Queer event funding safe post-election

Incumbent Melbourne City Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has kept the city’s top job for another three years, defeating LGBTI advocate and former deputy Lord Mayor Gary Singer last weekend.

Team Doyle, including deputy Lord Mayor Susan Riley on the ticket, eclipsed the competition with about 40 percent of the first preference votes.

The Greens’ lord mayor candidate Alison Parkes came in second after preferences were distributed, followed by Singer and his deputy John So.

Each runner-up claimed about a quarter of the overall vote.

The city’s funding towards Melbourne’s biggest queer events would remain the same, the newly re-elected Lord Mayor said.

“The City of Melbourne is proud to support the Midsumma Festival and the Melbourne Queer Film Festival,” he said.

“These imaginative and artistic events are major festivals in the Melbourne calendar and are growing in popularity.

“Last year over 100,000 Melburnians and visitors to the city took part in the Midsumma festivities.”

Doyle said the Melbourne City Council had a three-year funding agreement with both major events until 2014.

“We look forward to working with the Queer Film Festival and celebrating Midsumma’s 25th birthday in January 2013,” he said.

Doyle was credited with supporting gay youth earlier this year when he backed a joint radio simulcast between JOY 94.9 FM and 3AW.

It was the first time in Australia the serious issue of gay youth and suicide had been discussed over such a large audience and was supported by the Melbourne City Council.