreatown" could potentially adversely affect Chinese or other ethnic communities, raising concerns about equal rights and anti-discrimination laws that prohibit racial, national, or ethnic discrimination in various aspects of public life. Moreover, the project might lead to isolation of the Korean community from the mainstream and other ethnic communities, possibly impacting the development of the Korean community.

3.Business Regulations: The establishment of "Koreatown" may have implications on business operations, such as changes in certain business regulations or permits, which would necessitate further exploration within the realm of business laws.

4.Public Participation and Transparency: In most democratic communities, the public plays a crucial role in decisions concerning large projects. Legal issues may arise if the government fails to provide adequate public consultation, political negotiation, and transparent decision-making processes.

5.Compliance executive team: Given that the chairman and vice-chairman of the "Korea Town" project working group are both Korean, there may be hidden risks of improper administration during the project's implementation.

6.Lack of Proper Procedures: While the "Korea Town" project may not be inherently flawed, we donot expressly oppose it. However, we have not observed continuous large-scale ethnic community activities by the Korean community in Eastwood, as reported in the media, while Eastwood has Grany SmithFestival by all the communities annually . Ethnic community names are usually formed organically through historical accumulation, and the "Korea Town" project might give the impression that it was artificially conceived by two Korean councilors.

7.Cultural Representations: The "Korea Town" landmark's archway shape, bilingual labels in English and Korean, and the presence of hibiscus flowers, the national flower of the Republic of Korea, on street trash bins in Eastwood have raised questions about the use of national symbols from other countries on Australian territory.

8.Potential Maladministration: The Ryde city council was aware of the controversy surrounding the "Korea Town" project but did not suspend construction or take other relevant actions. Additionally, extensive hearings and political consultations and negotiations were not conducted, leading to concerns about possible maladministration.

9.Irreversible Impact: The naming of Eastwood as "Korea Town" will inevitably influence various trends related to business investment,migration, eudcation, employment, and real estate prices and so on. Before approving the project, has the relevant party conducted a corresponding evaluation report and made it publicly available?

In response to the current situation, the Urban Development panel of the Australian Chinese Workers Association and the Trotsky platform have jointly initiated the Ryder City Development Forum. We invite communities, professionals, and organizations from all relevant parties, including Korean community organizations, to engage in discussions concerning the "Korea Town" project and other related urban development projects. We also urge you to take the following actions:

1.Apply for a court injunction to suspend the construction of the "Korea Town" project.

2.Demand that the Ryde city council and the state government hold hearings and political negotiations.

3.Request the state and federal governments to appoint an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the matter.

4.Form a professional team consisting of lawyers, accountants, urban planners, folklorists and other experts to compose relevant evaluation reports and submit them to relevant parties.

5.Undertake all necessary legal and community actions.

We sincerely invite all citizens to join us in the pursuit of justice!

Joint Secretariat

[email protected]

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