Culture

Victoria Is Pledging $15m For Our First Pride Centre, Continues To Put Other States To Shame

"Equality is not negotiable in Victoria."

by Meg Watson  21 April 2016

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Ahead of next week’s state budget, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced he will be allotting $15 million for the creation of an enormous “Pride Centre” in Melbourne. If that term is a little unfamiliar to you, it’s because this will be Australia’s first. The space will be dedicated to “LGBTI art and history, advisory, health and support services [all covered by Medicare] and community spaces to provide a safe social environment”.

The space will also be reportedly bigger than San Francisco’s LGBT community centre which seems to be an inspiration for the project. Considering Melbourne has more than four times the population to cater for, the size isn’t all that surprising. But it’s not exactly unimpressive either.

Exhibit #459853958275087 in San Francisco Pride.

Though many details are yet to be locked down in consultation with the LGBTI community, the news has been met with much acclaim. Volunteer group Rainbow Families has praised Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley and Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality Rowena Allen, and the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby have stated they’re “delighted at the announcement” (though underscoring the importance of continued funding to The Age).

This also comes off the back of a bunch more local initiatives concerning the LGBTI community. BuzzFeed News report the state budget will also include $6.4 million for an expansion of a gender dysphoria clinic at Monash Health to better cater to the transgender and gender diverse population. Premier Daniel Andrews has previously confirmed the Safe Schools program will continue unaltered despite considerable changes across the rest of the country and threats from federal politicians to cut it completely. And, at the end of next month, Andrews will be delivering a formal apology to the LGBTI community for the state’s prior laws against homosexual acts (laws which were changed just 35 years ago).

“When you consider that the LGBTI community has the highest rates of suicide of any population in Australia and experience significantly higher rates of mental health issues, our support for initiatives like the Price Centre is a small but critical step in creating better understanding in the community,” Andrews said. “Equality is not negotiable in Victoria.”