Melbourne council is set to spend a whopping $1.2 million to establish a “Little India” in Docklands with the hope that it will become a “leading cultural precinct” in the city centre. The location was chosen after the city spent $150,000 on a scoping study to identify a site as a part of efforts to put “Little India on the map.” The efforts had been ongoing since 2019 but the council struggled to find a location as Indian businesses in the city were spread across several suburbs. Melbourne already has a Chinatown and Koreatown and also has a Little Indian Cultural Precinct next to Dandenong Railway Station in the city’s southeast. Thus, the creation of a dedicated Little India has not been welcomed by Australians online. One user took to X (formerly Twitter) to point out how if Australians moved to India, there would be no ‘Little Australia’ created for them and it wouldn’t be ‘tolerated’ either. “If we moved to India, we would just have to get used to the Indian way of life. There would be no little Australia and it wouldn’t be tolerated either. I have no issue with the Indians who move here but they need to buy into the Australian way of life and our values,” they wrote. “This is why this beautiful country is falling apart. Food prices, now petrol, national parks being closed left and right, and nightlife has been revoked from Australians for at least a decade now. Yet here we are, transforming Australia into India with our tax money,” added another. “If people miss their homeland, they can go home and that applies to everyone who lives in other countries. Politicians should NOT use the tax money of the citizens of the original country to change it ~ to countries and cities that already exist on the planet,” condemned one user. Many netizens in the comments called for either migrants to assimilate in the country or be deported, with no specific areas being created to accommodate them. “Aussies do NOT want a Little India in OUR country. Why are Aussies funding & building MORE cultural enclaves? We have spent MILLIONS if not BILLIONS funding Indian only community centres, temples, community projects, Indian festivals etc” wrote one while calling for mass deportation and remigration “now.“Councillor Philip Le Liu, portfolio head of the City of Melbourne Creative and Arts portfolio revealed that the council was “taking big steps to make Little India a reality,” and that it was a part of wider investment in culture and events. Under its $40M budget, the council is set to spend on projects, including:
- $26 million on major events such as Moomba, Melbourne Fashion Week and New Year’s Eve
- $2 million on ‘Light Up Melbourne’ project
- $4.5 million on public art projects including a Stolen Generations Market
- $4.2 million for arts grants
- $2.6 million to upgrade banner poles
- $420,000 for new City Square Christmas decorations
- $250,000 for new multicultural events stream
- $200,000 on business precinct revitalisation
The budget will be officially released on Tuesday as per Noticer.com and public consultation on it will be held from March 31st to April 28th. “We’re uplifting our streets, strengthening our cultural precincts and creating a city that feels brighter, safer and more vibrant for everyone,” said city mayor Nick Reese.
