Please note, we are seeking signatures rather than donations at this stage. 

We write as residents, workers and regular visitors in the Division of Macnamara, calling on your parties and governments to commit to saving the South Melbourne Town Hall and giving this beautiful but broken building a renewed 21st century life and purpose.

The Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) has displayed remarkable imagination and persistence in pursuing a vision to save the Town Hall, and to return it to its pride of place amongst Melbourne’s finest heritage buildings. Beyond this important goal, a transformed Town Hall will have a meaningful and enduring role as an outstanding community and cultural destination venue, in so doing acting as catalyst for the economic resurgence of the surrounding precinct.

Port Phillip Council has committed $33m to structural strengthening works in the building, and ANAM has already secured $28m toward its renewal project. This represents a unique investment by a not-for-profit organisation in a piece of public infra-structure, one to be loudly applauded: what government would cause this visionary, predominantly privately funded, once-in-a-generation opportunity to be lost?

Commitments of $12.5m over three years each from the Commonwealth and Victorian governments would unlock a further $13.5m in private donations raised by ANAM, making this charismatic project a fully funded reality.

We urge you to commit your parties and governments to invest the necessary funds that will return ANAM to South Melbourne, rescue our Town Hall, and realise the precinct’s boundless potential. 

In the words of Living National Treasure Barry Jones AC, “This is an important project which must happen now”.

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You can also contribute to saving and refurbishing the Town Hall by writing to the three Macnamara candidates, calling upon them to commit their parties to this $12.5M over three years investment in the community’s future:

o Josh Burns, MP: josh.burns.mp@aph.gov.au
o Benson Saulo: benson.saulo@vic.liberal.org.au
o Sonya Semmens: sonya.semmens@vic.greens.org.au
 

And you might write to Victorian parliamentarians, calling on the Victorian Government to be part of this major project with a matching commitment to a Commonwealth investment of $12.5M over three years:

o The Hon Jaclyn Symes, MP, Treasurer: jaclyn.symes@parliament.vic.gov.au
o The Hon Colin Brooks MP, Minister for Creative Industries: colin.brooks@parliament.vic.gov.au
o Nina Taylor MP, Member for Albert Park: nina.taylor@parliament.vic.gov.au