Boost for Town Hall

By Alex Dalziel

As part of the recent federal budget, former Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield has committed to helping restore the South Melbourne Town Hall.

Before its collapse last year, the heritage South Melbourne Town Hall was home to the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM).

The budget will see $12.5 million go toward the restoration and refurbishment of the building, which is expected to cost a total of $30 million.

“The academy is both an internationally-recognised training institution and a jewel in the community. This funding will secure the academy’s vision and place in Melbourne for the next 50 years,” Minister Fifield said.

The federal contribution is contingent on matching funding from the Victorian Government. In addition, ANAM has raised $5 million of its own for the project and has partnered with the City of Port Phillip to complete the restoration.

Directors at ANAM plan to use the money to modernise the venue into a hub for live performances and community and cultural events.

Chair of the ANAM board Ian McRae said: “ANAM is grateful to the Commonwealth Government for joining with us and our other stakeholders to realise our vision for ANAM’s future in the South Melbourne Town Hall, and to significantly upgrade the opportunities for community use of this important building.”

“The catastrophic events of last October and November brought us to a profound realisation: this beautiful but broken building requires significant financial investment in order to ensure that ANAM may have a home that supports its current spectacular national and international trajectory. With the Commonwealth’s commitment, we can now begin to plan”.

On October 18 last year, a large section of the roof in the office area of the South Melbourne Town Hall suddenly collapsed, narrowly missing two staff members working at their desks.

This was followed three weeks later by another section of the roof in another part of the building collapsing onto a staff member’s workstation, which forced the building’s closure.