Council & Politics
17 December, 2025
Lose the Charlton Hall? Forget about it
“I was once told that you never want to lose your public hall because you’ll lose your community. “That’s our hall and we’re not giving it up.”
THE Charlton community has made one thing absolutely clear - they will not be giving up their hall.
Emotions ran high at a town forum last Tuesday, where residents gathered to discuss the asbestos situation and future of the building closed since June.
Organised by the Charlton Forum, the meeting was attended by more than 70 community members as well as Buloke Shire representatives.
Council staff and councillors faced the passionate crowd, providing updates and fielding a raft of questions and comments from all sides.
According to council, a routine Hazardous Materials Audit in May found the materials within the decorative brickwork wall cavities could potentially contain friable asbestos.
Laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of Amosite asbestos within cavities on the north, east and west walls, with visual inspections indicating deterioration that increased the risk of airborne fibre release.
Chief executive Daniel McLoughlan said council had received quotes for full asbestos removal and restoration at around $317,000 or to treat the asbestos in situ and encase it for around $170,000.
Residents began to question council on these quotes and why it could cost that much.
“Of course they’re going to tell you it was that much, they want your business,” one person said.
“And where is this money going to come from?
“Why can’t you just cover it up and get on with it?”
Mr McLoughlan said while the discovery did make it in time for the 2024-2025 budget, council would consider including the money in next year’s budget.
A number of other residents made it clear that, for them, closing the hall permanently was out of the question.
“There’s no question about pulling it down, forget about it,” Peter Watts said.
“I was once told that you never want to lose your public hall because you’ll lose your community.
“That’s our hall and we’re not giving it up.”
Mr McLoughlan said council had not discussed or had no position on removing the hall al-together.
Others expressed concerns about the hole the hall would leave if it were to close.
“It’s been used for so many historic events like debutant balls,” Charlton Red Cross member Jan-et Stafford said.
“It’s also used as the evacuation centre for fires and floods.
“What do we do when Charlton floods again? We need this hall to exist.”
Council Director of Community Development Gaynor Atkin said there were a number of sites identified as options in those situations.
One of those being Charlton Park.
This didn’t go over well with the crowd.
“How are we supposed to get to Charlton Park if it’s flooded? It floods too,” one resident said.
Ms Atkin said council would be guided by emergency services in the event of a flood.
Residents also questioned the timeline of repairs once they had been locked in.
“It took you until now to move the library out of the building,” one person said.
“How long is it going to take you to make decision and get the work done?”
Lower Avoca Ward councillor and Charlton resident Bruce Stafford sympathised with the love and adoration for the hall, saying he didn’t want to see it go either.
“I can sense a bit of frustration in the room and that’s completely understandable,” he said.
“I think a lot of that comes from the unknown and not knowing what’s going on and the future.
“From my perspective [closing the hall] is simply not an option.
“I will continue to advocate for regular communications and a positive outcome.
Mayor Graeme Milne acknowledged the importance of the hall expressed by the local community in attendance. and the need for a solution to be found however he reiterated the need to also prioritise the health and safety of the community and council staff.
“We greatly appreciate everyone who came along to share their thoughts and hear directly from Council,” Mayor Milne said.
“Whilst we admit our communications could have been better, the meeting was an important opportunity to talk openly about the challenges and opportunities we are working through”.
Mr McLoughlan confirmed that Council will now pursue further technical advice, including additional remediation approaches, and seek further guidance from WorkSafe as part of determining the next steps.
To support clearer and more consistent communication moving forward, Council will continue to liaise with the Charlton Forum Inc.
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