Newtown Pride Centre: Inner West Council can’t find LGBTIQ group to run it
Sydney’s much-hyped first Pride Centre looks dead in the water four years after it was flagged with confidential documents suggesting nobody wants to run it.
Inner West
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A four-year promise by a Sydney council to build the city’s first, multimillion-dollar “pride centre” is at risk of becoming a dud because it still can’t find an LGBTIQ+ group to take it on.
Confidential documents seen by the Inner West Courier detail how no group put forward a proposal to start the much-hyped Pride Centre at Newtown Town Hall despite its announcement being lauded by the community.
According to the documents, the only approach by the House of Pride and Empowerment was deemed “nonconforming” and thrown out because it was not submitted in line with criteria.
The Pride Centre has been lingering around meeting agendas at Inner West Council since 2017 and was heralded as a major win for Sydney’s LGBTIQ+ communities when it was first announced.
It is due to open in 2023.
Councillors and Mayor Darcy Byrne praised it as one of their major achievements but four years on the council has failed to find a tenant for the project over financial “uncertainty” surrounding the plans.
“Council officers will conduct a councillor briefing on the potential options for Pride Centre operations,” the confidential report said.
“Including discussions with local LGBTIQ organisations that had expressed interest in the Pride Centre but did not submit an expression of interest.
“Based on direct feedback from community groups and staff observations there were several possible reasons for the low response rate including … funding sources were unknown including no financial support from council.”
Estimates for the project have been rumoured to be between $2 million and $4 million.
One plan in recent years bizarrely – and potentially illegally – proposed that police be banned from attending the facility.
A previous report into the pride centre called for a “POC (Person of Colour)-centred space”, and for staff to have “anti-colonialist and feminist values”.
Newtown Town Hall’s long-time occupants the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre moved out last year in anticipation of renovations for the Pride Centre finally becoming a reality but those plans look almost dead in the water.
It’s understood an unrelated organisation has now pitched to council instead to turn the town hall into a medical facility that would have “discreet consultations” and abandon the Pride Centre.
The dire situation was due to be debated behind closed doors in confidential session at Inner West Council on Tuesday night.
“There’s been too much stagnation to this the idea was put together before the last federal election and still nothing,” Jake Lewis said at the meeting.
“In times like these we really need to bring people together so they have safe place.”
Another resident pleaded with councillors to stop delaying the pride centre while NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby member Jake Whitney said local groups were willing to work on the plans with them.
“The pride centre was a great initiative,” he said.
“I want to reiterate the gay and lesbian rights lobby supports the pride centre.”
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