General News
18 September, 2023
Mill House welcome minister visit as plans grow to host second local Pride Festival
Victoria’s Minister for Equality Harriet Shing visited Maryborough’s Mill House last week, engaging with organisers of the local Pride Festival in informal discussions about the next iteration of the event. Dropping in to the centre on September...
Victoria’s Minister for Equality Harriet Shing visited Maryborough’s Mill House last week, engaging with organisers of the local Pride Festival in informal discussions about the next iteration of the event.
Dropping in to the centre on September 14, Ms Shing, who was accompanied by Member for Ripon Martha Haylett, met with locals and Mill House’s representatives Adrian Masterman-Smith and Michelle Baker to hear about the organisation and the initiatives it supports.
Among these programs, discussions were primarily focused on matters relating to Pride Goldfields — a social group for the local LGBTIQA+ community — and the Pride Festival, which was spearheaded by the group and held for the first time this year.
According to Mr Masterman-Smith, the visit gave the group a chance to relay the concerns and experiences of the rural queer community.
“Many of the experiences of the wider [LGBTIQA+] community are reflected within Pride Goldfields’ members,” he said.
“These experiences are not easy to talk about and the stories are often full of pain and hurt but also survival — during our conversation, we were able to acknowledge the role that these difficult experiences play in mobilising the group.
“Like many similar groups around the state we continue to present the case for building equality and inclusion in our communities.”
Ms Shing also reiterated that it was vital for the government to keep interacting with grassroot groups to fully understand how to best support them.
“We’re working really hard to provide funding to queer organisations right across the state and in rural and regional Victoria,” she said.
“There is a really significant need for inclusive and safe spaces that enable people to be themselves and that is where hubs like Pride Goldfields make a real difference for people who otherwise can really struggle with stigma, discrimination and increasingly, with violence.
“That’s why we want to make sure that in supporting organisations, just like Pride Goldfields, we are providing resources, but also recognition for the work that they are doing.”
The agenda also included discussions about the future of Maryborough’s Pride Festival — which marked its inaugural celebration earlier this year in January, with the assistance of the State Government’s 2022-23 Pride Events and Festivals Fund, worth around $7650.
“There’s a range of funding streams that are being made available [for upcoming events],” Ms Shing said.
“We do want to make sure that the work that we are doing to support organizations, including those here at the Mill House is as accessible as possible to everybody within the community.
“The fact that it’s co-located with so many other services means that there is also a wonderful opportunity to have wraparound care and engagement for people at every stage of life and from every part of the community.”
The region’s second pride festival is expected to be held on March 23, 2024 and will be called Outburst: Pride Festival Maryborough, with more details set to be released in the coming months.