Tuesday, 21 March 2023

Australian National Academy of Music

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (13:17): I want to begin by congratulating the City of Port Phillip on its decision to support the Australian National Academy of Music in its ongoing occupation and revitalisation of the South Melbourne town hall, hopefully for the next 35 years. It is reported that if more support is provided, this could be for an even longer period. I should state that the last federal Liberal government awarded $12.5 million for the development of the project and that during the election campaign I was happy to say in an ArtsHub article:

One key national cultural institution, the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), based at the South Melbourne Town Hall, needs our support. We have committed $10 million as part of a package of support from local and national government that will support the refurbishment of the town hall as a long-term home for ANAM.

I was pleased at the time that:

John Daley, the Chair of the ANAM board, welcomed the commitment. ‘We are deeply grateful for this commitment by a future Liberals and Nationals Government in support of our vision to save the Town Hall, and thereby secure our place in this community for the next half century,’ he said.

ANAM is a very important institution. Indeed this chamber took a stand back in 2009, if I am not wrong by one or two years, which was very important in saving that critical institution. It is one of the few national institutions that is based here in Victoria. It is certainly an institution that we strongly support. Its very high standards are not replicated elsewhere in Australia.