Statement regarding vandalism to floral Pride flag display

Response attributed to City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves

Vandalism of any type is strongly condemned, but even more so when it maliciously targets individuals and community groups. It’s very disappointing to see such narrow-mindedness from a small minority of people.

We are committed to ensuring members of the LGBTIQA+ communities feel safe in Ballarat and most importantly, to feel they belong.

We are very disheartened to see the damage to the Sturt Street garden bed and yarnbombing displays. The City of Ballarat’s Parks and Garden crew work incredibly hard to create these beautiful spaces and it’s a shame that a few can ruin it for the Ballarat community.

Unfortunately, the floral Pride flag display will need to be removed in the coming days as it is not possible to source matching replacement flowers in the required colours. The flowers were specially cultivated for this display since January.

If you have any information, we encourage you to report it to Victoria Police.