Ms Patten (Northern Metropolitan) — My adjournment matter is about an urgent call for action from the Minister for Women in helping to save a unique part of Victorian women’s history. Heritage Victoria notified me and Sophie Paterson, whose grandfather raised the funds to build the Princess Mary Club, last week that they had tragically approved the demolition of this unique building. This building was designed by the renowned Melbourne architect Alec Eggleston and is a significant building in itself, but it is its social significance that is so important.
Just to recap, the Princess Mary Club was built in 1926 with funds raised by the Nicholas family to provide safe and secure accommodation for women entering the workforce. It is a rare monument to women in the workplace, their rights and the opportunities that suffrage has brought. It provided safe and secure accommodation for the growing number of women who were also seeking a tertiary education in Victoria. This building marks a significant time in history, particularly for women, and it is one of a kind.
Heritage Victoria said that it was too expensive to restore and that that is why it agreed to allow it to be demolished, but this is due to the fact that the Wesley Church has neglected it for 10 years. It seems that this horrible precedent is basically rewarding Wesley Church for neglecting a heritage building. The Nicholas family have told me that there are three commercial companies who are interested in restoring the building and are well aware of the costs.
This also sets a very bad precedent for other philanthropic families to not bother to give money to charities, because those charities may change the purpose of their donations at some later stage. There are so many bad outcomes here, and I strongly believe that this is a really bad thing for our community.
As it is White Ribbon Day we should remember the extraordinary work that the Princess Mary Club did in providing safe and secure accommodation for thousands of Victorian women over the last century. I am urging the Minister for Women to intervene to save the Princess Mary Club as a very important part of Victorian women’s history.
