A funding bonanza of more than $1.3 billion will create jobs and confirm NSW as the cultural heart of Australia with a raft of high-profile projects in the pipeline including two new museums and a blockbuster fund to bring attractions to NSW.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the game-changing funding commitment to the arts highlighted the role of the arts in job creation and tourism attraction.
“Arts, screen, and our cultural institutions and infrastructure play a critical role in the State’s economy, from skills development and job creation to attracting cultural tourism,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Maximising our investment in this area will leverage New South Wales’ current capabilities, further position the State as a world-class centre for performances, events, exhibitions and cultural visitation, as well as develop new state cultural assets for future generations.”
Minister for the Arts Don Harwin said this year’s budget clearly shows the Government values the important role of the arts, screen and culture right across the State.
“This year’s State Budget has record funding for our State’s artists, creatives and arts organisations,” Mr Harwin said.
“We have the nation’s largest and most creative and diverse cultural experiences. NSW is the engine room for Australia’s creative industries. This Budget will deliver bigger and better opportunities for us all to enjoy the arts.”
Some of the highlights from this year’s budget include:
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the game-changing funding commitment to the arts highlighted the role of the arts in job creation and tourism attraction.
“Arts, screen, and our cultural institutions and infrastructure play a critical role in the State’s economy, from skills development and job creation to attracting cultural tourism,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Maximising our investment in this area will leverage New South Wales’ current capabilities, further position the State as a world-class centre for performances, events, exhibitions and cultural visitation, as well as develop new state cultural assets for future generations.”
Minister for the Arts Don Harwin said this year’s budget clearly shows the Government values the important role of the arts, screen and culture right across the State.
“This year’s State Budget has record funding for our State’s artists, creatives and arts organisations,” Mr Harwin said.
“We have the nation’s largest and most creative and diverse cultural experiences. NSW is the engine room for Australia’s creative industries. This Budget will deliver bigger and better opportunities for us all to enjoy the arts.”
Some of the highlights from this year’s budget include:
- $222.2 million for the Art Gallery of New South Wales to operate one of Australia’s flagship art museums, including $152.7 million for the completion and opening of the new Sydney Modern facility;
- $156.2 million for the new Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta, with new exhibition spaces of extraordinary scale to support a constantly changing program, as part of an $840 million total Government contribution;
- $127.1 million for the State Library of New South Wales to continue collecting and preserving materials, encourage research and learning, and provide support to local libraries across the state;
- $82.1 million for the Australian Museum to operate expanded public spaces and improved amenities within the recently re-opened historic complex;
- $73.6 million for the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences to operate the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum, the Sydney Observatory, Museums Discovery Centre, Castle Hill and, on opening, Powerhouse Parramatta;
- $33.5 million for the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales to continue to manage, maintain and interpret some of the most historically important houses, gardens and museums in New South Wales;
- $30 million ($60 million over two years) for the Creative Capital program to deliver new cultural infrastructure projects in Greater Sydney and regional New South Wales to boost community participation in the arts, along with cultural tourism;
- $15 million for a Cahill High Line, inspired by the Manhattan High Line, to temporarily transform the Cahill Expressway into a contemporary landscape which will host a series of events and provide a viewing deck for New Year’s Eve fireworks and Sydney Harbour until the opening of the 2022 Sydney Festival;
- $10 million ($40.0 million over four years) to attract major blockbuster art and museum exhibitions to New South Wales, showcasing the world’s finest treasures in our world-renowned cultural institutions;
- $6 million ($24 million over four years) to expand the State’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program to incentivise innovation, vibrancy and creativity within the cultural sector. The uplift will focus on funding small and medium arts companies, along with funding to enable additional regional touring;
- $5.2 million for the Sydney Opera House to upgrade recording and broadcast studio equipment, supporting the expansion of national and international audience participation and underpinning the Opera House’s digital education program;
- $4.8 million ($168.2 million over four years) for the transformation of the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum, featuring Australia’s first dedicated design and fashion museum and an academy supporting 60 regional students to experience immersive education and exhibition programs.