Future of Queen Victoria Market clouded

Melbourne

SHOPPERS pushed past one another, hunting for the best deals. A burly man in a butcher's apron bellowed in a deep baritone about the unbeatable price of his pork chops. At another stall, the Seafood and Oyster Spot, Yianni Yiannatzis implored passers-by to taste his fresh raw oysters.

And standing here in the eye of the storm - a 19th-Century emporium otherwise known as the Queen Victoria Market - its chief executive, Malcolm McCullough, looked around and declared: "What we have here is a very traditional market." But tradition, he added, is not enough in 2017. "How do we maintain that traditional market, but also make sure we're modernising enough to keep the markets alive?" he asked. It's a question at the centre of a fierce debate over the future of one of Melbourne's most precious assets and a proposed overhaul estimated at A$620 million (S$649 million).