Jonathon Moran
The opening of Qtopia — Australia’s first LGBTQIA+ history centre — is a mark of how far society has come, says Anthony Albanese as it opens its doors at the old Darlinghurst Police Station.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can tell a joke.
The Labor leader had people in stitches of laughter as he regaled the audience at the launch of Qtopia Sydney with tales of his early days as an ally of the queer community.
The centre has is on the site of the old Darlinghurst Police Station, where protesters in 1978 were locked up for being part of what then became known as the first Mardi Gras.
“The fact that it is in the old Darlinghurst Police Station at (community advocate and the late ACON President) Chris Gration’s farewell I sang a song that we learnt at that time in the early 1980s, it was to Edelweiss, it was called Anal-weiss,” Mr Albanese said.
“I won’t see a mass stampede by singing it here for you, but it began with, ‘Anal-weiss, it’s not nice, Darlinghurst cops will get you’. And that was in the early 1980s that we learnt that song.”
The Prime Minister first marched in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in the 1980s, then as a member of Young Labor.
In 2023 for World Pride, he became the first sitting Prime Minister to march in the parade.
He spoke off-the-cuff in the speech that was met with applause, laughter and some tears, announcing a further $1.5 million in funding for the centre.
“When Young Labor first marched in Mardi Gras, we were told by Sussex St that we would be punished for doing so because it was out of step with mainstream so-called political activity at that time,” he said.
“So today I pay tribute to the bravery of those people in the community who went out there and showed leadership, who gave practical real examples of just celebrating who they were and suffered because of it.”
Qtopia Sydney is the largest centre of queer culture and history in the world.
NSW Premier Chris Minns was also on hand alongside the likes of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and NSW MP Alex Greenwich.
“There are so many different stories to tell,” Ms Plibersek told the Telegraph.
“I think telling the story of the 78ers standing up against discrimination, the toll that it took, the personal sacrifices that people made, that is really important to remind our generation of how important it is to keep the flame alive and to continue to fight for and defend equality.”
The heritage-listed site has been remediated to host exhibitions, educational programs and evening performances that explore, celebrate, and educate people.
Mr Minns said the new centre turns the page on the history of the Old Darlinghurst Police Station and writes a new chapter that celebrates and recognises the proud LGBTQIA+ history and culture of our state.
“Qtopia will stand as more than just a testament to any one particular person or government, this centre will stand as a marker for us all as to how far we’ve come in addressing inequality in NSW,” he said.
Almost 400 guests attended the opening, including David Polson AM, Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, Justice John Sackar KC, former Olympian Ian Thorpe, Minister John Graham, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke, Former NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller and Catherine McGregor.
News Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch and wife, Sarah Murdoch, were also at the opening for a project close to their hearts: The Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch Foundation made a million-dollar donation as founding partners to help make the permanent museum site a reality.
Mrs Murdoch’s close friend of three decades, former NRL player Ian Roberts sits on the 13-member Qtopia Sydney board, alongside the likes of Mr Polson, John Waight, Louise Duff, Katherine Wolfgramme and Romany Brooks.
“It is just wonderful that it is not just an idea anymore,” Queer advocate and retired NRL player Ian Roberts said, Mrs Murdoch adding: “I am really moved from walking thought it (the centre) because there is definitely a feel of celebration for the community and how far we’ve come but it honours those that struggled, the fight, and the darkness of queer history and I think that is a really important story to be told. to have individual stories talking about what they went through, we would have lost those stories if we didn’t have an institution like this so it is incredibly important for Sydney and it is incredibly important for Australia.”
Qtopia Museum will host exhibitions, display theatre performances and school tours.
The museum is aimed at “renewing the history” of the former cop shop where the original Mardi Gras 1978 protesters were detained.
It incudes includes a full-scale recreation of Ward 17 at St Vincent’s Hospital which was the epicentre of the Sydney’s AIDS and HIV pandemic.
The museum will contain exhibits on First Nations queer history, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, homosexual law reform, the birth of Mardi Gras and the 78ers, gender from ‘cross-dressers to trans rights’, and broader queer culture like music, as well as rolling exhibitions to change every few months.
Qtopia – which has high profile board members and patrons including Ita Buttrose — also received funding from both the City of Sydney Council and the State Government to develop the museum.
