“This marvellous public asset appears to have become a bargaining chip in a large property development deal brokered by the City of Melbourne. Our fresh food market is in extreme danger. Under the guise of “renewal” is it about to be stolen with diversity diminished, stallholders sidelined and prices set to skyrocket”
Sigrid Thornton
Friend of Queen Victoria Market
Actress and longtime North Melbourne resident
“The planning system should shape our city. Community should be able to say what sort of city they want. The problem is the developer. Councils should have less regard for the developer and more for the civic domain. In taking down Vic Market's heritage sheds, all the patina goes, leaving a stripped up new building.“
Former Prime Minister Paul Keating
Jon Faine interview 28 April 2017
‘I was there in the nineteen fifties and sixties when Melbourne, my home town, decided to commit architectural suicide. The wholesale demolition of significant buildings was officially sanctioned. The motive then, was Progress.
Today, it's money.
Since then the enemy has grown much more cunning than in the old days of Whelan the Wrecker.
Today the vandalism is secretly premeditated, it's a fete accompli before we even hear about it....before we can get our act of protest together.
But it's still OUR city. Even if our town councils have handed over its future to developers who don't even live here.
The Queen Victoria market is an Australian landmark and a spectacular Melbourne shopping rendezvous.
It must not be gambled away at a secret game of Mah Johng.”
Barry Humphries AO CBE
Friend of Queen Victoria Market
Australian comedian, actor, satirist, artist, and author
‘The Queen Victoria market is an extremely important resource for the people of Melbourne and an undeniable tourist attraction. It is the envy of foodies from other states. There is no bigger contrast between the vibrant, noisy, colourful market, than the alternative environments offered where many fruits and vegetables are displayed under plastic wrap. We have plenty of gourmet dining and entertainment precincts, but very few places dedicated to the display and selling of fresh food where citizens can taste, smell and touch real food, and speak to providers who are knowledgeable and eager to pass on their knowledge. As someone who champions the importance of families being in touch with fresh food and being able to choose from the widest possible range of fresh, seasonal food at reasonable prices, I would hate to see this market disappear. Families visit the market together which in itself is important as a means of influencing how our children view the obtaining of fresh food.’
Stephanie Alexander
Restaurateur, author & authority on food and food education
“Vic Market ain’t broke. Don’t fix it.”
Paul Kelly
Friend of Queen Victoria Market
Australian Singer & Songwriter
“As a former resident of North Melbourne and a weekly shopper at the Victoria Market for many years, I write to strongly protest against the overdevelopment of this most precious resource.
The Victoria Market not only offers the local and wider community the opportunity to shop for the finest food at keen prices but also demonstrates the important social function it achieves. Before moving to the country two years ago I shopped every Friday morning at the Market, developing close relationships with the stall holders. Armed with my wife’s detailed list, I regarded my weekly trips not as a chore but as a welcome social occasion. Chatting with all the stallholders regularly I got to know their way of life, recognized their loyalty to their customers and learned of their great fear that Melbourne will be irretrievably damaged if this grotesque overdevelopment is allowed to go forward.
Updating the facilities is important but changing the mood and spirit of the Market would be of great detriment to Melbourne and Victoria.
Please do not allow this to go ahead."
John Landy
Former Governor of Victoria.
”Melbourne urgently needs the iconic Victoria Market to be refurbished, consolidated and extended, not reduced to a token tourist destination. For a century-plus this much-loved people's market has played a critical role in keeping food quality standards high and food prices down, while providing astounding diversity. Weekly prices established by market stallholders on a myriad of items, set the benchmark as to what's a fair and reasonable amount to pay. This helps keep supermarket prices down for consumers, while simultaneously creating opportunities for growers to sell fresh food direct from the farm to shoppers. Indeed the very reason tourists love visiting the Vic Market is because it's the REAL thing! I speak from first-hand experience of 50 years of purchasing the family fare at QV!”
Winsome McCaughy
Former Lord Mayor of Melbourne
“For years I have shopped at the Queen Victoria Market. The range of stalls, and the range of goods offered, is truly astonishing. I specially love the deli section, which has a bigger range of cheeses, breads and, well, delicatessen things than anywhere else.What are the alternatives? There’s a few specialist shops in the inner suburbs, but they don’t face the regular competition which is on show at QVM all the time. And apart from that? Well, there are the big supermarket chains, with nothing like the range or quality on offer.It’s great that QVM is a tourist attraction, and it deserves to be because it is so different. But above all it is Melbourne’s best place to shop. It would be a terrible shame if the Council trashed it by trying to polish it up. The Council wants to construct underground storage space and convert the market into an entertainment, dining and event precinct. That would ruin its tourist appeal and make it a much less interesting place to shop. Every city has an entertainment, dining and event precinct. Melbourne has several: we don’t need more. Most cities do not have an equivalent of QVM: let’s hope we can preserve it.”
Julian Burnside AO, QC
Australian barrister, human rights and refugee advocate
“I have been shopping at the Queen Victoria Market since the early 1990's and have been writing about the families who run these wonderful businesses ever since. I've even had a number of book launches in the fresh produce sheds!But more than that I get the opportunity to showcase the Queen Victoria Market precinct to guests (local and international) on my Melbourne food tours. Visitors can't quite believe the quality of the seasonal, super fresh food on offer. Or the array of cultures from across the globe all offering their foods side by side. Guests also comment on the friendly welcome and depth of knowledge stallholders freely offer. And right in the heart of our food-loving city!What a unique and special place Queen Victoria Market is and all it requires is reasonable money to be spent wisely. If we let this one-off opportunity pass it will be gone forever. The market needs to retain all of the stallholders and provide them with a quality facilities in which to run their businesses. They can then plan and grow into the future. We can then continue to be Australia's best food city into the future with top quality fresh food alongside our amazing city restaurants, cafes and cocktails bars.”
Allan Campion, Chef and author
Melbourne Food Experiences
PHOTOGRAPHIC ATTRIBUTIONS:
Paul Kelly 2007.jpg Andrew Braithwaite / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Barry Humphries WTCA / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
Stephanie Alexander Bilby / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)
Paul Keating Idpercy on Flickr / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
