$5 Million will improve Her Maj’s inclusivity

HER Majesty’s Theatre will receive the $5 million needed to complete its refurbishment if Labor forms Federal government after the election on 18 May.

The extra funds are needed to finish off restoration, and give full attention to safety, disability access and functionality, bringing Her Majesty’s into the 21st century and making it a place for everyone.

For the theatre’s Chair, Cr Daniel Moloney, the potential for $5 million to materialise after the election, eases longterm uncertainty.

“We’ve been in a situation for that last couple of years where we’ve had some great plans to improve the place, but we haven’t been able to roll them out,” he said.

“It was really good when we heard then state government announcement late last year of $10 million, because it meant that we could get the key things done, but we still couldn’t necessarily do that final bit of planning until that last $5 million came along.

“If there is a change of Federal government, what it will mean is that every tier of government, as well as donors, have contributed to it, and that’s a really rare project,” he said.

“It really goes to show that it’s a project worth doing.”

Cr Moloney said it was unfortunate many people only became passionate about campaigning after the theatre had to close, but support has been great.

“The broader community has got behind it. There’s been more than 5000 people sign a petition.

“This is a place that’s not just a great place to go to be entertained at night, it’s also important to the economy for our local businesses,” Cr Moloney said.

“The local theatre production companies come in here and they’ve got hair stylists, makeup artists, they’ve got
choreographers, directors… it cuts across so many different industries.

“The amount of young people you see coming in here to effectively get trained in jobs that allow them to then not only
go on and perform around the world, but also support shows… It’s almost like a big TAFE that people don’t see behind the
scenes,” Cr Moloney said.

“If you think about the generations of people that have come through here; the ghosts of the past… It gets to live on.”

Shadow Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke was in town to announce the election promise, tour Her Majesty’s and feel the
history with Federal Member for Ballarat, Catherine King.

He said community lobbying for the icon’s protection has been extensive and impressive.

“As soon as I was back in the Arts Portfolio, Catherine was presenting me with photographs of what is, I understand,
the oldest continuously used theatre in the country,” Mr Burke said.

“The push from the community has been overwhelming, but when I say community, it’s important and critical that
access to both creativity and being in the audience, goes to the whole community.”

According to the City of Ballarat’s Disability and Access Inclusion Plan 2018- 2021, around 20,000 people in Ballarat live
with a disability. Currently 6600 of those disabilities are severe or profound, and by 2031 there could be 30,000 people living
with a disability in Ballarat.

Her Majesty’s board has been disappointed that the cultural hub, built in 1875, hasn’t yet
been able to cater for all abilities.

“When you know your theatre can’t be fully accessed by everyone, it’s a basic equity issue that we’ve been concerned
about for quite a while,” Cr Moloney said.

“To know that people can only come down to one level of the theatre and not be able to perform on stage, or to be
able to go to the best seats in the house upstairs, as a board we’ve seen it as one of our big priorities.

“The next thing, we’ll start a process with Heritage Victoria, and that will probably be a fairly detailed permit
process, to get the lift in place.”

Mr Burke said a restored Her Majesty’s Theatre with this contemporary accessibility really matters.

“The arts are the critical moment when we all come together.

More people actually go to an arts event each year than go to a sporting event.

It’s a stat that’s often not thought about,” he said.

“We want to make sure that performers with a disability are able to perform here, are able to use the stage, and that
everything’s accessible there.

If you’re an audience member, you want to be able to make sure that you can seamlessly turn up
with your ticket, get in, see a show, love it the same as anyone else.”

Mr Burke said everyone will feel a sense of ownership of the space when it reopens.

“You’re the custodians of a pretty special national asset.

The glory of it goes to the whole community…and disability access is a critical part of it.”

Ms King was pleased to pledge money towards Ballarat’s “fantastic” theatre community.

“We have lots of people who have different abilities and they should be able to perform here, they should be able to access this theatre in the way that everybody does,” she said.

“It’s hard when you’ve got a building that’s 144 years of age to make that happen, but I’m very committed that this
money will go towards making sure that everybody is included in the fantastic Her Majesty’s Theatre.”

The City of Ballarat has previously injected $5.3 million into the project.