Like any worthwhile cause the debate around the future of The
Queen Victoria Market has created different camps - different points of view
that can clash and disrupt. If there is common ground to be found then that
would be a good thing.
In the Trader movement itself it can be said that there are two
camps - one that sees a need for change and one that says "leave our
market alone". You can see these
opposing views in action during debates over issues like the E/F Shed food
court. One side wanted to explore the benefits that could come from
re-invigorating and re-arranging the top end of E/F Shed, while another said
"Forget it. I'm not moving".
E/F Shed is a very interesting example of the difference between
a world view of our market and a view focussed on individual businesses. A
world view sees the decline in our market and the need for structural change.
It acknowledges that there are some major structural shifts in global retailing
that require a whole new look at the way we do business. An individual business
view sees the decline in our market and says fix it, but don't expect me to pay
for it and don't upset my business in the process.
In fact it is unfair to categorise views so narrowly and to somehow diminish
the right of small businesses to be concerned about their immediate welfare.
The camp who wanted to trial an E Shed Food Court probably included many F Shed
food vendors desperate to turn around their own businesses. It is equally
unfair to dismiss the need for change – the evidence around the world is
compelling. Somehow the divide in thinking needs to be closed and a way forward
found.
An interesting take on the MCG/AFL analogy came up recently. It
was suggested that at QVM management wanted to be the MCG and operate a property
for hire by traders (just like the MCG hires out its ground to the AFL and
others), and traders wanted to set up an association to protect their rights
(like the AFL Players Association). But nobody really wanted to look after the
market (nobody wants to be the AFL, the true custodians of the game). That is
the gap that both traders and management need to fill.
There is a lot of work to be done here. There is some heavy
thinking going on within management and trader ranks right now with a meeting
held on Trader Governance just yesterday. Obviously we need to get this right,
and traders will be crucial to the outcome.