Two of our historic trades halls have been nominated to the World Heritage List. They are part of our first ever transnational nomination.
The nomination is for workers' assembly halls in Denmark, Belgium and Australia. For Australia, it includes the:
- Victorian Trades Hall in Melbourne, Victoria
- Broken Hill Trades Hall in Broken Hill, NSW.
If successful, the halls will join 21 other Australian World Heritage sites. It will be official recognition of their great cultural and universal importance.
For Denmark and Belgium, the nomination includes:
- Arbejdernes Forenings- og Forsamlingsbygning (now The Workers Museum) in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Feestlokaal Vooruit (now the VIERNULVIER Arts Centre) in Ghent, Belgium.
The nomination highlights the importance of workers' assembly halls, known as trades halls in Australia. It recognises their role in the early democratic labour movement. This international movement was a response to industrialisation.
Industrialisation led to mass migration of farm workers to cities around the world. They sought work in factories, transport and mining.
Workers built the halls for workers. They were a space for workers to gather no matter their skills or trade. They also provided educational and cultural opportunities, independent of government.
The urbanised working classes also used the halls as a space to mobilise. Many of the rights we enjoy today are the result of efforts that began in or led to halls like these. For example:
- improved working conditions
- workplace safety
- the eight‑hour workday.
With the World Heritage Centre having accepted the nomination, it will now conduct an evaluation. The World Heritage Committee will then make a final decision, anticipated in 2027.
We worked in close partnership with Denmark and Belgium on the nomination, alongside the:
- Victorian and NSW state governments
- Victorian Trades Hall Council
- Broken Hill Trades Hall Trust.
The process involved extensive consultation with First Nations groups. This will continue throughout the evaluation phase, and the management phase if listed.
About the trades halls
The 2 Australian trades halls nominated are world exemplars with continuing connections to their original purpose.
The Victorian Trades Hall is one of, if not the oldest in the world still used by trade unions. With the oldest section built in 1874, it is Australia's oldest and largest trades hall. The hall is a symbol of improved workers' rights and organised labour in Australia. The building sits on a prominent corner on the edge of Melbourne's central business district. It is an outstanding example of 19th century craftsmanship.
Built between 1898 and 1905, the Broken Hill Trades Hall is also still used as a trades hall. It was instrumental in landmark trade union victories for mining workers and their families. Some of these set world-leading standards. The hall is remote, far from the places in the UK and Europe where the industrial revolution began. Its contribution despite this shows how significant the movement was.
There are World Heritage sites acknowledging the development of industrial technologies and processes. Yet this is the first nomination to put workers at the heart of the story of industrialisation.
