Melbourne Assembly Explores Sport and Arts Shaping City’s Identity and Economy
Melbourne Assembly, a three-day civic forum presented by The Age with the University of Melbourne, will examine how the city can sustain its reputation as Australia’s sports and arts capital. The October event will cover four areas: city planning, healthy communities, innovation and education, and sport and the arts. The discussion comes as Melbourne’s major venues face growing competition from interstate and overseas rivals with newer infrastructure. The state government is co-funding a business case into a possible MCG redevelopment. Readers also strongly supported a proposal to create a park above the nearby railway yards, with 10,300 votes in favour and 1,500 against. A keynote debate between senior culture writer Karl Quinn and sports journalist Kelli Underwood will ask whether sport or the arts is Melbourne’s true heart. Panellists will include Melbourne Park chief executive John Harnden, Victoria Racing Club chief executive Kylie Rogers, artist and filmmaker Dr Tiriki Onus, Australian Sports Commission chief executive Kieren Perkins, and Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation chief executive Katrina Sedgwick. The forum will also explore how venues can be used more flexibly. Harnden points to John Cain Arena’s varied program beyond tennis, basketball and netball, while Rogers is considering ways to activate Flemington Racecourse outside race days. Readers also backed greater public and community sport access to racecourses. The wider series will examine pressure on shared sporting space, the future of Melbourne’s music scene, and competition for funding and land between sport and the arts. This matters for Melbourne because its venues, cultural life and public spaces are central to the city’s identity. Decisions about investment, access and flexible use could shape how residents participate in sport and the arts as the city grows.
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