Tuesday, 27 August 2024

Bills

Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Repeal Bill 2024

Declared private

The PRESIDENT (14:01): Having had the opportunity to examine this bill, I am of the opinion that it is a private bill.

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (14:01): I move:

That the bill be dealt with as a public bill.

Motion agreed to.

Second reading

Debate resumed on motion of Harriet Shing:

That the bill be now read a second time.

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (14:02): I am pleased to be able to rise to speak to the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Repeal Bill 2024, as this institution is in my electorate of Southern Metropolitan Region. My colleague the Honourable Peter Walsh in his contribution gave a fantastic history around what the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute has done over many, many years. As this bill highlights – it is a very simple bill; it is an administrative bill – the purpose of the bill is to repeal the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Act 1899; dissolve the Prahran Mechanics’ Institution and Circulating Library, or the PMI circulating library, incorporated and established by the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Act 1899; and provide for the transfer of property rights and liabilities to the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute’s successor body, and that is the PMI Victorian History Library Incorporated, which is an incorporated association under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012.

We are looking at this from legislation back in not the last century but the century before the last century, and as I said, Mr Walsh gave a fabulous account of the history around the mechanics institutes and how they came into being and what the purpose of them was. Really in the modern day they are adult education centres, and they have provided a huge amount of advice and information and education to the community during those years.

Of course 1899 was in the era of Marvellous Melbourne, when our city absolutely had developed an international reputation as one of the greatest cities in the world. It was given that title ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ by a very well known London journalist George Augustus Sala. He visited and saw what was happening in Melbourne, and the history around that period is quite extraordinary. And of course we are in this Parliament that was built off the back of the gold rush, when our city was great and there was an absolute boom in Victoria – quite the contrast to what we are experiencing now. And if you look at this chamber – this beautiful, ornate chamber that we have the privilege of sitting in – it was around that time that this Parliament was built, and this chamber itself is understood to be one of the most ornate and most beautiful parliamentary chambers in the world. Anyone who comes to visit our Parliament does see our Parliament and understands the history or we tell them the history around that period. It was a very important period for the state of Victoria, and it did set up an enormous amount. As I said, we were known as Marvellous Melbourne and had that reputation of one of the greatest cities in the world. In recent years our reputation has been tarnished by us having been the longest locked down city in the world. Look at the demise that we are in given the Allan Labor government’s decisions around –

Michael Galea: On a point of order, Acting President, I am sure Ms Crozier will get to it, but I would be very curious to know of what relevance this has to the bill at hand.

Georgie CROZIER: On the point of order, Acting President, as my colleague Mr Walsh was giving some history, I too was giving some context around 1899 when the actual institute act came into being and talking about how fabulous Melbourne was and what a contrast we have today. But I will return to the bill.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jeff Bourman): I will partially uphold the point of order. Lead speakers are given wideranging abilities, but if we could stick to the bill, that would be awesome.

Georgie CROZIER: Thank you, Acting President. I understand the government MP objecting or interjecting to the point I was making, and I think it is really relevant, as I say, in terms of this chamber and Marvellous Melbourne and the boom times we had, considering the reputation that we had then. I will return to the bill, but I just want to make this point: the reputation we had then around the world was as being one of the greatest cities in the world, and Victoria’s reputation has been trashed again off the back of the Commonwealth Games decision.

Michael Galea: On a point of order, Acting President, I ask that Ms Crozier keep her remarks to the bill in line with your last ruling.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jeff Bourman): If we could keep it to roughly the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute, that would be good.

Georgie CROZIER: I know this is an important aspect, the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute. The legislation – this bill that we are discussing today – refers to the act of 1899 and how we are contemporising it and bringing it into being, as I pointed out in my opening remarks around some of the issues around this bill and what is happening and how it will be going into the successive body that will then contemporise and incorporate the requirements.

But I will go to one of the points in the bill, as I have been directed to come back to the bill. Clause 8 of the bill is around taxes. This clause prevents the requirement to pay tax or stamp duty as a result of changing from Prahran Mechanics’ Institute to the PMI Victorian History Library. Of course we have had another tax introduced into Victoria today. This is about the only time I have heard the Allan Labor government not tax anything, and it is the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute – they are not going to tax the assets and the transformation of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute into that incorporated association. Again I say that the Allan Labor government has got form on taxing Victorians. As the Treasurer himself has said, he has taxed businesses out of existence just about – they are nearly taxed to death – and a lot of businesses are leaving the state because of the government’s taxation policy. Clause 8 of this bill –

Michael Galea: On a point of order, Acting President, I do not mean to be difficult, but what Ms Crozier just said that the Treasurer said was blatantly not true. I ask if she is going to quote members of this or the other chamber that she do so accurately, please.

Georgie CROZIER: On the point of order, Acting President, I was paraphrasing the Treasurer, but effectively he did say that he has taxed businesses enough; they could not take any more taxes.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jeff Bourman): I will uphold the point of order. What I will say is let us try not to paraphrase. It is a bad practice in this place as we have found out over the years. If people want to quote someone, it is safer just to quote them. We can move on.

Georgie CROZIER: I will say again: the Treasurer has made the point that he has taxed businesses, and as we understand, clause 8 of this bill says that they will not be taxed and prevents the requirement to pay tax or stamp duty. Victorian businesses, Victorian families and Victorians are being taxed by this Allan Labor government because of course we have got this extraordinary debt – a debt that is going to absolutely play havoc not on current generations but on future generations, and that is an enormous concern. We have got a Premier who herself is hell-bent on the Suburban Rail Loop, putting all her eggs in one basket into that pet project of hers, which is absolutely going to cause an enormous amount of grief for future Victorians.

As I said, this bill allows for a simple transition. It is an administrative component that we are debating today. I do want to put on the record that the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute has provided an enormous amount of resources over the years. It is part of Victoria’s history. It is something that I think we can all be proud of in relation to the education and the resources it has provided to communities over many, many years. Again I say that there is a lot of history involved in this institute, but we have got enormous issues in Victoria. As I said, in 1899 we were Marvellous Melbourne, and our reputation was absolutely regarded around the world. Sadly, I do not think that is the same situation today.

I do not need to say too much more in relation to this bill. It is a simple administrative bill that will bring this institution or association into the 21st century, and therefore I do not have an issue with its speedy passage.

John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (14:12): I will, with my presentation, certainly be talking directly about the bill, because it happens to be an institution that is only about 300 metres down from my office. I think going on a frolic with other bits and pieces about the Commonwealth Games and things of that nature is not helpful when we are talking about a bill that is pretty close to the hearts of the people that live in Prahran.

I am pleased to speak in support of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Repeal Bill 2024, introduced in the other place by Minister Horne. The bill is a very relevant one to my community. In fact it is 300 metres, as I said before, away from my office. Its aim is to repeal the outdated act, to dissolve the Prahran Mechanics’ Institution and Circulating Library incorporated established by the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Act 1899 and to provide for the transfer for the property, rights and liabilities of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institution and Circulating Library incorporated to its successor, the PMI Victorian History Library Incorporated.

Situated in my electorate, in Prahran, the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute was formed in 1854, celebrated its 170th anniversary this past February and has been governed by the named act of Parliament since 1899. The institute has had a long and storied history of educational contributions in Prahran. In 1908 the Prahran Technical Art School was registered with the Victorian education department after already providing art classes for almost a decade, and in Windsor a girls section of the school was introduced in 1958. The school eventually came to be known as the Prahran College of Technology and then later as the Prahran College of Advanced Education, offering TAFE courses and higher education with a focus on art and design, on which the institute still has a general educational focus today.

Prahran Mechanics’ Institute through this school has worked in tandem with Deakin University and Swinburne University through the 20th century, and its amalgamation with these tertiary institutions was finalised in 1992. It provides an extensive list of historical collections for the community, including company histories, design and architecture, family history and genealogy, Indigenous Australian history, theatre and cinema, town history, transport, visual and performing arts and more. The institute is home to several special collections, including those of the Mechanics’ Institute of Victoria, the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society and the Victorian Railway History Library, and in total offers over 30,000 books for loan to the community. Alongside this, they engage with the local community by hosting lectures and workshops as well as hosting exhibitions to disseminate the wide range of historical knowledge the centre holds. They can even assist people in publishing their own books of historical interest, such as histories of families or local towns, that may struggle to gain traction in more traditional avenues of publication. This is facilitated by the establishment of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Press in 2004, a publishing resource for writers and researchers of local and family histories, which was supported by the then Bracks government.

Mechanics institutes have a storied history on a worldwide scale, over the past few centuries having provided a means for working-class people to access education on a myriad of subjects. This legacy continues through the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute of today, with most lectures and events requiring only a gold coin for entry. Some of the events they have in the works for the next few months are the annual Bruce Turner lecture, ‘Melbourne’s Art Deco cinemas of the Late 1930s’; ‘Exodus from Vienna’, discussing the Jewish communities seeking refuge overseas after 1938 and the attitudes of Australians towards this through archival records and descendants’ accounts; and ‘A Musical Ouroboros’, on how three decades of Triple J Hottest 100 reflects and encourages the empowerment of Australian youth.

The institute covers an incredibly broad range of topics and is an integral part of the Victorian historical record, with over 4000 people having visited the centre in Prahran last year and over 510 attendees to their many events and programs. While the institute provides a critical education service for Victorians, it is highly restricted in its activities by outdated legislation that does not fit the context of a modern-day centre.

The mechanics institute is the only one of its kind in Victoria to still be governed by its own act of Parliament. Other mechanics institutes, such as those in Geelong and Brunswick, have in the past been governed similarly, but Prahran Mechanics’ Institute is unique to still be so in 2024. The act in question was established 125 years ago – in a context where there were concerns about mismanagement, facilities that were unfit for purpose and a very low membership base – to provide proper administration of the centre. Yes, this bill was necessary 125 years ago, but the state of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute then is a far cry from the success of the institute of today.

The consequences of the repeal of this act are very straightforward. It is laid out in clause 6 of the bill, which says:

(a) the property and rights that immediately before that repeal were vested in the PMI Circulating Library are vested in the PMI Victorian History Library; and

(b) the liabilities of the PMI Circulating Library existing immediately before that repeal become liabilities of the PMI Victorian History Library; and

(c) the PMI Victorian History Library is substituted as a party to any arrangement or contract entered into by or on behalf of the PMI Circulating Library as a party and in force immediately before that repeal; and

(d) the PMI Victorian History Library is substituted as a party to any proceeding in a court or a tribunal to which the PMI Circulating Library was a party immediately before that repeal and which has not been finally determined …

and it goes on.

It is untenable to continue restricting the autonomy of the organisation in a way that no other mechanics institute in the state experiences in 2024. In the present day, due to the restrictions of the act, the institute is unable to make financial decisions in the best interests of its membership, nor can it sell or purchase land or amend the composition of its committee without having to go through the entire process of amending the act in Parliament. An example of this was in 2006, when the act required an amendment to change the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute’s constitution in order to account for the necessary changes that the amalgamation of the City of Malvern and the City of Prahran, forming the City of Stonnington, posed for the constitution, and to allow an increase of the quorum number from three to four members of a committee. That is antithetical to an organisation that is now an incorporated association under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 and that has a constitution which guides the actions of the board to ensure compliance with their obligations.

The Prahran Mechanics’ Institute library board and volunteers, both present and past, have worked tirelessly to deliver to the community what is an expansive and engaging historical library, and this bill will ensure that they have the autonomy to continue this work without facing outdated bureaucratic hoops to manage their finances or restructure their committees as deemed necessary. It importantly lays out what the outcomes are for the employees of the institute at clause 7. On the repeal of the act at subclause (1) it says that:

… a person who immediately before that repeal was employed by the PMI Circulating Library is taken on and from that repeal –

(a) to be employed by the PMI Victorian History Library; and

(b) to be employed by the PMI Victorian History Library on the same terms and conditions as those that applied to the transferred employee as an employee of the PMI Circulating Library immediately before that repeal; and

(c) to have accrued an entitlement to employment benefits with the PMI Victorian History Library that is equivalent to the entitlement that the transferred employee had accrued as an employee of the PMI Circulating Library immediately before that repeal.

It is critical that the institute can adapt and modernise their funding and adjust to the needs of their ever-evolving community, and it is important that we continue with the transition with ease and efficiency. This bill was first introduced as Australia was on the road to Federation but Victoria was still a colony. A lot has changed since 1899, and that is why we need to change with it. Our statutory framework is different, and the repealing of this act will make it all that much easier for it to get on and do what it is supposed to do.

But before I finish I want to talk a bit more about what the institute gets done, because it is a lot. Recently PMI hosted a discussion by Patrick Ferry, assistant state manager of the Victorian office of the National Archives of Australia. Patrick is an author of local history books and won the Victorian Community History Award in 2020. On top of that they provide practical advice to my community on topics like researching a family tree or creating a family history journal, and they are there to help. I would encourage my community to visit their website and check out what is in store. You can make bookings online, as they are essential. There is also the PMI’s monthly book club, thanks to Raymond. They meet on the first Tuesday of every month, where they choose the next book and discuss the previous ones. Make sure you visit the website to register. One of the most exciting things about the institute is that it is well and truly in the 21st century, with recordings of all their events on their YouTube channel. I would encourage everyone to check that out on YouTube @PMIVicHistoryLibrary. You can also visit their website on pmi.net.au and their Facebook and Instagram by searching the PMI library.

Well done to my great local community for getting this done. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee members, who for countless generations stemming back 170 years have kept this place going. It is now their chance to stand on their own feet and not be bound by the state or legislation that restricts their activities. I want to thank and wish the very best of luck to the president Ms Judith Ellis, vice-president Mr Denys Correll, secretary Mr Michael Tonta and of course certified public accountant Mr Ben Quin CPA, Dr Michelle Cleary, Ms Carmel O’Keeffe and countless more. I look forward to seeing what Prahran Mechanics’ Institute achieves going forward, and I am proud to support this bill to enable them to do so in the years to come. PMI Victorian History Library Incorporated will now be guided by their constitution and rules under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012, hopefully for another 170 years, maybe even more. I commend the bill to the house.

Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:24): I rise to make a brief contribution to the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Repeal Bill 2024 on behalf of Legalise Cannabis Victoria. This historic bill will repeal the 125-year-old Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Act 1899, the oldest piece of Victorian legislation on the books. The bill updates the governance arrangement for the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute. Currently it is the only mechanics institute in Victoria governed by its own act of Parliament. Interestingly, this act’s origins are as a private members bill. I would ask that you please indulge me for a moment of nostalgia for the days when the Victorian government would pass a private members bill. History may not remember the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Act 1899 in the same way that it will remember the private members bills for marriage equality, voluntary assisted dying and compulsory voting, but all reflect an important democratic parliamentary process. It is therefore disappointing that since 1985 only two private members bill have passed the Victorian Parliament. This Allan Labor government’s decision to continue the policy of not supporting private members bills is deeply troubling and undemocratic. This is a policy not shared by any other jurisdiction in Australia. In fact when my office looked at the data from other jurisdictions in Australia, we found that on average 10.59 per cent of private members bills are supported. The reality is private members are still passed in Victoria, but they are adjourned off and later reintroduced as a government bill, often with little to no change. This must be seen as a waste of Parliament’s time and resources.

As we stand here and reflect on the 125 years that have passed since the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Act 1899, perhaps we can also reflect on why this government continues to waste the time and resources of Parliament by blocking all private members bills.

Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (14:26): Today we are discussing a very special bill. As Ms Payne said, it is one of the oldest pieces of legislation in Victoria, and it will finally be repealed. This is being done with the full support of the institute affected by the bill, as they are the ones who actually requested this to happen. We anticipate that this bill will meet no opposition, but it gives the government a unique opportunity to reflect on the history of education in Victoria and what this government and Labor have done to give Victorians the best possible opportunities and outcomes through the power of education.

When mechanics institutes first started here in Victoria, the word ‘mechanic’ meant something much broader than it does now. Back then, ‘mechanic’ meant an artisan or a working person in general. Mechanics institutes were community education centres where working people could come together and better themselves through formal education as well as cultural and social activities. From the mid-19th century to the late 20th century mechanics institutes spread throughout this state, often supported by Labor local and state governments, who shared their enthusiasm for vocational education and community spirit.

There is a mechanics institute building very close to my electorate office, in Brunswick, sitting just south of the historic and much-loved Retreat Hotel building and opposite the old Brunswick town hall. It is a beautiful historical building, but like many of its neighbours, it has moved along with the times. The Brunswick Mechanics Institute is now a community arts space, a beloved community arts space, partially funded by Merri-bek City Council, where I am proud to have some very, very good memories, can I just say. Despite the movement of time, the Brunswick Mechanics Institute remains a centre for community engagement and the development of artisanal skills. This is down to its willingness to be flexible and move with the needs of the community. We have introduced this bill to maintain that proud heritage of community engagement and vocational education at the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute. That particular institute is currently restricted by some outdated legislation which is holding it back from reaching its full potential.

While they began as formal education institutions, many mechanics institutes gradually evolved to primarily serve as libraries and public meeting spaces. Prahran Mechanics’ Institute, which was established all the way back in 1854, is now a community library which stocks over 40,000 books and facilitates history lectures for its members. It is also home to Victoria’s second-oldest library, celebrating 170 years of service to the community this year. Congratulations to the library there, and I am sure everyone in this place will agree with me when I say that such longevity is quite an extraordinary achievement which deserves protection.

The Prahran Mechanics’ Institute is the only mechanics institute in Victoria which is governed by its own act of Parliament, and this was enacted some 125 years ago. That was before the library on the site was even established. The act was brought in because at the time the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute was in some serious disarray and had some troubles, and Parliament felt that they needed to step in and introduce some governance controls. Among other things, these controls required the board of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute to seek approval from the Governor of Victoria when making decisions about the management of the institute. The board also cannot borrow and cannot invest money to secure their financial future. Clearly this is a fairly restrictive piece of legislation to comply with, but we know that times have changed since all those years ago.

Today the institute has largely been superseded by its floating library, which provides many of the community engagement functions which would have previously been more concentrated in the vocational education functions of the mechanics institute, some of which were discussed by my colleague Mr Berger beforehand. Can I just say that the hardworking board of the mechanics institute have reached out to us to continue the long tradition of collaboration between Labor and of course the working people’s community initiatives, and they have asked us to amend the legislation before us, which governs the institute, to allow them to get on with the job of serving the community. The legislation, which has governed the institute, was first enacted in 1899, making it one of the oldest pieces of legislation on the statute books. You see, today its age is starting to show, and it is not fit for purpose.

The Prahran Mechanics’ Institute library, known locally as the PMI library, which was established in 2022 as the institute’s intended successor body, needs more flexibility to make decisions without seeking approval from the highest officer in the state, the representative of our sovereign here in the state. To me it seems like it has had its time. For those reasons can I say we are introducing this bill to dissolve the old mechanics institute and reconstitute it as the PMI Victorian History Library. I am very supportive of that. Can I say that this legislative change will reflect the wishes of the PMI board, who in consultation with their membership – their much-loved membership – have been actively involved in the drafting of this bill. These changes will also maintain the original spirit of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute in its new form. The library will not just offer books for the public to borrow but also continue to provide engaging vocational education on Australian history and provide a meeting space for local community groups.

More formalised education services, which would have once been provided by the mechanics institute, have largely been transferred to our state’s amazing TAFE campuses. We know that there is one not too far away. The standard of education at our TAFE institutions has become the envy of other states thanks to the Allan Labor government’s record funding, and in conjunction with the federal Labor government we are investing $107 million into our TAFEs and providing nearly 63,000 extra fee-free TAFE places – and they are super exciting. This is in addition of course to the $3.1 billion in federal education funding already secured by the previous Labor government here in this state to fund training for in-demand courses in Victoria. This is also to ensure that Victorians get the skills they need for the jobs they want. Our TAFEs, which in many ways are the successors to those mechanics institutes, are a cornerstone of this state’s education system. They provide some of the most in-demand skills to Victorians young and old, from cooking to carpentry, bricklaying to beauty therapy and health to horticulture. If you want to know more about horticulture, can I recommend that you visit Queen’s Hall this week.

I have also got to say that the free TAFE system is a perfect demonstration of how the state and federal governments can collaborate to make a system that does not just prepare people for work but works for them to support and nurture their education. In my recent visit to Canberra I had the opportunity to meet with the new federal Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles, where we discussed the numerous different TAFEs across the Northern Metropolitan Region and the benefits that these institutions bring to the local community. We also discussed the progression of the fee-free TAFE program in Victoria, and I was proud to tell him that so far free TAFE enrolments in Victoria have supported more than 13,600 enrolments in care sector courses – one that I am particularly proud of. There were of course an additional 4200 enrolments in construction sector courses, more than 2800 enrolments in technology and digital sector courses – I know that they are very popular and continue to go from strength to strength – and more than 7700 enrolments in other areas of national and state priority. Victoria’s most enrolled free TAFE courses include the diploma of nursing – unsurprising there – with 4833 enrolments; the certificate IV in training and assessment with 2426 enrolments; the diploma of community services with 2300 enrolments; the certificate IV in cybersecurity with 2200 enrolments; and the certificate IV in accounting and bookkeeping – that is always a popular one, I understand – with 2104 enrolments. When I see these numbers, I am especially reminded of the amazing work of the Victorian education institutions across the Northern Metropolitan Region, and in particular I think of the largest vocational education providers in the Northern Metro, Kangan Institute, Melbourne Polytechnic and RMIT’s College of Vocational Education.

I also think about the students – the future of this state’s workforce – who come from the Northern Metropolitan Region and right across the state. This government’s investments in their education, made more streamlined by bills like this that we are discussing today, are saving those students millions of dollars. I think everyone here today will agree with me when I say that investing in the future of our workforce is one of the most important things that government can do. Free TAFE is a game changer across our state, with more than 152,000 students saving more than $384 million in tuition fees since the program began in 2019. Students in the diploma of nursing could save around $15,400. Students studying the diploma of community services, which I said is a very popular one, could save around $7800. Those looking to build a new career through a certificate IV in cybersecurity could save just over $3500. So there you go. These are just some of the most in-demand roles in Victoria, and this government is ensuring that we have the best workers trained for these roles regardless of their socio-economic background.

As the Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services, can I also say that I am particularly happy to see a number of courses being offered at our TAFEs that train students to work in roles which support the outstanding work of our emergency services. Additionally, can I say the savings generated from this government’s commitment to streamlining vocational education and training in Victoria are going directly into the pockets of those that need it most – students who are learning how to serve in essential roles for the wellbeing of our state.

Part of the reason we have been able to secure Victoria’s workforce in this way is because, like the mechanics institutes, we are committed to moving with the times to meet the community’s needs. Where our vocational training would have once been delivered by mechanics institutes, times have changed and now we rely on our TAFEs to deliver this education. In the same way, we are introducing this legislation to allow the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute to move with the times and leave behind restrictions imposed on it all the way back in 1899. The Prahran Mechanics’ Institute no longer serves the community in the same way it did 125 years ago, but the PMI library continues to strengthen that community in its place. We have introduced this bill to let the PMI library get on with the job and carry on the proud legacy of Victoria’s mechanics institutes by offering a community meeting place and education space. The Allan Labor government continues to play its part in maintaining the legacy of Victoria’s mechanics institutes with its record funding in our TAFEs and its collaborative development of legislation such as the bill before us. I commit this bill to the house.

Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (14:39): I am pleased to rise to speak on the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Repeal Bill 2024, the purpose of which is largely administrative and relating to the operations and governance of the storied Prahran Mechanics’ Institute (PMI), which has been the subject of much of the contribution on the important history that the institute has and the role it continues to play in the history of Victoria and the history of Melbourne. I am pleased as a member for the Southern Metropolitan Region, which covers the area in question, to make a further contribution to the debate.

Prahran is obviously an incredibly important part of Melbourne, land on which traditional owners have lived for thousands of years. The colonisation process began with the sale of Crown lands in 1840. Robert Hoddle, whose set squares we know did so much for the look and feel of the modern city of Melbourne, began that process in 1840, dividing this part of Melbourne into rectangular lots, as he was so accustomed to doing, and subsequently sales took place. What is interesting in relation to this bill about that process is that Prahran was proclaimed a municipal district in 1855, a borough in 1863, a town in 1870 and a city in 1879, but the first of those proclamations, that of a municipal district in 1855, postdated the establishment of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute. It was indeed in 1854 on 1 May – an important day for those who celebrate the efforts of working people here and around the globe – that the gazetting of the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute took place and it declared itself into existence at a meeting.

One thing that I suppose might appear like a quirk of history to us 170-odd years later is that the original objectives of institute were:

… the Mental and Moral Improvement and Rational Recreation of its Members, by means of Lectures, Discussions, Library, Reading Rooms, Classes, Museum, Philosophical Apparatus , &c …

One of the founders of the PMI, George Rusden, gave a speech on the night of the gazetting on 1 May 1854, some of which was extracted in the Argus on 30 May 1854. In doing so he talked about why it was important that such an institute was part of the establishment of the cultural fabric of the community that they were creating. In an environment and a community which was largely filled with the residences of artisans and working people the establishment of the mechanics institute was a recognition of the importance of different kinds of learning and education to the nourishment of those who lived in the area and of the importance of working people having access to library facilities and other forms of recreation and enjoyment that enabled them to get more and the most out of their lives, which is an endeavour that we have recognised here in this great state over the course of our history.

Obviously the concept of 8 hours rest, 8 hours work and 8 hours play is embodied in the statue that sits near Victorian Trades Hall, which was secured by the stonemasons walking off the job around this same time from the University of Melbourne to secure the 8-hour day for workers here in Melbourne, which led to a movement and which led to a revolution around the world. It is the same ideals, the same ideas and the same goals for the enrichment of working people that that movement helped entrench as the cornerstone, as the foundation of the way we work today – 8 hours rest, 8 hours work, 8 hours play – that institutes like the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute were established for. It was so that through the play – the 8 hours that they had carved out of their day to be able to do things and enjoy things other than simply resting and working to earn a living – they had both the time and, through the institutes, the facilities to enable that to occur.

I think it is a remarkable part of our history here in Melbourne and something that we should be very proud of that not only we did achieve the industrial purposes of 8 hours work, 8 hours rest and 8 hours play but we as a community established institutions like the mechanics institutes across Victoria – today we are talking about Prahran – that enabled that desire to occur, that enabled working people to have access to literature, to have access to art and to have access to libraries, music and learning, often for the benefit of their own enrichment as human beings rather than for any other purpose. That is a remarkable part of our history, and we should be very, very proud that our state, our city and our community is part of that.

Mechanics institutes, of which Prahran was a significant one, were basically precursors to public libraries and modern forms of adult education. We see technical colleges and we see centres for adult and further education still thriving across this state. They owe their lineage in no small part to institutes like the mechanics institute in Prahran. But also there are still around 500 mechanics institutes in Victoria, many of which remain in regional Victoria to this day.

The mechanics institute in Prahran is the second-oldest library in this state, housing a remarkable collection about the history of our great state here in Victoria and celebrating 170 years of being in existence. It is the only institute that has been governed by its own act of Parliament, from 1899. Laws on the statute books for that long are something to be remarked upon, and preparing for this speech gave me pause for thought about what might be being considered by our successors in this place in 125 years. We will all be long gone into dust, but the work that we do in some form will endure for as long as this great state stands as an entity.

The act itself was introduced after a period of tumult in the governance of the institute to address concerns about how things were working out. It is not uncommon, it seems, for parliaments to have to step in from time to time when there are issues of mismanagement and scandal that beset some institutions. Parliament put in place governance controls. The act sets out ways that the objectives of the institute are to be fulfilled. The substantive act which we are repealing enables that body to make rules and regulations for its management and control and to have a governing committee et cetera and powers to grant licences and leases and the like – the basic structures of good governance. This legislation enabled the mechanics institute then, in the century before last, to get out of a bumpy period and achieve its goals.

Methods that were obviously important 125 years ago are not so much so today. They are conflicting really with modern practices of corporate governance and in ways that are no longer appropriate for the continued existing organisation and institute, the library principally, which still functions as an important part of our state’s culture. It is now more appropriate that instead of having its own standalone piece of legislation here in the state of Victoria it has a preferable governance structure and, as is being done, the governance of this institute be transferred over to the auspices of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012. The PMI through its own organisational processes has voted to request that which this bill facilitates and achieves.

The repeal of the PMI act, the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Act 1899, will bring the institute itself into modern governance arrangements, but it does not affect the continued operation of the institute, and I think that is really important. The institute in its current form is the second-oldest library existing in the state – a vast resource and a vast trove of historical information that is still loved and used by members of the community – will continue to provide those library services and also a broader range of educational services to the community. This will ensure that the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute can continue to operate as a community owned and run history library. It is bringing it from the 19th, through the 20th and into the 21st century, and that is probably a pretty remarkable legislative achievement for us to achieve during the course of this parliamentary sitting week.

Georgie Crozier interjected.

Ryan BATCHELOR: Well, it is important.

Georgie Crozier interjected.

Ryan BATCHELOR: There you go, Ms Crozier. I think it is a significant historical act that we have had and that we seek to modernise. I think it is something worth celebrating.

It does also, I think, reflect more broadly, to allow me to segue into the modern day, on the importance that this state places on learning, on education, on skill development and on training, supported by, yes, the policies of this government but by the policies of most of the governments that we have seen in recent history. We are focusing our efforts on ensuring that Victoria has the skills that we need, the skills mix and the skill development pathways that we need as a state to ensure we have the skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow being developed here. We have some world-class vocational education and training facilities here in this state for further education and for adult education but also for providing vocational pathways for those who remain in the education and schooling system.

I had the pleasure recently of doing a quick visit to the Youth2Industry College in South Melbourne, which is a non-government provider of vocational education and vocational pathway centred courses for young people. You could see in the eyes of the students, who were telling me about what a difference these vocational pathways are making to their lives – you can see from those experiences the importance of ensuring that our entire education and training system has within it a range of pathways to provide all Victorians with a way to get to where they want to go on their learning journey. It is not the same path for us all. It is a different path for many, and all of them should be supported. All of the ways to increase the skills of those in our community should be supported, which is what these mechanics institutes were set up to achieve. As was said earlier, they were designed to support working people to enrich their lives and enrich their communities, to create physical spaces where that learning and further learning could occur but also to create communities of learning, and that is certainly what the PMI has done for the last 170 years. The people who devote their lives to making it a continued success should be congratulated, and I think it is appropriate that we mark their achievements and their efforts as we pass this relatively administrative piece of legislation that helps set that institute up for another great 170 years.

Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (14:54): I too note that this bill is repealing an act from 1899, which seems to me to be a very long time ago. That prompted me to wonder what was going on for Aboriginal people in the 1800s in that area and what was going on for women and general society at that time, which forms the context, in a way, or a backdrop for the formation of the mechanics institute. The Prahran area – I did a little bit of looking into that – is located on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people and the Bunurong peoples of the East Kulin nation. I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of their lands and elders past, present and emerging and mention that I do refer to people that are no longer with us in this speech. ‘Purraran’ is believed to be a compound word of two Aboriginal words meaning ‘land partially surrounded by water’. Whilst the name Prahran is derived from the local language, I doubt that it is actually the exact Indigenous name for that place.

European settlement of the area in the early 1800s no doubt represented a distressing period of displacement and cultural attack. As recorded by historian JB Cooper in 1924 – and his book was The History of Prahran: From its First Settlement to a City – it was noted that in 1836 the Aboriginal people south of the Yarra River numbered approximately 350 people; however, by 1851 they were thought to have dwindled to 76. In 1860 there were reported gatherings in Fawkner Park and yearly camps in the area until about 1861. In 1863 there were only 11 Bunurong in the Melbourne district.

The Bunurong people eventually became known as the Mordialloc tribe, given a European name rather than their own. A small group of Bunurong people, mostly older, remained near the Mordialloc and Cranbourne areas. The Yalukit Willam leader Derrimut died in 1864, and Jimmy Dunbar, the last of the group, died in 1877. By the 1900s Melbourne suburbs with significant concentrations of Aboriginal families were only Fitzroy, Footscray and Northcote; Prahran and Malvern were not known for being suburbs of Aboriginal residents. I want to acknowledge just how shameful this is and ask the question: what does this mean for us today? This tragedy is in direct contrast to the optimism at this morning’s treaty and truth event hosted by the First People’s Assembly and the Treaty Authority. I was pleased to see leaders there of three parties and was honoured to hear from Aunty Eleanor Bourke, chair of the Yoorrook Justice Commission; the Premier; and other significant Aboriginal leaders in our state.

It was during that period – generally that century – that the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute was established, quite probably without any great knowledge of those who came before them. In terms of what women were experiencing, there were a number of women of note in the area. Women were known to work inside and outside the home at that time. I was fascinated to learn that there were a number of suffragettes active in the area. One of the groups advocating for women’s suffrage was the Prahran Women’s Franchise League. The league’s members included Isabella and Vida Goldstein and Annette Bear-Crawford. Vida Goldstein is memorialised with a chair in her hometown of Portland in my electorate, and Minister Tierney was involved with that. Vida was a well-known suffragette and was one of four female candidates at the first election where women could vote and stand as candidates, the 1903 federal election. Annette Bear-Crawford was a leading Victorian suffragette and lived in neighbouring South Yarra. She, however, spoke at meetings in Prahran, including at the Rechabite Hall.

Mechanics institutes were founded in Australia based on the Scottish model of free education for workers, as mentioned by my colleague Mr Batchelor – free education which included practical education like mechanics, maths, chemistry and drawing. There were possibly a thousand mechanics institutes spread across Victoria by the 1940s. Mechanics institutes were the first adult education schools in Victoria, a predecessor to today’s modern TAFEs, where I can assure you many of the courses are now free thanks to the Allan Labor government. They were the first and are the longest running libraries in Victoria. They have held the role in some cases for well over a hundred years, supplying reference and fiction collections and public reading rooms to house current journals and local Victorian, Australian and overseas newspapers. They created a cultural and intellectual climate, a common ground where all members of the community could meet.

Mechanics institutes were a place to study, attend lectures and debate topics of the day, such as federation, conscription, giving women the vote and a proposed railway network for Victoria. They provided a focus and venue for social and community activities for every phase of personal life, from weddings and farewells to entertainment and leisure. They were the original do-it-yourself project, planned, built, furnished, named, organised, financed, owned and used by each community according to their needs. Whether you were a builder in the 19th century needing to learn how to measure or you are a parent in the 21st century needing to access the internet, the roles and functions of mechanics institutes and libraries are almost identical, despite nearly two centuries having passed. Some still function as mechanics institutes; others are now halls or library sites. And the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute continues to this day. It is the only mechanics institute in Victoria governed by its own act of Parliament, one of the oldest pieces of legislation in the Victorian Parliament.

The bill before us today has been requested by the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute, and its purpose is to repeal the act from 1899, to dissolve the Prahran Mechanics’ Institution and Circulating Library and to provide for the transfer of all of those rights and liabilities across to the PMI Victorian History Library incorporated. This transition has largely been driven by the members, and the PMI have been involved in the drafting process of this repeal bill. It ensures that the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute can continue to operate as a community owned and run historical library. I wish to acknowledge and thank current and previous governing committee members and staff, who have navigated a complex statutory transition over recent years to get to this point.

The roles and functions of mechanics institutes and libraries are almost identical after nearly two centuries, as I mentioned. In my electorate a new Labor-funded library and learning centre represents a new chapter of joint delivery of TAFE library learning and municipal libraries. As I mentioned, many of the values and roles of the mechanics institutes have morphed into modern-day public libraries and TAFEs. The new Labor-funded library and learning centre in Warrnambool is a great example of this. You could even suggest that by bringing together the municipal library and the South West TAFE library it is a bit like the model is going back to the future. It is situated within the grounds of the South West TAFE and operated by the City of Warrnambool.

The library and learning centre opened its doors to the public on 13 October 2022. It is a place for community to gather, with views of the ocean, a cafe, gardens, a dedicated children’s area and a reading room. There is a youth area, a technology zone and an agora staircase with space enough for seating, a band performance, lectures or debate. Like the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute, the new library in Warrnambool represents all the same values and priorities, providing access to information through free internet, library collections, study facilities and meeting rooms. The new library has been fully embraced by the community and is the recipient of several architectural awards. It represents the priority the Allan Labor government places on the rights of the whole community to access information and resources as well as books and reading.

Everyone needs to be able to access the internet and source information through modern technology. The importance of investing in education, in practical skills and in community are all demonstrated by this bill and the role of the mechanics institute in Prahran. The story told today of the mechanics institute represents the core values of Labor: education for all no matter your circumstances. Learning should not just be for those who can afford it. I commend the bill.

Motion agreed to.

Read second time.

Third reading

Gayle TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Skills and TAFE, Minister for Regional Development) (15:05): I move, by leave:

That the bill be now read a third time.

Motion agreed to.

Read third time.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jeff Bourman): Pursuant to standing order 14.28, the bill will be returned to the Assembly with a message informing them that the Council have agreed to the bill with without amendment.