Port Phillip council votes to paint $28K rainbow on St Kilda street

A 100m stretch of a St Kilda street will be painted in rainbow colours at a cost to ratepayers of almost $30,000, with the council saying it wants to support “diversity and inclusion”.

PORT Phillip council will spend $28,000 to paint a stretch of St Kilda road rainbow in support of “diversity and inclusion”.

Councillors last night unanimously voted in favour of the project, which will result in 100m of Jackson St — neighbouring the future Victorian Pride Centre on Fitzroy St — being splashed with the colours of the rainbow flag.

The four-day paint job is expected to start later this month.

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It comes almost a year after councillors unanimously voted to investigate painting four pedestrian crossings on Fitzroy St, home of the annual Pride March, in the gay pride colours as part of the council’s campaign for same-sex marriage.

Cr Louise Crawford said the rainbow road would ‘add a further bit of colour’ to Fitzroy St.

According to a council officer’s report, VicRoads did not consent to painting works on Fitzroy St last year “due to the political nature of the plebiscite debate”.

Jackson St is a council-managed road meaning no external consent is required to undertake the rainbow transformation.

Cr Louise Crawford said the colourful road would “add a further bit of colour” to Fitzroy St, which has in recent times been plagued by a serious downturn in trade.

“We are an electorate (Melbourne Ports) in which 83 per cent voted to support marriage equality so this (rainbow road) is a symbol of the kind of community we are and want to continue to be,” she said.

Cr Crawford also said it could be a boon for tourism, with people expected to flood social media with ‘selfies’ taken at the site.

Cr Marcus Pearl said the “power of the selfie” had convinced him to vote in favour of the project.

St Kilda Town Hall has previously been lit up in rainbow colours in support of the LGBTIQ community and marriage equality.

“I don’t think $28,000 necessarily represents great value for ratepayers’ money but you’ve convinced me on the back of the selfie culture,” he said.

Cr Andrew Bond, who called for the investigation into painting the pedestrian crossings last August, said it was “important for our community” to see a rainbow road next to the future Pride Centre.

The officer’s report said Jackson St was an appropriate location because it was a “highly visible site to people walking, bike riding, driving and using trams”.

Nearby businesses and residents affected by the upcoming works are expected to be notified in coming days but the council has assured local access to Jackson St will be maintained.