Tuesday, 5 March 2024

Eastern Victoria Region

Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (13:04): (717) Local history groups play an important role in the life of our communities. They are custodians of invaluable information about the past, which forms the story and the identity of a district. In the last state budget the Victorian government cut funding to the Victorian community history movement, which is the umbrella organisation for about 350 other historical societies found in almost every suburb and every town across every electorate in Victoria. They were instead instructed to apply to the Community Support Fund. They are all manned by volunteers, and they run museums and research centres on the smell of an oily rag. They really struggle to stay afloat, and Public Record Office Victoria’s local history grants program was the only state funding across the sector. Will the Minister for Government Services commit to funding historical societies in next year’s budget to preserve the important work of the local historical societies?

The PRESIDENT: Particularly, Dr Heath, the ones in your electorate.