The Federation

In early August 2022, a Federation of collectives was formed as the governance structure for the space. Prior to this, a series of public meetings occurred throughout May, June and July 2022 in which the Federation’s structure grew from. The Federation has a specific responsibilities at Catalyst, including site maintenance, financial security and developing Catalyst’s values.

Decision making within the Federation takes place at meetings that occur every 4 to 6 weeks. A member collective will organise the agenda which is made up of proposals from Federation collectives and individuals. Proposals are then discussed at the meeting, and are adopted if there is no dissent from member collectives (there may be/ often are amendments made to the proposals). If there is dissent to a proposal, it doesn’t pass, and it is up to the interested/invested collectives to find some resolution, and bring it back to The Federation. This means that it can sometimes take time to make decisions. However, where appropriate, decisions are to be made on the smallest scale possible and by those who are impacted, e.g collectives make decisions about their space, projects, conflicts etc, independently of Fed meetings.

Catalyst’s Federation is open to new collectives, that share Catalyst’s values, actively organise in the space, participate in Federation decision-making and assist with responsibilities of keeping Catalyst functioning. For more info, get in touch with the bookings crew bookings@catalystcentre.net.

^ Above: Depiction of the Federation’s structure.

The Federation’s Values

Abolition, Accessibility, Accountability, Active power sharing, Anti-capitalism, Autonomy, Care & respect for the space, Challenging dominator culture, Challenging culture of exploitation, Collective care, Collective liberation, Committed to responding to harm, Community building, Conflict resolution, Decolonisation, Decommodification, Direct action, Empathy & respect, Environmental solidarity & stewardship, Horizontal structuring, Intention, Joy & connection, Knowledge sharing (collective learning), Mutual aid, Reciprocity, Praxis, Privacy & security culture, Self-determination, Solidarity & Transformative justice.

These 30 values were adopted by Catalyst’s Federation of collectives on 27 November 2022 by consensus. Shared values are aspirational intentions, providing guidance in how we perceive, think, act and relate to each other and the living planet. We hold them in balance when considering responses to the unique richness of experience and complexities of circumstance. They are a collective statement of where we stand, what we defend and the direction we take, i.e. how we frame the world, decisions we make. They guide our intentions and motivations to bring understanding and change into the world, and are best oriented towards action. They illuminate our relationship with our inner and outer world; between each other, with other beings including non-human animals, and all interwoven life.

^ Above: Depiction of the Federation’s values.

Accessibility Information

The Cafe (Front of 146 Sydney Rd Coburg)
Entry via the front door of the 146 building is wheelchair accessible.
There is a small step from the front door to the footpath. There is a mobile ramp available that is stored behind the front table. Toilet is wheelchair accessible with handrails.

Events Area (Rear of 146 Sydney Road Coburg)
Entry via the front door and rear backyard of the 146 building is wheelchair accessible.
Access to the Events Area through the front door is only possible via an 6 metre ramp. Access to the Events Area via the rear back yard is concrete and flat. The rear backyard entry is via The Grove (street). The closest wheelchair accessible toilet with handrails is available in the Cafe space.

144 Front Room (Front Room of 144 Sydney Road Coburg)
Entry via the front door of the 144 building is wheelchair accessible.
The closest toilet is located in the 144 building. Toilet is wheelchair accessible with handrails. 

144 Middle Room (Middle Room of 144 Sydney Road Coburg)
Entry via the front door of the 144 building is wheelchair accessible.
The closest toilet is located in the 144 building. Toilet is wheelchair accessible with handrails. 

Garden Space (Rear of 144 Sydney Road Coburg)
The path is crushed gravel. The closest wheelchair accessible toilet is available in the Cafe space.

144 Rear Room (Rear of 144 Sydney Road Coburg)
Not wheelchair accessible. There is one step when entering via the rear 144, or two steps from front 144 building. The closest toilet is located in the 144 building. Toilet is wheelchair accessible with handrails.

Sun Room & Landing Room (Upstairs 144 Sydney Road Coburg) 
Not wheelchair accessible. There is 15 steps when accessing these rooms. The closest toilet is located in the 144 building. Toilet is wheelchair accessible with handrails.

^ Above: Map of the Catalyst’s Buildings. Find more info about each space on the Bookings page