Melbourne determined to be ‘a city of yes’ as it seeks to revive flagging cultural scene

‘It’s the sense of adventure – even misadventure – that the whole creative sector brings to cities that’s so important’ – Sally Capp, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

Sally Capp was in her mid-20s when she considered leaving Melbourne – a city that, as lord mayor, she’s since led through the world’s longest lockdown – in search of an “interesting life”.

It was 1992, and the financial crisis had turned Melbourne into a “moribund city and a rust bucket state” according to Capp, who was then a lawyer for Herbert Geer & Rundle.