Port Phillip Council will make bid for multimillion-dollar Pride Centre
PORT Phillip Council will make a “significant” bid to snare Australia’s first Pride Centre.
Inner South
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PORT Phillip Council will make a “significant” bid to snare Australia’s first Pride Centre.
The State Government earlier this year pledged $15 million for the centre, which will house Victorian LGBTI organisations and health and support services.
It will be similar to San Francisco’s LGBT Community Centre and will showcase LGBTI art and history.
It is not yet known how much the council will fork out in the hope of securing the centre but a report indicates a “significant council contribution” would be needed.
The council has remained tight-lipped on its preferred location for the centre. It says releasing the details could jeopardise its competitive edge.
The council’s organisational performance manager, Chris Carroll, said the it is likely to be vying against “quite good proposals” from neighbouring councils.
“This is a competitive process ... and there is some (confidential) information regarding the site to protect or enhance our competitive position as much as possible,” he said.
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It is understood Melbourne and Yarra councils will also make a bid for the centre.
Cr Serge Thomann said there was “no better location than St Kilda” for the hub, based on the suburb’s history of inclusiveness.
“I don’t believe there is another place in Melbourne more suited,” he said.
Cr Jane Touzeau said Port Phillip had “the right history and ommunity” to support the project.
The first Pride March in St Kilda, in 1996, drew 11,000 people.
It followed the closure of the Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, where HIV and AIDS patients received care, and the 1994 Tasty nightclub raid, when police detained 463 patrons for about seven hours and stripsearched them.
These days the march attracts up to 50,000 people, including AFL footballers and celebrities.
The council must submit its bid to the State Government by September 30.
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