Community consultation on the future of Bendigo’s historic law courts is now well overdue, The Nationals’ Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad said today.
Ms Broad said there was keen community interest in the law courts and commended the work of the National Trust which will run public tours of the building as part of the upcoming Heritage Festival.
Ms Broad said the old Bendigo law courts were a beautiful example of Bendigo’s heritage architecture from the 1890s but have sat empty since the new law courts were opened in February 2023.
“Twelve months ago, the Attorney General said there would be meaningful community engagement, but I am yet to see that happen,” Ms Broad said.
“There have been calls from the community for it to be put to good use, amid genuine fears it will fall into disrepair.”
In December 2023 Ms Broad formally asked the Attorney General to engage with the community to ensure the building was used and maintained.
“In February 2024, the Attorney General said: ‘The government and CSV (Court Services Victoria) are committed to open, collaborative and meaningful engagement with the community to ensure the future use of the historic building is respectful of its contribution to the City of Bendigo and provides value back to the community it served’.
“One year on, we are yet to see this meaningful engagement,” Ms Broad said.
“I have heard plenty of interesting ideas from the public for potential uses for the building, ranging from a history museum to accommodation, a restaurant or filming location,” she said.
“It’s high time the Government kept its promise to engage with the community on the future of this important building.”
Ms Broad urged interested people to take part in public tours of the building as part of the upcoming Heritage Festival in April.
Pre-booking is required. To book go to: https://events.humanitix.com/2025-tours-of-the-former-bendigo-law-courts
Media Contact: Linda Barrow 0484 303 764
