Billy MacTold enters the lists on the issue of Holy Trinity Church
Despite some seemingly mollifying words to State Parliament from our Heritage Minister, Paula Wriedt, on the enduring significance of Holy Trinity Church to Hobart, in the end she and her Labor colleagues could not bring themselves to support a motion to save the church.
Of course, the motion debated last Wednesday afternoon was from Peg Putt and it is certainly not in the nature of Labor to favour the Greens (even if I suspect that more than one Labor member is sympathetic to this particular preservation cause).
But the Liberals did show their appreciation of the motion’s intent to seek State and Federal funding and sided with the Greens, with the result that when it came to the vote it was 11 (Greens and Liberals) for, 13 against (Labor), a narrow enough margin indeed to show there is real strength of political feeling on the fate of this historic building.
(It’s merely hypothetical, but a vote of all three parties in favour – or some from Labor – would certainly have given Anglican Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower, his Synod and Diocese Council a significant message to contemplate).
For Minister Paula it came down to a matter of money, and that if you give help to one church at risk then you could be open to requests from others (she mentioned 231 churches being on the heritage register among several thousand old buildings of heritage recognition). One sensed the men from Treasury peering over her shoulder.
There is also the matter of when giving money in the religious arena there’s the question of which comes first, the Anglican Cathedral of St David’s or the even more historically dominant Holy Trinity Church? Minister Paula showed it’s the cathedral, which has its own restoration campaign clamouring for funds (at $4 million it’s interestingly the same figure that has been projected for Holy Trinity’s restoration and maintenance).
The Lennon Government has previously given $1m in such support for the Roman Catholic St Mary’s Cathedral, so the other big religious denomination could hardly miss out as well.
So Minister Paula slipped in mention that Premier Paul had met Bishop John on a number of issues, and from this the bishop had made it clear the cathedral was the priority. Minister Paula mentioned her boss had indicated sympathy on this score and to expect an announcement. So, sorry, no bikkies for Holy Trinity!
It is salient to remember that last month Minister Paula publicly criticised the Anglican Diocese for deciding Holy Trinity’s fate of closure and deconsecration without bothering to consult her government, deciding “on a course of action without wanting to come to any resolution that might involve restoration of Holy Trinity”.
She mentioned this again during the debate, and also that the chair of the Heritage Council had written to the bishop on the need to protect Holy Trinity’s fixtures, notably the World War One Memorial Window and the world-famous bells.
Give the Liberals their due – they came out fully backing the Greens, Michael Hodgman sounding a loud call for preservation. He had but a brief time to speak and that veteran parliamentary voice said had he more time they would have heard an even more impassioned plea.
As it was he gave Labor the message – unique, magnificent, icon were among the words he had for the church, plus backing for the Holy Trinity Support Group’s bid for a charitable trust to run it post-closure. And his sadness at the Lennon Government’s attitude towards helping Holy Trinity.
He mentioned being Roman Catholic but attending the Anglican School of Hutchins and of the impression Holy Trinity had left on him: “I love Holy Trinity!”
Indeed Michael, many do.
