Tuesday, 2 December 2025

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (02:32): (2189) My adjournment tonight is for the Minister for Creative Industries, and it relates to the oldest piece of public art in the city – that is, the Burke and Wills monument, an important piece of public art originally built in 1865 to commemorate the expedition of Burke and Wills across the continent. Robert O’Hara Burke, William John Wills, John King and Charles Gray were the first Europeans and perhaps the first people ever to cross the continent, and they reached the north of Australia, the Gulf of Carpentaria, in 1861. They did not all get back to Melbourne, sadly, but one did, and that was John King, the sole survivor of the expedition. He did get back to Melbourne. The expedition was supported by the Royal Society of Victoria. I say this is a very important statue and it ought to be retained. It ought to have pride of place. It should have pride of place in the City Square, where it was intended to be and where it was for many, many, many decades. The truth is the government took the wrong approach when it built the Metro Tunnel. Obviously the Metro Tunnel needed to be built and a temporary arrangement needed to be struck – we all understand that – but the government did not fess up at the start and say what would happen with this important statue. Now they are seeking to put alternative arrangements in place.

I say that the statue should go back to the City Square. It should be in pride of place in the centre of the city. It is our oldest piece of public art, and we should be prepared to stand up and say that these intrepid and courageous explorers did play a significant role in opening up our country to the full settlement that has occurred. That is a part of our history. It cannot be airbrushed away. It cannot be willed away. I know some in this Parliament and some in the government would seek to airbrush European and British history and the settlement of Victoria and Australia out of history, but the fact is they did happen, and we need to come to terms with that. Destroying statues and moving them to obscure places is not the solution. Actually honouring those statues and the people that they represent is the way. I say it should go back to the City Square and that that is a sensible step. I am calling on the Minister for Creative Industries, although others will have an interest. The Minister for Local Government will have an interest because the city council appears set on stripping out European heritage at every turn. The council officers have already tried to close Cooks’ Cottage, but that was forestalled, and it is time that they were told, ‘No, we admire our own history.’