A proposal to open a $3 million 24-hour McDonald’s in Redfern was unanimously rejected by the City of Sydney planning panel on 15th May.
The panel heard the case after the City of Sydney local council received 269 objections, and a mere 17 supportive submissions, for the McDonalds.
Many opponents pointed to the proximity of the proposed site to Indigenous community services, including the Aboriginal Medical Service, which operates just a few streets away. The site is also close to social housing estates in Redfern and Waterloo, which house up to 3,000 residents.
Daniel Munro and La Toya Pinner, co-chairs of the council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel, strongly opposed the development, citing concerns about encouraging worsening existing health disparities.
The council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory panel were concerned that there was “no consultation with the Aboriginal community” from the proposal’s developers. The panel fears the McDonalds will undermine strong local efforts to address health concerns, especially in Redfern’s Indigenous community.
Honi spoke with Dr Sisi Jia, Research Fellow and recent PhD graduate from the USyd Faculty of Medicine and Health, about these health concerns.
Jia commented: “First Nations people and communities face a disproportionately high prevalence of CVD [cardiovascular disease]… Research has shown that the dietary intake of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is low in fruits and vegetables and high in total sugar and energy-dense, nutrient-poor food and beverages.
“These inadequacies in diet are influenced by socioeconomic, environmental, and geographic factors that determine the availability and accessibility to healthy and affordable food.”
McDonalds is the most common takeaway franchise on Uber Eats, with the algorithm favouring McDonalds in search results over other options. Many locals and experts had concerns over how Uber Eats from McDonalds would contribute negatively to the community by increasing e-bikes on the road, traffic, and easy access to unhealthy food.
Additionally, the Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) data shows that Redfern is an area with increasingly high wealth inequality. Given the mixed demographic of Redfern, with 17 per cent of the suburb occupied by social housing amidst expensive and quickly-gentrifying terraces, economic status between neighbours may vary vastly.
The local council also raised concerns about the fact that wealthier areas in Sydney have more access to healthy food. This often leaves comparatively low socio-economic areas like Redfern captured by fast food restaurants, at a disadvantage to the health of an already-vulnerable community.
