The Australian Government has announced that Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market will be assessed by the Australian Heritage Council for possible inclusion on the National Heritage List.
“As a proud Victorian I am delighted to visit the Queen Victoria Market today and announce that his historic site will be included on the Australian Heritage Council’s work plan,” Minister Hunt said “The inclusion of the markets on the Australian Heritage Council’s work plan is an important first step towards possible national heritage recognition of this iconic Melbourne location.”
Minister Hunt also pointed that if the National Heritage Listing of Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market proves to be successful the first step towards a possible World Heritage listing.
“The Queen Victoria Market is one of the last remaining nineteenth century metropolitan markets in Australia. For nearly 140 years the Queen Victoria Market has played a significant role in encouraging a rich and diverse cultural heritage for the centre of Melbourne.” Minister Hunt commented.
Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle, has welcomed the announcement and said it’s an important step in preserving the much loved market.
“QVM has traded continually as a market since 1878 and predates Melbourne’s only current UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens,” the Lord Mayor said “In the last 30 years alone, half the city has been rebuilt or redeveloped, but for 143 years QVM has been a constant in the story of our society and economy, a story which will continue well into the future.”

Minister Hunt explained that the Australian Heritage Council’s assessment will consider whether the Queen Victoria Market’s heritage values are of outstanding significance to the nation, with the assessment expected to be completed by June 2017.