Melbourne ratepayers fund rich-lister Naomi Milgrom’s MPavilion project

A Melbourne exhibition by one of Australia’s richest women has been slammed as an “inner-city elite obsession” after getting $3.5m in funding over several years.

This year’s MPavilion architecture installation. Picture: Getty Images

Inner-city ratepayers are set to stump up an extra $700,000 for an architecture installation presented by one of Australia’s richest women.

The City of Melbourne has given the Naomi Milgrom Foundation about $3.5m since 2013 to help stage the annual MPavilion exhibition in Queen Victoria Gardens.

Dubbed the nation’s leading architectural commission and design event, it attracts a who’s who of Melbourne’s arts and architecture scene.

Foundation founder Naomi Milgrom, who controls retail brands such as Sussan and Sportsgirl, is estimated to have a net worth of at least $900m.

Deborah Cheetham, Naomi Milgrom, Danny Pearson and Lord Mayor Sally Capp during the MPavilion opening. Picture: Getty Images

It was recently reported that Ms Milgrom and her children donated $500,000 to the Climate 200 initiative operated by fellow rich-lister Simon Holmes à Court.

Climate 200 backs “independent” candidates to run against federal MPs in inner city Liberal Party-held seats like Goldstein in Melbourne.

On Tuesday, city councillors will vote whether to approve an extra $700,000 in ratepayer funding to the Milgrom foundation to extend the MPavilion program by two years.

At a similar council meeting in 2018, then deputy lord mayor Arron Wood praised Ms Milgrom’s “generous” contribution, but argued against further funding the program until 2021-22.

“It’s delivered a lot for Melbourne, but $3.5m (over eight years) is a very, very large sum … no matter how much it’s delivering,” he said at the time.

Then councillor Beverley Pinder said the money would be better spent on projects such as homelessness services.

Institute of Public Affairs spokesman Evan Mulholland said it was disgraceful to spend such funds on “inner-city elite obsessions”.

Melbourne businesswoman Naomi Milgrom is one of the nation’s richest women.

“It shows Melbourne City Council’s warped priorities, small businesses have been devastated by lockdowns over the past two years, and this is how they spend ratepayers’ money,” he said.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said MPavilion was an iconic Melbourne initiative, “which creates a spectacular summer meeting place for events and re-energises the cultural life of our city”.

“The City of Melbourne is a long-time supporter of this program, and each year we’re inspired by the design of the new pavilion and the creative collaboration it encourages,” she said.

“We know MPavilion draws people to Melbourne. Over the past seven years, it’s attracted more than 645,000 people to the city for nearly 3000 free events, and visitation continues to grow.“

“Pavilion designs have also won design awards both locally and internationally.”

The 2021 MPavilion by Venice-based MAP Studio is called The LightCatcher.

The Naomi Milgrom Foundation’s chair is a former chief executive of the City of Melbourne, Dr Kathy Alexander.