Carriageworks and the Powerhouse: failures of government policy The collapse of Sydney arts and entertainment centre Carriageworks has sent tremors through the besieged arts sector; but it also shows up the deep flaws in the NSW Government’s cultural policy, and is fuelling demands to halt [...]
Harwin's fall NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin’s resignation on 10 April has sparked renewed calls for Premier Gladys Berejiklian government to abandon his cherished $1.5 billion, developer-driven plan to demolish the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo and relocate to a flood-prone site (pictured above) at Parramatta. [...]
By JUDITH WHITE In the panic over the coronavirus, arts organisation are pleading for support as performances and festivals are cancelled, museums and galleries close and whole areas of the country are threatened with lockdown. The sector’s union, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) [...]
This summer’s Australian bushfires, says Sir David Attenborough, signal a crisis point for Earth. They also signal a crisis point in the ideological struggle within Australia over the future of the country and the world we live in. Scrambling to repair his prime ministership from [...]
The Australian summer has begun with two disastrous developments: out-of-control bushfires, and out-of-control governments waging war on the arts, sciences and civil liberties. The Morrison Government in Canberra and the Berejiklian Government in Sydney both seem hell-being on reversing key cultural gains of the past [...]
Arm’s length funding of the arts is the hallmark of a government attempting to work in the interests of the people. It prevents the arts being used as a political football, and together with peer assessment fosters the development of creativity. It was the founding [...]
Minister Harwin dismisses key report Buoyed by the re-election of the NSW Berejiklian Government in March, Minister for the Arts Don Harwin is ploughing ahead with the controversial move of the Powerhouse Museum (above) from Ultimo to Parramatta. He has at last responded to the [...]
The Federal election on Saturday 18 May has profound implications for culture, heritage and the arts – and voters would be well advised to take heed of what is happening in NSW. By JUDITH WHITE NSW – a case study in cultural vandalism Since its [...]
Edmund Capon 1940-2019 Edmund Capon, who has died in London at the age of 78, made an outstanding contribution to the cultural life of Australia. In his 33 years as director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, he never wavered in his commitment [...]
Inquiry finds poor planning and flawed business case The NSW Coalition Government has breached its own Treasury guidelines and governance of the arts and culture sector needs a complete review, according to the final report of the Upper House Inquiry into Museums and Galleries. Released [...]
