Municipal Association of Victoria raises country hall insurance cost concerns

While rural halls and their committees have been largely self-sufficient for more than a century, there remains an open question about insurance.

Country halls damaged by fire or flood are in an insurance no-man’s land, Victoria’s local government leader says.

More than 300 community halls statewide are ostensibly owned by the Victorian Government but receive little to no funding from state coffers, often relying on council handouts and self-generated funds.

Red Hill Public Hall recently held a fundraiser for the southwest Victorian hall. Pictured: Steph Gregory with her daughter Adaline, three-years-old and Lauren Moorfield, committee member. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Municipal Association of Victoria president David Clark said while hall committees have been largely self-sufficient for more than a century, questions over insurance have been raised.

The Pyrenees Shire mayor said it was an open question about who would fund the reconstruction of a state-owned hall in the event of a fire, flood or other structural damage.

“This question came up with our council only recently, but it’s an issue across the state. What happens if a hall, on crown land, is extensively damaged? Who pays for reconstruction?,” Cr Clark said.

“The guidelines on public liability are reasonably clear. But funding the reconstruction of a hall after a fire or other major damage, that’s a different question. The state government can pass the buck onto council, or they could say, ‘That hall isn’t used much, there’s no point rebuilding.’ It’s a grey area.”

The Weekly Times last month reported the financial pressures faced by community halls across regional Victoria.

Hall committees statewide were cash-strapped during the coronavirus years, as they were unable to host events due to coronavirus cancellations.

The Weekly Times again asked the office of Local Government Minister Melissa Horne how much state funding had been spent on the upkeep of Victoria’s rural halls either this year or last.

The Minister’s office again failed to answer.

The same questions were put to the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), which has control over 350 halls statewide.

DEECA did not specify how much had been spent on country halls either this financial year or in 2021-22.