Also read News Chronologies  for the nine years: 2014-2019;  2020; and 2021-2022 on…
And PHM being Destroyed not Saved: 2023 Call to action
For Inquiry into Museums and Galleries webpage: Read more
For the Inquiry Committee’s Two Final Reports: Read more  and media release Read more
For informed research, analysis and opinions, see What the Experts Say: Read more
To read about Museum history and issues with an early Heritage nomination, Read here.
‘Letters to Editors’: for related letters to the editors of newspapers, see the PMA web site, here: Read more

27 December, 2024
‘Why MCA? The Great Gane: funding’
In his online Newsletter 572, experienced arts critic John McDonald documents his research into current state and private funding of state art galleries and museums. Following a recent news report on 18 Dec, (HERE )  he writes: ‘There’s only one response to the announcement that Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art will begin charging a $20 entrance fee at the end of January – it will be a disaster. … Australians may be willing to pay a fortune to see some superannuated rock star in concert, but they believe a trip to an art museum should be a cheap day out, and the MCA’s new entrance fee can only be viewed as a desperate expedient. It tells us they are broke, and at their wits end. Is the museum to blame for this state of affairs? Yes, but not entirely.
… Last year, according to the MCA’s annual report, which may be found on their website, the museum received a paltry $4.2 million from the state government – a sum that allegedly has not increased since 2008, along with $4.8 million in corporate and private donations. As an independent museum, the MCA is proud of the fact that it raises 80% of its own revenue, but the money it receives from the NSW government is vital. The Art Gallery of NSW, which is government-owned, finished the year $16 million in the red, and was given a $12 million bail out. This is enough to make the MCA green with envy, but still niggardly. To make up the shortfall, director Michael Brand notoriously said he’d have to make staff cuts.
The glaring comparison, however, is with the Powerhouse Museum – or “Powerhouse”, as it now prefers to be known. I’m not going to start listing the PHM’s extravagances, or the NSW Government’s persistent record of dishonesty and obsfuscation. That would require volumes. The most interesting comparison lies with the amount of money that has been lavished on this whitest of white elephants. According to Kylie Winkworth, who has studied the Budget Papers, and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Annual Report for 2023-24, government grants and contributions to the PHM were $155,667 million against the budget of $103,713 million. This represents a $59,954 million increase between September and November when the annual report was released. As the PHM has been closed all year, she notes that this equates to a 22.7% increase “for not running the museum.”
Meanwhile, the MCA – which is actually open, with an active exhibition and education program – receives the same $4.2 million it has been getting since 2008 and is forced to consider admission charges. I won’t speculate about how much good a few million dollars would do in the regional galleries.
Where has all the PHM money gone? Aside from a never-ending series of hare-brained, virtue-signalling, inappropriate projects, it is being swallowed up by the “revitalisation” of Ultimo, which will result in a 75% loss of exhibition space, as the museum is transformed into three large volumes that can only be used for concerts and rave parties, as they are patently inadequate as display areas. No-one seems concerned that, as Winkworth points out, such a use “is inconsistent with the MAAS Act, and with the land use zoning for an information and education facility – Museum.” The other great money sponge is Powerhouse Parramatta, which, when finished, will be just as inadequate. Meanwhile, items from the collection are being farmed out across NSW, with no apparent concern about what happens to them.

A typically pathetic article in the Sydney Morning Herald last week featured an interview with David Borger, the new President of the PHM, and longterm prime mover of the Parramatta project. Putting Borger in charge of operations was a further sign, should one be required, that the government has no intentions of listening to anyone who has criticised this outrageously wasteful project or is warning against the catastrophe that awaits. From the beginning, Borger has made a huge song & dance about Parramatta being neglected by those snobs and sharpies in the city. In fact, nobody has ever denied the need for a new museum or cultural institution in Parramatta. The problem is that every sensible suggestion has been ignored, while a completely crazy one has been pushed through against the protests just about everybody, apart from a small clique of interested parties, with Mr. Borger being the leader of the pack. It’s not about the western suburbs, it’s about a handful of empire builders in the western suburbs, and the willingness of successive governments to destroy one of the state’s great public assets.
… To return to the main theme of this newsletter, the MCA is on the verge of killing off whatever audience it currently enjoys, and the state government is unwilling to lift a finger. Meanwhile the same government has just committed $150 million to a museum that has been closed for the past year. Waste, nepotism and failure are rewarded, fiscal responsibility is punished. Go figure.
There has never been any doubt that the PHM development is an act of cultural vandalism on a grand scale that will lead to taxpayers forking out hundreds of millions to maintain three large buildings nobody wants to visit – but the problem is now spreading. The money pit that is the PHM project has become a vortex that attracts government funding that could be more practically spent elsewhere. Every other museum is suffering because of the government’s weird obsession with one gargantuan project that has zero chance of ever paying its way. By the time it’s finished, close to $2 billion will have been spent, and then we can really start paying.’ READ MORE HERE: John McD No 572 Dec 28

21 December, 2024
‘We don’t want to be too stuffy’: New Powerhouse boss on what we can expect
In a discussion reported by Linda Morris in the Sydney Morning Herald, new president of Powerhouse Museum Trustees, Parramatta business man, David Borger, confirms in many ways what was always understood in 2014 when it was announced that the Powerhouse Museum would move to Parramatta, that the reasons were: ‘money in the city and votes in the west’. And it is clear that his visions for the Parramatta site are very business-oriented, while he doesn’t mention the future of Ultimo at all. [See also News page  10 Dec: ‘Who’s in, who’s out…]
Morris reports: ‘Among the 500,000 objects in the collection of the Powerhouse museum, its new trust president nominates a shopping arcade sign as his favourite. Business leader, and former Labor roads minister, David Borger, has the job of delivering the largest cultural infrastructure project in Australia since the Sydney Opera House. All of that will be during an election campaign year, smack bang in the middle of one of the most marginal seats in NSW. “I’d be derelict in my duty if I didn’t feel pressure because there’s a lot riding on the opening of this museum,” Borger says.… Born and bred nearby to Parramatta, Borger has been a longtime critic of the lop-sided distribution of cultural investment to city museums and galleries. He was, therefore, an obvious choice to step into the shoes of former Coalition arts minister Peter Collins to lead the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences trust from January 1. The trust has oversight of a $300 million revamp of the shuttered Ultimo campus, as well as the museum’s new $915 million Parramatta headquarters, the region’s first state-run cultural institution due to open in 2026. … “We’ve got to be a bit unpretentious here,” Borger says. “We don’t want to be too stuffy and conservative; we have to be welcoming. We have to deliver a great experience when someone walks in the door for the first time, something that knocks their socks off.” ‘
‘Suzette Meade, who led protests against the demolition of the historic villa, Willow Grove, which made way for the Powerhouse, questions spending on authors, chefs and photographers appointed as museum associates alongside professional curators and conservators. She is looking for the trust, led by Borger, to focus on delivering what was promised to the families of western Sydney – a museum of science and technology to rival the Smithsonian, as well as celebrating Parramatta’s rich cultural heritage.’ … Morris continues: ’He is “unapologetic” about finding new ways to present the collection. Nor should the public mind, he says, if weddings share presentation floor space.’ READ HERE, or HERE Borger SMH 21 Dec
[Powerhouse Museum Alliance asks: ‘why does he refer to a museum being “stuffy”? The Museum has always not only focused on the collection, which does not appear to be a priority now, while engaging a wide range of audiences in related activities. Apparently focusing the future of the Parramatta site on local audiences, Borger seems not to be aware he is Chair of Trustees for a STATE museum, but for a local entertainment centre.
Also reporting on this announcement colleagues, Save the Powerhouse, remind us that ‘It is still not too late to save our Museum. Sign our joint petition “Keep the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo open” https://chng.it/x6r5ZRtCQK if you have not done so yet and share it with your family and friends. The petition is reaching 9,000 signatures with a goal of 10,000 in the near future.’ READ HERE: 22 Dec Save re Borger

17 December, 2024
 Sydney City Council involvement in Review of the State Govt’s ‘Revitalisation Project’ for the Powerhouse Museum.
Attached below, our colleagues Save the Powerhouse report on the results of the City of Sydney Council meeting on 16 December, following passing on of information and decisions from the meetings of City of Sydney’s Transport, Heritage and Planning Committee (THPC) on Monday 9 December; and the Central Sydney Planning Committee (CSPC) on 12 Dec (where the Council is in a minority: 3 Council representatives vs 4 members nominated by the NSW Planning Minister, two of who have close associations with the revitalisation plans).’
Despite many submissions and presentations that Council withdraw its “support in principle” of the discredited Government’s “Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation” project and officially OBJECT to it, the recommendation made was that “Council defer consideration of the Planning Proposal – Powerhouse Museum Heritage Item Amendment, shown at Attachment C to the subject report, to enable a review of the purpose and whether any additional benefit is gained from the local listing against the recently expanded State heritage listing.” ‘
This motion was unanimously approved by those present at the Dec 16 Council meeting. However, Save writes: ‘The LEP amendment process would take several months with a public exhibition in April 2025 and the document finally amended in October 2025’ …where … ‘ by this date, most of the Powerhouse Museum Complex’s heritage will have been destroyed by the “Revitalisation.”…The “Revitalisation” Project is now likely to be “Determined” (rubber-stamped) by the Planning Minister in early January next year, with wrecking balls moving in soon after.’
It does seem to PHM Alliance, and others, that the Sydney City Council is limited in its preferences by the control over it in these cases by the Government Planning requirements.
And ” Cr Sylvie Ellsmore deplored the undemocratic rules of SSDs and CSPC which enable the Government “to overrule and effectively block the elected Council from doing something.” She stressed the importance (for the Council) “to continue to be in that room when the State Government has the project developed, because I think there is a real chance we can win better heritage protection as a result of that”, and acknowledged “the submissions that have been received, particularly because I genuinely believe that we are only at the stage we are at now in terms of not being a private development or sold off because of the work of the community and the number of those people who wrote submissions to us.”
READ HERE: S the P Report SCC Meeting

9, 12, 16 December, 2024
Sydney City Council meetings, Review of PHM Heritage issues
Leading up to a Sydney City Council meeting on 16 December, two meetings were held which included debates on the Sydney City Council’s review of the ‘amendment of the LEP2012 Heritage Map to reflect the July state heritage listing of the “Powerhouse Museum Complex” in Ultimo.’ See Calendar Listing HERE:   which includes:
Monday 9 December 2024
1.06 pm Meeting of Transport, Heritage and Planning Committee on 09/12 at 1.06 pm – Council Chamber, Sydney Town Hall (Started 5pm) WEBCAST
Thursday 12 December 2024
5.00 pm Meeting of Central Sydney Planning Committee on 12/12 at 5.00 pm – Council Chamber, Sydney Town Hall WEBCAST
To be held on Monday 16 December 2024
5.00pm Meeting of Council on 16/12 at 5.00 pm  – Council Chamber, Sydney Town Hall
Among many other agenda items, for discussions about the Powerhouse Museum, key documents are listed HERE:
For the Powerhouse Museum, go to  Item No 3, then Nos 41-51, with attachments C, C1, C2, including a report (C1) by heritage expert firm Lovell Chen  PDF 12 MB  that was commissioned by the City of Sydney ‘to investigate the entire Powerhouse Museum site for heritage significance’, following a “Notice of Motion” introduced on 15 May 2023 by then Councillor Linda Scott. (Now appointed a Trustee of the PHM.)
Information from 9 Dec was passed on to the meeting on 12 Dec, and then referred to the Sydney City Council meeting for final decisions on 16 Dec (to come…).
As well as receiving many online submissions, presentations were also made by:
9 Dec by Elizabeth Elenius (Pyrmont Action Group) READ:   EE to THPC 9Dec
12 Dec by Jennifer Sanders  READ JS to CSPC 12 Dec and Kyie Winkworth  READ:  KW to CSPC 12 Dec (Powerhouse Museum Alliance)
READ HERE:  Council meetings Dec2024 for Web casts of meetings on 9 and 12 December, and an extensive documentation and summary of conclusions and recommendations  

10 December, 2024
‘Who’s in, who’s out as Labor figures head cultural leadership shake-up’
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Linda Morris lists the new and outgoing appointments of Trustees for NSW state museums and art galleries. She notes that: ‘Former NSW premier Bob Carr, two former Labor ministers, Bob Debus and David Borger, and former ALP deputy lord mayor Linda Scott are among 10 new appointments to the state’s premier cultural bodies. All three new board presidents or chairs – Carr to the Museums of History NSW, Debus to the State Library of NSW, and Borger to the Powerhouse Museum – are former Labor politicians.’
Of great concern to many Museum supporters is the announcement: ‘One-time roads minister David Borger will step up from director to helm the Powerhouse Museum, taking carriage of $1.2 billion worth of projects, including delivery of the $915 million Parramatta Powerhouse. Borger, a business leader and supporter of Sydney’s multicultural heartland, will be joined by Jobs and Skills Australia commissioner Professor Barney Glover, back at the Powerhouse for a second term, and former ALP councillor Linda Scott.’ In her Facebook post for 10 Dec, Linda Scott  wrote: ‘Having fought alongside so many in our community to keep our Powerhouse Museum open and thriving in Sydney, I’m delighted to have been nominated to join the Board as a Director of this vital cultural institution.’
But it is of substantial concern to long-term Powerhouse Museum audiences and colleagues, that Borger and Glover have been very actively focused over recent years on Parramatta’s benefits rather than the accessibility to, and history of, this state Museum in the state capital city, and that the Trust has also had little influence over the Ultimo issue in recent years. Where will this lead now? READ HERE, or HERE  New Gallery Museum Trust appointments

December 8, 2024
‘Revealed: The bill to empty the Powerhouse Museum’
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Linda Morris reports concerns about the cost of, and often danger to, the removal of the Powerhouse Museum’s extensive collection to storage in distant Castle Hill, and focusing on the removal of the 1795 Boulton & Watt rotative engine, a rare relic of the Industrial Age, is one of only three that exist in the world. ‘Taxpayers have spent more than $7 million to empty the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo and send its contents 37 kilometres to a new storehouse in readiness for the museum’s imminent $300 million rebuild and renovations at its city campus.
But the $7.3 million bill for Australia’s largest museum move in half a century does not include the centrepiece of the Powerhouse collection, which is still to be packed up and placed in storage despite anxiety about its extreme fragility. The budget for the steam engine’s removal, along with the rest of the decanted objects, has been covered by a one-off $15 million government grant made in June to also cover the cost of separating the functions of the nearby Harwood building from the construction site, management said. “It’s about the methodology,” she said. “We have everything documented from 1988, and we are using that as a guide to relocate the steam engine.”
… But moving the Boulton & Watt was a “distressing” prospect, said Emeritus Professor David Miller, a historian in science and technology at the University of NSW. He said disassembling the machine to move it to Castle Hill would not be attended by the same expertise or care “since virtually all of those who could provide it are dead”. “The very decision to move the Boulton & Watt is a cavalier act of bad faith given the earlier reassurances that it would not be moved,” ….
At Ultimo, planning approvals are expected in January to begin demolition of staircases, internal walls and mezzanines within the heritage Boiler House, Engine House, and Turbine Hall, a move which the Powerhouse said would improve circulation but which has been criticised by most public submissions.  Labor’s renovations also call for shopfronts for creative industries to be built along Harris Street and a new city-facing entrance and courtyard. Interiors of the 1988-built Wran building will be removed, and its materials changed.’
READ HERE, or HERE  SMH Dec 8 Boulton and Watt.docx
Very strong opposition continues to what is seen as ‘destruction of’ rather than ‘saving’ the Museum, with no reassuring public plans for maintaining it presence and program in the way that it has been known for.

5 and 7 December, 2024
WRITE TO CITY OF SYDNEY’S HERITAGE & TRANSPORT COMMITTEE
and LOVELL CHEN REPORT CONFIRMS PHM’s GLOBAL HERITAGE VALUE
Powerhouse Museum Alliance joined Save the Powerhouse in circulating information about the opportunity to contribute to a public meeting at 1.00 pm on 9 December, held by Sydney City Council to consider a Planning Proposal – Powerhouse Museum Heritage Amendment. the meeting is public and the real-time webcast is available on https://webcast.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/   The public can write to the Committee at secretariat@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au or speak in person for a maximum of 3mn during the meeting. Speakers must register before 10am on Monday 9  by calling 02 9265 9333 or emailing secretariat@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
 The attached document includes a brief introduction from PMA, and two detailed messages from Save the Powerhouse, all of which were circulated to very wide audiences supportive of REALLY saving the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. Some links are offered to important documents, including: A Heritage Assessment by Lovell Chen Architects (August 2024) commissioned by the City of Sydney (Attachment C1) .  A summary of this document is provided here: A “Draft Inventory Sheet – Powerhouse Museum and Interiors.’ Attachment C2 “The combination of Lovell- Chen’s precise, authoritative (especially in terms of NSW Heritage Assessment Criteria) and clear exposition, supported by the outstanding work of Alan Croker (Design 5) and the solid assessment by Robertson and Hindmarsh, proves that the proposed demolition of most of Lionel Glendenning’s architectural interventions, is obviously ignorant and destructive, and contrary to internationally accepted heritage and cultural norms in museological, heritage and architectural terms” commented Dr Lindsay Sharp, the Founding Director of the Powerhouse Museum. “The removal thus far of the collections and exhibits is an inexcusable, costly and wasteful act of conscious desecration and cultural barbarism.”
READ ALL HERE: Write to Council for 9 Dec

 1 December 2024
‘Expert makes shocking claim that the NSW Government is eroding the Powerhouse Museum by stealth?‘
In a radio interview on ‘Weekends with Luke Grant: Radio 2GB Sydney’, Luke Grant investigates serious claims made by museum expert and former Powerhouse Museum Trustee, Kylie Winkworth, about the devastating and expensive changes to the renowned Ultimo site of the Museum, the 75% reduction of exhibition spaces, and the absolute secrecy about its future collection-based program. These comments and claims are made on behalf of a huge involvement from many concerned museum audiences, over 10 years, to save the museum as it was intended to be and successfully evolved after reopening in 1988. It has been clear for most of this time that the current intent for the Ultimo site is for “a 1,500 seats theatre, performance and rehearsal complex with some fashion and design displays and spaces for creative industries”. During the interview Grant also mentions the regular contradictory contact from the Museum following his interviews, despite that, as Winkworth confirms, the research figures are extracted from government documents, and there are no clear alternative business cases.
Listen to Winkworth on “Weekend with Luke Grant” on 1^st December. The Interview starts at 1:25:55 and ends at 1:41:24: LISTEN HERE.

8 December, 2024
‘SHOCK JOCK’ LUKE GRANT TELLS MAAS’ MANAGEMENT “WE DON’T TRUST YOU”
Following his interview with Kylie Winkworth, 2GB presented follows up responses received from the Powerhouse Museum management.
Save the Powerhouse Museum  group reports: ‘On his “Weekends with Luke Grant” program, following his interview with “highly respected” museum and heritage expert Kylie Winkworth last Sunday 1 December, (see above) Luke Grant commented on  the “note” he received from the MAAS management and Winkworth’s reply. WATCH HERE: (Interview starts at 1:20:32 and ends at 1:32:31) or http://tiny.cc/bn10001 “She was concerned that the Powerhouse Museum as we knew it would no longer exist as a museum. As I predicted last week, everything that Kylie said would be described by the Museum people as inaccurate and they wanted me to correct the record.” Read Save’s full report HERE: Luke Grant reply 8 Dec

1 December, 2024
‘Joining the Dots: the Powerhouse Museum’s demolition and secret conversion to a creative industries, theatre, and performance centre’
Kylie Winkworth, experienced museum consultant and PMA advocate, summarises in great detail the secrecy over many years about the reality of the future role of the Powerhouse Museum in its Ultimo site. She introduces her well-researched document, saying: ‘It cannot be an accident that one of only five submissions to the EIS [Environmental Impact Statement] supporting the proposed development suggests the PHM would make a good theatre. In response to objections to the EIS that the PHM was being converted to a performance space modelled on Carriageworks, the RtS [Response to Submissions report] asserts: “there is no intention to provide a live entertainment precinct as part of the Powerhouse revitalisation. The Powerhouse Museum is an exhibition space primarily and the revitalisation has been led by the demand for more flexible exhibition space.” ‘
But Winkworth argues: ‘This is not true. If 75% of the museum’s exhibition galleries will be gutted and the remaining spaces reduced to just three over-scaled empty caverns unsuitable for all exhibitions, including international travelling exhibitions, it is reasonable to conclude the government has something else in mind they are not willing to disclose to the public. The public deception goes back to 2020 when MAAS and Create NSW made a submission to the Pyrmont Peninsula Strategy outlining plans for a vibrant 24 hour precinct, using the same phrases and sentences that are repeated in the secret design brief and the current Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation SSDA EIS. Contrary to the rebuttal of objections to the conversion of the PHM into an entertainment and performance facility, buried in the EIS papers are reports revealing there are detailed plans for a live entertainment precinct in the PHM, with amplified live music concerts to be held in the three remaining spaces of the former PHM.’
For her very detailed summary of the evolution of this continuing, and unresolved saga: READ HERE: Winkworth Joining the Dots the PHM’s conversion to performance Dec 2024 or on our web page for What the Experts Say, HERE.

November 2024
‘The Powerhouse Museum’s Wasteful Demolition and Redevelopment: Cost and Planning Comparisons with UK Museum Renewal Projects’
Museum specialist, Kylie Winkworth, writes with very detailed information and professional observations about her recent extensive research, saying: ‘A review of award-winning museum renewal projects in the UK shows the Powerhouse Ultimo redevelopment will cost NSW taxpayers three or four times more than the cost of comparable museum renewal projects. At a cost of more than $400m, the misnamed ‘revitalisation’ will erase all trace of the Powerhouse Museum, destroy the museum’s heritage values, and render the PHM not fit for purpose as a museum and exhibition facility. The exorbitant waste and cost are due to:
–   The extensive, wasteful and unnecessary demolition of all trace of the 1988 museum, including all the museum’s interiors, all the mezzanine galleries, 20 exhibition galleries, three theatres, all the education studios, all the accessible ramps, escalators and visitor amenities, and substantial parts of the PHM’s buildings, reducing the museum’s exhibition space by 75% to leave just three empty voids
–   The wasteful, unnecessary and expensive excavation of a small loading dock through the Switch House, when the PHM already has a larger loading dock only metres away in the Harwood building. ‘Decoupling the Harwood building from the PHM’ is part of the secret design brief for the project, hidden from the public, despite the government’s repeated promises to release the key documents about the project.
–  The extensive intervention and reworking of the Switch House, destroying two floors of exhibition galleries previously used for applied arts, design, decorative arts, Indigenous design, international exhibitions and exhibitions for kids and families, along with museum offices
–  Demolition of all the renewal works completed just 12 years ago, including expansive education studios, new visitor amenities, the café and shop opening to the sunny Harris St forecourt, and new escalators and lifts
–   And the extensive demolition of the Galleria and Wran building, with the Galleria’s partial reconstruction as a passageway, and a substantially rebuilt smaller performance space in what was the Wran building, reconstructed in the form of a brick clad Nissen hut, hidden behind a row of shops.
None of these works are in any sense an improvement on the PHM’s original design and exhibition and education capacity. The secret purpose of the Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation project is not museum renewal but demolition and downsizing to change the use of the site from museum exhibitions and education to performance, commercial uses, venue hire and creative industries…’
‘Critical success factors in recent award winning, exemplary and cost-effective international museum renewal projects include:
–  Transparency and open communication at every stage of the process, enabling genuine public input on the masterplan, design briefs, architectural options, and exhibition concepts – all withheld from public scrutiny in the PHM ‘revitalisation’ project.
–  Museum experts and curators on design juries, including senior curatorial staff and independent museum experts, and their involvement in drafting design briefs and testing design ideas and options  –  Conservation of each museum’s heritage buildings as the project starting point, with renewal plans guided by experienced heritage conservation architects.
–  Delivering a range of exhibition galleries of varying scale, utilising mezzanines and side galleries to mediate the scale of larger spaces, see 1 and 6 below.
–  Generously scaled entry halls, atriums and public forecourts as an integral part of the visitor experience.
Every one of these key ingredients for excellence in museum renewal and design are missing from the Powerhouse Ultimo project.’ As part of her research, Winkworth provides details of these significant institutions, as well as other Sydney-based state institutions:
1: Young V& Albert Museum
2: The National Portrait Gallery London
3: Manchester Museum
4: The National Railway Museum Renewal
5: British Museum Redevelopment
6: Perth Museum, Perth, Scotland
7: Powerhouse Museum $400 million + for Demolition and Downsizing
Winkworth writes: ‘It is clear from the Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation plans in the EIS that no consideration was given to the option for the conservation, repair and renewal of the PHM’s buildings and its exhibitions. This is what characterises all the exemplary international museum renewal projects… The plans will erase all trace of the Powerhouse Museum, a purpose designed museum that is only 36 years old. The eye-watering cost of more than $400m reduces the museum’s exhibition capacity, functionality, visitor amenity and education spaces, demolishing 75% of the PHM’s exhibition galleries to leave just three large empty caverns for unspecified uses.
None of the acclaimed museum renewal projects in the UK set out to demolish fit for purpose infrastructure or the museum’s heritage buildings and history…
Despite Labor’s promises, transparency is entirely missing from the secretive and destructive Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation scheme… What does Sydney get for $400 million plus? At the end the Powerhouse Museum will be gutted and downsized to create three large empty spaces on a scale unsuitable for museum exhibitions and international blockbusters – except for the power and transport collections which have been evicted from the museum that was purpose designed for their exhibition. … All the museum’s medium and small-scale exhibition galleries will be demolished, along with three flexible theatres and all the museum’s education studios and learning spaces. These are the galleries that have hosted numerous international exhibitions, and exhibitions from the museum’s applied arts, history, design, science and technology collections. Total exhibition space set for demolition: 15,980sqm, or 75% of the museum’s exhibition galleries. And the $400m+ cost doesn’t include museum fit out or exhibitions – if there is even any intention of having exhibitions. … The Powerhouse Museum is not saved. Two governments promised the Powerhouse Museum was staying in Ultimo, retaining its traditional focus on technology, transport, engineering, science, applied arts and design. But behind the scenes public servants carried on with plans to convert the Powerhouse Museum into the Ultimo Presence; a creative industries, fashion, design, theatre, performance and venue hire facility. Spruiking her vision for the former Powerhouse Museum, the CEO told the Committee for Sydney in August 2021 the project would ignore the weight of history, language and architecture…. If there is a vision for the former PHM site, it’s for the erasure, break-up and repurposing of the Sulman award winning Powerhouse Museum, designed for a working life of more than 100 years, now set for demolition after just 36 years as an influential state museum. It’s a staggering wastage of museum infrastructure, akin to demolishing a house because the owners don’t care for maintenance. There will be no museum left when the project is done. The renowned Powerhouse Museum will be reduced to Powerhouse Ultimo, another Sydney-type empty arts and performance facility, hidden behind a row of shops, designed for commercial events and venue hire, not collections, exhibitions and audiences interested in the museum.  FOR FULL LONG DOCUMENT READ HERE:  Winkworth PHM Waste and International Cost Comparisions Nov 2024

25 November, 2024
Response to Second Round of Submissions
In their response to submissions made to the proposed ‘Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation’, the Department of Planning and Development circulated a letter offering a link to their portal and opportunities to follow up. Read Here:  Letter – Dept of P and E responses
Save the Powerhouse team inspected the Department’s Responses and their informative comments identified as ‘ INSW’S SECOND “RESPONSE TO SUBMISSIONS” IS PATHETIC’, are attached below.  They note that The “Response” can be viewed on the Planning Portal HERE.
But they say that ‘This is 6 months after the Project’s EIS was first placed on exhibition in May, a clear sign of the Government’s inability to justify its destructive project. The “Response to Submissions” folder has 34 documents but only the last 8 (starting with “Request RtS letter”) belong to the second exhibition in September 2024.’
Powerhouse Museum Alliance adds, to help find those 8 responses, to search at the end of the list for:
Request RtS Letter View
E- Updated Plans View
B- Flooding Response View
D- Updated Tree Management Plan View
F- Transport Response View
Submissions Letter View
C- Detailed Response to Submissions Tables View
A- Submissions Register View
Save also comments: ‘Although the Department of Planning and Environment’s letter states that it “will now commence its assessment having regard to the issues raised in submissions and the proponent’s response”, the NSW Government has already (apparently early in November) awarded a contract to a major demolition contractor to undertake early works for the “revitalisation” of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. Early works will include establishing the site, conducting investigation works and undertaking any required remediation ahead of main works. Commencing in early November, “early works” is expected to take up to six months.”’ They write: ‘We think that awarding a public contract before the project is approved is probably illegal. Even if legal it makes public consultation a mockery and relegates the Minister for Planning and his Department to a mere rubber stamp role.’ They also discuss comments made by Ethos Urban, consultant to INSW, and their “Detailed Response to Submissions” and note that: ‘A majority of the publicly raised “issues” are simply brushed aside with words such as “this has been previously addressed in “Submissions and Amendments” package dated 3 September 2024” or “this is not a planning matter.” This is again making a mockery of genuine public consultation which the Arts Minister promised would be the hallmark of his tenure before the election.’…For more details, and an invitation to join their Save the Powerhouse Petition, READ HERE: 25 November Save

7 November, 2024
‘Inside Australia’s most beautiful houses, pools and an “otherworldly’ tin shed” ‘
In her article in the Sydney Morning Herald  Julie Power reports on recent architectural awards that included: ‘Known as “the big tin shed”, the shimmering Powerhouse Castle Hill designed by Sydney’s Lahznimmo Architects was a big winner in the National Architecture Awards 2024, announced on Thursday night. Home to the Powerhouse’s $347 million collection of 500,000 objects, the new building claimed the Sir Zelman Cowen Award, the highest award for public architecture in Australia. Jury member Professor Naomi Stead from RMIT said the building had a “really otherworldly sense because of its milled aluminium finish. It’s like it glimmers in the light.”
… Initially, the architects thought the building was going to be a large storage shed similar to those already on the north-west Sydney site. And it would be a utilitarian piece of architecture, with most of it back of house and not designed for the public. That was until Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah stepped in … Havilah said the Powerhouse was the only piece of cultural infrastructure in the Hills Shire, and it was designed to serve the local community. “People just love this building, like they really love this building,” Havilah said. “So we’ve had a lot of response to the architecture, but they’ve also responded to what this piece of architecture does in terms of making our collection visible.” … Stead agreed: “It is a newish building type, it is a museum, with open storage, a bit of a forensic laboratory, it’s got a gallery, and a vault to keep precious things safe. But really it is like the most beautiful storage facility. The objects are laid out, they’re orderly, but they’re not curated. You are seeing a collection, as opposed to an exhibition.” ‘
Read HERE, or HERE  Sydney Morning Herald 7 Nov
HOWEVER, In her letter to the SMH editor on 9 November, Jennifer Sanders, writing for the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, reminded readers in ‘Powerhouse travesty’, that:
‘Meanwhile in Ultimo, the 1988 Powerhouse Museum won multiple top architectural and industry awards over the years, [including the Sir John Sulman medal and ACROD award for barrier free circulation. Nationally, the Museum won the President’s Award for the recycling or new use of a building, the Belle Award for Interiors and was a finalist for the Sir Zelman Cowen Award. The Museum was the Westpac Museum of the year and the Australian Tourism Commission’s Best Tourist Attraction in Australia Award.] Yet these accolades and the popular success of the people’s Powerhouse Museum – more than 20 million visitors and multiple museum and industry awards in the past 36 years, have not yet saved the Powerhouse Museum from a wasteful, unnecessary $500m plus, deeply unpopular fake ”heritage revitalisation”. In fact, the plan will demolish the 1988 Powerhouse Museum leaving only three large voids….  Why is the Labor government destroying the cultural jewel of their legacy? A decade of protests and increasing popular anger at the deceitful treatment of our much-loved Museum will not be dispelled by a lauded shed in difficult to access Castle Hill.  Stop the fake Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation, do the repairs and maintenance, renew the exhibitions and reopen the people’s Powerhouse Museum.  Read HERE: JS 9 November 2024

20 October, 2024
THE CITY OF SYDNEY COULD HELP STOP THE “REVITALISATION”
Very much aware of the predominating opposition for the Powerhouse Museum’s ‘revitalisation’ proposals, the diligent Save the Powerhouse Museum  group was one that followed up by rsavethepowerhouse@gmail.comaising questions about position taken by the Sydney City Council in its ‘commenting’ submission. In a mass email and on Facebook, they wrote: ‘The two successive public exhibitions of INSW’s destructive “Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation” SSD Application received only 9 supporting submissions (3%) out of a total of 300 (read our recent post). This is despite an unprecedented campaign of disinformation by the NSW Government (read our previous posts and museums expert Kylie WInkworth’s article in City Hub ).  We wrote in our additional   Submission of 13 October  that “It is inconceivable that a FAIR Assessment of a project so vehemently opposed by the public, the experts and respected institutions such as the National Trust could recommend approval. It is time common sense prevailed.”
But how can we expect a “fair assessment” when the project has been classified as “State Significant Development (SSD), a rule specifically designed by the previous Coalition Government to bypass democratic processes in order to fast track their projects? The rule has not been repealed by the current Labor Government which uses it liberally.
One of the 22 (7%) of the “commenting” submissions was lodged by the City of Sydney on 28 May . The City “supports in principle the adaptive approach” with two important caveats –
– “Further information is required to understand the potential impacts to the heritage significance of the site” and –
– “The revitalised Powerhouse should provide the same amount, if not more, of exhibition space.”
Neither of these conditions are met by the project as re-exhibited in September/October –
– The project, facilitated by a customised heritage listing of the “Powerhouse Museum Complex” including numerous exemptions, will destroy over 90% of the Wran legacy
 – The exhibition space will be reduced to less than a quarter.
In these circumstances, Save http://tiny.cc/4v7rzz and others asked the City to officially oppose the project in its current form and release the Lovell Chen heritage report they commissioned.The City response http://tiny.cc/av7rzz is encouraging, stating above all that they “are also concerned about the potential loss of exhibition space.”
A formal opposition of the City could stop the project and time is of the essence. The next Council meeting is on Monday 28 October and the project may well have been “determined” by the Government before the following meting at the end of November.
We encourage you to write to the City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore  cmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au and her (Labor) Deputy Zann Maxwell ZMaxwell@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au asking them to vote a motion at the October Council meeting stating their opposition. Copy your email to the City’s Director of Planning, Development and Transport, Graham Jahn GJahn@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au .
Zann Maxwell’s response to the Pyrmont Action/Friends of Ultimo joint Election Manifesto in September was positive. He wrote “The proposed refurbishment (of the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo) involves significant changes, including a 75% reduction in exhibition space. I will support a review of these plans to align with the Government’s commitment to preserving the museum’s heritage.” You could remind him of his pre-election commitment.

15 October, 2024
Lionel Glendenning: Letter to City Council
Lionel Glendenning, architect for the award-winning ‘adaptive reuse’ of the Powerhouse buildings as a Museum, which opened to wide acclaim in 1988, wrote to Graham Jahn, Executive Director of City Planning Development at the City of Sydney, to provide information to ‘ensure that issues raised regarding Heritage Significance and Exhibition areas are resolved…’. He provided a number of detailed and informative attachments, which are listed in his letter.
READ HERE: PHM LG Letter City of Sydney Graham Jahn plus att 15 October 2024

15 October, 2024
Minister John Graham’s response to submissions
John Graham, Minister for the Arts and other services, wrote to all those who made submissions in October. He mentioned that he was writing to provide an update on the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo, acknowledging its significance, mentioning the commitment to retaining the Wran legacy, with the drivers for the revitalisation the cost of maintenance and safety for visitors, and functionality upgrades.
He provided information about publishing submissions and a response report, and noted continuing projects on other Museum sites.  READ HERE: 15 Oct The Hon. John Graham MLC – Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Heritage Revitalisation (19)

INTO OCTOBER: CRITICAL RESEARCH DOCUMENTS, AND SOME EARLY SUBMISSIONS
As background information for the opportunity to make submissions to the NSW government Planning Portal about the future of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, Critical Research documents, and some early Submissions, include:
8 October: Thomas Walder: Submission
    READ HERE: T Walder Submission
7 October: Tom Lockley: Submission
     READ HERE:  T Lockley Submission
6 October: Lionel Glendenning: Submission
READ HERE:  Lionel Glendenning Submission
6 October: Jonathan Sanders: Submission
     READ HERE: Jonathan Sanders Submission
5 October: Lindsay Sharp: Submission; and Summary and Bullet Points
     READ HERE:  L Sharp Submission and HERE:  LS Summary and Bullet Points
4 October: Save the Powerhouse: Key Points
     READ HERE: Save the P Key Points
1 October: Save the Powerhouse: Submission
     READ HERE: Savethe P Submission
29 September: Grace Cochrane: Submission
     READ HERE: G Cochrane Submission
28 September: Kylie Winkworth: The Fake News of Labor’s Powerhouse Ultimo Heritage Hoax
     READ HERE:  Winkworth Fake News and Labor’s Heritage Hoax 29 Sept 2024
24 September: National Trust: Powerhouse Museum update
     READ HERE:  National Trust 24 September

13 October, 2024
Summary of Submissions to “Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation” SSD application.
Save the Powerhouse summarised the October round of submissions, following the first round in May: ‘The Planning Department received a further 138 submissions for the NSW Government’s destructive “Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation” SSD application (in October): 131 (95%) submissions objected to the project, 3 (2%) of them “commented” and only 4 (3%) of them supported it.
This is in addition to the 125 submissions received for the first EIS exhibition in May (109 opposing, 11 commenting and 5 only supporting) and the 37 “late submissions” (29 supporting, 8 commenting and none supporting) received after the 30^th of May…
In total, the wholly unpopular project received 300 submissions, 269 (90%) objecting, 22 commenting (7%) and only 9 (3%) supporting (refer to attached Table http://tiny.cc/vc6qzz)’
See list details HERE : Go to Submissions: pages 1-7 for May submissions; pages 8- on for October submissions.
‘Further, it is to be noted that most submissions classified as “commenting” are in fact “objecting” as shown on the attached http://tiny.cc/hc6qzz  table. Thank you to all those of you who spent their own time to lodge a second submission. There were more submissions this time than in May!’

Departmental Follow-up:
Following the closure date, the office of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has advised those who have made submissions, that they can all be read on their  Portal: HERE.
Go to Submissions, where they are listed in several pages (numbered at the foot of the link).
HOWEVER, the first 6 pages are from the submissions made in the first round, in May 2024.
The October 2024 submissions start on Page 7, although not all are dated.
The Department writes: ‘The notification email you received on Friday afternoon was sent to all submitters and subscribers to this project, advising that the Applicant has now been asked to respond to the issues raised during the recent exhibition period. Once the Applicant provides a response to submissions, this will be published on the public webpage for the project.’

 6 October, 2024
POWERHOUSE ULTIMO REVITALISATION: SSD-67588459
RESPONSES TO: EXHIBITION OF AMENDED STATE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION (SSDA) and RESPONSE TO SUBMISSIONS REPORT
Leading up to the 7 October closing date for submissions commenting on the NSW Government’s Planning Portal, about the ‘Powerhouse Revitalisation’, much well-researched information was distributed to the vast support network that opposes current proposals, and the ‘amendments’ offered in the new on-line ‘exhibition’.
For example:
4 October: Save the Powerhouse wrote:
Following earlier messages on 15 and 18 September (see entries below), Save the Powerhouse also sent out to its wide email and Facebook listings a reminder, saying:
‘Submissions to the second round of public consultation to the destructive “Powerhouse (NOT MUSEUM!) Ultimo Heritage Revitalisation” Development Application closes in 3 days’ time, on Monday 7 October. We understand the general submission fatigue after a decade of fighting, but there is only ONE Powerhouse Museum and there will be none left when it is gone.
If the NSW Government has its ways –
– The PHM exhibition area will be divided by 4. This is no longer denied by INSW.
– The southern part of the Wran Building and Galleria will be demolished, the interiors gutted and what is left encased in brick walls and hidden from Harris Street by a row of undignified shops.
– All the interiors of the Powerhouse Museum will be demolished including the original Steam revolution floor and its live steam generation system.’
– All the permanent exhibitions (steam revolution, transport and space, etc.) will never come back and only 3 large objects (Boulton and Watt engine, Loco No1 and Catalina seaplane) will be left as decorative artefacts out of their context.
– The Harwood building will be “decoupled” from the Museum’…
READ MORE: Save the P 4 October
And…
 29 September: Powerhouse Museum Alliance wrote:
‘Keep the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo as it should be: Make a Submission by Oct 7, 2024’
Powerhouse Museum Alliance sent a mass mailout, writing: ‘On 16th September, 2024, the NSW Minister for the Arts, John Graham, announced that: ‘Powerhouse Museum Ultimo has had its heritage listing broadened, guaranteeing that the much-loved site will remain a museum of applied arts and sciences into the future.’ Read Here: and Here:  16 Sept 2024 Govt announcement PHM Ultimo
‘It sounded exciting and conclusive, but it is very clear to those who have worked for nearly 10 years to maintain the presence of the Museum as it was always intended, including in the new Powerhouse site from 1988, and have been opposed to the current ‘Revitalisation’ project as it has been presented (with future content program kept secret), that there remain many ignored questions and issues about the destructive changes associated with the amended Planning announcement, and potentially damaging ‘exceptions’ to the related Heritage Council’s listing in July, which also received many public responses.
What is the story behind the supposed ‘Revitalisation’? Following the former Government’s decision in 2014 to close the Museum and move it all to Parramatta (with the collection in Castle Hill), the incoming Labor Government in 2023 vowed to save it.
The consequence? While the Parramatta site continues, the Ultimo site also remains, but with all collection items and most staff removed (now with a vastly reduced number of collection-informed professionals); seriously forecast destruction of significant building aspects, including appalling changes to the award-winning 1988 Wran building; exhibition space vastly reduced by 75%; and NO clearly described plans for its future content and programs. Despite recent statements, fears are still raised that it will be an ‘arts and creative industry’ entertainment site.’
Read full message HERE:  PMA Mass Mailout 29 Sept 2024 

 28 September, 2024
NATIONAL TRUST QUESTIONS NSW GOVERNMENT “REVITALISATION” PROJECT
Save the Powerhouse reports that: ‘The NSW Government’s media and social media misinformation campaign falsely stating that they had “Saved the Powerhouse Museum” (again!) may have fooled the ABC which reproduced the Arts Minister’s media release without any fact checking or speaking to those (the vast majority!) who oppose the proposed “Revitalisation”.
Even so it has not convinced the general public, museum experts or essential institutional stakeholders like the City of Sydney (refer to our previous post) or Australia’s leading conservation organisation, the NATIONAL TRUST. In a “Powerhouse Museum update” article dated 24 September READ HERE,  critical of INSW’s current “Revitalisation” plans, the Trust writes “The National Trust welcomes the news that a State Heritage Register curtilage amendment including the Wran and Harwood Buildings as part of the Powerhouse Museum Complex has recently been approved. The National Trust is now keen to understand how this heritage listing will affect the Powerhouse Museum complex revitalisation plans, and we remain concerned that there is no current publicly accessible CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN for the site to guide these works. We will continue to advocate for the buildings and THE MAAS COLLECTION to be recognised for their importance and cultural significance.”
It continues “The National Trust notes that only five of the 125 submissions in response to the Powerhouse Revitalisation project were in support of the project, with the majority opposed to the proposed development. We believe that this reflects the ongoing concern over the integrity of the “heritage” focus of the project, apprehension regarding the QUANTITY and quality of exhibition space, and a lack of clarity about the future of the MAAS collection.
The National Trust’s own submission outlined our key concerns that:
– The heritage significance of the Powerhouse Museum is not properly understood. There is no Conservation Management Plan provided with the exhibited documents. The documents do not appropriately consider the place in the context of the proposed State Heritage Register curtilage expansion.
 – The detail of what is actually happening is not clear. There are thousands of pages of documentation, but not a single page outlining the exhibition and display areas and what they might be.
 – The function of the museum has not been addressed. There is little reference to the current collection beyond the retention of three key items. There is not a single illustration or description of any of the actual internal spaces (entry points, circulation spaces, permanent or flexible exhibition spaces) that form the basis of any major museum.
We maintain that a high quality and sensitive heritage outcome for the site cannot be achieved without meeting the above criteria. The National Trust is reviewing the Response to Submissions, and remains concerned that the amended development documents do not address many of the concerns raised in the exhibition process.”
In a word, the National Trust, like all of us, would welcome a “heritage revitalisation” of the Powerhouse Museum but the proposed project has nothing to do with heritage and is not a revitalisation. It would reduce the exhibition areas by 75%, destroy the Wran heritage, its purpose is not disclosed and it does not respect the collections.
The design brief, exhibition project and museum’s conservation management plan are essential to the understanding of the Government’s intentions. They must be publicly released as repeatedly promised by the Minister before the elections.
For Save’s message READ HERE: Save the P National Trust
National Trust’s  article: READ HERE: National Trust 24 September

19 September, 2024
‘Fake News About Labor’s Powerhouse Ultimo Heritage Hoax’
In City Hub, Kylie Winkworth elaborates on the concerns widely expressed about the lack of investigation into the claims made by the Arts Minister on ‘Saving the Powerhouse’ in Ultimo, which ignore the many ‘exemptions’ made to so-called decisions, and the ignoring of opposing submissions. Note: On 10 September, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) have released the report and updated planning documentation, now available on the planning portal.’. READ HERE.   For the full Report document, READ HERE:  Submissions and Amendments Report .
Winkworth writes: ‘In an era of rampant fake news, it’s a shock to see ABC News recycling spin and unexamined government propaganda. On Monday ABC News platforms carried news of the expanded heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex, ‘locking in the government’s $300 million revitalisation project’. Being the ABC News, many people celebrated the Powerhouse Museum was finally protected, even the journalists. Little of what followed was true…  In fact the Powerhouse Ultimo project is still open for public submissions until October 7 (Have your say: OPEN HERE). It hasn’t been approved or even assessed by the Department of Planning, although the ABC’s report made it sound like a done deal.
The heritage listing, gazetted two months ago, does nothing to prevent the sale or commercial development of the Powerhouse Museum site as ABC News stated. It does not guarantee the ‘site must remain exclusively as a museum’, another tendril of ABC misinformation. In fact, the project is an adaptative reuse of the Powerhouse Museum, as the proponents told the Heritage Council. They just haven’t told the rest of us what they’re doing with the former museum.  The SSD plans reveal the gutted shell of the PHM reduced to three ‘large volume presentation spaces’. The MAAS CEO’s ambitious ‘decluttering’ project reduces the museum’s exhibition space by 75%; demolishing all the medium and small-scale exhibition galleries that were purpose-designed for applied arts, design, history, science, technology, and international exhibitions.  Powerhouse Ultimo, minus the museum word, looks like a contemporary art, performance and venue hire facility.
But Labor’s shroud of secrecy around the project means no one knows exactly what the place will be. Despite repeated promises of transparency, the government has refused to release any of the documents that would normally be public in a genuine museum renewal project. There is no museum plan, no exhibition plan, no design brief, no master plan, and no business case to justify the gutting and demolition of a museum that is only 36 years old.’
After further details and comments, she asks ‘… What is a museum but an institution in a building designed to display and share its most significant collections? This basic proposition seems to have escaped the heritage consultants and the museum’s management. They are bent on ‘undoing the institution’ and ‘breaking the museum’ so it is free to paddle in a self-referential embrace with artists exploring immersive events and ‘contemporary ideas and issues… All of this ignores the thousands of letters and submissions from the community and experts over the ten years of this saga; including two petitions, two parliamentary inquiries, two state-significant development proposals, and two governments promising the Powerhouse Museum is saved. Only it isn’t saved. In NSW the idea that a museum is a permanent institution held in trust for current and future generations counts for nothing.’ READ HERE, and Extended version
HERE: Winkworth Fake News and Labor’s Heritage Hoax 29 Sept 2024

18 September, 2024
‘ARTS MINISTER’s MEDIA RELEASE RAISES QUESTIONS’
Save the Powerhouse demonstrates their usual diligence in reporting: ‘The Minister for the Arts’ Media Release of 16 September entitled “Powerhouse heritage listing guarantees Museum’s future in Ultimo” (wishful thinking?) has been broadcast verbatim by media including the ABC without any critical analysis. It is composed almost entirely of factual errors…’
They continue to identify some major errors crossing the reduced scope of exhibition areas, heritage listing, lack of acknowledgement of submissions and consultation, and timing for closure (already done) and reopening. ‘The Media Release was published when there was no new information. The Heritage Listing of the “Powerhouse Museum Complex” was published two months ago, on 12 July 2024, and the only genuine new fact since is that the Planning Department had to re-exhibit the EIS “inadequately prepared” by INSW.’ Save asks:” Is this meant to create a diversion at a time when people are busy analysing hundreds of exhibited pages and discourage them from making submissions? Don’t let that prevent you from making your OPPOSING submission to https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/powerhouse-ultimo-revitalisation before 7 October, 2024 (Labour Day). Numbers count!’           For their full story, READ HERE: Save the P 18 Sept

17 September, 2024
‘Despite Heritage listing amendments, the Powerhouse Museum is still NOT saved’
The Powerhouse Museum Alliance and well-informed colleagues provide a critique of the recent government announcement and media reports. It appears that no changes have been made to the Heritage Listing, following many submissions. As Save the Powerhouse writes: (18 September) ‘‘The Media Release was published when there was no new information. The Heritage Listing of the “Powerhouse Museum Complex” was published two months ago, on 12 July 2024, and the only genuine new fact since is that the Planning Department had to re-exhibit the EIS “inadequately prepared” by INSW.’
Refer also to our PMA News report below, on 12 July, 2024: ‘Shocking results: ‘Heritage Council of NSW: Powerhouse Museum and state heritage register’. This provides the Heritage Minister’s resulting listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex; see  HERE and HERE: PHM-Complex-Gazetted-heritage-listing-12-July-2024. PMA’s comments draw critical attention to 13 exemptions in Schedule C, many of which appear to allow virtually any part of the buildings and fabric post 1980 to be altered, removed or demolished, ‘to support function of the Powerhouse Museum Complex’.
Regarding the recent revised report: READ HERE: SSD Submissions and Amendments Report 3 Sept and compare with the first Report on 11 April: Environmental Impact Statement 11 April 2024
PMA writes now that: ‘Following the recent well-received (and widely unaware) reports about ‘saving’ the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, based on the recent ‘amendments’ made to the Heritage Listing for the Museum, those who have been working closely for nearly 10 years on maintaining its presence and program, identify that the revised heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex is a hoax.
No part of the post-1980 site is protected, courtesy of the fine print in the site-specific exemptions that allow the ’owners’ to make changes to the buildings without reference to, or permission from, the Heritage Council. That means the actual Powerhouse Museum has no heritage protection. The announcement is the heritage equivalent of greenwashing. There’s no obligation in the heritage listing that ensures the building will stay as a museum. On the contrary the Heritage Council is big on adaptative reuse.  The listing doesn’t even mention the community’s battle to save the PHM over nine + years.
As an example, the ABC’s description (below, 16 Sept) of the state heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex is also factually incorrect. There is nothing in the state heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex that saves the PHM or puts a stop to the demolition of the museum that Labor promised to save. In fact the listing and exemptions are carefully written to actually facilitate the museum’s demolition and erasure because nothing after 1980 is rated as significant by the heritage consultants.
Buried in the fine print of the listing, a set of site-specific exemptions drafted by the applicants’ heritage consultants, greenlights the demolition of all the post 1980 fabric of the museum. This means that all trace of the PHM’s Sulman award winning design will be demolished, including all the interiors, all the mezzanines and balconies, the purpose designed exhibition galleries, all the education spaces, theatres and visitor amenities – some only built 12 years ago; all of this investment wasted and now set for demolition without reference to the Heritage Council.
In destroying these interior aspects, resulting in just four high spaces, the actual exhibition spaces have been vastly reduced and will not adequately provide anywhere near the former opportunities for displaying aspects of the collection, and the stories that underpin them. And all the post-1980 exteriors can be demolished without permission, with the exception of the roof form of the Wran building, although this too is set for demolition.
Listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex does not prevent the museum being sold or redeveloped. And it does not stop the museum being turned into a theatre or other type of facility. On the contrary, the consultants told the Heritage Council the project is an adaptive reuse of the museum, effectively gutting the former museum to bare brick walls to it can be an empty venue hire and contemporary art space, cheap to run to off-set the huge cost of operating the Parramatta development.
The ABC and others should stop recycling media releases and government propaganda, and try doing some actual research and investigation on the PHM cultural catastrophe, instead of accepting at face value what the people who have long sought the museum’s demolition say. The MAAS CEO promised earlier that the Powerhouse ‘will not be a museum that bows down on its knees to the monuments of the 20th century.’ She is delivering museum demolition, building on her record of the heritage demolition of Willow Grove at Parramatta. It’s remarkable that a museum CEO in charge of a 144-year-old cultural institution is set on erasing its history and its landmark Sulman award-winning building that is just 36 years old.
This is Sydney’s shameful world-first museum demolition. If they had asked the museum experts who’ve spent the last ten years trying to save the PHM about the purpose of the hoax heritage listing we would said it’s not heritage protection, it’s all about monetising the museum’s heritage floor space – selling the heritage floor space to fund the museum’s demolition. As Ms Havilah told the ABC, “This listing recognises our community’s connection with this museum, but it also enables the museum to move forward with this new revitalisation project.” We ask ‘…as a Museum, or an entertainment centre?’

16 September 2024
Govt announcement: ‘Powerhouse heritage listing guarantees Museum’s future in Ultimo’
The Minister for the Arts released a media statement about the revision of the Heritage Listing for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. It includes
‘Powerhouse Museum Ultimo has had its heritage listing broadened, guaranteeing that the much-loved site will remain a museum of applied arts and sciences into the future. The 145-year-old institution and its collection has evolved from its inception in 1879 in the Garden Palace inside the Botanic Gardens, to the Agricultural Hall in the Domain, the Technological Museum in Harris Street and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences housed in the former Ultimo Power House. It is the custodian of over 500,000 objects across the applied arts and sciences. This is one of the finest and most diverse museum collections in Australia, most of it held at any one time in the Museum’s state of the art storage facility at Castle Hill.
The Powerhouse Museum’s guiding principles, to ‘effectively minister to the needs and demands of the community in any or all branches of applied science and art and the development of industry’, were set by the legislation of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Act 1945.
The Powerhouse Heritage Revitalisation will make the Museum far more welcoming to visitors. While undertaking needed restoration to the century-old buildings, it will also reorient the Museum’s main entrance to make it more accessible to the public.  A dramatic new garden square will enable entry from the now pedestrianised Darling Harbour Goods Line…The refurbishment is compatible with the heritage listing and will enable the Museum to present a new and vigorous exhibition program across a wide spectrum of the applied arts and applied sciences.  The heritage listing includes:

• The 1899 Boiler House, the 1902 Turbine Hall and the 1988 Wran building: 7,500 sq/m of exhibition spaces (increased from 6,850sq/m) will provide more opportunity to present exclusive international exhibitions and programs.
• The 1988 Galleria, which will be refurbished to exhibition and programming grade.
• The 1926 Switch House, which will become the new entrance from the Goods Line.
• The 1899 Ultimo Tram Depot (The Harwood Building), which will continue to be used for museum operations including conservation laboratories, workshops and staff offices.
• The 1901 former Ultimo Post Office will be designated for community and programming use, particularly to support the affiliated societies.
• The 1898 – 1901 underground water-cooling system and manifold will be preserved and continue to be utilised.
• and the Harris Street forecourt which will be revitalised as central meeting place and garden.

A Reference Group for Ultimo has been established to ensure the success of the heritage revitalisation project. Chaired by former Wran and Carr Government Minister, Bob Debus, the group serves as an important link between stakeholders, the museum and the project team. …Restoration and construction work is expected to be completed in 2027. The allocated budget for the project is $300 million, with a $250 million contribution coming from the NSW Government and $50 million through the Powerhouse Museum’s philanthropy campaign.
Minister for the Arts John Graham said: “Through its ability to bring the arts, design, science and technology and their history together, the Powerhouse Museum plays a critical role in the engagement of the community with contemporary ideas and issues. As outlined in the 1945 Act, the Powerhouse Museum has a responsibility to preserve significant objects to educate, inform and inspire the public and future generations. It also has an obligation to engage with and support industries across the applied arts and applied sciences.”
Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo Heritage Revitalisation Reference Group Chair Bob Debus AM said: “Across the six buildings that make up the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo…“The buildings, curation and programming should continue to reflect contemporary issues, while reflecting on the past.”
Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said: “The heritage revitalisation will enable the Powerhouse Museum to continue connecting the communities of NSW with the applied arts and sciences through our iconic collection….”
Heritage NSW Executive Director Sam Kidman said: “The expanded heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex reaffirms its significance as a cultural landmark in NSW. This amendment ensures that the architectural and historical significance of the entire Powerhouse Museum Complex is recognised and protected. An integral part of our state’s cultural and educational heritage, the Powerhouse Museum Complex is, and will continue to be, an iconic cultural institution for the people of NSW.” READ HERE: and HERE:  16 Sept 2024 Govt announcement PHM Ultimo
The announcement was also reported in many other news sites, including:
ABC News ;  ABC News video ;  Time out ;  The National Tribune ;  Head Topics ;  Australasian Museum Management, and Korean Herald .

16 September 2024
ABC News: ‘Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo heritage listing expanded, locking in the NSW government’s $300 million revitalisation project’
ABC News Reporter, Sean Tarek Goodwin, reports in a morning news item about the Heritage Listing of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. He summarises that: ‘The Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo’s heritage listing is changed to prevent any potential sale or commercial development in the future. The NSW government’s plan for a $300 million refurbishment of the site is underway.’ In discussing ‘What’s next?’ he notes: ‘A builder will be appointed for the museum and work will commence next year. The target reopening date for the site is 2027.’ And ‘After years of changing redevelopment plans, the entirety of the Powerhouse Museum’s Ultimo site has been heritage listed, locking in the state government’s plan for a $300 million refurbishment. A change to the precinct’s heritage listing will mean the site must remain exclusively as a museum, preventing any potential sale or commercial development in the future.’ He also records that: ‘The previous Liberal state government had initially planned to sell off the site to fund the construction of the Parramatta Powerhouse, but later revised that plan, instead looking to create a mixed use cultural and commercial complex in Ultimo. That would have included demolishing the curved rooves of the Wran Building, as heritage protection previously only applied to the original power station. Now, the Wran Building, the Galleria and the Harwood Building will be also protected by heritage laws, safeguarding against any future changes to the redevelopment plans… Powerhouse Museum CEO Lisa Havilah said the listing recognises the site’s connection to the community. Bob Debus, a former state and federal government minister, is the chair of the Ultimo Heritage Revitalisation Reference Group. “There’s been a bit of concern in the past that maybe the museum would be closed,” Mr Debus said. “This is yet more proof absolutely that it won’t be, and that instead, what we’re going to have is a brilliant new facility with the kind of revitalisation that you can only manage once in a century.”
The museum said it’s now emptied more than 3,000 objects from the Ultimo site, and the government is looking to appoint a builder by the end of the year, and commence work next year.’ The target reopening date is 2027.’ READ HERE, or HERE: 16 September 2024 ABC
See also news in file below for:  10 September, 2024
‘Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation: EXHIBITION OF AMENDED STATE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION / RESPONSE TO SUBMISSIONS REPORT’

15 September, 2024
Budget Estimates Hearings: ‘OpEx OR CapEx?’
Save the Powerhouse Museum recorded on email and Facebook that, ‘Mark Banasiak MLC, interrogating the Minister for the Arts John Graham during Budget Estimates Hearings, asked “…the operating budget for 2023-24 was revised from $26.147 million to $33.782 million. Why did we see an increase of $7.6 million for only seven months of operation, given that those sites (Powerhouse Museum Ultimo) were closed in early February?” ‘For full transcript of 6 September 2024 Hearings READ HERE See page 30.
They comment: ‘The operating budget (OpEx) is the money allocated for the day-to-day running of the institution and should never be confused with the capital expenditure budget (CapEx) which is the funds allocated to long-term investment (building construction for example).
The original $26M was established to run the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo (and the Sydney Observatory) for 12 months ($2.2M per month) in compliance with the Minister’s promise “to keep the Museum open”. As we all (painfully) recall, the Minister broke his promise and the Museum closed early in February, after having, “we understand”, exhausted their yearly budget in the first 6 months.’ Referring to Linda Morris in SMH on 14 September, they note that ‘Parramatta will now not open before mid-2026 (?), the Observatory can only be visited on selected evenings by (expensive) reservation and Castle Hill opens to the public for only a few hours on week-ends’ and add: ‘ Note: CEO Lisa Havilah is blaming the delay on a rainy period during piling works (in 2022) but, during Budget Estimates in March 2024, to the question (331) “When is the Parramatta Powerhouse opening?” The Minister replied that “Infrastructure NSW has advised museum opening in late 2025”.’ READ HERE on page 73.
Save the Powerhouse also documents comments from Museum Expert Kylie Winkworth, who elaborates on: “The NSW government is rewarding failure … the worst performing cultural institution in the arts portfolio is getting the most money”.  “The government (might be) using the museum’s operating budget to disguise cost overruns at Parramatta” she continues. … [and] It was clear from SO52 budget papers released to Parliament a few years ago – thank you Mr Borsak – that the museum forgot to budget for the exhibitions at Parramatta as part of the total project costs. Are they covering capital expenditure overruns with funds earmarked for operations?’ Savalso asks: ‘Is this the reason why the Auditor General of NSW has programmed a “performance audit” of the “investment in arts and culture: Powerhouse Museum Parramatta and Ultimo projects” in 2025-27?…The findings could be condemnatory after what will be, in 2027, 14 years of gross mismanagement and secrecy but, by then, the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo will have been destroyed, Parramatta landed with a white elephant, $1.5B+ of taxpayer money evaporated and the NSW Arts budget encumbered with unsustainable running costs for decades. So much for the NSW Treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, who said on ABC News that “…We’ve been very, very careful with every single dollar we’ve been spending.”
Remember that the submission period to the 2^nd exhibition of the “Ultimo Heritage Renewal” SSD Application’s EIS closes on Monday 7 October (Labour Day). While submission fatigue is understandable, WE MUST NOT GIVE UP. We believe your numerous “OBJECTING” submissions helped to derail the process. NUMBERS WILL COUNT YET AGAIN!’
READ HERE: Save the P 14 SeptOpEx OR CapEx

 14 September, 2024
‘Powerhouse Parramatta unlikely to open before mid-2026’
Linda Morris reports in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘Unseasonal rains have been blamed for a one-year delay to the $915 million Powerhouse Parramatta museum, which now seems unlikely to open before mid-2026. Initially slated to welcome visitors by the end of this year, Infrastructure NSW (INSW) confirmed that the institution’s “base build” would not be completed for handover until late 2025.
Allowing for fit-outs, staff inductions, landscaping, and an expected four to five months of moving in exhibition objects – including large aircraft – the ribbon is unlikely to be cut on western Sydney’s flagship cultural museum before mid-2026. “Over the past two and a half years the project has faced significant disruption due to COVID-19 supply chain impacts and record rainfall during foundation work impacting 50 per cent of working days in 2022,” a spokesperson for INSW said. “Despite these impacts, the project is running on budget.” Infrastructure NSW said it was unable to publicly commit to a new opening date as it would depend on construction completion and fit out. A staged completion is being planned in a manner similar to Sydney Modern, the new building of the Art Gallery of NSW. Speaking after the delays were discussed at a state budget estimates hearing last Friday, Coalition MP Susan Carter was sceptical that the project would be completed within the new timeline. “On present indications I wouldn’t even pencil in a diary date in late 2026 to visit the museum,” she said. A spokesperson for the Minister for Lands and property, Steve Kamper, said the delays were incurred but not announced during the previous government. “We are getting the project back on track. Powerhouse Parramatta will be a must-visit tourism destination in the heart of Parramatta.”
Temperatures and wind conditions need to be ideal to install the building’s steel exoskeleton, a dramatic weight-bearing frame of steel vertical gantries which must be prefabricated and brought in by crane overnight, warranting CBD street closures. Currently, two of the largest of the seven exhibition spaces are forecast to be completed early next year, enabling fit-out works to begin as construction continues. Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah told the estimates hearing she was not at all concerned by the delay. “I feel very confident with the amount of progress that’s been achieved over the past 24 months,” she said. “There have been some rain impacts, but Lendlease has been able to work through those.”
Havilah also defended a 20 per cent annual increase in the institution’s operating budget, bringing its allocation to $127 million this financial year – $10 million more than the Art Gallery of NSW – despite its Ultimo campus shutting for renovations in February and the Parramatta delays.
“Common sense suggests that an operating museum should cost more to run than a museum in mothballs,” Carter said after the estimates hearings. “Yet, the Powerhouse has turned this on its head and taxpayers are paying $10 million more for a museum that we can’t go to than for an Art Gallery which we can visit. This budget allocation is difficult to fathom.” Havilah told parliament the extra funding supported its ongoing staffing costs, the $6 million cost of removing 3000 objects from the Powerhouse at Ultimo, as well as the development of six major exhibitions at Parramatta.’ READ HERE, or HERE:  SMH Sept 14 Parramatta delays

18 September, 2024
An opening exhibition? ‘Why shopping centre escalators are designed to make you get lost’
Providing what appears to be the first indication of  the subject of an opening exhibition at Powerhouse Parramatta, and adding to events leading to public questions about the future program at there, Julie Power reports in the Sydney Morning Herald about a proposed exhibition based on current research into the evolution of escalators in shopping malls. She writes: ‘Have you ever caught an escalator up a floor or two at a shopping centre, only to be frustrated at being forced to circle past shops or merchandise you didn’t want or need before finding the next one up?
This is by design. “It is simply to make people get lost,” said David Gianotten, the managing partner/architect of the Dutch practice Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), which has been exploring the power of retail.’…’Gianotten is working with the Powerhouse Museum on an unprecedented exhibition, set to open with the Powerhouse Parramatta in 2026, which will reveal the magic, tricks, and power of retailers that have transformed nearly every aspect of public life into a shopping trip. ….  ‘Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah said: “Arguably no other building type has more profoundly impacted the way we live than the shopping centre, and the exhibition will explore the psychology of them and how people, products, and capital flow through them.” ‘
While the on-line report includes: ‘The exhibition will include objects from the Powerhouse collection, which includes an architectural model for Westfield Sydney, and others on loan from overseas’, PMA asks, ‘Does this further illustrate the PHM management’s interest in a focus on café life, and is this an appropriate opening exhibition for the new Museum site, with its extensive existing collection now in storage? Where is the full exhibition program? ” READ HERE and HERE: PHM Parra exhibition 18 Sept

14 September, 2024
‘Parramatta Powerhouse Museum’s retail, cafe plans criticised’
Joanne Vella writes in the Parramatta Advertiser, that: ‘New images of the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum’s expansion plans have been revealed – but not everyone is thrilled, with critics saying the ‘detail in retail’ trumped community concerns. Fresh plans for the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum’s interior expansion – including a major hospitality offering – have been lodged, but heritage advocates haven’t been wined, dined or won over by the changes.
This year, Infrastructure NSW lodged changes for the $915m project with the state government, which proposed more than 300sq m of extra space to house two cafes with 340 and 140 seats on the ground floor and balcony on the banks of the flood-prone Parramatta River.
The controversial museum will stand on the site of the demolished, heritage-listed Victorian mansion Willow Grove… George Livissianis architects designed the dining spaces, which include expanding the 55-seat cinema area to deliver a pre-and-post-function bar for 80 patrons. The 18,000sqm exhibition and public area will remain intact and will house seven major presentation spaces, a film and photography studio, public research library and collaboration spaces plus 30 serviced apartments for researchers, scientists, artists and students and a 56-bed dormitory for students and teachers.
Save the Willow Grove campaign spokeswoman Suzette Meade slammed the plans, which form part of a state significant development. “I think it’s really concerning to see millions of dollars of state cultural funding going to 400-plus seat restaurant, facilities and retail fit-outs in what was promised to be Parramatta’s first-ever purpose built museum,’’ she said. “It doesn’t seem fair that organisations are still waiting for commitment on museum funding at the national heritage-listed Female Factory precinct while the Powerhouse Parramatta is getting funding to add 350sqm of shops and cafes to the project. It’s Westfield by the water.’’ Ms Meade said she was “disappointed” there was more “detail in the retail” for the family museum. “It’s not like Parramatta is short of places to eat and shop already.’’
In its submission in April, Council said the original plans did not show any capacity for the cafes and the “proposal could have both a physical and social impact to the adjoining residents’’ such as noise hitting Sorrell St apartment dwellers on the opposite side of the river.
“The proposal also fails to include a plan of management which could lead to issues with how the space is operated, especially surrounding the management of liquor and patrons,” Ms Meade said. “Neither the consent nor the original assessment report considered any of the impacts of the noise, traffic and or cooking emissions that the use of this space would create.’’
….The Planning Department will next assess the modification. An Infrastructure NSW spokesman said it was continuing to deliver the museum by state standards. “The location and extent of the retail component is consistent with what was approved in February 2021 as part of the state significant development application,’’ he said… He said the Powerhouse would be a “must-visit tourism destination in the heart of Parramatta”. “It will be the leading applied arts and sciences museum in the Southern Hemisphere and is one of the most significant structural engineering and architecturally complex projects underway in Australia.’’ READ HERE, or HERE:  Parramatta Advertiser 14 Sept

11 September, 2024
‘BUDGET ESTIMATES AND NEW SUBMISSIONS ASKED FOR’
Save the Powerhouse Museum reports that: ‘The $1.5+ Billion “Powerhouse” white elephant(s) project is turning sour as recent “Budget Estimates” hearings and the re-launch of consultations in Ultimo reveal. ‘As part of its Budget Estimates hearings, the Upper House Portfolio Committee No6 (Transport and the Arts) interrogated the Special Minister of State, Roads, Arts, Music and The Night-Time Economy, Jobs and Tourism, John Graham and his team on Friday 6 September.’ Read full transcript HERE  
‘To Mark Banasiak MLC’s question (page 31) “Minister, the president of the board of the Museum of Applied Arts and Science, Mr Peter Collins, had his term extended for six months, to the end of 30 June this year. Has a new president been appointed to that board, or is Mr Collins continuing in that role?” the Minister responded “You’re correct in observing that his term was extended, essentially until the end of the year.” Save continues with contradictory information about this appointment.  They add: ‘You’ll remember that the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Act 1945, (READ HERE) says that “(4.1) The trustees are to be appointed by the Governor on the nomination of the Minister (for the Arts)” But the Minister does not seem to recall who he recommended the Governor to appoint, when and for how long or what were the announcements made to the press a few months ago.’
‘To Mark Banasiak MLC’s question (page 31) “The EIS shows a fairly significant reduction in floor space from around 21,000 square metres to probably around 5,100 if you don’t include the theatre, which is, I think, 900 square metres. Can you help explain to people why we’re seeing such a dramatic reduction in floor space…?”, MAAS CEO, Lisa Havilah responded (under oath) “the current exhibition floor space at Ultimo is 6,850 square metres. After the completion of the heritage revitalisation, the square metre exhibition space will increase to 7,500 square metres.”
“6,850m2”??? but does she not recall that she said to the SMH on 10 May 2023 “When finished the new development would dramatically increase the size and quality of museum exhibition space and improve visitor experiences. The current Ultimo exhibition space of 15,318m2…”Save and others have demonstrated that the total exhibition area upon closure was actually 21,080m2, but this is irrelevant…. She needs to explain how 8,468m2 (more than half!) of exhibition space disappeared within 16 months UNDER HER WATCH although she said that (page 51) “none of that change happened in the past five years, during my period there.” 
Regarding the SSD Application Process, Save wrote: ’The NSW Planning Department announced today (Tuesday 10 September) that “The Applicant (INSW) had produced their “Response to Submissions”. However the “Response” includes so many amendments to the project that the Planning Department decided to place the revised project on exhibition again. The revised project is open to public submissions until Monday 7 October (Labour Day).
Save concludes with the reports (now published) that: ‘Finally, the Parramatta “milk crate” opening has been delayed again. “There have been some rain impacts” Havilah said (Page 46). Surprise? To a question from the Hon. Susan Carter (page 45) “When do we expect Parramatta to open its doors?” CEO Havilah said “Infrastructure NSW are working with Lendlease on the finalisation of the base build, which we expect will be completed at the end of next year.” But Havilah was not able to give a date for the opening. READ ALL HERE: Save the P 11 Sept 2024

 10 September, 2024
Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Revitalisation | Response to Submissions | September 2024
Infrastructure NSW circulated information saying: ‘Following the public exhibition of this project’s State Significant Development Application (SSDA) in May 2024, Infrastructure NSW prepared a report to address the issues raised through the submissions. Today, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) have released the report and updated planning documentation, now available on the planning portal.’. READ HERE.   For the full Report document, READ HERE:  SSD Submissions and Amendments Report 3 Sept .  In identifying ‘Where we are now’, they say: ‘Following public exhibition of the State Significant Development Application (SSDA) and supporting Environmental Impact Statement in May 2024, Infrastructure NSW prepared a response to the issues raised in the submissions received. The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) have released the Response to Submissions (RtS) report and updated planning documentation on the Major Projects planning portal. The RtS includes an updated Heritage Impact Statement to reflect the State Heritage Listing curtilage extension, gazetted on 12 July 2024. The SSDA is being re-exhibited from 10 September until 7 October 2024. The community have the opportunity to make a submission directly to DPHI through the portal…The Response to Submissions includes an updated Heritage Impact Statement to reflect the site’s State Heritage Register Listing 2024, gazetted on 12 July 2024.

They continue: ‘At the completion of re-exhibition, the next step in the planning process will involve DPHI assessing the project SSDA in accordance with legislation, plans, policies and guidelines; DPHI making a recommendation on SSDA approval; and DPHI outlining any conditions that may be applied to the development. The NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces will make the final determination. The project is discussed on the Portal: HERE. AND HERE: PHM Ultimo Revitalisation Response to Submissions
It is noted that ‘Powerhouse Museum Ultimo is one of Australia’s most revered museums…The heritage revitalisation will deliver refurbished exhibition spaces and new and expanded public domain, connecting Powerhouse Museum Ultimo to the Sydney CBD, The Goods Line and adjacent cultural precincts, and will retain the 1988 Wran building. Powerhouse Museum Ultimo will continue to deliver an applied arts and sciences program, presenting exhibitions that showcase the Powerhouse collection, international exhibitions and programs that support the creative industries. Infrastructure NSW (INSW) is leading the design and delivery of the project on behalf of the NSW Government, in partnership with the Powerhouse Museum….’
In Frequently Asked Questions, the Portal provides answers HERE:
What is happening to the Wran building?
What is happening to the Harwood building?
Will there be more or less exhibition space?
Why has the museum closed when the SSDA is in the early stages of the planning process?
How long will the museum be closed for?
Where can I view the planning documents?
What happens after Response to Submissions?
When will there be a determination?
How will construction works be managed?
How is a builder selected to deliver this project?
Why is procurement progressing when determination has not yet been secured?
When will construction commence?

 10 September, 2024
‘Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation: EXHIBITION OF AMENDED STATE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION / RESPONSE TO SUBMISSIONS REPORT’
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure distributed letters to all those who had made a submission for the Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation saying:
‘Infrastructure NSW has submitted a response to submissions and amendment report for the Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation (SSD-67588459), located at 500 Harris Street, Ultimo.
You are being notified of this modification application as you have previously made a submission on the original development application for this project. The modification application will be on public exhibition from Tuesday 10 September 2024 until Monday 7 October 2024 on the NSW Planning Portal HERE:  and as a document, HERE.  Details about the proposed amendment, exhibition and how to make a submission are provided in their attached Exhibition Notice.
The document provided information under the following headings included:
Description of original proposal
–  site preparation and demolition of existing buildings on the site, including: Harris Street forecourt; structures in the forecourt entrance at The Goods Line;  internal demolition of non-heritage elements of the Ultimo Powerhouse building ; partial demolition of the Wran building including internal structures
– construction and use of new museum spaces along Harris Street and Macarthur Street frontages
– alterations to the Wran Building, including upgrades to the auditorium and exhibition spaces
– roof extension to the Switch House
– adaptive reuse of the existing Ultimo Powerhouse and Ultimo Post Office heritage items
– construction of new public open spaces, including a 2,025 m2 terrace fronting the Goods Line and internal courtyard spaces.
Description of amended proposal:
The amendment to the original application involves the following changes:
– Updated Heritage Impact Statement to reflect the revised State Heritage Register listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex (made in July 2024) which includes the Wran Building
– Minor updates to the physical layout and design including: internal circulation adjustments; additional planting in the Central Courtyard; design development of the Gathering Terrace;  reduction in the footprint of the loading dock and excavation required for the basement;  design development of the Switch House rooftop including addition of amenities, continuation of the lift from the ground floor, inclusion of trees and curved roof
– further design development of the brick façade.
About the exhibition: An exhibition process allows any individual or organisation to have their say about a proposed development.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (the Department) has received a response to submissions and amendment report for the abovementioned State significant development (SSD) proposal. The response to submissions and amendment report and accompanying documents are on exhibition from Tuesday 10 September 2024 until Monday 7 October 2024.
You can view these documents online at   http://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects. At the time of publishing this advertisement, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces has not directed that a public hearing should be held.
Have your say: To have your say on this project, you must lodge a submission online through the NSW Planning Portal before the close of exhibition. To do this, search for this project at www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects  and click on ‘Make a submission’.”
For all information and instructions for submissions: READ HERE: SSD-67588459 Notice of Re-exhibition – Letter to submitter

4 September, 2024
UPPER HOUSE INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS IGNORED BY THE NSW GOVERNMENT
Save the Powerhouse reminds its wide readership that: ‘Among the Minister for the Arts, John Graham ‘s numerous broken promises…are his repeated references to the work of the “Select Committee on the Government’s management of the Powerhouse Museum and other museums and cultural projects in New South Wales.” In his message to the “Save the Powerhouse” public meeting of 28 October 2022 … he said “I want to recognise the work of the NSW Parliament select committee on the management of the Powerhouse… And on 22 March 2023, days before the election …he went on to say “The NSW Parliament Select Committee on the management of the Powerhouse Museum has revealed the shroud of secrecy that the NSW Government has sought to apply across the operations of The Powerhouse Museum for the past 12 years. NSW Labor remains concerned about the focus on events rather than museum spaces in the (Coalition) Government’s plans. This reflects the (Coalition) Government’s obsession with commercialisation and privatisation. A NSW Labor government will release key details of the plans for the Ultimo and Parramatta sites that until now have been kept secret.”’
As well ,Save the Powerhouse notes that: ‘Robert Borsak MLC, the Chair of the “Select Committee” and its Co-chair, David Shoebridge MLC, conducted two thorough Inquiries into the Powerhouse Museum saga, supported by Labor MLC Walt Secord and other members of the committee,’ and they list the recommendations made, and that John Graham said he would follow up. Save continues in well-researched detail, how all pre-election promises have been ignored, and write that now:
– “The key details of the plans for Ultimo and Parramatta” were never released.
– “The focus on EVENTS rather than MUSEUM” has been renewed and the Minister’s proposed “Revitalisation” will transform the Museum into a space adapted for “commercialisation and privatisation”….
– Not a single document was ever released and “the shroud of secrecy” has never been more secure.
– Collections have been moved without any publicised strategy.
– The Harwood Building has been “decoupled” (separated) from the Museum and its future is uncertain.
– The Heritage listing of the “Powerhouse Museum Complex” includes exemptions allowing the gutting of the Museum and the exile of its collections.
…and the Museum the Minister promised to keep open is closed! Stories can be told before an election which are not true, but people have memory and do not forget.’
For tir full report, with all related links, READ HERE: Save the P 4 September

 1 September, 2024
Kylie Winkworth interviewed by Luke Grant on Radio 2GB
On his weekend morning show, 2GB Radio presenter, Luke Grant, interviewed Kylie Winkworth, a well-known museum specialist and strong advocate for saving the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo – as a Museum, and not an arts entertainment centre. For nearly 15 minutes he took Winkworth through their well-documented concerns about the present government’s breaking of promises, the lack of information about the future of the Museum’s collection-based program, and the recent closure and interior demolition of the Ultimo site. Coincidentally recorded on Fathers’ Day, memories were expressed about family interests in the collection across all ‘applied arts and sciences’ fields, and the loss of audiences in recent years due to changes in management preferences for contemporary art experiences. Listen HERE: The segment commences at 1 hour 24 mins 13 secs and finishes at 1 hour 38 mins and 15 secs.

27 August, 2024
Audit Office of New South Wales: Annual Work Program 2024–27
The Audit Office of New South Wales released its 2024–27 Annual Work Program, ‘outlining topics and focus areas that respond to contemporary issues facing state government, local councils and universities in NSW.’ They advised: ‘The program reflects an ongoing strategic assessment of the risks and challenges that face government, and in turn, our focus areas for financial audits in the year ahead, and planned performance audit topics as a three-year rolling program. Topics consider the NSW Government’s policy objectives and reform agenda, assessing progress and impact. It also reflects issues raised by the NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, other parliamentary committees, individual members of Parliament, local councils and ‘Key themes for this program are: effective advice and decision making; First Nations people in NSW; environment and sustainability; efficient and responsible use of public resources and; cyber security. We will also investigate options and opportunities to follow-up the recommendations made in our previously tabled reports to NSW Parliament. This may include revisiting a topic area, and assessing agencies’ progress against audit recommendations.’
On page 15, under the heading ‘Efficient and responsible use of public resources ‘, they note: ‘The Government Sector Employment Act 2013 establishes the core values of the public sector in NSW. One of these core values is that public servants should be fiscally responsible and focus on the efficient, effective and prudent use of resources. The Government Sector Audit Act 1983 provides that the Auditor-General may have regard to the wastage of public resources, and may deal with reports about the serious and substantial waste of public money. Serious and substantial waste involves the uneconomical, inefficient or ineffective use of resources, whether authorised or unauthorised, and which could result in a loss of public funds or resources.
Waste can result in an opportunity cost for government where money could have been used for a better purpose, or better spent on achieving the same purpose. Waste can also lead to higher costs being incurred to address earlier failings in program design, budgeting and management.
This program of audits will include a focus on identifying whether the planning and management of key programs and services has been efficient and financially responsible, and whether opportunities to avoid and reduce waste have been identified early.
Among the ‘Audits underway or planned’ that included transport, hospitals and others, also identified is: ’Investment in arts and culture: Powerhouse Museum Parramatta and Ultimo projects (2025–27 ) READ HERE (page 15).

25 August, 2024
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO “SAVE THE POWERHOUSE”: the City response
Save the Powerhouse group reported: ‘It is not too late to “Save the Powerhouse” even if you feel discouraged after nearly ten years of hard effort which has been universally ignored by successive NSW Governments. The current Labor Government, which promised to “keep the Powerhouse Museum” and open consultation has got back on all its pre-election commitments and has been especially secretive. Yet, so far … 3 months after the EIS exhibition closure, INSW is still struggling with its “Response to submissions”. …for a good reason – the project is indefensible.  As you recall, the “Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation” EIS exhibition in May received 125 submissions, 110 of them objecting, 10 commenting and only 5 supporting. See details in the NSW Government’s Planning Portal.
One of the 5 “supporting” submissions came from the City of Sydney.
It stated that “the City…generally supports the proposal in principle” providing that conditions are met. These conditions included –
-1- Heritage: The City’s submission states that: “On the 15th of May 2023, the Council of the City of Sydney resolved, amongst other matters relating to supporting the Powerhouse, that the Chief Executive Officer be requested to investigate the entire Powerhouse Museum site for heritage significance…’
-2- Exhibition Floor Areas: The City’s submission states that: “The retention of the Powerhouse Ultimo site as a museum space for the community is supported. In doing so, the revitalised Powerhouse should provide the same amount, if not more, of exhibition space.’
Save the Powerhouse notes that ‘None of the above conditions are met by the current NSW Government’s project’, and provides details to support their claim. They also write: ‘Considering this (especially the drastic exhibition area reduction proposed), we asked the City whether they would “state publicly their opposition to the “Revitalisation” project and their reasons behind it.” We also asked whether the Heritage Assessment they commissioned was now completed and would be publicly available. Read our letter to the City of Sydney. ‘
Saying ‘So take heart’, they provide suggestions and links for writing to key politicians and government officials, ask that you sign their petition, and say ‘And take into account the future of the Powerhouse Museum when voting at the next local elections on 14 September!’ For thir full script Read Here: Save the P Aug 25 submissions

18 August, 2024
Comment on move: ‘2GB’s LUKE GRANT CONTINUES HIS REVIEW OF THE POWERHOUSE MUSEUM SAGA’
Following their earlier report on 14 August, Save the Powerhouse records 2GB presenter Luke Grant’s further comments and interviews with Ian Debenham, former curator of aviation at the PHM, and Kylie Winkworth, a well-experienced museum consultant. They discuss the current damaging issues about the changes to the Museum on the Ultimo site, and to the movement of very significant objects.
On 15 August, Luke Grant cited a letter from Ian Debenham, who said: ‘…The intention of the Museum to disassemble and remove the Catalina Frigate Bird II from a controlled environment and place it in storage is an inherently risky plan that should not be undertaken” … “The display conditions of the Catalina in the Museum, including stable temperature and humidity were devised to minimise the chances of any recurrence of corrosion in parts of the airplane previously affected by a saltwater environment.” He added “Regrettably the Museum has chosen not to appoint anyone to replace me…(resulting) in a loss of curatorial knowledge about the significance, interpretation and care …of one the most impressive aspects of the Museum’s collection. The location of the Catalina, poised awkwardly and unprotected about a meter above the floor like a beached whale in preparation for its eviction, is an offense to its historic importance and to the nation-building exploits of its pilot and donor, the late Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor.’ LISTEN HERE  from 1:20:08.
Then on 16 August: ‘Kylie Winkworth who “has been for a long period a highly respected consultant around museum spaces and the like” called Luke Grant, and said “The whole thing is an appalling cultural fiasco which will cost the NSW taxpayers more than $400M to demolish a museum that is only 36 years old. At the end of the project the Museum exhibition space will be reduced by 75% (effectively a quarter!) to just 3 empty spaces of uncertain use…It is just inexplicable…Labor promised to keep the Powerhouse Museum open, they promised a “heritage revitalisation” which you would normally think would mean repairs, conservation and renewed exhibitions…What we are getting is museum erosion and demolition…It is pretty clear that they are converting the Museum into a contemporary arts and theatre space.” In answer to a question about the reasons for the fiasco she said “…It’s about appropriating museum funding and staffing so you can make up for the lack of Parramatta” and concluded: “It’s pretty obvious with any scrutiny of the last 5 years reports that the Museum is underperforming across all museum benchmarks… The CEO said that she had a new paradigm for museums but what we see is an expensive failure. The government has taken a huge risk (spending) $1.5B demolishing the Powerhouse Museum (in Ultimo) and building this enormous edifice at Parramatta, which purpose is not a museum.” ‘  LISTEN HERE:  from 00:32:25, then from 01:22:50
Luke Grant also commented on former Arts Minister Don Harwin, that he had appointed  “… the current (Powerhouse) Museum CEO, I think at a time when she was at Carriageworks. Harwin, I am told, was strongly in favour of the current plan. Dominic Perrottet, I am told, wanted a new version of it. But by the time Perrottet was Premier the senior bureaucrats at Infrastructure NSW had taken over him. What happened is that, with plans underway and without the eye of the public… they had their opinion maintained. And how good have they been…that they managed to progress their plans from one Government to the next!” He concluded: “There is a way around this which might be that the Minister and the CEO invite this group of concerned Australians…and have a frank and open conversation…You are going to turn the Museum at Ultimo from this wonderful space just 36 years old into 3 big theatre-type spaces. What do you expect people will think!”’ READ ALL: Save the P 18 August

14 August 2024
Comment on move: ‘GRANT AND SANDERS GIVE THE TRUE FACTS ABOUT THE POWERHOUSE MUSEUM IN ULTIMO’
Save the Powerhouse group, strong advocates for retaining the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, document many shared concerns about the closure of the Museum, and the removal of significant objects. They write: ‘Linda Morris’ article (Below: SMH of 13 August) “Inside Australia’s biggest museum move in half a century”, presents the gutting of the Powerhouse Museum of all its exhibits as technical prowess rather than for what it is – the eradication of a world-class “people’s museum”. In response, former Powerhouse Museum Deputy Director, Jennifer Sanders, reflecting the feelings of thousands of museum-lovers, wrote to the newspaper. “At great risk to its priceless collection and, eye-watering cost to taxpayers of more than $400m, the 36 year old Museum is being demolished. Only the walls of the original Ultimo Power House and the outline of the Wran building will be left once the wreckers have left. And for what? – events, parties, immersive experiences, contemporary art and performances a la White Bay Power Station and Carriageworks” she said.
Save the Powerhouse also notes that Sanders’ letter was cited by Luke Grant on 2GB’s “Ray Hadley Morning Show” on 14 August: HERE    ‘By way of introduction Grant said “It’s important to me because museums contain memories, they contain history. We should have, in a civilised city like Sydney, places where we can go. We have the Australian Museum but the Powerhouse Museum is a different kind of institution. You heard me talk about the Catalina aircraft hanging there, we have got locomotives, it is also history of fashion and all sorts of things. This is priceless to me.” He continued “I think there is a con job going on here. I think the Government said ‘yeah, we are going to save the Powerhouse Museum’ then they got elected and thought ‘ha ha, not so much’. They even dropped the word ‘museum’ from the Powerhouse. It sounds like a nightclub.” Sanders and Grant present a neat summary of the appalling situation at the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. How has this been allowed to happen! Write to the Premier to make your voice heard!’ Read Save’s report here: 14 August 2024 Save the P

14 August, 2024
Comment on PHM move: ‘Powerhouse promise’
Sydney Morning Herald
In a letter to the editor, former Powerhouse Museum deputy-director, Jennifer Sanders, commented on a quote from Linda Morris’s article (below, 13 August ), writing: ‘The people’s Powerhouse Museum is not being renovated, as claimed by the CEO Lisa Havilah. At great risk to its priceless collection and a cost to taxpayers of more than $400 million, the 36-year-old museum is being demolished. Only the walls of the original Ultimo Power House and the outline of the Wran building will be left once the wreckers have left. And for what? Events, parties, immersive experiences, contemporary art and performances a la White Bay Power Station and Carriageworks. No Powerhouse Museum – three priceless objects shunted back into giant voids: the 1785 Boulton & Watt engine after being prised out of its “bullet-proof” box (what a farce), No 1 Locomotive and the Catalina – all to be pointless remnants of the lauded Powerhouse Museum. Labor was voted in on their promise to save the Powerhouse, the only museum of industry, science and design in the country, one which has inspired generations to become aviators, astronauts, scientists and designers. But now Labor is breaking their promise to the people and depriving future generations of their much-loved museum. Premier Minns, stop this wasteful, cultural crime and actually save the Powerhouse Museum as promised.’ Read here: JS Letter

13 August, 2024
Comment on move: Opinions on moving treasured objects
Gai Taylor, the daughter of pilot PG Taylor who donated the Catalina Bird Frigate II “to the nation” speaks on 2GB radio on 13 August (from 1:53:55) Listen Here.
As well, the Sydney Morning Herald provided a video of Loco No1 leaving Ultimo. Watch here. 

 13 August 2024
‘Powering up for the biggest museum move in 50 years’
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Linda Morris discusses current removal of significant objects including locomotives and aeroplanes, despite strong criticism about the moving of all objects, the demolition of the museum’s current interior, and the lack of information about its proposed program.
Morris writes: ‘It took two cranes, four years of planning and 50 people to ship one of NSW’s historic locomotives 27 kilometres on a wintry Sydney night. As part of what will be Australia’s largest museum move in more than half a century, expected to cost more than $6 million, the Powerhouse’s star attraction, the Locomotive No.1   exited the Ultimo museum three weeks ago on a specialised frame and mechanical skates. A cradle lifted it onto the back of a flatbed truck and trailer to make its way to the museum’s Castle Hill storehouse via the M4 Motorway. The locomotive that hauled NSW’s first passenger train is among the largest and weightiest of the 3000-odd collection pieces that have been so far boxed, crated, catalogued and transported from their Harris Street home ahead of $300 million renovations to start later this year.
The move is expected to be complete by the end of the month …Next to exit the Ultimo campus will be the Catalina Frigate Bird II. Like the locomotive, it’s been on display since the museum’s opening in 1988, and was the centrepiece of the transport exhibition until the campus was shuttered in February.
Of all the items being moved, these two objects have caused the greatest concern both within and outside of the museum. Former Powerhouse curators and trustees, and the Public Service Association are among those who believe that management and government put its priceless exhibits at unnecessary risk to prioritise convenience for builders. The fundamental principle of conservation management is to minimise all movements, they say.
… The Catalina is destined for the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Albion Park. Museum president, Bob De La Hunty, said a team of former engineers and pilots had with great care helped remove the wings of the historic flying Catalina in one piece from the fuselage, and dismantled engines, tail plane, and propeller ahead of its move….
Despite the best endeavours of HARS members, former Powerhouse transport curator Andrew Grant said it was unacceptable that a museum object, deemed of national and global significance, was headed to an un-airconditioned hangar.
Meanwhile, the museum’s Beechcraft Queen Air is awaiting timber housing which will hold it at an angle of 52 degrees so it can exit the museum. The Boulton & Watt rotative steam engine, one of only two working models in the world, is likely to be kept in situ, in a protective container sprayed with a bulletproof and blast-proof coating, when works begin next year. Read Here, and Here: Linda M 13 Aug , Linda M 13 Aug +1 

11 August, 2024
Interview: ‘Head of organisation has no understanding…’
Save the Powerhouse reports: ‘Luke Grant, interviewing Dr Lindsay Sharp, the Founding Director of the Powerhouse Museum, on 2GB on Friday 9 August (refer to our previous post) commented that his “understanding is that the current head of the organisation has had no experience as a curator or anything else.”… “You have to differentiate between contemporary art installations and the like and commercial activities and actually running a museum” replied Dr Sharp.
Grant went on to ask “What is motivating the Government or motivating the people managing the museum now to do this?”…“As far as we can tell it’s a very different view of what culture is about. It’s all about rave, fashion and music. You look at the backdrop of the Catalina which was lowered. Most of that lowering was to facilitate some kind of DJ and music and fun. I am not against that. It’s just that it is not appropriate” answered Dr Sharp.
Listen to the interview HERE from 1:23:50.
Meanwhile the NSW Government appointed to the MAAS Board of Trustees Kate Pounder, a former managing director at professional services company Accenture. Read B&T of 9 August 
According to the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Act 1945 (article 3.1) “there shall be appointed nine trustees…” Read Here.
After the departure of Suzie Landy at the end 2021 and the death of Lang Walker in January 2024 there were only 7 trustees left. President Peter Collins’ initial term ended on 31 December 2023 but was extended by 6 months (to 30 June 2024). He still holds that position. Pounder declared “Tech jobs are one of the biggest opportunities in Australia today – there will be one million Australians working in tech jobs by 2025. The opening of Powerhouse Parramatta is an incredible opportunity to inspire kids across the state to consider a tech or innovation career.”
Will the “all about rave and fashion and music” current museum management’s practice of desecrating tech marvels such as the Catalina, Loco No1 or the Boulton & Watt engine into “Instagram backdrops” ever inspire any kid “to consider a tech career”?’
Save the Powerhouse concludes: ‘
If you have not done so yet sign our joint petition https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-powerhouse-museum-in-ultimo-open and encourage your family and friends to do the same. It is reaching 7,600 signatures and still growing!’ Read Here: 11 August Save the P

9 August, 2024
Dr Lindsay Sharp, the Founding Director of the Powerhouse Museum, was interviewed by Luke Grant on the Ray Hadley Morning Show on 2GB on Friday 9 August. Listen to the interview HERE from 1:23:50. He said “It is fair to say that we have been conned by a number of Governments. It is also fair to say that this is not really a museum revitalisation but more a heritage destruction and museum demolition project…It is not the kind of thing you would expect in a democracy.
Finally it is also very unpopular – there is a current petition from Save the Powerhouse which has 7,600 signatures, people saying don’t do this, this is totally wrong….This is a massively unpopular move and really we have been fundamentally misled.”
He continued “I think the Government lied repeatedly actually…You should look at what they are doing in terms of greenwashing the two major projects in Parramatta and Ultimo and, finally, you should look at the way they are spending billions – I mean probably a couple of $ billions – of our money and (the way) they are diverting money from operational to capital. I think we can establish that (and) I would love the opportunity to be part of a group debating that in the Upper House…where we could establish the fact… that they are misleading the public.”
Kylie sent a message to say that “more than $400M to demolish a Sulman award-winning, purposed-designed museum 35-years old. A staggering waste, shameful secrecy and broken promises by the Minns Government”
“There are a number of very passionate Sydneysiders who love that joint and have been promised certain things, as we have, by Governments seeking election and it appears that we have been significantly let down. This has to be fixed and we will spend some time on this next week” concluded Luke Grant.

21 July, 2024
‘Wilder Times’
John McDonald, writing in his regular newsletter, this time from the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, mentions Environment Minister Penny Sharp’s comments on biodiversity while holding a photograph of a broad-toothed rat, including: “We cannot ignore the truth: biodiversity in NSW is in crisis,” she solemnly intones…McDonald writes: ‘In the case of the Powerhouse, the Minns government has shown itself to be not only willing to ignore the truth, but to mislead the public, break election promises, and hold bogus ‘consultations’ that merely paper over unpopular, destructive policies. They have promulgated a big lie that they are “revitalising” a major cultural institution which is being systematically dismantled and buried, its only monument being a pile of fatuous press releases claiming everything is just dandy. We know what the Coalition is capable of when it comes to looking after their mates and snowjobbing the public. Why is that Labor has to try and beat them at their own game? There’s something especially noxious when the Labor mob does it, having pretended they were on the side of public sentiment, expert opinion, and common sense. Instead, the party has completely swallowed the line put forward by NSW bureaucrats, a few opportunistic business types, and the current PHM (mis)management, that the process is too far advanced to be halted so we may as well push on to the finish line.
Not only has the Minns government embraced this logic it has actively advanced it by allowing the clean-out of the collection to continue while it supposedly worked out how it would fix the problem. It may seem obvious that if the current plans are pursued to the bitter end, we’ll wind up with three massive venues that will have cost the taxpayer about $2 billion, require many millions to run, and have zero appeal for the public. What it costs to stop this catastrophe would be much cheaper – and more successful – than what is in the pipeline.
Upon assuming office, Minister John Graham did not feel moved to call a halt to the planning process or the removal of objects from Ultimo to Castle Hill, not even when confronted with a sheaf of damage reports resulting from the hasty way the operation was conducted. PHM director, Lisa Havilah bluntly denied there had been any damage, and this was accepted without demur. Some believe this denial should have been a sacking offence. Ah yes, with this government the truth cannot be ignored!…So although the Minns government “cannot ignore the truth”, this doesn’t mean it is willing to accept that truth and act accordingly. Instead, I predict we’ll get a compromise solution that will take so long to deliver its impact will be blunted. And that’s a best-case scenario. If they choose to follow the Powerhouse blueprint they will send out press releases claiming one thing while actually doing the opposite. Having achieved marvels when it comes to destroying one of Australia’s major cultural assets, think what they can do to a few tribes of small furry animals! If the broad tooth rat hears that its ranks are to be “revitalised”, it would be well advised to retain a lawyer.’
Read more:  John McDonald 21 July

12 July, 2024
Shocking results: ‘Heritage Council of NSW: Powerhouse Museum and state heritage register’:
Following the Heritage Council of NSW’s March 13 ‘notice-of-intention to recommend listing the attached area on the NSW state heritage register, as a curtilage extension of the already-listed Ultimo Power House’, the now-published results are a great disappointment. The display was on public exhibition until 9 April 2024 and the Heritage Council advised that it welcomed submissions from people and organisations to contribute to the recommendation. Many, many responses were made. For a very detailed statement of significance and history of all aspects of the proposal, see 13 March news report below in our 2024 list, with attachments, including: Ultimo Power House Statement Significance.
Then on 12 July, the Heritage Minister gazetted the resulting listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex; see attached HERE:   PHM Complex Gazetted heritage listing 12 July 2024 . In her ‘Powerhouse Museum Complex Heritage Hoax’ response, Kylie Winkworth, for PHM Alliance, draws critical attention to the exemptions in Schedule C, identifying ‘what the managers of MAAS are allowed to do to the buildings and site without a permit or reference to the Heritage Council. The outcome is a heritage hoax. Or arguably an interdepartmental conspiracy to subvert the intent of the Heritage Act.’ She continues: ‘The Powerhouse Museum Complex has been gazetted with an extensive and comprehensive set of exemptions that appear to allow virtually any part of the buildings and fabric post 1980 to be altered, removed or demolished, ‘to support function of the Powerhouse Museum Complex’.  The exemptions bake in the scope of works entailed in the Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation SSD. The revised statement of significance is not yet on the Environment and Heritage website, but we can see the exemptions attribute no significance to the fabric of the 1980s PHM Complex that they have listed. We will have to compare the new statement of significance to see if the PHM’s significance and social values have been downgraded.’ …‘The scope of the exemptions, which can be self-assessed by MAAS, are unprecedented. The exemptions allow MAAS to do virtually anything to the PHM buildings and to alter, remove, replace or demolish any post 1980 fabric, fittings, interiors, parts of floors and walls, and exhibitions that are part of the PHM Complex. Given the actual Powerhouse Museum Complex dates from the 1980s it appears that any part of the actual museum can be altered, removed, replaced or demolished. On first reading, the exemptions appear to exclude from state heritage protection any or all features of the Sulman award winning Powerhouse Museum that state heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex would otherwise be intended to protect.’ She also reported: ‘A few weeks ago we wrote to the Heritage Minister to ask for an urgent Interim Heritage Order on the PHM, HERE:  Winkworth PMA to Penny Sharpe IHO 25 June 2024 (1)    Of course the answer was no’.  See HERE: Sharpe to PMA re IHO 28 June 2024 ‘I’m not sure if our IHO request precipitated gazetting the listing and the very board exemptions or no’…. Read Winkworth’s full comment HERE:  KW re Heritage

18 July: ‘PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON PHM LISTING WAS FLAWED’
Along withthe  many supporters who made submissions to the Heritage Council, Save the Powerhouse Museum group had ‘strongly supported the initial proposal, since the listing would extend the curtilage to include not only the previously-listed Ultimo Power House (the late 19th century/early 20th century power-generating structures) but also the 1980s “Wran” extensions and the Harwood building. The consultation documents stated that the ‘”Complex” was “of potential state heritage significance for reflecting innovative approaches to both power generation and museology in the history of NSW”, a fundamental advance from the previous listing which only recognised the importance of the “Ultimo Power House” as “the first large state-owned electricity generating station in NSW”, adding that “the conversion to a museum has potential State historic and technical significance for its role in the wider heritage conservation movement as a lauded, highly influential early example of adaptive reuse of industrial heritage, nationally and internationally.”
However, in their report on the outcomes, they identify that the recent ‘ “Notice of Listing on the State Heritage Register” contradicts this, saying: ‘The listing includes 13 EXEMPTIONS, some of them seemingly drafted to permit the NSW Government ‘s current “Revitalisation” SSD project which would cause irreversible alterations to the Museum…’ After providing details of their concerns, they conclude: ‘ We therefore believe that the public, which, as we did, generally supported the listing was consulted on deceptive information since none of these exemptions was spelled out in the consultation documents and would have massively rejected the proposal if adequately informed.’ READ HERE: Save the PHM 18 July
To date, PMA notes that the following commitment made by the Council in March, has not yet taken place: ‘The Heritage Council will consider all comments received before the closing date of the public exhibition period. Everyone who commented will receive formal notice of the Heritage Council’s decision whether or not to recommend the listing to the Minister for Heritage and, if the listing is recommended, formal notice of the Minister’s decision.’

7 July, 2024
‘Labor’s Broken Promises on the Demolition of the Powerhouse Museum’
Commenting on the continuing outcomes of ‘the misnamed Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation project’, amongst extensive examples, museum expert Kylie Winkworth writes:
‘The Powerhouse Museum is not saved. Labor’s plans for the ‘Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation’ are a sham to hide the large-scale demolition of the Sulman award winning Powerhouse Museum that the Minns government promised to save.  The project is wasteful, destructive and devoid of any credible museum rationale or cultural purpose.
Not waiting for development approval, the management are now ripping out the last of the PHM’s renowned transport and steam exhibitions, carting away the treasures of NSW under cover of darkness. These exhibitions are the focus of many objections to the current EIS, and nearly a decade of community protests to stop previous schemes to move, sell, empty, shrink, develop and repurpose the Powerhouse Museum. Labor’s plans will de-industrialise the museum that was purpose designed to exhibit its internationally significant transport and power collections in the resonant spaces of the former power station. Creative industries, fashion and contemporary events will replace the PHM’s connected histories of power, transport, technology, industry, innovation and design. Labor’s big promise is that (only) three large objects will be returned to the former museum, marooned as party props in empty spaces and corridors.
The government’s promised heritage revitalisation for the Powerhouse Museum is broken. Labor’s plans will see the PHM gutted, emptied of its collections and demolished to the bare brick walls, erasing all trace of the 1988 museum. There is no attempt to repair, restore, conserve or renew any part of the actual Powerhouse Museum or its exhibitions. Instead of the government’s promised $250m heritage revitalisation, NSW taxpayers will be slugged more than $400 million for a large-scale demolition project that destroys the PHM’s heritage, design conception, exhibition capacity, education potential, museum assets, access to collections, and its appeal to schools and families.
The PHM’s exhibition space shrinks by 75%; from 25 flexible exhibition spaces to just three large empty spaces for unspecified ‘contemporary’ uses.  ‘Decluttering’ the museum’s spaces is code for collection eviction and the demolition of all the mezzanine exhibition galleries over five levels.   If approved, the plans will destroy the PHM’s interiors and 22 flexible exhibition spaces for applied arts, design, history, science, technology, transport, space, interactives and exhibitions for kids and families.
Read more here: Winkworth Labor’s Broken Promises on the PHM July 7 2024

7 July, 2024
‘Stop Labor’s waste, cultural vandalism and museum destruction’
In a persuasive advertisement in the Sun Herald, the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, working with Save the Powerhouse Museum team, confirmed that ‘The Powerhouse Museum is not saved; Labor is wasting $400 million+; demolishing the PHM; yet another broken PHM promise.’
Bearing in mind the many submissions made through the Feedback provided on the development application through the NSW Government Planning Portal (see entries below on 17 June), the advertisement reminds us that ‘Every exhibition is demolished; Collections gone forever; 75% less exhibition space, … Labor shrinks a great museum to three empty spaces.’
A QR code entry supplies useful background information through Kylie Winkworth’s summary of ‘Labor’s Broken Promises on the Demolition of the Powerhouse Museum’ and reference to the information provided by Save the Powerhouse who advise: ‘Sign our joint Save/Pyrmont Action/Friends of Ultimo joint petition and leave a comment if you have not done so yet and also encourage your family and friends to sign it. The petition already has almost 7,400 signatures from both Australia and overseas.’
Both groups also recommend that we can ‘Have your say – Contact the Premier Chris Minns – tell him to save the PHM as promised.’
–  For the Sun Herald Advertisement, Read Here: PMA AD SunH 7 July 2014
–  For QR information sheet with MP and other links, and Winkworth’s summary: Read Here: QR Info Sheet 2
–  Save the Powerhouse request to sign petition, Read here:  and Here: Save the P July 7
–  For further background information, see:
Save the Powerhouse https://www.facebook.com/savethepowerhouse
Powerhouse Museum Alliance: https://powerhousemuseumalliance.com

5 July, 2024
‘Concerns grow over Powerhouse Museum as heritage items are shipped out’
Tom Lockley, a strong advocate for the Powerhouse Museum, writes in the Green Left journal, about how: ‘Supporters of the Powerhouse Museum are concerned that NSW Labor is not sticking to its promise to retain the arts and sciences museum. Museum experts and the public are in favour of retaining the museum, established in 1988, but Labor wants to gut it and create a creative arts centre for fashion and design, with three enormous event spaces … For nearly 10 years, both major parties have played many dirty tricks. But a new low was reached on June 20 when the early 1900s Governor’s Rail Carriage was removed in the dead of night, trucked off to a storeroom at Castle Hill. It came from the middle of the level one transport display — a joy and inspiration to visitors since the museum opened in 1988. Locomotive 1243 was removed a few nights later. Built in 1882 a few hundred metres from the Powerhouse Museum, it is a wonderful example of manufacturing industry at the time. Already nearly half the area has been stripped, and work is under way to remove the iconic Catalina aircraft… After a huge struggle, supporters of the museum have managed to establish an assessment of the heritage value of the museum.
Labor is ignoring the law which states a new major project cannot be “determined” (given a “go” order) before a range of social and environmental factors are taken into account. But it is stripping the museum without waiting for the outcomes of consultations… There have been at least 10 major consultative exercises, all of which have shown huge support for retaining the Powerhouse Museum “as is, where is”.  It needs upgrading, not demolition and degradation. But Labor’s plan is to strip the interior of the building back to the original walls: it will be just an empty space with a few token decorative items.
No one with experience was involved in any of the decisions which began in November 2014, when then Premier Mike Baird first announced, controversially, that the Ultimo museum would be moved to Parramatta.’ Read More HERE:  or HERE: Tom Lockley Green Left news

20 – 27 June, 2024
‘STEALTHY REMOVAL OF LARGE ITEMS FROM PHM COLLECTION’
Active local community campaign, Save the Powerhouse, noticed in the last week that some of the large transport objects were being removed from the Powerhouse Museum buildings at night. In their wide-ranging Facebook and Email messages, they reported what they and other local people had seen, and raised serious related concerns.
On 20 June, they wrote: ‘In an operation tonight, reminiscent of the darkest hours of Willow Grove in Parramatta, a rail carriage from the Transport Exhibition is being removed from the Powerhouse Museum under the cover of night. We were alerted by a watchful Friend of Ultimo. This is in complete contradiction of the SSD rules which require that no work should be carried out before the EIS is officially approved and the project is “Determined” (authorised to proceed) by the Planning Minister. Currently INSW has still not responded to the public’s submissions (90% of them objecting to the “Revitalisation”). It is also totally contrary to the repeated promises of the Arts Minister who committed to an open process and genuine community consultation. Where is this rail carriage going and why? Will it be stored at Castle Hill or farmed out to a regional museum? How did they get it out of the Museum without damaging the heritage building?
Was this operation approved by the Arts Minister? Is this an attempt to create a “no-return” point months before the SSD process is complete? If you oppose this kind of unlawful practice, write to the Premier, the Arts Minister and the Planning Minister who is in charge of the SSD due-process.’
On 23 June, they also noted that ‘The recent abrupt removal of the Governor’s railway carriage by night to an unknown destination (Castle Hill or on loan to another museum?) is the latest demonstration of the NSW Government’s total disdain for public opinion or due process.
We also understand that the Steam Revolution exhibition dismantling has now started in preparation for the demolition of the original floor (1899) of the heritage-listed first power house and the live steam generation system. Despite the Minister for the Arts’ repeated promises of transparency and genuine public consultation, the Governor’s Carriage removal happened at a time when we had just been assured by the Planning Department that we could still lodge our comments on the “Heritage Revitalisation” SSD Application and that those would be taken into account in the “Applicant” (Infrastructure NSW)’s “Response to Submissions”. … The silence is deafening!’…
And on 27 June: ‘Following the removal of the Governor’s Carriage a few days ago, today it was the turn of Locomotive 1243 to be unceremoniously loaded on a low-bed trailer and be sent on a one-way trip to exile (in Castle Hill?). There is now a general impression among the public that dealing with the NSW Government is like “TALKING TO A WALL”. Letters to Ministers are not answered or even acknowledged, our joint petition, which has now collected 7,300 signatures, a full page in the Sunday Herald, a letter to all MPs signed by 50+ recognised people, experts and informed members of the community and 110 objections (90%) to the EIS have all been ignored. For these reports READ HERE: Save the Powerhouse Carriage removals
And on July 1, 2014:  ‘Farewell Catalina: THE PLANNING MINISTER SHOULD CANCEL THE WHOLE “REVITALISATION” PROJECT’ Save the Powerhouse updates further: ‘The recent, hasty removal of large items of the permanent transport exhibition appears to be aimed at making a “point of no-return” well before the current “Revitalisation” SSD Application is determined and even before the compulsory Response to Public Submissions is published…We understand the Catalina seaplane is next to be removed after the Governor’s rail carriage and Locomotive 1243 and could soon be on its way to a remote aviation museum. READ HERE or HERE:  Save the Powerhouse 1 July

19 June, 2024
Questions in NSW Parliament: POWERHOUSE MUSEUM ULTIMO COSTING
While still waiting for responses from the NSW government following the many opposing responses to the State Significant Development plans for the ‘revitalisation’ of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, MP Robert Borsak, former chair of the two earlier enquiries, provided questions during a parliamentary sitting of the Legislative Council on 19 June, to the Special Minister of State, Minister for Roads, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism.
Borsak asked 11 questions in Question No 2461 on page 3132: (abbreviated summary)
(1) Does the Government still claim that the cost of the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo project, as detailed in the recent Environmental Impact Statement, State Significant Development, and Ecologically Sustainable Development reports, is $250 million as repeatedly stated in the Parliament?
(2) Does the Government claim that the significant Building Prices Index uplift, as announced on 12 June for major New South Wales hospital projects, does not apply to the two major Museum projects in Ultimo and Parramatta? …
(3) Does the Government agree with the official Ultimo Project quantity survey by Slattery’s that states that the figure quoted in the Environmental Sustainability Design Report, part of the Environmental Impact Statement for the State Significant Development, is outdated at a cost of $350.4 million?
(4) Does the Government agree with Slattery’s published statement that ‘value engineering’ can reduce this figure by approximately $100 million?
(5) What are the costs of previously removing all the objects from the Harwood Building and the main Powerhouse Museum site? (a) What damage has eventuated as a result of these object movements? (i) Why have these damage reports been redacted in the enforced document provision, required by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, to Ms Jennifer Sanders?
(6) What will be the cost of removing the (mainly large) remaining objects from the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo? (a) What are the risk assessments for doing so?…
(b) Which company or individual has been retained to oversee and manage this programme of works? (i) What are their qualifications?….
(7) What were the costs estimated to carry out appropriate maintenance for the existing Powerhouse Museum fabric, including the Harwood Building? (a) Who made these cost estimates?
(8) What is the brief for demolition of almost all of the Wran-era interventions and smaller-scale display spaces, such as the mezzanine floors, etc? (a) What are the estimated costs of all project demolitions as described in the Environmental Impact Statement?…
(9) What are the costs of the new build as described in the Environmental Impact Statement and State Significant Development documents? (a) Who has quantity surveyed those costs?
(10) What is the justification for reducing the length of the Wran Building and the Galleria, by approximately 12 metres in both cases? …
(11) What commercial justification has been made to underpin the creation of student accommodation in the Environmental Impact Statement plans?…
For Govt site for ‘Question asked on 19 June 2024 (session 58-1) and published in Questions & Answers Paper No. 276’ Read Here.  Or Read Here:  Borsak Qs 19 June 2024
ANSWERS from GOVT:  10 July: Government answers to Borsak’s questions.
Read Here for government response: Questions above, Answers below: Borsak QandA JuneJuly 2024
Read Here for answers edited to follow each question: Answers to Borsaks questions
Many responses have been circulated about the inadequacy of the government responses.

17 June, 2024
Critical public feedback for NSW government’s ‘Revitalisation’ project for the Powerhouse Museum
Following the NSW government’s on-line publication – with some consultation meetings – during May 2024 (see our news on 3 May), of the plans for the ‘revitalisation’ of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, it was also announced that ‘Feedback on the development application during public exhibition must be provided via the NSW Government Planning Portal’ by 30 May.
As a result, 126 submissions were made and are currently listed on the Portal site as Object, Comment and Support. To read them,  Open Here and go to Submissions.
An overwhelming number of people opposed the plans as they were presented, and it is noted that despite the classification by the Planning Department, careful reading of all submissions identifies: Support: 4 (3%); Comment: 8 (6%); and Object: 114 (91%)
To also read submissions following earlier Consultations, see our news entries for 13 March, 2024, and 2 August 2022. As Save the Powerhouse noted on 16 June 2024: ‘This was the 10^th time the public has been “consulted” on the Government “Powerhouse” destructive project and every “consultation” returned an “objection” percentage of at least 90%’ And Save’s joint Petition  ’has now collected 7,160 signatures and is still growing, which dwarfs the handful of people attending each of the Government’s public “information” sessions.’ They include in their concerns that ‘Despite the Minister for the Arts’ repeated assurances of openness, transparency and of his will to genuinely consult the community, the process was flawed because … Critical documents including a business case, an architectural design brief and a future exhibition guideline document were not made public. The community was hence invited to comment on a construction project without knowing the intended purpose of the “revitalised” building.’ Read more from Save the Powerhouse Here: Save the PHM email

Now, in writing a well-informed submission for the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, former Trustee and Life Fellow, Kylie Winkworth, starts her 24 page research comments and conclusions, by saying:
‘The State Significant Development plans for “Powerhouse Ultimo” demolish all trace of the Powerhouse Museum, destroying the investment of generations of taxpayers, and the trust of the museum’s donors and supporters. This is a wasteful, deceptive and destructive project that breaches the obligations that governments and trustees have to protect museums and their assets as an intergenerational legacy, not to mention the explicit promises of two governments that the Powerhouse Museum would be saved. These plans show the Powerhouse Museum is NOT saved. It is extraordinary that any museum or Trust, mindful of the museum’s legislated remit, could advance such destructive scheme to demolish most of its state-of-the-art buildings and exhibition spaces. It is obvious that the management of MAAS, and presumably the Trustees, have never accepted the commitments of two governments to save the PHM, and have for the last nearly four years continued their campaign to strip the PHM of its assets, collections and funding for uses unrelated to the purpose of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and its Act.’ She identifies eight extensive Key Points, and a number of Key Recommendations and Conclusions. Read more Here: PowerhouseMuseumAlliance- Winkworth
The Powerhouse Museum Alliance and related associations are very impressed by the strong arguments made in  Objecting to the current plans and processes by professional and supportive people who understand the museum well. Among the 100+ listed on the Planning Portal, here are some of those:
Andrew Grant
Christina Sumner
Design 5 architects
Docomomo
Grace Cochrane
Jacob Grossbard
Jennifer Sanders
John Petersen
Lindsay Sharp
Lionel Glendenning
National Trust
Pyrmont Action Group
Save the Powerhouse
Shirley Fitzgerald
Tom Lockley
Toner Stevenson

4 June, 2024 (in print 6 June)
‘A death warrant’: Public slams new Powerhouse plans
Following on-line publication of plans for Infrastructure NSW’s plans for ‘Powerhouse Museum “Revitalisation”‘, and some consultation meetings, Public Feedback was invited for this reference: SSD-67588459 Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation – CSE Ref No. [P-960876]
After the closing date of 30 May, the government body published the responses, available for public to read. Read Here: (duration unknown)
Commenting in the Sydney Morning Herald, Linda Morris wrote that: ‘Critics of the Minns government’s plans for a revitalised Powerhouse Museum are concerned the $300 million city project will deliver fewer exhibition spaces and result in unsympathetic and irreversible alterations to its modern additions. Just five of 126 public submissions supported Labor’s latest plans for the Ultimo museum which shut its doors in February. This compares to 109 who were opposed. A further twelve commented on the proposal and were regarded as neutral… The new plans aim to bring an end to nine years of controversy, including two parliamentary inquiries, over the museum’s future. They call for the forecourt of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo to be demolished to make way for a new library, learning centre and courtyard. The museum’s main Harris Street entrance is to be reoriented to face the Goods Line and China Town. Internal ramps, stairs and mezzanines used for smaller-scale exhibitions, education spaces, or visitor viewpoints are to be also removed to reveal original heritage features and the facade of its historic buildings.’ After recording few positive comments from Infrastructure NSW chief executive Tom Gellibrand, and neighbouring University of Technology of Sydney, she also noted concerns expressed by the National Trust of Australia and the City of Sydney, author Judith White, and architect, Lionel Glendenning who designed the 1988 building adaption.  Among many opponents,  ‘Heritage specialists, Design 5 Architects, said the proposal almost completely erased the “intangible and innate connection between the buildings and spaces, and the collection, and what is not erased is entombed in a new structure to conceal it. The process that has resulted in this proposal has been fatally flawed from the beginning, being driven by an agenda to dismantle and destroy the museum, an investigation and decision-making process that had little to no transparency and the unwillingness of a new government to call out and rectify these errors,” the submission said. “We know this lack of transparency is true as we were one of those consultants engaged by government to investigate the significance of the Powerhouse Museum and complete a draft Conservation Management Plan … to guide its future, including major changes.”… Historian Dr Shirley Fitzgerald also reminded that the ‘collection holds artefacts of world significance. The current dumbing down of a once proud institution will be catastrophic.”’
‘The project now goes to the Department of Planning to assess whether it is worthy of state significant development status. Expressions of interest have been called for construction partners.’ Read More Here, or Here: SMH 4 June
NOTE: Powerhouse Museum Alliance will soon publish here, many of the very informed criticisms submitted for Feedback.

31 May, 2024
‘Government blunders in published costing of Powerhouse Museum revamp’
On the day after the government closed opportunities for submissions providing Feedback on Powerhouse Museum ‘Revitalisation’ plans, Linda Morris reports in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘The NSW government has been forced to deny its redevelopment of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo faces a multimillion-dollar funding shortfall after withdrawing an “erroneous” independent costing which showed the revamp would cost $50 million more than budgeted. Infrastructure NSW (INSW) says a $350 million costing published to secure planning approval was inaccurate and published in error… The disclosure came on the final day that public submissions were due for the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo, and prompted calls for the process to be restarted. Several sources close to the project but not authorised to comment confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald that the agency was actively pursuing design savings, in a process known as value engineering, to rein in the budget. Expressions of interest for the project were called from NSW major builders only this week.’
After further mention of proposed controversial plans, Morris notes: ‘Greens MP Kobi Shetty said the planning process had descended into chaos and confusion. “The Powerhouse Museum is part of Sydney’s cultural fabric, with families returning time and again to enjoy its world-class science and technology exhibitions,” she said. “It’s extremely disappointing that Labor has failed to listen to the community. On top of that, they are now offering only chaos and confusion when it comes to funding the restoration, when what we need is certainty.”’…’Slattery Australia had estimated the costs to be $350.4 million, based on the building’s footprint and materials and plans the firm had received in March, which covered 85 per cent of the cost of the substructure, superstructure, envelope, finishes, fitments, services, and external work. It did not include GST, the costs of the museum’s new fitout or the removal of collection objects ahead of demolition works. Separately, the firm had costed the project at close to $300 million. The $350 million figure as used to whip up community opposition to the revamp in print advertising last weekend. Some $22 million of the government’s $250 million budget has been already spent on early design and engineering reports for a project reduced in scale by the incoming Arts Minister John Graham.’
…‘Former Powerhouse Museum director Lindsay Sharpe said the planning process needed to be restarted. “Where is the business case to justify the expenditure?” he said. “The government breaks its own cost/benefit rules and its undertakings of public transparency.”
A spokesperson for INSW said ‘…The designs outlined in the State Significant Development Application reflect the project budget.” The error is to be corrected in the response to public submissions. It was standard practice for “value engineering” to occur through the design of any major infrastructure project, they said. Read More here, or Here:  SMH May 31
31 May 2024
“the straw that broke the camel’s back”?
Save the Powerhouse group followed up the SMH announcement, saying: ‘The public, which was invited to comment on the State Significant Development (SSD) Development Application’s Environment Impact Statement (EIS), despite the fact that the Business Plan, the Design Brief or the Exhibition Content Program were kept secret, now discovers the $50M cost overrun just when the exhibition period closed tonight (Thursday May 30). Is this “the straw that broke the camel’s back”? Will the Arts Minister, who promised transparency after a decade of Coalition’s secrecy but only delivered more opacity, finally realise the monstrosity of the project? The public, who spent their own time to prepare and lodge their submissions despite all key documents being kept secret from them, deserve, at least, a generous extension of time to make a revised submission in the light of the new information made available tonight!
Read More: 31 May Save the P

29 May, 2024
‘Revisiting Frigate Bird II
Writing in Taylor and Francis online, Mark Clayton commented: ‘The closure of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum in February 2024 reignited public and political debates about the controversial ‘revitalization’ of its Ultimo and Castle Hill facilities, and the removal of its largest exhibit – the Catalina seaplane, Frigate Bird II. For the past thirty years it has remained suspended ten metres above the museum’s main gallery, physically isolated from the public that has come to hold it in such high regard. In October 2023, however, in preparation for its pending disassembly and removal, the museum lowered the aircraft, almost to ground level. For just four months, visitors to the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) were allowed, for the first time, to viscerally experience one of the museum’s most iconic artefacts. Frigate Bird’s enduring popularity is puzzling, given its limited technological and historical significance, and the unwavering disinterest that Australian public museums have always displayed for the collection, interpretation and display of aviation’s non-military history, and heritage. …In Australian public museums, aircraft are tolerated rather than appreciated. Despite being one of MAAS’s most popular exhibits, and its largest, Frigate Bird II did not even rate a mention for example when, in 2005, the museum published its first institutional history [Graeme Davison and Kimberly Webber, eds, Yesterday’s Tomorrows: The Powerhouse Museum and Its Precursors 1880–2005  UNSW Press 2005].
Collectively, Australia’s state and federal museums are thought to have acquired just one original aircraft (a tiny ultralight) during the past quarter-century, while deaccessioning at least another two during the same period. Hence the preference in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne for suspending those collection aircraft which cannot be dismantled and accommodated in off-site storage. A compromise between institutional disinterest and public expectation, this suspend-and-forget approach to aviation history has for decades released valuable floor space for exhibitions more in keeping with curatorial interests. Aviation clearly is not one of those interests, as the recently installed temporary display accompanying MAAS’s lowered seaplane patently revealed. So why then, given this uncharitable assessment, has MAAS put an eleventh-hour effort into the interpretation and display of its Catalina, and why should Frigate Bird II be favoured ahead of the other half-dozen aircraft that were also dangling from the former Boiler Room roof? Was this uncommon effort warranted and proportional to the aircraft’s significance, or, was this simply a hedge against the likelihood of further political scrutiny, and criticism?’
Read more here: Mark Clayton Frigate Bird

 15 July, 2024
Ian Debenham: ‘Response to Mark Clayton’s article’
Well aware of the strong public interest in the PHM’s aviation collection, and of many concerns about dangerously removing aviation items from the Ultimo site at this stage, in response, Ian Debenham OAM, former Curator of Aviation at the Powerhouse Museum, 1980-2010, notes that despite Clayton’s claim that the Catalina ‘Frigate Bird II’ has limited technological and historical significance … ‘He does admit later in his article that the previous owner of the aircraft Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor who was the pilot who commanded the flight to Chile and return in this aircraft “…remains a giant of Australian aviation who has rightfully earned a place in our national pantheon…” Then, I ask, why is “Frigate Bird II” any less deserving of preservation as emblematic of the aviation career of Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor than Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s aircraft “Southern Cross” is emblematic of his aviation career?’
Drawing on his long experience, Debenham continues: ‘Another aircraft of significance in the Powerhouse Museum collection is the Bell Jetranger helicopter used by Dick Smith to achieve the first solo circumnavigation of the world in a helicopter. Both Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s aircraft “Southern Cross” and Dick Smith’s helicopter are also emblematic of human achievement and advancing technology. The World’s museums commonly use such emblems associated with people of fame to draw attention to their life’s achievements and to their biographies. Published biographies of famous people exist to explain the challenges faced in their respective achievements but the related objects preserved in museums provide the physical reality. It is the mnemonic for the existence of the person and their considerable achievement. Hopefully these mnemonics prompt people to seek out and read the published works to understand the achievers and the dimension of their achievement. It is also an opportunity for curators to develop adjunct exhibits focussing on related topics.’ Debenham recalls how significantly the aviation collection grew from 1980 – and before, including ‘Pioneer aviation inventor Lawrence Hargrave had donated part of his collection of experimental models in 1899.’ His own experience included: ‘My first aviation exhibition was established in the early 1980s based on the loan of the Qantas models depicting aviation progress from Da Vinci to Sputnik and this was chronologically extended with aircraft models from the museum’s own collection. Over time the collection of full-size aircraft was added to and on my retirement in 2010 that collection held over twenty significant examples from microlights to ultralights, hang gliders, the air ambulance, a man-powered aircraft, a primary glider, the Transavia Airtruk prototype and the Eagle XP1 prototype. The Barraclough collection of aero engines was donated by the University of Sydney. Collections from Nancy Bird Walton and Lores Bonney were acquired along with flight attendant uniforms from Qantas. In early 2002 following an initiative by photographer Sue Stafford a photographic exhibition of woman aviators, “Women With Wings” was established. Without labouring the point further the lack of mention of Frigate Bird II in the institutional history reflects more on the publication than the reality.’
Read more Here:  Ian Debenham Response

10 May, 2024
Powerhouse Museum revitalisation: ‘A wasteful, destructive project’
Kylie Winkworth, museum expert and former PHM Trustee, responds to recent media releases from Infrastructure NSW and Arts minister John Graham as well as nine years of follow-up research, writing:
‘The plans for the ‘heritage revitalisation’ of Powerhouse Ultimo are a monstrous sham to hide the extensive demolition of all trace of the Powerhouse Museum as we have known it. The project is wasteful, destructive and devoid of any credible museum rationale or cultural purpose. Instead of the government’s promised heritage revitalisation, NSW taxpayers will be slugged $250 million for a museum demolition project that destroys the heritage, facilities, functionality, collection access and exhibition spaces of the Powerhouse Museum – the museum the government promised to save.
The project erases all trace of the 1988 Sulman award-winning museum and its heritage adaptation and landmark design. No heritage value is ascribed to any part of the actual Powerhouse Museum which will be gutted and stripped to the bare brick walls. The former PHM’s flexible exhibition spaces will be reduced by 75% to just three large empty spaces for events and venue hire. Only three large objects will be left stranded in the former museum which will be cleansed of its collections and its industrial, power and transport exhibitions.
The CEO’s museum ‘decluttering’ and erasure requires the demolition of all the mezzanines over five levels, destroying the PHM’s interiors and at least 22 flexible exhibition spaces purpose designed for decorative and applied arts, Indigenous design, social history, migration heritage, space, science, interactives and exhibitions for kids and families. All the Switch House galleries are going too. The Wran building and Galleria that the government promised to save is gutted of all its mezzanines and the southern end demolished for no reason, destroying the board room and reducing an 1800 sqm exhibition space by 400sqm.
The soaring Galleria, purpose-designed to exhibit the internationally significant Boulton and Watt beam engine and No 1 loco, tender and carriages, is also substantially demolished, losing definition, purpose and meaning. In the redesign the irreplaceable Boulton and Watt appears to be banished to the back end of the Galleria, deprived of context and narrative purpose as if it’s an embarrassing relic of the PHM and its industrial history, so evidently disdained by the management and design team. This deeply misguided and destructive scheme makes a fetish of the bare brick walls of the former power station, which were always visible in Glendenning’s design, entirely ignoring the basic purpose of the Powerhouse Museum which is exhibiting its collections. After blowing $300m, visitors will gaze at the brick walls and the empty spaces and wonder where the museum went.
The PHM’s 21,800 sqm of exhibition space will be reduced to 5,200sqm. Its three flexible theatres with raked seating will be demolished. There will be just one theatre with retractable seating, apparently also badged as a ‘presentation’ space to puff up the embarrassing scale of the museum’s demolition and downsizing. The PHM’s expansive education studios and learning centre will be demolished and reduced by more than 50%. Millions will be wasted excavating a new loading dock and truck turntable to replace the PHM’s more expansive current loading dock and collection and exhibition handling facilities in the Harwood building only 50 metres away. The secret intent of this wasteful and destructive scheme is to decouple the Harwood building from the PHM so it can be sold. More millions will be squandered in building and operating a school boarding house in the Ultimo building plan, when country schools already stay at the Central Sydney Youth Hostel a short walk from the museum. This nonsensical and costly thought bubble cannot hide the disastrous collapse in education participation by 56% over the five years of the CEO’s tenure.
Collections that have been an integral part of the museum and its education work since 1893 have been ripped out of the museum and sent to new and distant Castle Hill storage, which opened in April 2024 at a staggering cost of more than $100m. Compared with other museums in the world, this is the only known project to relocate museum collections and related facilities into inferior and less easily and safely accessible, non-co-located, storage, and compares poorly with what the museum already owns in the Powerhouse Museum Complex.
If approved, this project will be a cultural catastrophe for Sydney and NSW. The substantial demolition of an historic cultural institution and the wastage of its state-of-the-art facilities that are only 35 years old is unparalleled anywhere in the civilised world. It will be the end of the Powerhouse Museum and its unique mission for applied arts and sciences. The museum world and all its collections and education functions are going. It is shocking that these plans are advanced by the Minns Labor government that made explicit promises to save the PHM, keep the museum open and protect the Wran building. Instead they are betraying the public interest and trashing generations of taxpayers’ investment on completely spurious grounds to turn a heritage museum into another contemporary arts centre that would be better called Carriageworks Ultimo. The main aim is clearly to shrink the real Powerhouse Museum into a shop front with a series of empty spaces for parties and venue hire; cheap to run without any museum staff. It’s all about making Parramatta the flagship – also with a tenuous museum program!’

9 May, 2024
‘Museum of “quality spaces” but no content?’
Andrew Grant, Former Senior Curator, Transport, at the Powerhouse Museum, comments on the plans released by Infrastructure NSW on 3 May 2024 for the ‘revitalised Powerhouse Ultimo’, drawing attention to the lack of information about future collection-based exhibitions and programs. He writes:
‘The focus of the SMH article “Quality space: a brave new vision for the Powerhouse” is about ‘vastly improved’ building spaces as described by Infrastructure NSW Chief Executive, Tom Gellibrand. The irony here is that this is not about a vision for the Museum, it’s unconvincing hype about a series of destructive modifications to the existing architecture dressed up as improvements that, according to the Minister Hon John Graham, ‘are honouring the history of the Museum’. Chief Executive Lisa Havilah shamelessly continues the false narrative that the existing museum building cannot accommodate some international exhibitions, citing Ramses: Gold of the Pharoahs at the Australian Museum, presumably for some kind of retrospective halo effect. (I note that Ms Havilah has started to use the ‘museum’ word again – a bet each way perhaps?)
Now, as for a vision for the Museum, as opposed to the highly contentious aspirations of Infrastructure NSW for the Powerhouse buildings. Alarmingly, the latter includes the demolition of the existing mezzanine floors that have since 1988 brilliantly facilitated the definition of a variety of exhibition scales to align with the vast differences in scale and diversity of the objects in the collection.  Yet the SMH article barely makes reference to the collection, which should be at the centre of whatever is planned for the future of the real Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo.
Readers of the SMH article on 6 May (most of whom will be long suffering taxpayers), will have been left puzzled about what to expect of the actual content of the new Museum, in other words, what themes will the new Museum explore, how will the collection illustrate those themes and how does the CEO and her team propose that these themes will be explored to help us navigate the challenges and opportunities of the 21^st century?
All this suggests that it’s time to stop and reconsider what the project timeline and its critical path might be and wherever it’s at.  If the new Museum is to open in ‘about 3 years’ and not be a great disappointment to the expectant public, that timeline is already in serious trouble.
For the original Powerhouse Museum project, the five major themes and their locations in the buildings were established by late 1984 (3.5 years from opening) and the project teams for developing exhibition content had all been appointed by April 1985, three years out from opening. Even driven by the dual imperatives of opening in the Bicentennial year and before a state election in 1988, only half the Museum was ready for the official opening in March 1988, less than 3 years later. We should be worried.’
Grant also supplied an extract from a 1984 Progress Review, showing the very clear contrast in planning, where: ‘Thematic guidelines are already devised for the exhibitions to be installed in the completed Power House. These guidelines provide a clear grouping of exhibitions, describe the linkages between individual and group exhibitions and define the aims and objectives of the displays.’ Read Here: PHM Content planning 1984 2024
And in ways not available (or existing?) to 2024 audiences, a 1984 publication ‘The Power House, a Museum for us all’, detailed the themes, content and proposed locations for the collection based exhibitions. Read Here: Powerhouse Museum plan 1984

7 May, 2024 (13 February, 2024)
‘MAAS Visitor Nos and other Stats: charting decline and failure‘
With reference to a detailed statistical chart and sources of information, former Powerhouse Museum Trustee and Life Fellow, Kylie Winkworth, investigates the impact of current and proposed changes to visitor numbers.
She writes: ‘The 2022-23 MAAS Annual Report reveals a continuing decline across key performance metrics for the museum, although the Annual Report claims total on site visitation grew by 240% (but reference is made: ‘MAAS Annual Reports do not differentiate between general attendance and people attending functions, parties and late night events’). A five year decline across standard performance benchmarks coincides with the appointment of the current CEO and a shift in the museum’s exhibition programming to creative industries, contemporary fashion and design, and away from families and education. The same collapse is revealed in the education stats, down 56% over five years. By contrast, at the Australian Museum visitor numbers are up 112% over five years, and education participation is up 36%.  It is difficult to believe that MAAS is serious about Parramatta having a STEM education focus when the museum has failed to deliver its current education mission, had a whole floor of vacant education studios before the museum closed in 4 February 2024, and has not appointed any STEM educators or senior science leaders. The senior management team is almost entirely made up of people with a background in contemporary art or hospitality.
The drop in visitor and education numbers suggests an indifference to programming exhibitions that maximise audiences, and points to the decline of the museum’s content rich, curriculum linked education programs as more than ten major exhibitions were progressively removed. Responsibility lies with the museum’s leadership, not the staff…Early in the current CEO’s tenure, audience appeal was deleted as one of the criteria for selecting exhibitions.’
Regarding comparative costs, information provided includes: ‘Instead of commissioning a performance audit the government is gifting the current management with three concurrent infrastructure projects at a staggering cost of $1.4 billion when  …On the evidence, the CEO’s new paradigm for museums is an expensive failure. Instead of calling for a performance audit, the government is hiding scrutiny of waste and under-performance through the pre-emptive closure of the PHM on February 4, having promised in September to keep the PHM open … Nor is the project in any sense the promised heritage revitalisation. The PHM is being defunded, downsized and stripped of its assets, collections and purpose to turn the former museum into a creative industries, arts and entertainment centre, on the same template as Carriageworks West – otherwise known as Powerhouse Parramatta. …The poor performance of MAAS, relative to its peers, began with stagnating budgets from 2005, followed by cuts to recurrent funding by the state Labor government and the introduction of efficiency dividends, leading to rounds of redundancies and deskilling the museum of its most experienced staff, and the ill-advised ‘revitalisation’ program of works from 2011-13 when this was not the source of the museum’s declining visitation. There followed a revolving door of directors under the LNP, further budget cuts, and the closure of more exhibition galleries, which led to the then Premier Mike Baird’s decision to ‘move’ the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta … Other factors over more than a decade of decline include the removal of more than 10 major exhibitions, replaced by nothing but shuttered galleries.
2012-13 was the last year the MAAS Annual Report was framed around reporting on performance and targets laid out in a strategic plan … in 2023-24, MAAS has no strategic plan in the commonly understood meaning of this term. Among many governance failures by the MAAS Trust this is perhaps the most disastrous and inexplicable. … But it’s not the PHM building or its location that has failed, it’s the management, and the Trustees, and a succession of arts ministers collectively failing their responsibility to protect the public interest and the endowment of previous generations. .. Over five years the CEO and senior management have not demonstrated they can run a successful museum at the PHM. And now, instead of seeing if the management can deliver the risky and overdue Parramatta Powerhouse development first, the PHM is closed, before plans are even on exhibition, let alone approved. Thus even more public money is raining down on a failing management team who get to blow up the Powerhouse Museum as well.‘
READ HERE: Winkworth MAAS Visitor Nos & Stats Charting Decline 2024

6 May, 2024
Powerhouse Museum, ‘Flood of Propaganda’
In his regular newsletter, critic John McDonald writes: ‘There’s such a flood of propaganda coming from the Powerhouse Museum, I can barely bring myself to look at it. That, I presume, would be a highly desirable outcome for PHM director, Lisa Havilah; NSW Arts Minister, John Graham, and everyone else who’s involved in the business of full-scale cultural vandalism. We know from the director’s own boast in a public address that her preferred strategy is never to respond to criticism, merely wait until the dust settles and carry on doing whatever she wants. To this tried & true formula, one might add: “And then send out a stack of upbeat press releases, pretending that black is white and white is black.”
As anyone knows who has sampled the precise, comprehensive analyses of the PHM saga written by Kylie Winkworth, Lindsay Sharp, and other alumni of the museum, almost everything we read in the official press releases is a lie. The much-vaunted “Community consultations” have been a farce and a smokescreen, intended only to tick a box, allowing the government to pretend they have listened to their critics. This is a familiar pattern for everyone who has made a submission to one of these events.
The point of this bogus “consultation” is simply to rubber stamp the destructive, wasteful, completely unnecessary scheme that is being pushed through in defiance of public wishes and expert opinion. To discuss the actual detail of the government’s Orwellian “revitalisation” plan would require many thousands of words. By way of a summary, I’ll refer to Linda Morris’s article in the Sydney Morning Herald on 3 May, in which “Infrastructure NSW chief executive Tom Gellibrand said the revitalised Powerhouse Ultimo would result in more exhibition space overall, not less, and ‘vastly improved’ spaces.”
Mr. Gellibrand’s idea of a “vastly improved space” seems to mean a bigger space, in which those pesky mezzanines that currently house galleries, will have been removed. This will result in large, cavernous spaces suitable for rave parties, but not for exhibitions. The actual amount of exhibition space will be severely curtailed. Kylie Winkworth notes that when the PHM opened in 1988 it had 25 exhibition spaces. The proposed “revitalisation” would turn this into three large party venues. The thinking seems to be that exhibitions cost time and money, while venue hire is instant and brings in revenue. Is this the new model for museums in NSW?
By now we should be deeply suspicious of the idea that a large, cavernous space provides a great design for a museum … large spaces as function venues, less space for shows, with a few big objects from the existing display being kept as decorations, devoid of context.
… The PHM, which has absorbed well over a billion dollars in taxpayers’ funds over the past decade, has lost money at an astonishing rate. But “lost” is perhaps the wrong word. While attendances returned to the level of the early 1960s, hundreds of thousands – millions – of dollars have been squandered on artist’s commissions, payments to “associate artists”, and purchases of dubious relevance. How are these privileged artists chosen? You’ll have to ask Lisa Havilah.’
After discussing many other issues of exhibition content, and other site changes, McDonald says: ‘And don’t forget, this all began with the former Coalition government. Labor, which came to power with a promise to preserve the PHM, has broken its word on every point, and is now trying to spin its way out of this quagmire of betrayal, dishonesty and bad faith. At this stage, the only hope for the PHM lies with the Heritage Council, which is considering expanding heritage protections at Ultimo. Will this be powerful enough to preserve the building? A heritage listing didn’t prevent the demolition of the Victorian house, Willow Grove, to make way for the $1.2 billion milkcrate in Parramatta. Apologies for my apparent monomania on this issue, but the sheer scale of the disaster, the huge amounts of money being wasted, and the stupendous dishonesty involved – all to achieve a negative result that will continue to cost millions – is enough to strain anyone’s sanity.’ READ HERE: or HERE: John McDonald 6 May 2024

3 May, 2024
‘Quality space: New look for Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo revealed’
Linda Morris reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, on the announcements made by Infrastructure NSW, listed on May 3 below, saying that ‘A NSW government agency is seeking permission to demolish the forecourt of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo for a new library, learning centre and courtyard, and to strip out modern internal additions made to the museum. Plans to be lodged on Friday by Infrastructure NSW for public comment show the removal of ramps, stairs and mezzanines used for smaller-scale exhibitions, education spaces or visitor view points to reveal original heritage features and the facade of its historic buildings. Multiple exhibition spaces will be reconfigured into four main halls with greater scale and flexibility, the agency says. The move comes three months after Australia’s flagship science and technology museum controversially closed its doors in February, after nine years of political wrangling about its future.’
‘Infrastructure NSW chief executive Tom Gellibrand said the revitalised Powerhouse Ultimo would result in more exhibition space overall, not less, and “vastly improved” spaces.’ But ‘Former Powerhouse executives and unions representing museum staff have long questioned the cost and need for the museum’s closure. They argue the redevelopment will ultimately deliver less exhibition space dedicated to showcasing the museum’s collection. Former museum trustee, Kylie Winkworth, said the proposal was the same “recycled museum demolition scheme” as proposed by the previous government. “The mezzanines in the Wran building are going, and in the Turbine Hall. These are an integral part of the museum’s design conception and visitor circulation, as well providing large flexible education studios,” she said. “It is losing all the Switch House exhibition spaces suitable for decorative arts and the multiple exhibition spaces in the mezzanines which will be demolished, along with all the ramps and visitor infrastructure to turn the museum into a small version of Parramatta – empty volumes suitable for venue hire.”
….[Despite many previous submissions that have been ignored], ‘Arts minister John Graham said the NSW government would carefully consider all submissions on the revitalised design to ensure the community’s voice was actively incorporated into the future of the Powerhouse Museum. “Importantly, in this modest revitalisation we are honouring the history of the museum by revealing the heritage elements of the original Ultimo Power Station buildings and refurbishing the Wran building to achieve greater museum functionality,” Graham said.
The removal of museum objects from Ultimo is expected to be completed by August with most shifted to a newly opened storehouse at Castle Hill. Costings for their removal have yet to be released. Meanwhile, the Heritage Council is considering expanding heritage protections at Ultimo to include the entire museum site, not just its important historic buildings. Its decision is likely to be made as early as next month, separate to the request for special planning approval…The public has until the end of May to post their feedback with construction contracts to be signed by year’s end.’  READ HERE: OR HERE: SMH 3 May 2024

3 May, 2024
From Ministers: ‘Powerhouse Museum Ultimo revitalisation powers along with community feedback’
A media release from John Graham, Special Minister of State, Minister for Arts (and others); and Steve Kamper, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Lands and Property (and others), announced: ‘The community is being encouraged to share their feedback on the proposed design to revitalise the much-loved and iconic Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. On exhibition until 30 May 2024, the new design honours the heritage of the buildings by retaining the Wran building, and transforms the heritage listed Boiler House, Turbine Hall, Switch House and Ultimo Post Office buildings to create four flexible, dynamic exhibition spaces.’ While they argue that ‘Audiences and community will benefit from improved exhibition and programming spaces and allow the Powerhouse Museum to accommodate international exhibitions and increase the community’s access to the renowned Powerhouse Collection of more than 500,000 objects’, it is strongly noted by those familiar with the Museum, that the exhibition spaces are vastly reduced and less focus will be given to the breadth of the collection – now relocated to display storage in Castle Hill. READ HERE:  GRAHAM – KAMPER – Powerhouse Ultimo SSDA 3 May 2024

3 May, 2024
Infrastructure NSW: ‘Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Revitalisation’
Infrastructure NSW circulated an email media release, saying of the ‘revitalisation’ of the Museum, that ‘Community consultation is an important part of the planning process’ and advising that ‘The State Significant Development Application (SSDA) and supporting Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Revitalisation are now on public exhibition until Thursday 30 May 2024.’
Read full EIS document, from April 11, HERE:  Environmental Impact Statement 11 April 2024
They add:‘To assist you with interpreting the detailed information, we have prepared the following factsheets’  See attached document for links, and also:
SSD Summary: HERE
Design: HERE
Heritage: HERE 
As well, they ‘will host community information sessions so you can speak directly with the project team, ask questions and find information of interest. Join us in-person at a drop-in session hosted in the loading dock of the Harwood building, accessed via Macarthur St :
Saturday 18 May: 10am – 12pm
Tuesday 21 May: 5 – 7pm
Join us online Tuesday 21 May 11:30am – 1pm.
And: ‘Feedback on the development application during public exhibition must be provided via the NSW Government Planning Portal. For more information on how to do this, please view our guide’: HERE    For full message: Read Here: Infrastructure NSW re Ultimo Revitalisation

3 May, 2024
Foxground founder of Powerhouse Museum fights to save world-class collection
After interviewing a significant local resident in the Bugle Newspaper, in Kiama, NSW, Danielle Woolage writes: ‘Dr Lindsay Sharp, the founding director of the Powerhouse Museum, says state government plans to move priceless objects, including one of the oldest working steam engines in the world, to Castle Hill while the Ultimo site undergoes destructive renovations “is madness”. “This proposal wastes tens of millions of dollars, destroys the campus, reduces exhibition areas by more than half, wrecks the Wran Building and Galleria and creates a completely unnecessary carbon load,”… The world-renowned museologist, who lives at Foxground with his artist wife Robyn, is a vocal member of the Powerhouse Museum Alliance. The Alliance, a group of museum professionals, former trustees and design and heritage experts, opposes plans to remove hundreds of thousands of key objects from the Ultimo site and house them in Castle Hill until the Powerhouse Museum reopens in the city in 2027 and at its sister site in Parramatta in 2025.
The original Ultimo museum opened in 1988 but closed to the public in February [2024] to undergo a $250 million renovation, with the Minns government scrapping a proposed $500 million rebuild and opting for a less costly “heritage revitalisation”, saying it would create a “world-class museum experience” when it reopens. But Dr Sharp fears that once “magnificent objects” like the Boulton Watt engine are removed from the museum it may never return to its historical home. “To put these incredibly fragile objects in Castle Hill is madness,” he says. “It is culturally unwise, unjustified and not properly planned … First do no harm, as with medicine so with museology,” says Dr Sharp. “A museum’s collection is its core DNA. If the fragile beam of the Boulton Steam Engine is broken during transportation between Ultimo and Castle Hill it will not only be inoperable but not in a condition for display. We’re talking about a heroic piece of history.”
For a museologist the proposed rebuild is heartbreaking, not least because of the risk to the exhibits but also because of concerns about community access…“All those incredible objects that are an integral part of the Powerhouse Museum collection in Ultimo will be rehoused at Parramatta and Castle Hill,” explains Dr Sharp. “That means that people who come from Kiama, or other regional areas, have to go cross country to access a collection that was right near Central train station. Visiting those [western Sydney] sites will be much more difficult, especially for school students.
Dr Sharp believes the pride of the museum’s collection, the famed Boulton and Watt steam engine, first installed in a London brewery in 1785 and known as the “Mona Lisa of steam engines”, might not survive a move and was effectively uninsurable. Other expert museologists agree…
Dr Sharp and the Powerhouse Museum Alliance will hold a seminar in Parliament House next month to discuss how to plan great museums. “I will never give up, while I can continue this fight,” says Dr Sharp. “Especially now that the state’s GST revenues will total $12 billion less over the next four years. This is a disastrous result for the Powerhouse Museum proposal, with more money likely to be stripped from cultural programs.” Read Here, or Here: Bugle Kiama L Sharp

April 1, 2024
THE PHM COLLECTIONS HAVE BEEN “DECANTED” TO REMOTE CASTLE HILL
Save the Powerhouse Museum wrote on Facebook and email (on April Fools Day!), that:
‘Many of us have wondered about the questionable word ‘DECANTED’ since it was applied – ominously and not very accurately – by the MAAS CEO to describe how the PHM’s magnificent collections had been broken up, evicted from their traditional home in Ultimo and carted off for ‘storage’ at distant Castle Hill.
Google says ‘decant‘ means to ‘gradually pour a liquid from one container into another’ without disturbing the sediment. Merriam Webster broadly agrees – ‘…to pour out, transfer, or unload as if by pouring (a liquid such as wine) from one vessel to another…’
But is a term used primarily in the liquor trade appropriate here? The collections have certainly been torn out and moved, but rather than ‘poured out’ from one ‘container’ (PHM) to another (Castle Hill), they were rapidly and carelessly loaded onto lorries, according to passers-by, with no regard for their unique international value, damage that such a rough journey would inevitably cause, or the quality of the storage that awaited them at the other end.  Save the Powerhouse supporters were unanimously opposed to the unnecessary closure of the museum on February 5, and the subsequent ‘decanting’ of the collections.
One said “Suggestions that 2 million people will visit the emasculated (no steam performance) space and supermarket at the isolated location over one hour’s travel from the tourist areas of Sydney is plainly ridiculous. 40% of the 750,000 visitors to The Real Powerhouse at Ultimo are also visitors to Sydney and are unlikely to give up a full day to travel west! Which developer has already been promised the site?” He added “(PHM) started out as a technical museum, our mini Smithsonian and should remain as such! A cheaper, easier solution would be to move the Museum of Contemporary Art to the walls of the old DJs building and sell the Circular Quay site”.
As Elizabeth Farrelly observed, “the collections which made this venue a world-class museum have been “decanted” (the MAAS CEO’s word for “sent to permanent storage”), destroying their international status.” And as a long term supporter of the PHM’s cause commented: “Once the wine is decanted (poured out) it is never returned to the same bottle.” Further, Save and other community groups, the experts and the community were completely excluded from this ill-thought out decision – even though WE saved the museum from demolition and will have to bear the consequences. It’s yet another reason for the Government to re-think the PHM management team.’

26 March, 2024
ENTIRE POWERHOUSE MUSEUM COLLECTION EXILE BECOMES AN “EVENT”
On its Facebook page and in email, Save the Powerhouse Museum reports on the recent opening of the revised storage buildings at Castle Hill in western Sydney on 24-25 March. While it appears that there were engaging events at the opening of the expanded storage space, they document many of the issues identified since the proposal to move the entire Powerhouse Museum collection was made. They write: ‘For the first time in 140 years the entire Powerhouse Museum collection is in the same place”…storage warehouses in remote Castle Hill with NOT A SINGLE OBJECT EXHIBITED IN ANY MUSEUM. (Watch 9 News bulletin of March 20 HERE )
Created by the unnecessary closure of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo on February 5, this situation is going to last for years as the Parramatta institution is now not going to open until sometime in 2025 (3 years later than the originally planned date in 2022) and the date of the Powerhouse in Ultimo re-opening in early 2027, after a 3-year “Revitalisation”, is highly unrealistic.
The closure of a major national museum for years is unprecedented in the world and contradicts the International Council of Museums (ICOM)’s definition of a museum. Compliance with this definition is a primary duty of the Museum Management and Board of Trustees …
The Castle Hill warehouses will only open at week-ends for a few hours (10am-4pm) and are difficult to access with little public transport and limited car parking. Detailed explanations from the Museum Management on the reason why this situation was allowed to occur and the measures they are taking to mitigate the delay and re-open urgently Ultimo would be expected in such circumstances…but, unfortunately, not under a Minns’ Government where the CEO was instead allowed to spin the fiasco into yet another “event”.’
Read More: 26 March Save the P Castle Hill storage
[PMA reminds us that, as well, those who remember the welcome opening of the museum at the Powerhouse site in Ultimo in 1988, will also recall the applauded shift from ‘display storage’ to providing thematic exhibitions with important background stories. We are now back to ‘display storage’ – at a great distance from state/national audiences. Will it ever change?]

23 March, 2024
‘New Powerhouse Museum warehouse opens amid union complaints’
Following concerns expressed over considerable time about the removal of the entire Powerhouse Museum collection to expanded buildings in the relatively distant storage area at Castle Hill, including issues of access for staff and audiences, safety in object transfer and location, Linda Morris writes in the Sydney Morning Herald about concerns for staff safety. Just before its first public opening day, she reports that: ‘Powerhouse Museum is set to cut the ribbon on a new $44 million storehouse in north-west Sydney, a new home for the iconic objects displaced by the closure of its Ultimo campus for renovations … But before its official opening on Saturday, the new Powerhouse Castle Hill has been subject to complaints about several work and safety issues from the Public Service Association (PSA), which is now referring them to SafeWork NSW.’
‘Issues raised by the PSA include a darkened hallway being a trip hazard for staff, outdoor seating being too hot to sit on in high temperatures, kitchen odours leaking into the office space and the hazard shower missing a drain. There are no permanent desks for staff with complex work briefs and open plan arrangements required them to pack up at the end of each day, it says.
Powerhouse management counters that the building fully complies with safety obligations under the Workplace Safety Act. It supplied the findings of its independent risk management report which described the complaints as subjective and a matter of opinion to an Industrial Relations Commission hearing called on Friday…
… Some 56 staff will be based at Castle Hill, researching, preparing exhibitions, and conserving the collection as a base just 12 kilometres from where the Parramatta Powerhouse opens next year. Thirty-six conservators, curators and registrars are to be relocated from Ultimo. Acting assistant general secretary of the PSA, Siobhan Callinan, said management had notified the union they expected staff to report to work at Castle Hill from Tuesday.’
As well as writing about ‘Powerhouse Castle Hill’, ‘… The temporary closure of Ultimo for three years while renovations were undertaken was contested by critics, including the PSA, who claimed that the museum was shut prematurely for cost savings.
And for Castle Hill, ‘The risk assessment by HVH Group found only minor issues and the building was compliant with all regulations and safe for occupation. An occupancy certificate has been issued.
“This new building designed by Lahznimmo Architects will enable for the first time all the Powerhouse collection where it’s not on show at Parramatta or Ultimo to be consolidated on-site and colocated with the Powerhouse collections team,” Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah said.… The new facility contains state-of-the-art facilities including a photographic studio to digitise some 120,000 objects from the collection, a small objects store for ceramics, glass, and metalwork, and a secure store for antique guns and precious jewellery. Exhibitions will rotate every six months, the first Alchemy showcasing natural dyeing practices in Indigenous communities in the remote Northern Territory. The building will be open to the public on weekends, and during the week for scheduled tours.’
Read more Here, or Here: SMH 23 March Castle Hill

23/24 March, 2024
‘POWERHOUSE CASTLE HILL OPENING CELEBRATIONS’
In online messages and newspaper advertisements, the Powerhouse Museum advertised its weekend opening of the collection storage facility at Castle Hill.
On its website, it invited audiences to the occasion, providing photographs, map and transport information, program and booking details:
‘Join us as we unveil a new state-of-the-art storehouse for the internationally renowned Powerhouse CollectionExternal link icon. The opening weekend features the premiere of our first major exhibition in the new building, AlchemyInternal link icon, presenting commissions by First Nations creative practitioners of natural dyeing techniques. Throughout the weekend, enjoy free tours, exhibitions, workshops and performances featuring First Nations artists.’
Powerhouse Castle Hill has been delivered through a partnership between Create NSW, NSW Public Works and the Powerhouse. Designed by Lahznimmo Architects and built by Taylor Construction.
Read Here, or Here: 23-24 March Castle Hill opening

21 March, 2024
‘Powerhouse Castle Hill by Lahzimmo Architects’
In the newsletter for ArchitectureAU, Kate Goodwin reports on the development of the Powerhouse Castle Hill storage facility to house the complete museum collection.  She writes:
‘North-east of the Sydney CBD, a partnership between client, architect and builder has resulted in a starkly beautiful storage facility that welcomes the community and addresses the future of publicly funded museums…’
Mentioning some photographs of its environment, Goodwin notes: ‘Amanda Williams’ commissioned works could be read as eulogies. They hang on the walls of the public and staff spaces within the Lahznimmo Architects-designed Powerhouse Castle Hill – the Sydney museum’s newest collections store and conservation facility on the site where the plantation once stood. The museum established the plantation on Dharug land in the late 1940s for the purpose of cataloguing and researching the trees for the economic potential of their essential oils. When this ceased in 1979, the museum’s collection storage, once spread across Sydney, was consolidated here and now comprises a campus of six buildings….
The Powerhouse Museum collection incorporates more than half a million diverse objects, reflecting an institution that sits at the intersection of the arts, design, science and technology. (Owned by the government of New South Wales, the Powerhouse is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences – MAAS.) For Lisa Havilah, the director of the Powerhouse since 2019, the future of public-funded museums lies in their accessibility and their capacity to connect with local communities. This ethos has driven this project.’
Goodwin describes in great detail the materials and processes used in construction, including: ‘Activating the precinct, the building sits perpendicular to the existing row of storage buildings on land annexed from the next-door TAFE. It creates a gateway to the site and points to possibilities for future connections to the higher education institution. The building’s plan runs with the contours. Its cross-section takes advantage of the site’s sloping topography, aligning with the storage buildings to the west and gaining height as the ground slopes to the east. It uses thermal mass and insulation to create a tightly sealed and environmentally sustainable facility.’…
’Collections embody time and memory, with objects reflecting the institutional and societal values of a particular time. The constant dynamism of the world is made evident in Powerhouse Castle Hill’s facade. Like Williams’ photographs, it reminds us that our valuation and interpretation of collections, and our engagement with them, are in constant evolution.’
Read Here, or Here: Arch Aust Castle Hill
[Powerhouse Museum Alliance reminds us however, that after around 100 years, when the Museum reopened in its new Powerhouse site in Ultimo in 1988, it was internationally acknowledged as a leading state museum, located in its capital city centre, focusing on permanent changing exhibitions with related temporary exhibitions, all with background stories rather than ‘display storage’! We want the museum returned in that condition!]

March 21, 2024
MUSEUMS EXPERT TELLS SYDNEYSIDERS PHM ULTIMO IS NOT ‘SAVED’
Save the Powerhouse reports on email and Facebook: ‘In a forthright interview with Elizabeth Farrelly on her local radio program “The Sydneyist” (Eastside Radio 89.7 FM, March 21) http://tiny.cc/8zpkxz, museums expert Kylie Winkworth assured stakeholders that THE POWERHOUSE MUSEUM IN ULTIMO WAS NOT SAVED; This was one of the ”TEN BROKEN PROMISES” by the Labor Government that she referred to  recently.
When (then) Premier Mike Baird initially announced in 2015 that the Powerhouse Museum would move to Parramatta, there was a massive public outcry. The community wanted the Museum to stay in its traditional home, Ultimo. Winkworth reminded listeners that later, in July 2020, (then) Premier Berejiklian, backed by (then) Arts Minister Don Harwin announced that although ”The Powerhouse” would move to Parramatta, the original institution would stay in Ultimo. Many believed then that the Museum was ‘saved’. This was repeated in September 2023 by (current) Arts Minister John Graham who promised to keep the museum open, only to close it abruptly on February 5, 2024 ,ostensibly for ”essential repairs”. Yet, as many in the community and experts have said, the museum could have been kept open while ‘essential’ repairs were made, and at far less cost to the Australian taxpayer. And closed for only three years? Is that even realistic?
“This myth that their Museum was ‘saved’, confused many” Winkworth said. “It was just one of the ten broken Labor promises I have identified.” “The people in Parramatta were not even asked what kind of institution they wanted” she observed. “They advocated the development of the Female Factory, one of the most significant sites in Australia!” “But the REAL Powerhouse remains in Ultimo, and successive governments have tried to “rebrand” it.”So what does the word ‘museum’ really mean?” asked Farrelly.
“If you drop the word ‘museum’ from the name” retorted Winkworth  “Look what happens! It could be an entertainment centre, with weddings! Or a performing arts centre, an events centre…Experts worldwide have spent time trying to DEFINE WHAT A MUSEUM REALLY IS and they have come back to the bedrock principles that it is a permanent institution, not for profit, in the service of society that connects research with researchers, conveys tangible and intangible heritage – education is important – communicates and operates ethically, and committed to the society (it serves).
That is the accepted (ICOM) definition, but this Government proposed a $300 million investment to turn the museum into a fashion centre!… If the heart of the Powerhouse Museum is steam and transport that really extends to its entire priceless collections, which, according to the Management Team, have already been “decanted” (exiled).
Sydney is not poor. We can afford to support the REAL museum people want. Transport IS “technology’! The Bolton and Watt (steam) engine is perhaps the starting point for the Powerhouse, and shows the impact the industrial revolution had on Sydney and its global relationships, It has been at the centre of the collections since they were gathered in Ultimo and moved to PHM when it opened in 1988, and its influence today goes right across the Museum’s remit of applied art, science, design, and invention. It has been a landmark in Australian museums history and its collections are of international significance. John Graham has said that the three ‘iconic’ exhibits will be returned to Ultimo, but the budget has been cut in half, none of the key Labor promises has been delivered, and PHM does not have heritage protection…So what does the Government’s secret “Revitalisation“ plan mean? What are they going to DO with PHM?” It’s a question that we have all been asking!’

15 March, 2024
POWERHOUSE MUSEUM EXPERTS OFFER GENUINE “REVITALISATION” PLAN
Following the public meeting announced recently, Save the Powerhouse Museum reported on its Facebook page and in email, that ‘The Powerhouse Museum Alliance (PMA) held a thought-provoking event “Revitalising the REAL Powerhouse Museum” at the Ultimo Community Centre on Friday March 15.
The event was hosted by Save the Powerhouse/Friends of Ultimo and MC’d by respected Museums Consultant Kylie Winkworth. It’s main object was to challenge the current, deeply unpopular, version of “Revitalisation” imposed by the NSW Government after 9 years of internal disagreement and to offer a viable alternative which would make closure of the Museum (from February 5, 2024 ), completely unnecessary and would cost the tax-payer significantly less. All the speakers were experts in their field.’
In the attached document: Read Here:  15 March, SaveP & PMA public meeting they provide key details of the talks and links to presentations by :
Alan Croker, Australia’s leading Heritage Conservation specialist. He is widely-known as the author of the very professional Conservation Management Plan for the Sydney Opera House….  (https://youtu.be/yL17lZsp2Vc)
Dr Lindsay Sharp, the second speaker and PMA member, was equally famous as PHM’s Founding Director. Lindsay used his extensive international experience (eg London, USA) to highlight not only the breadth  and depth of PHM’s 500,000 object collections, but also their relevance to LOCAL [and state] history.  (https://youtu.be/UEIkMh89X8A  and http://tiny.cc/h9bkxz)
Jennifer Sanders, for many years the PHM’s Deputy Director, continued the theme that PHM is –as we all know- the “PEOPLE’S MUSEUM”. “It belongs to us, and its future.“Revitalisation” must in reality be a renewal of the “people’s museum’, inspired by our memories and its heritage, purpose, collections and architecture. (https://youtu.be/G77I2M4s3vI)
They conclude: ‘Finally, Lindsay and Jennifer together offered a feasible plan for “Revitalisation” which :
-Did not involve closing the museum while essential repairs were made and maintenance measures put in place.
– Engaged all community groups and stakeholders in full consultation and reflected their wishes in any future PHM projects.
-Detailed planned exhibitions in line with the PHM’s original purpose as a world-class “arts and sciences” museum
– In summary, they provided a blueprint for the “REAL MUSEUM” that people have always wanted!’
Save the Powerhouse also reminded the audience that ‘The Heritage Council officially announced it considered heritage-listing the whole Powerhouse Museum site including the “Wran” additions and the Harwood Building’ and ‘strongly encourage you to make a SUPPORTING submission as, again, “numbers will count” and may help to genuinely “Save the Powerhouse”.’ (See news entry below)

13 March, 2024
‘Heritage Council of NSW: Powerhouse Museum and state heritage register’: Welcome submissions
The Heritage Council of NSW has circulated a ‘notice-of-intention-to recommend listing the attached area on the NSW state heritage register, as a curtilage extension of the already-listed Ultimo Power House. And a new draft curtilage map.’ Stuart Read, Senior Heritage Officer, provided the attached letter from Manager Alexandra Boukouvalas, and a map, providing details of the site history, and its present and continuing significance. The Item is listed as: ‘The Powerhouse Museum Complex (being an extension to Ultimo Powerhouse. State Heritage Register item 02045).’  See here for Letter:  Powerhouse Museum Complex – 2024 3 7 – Letter to Others and Map: Heritage Council PHM curtilage map
Significantly, the curtilage area now includes both the 1988 Wran building and the historic Harwood building, which Powerhouse Museum Alliance and many colleagues know to be essential aspects of the Museum.
The Heritage Council also placed an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald on 12 March, Here:  PHM Heritage ad  And as ‘HERITAGE COUNCIL’S EXTENDED LISTING COULD SAVE THE POWERHOUSE?’ Save the Powerhouse very well summarises the offer Here: Save the P 13 March 2024
The display is on public exhibition until 9 April 2024 and the Heritage Council advises that it will welcome submissions from people and organisations to contribute to the recommendation.
For a very detailed statement of significance and history of all aspects of the site Read Here, or Here: Ultimo Power House Statement Significance
See their web page for more details about the proposal, and advice on making a submission. Read Here. And the Heritage Council asks that submissions for State Heritage Register item 02045 be sent to heritagemailbox@environment.nsw.gov.au
Some of the submissions include:
L Sharp Heritage Submission
D Rudder Heritage Submission
L Glendenning Heritage Submission
G Cochrane Heritage Submission
R Ward Heritage Submission
Newcomen Heritage NSW
Read later report on 12 July, 2024 – Shocking results: ‘Heritage Council of NSW: Powerhouse Museum and state heritage register’.

13 March, 2024
Submissions in response to ‘consultation’ for ‘revitalisation’ of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.
As noted on 22 February (below), associated with the ‘closure’ of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo on 4 February 2024, to allow for 3 years of ‘Heritage Revitalisation’, arts minister John Graham, through Infrastructure NSW, agreed to a (ninth) round of consultation sessions in late February: at the Powerhouse Museum near the Goods Line on 15 and 17 February, and on-line on 19 and 22 February. Details of the status of design and planning, were available from  Infrastructure NSW Here. The site provided access to:
Site location  ;  Project timeline and the planning process  ;  Indicative design
Considerable criticism was made about the consultation process, and people were also able to make a written ‘Feedback’ submission on line by Sunday February 25 (no longer online).
Many extensive and well-informed submissions were made, and some are provided here:
Kylie Winkworth: Submission – Kylie Winkworth
P. Johnson, J-P Alexandre (Save the Powerhouse): Submission – Save the Powerhouse
Tom Lockley: Submission – Tom Lockley
Thomas Walder: Submission – Thomas Walder
Des Griffin: Submission – Des Griffin
Grace Cochrane: Submission – Grace Cochrane
READ ALSO LATER REPORT: 17 June, 2024; ‘Critical public feedback for NSW government’s ‘Revitalisation’ project for the Powerhouse Museum’, with a list of further submissions.

Reply from INSW: What appears to be a standard reply was sent out from INSW, including: ‘…Confirming receipt of your submission, which will form part of the community feedback collected throughout the State Significant Development Application (SSDA) pre-lodgement community consultation period to help inform the planning process. Infrastructure NSW is leading the design and delivery of the project on behalf of the NSW Government, in partnership with the Powerhouse Museum…’ Read Here: 4 March Response from INSW
Disappointingly, it also advised:  ‘Please note that programming of the museum is not part of the planning process, and detail on the re-opening exhibitions and programs will be revealed in due course by the Powerhouse Museum.’ [It frustrates many museum experts that the content of the museum, in both sites, remains unclear, as building changes are made!]

1 March, 2024
‘Comments on consultation sessions’
In their wide-ranging Facebook and email correspondence, Patricia Johnson and Jean-Pierre Alexandre, from Save the Powerhouse campaign, reported that: ‘Save went to a poorly-attended “in-person” consultation session conducted in a tent on one corner of the Goodsline, and also watched an online session with 25 others…The online session – “déjà vu”? – was tightly controlled by the same team (Powerhouse CEO, Lisa Havilah, INSW Project Manager, Tom Kennedy and Aurecon (Public Relations) spokesperson, Kylie Cochrane) who formerly tried to sell us the various coalition’s versions of “revitalisation”(“Ultimo Presence” (Berejiklian) or “Ultimo Renewal” (Perrottet) or the demolition of Willow Grove in Parramatta. Attendees could only ask one question and were sharply interrupted if they went off subject (ie off the organisers’ agenda)…. Save repeatedly warned the Government and others that the project would be immensely unpopular. We said that the Arts Minister’s only recourse would then be to employ a Public Relation firm to create a false “response to submissions” report, a device used by the Coalition to distort the public’s rejection, turning it into overwhelming approval. We doubted that a Labor Government could resolve to use such antidemocratic tactics…
We saw rough drawings during the consultation (HERE) . They showed that the “revitalised” PHM would have only 6,590m2 of floor space http://tiny.cc/j5czwz, all of it “flexible” (i.e. capable of hosting private functions, fashion shows or rave parties). The original PHM had a total floor area of 21,800m2 (more than three times bigger) and entirely dedicated to exhibitions…
How can the NSW Government could justify spending hundreds of millions of  taxpayer money on downgrading a respected world-class science museum to less than a third of its original size at a time when money is in short supply?’ Read More Here: March 1 Save the P comments

26 February, 2024
‘Powerhouse Museum: advancing the vandalistic project’
In Newsletter 530, within his regular reports, John McDonald expresses outrage about the disposal of museum property essential for exhibitions. He writes:
‘… Taylor Swift has distracted me from my usual hobby horses this week, but for form’s sake, the reports are in that the “consultations” over the future of the Powerhouse Museum have proven to be nothing more than a sham, as universally predicted. No useful information has been proffered, secrecy rules, direct questions remain unanswered, and now – lo & behold – the PHM admin has decided it will give away vast amounts of museum property – plinths, frames, vitrines, shelves, cupboards, etc, etc. – to anyone who wants these things. It’s another way of ensuring that it will be impossible to display much of the collection ever again. Many of the items in the bonanza giveaway were used in Leo Schofield’s 1,001 Remarkable Objects exhibition. Try and do the show again, and it would require a whole new presentation.
Needless to say, this is not only colossally wasteful in terms of money and resources, it advances the vandalistic project of destroying the institution’s identity as a museum of applied arts and sciences. As usual, I’m staggered by the effrontery involved. This is a crime against our culture and heritage, and the Minns government is complicit in the process. It’s easy to say history will judge them, but the damage being inflicted on a daily basis may not be repairable. It will be very cold comfort ten years from now, when we look upon the wreckage, and wonder who could have been stupid and irresponsible enough to let it happen? Those reflections will be given a keener edge by the knowledge that the NSW taxpayer is being slugged for tens of millions of dollars to keep the doors open on three ill-conceived venues that have not the slightest chance of paying their way…’ Read More. And Read below…

20 February, 2024
‘Give Away – Collection Storage, Showcases, exhibition furniture, equipment and interactives’
Museums & Galleries of NSW identifies on their website the detailed list of objects the Powerhouse Museum is offering to give away. Read Full Entry Here.
Entered as POWERHOUSE DECANT, it says ‘As part of the preparation for the temporary closure of Powerhouse Ultimo, the museum is identifying and offering resources and material no longer required to other museums, galleries, not-for-profit and other agencies…This marks the second phase of our disposal, with additional items available in subsequent phases as the refurbishment progresses.’ Read here for Lists for Phase 1 and Phase 2.

22 February, 2024
‘Heritage Revitalisation and Consultations are a Sham’
Associated with the ‘closure’ of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo on 4 February 2024, to allow for 3 years of ‘Heritage Revitalisation’, arts minister John Graham, through Infrastructure NSW, agreed to (a ninth round of) consultation sessions in late February: at the Powerhouse Museum near the Goods Line on 15 and 17 February, and on-line on 19 and 22 February. Details of the status of design and planning, were available from  Infrastructure NSW Here.

Kylie Winkworth, PMA member, museum expert and formal PHM Trustee, attended the Saturday 17th  morning session and, as well as providing a document with 35 key points to consider, wrote later:
–  I went to the consultations on Saturday morning, only myself and the architect Alan Croker there. No actual information they are willing to share. Nothing to back up demonstrably false statements on the INFSW website. The young women in the consultation tent had no real information, only some very simple colour coded plans.
– I asked why INSW was saying the museum would be bigger when it can’t possibly be. Pointed out all the exhibition areas that would be closed in this design, mezzanines in the Wran building, and all of the Switch House. Asked on what basis they calculate the museum will be bigger, no answer.
– I asked about the loading dock inserted under the forecourt – not shown in the plans. She said this was to separate the food and waste from collections and exhibitions. I said this already happens with the Harwood building. She said the museum wasn’t up to international standard and needed better circulation. I also said this was actually the CEO’s big mistake at Parramatta – only one loading dock for exhibitions food and waste – and wasn’t she using the same model?
– I asked them about the school boarding house. They said it was the Academy. Denied it was a school boarding house.
– I asked about the Boiler Hall continuing its function as a major transport gallery. She said it couldn’t because it didn’t meet international exhibition standards. From what she said Havilah wants the exhibition spaces encased because they don’t meet international standards and don’t provide adequate environmental conditions.
– I asked about live steaming and she said yes the Boulton and Watt will continue under live steam. I said really? What about the Steam Revolution gallery in the engine house? She was flummoxed. The engine house is a major concern. Alan asked one of the project architects who was there and it seems this is not resolved yet. In the concept visuals it appears to be void. In the approved SSD concept design last year all trace of the engine house was erased.
– She said it was too soon to expect details of exhibitions being made public. I said no it wasn’t. This information was available three years before the PHM opened and said designing a museum was not an empty box exercise. The collections and exhibitions come first.
Winkworth has provided a summary of main issues ‘to assist people participating in the consultations and in particular to urge people to submit feedback. In the attached document she includes:
‘The Powerhouse Museum Alliance says the Heritage Revitalisation of the Powerhouse Museum is a sham. So are the consultations, but we urge museum lovers to have their say in writing 25 February 2024.’
About 30 key issues and actions that should be addressed to save the PHM, include:
– MAAS should be focussed on completing the Parramatta Powerhouse, leaving the PHM open until Parramatta is finished. This would allow time for development of a suite of plans which would normally be public in any museum renewal: a site masterplan, a museum plan, an exhibition plan and the design briefs. Renewal works at the PHM should be done in stages, putting the public interest first.
– Arts Minister John Graham should honour his March 2023 promise to release the key documents on the Powerhouse Museum. Otherwise people are entitled to ask what are they hiding? In particular the design briefs for the PHM must be made public, just as the design briefs for Parramatta were.
– The heritage revitalisation of the PHM is a sham. Only the brick shell of the former Ultimo power station is state heritage listed. The CEO of MAAS and INSW have opposed state heritage listing of the actual Powerhouse Museum. Why?
– The whole Powerhouse Museum site should be state heritage listed as a guide to the ‘revitalisation’ project, before plans are developed and exhibited.
– Any museum renewal project is about the museum and its collections, its exhibitions,
education work and audiences. It is not primarily an architectural or construction job which is how MAAS and INSW are approaching the project. The refusal to release the secret design briefs is an ominous sign as they are crucial to understanding what is driving the changes to the museum and its architecture.’
Read the Full Document of 35 points Here: Winkworth PMA sham heritage revitalisation 20 Feb 2024  and make a submission opposing the Government’s so-called “Revitalisation”  by Sunday February 25:  HERE

21 February, 2024
‘Powerhouse Move: PSA takes the Museum to the Industrial Relations Commission’
In its regular Bulletin, and following its supportive rally on 1^st February, the Public Service Association (PSA) writes:
‘The PSA has escalated action around the changes occurring at the Powerhouse Museum that directly impact staff and the work you do. The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences announced some time ago that staff will move to either the Castle Hill Powerhouse or rented office space in Parramatta, with another group remaining at Ultimo. The changes have been the subject of disputation over the years, including around the Change Management Plan and job losses.
The union has heard from members and delegates from across the different work streams about their concerns and a lack of clarity with the way changes are occurring. For this reason the PSA has sought the assistance of the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC). The PSA and Powerhouse Museum management will be in the Industrial Relations Commission, the court which rules on workplace matters, on Thursday 22 February.
PSA staff and delegates will continue to meet with Powerhouse Museum management as necessary outside of the IRC process on behalf of members. If you have concerns or issues you wish to bring to the union’s attention, contact your workplace delegates, or you can log your issue with the Members Support Centre on 1300 772 679. We will keep members informed as matters progress. Read Here: (News/Bulletin) or HERE: PHM staff info PSA 21 and 23 February
And in April 2024
‘Power Plays: Preserving an Icon, the fight for the Powerhouse’
In the Autumn 2024 edition of their Red Tape magazine, the Public Service Union writes about the protest held in February 2024, where ‘Union leaders, including PSA General Secretary Stewart Little, and community figures spoke of their anger about the situation to attendees and the media.’ Read here, from p 27.

February 23, 2024
Power House Museum – PSA Dispute Update
 In a followup Bulletin for the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences that circulated on 21 February (above), the Public Service Association (PSA) reported:
‘The PSA was in the Industrial Relations Commission yesterday in relation to the closure of the Ultimo Museum and the relocation of staff that resulted from that. As part of the dispute the PSA is asking for the following information to be provided:

1. A revised Workforce Location plan for 2024 – 2027 that clearly details the expected time frames for staff relocation from Ultimo to Castle Hill,
2. What flexible working arrangements including working from home arrangements will be available and the process for how staff can apply for such arrangements.
3. The new Relocation Plan should also identify what staff will be expected to return to the Ultimo Museum upon its reopening following the refurbishment.
4. In addition to staff relocations, the PSA also has a significant interest in the operational plan as per Clause 65. Consultation and Technological Change of the Crown Employees (Public Service) Conditions of Employment) Award 2009.
5. There are a few operational issues, for example how will the library operate across three sites which the PSA seeks more detailed information and consultation on.
6. The PSA also has an interest in the refurbishment plans and an undertaking from the Ministers Office to be engaged with the consultation process, in addition to those plans the PSA also has serious concerns as to the removal of the collection from the Ultimo Museum during its refurbishment and again seeks more detailed information than that which has so far been provided.
7. A copy of the advice and that the staff had to be relocated now for safety and financial reasons and a copy of any risk assessment conducted at the sites.

In addition to the above, the PSA has also proposed that a Working Group should also be formed with Management, Staff and PSA representation to work through the number of issues that have been identified. The Bulletin noted further concerns about accessibility and other issues regarding proposed worksites for staff at Parramatta, Castle Hill and Ultimo, including:
‘The one thing that this has clarified for the PSA is that we still have more questions than answers. So far, despite the significant announcement by the Minister that Ultimo will be retained as the museum that the public has known and loved for the last 40 years, the Powerhouse Museum Management have been strident in their confirmation that the staff location plans as of November 2022 remain unaffected.
When asked will staff return from Castle Hill or Parramatta after the Ultimo site reopens the answer has been an emphatic ‘no’, which raises more concerns.  The Powerhouse advised yesterday that new staff would be hired in the future when the Ultimo site reopens.
…The decision has been made without consultation and without any consideration for the expertise of current staff. How can an internationally renowned museum of applied arts and sciences be opened at Ultimo without the committed, long serving and highly skilled staff that work with the collection?’
PSA then makes a commitment to pursuing continuing information, and offers and opportunity for members to complete a survey: Read more Here ( News/Bulletin): or Here: PHM staff info PSA 21 and 23 February

20 February, 2024
Arts Minister: ‘openness and consultation’? Sign the Petition!
Save the Powerhouse community campaign wrote by email and on Facebook:
‘The NSW Arts Minister John Graham before the election promised greater openness and wide public consultations about PHM and told Save that he looked forward “to working with you in the future on this important campaign” in October 2022. Once he was elected in March 2023 we never heard from him again! Many of us wrote to ask him not to close the Powerhouse Museum and not to move its collections…but we received only a stereotyped letter http://tiny.cc/vh3zwz from his office, copied to all on February 11, shortly after the Museum unnecessarily and unjustifiably closed its doors.
Openness and consultation were only one of the Minister’s numerous broken promises http://tiny.cc/73wivz which include his commitment in September 2023 to keep the Museum open. He closed it on February 4, 2024 without any consultation or justification.
Is this one broken promise too many? Dissenting voices are becoming louder among traditional supporters of the Museum “revitalisation” and/or the Labor Government –
– Cr William Chan, a member of the Clover Team in the City of Sydney Council, wrote on his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HYWilliamChan on February 13 “Last week, the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo abruptly shuttered its doors. Much of our community was surprised to see the museum closed suddenly. The NSW Government has commenced collection packing and renovation, but without all design / planning approvals in place or a construction contract. It’s important that the Government reviews as to whether the closure is really necessary at this stage. I urge the Government to work urgently and in good faith to resolve industrial issues and deliver community confidence in this important project.
Given the community’s legitimate concern about the closure of the Powerhouse Museum, I believe that the Government must not make sudden changes without proper consultation, transparency or forewarning. Save the Powerhouse “
– The Public Service Association (PSA), who held a very successful rally on the Powerhouse Museum forecourt on February 1, confirmed its position in an article in PS News https://psnews.com.au/public-service-union-calls-out-nsw-premier-over-broken-promise-after-museum-closes-for-3-years/127314/  on February 13 entitled “Public Service Union calls out NSW Premier over ‘broken promise’ after museum closes for 3 years”.
“We are deeply concerned that Lisa Havilah, the CEO the Liberals appointed to oversee the destruction of the Powerhouse, has kept her job,” said PSA General Secretary Stewart Little.
”Our members are reasonably concluding that the reason Minister John Graham can’t show us the refurbishment plan for the museum is because he knows the community will be outraged…The Premier made an election promise just last year to preserve and refurbish the site and we intend to hold him to that.”
It is not too late to sign our petition https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-powerhouse-museum-in-ultimo-open opposing the closure of the PHM and the removal of its collections. Signatures on the petition are now reaching 6,000 and the Minister is still deaf to our demands.

9 February, 2024
SMH Editorial: ‘Let’s all get behind the Powerhouse Museum renovation’
This editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald supported the proposals to ‘renovate’ the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, while many readers regret the lack of associated critical issues about its future role and content, including no clear outline about the future program for the museum’s collection and its professional presentation; the reduction of knowledgeable staff; and the increasing emphasis on poorly documented exhibitions as ‘art experiences’.
It said: ‘The clamour of voices raised in concern over the temporary closure of the Powerhouse Museum for renovations do themselves and Sydney’s cultural heritage a disservice.
The Ultimo site is in desperate need of repair and refurbishment, courtesy of various governments letting decisions on renewal drift on for years as special interest groups, including some patrons, critics and unions, lobbied, complained and carped.
Two decades ago it was big-end-of-town corporate types who had pushed Neville Wran to build the museum for the 1988 bicentenary, objecting to the direction the museum was heading. Now its unions are worried about the revamp, claiming no costings had been produced. There are also accusations that the Minns government and museum management had betrayed trust, while the Greens and the Save the Powerhouse Campaign think the renovations are unnecessary, expensive and absurdly risky. Some are concerned that star attractions, including Locomotive No.1, which hauled the state’s first passenger train, and the Catalina seaplane that made the world’s first air crossing of the Pacific, will be damaged in transit to and from storage.
The museum closed to the public last Sunday for a $250 million, three-year renovation. The Minns government says the work will make for a far superior world-class museum experience when the Powerhouse reopens in 2027, and it will be two years after the ribbon is cut on the museum’s new $915 million sister campus now going up on the Parramatta riverside.…It is reasonable for well-intentioned voices to question the steps being taken to preserve the museum’s treasures. But we have known the parlous state of the building for so long that the time has surely come to bite the bullet and support the government’s sensible preservation plan.’ Read More Here, and Here: SMH Editorial 9 Feb
Read Letters to Editor:  12 Feb 2024 Letters

8 February, 2024
Report to a meeting of Pyrmont Action community group
Aircraft specialist and former PHM volunteer, Tom Lockley, advised this active local group that:
‘On September 2 2023 the Minister for the Arts promised that The Minns government will undertake further consultation with current staff as well as the arts and culture sector, business and creative industries groups, the education sector, peak bodies, expert advisors, local communities, and the public on the details and timing of this heritage redevelopment. But now, without consultation, the museum is closed for at least three years and basically the plan is to strip it out completely and add a new building on the forecourt. This is outrageous and to put it mildly, a gross violation of campaign promises as per the first paragraph. … Please note that during the 9+ years of the project, there has been minuscule input from people with museum knowledge and experience. A reopened museum should have a temporary director during a period when genuine consultation takes place, leading to a democratically created statement of long-term museum policy. The consultation that the government is planning will not be based on what should happen next, given the present situation. It will simply tick the box necessary for their redevelopment for proposal to proceed.
Though the situation looks hopeless, we should continue the struggle until the destruction actually commences, and even if that should happen, we should have on public record the fact that this process is undemocratic, destructive of heritage, unnecessarily expensive, and a complete disgrace to the perpetrators and our nation. Read Here:  8 Feb TL Report to Pyrmont

 7 February, 2024
‘The failed fence’
Save the Powerhouse group notes (on Facebook and email) that: ‘The moment after the Powerhouse Museum closed at 5pm on Sunday February 4, the Museum/INSW management team rushed workers to erect a temporary fence around the forecourt on Harris Street at great and unnecessary expense to the taxpayer. They earned Sunday night penalty rates.
Despite the CEO’s statement to the ABC earlier on that day that the Museum employed only the best teams and used only best practices, the fence did not survive more than 24 hours and was flattened by Tuesday morning. This would be comical if it were not so serious. The Museum/INSW team is destroying one of the most respected museums in the world, constructing an entertainment centre on a flood plain in Parramatta and, in the process, wasting $2 billion of taxpayer dollars. (Watch video ) 

5 February, 2024
‘Historic plane may fly south as doors close on Powerhouse Museum’
Linda Morris wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘A prized exhibit of the Powerhouse Museum, the Catalina seaplane, may be moved to a volunteer-run museum on the South Coast while its Ultimo buildings undergo renovations. Discussions are under way to display the seabird at the Historical Aviation Restoration Society’s museum in Albion Park as the museum closed its doors to the public at 5pm on Sunday for three years. Minutes before closing time critics of the closure gathered dozens of exiting visitors who, asked to declare their opinions, booed its closure…The Minns government is overseeing a $250 million renovation at Australia’s flagship science and technology museum, putting it at odds with the union movement, who say the government has yet to produce costings, or a safe plan for the removal of more than 3000 precious objects inside…
Arts Minister John Graham said the building had significant problems that needed to be urgently addressed, including leaks from the roof and large cracks in several walls… The project’s manager, Infrastructure NSW, said the costs would be materially greater if repairs and renovations were carried out in a staged manner while the museum remained open. But former government architect Lionel Glendenning said one highlighted crack in the chimney in the Boiler House was not in fact a sign of deterioration but a single thermal expansion fracture preserved as part of the award-winning adaption of the Powerhouse building in 1988. It had been kept as “evidence of the industrial life of all the buildings that was part of the Power House and Tram Depot complex”.
… Former museum senior transport curator Andrew Grant said the museum should not be entertaining the notion of disassembling and removing the Catalina at all. “What is beyond doubt is that the proposed disassembly and removal of the Catalina and its relocation and reassembly places this highly significant aircraft at unnecessary risk,” he said. “It is also beyond doubt that the proposed storage-display conditions at HARS do not match the air-conditioned, climate controlled environment at Ultimo. I stress that this is not intended as a criticism of the HARS organisation or its members, who do a wonderful job preserving Australia’s aviation history.”
Other important objects including the Strasburg clock, the governor’s railway carriage and the air ambulance are destined for storage at Castle Hill. ..Beyond the guaranteed return of the three famous objects, exhibition programming would determine what objects are exhibited when Powerhouse Ultimo reopens, a museum spokesperson said.
Read More, or Here: 5 Feb SMH Historic plane

19 February 2024
 ‘Leaking Gutters and Maintenance Neglect at the PHM’
Reasons for Museum closure? Museum expert, Kylie Winkworth, comments further on issues raised in early February by rally supporters, Linda Morris in the SMH, Helena Burke in ABC NEWS, and others, writing: ‘The leaks cited by the Arts Minister and MAAS CEO as one of reasons for the urgent closure of the Powerhouse Museum are the result of management failures to maintain the PHM building. One of Australia’s leading conservation architects advises, so many of the issues given as justifications for very major works in the article are almost everyday maintenance issues that every building has, and if not addressed become a problem and lead to roof leaks, etc. All are easily fixed and would not require closure of the museum.
Nor is it true the PHM has not had a major capital program since 1988. Other excuses are that the PHM is not of international standard. Not true. It is the $1.2b Powerhouse Parramatta development that is not of international standard. The management of the Powerhouse Museum failed to prioritise routine maintenance of the PHM building in line with their stated Guarantee of Service – well maintained exhibitions and buildings. … Fixing the leaks does not require the museum to be closed, nor replacement of the whole roof. … As a state heritage listed building, protection of the building from weather, including leaking gutters and window seals is a requirement under the Heritage Act’s minimum standards for maintenance and repair. The management of MAAS neglected these basic obligations and put the museum’s collections at risk.’
After identifying amounts of funding and costs, and many examples of neglect, Winkworth concludes: ‘Instead of fixing water entry and leaks into the museum, the management prioritised entertainment, lavish spending on exhibitions far above comparable museums, and funding for artists and creatives. They neglected their primary obligation to maintain a state asset in good condition for the public and for the safety of the collection. And now this egregious neglect is cited as the excuse for the museum’s urgent pre-emptive closure. The Powerhouse Museum building hasn’t failed. The management has failed.’
READ HERE: Winkworth Leaking Gutters and Maintenance Neglect at the PHM 19 Feb 2024

3 February, 2024
‘Crack in PHM chimney dates back to 1905’
Save the Powerhouse Museum, in their Email and Facebook, write:
“That’s the standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don’t work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital.” (Noam Chomsky)
‘After over a decade of total neglect of the Powerhouse Museum buildings, the Arts Minister John Graham disingenuously discovers that “the building had significant problems that must be addressed without delay, including leaks from the roof and large cracks in several walls …To put it bluntly, the current Ultimo building is not up to the standard of a world-class museum.” (read SMH February 1, below)… Of photos provided, ‘…Two of them (out of four) caught the attention of former PHM Deputy Director Jennifer Sanders. She says “The crack in the base of the Boiler Hall chimney is actually a single thermal expansion fracture. The chimney was built in 1904 and, like all chimneys, when first fired in 1905, the chimney fractured. These are firing cracks which have been there for nigh on 120 years. Cracks like these are an original feature of the historic Ultimo Power House and were preserved by the architect, Lionel Glendenning, as part of the Sulman Award winning adaptive reuse of the buildings to become the Powerhouse Museum – a museum which celebrates our industrial and technological history.” But, of course, the Minister never accepted the assistance offered by the PMA experts … Save asks: ‘ …Is it a deliberate piece of disinformation aimed at desperately justifying the unnecessary closure of the Museum on Monday February 5? Whichever it is, it gives us an insight into the unethical tactics the MAAS Management/Create NSW/Infrastructure NSW team is likely to use during the coming set of fake consultations. These bureaucrats were appointed by the previous Coalition Government, worked for years to devise various plans to dismantle the Museum but, inexplicably, retained their functions under the Minns Labor Government.  A long-term follower of Save’s Facebook page ironically commented: ‘A leak in the roof makes the building in Ultimo unsuitable, and yet constructing a new building (in Parramatta) on a flooding riverbank is somehow the definition of suitability?” ‘ Read more:  3 February Save the P Crack

 4 February, 2024
Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum to shut its doors for repairs amid backlash closure is ‘unjustified’
Helena Burke, in ABC NEWS, writes about comments made by speakers at recent rallies on 28 January and 1 February on the Powerhouse Museum forecourt.
‘…The museum is due to undergo three years of renovations before reopening to the public in 2027. It’s a decision that has sparked both delight and outrage in the community. The Powerhouse is Australia’s flagship science and technology museum, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. The museum building is outdated, run down and urgently needs repairs to protect the precious objects inside it from damage, according to the Powerhouse executive and the New South Wales government. And the $250 million “heritage revitalisation”, they argue, will transform it into a superior, world-class museum.
But a conglomerate of hundreds of Powerhouse workers, museum experts and enthusiasts, union members, and local residents say the closure is premature and unnecessary. “The museum closure is completely unjustified,” the Save the Powerhouse Campaign said. A petition calling for a delay to the museum’s closure has attracted more than 5,000 signatures online.
At the forefront of the backlash is the Powerhouse’s founding director, Lindsay Sharp, who headed the institution for 10 years from the day it first opened in 1988. ..[He] said he doubted the Powerhouse would reopen in 2027 as promised — given the government has not released a refurbishment plan and the museum has been closed before planning approvals have been given, and a construction contract signed. “There’s no plan. We cannot detect an engineering architectural renovation plan or an exhibit collection development plan,” he said.’
Burke writes that in defending the closure …’The state government and the Powerhouse executive have stood by their decision, insisting the museum’s closure from Sunday is urgent. “The building has significant problems that must be addressed without further delay, including leaks from the roof and large cracks in several walls,” NSW Arts Minister John Graham said.
Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah said it was “critically important” that precious objects in the museum be removed as quickly as possible to avoid damage from mould and damp…
Iconic objects that have sat inside the building for 35 years like the Catalina flying boat and the state’s first train, Locomotive No.1, will be relocated to the Powerhouse’s Castle Hill storage site, which opens as a museum on weekends. The objects are expected to be moved back to Ultimo after the renovations are complete…
About 200 people gathered outside the Powerhouse on Thursday to protest its closure.
The head of the public sector union, Stewart Little, said many workers believed the funding for the revitalisation project was inadequate’ [After comparing costs]….”They are not going move the Catalina, boats, aircraft and parts of spacecraft out of here and then bring them back in three or four years,” Mr Little said.”There’s no way that they can fund that.”…”It seems to us that they’re working on budgetary constraints and they’re doing this because money’s being diverted from Ultimo to the Parramatta Powerhouse project,” he said…
Critics are also concerned that delicate artefacts like the 169-year-old Locomotive No.1 train will be damaged as they’re moved from Ultimo to Castle Hill. “You don’t move those kinds of objects,” Dr Sharp said. “That collection is one of the finest collections of science, technology, engineering, social history, and decorative arts that exists in the world.”
Community consultations are due to take place from Monday, February 5 until Sunday, February 25.  Read More Here, and Here: ABC NEWS 4 February

 4 February, 2024
Powerhouse Museum closes for 3 years of “revitalisation”
Of the public response the Museum’s final day, Grace Johnson writes in City Hub News, that: ‘The Powerhouse Museum has officially closed its doors as of 5pm today, and will undergo 3 years of “revitalisation” works. Towards closing time, the museum was still filled with visitors wanting to catch a last glimpse of the iconic displays. A few minutes before 5pm, dozens of exiting visitors gathered in the foyer could be heard booing the closure. When the museum’s “temporary closure” was announced over the public address system, some critics yelled out “bullshit” and “liar”…
Community and union groups have been heavily protesting the closure of the museum, saying the government is yet to produce a refurbishment plan, employment plans, or a safe plan for the removal of more than 3000 precious objects.
Arts Minister John Graham said there were significant problems with the building that needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency, with Infrastructure NSW saying that costs could be greater if the museum remained open and works were carried out in a staged manner.
But museum experts have all agreed that renovations can be done without closing the museum and without moving the exhibits. Particular concerns have been raised about the Catalina Frigate Bird II airplane, the centrepiece of the transport exhibition. The plane was donated by Australian aviator Captain P. J. Taylor, who flew the plane across the South Pacific from Australia to Chile, via Tahiti and Easter Island in 1951 on a mission to find the shortest air route from Australia. Former museum senior transport curator Andrew Grant said, “What is beyond doubt is that the proposed disassembly and removal of the Catalina and its relocation and reassembly places this highly significant aircraft at unnecessary risk.”
While some of the most famous objects, such as the Locomotive 1 and the Strasbourg clock, are supposedly guaranteed to return, exhibition programming would determine what objects are exhibited when Powerhouse Ultimo reopens, according to a museum spokesperson.
Read Here, or Here: 4 Feb City Hub

1 February 2024
‘PHM “ Revitalisation” box-ticking consultation dates announced but what about the collections?’
Save the Powerhouse Museum writes (in email and Facebook) that: ‘Infrastructure NSW (INSW), in a perfectly paced ballet, announced today (February 1) that “Community Consultation (for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Revitalisation) is now open.” Read Here.
The consultation period will run from Monday 5 February (the day PHM is closing) to Sunday 25 February 2024. There will be in-person and online information (not consultation!) sessions in-person and on-line.   This will be the 9th time the community has been “consulted” and always in the same way: “consultation” takes place only after all the decisions have been made in secret and without publishing the relevant documentation (business cases, design briefs, etc.).
Governments come and go, the same antidemocratic methods remain.
As the “consultation” will be carried out by INSW, only architectural/structural details will be revealed and discussed, without any reference to the collections or their future. The audience will not have any knowledge of the future purpose(s) and content of the building which are the responsibility of Create NSW and the Museum Management, both managed by teams appointed by the previous Coalition Government.
It’s like discussing the structure of a new factory without knowing what it will make! Of course all this is deliberate because, as Stewart Little, PSA General Secretary, said “Minister John Graham can’t show us the refurbishment plan for the museum because he knows the community will be outraged.”  Despite this we encourage everybody to take part in the “Consultation” and write to the project team at powerhouse.ultimo@infrastructure.nsw.gov.au before Sunday February 25.saying what you really think. Our joint petition has now reached 5,200 signatures. You can sign it HERE ‘  Read More:1 Feb Save the P re Consultation

 1 February, 2024
‘Unions mobilise to protest against Powerhouse closure’
Linda Morris writes in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘Demonstrators have gathered outside the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo to protest against its imminent closure for three years, while the Minns government warned the museum’s priceless collection was at risk of damage without urgent repairs to its buildings. The Public Service Association – which led a campaign for a 4 per cent salary increase for over 80,000 public servants – called a one-hour stop work of impacted staff and did not rule out strike action during a lunchtime rally on Thursday. Following the stop work, the union said the matter would be relisted before the Industrial Relations Commission. It claimed the museum’s 200-plus staff had been left in the dark about their future work plans, the start and scope of refurbishment, and a starting date for removal of the objects – a claim Powerhouse management denied.
Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey, who attended the lunchtime rally, said museum staff had the support of the broader union movement “100 per cent”. Tensions have been rising between the unions and the Minns government after their successful pay claims.
… The museum will open for the last time this Sunday after which its contents will be packed up, including its prized exhibits the Locomotive No. 1, the flying Catalina, and the Boulton & Watt rotative steam engine, ahead of renovation works.
The decant will take between six and eight months to complete, at which point planning approvals will have been given and construction contracts signed to allow for the start of a $250 million “heritage revitalisation”. The government says the museum will open again with improved visitor spaces in 2027. Read More Here, or Here: 1 Feb SMH Union rally

1 February, 2024
‘Breaking the Powerhouse Museum and Labor’s Broken Trust and Promises’
In an extensive summary of the current situation, Kylie Winkworth writes in City Hub: ‘I had to check it wasn’t the 1st of April when the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Arts Minister John Graham is promising to rebuild public trust in the Powerhouse Museum. ‘Trust is broken’ he said, delicately not mentioning Labor’s 10 broken promises over just nine months in 2023.
‘We’re keeping the museum open’ he announced last September. It is closing on 4 February. ‘We’re committing $250m for the Powerhouse Museum’. There is only $119m over the forward estimates to 2026-27. He hasn’t said where the other $131m coming from, but it will likely be the sale of the museum’s Harwood building. ‘The PHM will be closed for up to three years’. Not true either. The promised $250m is not in the budget. In fact the budget papers show a completion date of 2033. The government is hoping everyone will have forgotten what the real Powerhouse Museum was like if and when it reopens in 10 years’ time as a creative industries, arts and entertainment centre. That is the real plan, and this is why it is a secret.
‘A Labor Government will release key details of the plans for Ultimo and Parramatta’ John Graham promised last March. Since then – nothing. Labor has maintained the LNP’s iron shroud of secrecy over the plans for the Powerhouse Museum. There is no design brief, no master plan, no exhibition plan, and no museum plan, all of which would normally be in the public domain in any museum development project in the civilised world. A museum by definition is obligated to operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities. This might be why the museum word has been dropped altogether. It’s just Powerhouse Ultimo now; another Labor broken promise.
The Minister’s bright idea to restore trust is to appoint a former NSW Labor minister to head a community reference panel to assure the community the museum will reopen and take feedback on what people want in in the PHM. This will be after the museum is closed and emptied of its defining collections. …[However] Everything the community has said about keeping the Powerhouse Museum open, retaining the internationally significant live steam and transport exhibitions in situ, and retaining the Harwood building as an integral part of the museum’s operations, has been ignored and misrepresented in multiple consultation reports.
The PHM’s CEO Lisa Havilah has made no secret of her disdain for consultation. In her 2021 speech on ‘Undoing the Institution’ she said I have never been a supporter of asking people what they want or community consultation. Her advice is to stop asking audiences.’ Having documented figures from annual reports, Winkworth continues: ‘MAAS is the best funded cultural institution among comparable state and national museums, but delivers the worst performance and lowest public impacts. The CEO’s self-described ‘visionary new paradigm for the museum is demonstrably an expensive failure. … The transformation of the Powerhouse Museum into a creative industries, arts and fashion centre is a flop with visitors and poor value for money.
In any other cultural institution, failing on every performance indicator with declining audiences and higher costs, the CEO would have been terminated. The staff at MAAS have already voted no confidence in the management, going by the dire responses in the annual People Matter survey of public servants. …
The only unambiguously popular exhibition at the PHM in the last five years is Leo Schofield’s 1001 Remarkable Objects. Who knew audiences would come flooding back to the museum when it focussed on showing the collection? The exhibition was years in development, involved 120 people, and cost $4m in design and production. Now it is closing after just six months, wasting taxpayers’ investment just to pack the collections off to storage, never to be seen for years…
No one at the Powerhouse Museum’s triumphant opening in 1988 could have imagined that only 35 years later the museum would be closed and stripped of its major exhibitions, its most significant collections scattered, and its underpinning narrative and education purpose discarded like an old chip wrapper. A museum built with the highest quality infrastructure for a working life of more than 100 years will be gutted to the bare bricks. What the visionary Wran Government built over ten years of careful planning, integrated design and open communication, the Minns Government is sweeping away in haste and secrecy. The Labor government that promised to save the Wran legacy is now delivering its destruction.
What’s happened to the Powerhouse Museum over the last nine years is a tale of political opportunism, waste, asset destruction, lies, broken promises and secretive lobbying to evict the museum from the valued property built and endowed by the Wran Government. The breaking of the Powerhouse Museum began in 2014 as an asset grab and a property play, and this is how it is finishing. For the first time since 1893 there will be no museum in Ultimo, nor in the future. Everyone knows the PHM will never reopen in any recognisable form. The former Labor Minister who will be charged with restoring trust is on a hiding to nothing. After two governments promised to save the Powerhouse Museum, all trust is broken. Instead of saving the PHM the Minns government is rushing its pre-emptive closure for no credible reason. Instead of saving the museum it is wasting the legacy and investment of generations of NSW taxpayers. The public interest has come last in this cultural tragedy, along with the interest and trust of the museum’s donors. The looming closure of Sydney’s major heritage museum is a shameful cultural and tourism disaster for Sydney, a world first for all the wrong reasons.
Read More Here, and Here:  1 Feb Kylie W City Hub And a longer version Here: Winkworth Breaking the Powerhouse Museum 1 February 2024

1 February, 2024
‘Angry reps demand answers from government as Powerhouse Museum prepares to shut for renovations’
Tess McCracken writes on NCA NewsWire, that ‘Union representatives have campaigned outside the historic building amid fears the government may have secret plans to close its doors for good. The museum in inner-city Ultimo will be shut for up to three years while $250m building and conservation work is completed. Community group representatives of the Health Services Union, Transport Workers Union and the Community and Public Sector Union rallied outside the heritage building on Thursday, amid fears the government may plan to “gut” the function of the museum. The Public Service Association said they had learnt of “government plans to quietly close the Powerhouse Museum this Sunday, despite refusing to release any plan to refurbish the site or to redeploy staff to other roles”.
NSW Special Minister of State John Graham said the government was sticking to its election promise to ensure the museum remained a Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences by undertaking necessary and complex heritage revitalisation work. “On 2 September 2023 we committed $250m to the heritage revitalisation, work that is necessary and complex,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
…But PSA General Secretary Stewart Little told the rally the government’s position on the museum has “smelt fishy” ever since they were elected in 2023, and now the “stench is overwhelming”.
“Chris Minns repeatedly promised to save and refurbish the iconic Powerhouse Museum site before the election. Now we see the plan was apparently to close the museum and leave the whole thing a mystery,” Mr Little said. ‘… workers at the site had been promised a copy of the change management plan, “telling them where they will be working over the next few years, and that hasn’t been provided either.” The representatives demanded the government provide them with a refurbishment plan for the museum and the Change of Management Plan outlining the immediate working future of the museum. [But…] Mr Graham said on Thursday “design concepts” for the Powerhouse Ultimo heritage revitalisation were shared on December 2 and a Powerhouse Museum spokeswoman said staff, PSA delegates and community advocates were all consulted on the design concepts and the development of building plans.’
Read More Here, or Here: 1 Feb NCA Newswire

31 January, 2024
PSA RALLY TO STOP PHM CLOSURE – THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 12 NOON
Save the Powerhouse Museum also circulated information from the Public Service Association (PSA) writing:
‘Stewart Little, Public Service Association (PSA) General Secretary addressing a public meeting at the Powerhouse Museum last Sunday (January 28^th) said “as a Union we will be standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone here”. Accordingly he has organised an event https://fb.me/e/4bvQMyv7W on the PHM forecourt tomorrow Thursday February 1 from 12noon to 1pm. “Powerhouse Museum workers will stop work and rally (at the front of) the museum this Thursday the 1st of February unless they receive the Refurbishment Plan for the museum and the Change Management Plan outlining their immediate working future by close of business today.” (Read Mirage News) “PSA invites the Public to support their protest and we urge you to come to the forecourt at 12noon tomorrow (Thursday February 1) and show your solidarity with the PHM staff who are fighting the unnecessary and unjustified closure of the Museum on Sunday February 4 and the uncertainty it creates for their employment’.’ ‘
Read More: Save the Powerhouse re PSA Rally

30 January, 2024
‘No civilised society destroys a museum’
Save the Powerhouse campaigners, consistently active over 9 years to save the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, also reported on the event held at the Powerhouse Museum on 28 January (see below).
They listed the speakers, providing links to available speeches, and wrote: ‘All voiced their profound anger at John Graham, NSW Minister for the Arts’ multiple broken promises http://tiny.cc/73wivz  and at the UNNECESSARY AND UNJUSTIFIED CLOSURE of the Museum. Many expressed also their DEEP MISTRUST IN THE CURRENT MUSEUM CEO LISA HAVILAH and in her ability to achieve a genuine “revitalisation” of the Museum.’
This was followed by links to extracts from the speeches, and concluded: ‘It is not too late to write to the Minister HERE  , sign the petition https://chng.it/HWYWPscJBD (5,000 signatures so far) and share it with your family and friends.’ Read More: Save the Powerhouse Rally Report

28th January, 2024
A Week of Mourning for the Powerhouse Museum: attendance at a ‘Funeral’ event
With the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo set to close for (at least) 3 years, on 5 February, the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, supported by a number of colleagues, invited supporters ‘to join a number of very concerned individuals and groups who arranged to hold a mock, but meaningful, funeral event at the Powerhouse Museum on Sunday 28th January’. It was a form of ‘street theatre to grab people’s attention that the Government is killing off the Powerhouse Museum – the collections are NOT coming back as we remember and expect them.’ A procession of people wearing ‘funeral’ clothing followed a bagpiper playing a lament and leading a ‘coffin’ up the street to the Museum forecourt where flowers were placed and many placards displayed. Speakers were Jennifer Sanders, former PHM Deputy Director; Dr Lindsay Sharp, PHM Founding Director; Pr. David Miller, Historian of Science and Technology; the Hon. Kobi Shetty, member for Balmain; and Stewart Little, Public Service Association (PSA) General Secretary. Later, Patricia Johnson, Save the Powerhouse campaign co-convenor; Elizabeth Elenius, Pyrmont Action Inc. Secretary; and Tom Lockley, former PHM volunteer, also spoke and delivered informative leaflets. They all expressed concerns held over the last 9 years about the many inappropriate decisions made for the future of the museum, including: the need for a state museum to remain in the city centre; apparent lack of understanding of the desire for the stories behind collection; lack of information about the museum’s future programs; the lack of concerns about access to the collection and its conservation, especially the large transport items; splitting the staff across three sites including Parramatta and Castle Hill and changing their responsibilities; Government’s broken promises; and budget defunding.
Read available Speeches Here: Jennifer Sanders ;  Lindsay Sharp ; Stewart Little ; PAJ Speech ; Elizabeth Elenius
27 January, 2024 Media Release: ‘A Week of Mourning for the Powerhouse Museum’
In a media release for the event held on 28 January, Kylie Winkworth wrote:
‘The Powerhouse Museum Alliance (PMA) is calling for a week of mourning for the Powerhouse Museum… The PHM will never reopen in any recognisable form as the museum loved by generations of visitors … Arts Minister John Graham has broken the explicit promises he made only five months ago to keep the museum open, save the Powerhouse Museum, and save the Wran legacy. And he has broken the hearts of the museum’s supporters who put their trust in Labor. There are no actual renewal plans, only lies, secrecy, and spin.’ She summarised issues regarding the budget,  the eviction of the collection, relocation of staff and facilities.…The government is hoping everyone will have forgotten what the real Powerhouse Museum was like if and when it reopens in 10 years’ time as a creative industries, arts and entertainment centre. That is the real plan. What survives after the museum’s closure, collection eviction and asset stripping will be just Powerhouse Ultimo; not a museum but a downsized arts and entertainment centre for creative industries and contemporary fashion. . It is the end of this country’s most significant installation of steam engines working under live steam. And the end of the amazing installation of Transport, Flight and Space, purpose designed for the boiler hall. The future concept for the former transport gallery is a venue hire opportunity, with a few objects left as party props. Please visit the PHM in the coming week and say goodbye to the collection wonderland of the real Powerhouse Museum, a magical place loved by generations of families.’
She cites Jennifer Sanders, former Deputy Director of the PHM, who said: ‘This is a slap in the face for the museum’s longstanding audiences, its donors, benefactors, and the people of NSW who are the owners of the Powerhouse Museum. There are no renewal plans, no exhibition plans. The management’s only plan is to get rid of the collections so the museum’s former exhibition spaces can be monetised for venue hire. The Powerhouse Museum is being destroyed NOT revitalised. …The Unmaking of the Powerhouse Museum began in 2014 as an asset grab and a property play, and this is how it is finishing.’
And Dr Lindsay Sharp, the Powerhouse Museum’s founding director and leader during its design and development said: ‘No one at the Powerhouse Museum’s triumphant opening in 1988 could have imagined that only 35 years later the museum would be closed and stripped of its major exhibitions, its most significant collections scattered, and its underpinning narrative and education purpose discarded like an old chip wrapper. This destructive saga is unprecedented in modern museum history in Australia or overseas. Museum experts from the PMA have given the government multiple options to renew the PHM and keep it open. None of these plans was even considered. Instead of genuine renewal the management of MAAS is intent on a radical breakup of the museum’s purpose and remit, away from science, technology, applied arts and education to contemporary art and creative industries….
Former trustee Kylie Winkworth also wrote: ‘What’s happened to the Powerhouse Museum over the last nine years is a shameful tale of political opportunism, waste, asset destruction, broken promises and secretive lobbying to evict the museum from the valued property built and endowed by the Wran Government and generations of NSW taxpayers. The public interest has come last in this cultural fiasco. The closure of the Powerhouse Museum is unnecessary, wasteful and destructive. The looming loss of Sydney’s major heritage museum is a cultural and tourism disaster for Sydney.’ Read full Media Release Here: PMA Media Release A Week of Mourning for the Powerhouse Museum 28 Jan 2024

29 January, 2024
‘… betrayal of an election promise…’
In no 526 of his regular newsletter, arts critic John McDonald discusses a range of broken promises by different government across time, then focuses on the Powerhouse Museum.
‘While all this huffing and puffing is going on, there is a chilling silence about NSW Labor’s blatant betrayal of an election promise vis-à-vis the PHM. … I’m not simply being alarmist to win an argument. The supporters of the Powerhouse have analysed five years’ worth of data and come up with the most devastating statistics. Over the past five years, under Lisa Havilah’s “dynamic” leadership, PHM visitation has decreased by 33%, while the numbers have risen in every comparable institution. Over the same period, the recurrent grant from the NSW government has increased by 92%. What sort of favouritism rewards a museum for wilful failure? Ms. Havilah has already explained her visionary approach in public forums, such as the Adelaide speech that was blocked from public access after it was mentioned in this newsletter … In this talk, she brazenly said: “I didn’t ask the audience what they want. I ignored the data.” Her approved strategy was “never trying to explain or educate”. It should be noted that a large part of Havilah’s Adelaide speech was spent boasting of her great success in her previous job as director of Carriageworks. But when she departed, the incoming director found the place was broke and needed an urgent lifeline. Before appointing such a person to a job for which she had no qualifications or empathy, the previous government might have done well to ignore the spin and look at the accounts. Given a bigger institution and a bigger budget, this shipwreck is now repeating itself on a much grander scale.
… Revenue from shops and publication, according to Kylie Winkworth, has declined by 78% over the past five years. Apparently, the businesses and creatives occupying the museum are not even paying rent. It comes across as a massive charity exercise – and charity begins at home. Some of the major beneficiaries of Minister John Graham’s charity are a group of “creatives” (ie. mates) allegedly being paid SES salaries for their occasional contributions. I’m told that the lowest band SES salary is $238,454 per annum. I can’t confirm the payment rumours, but this would explain the $1.52 million in artists’ fees expended in 2022-23. The previous year’s figure was $385,000, which may have seemed outrageous at the time, but as Utimo’s closing date approaches, Havilah has decided it’s imperative to channel money into these “creatives”. By way of compensation, roughly 40 specialist positions in the curatorial area have been abolished, leaving whole areas of the science and technology and applied arts collections with no knowledgeable caretakers. Meanwhile, money is being spent lavishly on acquiring pieces for the collection, including $102,000 on work by Justin Gogos, the PHM’s preferred fashionista. The museum is also proud to be funding residencies at the Cité des Arts in Paris, even though it’s hard to see this as core business.
There’s so much that could be said about what’s happening at the PHM, from the fate of the Harwood Building to the damage caused to the collection by its hasty, unnecessary relocation to Castle Hill, that it’s simply overwhelming. There is no way that either the PHM management or the government can answer their critics, justify their actions or explain why proven, monumental failure is being bankrolled by the taxpayer, with the promise of more to follow. Instead, the strategy clearly admitted by Lisa Havilah in her now-blocked speech, has been to never respond to anything “until it no longer matters”. As the countdown to the 4 February closure continues, that strategy has been adopted by the bureaucrats and Minister, John Graham …We are watching nothing less than the wholesale destruction of a major cultural asset with the complicity of a government that came to power on a promise of saving the museum. The scheme Labor is now endorsing will not benefit the public, only powerful vested interests … The nation that destroys its own heritage is handing its future to a small, shameless group of people who are motivated by greed and ideology. On the one hand we find those developers and complicit politicians, happy to promote massive building projects of no tangible benefit. Yet those same people are willing to tolerate a PHM agenda that is massively skewed towards contemporary art and fashion, obsessed with every form of marginal identity politics – and ready to fund this expensive, unpopular program. Somewhere between corporate greed and self-serving ‘woke’ arrogance lies salvation for the PHM. That tiny window is closing fast.’
Read More Here: and Here: John McD newsletter 29 Jan

29 January, 2024
Following Linda Morris’ article in the Sydney Morning Herald on 27 January (see below), read Letters to the Editor by professional critics Allan Kreuiter, David Miller, Clive Lucas, Elizabeth Elenius and Richard Tainsh. Read Here: SMH Letters 29 January

27 January, 2024
‘Risky, unnecessary and expensive’: Countdown to Powerhouse Museum’s shutdown
In print as: ‘Debate steaming as Powerhouse shutdown nears’
Linda Morris reports in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘After more than 100 years in Harris Street, Ultimo…There is optimism and scepticism about the museum’s future. When the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo shuts its doors to the public on February 5, it will be a watershed moment in the life of Sydney’s cultural landscape. For the first time in decades, Australia’s flagship science and technology museum will not have a full-time public shopfront in Ultimo as it disappears behind hoarding for renovations that are set to last three years. Within weeks 80 staff will move to rented offices in Parramatta, followed by another 56 to the museum’s Castle Hill storehouse in March, and the task of packing up the museum’s contents – some 3568 precious objects – will begin …When the revamped building reopens sometime in 2027 it will be two years after the ribbon is cut on the museum’s new $915 million sister campus now going up on the Parramatta riverside and scheduled to open by mid-2025.’…
As part of the critical opposition to the closure, and concern about the Museum’s future role, Morris adds: ‘Presiding over this monumental museum restructure is the Minns government, which went to the March 2023 election with a pledge to “save” the Ultimo museum and bring an end to years of controversy and political infighting. Labor says its $250 million renovations will make for a far superior world-class museum experience when the Powerhouse reopens in 2027. But its pre-Christmas announcement that this would require temporarily shutting the museum and emptying it – even before planning approvals have been given, and a construction contract signed – has stoked, not dampened, controversy. “It’s not possible to put a positive spin on Labor’s actions,” fumed the Herald’s art critic John McDonald, a longtime commentator on the Powerhouse’s fate, in a recent newsletter to followers. “This is an historic betrayal of trust, a sheaf of broken promises, and an act of political bastardry that will have disastrous long-term consequences for the cultural heritage of city, state, and country.” ‘
‘Make no mistake, says former trustee, Kylie Winkworth, the Powerhouse Museum as the public knows it is on death row. “What’s left of the real Powerhouse will be buried at Castle Hill or farmed out to volunteer museums. For the first time since 1893, there will be no museum left in Ultimo.”
Battle lines on the future of the Ultimo Powerhouse were first drawn exactly nine years ago this month when the then premier Mike Baird announced the institution would relocate to the Parramatta riverside.’ Morris documents the sequence of campaigning to maintain the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo from its move to the Powerhouse building 30 years ago; Premier Baird’s announcement to close it there and move it to Ultimo; the two government inquiries into the proposal; Premier Berejiklian’s agreement to keep two museum sites; and the new Labor government’s vows to not close the Ultimo site, now criticised for its many related broken promises.
… ‘In the firestorm that followed Baird’s announcement, the project’s escalating costs, the risk of removing the museum’s priceless collection and dispersing it to regional galleries, and the adequacy of the new riverside campus to withstand major flooding events were aired during a highly critical, long-running parliamentary inquiry. The Berejiklian government eventually succumbed to intense public pressure and abandoned plans to sell Ultimo and recommitted itself to developing two museums at Ultimo and Parramatta. Its plans for a $500 million rebuild at Ultimo were only finalised three months before the March state election. In government, Labor is pursuing a more modest $250 million renovation that keeps much of the Wran-era buildings, including the arched atrium extension to the heritage-listed buildings. “We promised at the election that we would preserve the Wran legacy and keep the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo open,” Arts Minister John Graham declared in September. “We are doing just that.”…’Months later Labor has embraced a modified concept design and chosen to temporarily shut Ultimo, on direct advice, it says, from Create NSW and Infrastructure NSW.’… ‘No one doubts that renovation of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo is not overdue, that its leaky roof needs replacing, or that its back-of-house spaces and access to its corridors could be vastly improved. But critics say the museum should have been allowed to operate until the Parramatta Powerhouse opens next year to maintain a continuous public presence.’
… ‘The Powerhouse remains a deeply unhappy workplace according to its latest workplace survey. Contentious among staff is the co-location of 20 on-site artistic residencies of fashion designers and artists with claims that artistic responses to the collection have been elevated above the museum’s collection, and the contribution of specialist curators. Upper House MP and leader of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party Robert Borsak, who led the parliamentary inquiry into the Coalition’s relocation plan, is closely watching what happens next door at the Harwood building.’ It appears that: ‘Some 100 staff will remain at Ultimo in the former tram depot next door to the museum, which under Coalition plans was to have been sold off. It will be retained for offices, museum operations, and exhibition builds and Havilah insists she has no plans to sublease the former Tram depot, to a third party. Allocations of studio space for outside artists and creatives would remain generally the same, she said.’
‘Like the union, Borsak remains unconvinced current management has the skills, expertise, or knowledge to deliver a revitalised museum given historic declines in attendance among families and students, once the museum’s mainstay audiences. The word ‘museum’ was itself dropped from all external publicity last year in a new marketing push. “The whole organisation has been hollowed out over the years,” Borsak says. “Putting in a consultative committee doesn’t mean anyone will pay it any notice.” Even as it shuts its doors, Havilah insists the museum will go on. “We’re not going anywhere,” she says. “We’ll still have programs. We’ll still have events, we’ll still have festivals. We’ll still have programs. We will have Castle Hill and all the work we are doing across western Sydney.” ‘ Read more Here: or Here: 27 Jan Powerhouse countdown to shutdown
From PMA: But,  bearing in mind the lack of background information and context in many recent exhibitions,  the loss of professional staff who closely understand the collection, and the need for a state museum to be in a capital city centre, the Powerhouse Museum Alliance and many, many, others, remain sceptical of the relevance of the proposed programs for the future, to the Museum’s collection.

27 January, 2024
‘Trust is broken’
Following Linda Morris’ article in the SMH (above) Save the Powerhouse community group summarises major concerns for closing the Powerhouse Museum. They say:
“The central issue here is just trust is broken after the nine-year roller coaster ride the community has been put through – the twists and turns in the story about the future of this site” Arts Minister John Graham said. Save entirely agrees, but did the Minister not increase the lack of trust himself when he broke all his pre-electoral promises? (read Kylie Winkworth’s “Labor’s Ten Broken Promises on the Powerhouse Museum” http://tiny.cc/73wivz).
– He promised he would keep the Museum open and is now closing it in a week’s time.
– He promised to release all the “secret” documents (business cases, design brief, etc.) but has never made any public.
– He promised to consult the public and relevant community groups but, nearly a year after he took office, we are still waiting. Token consultation will only take place when the Museum is closed and all decisions have been taken.
– The same mistrusted team (Museum Management, Board of Trustees, Create NSW and Infrastructure NSW) who have worked for nearly a decade on the destruction of the Museum and its transformation into a fashion, creative arts and event centre, is still in place.
Like Robert Borsak MLA and many others, Save “remains unconvinced current management has the skills, expertise, or knowledge to deliver a revitalised museum…”
“Graham is forming a community reference panel headed by a former NSW Labor minister”. But, who is this former minister?  How will the panel members be chosen? What will be their brief, terms of reference and powers?
The SHROUD OF SECRECY is still securely in place…at least until the Museum is closed! Read More: Save the P 27 Jan

17 January, 2024
Further circulation of 27 Dec Petition: Save the Powerhouse Museum
During recent weeks, many people have circulated their support for signing a petition to the NSW government, requesting that it not be closed for three years from 5 February 2024, and that better management of its future is carried out.
One example, attached here, is from Des Griffin AM, former director of the Australian Museum, NSW. He says: ‘The Labor Government has taken advantage of the end of the year break to announce the closure of the Powerhouse Museum on February 5, 2024, and plans to redevelop it as a completely different centre. In response, the Save the Powerhouse Campaign, Pyrmont Action Inc. and Friends of Ultimo have joined forces to mount a petition: ENTER HERE, calling on The Hon. John Graham, Minister for the Arts, to HONOUR HIS PROMISES to the people of New South Wales.’
Griffin identifies in detail issues including: inadequate consultation; no release of documents as promised; broken promise to keep museum open; need for maintenance of original purpose.
Read More: 17 Jan Des Griffin petition

16 January, 2024
Powerhouse Museum: promises from one government to the next?
In his online Newsletter 524, arts writer and critic John McDonald provides very acute observations about the promises made by the new Labor government in NSW, following earlier controversial plans for the Powerhouse Museum by the former Coalition government. In summary, he says:
‘… After more than nine years of agitation under two governments, the supporters of the PHM are all feeling fatigued and frustrated. To induce such feelings was the abiding tactic of the Coalition government, who refused to consider hard evidence, expert and popular opinion, in its bloody-minded determination to turn a major cultural asset into a real estate bonanza for its mates. Plans were shrouded in secrecy, and attempts at debate were closed down.
Imagine then, how crushing and depressing it is when Labor comes to power, having promised to save the museum and usher in a new transparency, but decides instead to continue the same short-sighted, vandalistic program. The appalling behaviour of the previous administration is being repeated with the added garnish of full-scale treachery.
It’s not possible to put a positive spin on Labor’s actions: this is an historic betrayal of trust, a sheaf of broken promises, and an act of political bastardry that will have disastrous long-term consequences for the cultural heritage of city, state and country.’
He refers to former PHM curator, Kylie Winkworth’s document, ‘Labor’s Ten Broken Promises on the Powerhouse Museum, and More’ (see below, 16 Dec), and with concerned comments he discusses issues including: ‘The Coalition and the current management of the PHM have hastened to clear out the collection and truck it to Castle Hill, even though that facility remains unfinished; they have tried to truck the curators to rented offices in Parramatta and Castle Hill, presumably to induce most of them to resign. This casual neglect of the established curators is one of the most perplexing aspects of Labor’s approach. The government seems happy to dump those people with genuine knowledge and concern for the collection and welcome a new group of inexperienced cronies and ‘creatives’ who have been attached to the payroll; …Although Parramatta is expected to open within that time, this edifice could not be described as a museum – it is a function centre with dormitories, and a big food and beverage emphasis. Curatorial input will be strictly limited.’
‘The fact that the Arts Minister, John Graham is now saying the PHM Ultimo will be closed for three years from the end of February, is a direct contradiction of his previous promise to keep the museum open. Has this man no shame? He is working in the interests of the developers, of the University of Technology’s expansionist ambitions, and the grand schemes of current PHM management, which are guaranteed to send attendances through the floor and create budgetary black holes for decades to come.’
‘CEO Lisa Havilah has expressed her contempt for public consultation in a speech delivered in Adelaide last year, which has now been blocked after a previous mention in this newsletter. Her autocratic approach has seen attendances plummet to levels last seen in the early 1960s, while ‘Artists’ fees’ accounted for more than $1.5 million in last year’s spending, thanks to the idea that “creative responses” to the collection are more important than the collection itself…’
‘This is beyond stupidity, beyond political expediency. It’s utterly amoral. It shows supreme contempt for those who voted for Labor in the expectation it would halt the destruction of the PHM, as promised. What can one say about politicians who make promises to win elections and quickly contradict them? The Minister has fallen in line with the strategy, pushed by management and bureaucracy, that everything is too far advanced to be halted or reversed.
It doesn’t require a crystal ball to see that whatever it might have cost to stop this development and consider suggestions for renovating and conserving the museum, it will cost a whole lot more when we have three separate venues, none of them attracting audiences, while running up huge bills for the taxpayer. … History will look back at this project as our greatest-ever cultural disaster – initiated by the Coalition and blindly continued by Labor. In world terms, it’s a complete embarrassment. What major city destroys its own cultural assets? Take away a major museum, put up a hip hop festival…’
‘Never have I felt more disenchanted with big party politics, more willing to embrace Independents, or even the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, who have acted honorably and responsibly in keeping the Powerhouse issue alive. If the major parties are not simply corrupt, they are corrupt in spirit, preferring to cuddle up to the corporates rather than respond to matters of urgent public concern. It’s been a long time since the Coalition represented anyone but themselves and their mates, but the Minns government has shown that Labor is no better…’
If you feel strongly about this issue, I encourage you to sign the on-line petition. It does at least show the government there’s a substantial block of people who do not accept this new disaster as a fait accompli. READ MORE HERE: or HERE: J McD Newsletter 524

16 January: LABOR’S ACTIONS (ARE) AN HISTORIC BETRAYAL OF TRUST
In a further circulation of their community petition (now with over 3500 signatures) to keep the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo open, Save the Powerhouse selects some of John McDonald’s comments Here:  Save the P re McD and Petition 16 Jan

15 January, 2024
Powerhouse Parramatta: confirming flood insecurity of site
 After years of warnings to those in government who insisted on the Parramatta riverside site for the relocated Powerhouse Museum, recent rains confirmed the insecurity of the site for a museum that is meant to care about its collection.
Parramatta Advertiser published that: ‘Work has paused on the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum as rain soaks the riverbank site and much of Sydney. Construction of the $767m museum was suspended from December 22 to January 3 for the Christmas-New Year break but weather forced it to stop again today. An Infrastructure NSW spokeswoman said the work would resume once it was safe.’ See their Facebook link with photo HERE, or HERE:   15 January Parramatta flood
ALSO: See dozens of angry comments from readers on various related Facebook pages.
And see earlier news reports over recent years, here on our PMA website: powerhousemuseumalliance.com

12 January, 2024
Powerhouse Museum: new job postings – are they what is needed?
The NSW Government advertised 18 new positions for the Powerhouse Museum on 12 January, closing 26 January. They included: workshop assistant, systems analyst, laboratory technician, senior conservator, registrar, assistant registrar, digitisation co-ordinator, digital asset officer, learning & development manager, post-production officer, head of research, project director technology, senior exhibition curator, assistant exhibition curator, sales planning manager, audience development manager, curator first Nations, and operations and governance officer. Read Here, or Here: New job postings 12 Jan 2024

What is lost and not replaced?
However, many concerns have been expressed over recent years regarding the loss of experienced professional staff with a strong knowledge of different aspects of the collection and, however useful, these positions do not appear to seek replacements for those lost positions.
(See Robert Borsak’s radio comments below, 11 January.)
As well, in their December 2023 article ‘De-Skilling the Specialist Curatorial Staff at the Powerhouse Museum’, museum experts Kylie Winkworth, Jennifer Sanders, Lindsay Sharp and Andrew Grant list the lost positions, and write: ‘The following specialist positions have been deleted over the previous two decades through attrition, budget cuts, restructures and an unexamined decision to turn the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, known as the Powerhouse Museum (PHM), into a creative industries contemporary arts organisation.  These decisions have had drastic consequences for the Museum’s curatorial, conservation and trade expertise, and its skills and knowledge in science and technology, decorative arts, design, and history. The scholarly research and documentation of the collection is being downgraded at great risk to the Museum’s standards of professionalism – a trend that will be deleterious to all the Museum’s collection-based programs, indeed, to the purpose of the Powerhouse Museum.  The cuts have critically affected the Museum’s capacity to meet its obligations under its Act, to manage the collections, to make strategic acquisitions, to curate engaging exhibitions and among other things, to maintain the specialised engineering and steam facilities at the Powerhouse Museum.
For their detailed summary and comments:
Read Here:  or Here: PMA Deskilling the PHM Curatorial Staff

11 January, 2024
PHM “HAS…BEEN GUTTED OF ALL ITS EXPERTISE” SAYS BORSAK
Complementing the public concerns expressed by community groups, and the Petition which has already reached around 3200 signatures in just over two weeks, Save the Powerhouse reports  (in Facebook and email) on Robert Borsak MLC’s  interview on radio 2GB, that:
‘Robert Borsak, MLC who competently chaired two Upper House Inquiries into management of the Powerhouse Museum was interviewed by Mike Jeffreys on 2GB’s Australia Overnight program on January 10. (Listen to the complete interview HERE. )
Of the Minns Government “Powerhouse Revitalisation” project he said: “There are fundamental problems in the whole process. I think this Government needs to think very carefully about, first of all, the Chair of the (MAAS) Board, the Board itself, all appointed by the previous Government with a certain set of assumptions as to where this was all going to go. I think they need to think very carefully about Lisa Havilah …The criticisms by the likes of Dr Lindsay Sharp and others are very, very pertinent. I mean the place has pretty much been gutted of all its expertise when it comes to highly professional, world-class museologists. It (the Museum) is simply not in a position where you have people in charge who can run this as a museum when it opens.” “They don’t call it ‘gutting’. They call it refurbishment.”
The message continues: ‘Save the Powerhouse, and many others, have said for a long time that the current team (Museum Management, Board of Trustees and Create NSW team) does not have the competence, or even the taste, to deliver a genuinely “refurbished” Applied Arts and Sciences Museum. They have all been appointed by the previous Coalition Government and have worked for years on projects to transform our revered Science and Technology Museum into a fashion, design and event centre. In the process, they have contrived various ad hoc business plans and budgets and wasted tens of $ millions on unnecessary consultancy fees. Only a fresh and competent team, with genuine museum experience, could “decant” a decade of wandering and deliver “the museum of the highest excellence at the Ultimo site which has a clear and distinct identity and which builds on its traditional focus on science, engineering, transport, the technical arts and education…a world-class museum for a world-class collection…(evolving) in a way that recognises it as a flagship location.” (Minister for the Arts to be, John Graham, March 22, 2023). Read more Here: Save the P 11 Jan

27 December, 2023
Save the Powerhouse: ‘Petition to Honour Promises’
Save the Powerhouse Campaign group, with its extensive reach of supporters, circulated an opportunity to join a petition to the NSW government’s arts minister, to ‘Honour his promises’ in keeping the museum open in Ultimo. Powerhouse Museum Alliance agrees with their suggestion, and still wants to know the secret plans (if there are any) for what, and how, it (and the Parramatta site) will represent the unique inter-related collection of technology and science, decorative arts and design and social history, as a primary purpose.

Save the Powerhouse Campaign group writes: See Facebook here 
The Labor Government has taken advantage of the year-end break to announce the closure of the Powerhouse Museum on February 5, 2024.
It has broken all the promises made concerning the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo (see museums expert, Kylie Winkworth’s list for details http://tiny.cc/73wivz), including Minister for the Arts, John Graham’s declaration that “We promised at the election that we would …keep the Powerhouse Museum open” (Media Release 2 September 2023)
The Save the Powerhouse Campaign, Pyrmont Action Inc. and Friends of Ultimo have joined forces to mount a petition https://chng.it/HWYWPscJBD calling on The Hon. John Graham, Minister for the Arts, to HONOUR HIS PROMISES including to keep the Museum open and not allow the removal of the permanent exhibitions to storage at least until a “Heritage Revitalisation” project is developed and is ready to be implemented. This must be made in full consultation with experts, relevant community groups and the public, If the Museum closes in February it will not re-open for many years (2033 according to budget papers), if ever, and not, as currently, as one of the most revered Science and Technology Museums in the world.
Instead Labor is delivering the LPN’s scheme to downsize and redevelop the former PHM “as a creative industries, arts and entertainment centre with some occasional exhibitions”.
The Museum closure in February is completely unjustified –
– The NSW Government’s, still secret, “Revitalisation” project will not be ready for months and Labor has budgeted less than half of its estimated $250M cost over the next 4 years.
– Further, museum experts advise that necessary maintenance and repairs to the building can easily be carried out while keeping the Museum open.
We would be grateful if you could share our message with your network, encourage as many people as possible to sign our petition https://chng.it/HWYWPscJBD and share it with their families and friends.
THE POWERHOUSE MUSEUM IS NOT SAVED!
We wish you, your family and friends a very happy new year,
Patricia JOHNSON & Jean-Pierre ALEXANDRE

20 December, 2023
‘The urgent warning cut from Sydney’s long-awaited arts and culture plan’
Linda Morris writes in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘A “sensitive” draft version of the state’s newly released arts and culture policy warns that NSW artists and creatives are inadequately supported and funded, and government investment is inefficiently and inequitably delivered. The stark assessment is contained in a summary of a draft “policy proposal” prepared for state cabinet, labelled sensitive and obtained by the Herald. The warning never made it into the publicly released version of the 10-year policy framework launched last week, a plan notable for its commitment to funding reform but with an absence of major funding commitments.  Labor’s long-awaited strategy for the next decade for the state’s arts and culture and creative industries, Creative Communities, is the result of six months of consultations, including 12 town hall meetings and 775 written submissions.
In a first for the state, the policy embodies an expanded definition of arts and culture to include new technologies in screen and digital gaming, as well as broadcasting, architecture and design. However, the NSW policy was silent on the looming funding squeeze affecting the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Gallery of NSW, both of which have flagged budget cutbacks amid escalating costs.’ Morris points out that also, ‘Since then, a third institution has signalled it might be grappling with similar financial challenges. Carriageworks has axed two senior curatorial positions under a restructure of its visual arts programs at the multi-venue arts space in the historic Eveleigh rail yards.’ She notes that: ‘The draft summary prepared for the Minns cabinet acknowledged the sector’s shaky post-COVID recovery and vulnerability to global and local forces and pressures. … “This has been exacerbated by local and national pressures, particularly related to inadequate funding and support,” it stated. “As culture has become more global, local stories have become more important, but NSW artists and creative workers are not adequately supported to thrive. The current approach to cultural investment and support is inadequate, inefficient and inequitably delivered. The lack of co-ordination across government is preventing the consolidated activation of the creative industries across departments.”
Asked about the warning, Arts Minister John Graham said the government did not hide from the pressures on the sector and said help was on the way. “Creative Communities is the first whole-of-government approach to arts, culture and creative industries in NSW,” he said. “This policy, delivered in the first nine months of government, will inform the next 10 budgets … Help is on the way. …With more co-ordination and reform of the ACFP process, I expect to see more support flowing into the sector.” Read here, or Here: SMH Arts funding 20 Dec

16 December 2023
‘Labor’s Ten Broken Promises on the Powerhouse Museum, and More’
With well-resourced reference to nearly 40 news and media reports about Labor’s ‘Saving’ the Powerhouse Museum, Kylie Winkworth, museum expert and advocate in the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, identifies over ten broken promises made by Labor’s arts minister John Graham associated with the 2023 election. She summarised: ‘The Minns government is effectively defunding the Powerhouse Museum, a Labor cultural monument they promised to save and keep open.’
For  Winkworth’s full details and references for each Broken Promise,
Read Here: Winkworth Labor’s Ten Broken Promises on the PHM 16 Dec 2023

And Save the Powerhouse Museum group (https://www.facebook.com/savethepowerhouse) summarises on 17 Dec, Winkworth’s statements below:
1) “We promised at the election that we would …keep the Powerhouse Museum open” (Arts Minister John Graham’s,Media Release 2 September 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – the Powerhouse Museum is closing on 5 February 2024. (Media Release 4 December 2023)
2) “The Minns Labor Government is committing $250 million for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo” (Media Release 2 September 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – the government has committed only $119m for the Powerhouse Museum over four years to 2026-27, not $250m. (NSW Budget Papers, Infrastructure Statement 2023-24, Budget Paper No. 3, chapter 2, p.2-24)
3) “The Powerhouse Museum will be closed for up to three years” (Linda Morris, SMH 4 December 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – the budget papers show completion of the ‘Ultimo Powerhouse Museum’ in ten years’ time in 2033. (Infrastructure Statement 2023-24, Jobs and Tourism, No. 3, chapter 4, p.4-50)
4) “We promised at the election that we would…preserve the Wran legacy” (Media Release 4 December 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – the Wran legacy is embodied in the whole Powerhouse Museum, not just the fabric of the Wran building. Every aspect of the legacy of the Wran government will be undone when the PHM closes: its unique purpose, staffing, budget, facilities, functions, design, exhibition installations and ways of working with collections. The museum’s iconic power, transport and engineering collections, which are central to the meaning and identity of the Powerhouse Museum, will be evicted from their purposed designed exhibition galleries
 5) “A NSW Labor government will release key details of the plans for the Ultimo and Parramatta sites that until now have been kept secret” (Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum, Media Release, 22 March 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – Labor has not released any information about the plans for Parramatta or Ultimo. This secrecy is outrageous and unprecedented in museum development projects anywhere in Australia or the civilised world.
6) “We want a museum … which builds on its traditional focus on science, engineering, transport, the technical arts and education” (Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum, Media Release, 22 March 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – there is no plan for the PHM as a museum focussed on science, engineering, transport and technical arts, any more than there will be a STEM museum at Parramatta. Labor is delivering the LPN’s scheme to downsize and redevelop the former PHM as a creative industries, arts and entertainment centre with some occasional exhibitions.
7) “We want a museum of the highest excellence at the Ultimo site which has a clear and distinct identity” (Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum, Media Release, 22 March 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – There is no plan for museum excellence on the ‘Ultimo site’, or even a museum.  The only plan is to defund the PHM and remove the staff and collections to Castle Hill or even more distant locations. The Powerhouse Museum has already lost its name and distinct identity. It’s Powerhouse Ultimo now.
8) “Labor is committing $250m for a heritage revitalisation of the Powerhouse Museum. And we will ensure that a world-class museum is delivered in line with the legitimate heritage and planning expectations of the local community and state” (Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum, Media Release, 22 March 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – Labor has left the Powerhouse Museum, its heritage buildings and collections without heritage protection. The heritage revitalisation is an empty slogan. Only the brick shell of the former Ultimo power station has state heritage listing, not the actual museum.
9) “The PHM will evolve in a way that recognises it as a flagship location” (Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum, Media Release, 22 March 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – Labor is delivering the LNP’s scheme to degrade and downsize the PHM’s design, functionality, exhibitions, funding and staffing so that Parramatta is THE ‘flagship’.
10) “The NSW Government is delivering on its commitment to save the Powerhouse Museum” (Media Release 2 September 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – the Powerhouse Museum is not saved. Labor’s plan is to finish the job the LNP started. The PHM is closing on 5 February 2024. It will never reopen in any recognisable form as a museum.
11) “NSW Labor remains concerned about the focus on events rather than museum spaces…This reflects the [former] Government’s obsession with commercialisation and privatisation” (Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum, Media Release, 22 March 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – There has been no change to plans for the commercialisation of the former PHM – “sweating every single asset” as the MAAS CEO puts it. This is the Carriageworks operating model for Parramatta and the PHM.
12) “The Minns government will undertake further consultation” (Media Release 2 September 2023)
More consultation is promised for the next State Significant Development Application. (Media Release 4 December 2023) but the government’s promised consultation is a futile con job. “I have never been a supporter of asking people what they want or community consultation” says the MAAS CEO.  (Lisa Havilah, Undoing the Institution, Adelaide, 16 June 2021)
 13) “The way the [former] government has dealt with The Powerhouse Museum over many years has been a disgrace”  (Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum, Media Release, 22 March 2023)
TRUE – but Labor has done nothing to fix the disgrace.
14) “The Powerhouse Parramatta deserves its own identity and name and to develop in relation with its specific context” (Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum, Media Release, 22 March 2023)
BROKEN PROMISE – there has been no move to develop a distinctive brand and identity for Parramatta. The project still has no compelling concept or identity.

7 December, 2023
‘Walk Off’
Following their Dec 5 comment (below), Sydney Morning Herald’s CBD column also wrote: It’s been a bit of a week for Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. On Monday, the state government announced the historic Ultimo site would be shutting down for three years of “revitalisation,” providing a bit of certainty to its miserable workforce after years of limbo. But while the Ultimo site might need a facelift, the Museum of Arts and Applied Science (as it’s technically known) still has plenty of cash around. There’s the whole $915 million mega project in Parramatta that’s meant to turn western Sydney into a cultural oasis (we’ve heard that one before).
That project has been propped up by generous donors such as billionaire property magnate Lang Walker, who tossed the institution a $20 million lifeline two years ago. Walker’s also among the museum’s trustees, but his generosity meant the museum didn’t bat an eyelid when, as CBD reported, he showed up to only half the required meetings. This year, he seems to be excused altogether of such trivialities – according to the museum’s annual report, he was listed as an “absence granted” for all six meetings.
We asked the museum about this, but didn’t hear back.’ Read Here.

6 December, 2023
‘Wasting the Powerhouse Museum’s Assets and Purpose’
Referring to the recent reports of ‘Plans revealed for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo’, museum expert and Powerhouse Museum Alliance member, Kylie Winkworth, strongly questions the reality of ‘saving the museum’. Among many significant issues she writes:
‘It is bizarre that the Powerhouse Museum’s Harwood building is proposed for inclusion in the City of Sydney’s heritage floor space scheme when it isn’t even on Council’s LEP (Local Environmental Plans), let alone the state heritage register which used to be the eligibility criteria for selling air space rights for heritage floor space.[i] For years the City of Sydney rebuffed and ignored the PMA’s letters and emails to have the Harwood building, Sydney’s largest and oldest tram depot, listed on Council’s LEP. Once the amendments are approved the owner can sell the heritage floor space rights and still not have any heritage conservation obligations. Will it be the MAAS Trustees selling out the Wran legacy and the endowment of previous generations of NSW taxpayers, the legacy that John Graham promised to preserve? Or will it be UTS or some other developer that cleans up after the people charged with protecting the assets of the Powerhouse Museum sell out the public interest?…
All these machinations fit perfectly with Minister John Graham’s fake ‘heritage overhaul’ announced on Monday 4 December, an empty slogan to cover the delivery of the LNP’s museum eviction scheme using the same team to downsize and repurpose the former PHM as a creative industries, arts and entertainment centre modelled on the same principles as Parramatta – aka Carriageworks West.[ii] Less than nine months ago he stood in front of the PHM and said ‘only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum’. No they haven’t. The Powerhouse Museum is not saved. The Minister has mistaken preserving the ‘Wran legacy’ for keeping the shell of the Wran building, when it is the museum itself that is at risk: its mission and education purpose, its assets, facilities, collection-centred museology and expert professional staff, along with the transport, power and engineering collections in the dedicated exhibition spaces that were purpose designed to display them.’
Winkworth continues to question statements about ‘access to the collection’; the current CEO’s expressed plan to ‘ … empty the PHM of its defining collections to create what the President of the MAAS Trust called a tabula rasa, a blank slate scraped clean of heritage, collections, memory and meaning’ and of the Harwood building: ‘This is the building the CEO has emptied of its functions and collections for no public benefit or museological purpose, so it can be turned over to artists and UTS. Few doubt that it will ultimately be sold as a property play.’
She concludes: ‘   It was fitting the Minister stood beside the former Liberal arts minister Peter Collins, the president of the MAAS Trust, along with Don Harwin’s pick for the current MAAS CEO, since he is delivering the LNP’s plan to radically change the PHM’s purpose and remit, evict the collections and professional staff, ignore family audiences the museum’s education mission, and downsize the museum’s assets, facilities and functions. At best what will emerge from the former PHM is a commercially focussed part time exhibition centre, a clone of the scheme for Parramatta. All this is being done behind a shroud of secrecy inconsistent with the obligations of a public museum. There’s no master plan, no museum plan, no design brief, no exhibition plan and no business case – or not one that the government is prepared to release. ‘Powerhouse’ as it is now known will offer more consultation in an information vacuum, although the CEO’s stated policy is to ‘stop asking audiences’. So once again they will ignore what people say, just as they did in the last eight rounds of consultations. No one believes the PHM will reopen in three years’ time, or that it will even be a museum. The museum is in the hands of a leadership team intent on ‘breaking the institution’. This is one promise they will keep unless the PHM can be saved for a third time.’ Read More Here: Winkworth Wasting the Assets of the PHM 6 Dec 2023

11 December, 2023
PHMU – A SAD 9-YEAR SAGA OF BROKEN PROMISES AND DECEIT
Save the Powerhouse Museum group draws on Kylie Winkworth’s statements above, to encourage museum audiences to contact Members of Parliament for better resolutions for the future of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. They recommend:
‘If you don’t want the Powerhouse Museum to close unnecessarily on February 5 write to the John Graham, Minister for the Arts at https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-for-roads-arts-music-and-night-time-economy-jobs-tourism  and CC the Premier, Chris Minns at https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/premier-of-nsw/contact-premier  Read more Here:  Save the P PHMU 11 Dec

6 December, 2023
Infrastructure NSW: Powerhouse Ultimo Revitalisation
Following the NSW government’s report on the plans for the Powerhouse Museum site in Ultimo, Infrastructure NSW circulated a notice saying: ‘The Infrastructure NSW project team are working with Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Architectus and landscape architects Tyrell Studio to refine the concept design scheme. As part of the State Significant Development Application, we will be seeking your feedback to inform and support the planning process for the project. Details on community consultation will be announced in the coming months.’ They note that:
‘Key elements of the new design include:
–  A new main entrance facing the Goods Line to connect the museum to the CBD and an adjacent new public domain
–  Improved flow of visitors and exhibitions spaces that will support increased access to the Powerhouse collection
–  International museum standard galleries for exhibitions
–  The heritage revitalisation of existing buildings including revealing the heritage facades of the original power station built in 1899 and the 1902 Turbine Hall
–  Purpose-built space to support the Powerhouse Academy program
–  An activated frontage onto Harris Street alongside new opportunities to access to the museum’s library and archive.’
Many responses to the government’s announcement include concerns about the actual use of the buildings , content and program for the Museum where only vague generalisations are mentioned, and for the future of the Harwood building.
Infrastructure NSW provides contact details and a link to sign up HERE: Infrastructure NSW Sign up 6 Dec

5 December, 2023
‘The Fate of the Harwood Building?’
Save the Powerhouse group reports in email and Facebook, that in the agenda and appendices of a meeting of the City of Sydney Transport, Heritage and Planning Committee of December 4, an explanation may be found for the city’s view of future role of the Powerhouse Museum and its current adjacent site, the historic Harwood building. They write:
‘We asked in a previous post yesterday how a $131M budget shortfall in the Powerhouse Museum “Heritage Revitalisation” proposal could be explained. The total anticipated cost for this project is $300M, of which “the Powerhouse will raise a further $50M from donations.” This leaves a cost of $250M to the taxpayer… but the Government budgeted only $119M over the next 4 years: See Hansard entry here  . So where is the missing $131M coming from?
Thanks to information from museums expert Kylie Winkworth we might have found the explanation in the City of Sydney Transport, Heritage and Planning Committee. For Meeting Agenda of December 04, 2023, a 2168 page document released just 2 working days before the meeting:  Read Agenda Here. ‘
Within the document, they lead us to the relevant Amendment 10 (231205 Amendment10 ), in Attachment A1 of Appendix A, regarding Change to Metropolitan Centre Zone and Central Sydney Boundary, identifying that Amendment 10: ‘… proposes on pages 133 and 134,  that the Powerhouse site (INCLUDING THE HARWOOD BUILDING) should be :
– Rezoned from MU1 Mixed Use to SP5 Metropolitan Centre
– Identified as part of an expanded Central Sydney
– and to amend the listing ‘Schedule 5 Environmental heritage’ to mark the Powerhouse Museum site with an asterisk (*) to indicate that it is eligible for an award of heritage floor space.
Hence the Harwood building is EXCLUDED from the “Revitalisation” project but is INCLUDED in a City of Sydney’s scheme which makes it eligible for additional floor space. How convenient for the Government and/or whoever has contracted to purchase and re-develop the site?’
Read full message HERE: 5 Dec Fate of Harwood building

5 December, 2023
‘Power Off’
The CBD column in the Sydney Morning Herald, includes comments on the effect of the recent announcement on Museum staff. It says: ‘News that the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo is shutting down for three years in February provided some much-needed certainty to the institution’s staff, who are some of the most miserable in the public service. Just 18 per cent of respondents to a recent internal staff survey thought change was well managed in the organisation, while only 25 per cent thought senior staff provided clear directions for the future of the organisation, down 7 percentage points since 2022. The survey also found 21 per cent of respondents intended to leave within a year, while 36 per cent hoped to apply for jobs elsewhere in the public service. Of those planning to depart, 42 per cent blamed the poor quality of senior leadership. Now all this comes against a backdrop of years of uncertainty about the future of the Ultimo site.
In September, the Minns government scrapped a $500 million rebuild flagged by its predecessors, opting for a cheaper $250 million “heritage revitalisation”. … By December, the plans had changed again, with the latest announcement about the site’s closure. The $915 million flagship Parramatta site, meanwhile, won’t be ready until late 2025.
No wonder staff are confused. “The Powerhouse Museum is undertaking a once-in-a-generation transformation as part of the unprecedented program of renewal,” a spokesperson for the museum told us. “We recognise that times of transition and change can be difficult for staff, which is why we have developed a comprehensive Workforce Transition Plan.” Read Here: and Here: SMH CBD 5 Dec

4 December, 2023
‘Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum announces new plans to shut for 3 years’
In City Hub, Grace Johnson summarises Minister John Graham’s announcement (below) and also records a number of continuing concerns from supporters of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, writing: ‘…the museum has been caught up in almost 9 years of controversy regarding plans for its relocation, demolition and development. The former government initially planned to demolish and rebuild the museum in favour of a fashion, events and commercial precinct. The decision was reversed in 2020 due to public pressure to keep the museum and its beloved collection together. In a blog entry on CultureHeist, published ahead of the government announcement, Judith White wrote that the plan was “part of the disastrous acceleration of the corporatisation of the arts and culture sector.” ‘ And ‘…Save the Powerhouse community group considers the announcement to be the same problem, just reworded and repackaged. Leaders of the group Patricia Johnson and Jean-Pierre Alexandre spoke to City Hub, saying “It’s broken promises.” “The government has announced at least three times that the Powerhouse is saved. And if you scratch that, you find that it is not saved at all. It’s the same.” “It’s repackaging. It’s a pure PR exercise each time. Perrottet called it renewal, now they’re calling it revitalisation.” “It’s just PR and no substance.” ‘
And in an attached comment, Jennifer Sanders writes: ‘Totally agree with the Save the Powerhouse Community group. The Labor government is delivering the LNP plan with minimal tweaks to try to hide the destruction of this 143 year old museum. The essential Harwood Building is excluded so will no longer be the best practice museum collection storage and operations centre. Instead it will be a developers’ dream with maximum height for floors of student housing, residential – whatever brings in the $. The signature Steam Revolution will be taken down and Transport, and Space will disappear although all are popular with families and students. They’ll be replaced by vacuous events and inconsequential artist projects raiding the valuable collection to prop up their rambling thoughts and feelings.’
Read  Here, or Here: City Hub 4 Dec

4 December, 2023
At last! Plans revealed for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo
Following many requests from public supporters who have waited for an exceptionally long time (including the PMA mailout below, on 3 Dec), the Minister for Arts, John Graham, sent out a Press Release announcing the current planning situation for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, and revealing designs for the proposed changes.  This was followed by a similar Press Release from the Powerhouse Museum, and was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald by Linda Morris. However, it is noticeable that despite references to programs, there are still no clear reassurances about what the museum’s focus will be, as the Parramatta site will open first.
Linda Morris notes that: ‘Minns government has set aside $250 million for building works, and Powerhouse will raise a further $50 million from donations. …New concept plans developed by architects Durbach Block Jaggers show the smaller budget will spread to a new entrance oriented to the city, showing off the heritage facades of the original 1899 power station and the 1902 Turbine Hall, and a low-rise addition and cloistered public square along Harris Street.’ No mention is made about retaining the necessary, adjacent Harwood building.
Both Media Releases provide comments from (extracts):
Minister for Arts John Graham: ‘…This is the next step in the process of reimagining the future of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo. After 9 years of divided opinions of this site, we are hopeful these new designs and a renewed focus on applied arts and sciences are more in line with the community’s expectations of this much-loved institution.’
Powerhouse Trust President Peter Collins: ‘…The renewal of Powerhouse Ultimo will deliver a dynamic applied arts and applied sciences program, presenting exhibitions that showcase the Powerhouse Collection, attract international exhibitions and programs that support the visitor economy and create an activated cultural precinct. Embedding these collections, exhibitions and programs within a broader creative industries precinct will significantly contribute to the renewal of the institution while creating national and international development and employment pathways for NSW creative practitioners.’
Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah: ‘…The heritage revitalisation of Powerhouse Ultimo will ensure that there will be even more opportunities for our audiences to connect with and experience our collection and programs across the applied arts and applied sciences…The concept design includes the Powerhouse Academy, which will offer increased levels of access for secondary and tertiary students from regional NSW and beyond, providing immersive learning experiences that enable pathways into industry and tertiary learning. …The government has committed $250 million for the heritage revitalisation, with the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo adopting a $50 million philanthropy target. We have already secured $10 million towards this through a partnership with UTS.’
Read More Here:
Minister’s Media Release: ‘The Powerhouse Museum Ultimo to show Sydney a new side in heritage overhaul’: Ministers Media release 4 Dec
Powerhouse Museum Media Release: ‘Design revealed for revitalised Powerhouse Ultimo’: PHM media release
Linda Morris,  Sydney Morning Herald: ‘Powering down: re-vamp to close museum in February’ (with comments)  Here, and Here: SMH Linda M 4 Dec
Durbach Block Jaggers Design images: Here, and Here: PHM designs

3 December, 2023
Powerhouse Museum: a news update and further call to action!
The Powerhouse Museum Alliance circulated by email, an update on recent news about the Powerhouse Museum, expressing continuing concerns about not being able to anticipate its future.  The message included:
‘December 2023!! Onward!! The Powerhouse Museum Alliance is one of many groups who have argued strongly along with active individuals to ‘Save the Powerhouse Museum’ in its Ultimo site near central Sydney, following the original 2014 proposal to sell the property to developers, and move the museum to Parramatta. (Money in the city, votes in the west?)
But we have to acknowledge it is not ‘saved’! This is the end of the ninth year in our campaign to save the Powerhouse Museum as many knew it when working there from the 1980s, while valuing how it continued to evolve appropriately in past, present and future contexts, according to its unique purpose and programs as a Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (including science, engineering, technology, design and industry; arts applied to industry, with decorative arts, crafts and design; and the social histories behind them all.) During these 9 years, our website has been archiving news, articles, inquiries, essays and other documents…
Despite two government announcements over time that the Ultimo site was ‘saved’, it is still totally unclear what is intended to take place there as major transport items have been removed, the collection (and soon, staff) sent out to distant Castle Hill, interpretive information abandoned in temporary ‘art experience’ exhibitions, and varying reports made of narrowing down to ‘fashion’ (just part of decorative arts and design) and ‘creative industries’ (influence of neighbouring institutions?). The new ‘revitalisation’ plans and programs are completely secret, known only to the management of the Museum and Create NSW, and perhaps the Trustees (who currently appear to have few if any museum backgrounds and active roles) and Minister John Graham.
The message concluded:
What now?? Write to Ministers and Members…?
Despite the end of the NSW parliamentary sessions in Upper and Lower Houses apparently on 3,4,5 December, 2023, we still have the opportunity to write to relevant Ministers and Members, as well as, for local residents, your local members, raising the questions that concern you most. Along with your concerns, some key points for Ultimo are:
– Keep the Powerhouse Museum as a real Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), including Science and Technology, Decorative Arts and Design and Social History, and engagement with their historical and contemporary examples.
– Remember that it is a state Museum, and not a local gallery or entertainment centre. Wide audiences need appropriate access.
– Respect the Wran heritage legacy, and the Harwood building, while making any necessary building updates.
– Keep the Museum open during the ‘Revitalisation’ process, without closing it for 3 years.
– Reconsider current proposed relocation of staff and collection to comparatively inaccessible Castle Hill storage, and to Parramatta.
– Replace the Management with a team which better understands museums and this wide collection, and is willing to follow the Government’s directions as in post-election promises.
– Consider changing ‘Powerhouse Parramatta’ to a local council gallery and community arts centre, and separately support renewal of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, with adequate program funding and appropriate professional museum staff.
Premier Chris Minns: Here
Arts Minister: John Graham: Here
Treasurer: Daniel Mookhey: Here
Minister for Heritage: Penny Sharpe: Here
Contacts for all members and ministers: Here
Including strong advocate Robert Borsak MLC: Here
Powerhouse Museum Alliance sends strongest thanks to all supporters, many of whom as individuals and organisations are identified on our website news page.
Read the Full message Here:  PMA December mailout

2 December, 2023
‘The Totalitarian Approach to Museum Management, with assistance from the Labor Party’
In his regular newsletter and web entry, art critic John McDonald writes extensively about continuing and current issues regarding ‘Saving’ the Powerhouse Museum. He notes: ‘Looking at NSW Minister John Graham’s many titles, I can’t help wondering if he has confused his role as Minister for the Arts with that of Minister for Music and for the Night-time Economy. On the very same day I received a series of alarming emails about the future of the Powerhouse Museum – which Labor had sworn to protect as an election promise, I get an ecstatic announcement about a collaboration between Powerhouse Parramatta and Blacktown Arts Centre. In the press release we find the Minister saying: “Powerhouse Parramatta will set a new international benchmark for what contemporary museums can be for their communities…”.
What is this grand vision that’s going to set a new international benchmark? A Hip Hop festival, to be hosted by Powerhouse Parramatta; a political poster archive, and a program about “cultural weaving practices” in the western suburbs. Each of these initiatives has a certain cultural value, but they are the kind of things that would – or should be – no more than sidelines for a well functioning museum. … It is a smokescreen for the infinitely more serious plan to close the (Ultimo) museum for at least three years, while everything it stands for is trashed beyond recognition….
The unwanted ‘Powerhouse Parramatta’ has had so much removed from the plan that it no longer fits international museum standards (quite aside from being located in a floodplain), so why not simply cut it loose from Powerhouse Ultimo? The former could be a venue for Hip Hop and similar events, the latter could remain an actual museum. While they’re at it, they might like to make CEO Lisa Havilah the boss of whatever they choose to call Parramatta and hire someone for Ultimo who understands what a museum is and how it works.
I was recently sent a link to a speech Lisa made in Adelaide in 2021, where she outlined her ideas about cultural institutions. The title was revealing enough: “Unmaking the Institution”. She explained her methods with breathtaking candour: “I didn’t ask the audience what they want. I ignored the data….” “In every instance – even when I wasn’t going to – I always asked ‘How can I help?’” (my italics)“…never explaining or trying to educate.” And perhaps, best of all: “…not responding until it no longer matters and that’s a very special bureaucratic strategy.”…And what are we to make of a Museum CEO who says: “we will not be a museum that bows down to the monuments of the 20th century”?
McDonald asks: ‘What kind of museum brazenly scorns the monuments of the past? Can such an institution be trusted to care for the rare and precious items in its collection?…The bit about “not responding until it no longer matters” is precisely what we see at present, as the loud and persistent questions raised by the friends of the Museum, and by MPs such as Robert Borsak, are ignored or downplayed. Labor, which promised to lift the veil of secrecy imposed by the Coalition, is now asking people to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements!  No plans for the “renewal” of Ultimo have been made public or put up for discussion and debate.
Leo Schofield’s 1,001 Remarkable Objects, which absorbed two years and $4 million, is set to close after only four months, on 31 December, in the midst of the holiday tourist season. …The plan is to close PHM Ultimo for at least three years, which should provide adequate opportunities to force out experienced staff and replace them with like-minded cronies. It will also save money that can be channelled into off-setting cost overruns on Parramatta.
To quote Lisa Havilah’s speech once more: “The rule is to never stop moving the project forward.”John Graham seems to have bought this line completely. The critics of the “renewal”, who have an abundance of expertise and experience, have been dutifully snubbed in favour of the glorious “vision” of a CEO who has killed attendances, treated the collection with contempt, and promoted an untested, ideologically-driven program that has every possibility of creating three bloated venues in Ultimo, Parramatta and Castle Hill, that are ruinous to maintain and of no special interest to the public. It’s a recipe for pouring millions of dollars down the drain in the pursuit of a fantasy of what a “radical” new museum should be….
I could go on and on, as I’ve barely scraped the surface of this tragic saga. The single most alarming fact is that Minister Graham has said one thing and done the very opposite. He has bought into the destructive fantasy inaugurated by his predecessors and chosen to support a CEO who has boldly admitted her intention is to “unmake” the institution. He has allowed the culture of secrecy to fester and left the same shadowy people in place.’
Read More: John McDonald 2 December

1 December, 2023
‘Perspectives with Lisa Havilah: Reframing the Institution: 2021’
Following up available records of public speeches by Powerhouse Museum CEO, Lisa Havilah, are comments particularly about a speech given in Adelaide in 2021. Held at the Hawke Centre, the topic ‘Perspectives with Lisa Havilah: Reframing the Institution’, was described then as: ‘her visionary approach to leadership. Renowned for reshaping tested institutional structures into culturally and commercially vibrant contemporary arts epicentres, Havilah shares her personal ideology on the new role that cultural institutions will play and the moments that have shaped her innovative, ambitious approach to reframing the institution.’ Watch here: (30 minutes to 41 minutes.)
However, as the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo is scheduled to close in late 2023, and the Parramatta venue to open an entertainment venue, current concerns are expressed about her views.
Kylie Winkworth writes in a letter from Powerhouse Museum Alliance to Minister John Graham, on 29 November, ‘…The CEO’s stated vision for the PHM is to ignore the weight of language, history and architecture, and not bow down to the monuments of the 20^th century, to quote from her talks on breaking the museum. Now is the perfect time to be undoing our institutions she says. The MAAS CEO has no intention of preserving the Wran legacy. She has spent the last five years undoing it, if you paid attention to what is happening in the museum and read the annual reports.’
And, in his regular newsletter and web entry on December 2, 2023, John McDonald questions many of Havilah’s statements: ‘‘I was recently sent a link to a speech Lisa made in Adelaide in 2021, where she outlined her ideas about cultural institutions. The title was revealing enough: “Unmaking the Institution”. She explained her methods with breathtaking candour. “I didn’t ask the audience what they want. I ignored the data….”.. “In every instance – even when I wasn’t going to – I always asked ‘How can I help?’” “…never explaining or trying to educate.” And perhaps, best of all: “…not responding until it no longer matters and that’s a very special bureaucratic strategy.” I could hardly believe what I was hearing. And what are we to make of a Museum CEO who says: “we will not be a museum that bows down to the monuments of the 20th century”?  What kind of museum brazenly scorns the monuments of the past? Can such an institution be trusted to care for the rare and precious items in its collection?… To quote Lisa Havilah’s speech once more: “The rule is to never stop moving the project forward.”… John Graham seems to have bought this line completely. The critics of the “renewal”, who have an abundance of expertise and experience, have been dutifully snubbed in favour of the glorious “vision” of a CEO who has killed attendances, treated the collection with contempt, and promoted an untested, ideologically-driven program that has every possibility of creating three bloated venues in Ultimo, Parramatta and Castle Hill, that are ruinous to maintain and of no special interest to the public. It’s a recipe for pouring millions of dollars down the drain in the pursuit of a fantasy of what a “radical” new museum should be….Much of the Adelaide talk focussed on what a dynamic program there would be in Parramatta. The only problem is that the cuts and changes to the structure have left a shell with a ridiculously high-ceilinged exhibition space, apartments and dormitories, food and beverage facilities… but serious limitations in what the institution will be able to borrow and exhibit.’
Read more: Lisa Havilah talk in SA 2021 and comments

17-29 November, 2023
Powerhouse Museum Alliance: correspondence re meetings with Minister
With the purpose of passing on concerns about the current situation of the Powerhouse Museum to Minister John Graham and Premier Chris Minns, this selected correspondence between Kylie Winkworth, on behalf of the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, and Grace Cramer, Policy Advisor in Office of the Hon John Graham, MLC, provides considerable information about the experiences of contributing concerns and suggestions.
Read full record HERE: PHM correspondence with Minister  Extracts follow…
On 17 November, the Minister hosted a meeting with a number of people and associations and, while unable to attend, PHM wrote: ‘Thank you for suggesting that Create NSW consult with us over the plans for the Heritage Revitalisation of the Powerhouse Museum…Among the PHM’s supporters there is widespread disillusion with the management of MAAS and another round of what has been a consultants’ picnic EIS. The project is certainly at the point of needing ministerial attention. In our view the Powerhouse Museum cannot be saved while the project remains in the hands of the LNP’s handpicked team intent on breaking the museum – as the MAAS CEO puts it in her talks on how to break the museum, unmaking the institution. The dismal MAAS annual report reveals a museum that has lost sight of its purpose, its family audiences, its science and technology remit, and focus on education. The 2023 People Matter survey for MAAS shows staff have no confidence in the senior management. In our view the future of a 143 year old museum is still at risk, along with responsible spending of more than $1.3 billion in cultural infrastructure, not to mention baked-in high recurrent costs for NSW taxpayers for the Parramatta development which is based on a fantasy business case.’ (A very extensive and informed document followed. Read more!)
22 November, 2023: Further correspondence confirmed that PHM representatives Kylie Winkworth and Jennifer Sanders would meet the Minister to discuss issues directly with him on 27 November. As Winkworth wrote: ‘By coincidence Monday the 27th marks nine years since Mike Baird announced the Powerhouse Museum would be moving to Parramatta. Four premiers on, three CEOs, numerous broken promises, and token rounds of consultations where community and expert advice has been ignored, and we are again asked to accept the collection eviction and closure of the Powerhouse Museum, a museum which is supposed to have been saved. Twice.‘
22 November: a further PMA email included: ‘Personally I strongly object to the requirement to sign an NDA. As a former Trustee and museum expert of more than 40 years’ experience this insulting and contrary to all museum planning processes and ethical principles. No museum anywhere in this country or overseas is developed in a shroud of secrecy. We deeply regret that the Minister has not released any of the plans as he promised before the election. … If the government was serious about preserving the Wran legacy it would not have chosen to continue with the LNP’s stage 2 EIS for the Ultimo Creative Industries Precinct, retaining the same team that saw no heritage value in any part of the actual Powerhouse Museum. … The Stage 2 EIS will see these plans approved. The work of collection eviction and asset stripping is well underway. I note government declined the option to complete the Alan Croker Design 5 CMP which would have given the heritage revitalisation slogan some credibility. … And having promised to keep the Powerhouse Museum open only a few months ago we now know the PHM is closing. There is no need to entirely close a museum that only 35 years old.’…’There is no actual museum plan for the Powerhouse Museum. Hence the shroud of secrecy. The Minister may talk about retaining the PHM’s traditional focus on science, technology, engineering and transport but this has had no impact on the MAAS CEO and the LNP’s handpicked Trustees who have never wavered from their determination to ‘unmake the institution’ as the CEO puts it. The previous government said something similar when they announced the PHM was saved on 4 July 2020. The next day MAAS and Create NSW kept working on the same scheme from the 2018 business case. With some recent tweaks like keeping the shell of the Wran building, this is essentially the scheme the Minns government is now delivering as we witness the former Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences turn into a contemporary arts and entertainment organisation.
29 November, 2023: Kylie Winkworth followed up the meeting on 27 November, saying: We were surprised to walk into the meeting with Minister Graham on Monday to find the MAAS CEO and head of Create NSW already seated. It would have been a courtesy to tell us they would be attending.  We had been asked to what you described as a ‘candid’ meeting with the Minister. We would not have accepted the invitation if we’d known they would be present. We had already told you that we would not sign an NDA and had no interest in meeting with the MAAS CEO and Head of Create NSW. …. In fact not a shred of information about the plans for the Powerhouse Museum or Parramatta has been released since Labor was elected. The secrecy around these projects is completely outside the norms of museum development and it is wasting millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money.
Only a few months ago the Minister announced we promised at the election we would preserve the Wran legacy and keep the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo open. We are doing just that.
Read Here: Media Release Minister Graham 2 Sept
This is not true. The Wran legacy will be finished with the closure of the museum next month. …We already know what will be in the EIS – not because anyone has broken a non-disclosure agreement – but because the proponents of this project have never wavered from their intent to rip the heart out of the Powerhouse Museum, evict all the collections, shrink the museum, change its remit to contemporary arts, and turn once dedicated exhibition galleries into venue hire and function spaces – sweating every single asset as the MAAS CEO shamelessly puts it in her public talks on how to break the museum. …’
‘Twice in the last nine years the Powerhouse Museum has been saved by community advocacy only to discover that ‘public servants’ have ignored the letter and intent of the government’s announcement and gone straight back to doing exactly what they planned, telling multiple lies in the process. The now head of Create NSW flat out lied under oath to John Graham last year in budget estimates, 5 September 2022, when she denied there was another conservation management plan for the Powerhouse Museum. … Countless lies have been told, including at the meeting on Monday, apropos the reckless demolition of the large showcases in the transport gallery without covering any of the remaining objects. … The MAAS CEO said she has confidence in her staff. The problem is that she doesn’t take their advice. And they have no confidence in her leadership if you read the 2023 People Matter survey results. The people that work in the museum can see the emperor has no clothes. It hasn’t dawned on the new government yet.
The CEO’s stated vision for the PHM is to ignore the weight of language, history and architecture, and not bow down to the monuments of the 20^th century, to quote from her talks on breaking the museum. Now is the perfect time to be undoing our institutions she says. The MAAS CEO has no intention of preserving the Wran legacy. She has spent the last five years undoing it, if you paid attention to what is happening in the museum and read the annual reports.’ …
‘The MAAS CEO has ignored the spirit and intent of Labor’s announcement on 2 September, just as she did the former government’s announcement on 4 July 2020. That is why she is determined to close the museum and hide everything to do with her plans for the museum from public scrutiny. Next she will ask the staff to sign NDAs. ‘
If the Minister thinks he is saving the Wran legacy he might be the only person to believe this. With the removal of all the collections, the Powerhouse Museum will never reopen in any recognisable form as a museum. Unless there is a change of course the Minns government will be remembered for killing-off one of Labor’s cultural landmarks, delivering the essence of the LNP’s museum demolition scheme in the process. That this might be approved through misplaced confidence or naivety will not lessen the cultural crime, or public anger about Labor’s broken promises….The MAAS CEO boasts of not responding until it no longer matters, and that’s a very special bureaucratic strategy. This is what she did with the demolition of half the transport gallery, and the unnecessary move of the collections from the PHM’s purpose-designed collection store in the Harwood building into inferior and less accessible storage at Castle Hill.* Hundreds of objects were damaged in the process. …’‘I note we were advised in Monday’s meeting that the EIS is not close to release for public exhibition. It is not too late to save the Powerhouse Museum. The government could get much better value from its $250m investment through the staged revitalisation that we outlined, which includes renewal of the major exhibition galleries. This would keep parts of the museum open, engage the public in the renewal and conservation process, and create a sequence of exhibition launches over the next three years to show the government is keeping its promises. It will also keep the staff at Ultimo, preventing a looming brain drain. By all means get an independent opinion on this option if the Minister is sceptical of the advice of the PMA’s museum professionals with 40+ years of museum development experience, and the advice of Australia’s leading heritage conservation architect who spent a year closely inspecting the fabric of the building. We regret that we could not have the candid conversation we were promised on Monday which would have fleshed out more cost effective options for the heritage revitalisation of the PHM. In pressing ahead with the stage 2 SSD EIS, using the same LNP museum demolition hit squad, we fear the government is on the brink of a cultural and political disaster which may run for years.’ 

30 November, 2023
‘Stop the closure of the Powerhouse Museum’
Author Judith White wrote in her Culture Heist blog page, about that day’s debate to take place about Robert Borsak’s Notice of Motion for discussion about the decisions being made about the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. She said: ‘The Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo is in imminent danger. Its Board and CEO Lisa Havilah are pressing ahead with plans to close it on 31 December for three years – despite the NSW Labor Government’s stated intention to retain it as Australia’s leading science and technology museum. … The plan to break up the museum – a first in the developed world – was hatched under the Coalition Governments of Mike Baird, Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrotet. It involved the $800m construction of an events and entertainment palace on the flood plain at Parramatta, the dismantling of the priceless collection at Ultimo and destruction of its award-winning museum design in favour of a fashion, events and commercial precinct, and removal of much of the collection to the Castle Hill storage facility which museums specialist Kylie Winkworth and others have deemed completely unsuitable…’
‘The Minns Labor Government inherited an unholy mess at the State’s cultural institutions, and fine words alone will not fix it. On 2 September Arts Minister John Graham issued a statement saying: “We promised at the election that we would preserve the Wran legacy and keep the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo open. We are doing just that.” Treasury was happy that he had halved the $500m budget for “revitalisation” of the Ultimo site. Two months later came the announcement that closure would go ahead at the end of the year – with no detailed plans for renovation made public.
If you are going to “preserve the Wran legacy” and “keep the Museum open”, why close it less than halfway through the school holidays? To allow the Board and CEO to do this shows flagrant disregard for the people of NSW. The secrecy surrounding this manoeuvring is particularly disturbing. Australia already has the distinction of being the world’s “most secretive democracy”. For this to apply to the cultural sector is positively Kafkaesque – a prime example being the Berejiklian Government’s refusal to publish the business case for Sydney Modern, and we can see how that’s worked out. The Minns Government must stop the closure of Ultimo, replace the Board and CEO, publish all documents relating to renovation plans and restore the integrity of the collection.’
To read the Culture Heist blog, as well as many informed comments about her concerns,
Read Here, and Here: Culture Heist 30 Nov

29 November, 2023
Powerhouse Museum: Notice of Motion
Robert Borsak, MP and former Chair of two Select Committees for comprehensive Inquiries into the former Government’s decision to close the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo and move it to Parramatta, circulated a Media Release announcing his Notice of Motion to read in Parliament later in the day. In the Media Release, he writes: ‘In response to concerns raised during Budget Estimates, the Minister for the Arts reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Powerhouse Museum as a science and technology institution. However, upcoming events such as the Powerhouse Late: Heaps Gay have further cast doubt on the museum’s alignment with the government’s vision and election promises.’ Mr Borsak said, “I have called on the government to fulfill its pre-election commitments, end secrecy around the Powerhouse Museum’s plans, and ensure the preservation of priceless exhibits during the re-invigoration process”. He emphasised the importance of air-conditioned storage for exhibit pieces and calls for the replacement of the current CEO, Senior Directors, and Board of Directors with individuals committed to maintaining the museum as a technology and innovation hub. “My motion reflects a commitment to safeguarding the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo’s legacy and ensuring that it remains a valuable resource for education, inspiration, and enjoyment for all citizens of New South Wales”, Borsak said’.
Read here for Media Release:  Media Release RB PHMU technological legacy 
And Here for Notice of Motion: Notice of Motion PHM 29 Nov2023
And Here for a video of the speech in Parliament,  with adjacent introduction, where: ‘As an advocate for preserving the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo’s legacy, I’ve just moved a motion in the NSW Parliament to affirm the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party commitment to its role as a centre for technology and innovation.’ He said: ‘It’s time to fulfill pre-election promises, end secrecy, and safeguard the Powerhouse Museum’s invaluable legacy!
And for Minister Graham’s earlier media release on 2 September, which he refers to Read Here: Media Release Minister Graham 2 Sept

29 November, 2023
Following the Media Release (above) Save the Powerhouse Museum group reported in email and Facebook, that: ‘Borsak’s motion calls on the Upper House to: “affirm its support for Powerhouse Museum Ultimo to preserve the Wran legacy and keep the Powerhouse Museum open as a centre for technology and innovation suitable for all the citizens of NSW including families and children, not as a fringe art display gallery or revenue raising, function or event space, part-time fringe DJ dance floor or party venue.” It said that “The Powerhouse Museum CEO, Senior Management, and Board of Directors are obviously out of step with the Labor government’s vision for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo and called for the Government to “replace the CEO, Senior Directors, and Board of Directors for the Powerhouse Museum with a Board and Senior Management committed to a technology and innovation museum run on world’s-best museological practice, not…an event and party venue compromising the values, as well as the integrity, of the priceless technological exhibits held at Ultimo for the education, inspiration and enjoyment of the citizens of New South Wales.” Save has long called for:
– Keeping the Powerhouse as a REAL Science and Technology Museum respecting the Wran heritage legacy.
– Keeping the Museum open during the “Revitalisation” process.
– Replacing the Management by a team which understands museums and is willing to follow the Government’s directions.
There is no reason to close the Museum on December 31 when no “Revitalisation” project has been approved or even made public. Save again asks the Minister to keep to his promises of an open and consultative process, release immediately the documents kept secret by the previous and his Government and consult widely BEFORE any decisions about capital works or closure are made’. Read more: Save the Powerhouse re Borsak

29 November, 2023
‘City’s cultural institutions have enriched us for so long that we have taken their continued success as a given’
The Editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald draws attention to the need for on-going program and staff government funding for major arts and museum organisations, apart from building development, saying ‘At a superficial level, Sydney could claim to be Australia’s cultural capital. Beyond a plethora of small galleries and strong emerging artist network, the inner city boasts the Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point, Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay, recently expanded Art Gallery of NSW in the Domain, soon-to-be-rebuilt Powerhouse in Ultimo, and increasingly popular Australian Museum near Hyde Park. Further west, $800 million is being spent on the exciting new Powerhouse Parramatta. These institutions have enriched our lives for so long that we have taken their continued success as a given.’… ‘But through the dogged work of arts writer Linda Morris, the Herald has built a good sense of what is really going on behind-the-scenes – and it’s not a pretty picture. Many of the venues entrusted to protect and showcase our art and history have been slowly strangled by a toxic combination of rising costs and stagnant government funding, seriously undermining Sydney’s claim to be a world-class cultural destination. Sydney likes to talk a big game when it comes to its cultural footprint, but political interest in the arts often only extends to making sure buildings look good. How the institution itself operates is of less importance to Macquarie Street decision makers, who see little political capital in making sure our galleries and museums have enough money to pay staff, keep the doors open seven days a week, maintain free entry, stage groundbreaking exhibitions, share their collections with regional galleries and museums, and act as an incubator for new talent.’
…’ A significant funding boost for the city’s major galleries and museums would make a huge difference to these institutions and be akin to a rounding error for the annual state budget. Will Premier Chris Minns and Arts Minister John Graham seize the opportunity to nourish our institutions in the same way they have nourished our city’s soul? It is the definition of a no-brainer.’ Read more Here: or Here: SMH Editorial 29 Nov
and for Linda Morris: ‘MCA weighs up end to free admission in face of budget crisis’, Read Here:  or Here: SMH costs for galleries and museums

28 November, 2023
Hip-hop’s new epicentre: Western Sydney scene to be amplified at new Powerhouse
Helen Pitt, in the Sydney Morning Herald, records yet another example of how the management of the Powerhouse Museum is focusing in Parramatta on entertainment for local audiences, rather than an engaging and informative museum that has stories to tell and display from its existing and expanding collection of applied arts and sciences. She writes: ‘For decades the hip-hop culture emanating out of Western Sydney – considered the epicentre of emerging talent in the genre – has had no fixed address to call home.
Now music and street art representing neighbourhoods between Parramatta and Penrith will be honoured and sustained at Powerhouse Parramatta when it opens in 2025, under a cultural partnership between the new museum and Blacktown City Council. The Powerhouse Parramatta and Blacktown City Council Foundational Cultural Partnership is a five-year program set up to tell the urban and suburban stories of Blacktown, one of the most multicultural areas of Australia, with residents coming from 188 different birthplaces. It aims to spotlight the diversity of the creative skills of the communities, ranging from street art from Mount Druitt, and hip-hop across the region to Pacific Islanders’ weaving. Powerhouse Parramatta will be the new home of 4ESydney, which empowers youth, and champions emerging hip-hop musical talent, as well as hosts Australia’s only hip-hop festival and conference, called 4Elements.’
Read more: or Here: SMH Hip Hop at Parra
[The Powerhouse Museum Alliance and others continue to ask why Parramatta does not already have its own community art centre and gallery, and why the Powerhouse Museum must be so badly changed from its acknowledged and successful purpose and programs.]

November, 2023
Powerhouse Museum staff ratings: 2023 Public Sector Employee Survey
The 2023 Public Sector Employee Survey provides ratings on employment issues for a number or arts and museum organisations, including the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (Powerhouse Museum). For MAAS the results confirm concerns of those within the workplace for the management of the Museum and doubts about its program for the future. Powerhouse Museum Alliance and Save the Powerhouse have summarised the ratings here, saying ‘Employee feedback on the management and leadership at MAAS has further deteriorated from the atrocious results in 2022. What is especially notable in this survey is the comparative difference between MAAS and its peers in the sector.’
A summary for MAAS shows, among a number of ratings:
 – 36% of survey respondents intend to apply for jobs elsewhere in the public service (+3% from the sector) and 21% intend to leave within a year (+13% from the sector).
– Only 18% think change is well managed in the organisation (-3% from the previous year and -21% from the sector).
– Only 31% think senior managers model the values of the organisation (-4% from the previous year and -23% from the sector).
– Only 25% think senior staff provide clear directions for the future of the organisation (-7% from the previous year and -25% from the sector).
– Only 34% agree that the processes in the organisation are designed to support the best experience for customers (-22% from the sector).
– Only 42% agree that the organisation meets the needs of the communities, people and or businesses of NSW (-2% from the last year and -22% from the sector).
– And a staggering 42% want to leave because of the poor quality of the senior leadership (+16% from the sector)
Former MAAS Trustee and Senior Museum Consultant, Kylie Winkworth commented ‘This is what happens when a once-renowned public museum is turned into a contemporary arts organisation, at the expense of its focus on audiences, education and developing a collection of long term value’. Save the Powerhouse adds (refer Facebook) ‘Staff members are dissatisfied, visitation is at an all-time low, essential repairs are neglected and valued permanent exhibitions have been dismantled. Above all the Minister for the Arts’ vision of a popular Science and Technology Museum is constantly undermined by the current management team, pointing to the Museum imminent closure at the end of the year. Time for a change?’
Read more: PSA Survey with MAAS
To see the files online, Read Here (select Enterprise Investment and Trade),
Or Here for MAAS: NP0220766 – Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
and other state arts and museum organisations:
NP0220592 – Art Gallery of NSW
NP0220597 – Australian Museum
NP0220780 – Museums of History
NP0220788 – State Library of NSW
NP0220794 – Sydney Opera House

24 November, 2023
‘PHM CLOSURE ON DECEMBER 31 DOES NOT MAKE SENSE’
Save the Powerhouse group documents on its email and Facebook, that according to Infrastructure NSW’s projects page, ‘We are reliably informed that the Powerhouse MUSEUM in Ultimo is going to close for “Revitalisation” for a period of at least 3 years, starting 31 December, 2023 and all the exhibitions listed on the Museum’s webpage  end on that date.’
But they note that ‘Just over a month before this major event there has been no public announcement from the Management, nor from the Ministry for the Arts, and plans for the “Renewal”, recently re-packaged as “Revitalisation” continue in the same secretive way as it has been in place since Mike Baird’s statement in November 2015 that the Powerhouse would move to Parramatta. The same teams at MAAS, Create NSW and Infrastructure NSW, who planned the entire demolition of the Museum under Premier Mike Baird, a “presence” under Premier Berejiklian and a “Renewal” under Premier Perrottet, are still in charge. Their goal is to maintain secrecy over a decade of confected business plans, backflips and dozens of $millions of taxpayers’ money spent on private consultants.
The wide consultations repeatedly promised by the Minister for the Arts were limited to listening to a few powerful lobbyists and the public, the community groups and the museum experts were never heard.’
Save the Powerhouse continues: ‘We believe there is no justification for the closure of the MUSEUM‘ and provide a number of reasons (see attached below). They ask: SO WHY?
– Is there an operational budget short-fall that does not allow MAAS to continue the Museum’s operation?
– Are large parts of this budget being transferred to Parramatta?
– Is the Management eager to pursue its path of destruction on the MUSEUM and its collection even before any “Revitalisation” project is finalised?
Is anyone ever going to answer these questions?
The EIS Exhibition is likely to attract numerous opposing submissions. Is the old LNP’s device of confecting a fake “Response to Submissions” going to be used again?  If the Museum closes in a month’s time we will never see again the Science and Technology “people’s” Museum we loved and that the Minister for the Arts and the Premier promised to keep until very recently. Lisa Havilah’s dream of turning the MUSEUM into a creative industries/contemporary arts and entertainment centre will be achieved and the Wran heritage obliterated forever!’
READ MORE: 24 Nov PHM Closure!

19 November, 2023
‘Setback to Powerhouse Museum’s $44 million extension’
Linda Morris reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, about expected delays to the development of the new building for this controversial location, far distant from central Sydney and state audiences, writing that:  ‘The public opening of a state-of-the-art extension to the Powerhouse Museum’s storage facilities in Sydney’s northwest is running months late because the building has not yet met current fire standards; the state’s arts agency has still to obtain an occupancy certificate from Fire and Rescue NSW for the storage facility built inside the Museum Discovery Centre at Castle Hill; and the facility remains closed because the existing fire hydrant system the new building tapped into was deemed to have supplied insufficient pressure to run the sprinkler system.
The three-storey facility is to provide expanded storage – and weekend public access – to 300,000 objects in the museum’s collection including winged aircraft, historic trains, and helicopters. The Powerhouse Museum has been waiting since June to move dozens of staff including its conservation teams into the building ahead of the expected closure of its Ultimo museum for renovations. After shuffling the building’s opening dates several times, Create NSW said the storehouse won’t open now until 2024, when a new fire hydrant system is commissioned.
Read more Here, or Here: SMH Linda M Parra storage setback

 11 November, 2023
1,001 Remarkable Objects
‘An irresistible, mindboggling exhibition awakens sense of wonder’
(Note: extracts in […] are from original draft)
Art critic John McDonald wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘When Leo Schofield and a group of associate curators put together an exhibition called 1,001 Remarkable Objects, from the voluminous collections of the Powerhouse Museum, the emphasis was on the word: “remarkable”. The whole point of this irresistible, mind-boggling display, spread across 25 rooms, is to reawaken our sense of wonder …. Every piece in this show has a story, but they are best sampled first-hand. Curatorially, 1,001 Remarkable Objects is a cultural pot-pourri, with disparate items clustered together based on a shared motif or theme. In some rooms, it’s as if Schofield, along with Mark Sutcliffe, Ronan Sulich and Eva Czernis-Ryl, simply put a word such as “peacock” or “music” into the collection database and selected the strangest things that popped up. Ephemeral items of pop culture are juxtaposed with artefacts of ancient civilisations, tiny pieces of jewellery are linked with great clunking pieces of furniture. Viewers see everything from an Arnott’s biscuit to an electric car manufactured in Detroit in 1917. One extraordinary pairing puts a medieval suit of armour alongside the wheel of the plane in which Charles KingsfordSmith perished when he crashed in November 1935. The effect is almost hallucinogenic…’
‘This approach, so contrary to the usual curatorial processes, harks back to the ancestor of the modern museum: the Wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, in which royal courts and wealthy connoisseurs in the 17th and 18th centuries would display historical treasures, works of art, items of natural history and ingenious mechanisms … 1,001 Remarkable Objects serves as an urgent reminder of the depth and breadth of the permanent collection. It could be seen as a “greatest hits” package, but the rationales for this show are more complex.’
‘Leo Schofield has been a consistent critic of the previous government’s plans for the Powerhouse, which involved starving it of funds and then pushing through a preposterous billion-dollar scheme to move the museum to Parramatta, in defiance of public outrage and expert condemnation. He has been equally unimpressed by what has followed, namely the claim that the Ultimo establishment is “saved”, while the collection has been shunted into storage at Castle Hill [resulting in numerous damage reports. The fate of the Harwood Building remains under a cloud, and the historical mission of the museum is threatened by new management that seems determined to turn Ultimo into a contemporary art and fashion hub, while the unwanted new building in Parramatta becomes a depot for food and beverage]… [Elsewhere in the Powerhouse, a potentially interesting drawing show has been ambushed by neo-conceptual artist, Agatha Gothe Snape, who has been allowed to fill the galleries with her ‘creative’ interventions … Under current management, who have spent more than $1.5 million in a rebranding exercise that has erased the word “museum” from the institution’s title, such gestures represent the future of the Powerhouse while 1,001 Remarkable Objects represents the past. Yet …] Schofield’s riotous cabinet of curiosities respects the individuality and dignity of objects that have not been co-opted into any political or aesthetic program. [The people responsible for this glorious vision, which – prior to 1,001 Remarkable Objects – had reduced Powerhouse attendances to their lowest ebb since the 1960s, probably see the Schofield exhibition as a way of demonstrating their public commitment to the collection. To them it is a piece of useful theatre that provides cover for the wholesale demolition job being enacted behind the scenes.]’
‘For Schofield, one suspects an entirely different motivation: namely to throw a spotlight on an incredible collection that is being treated in the most cavalier fashion. At the conclusion of this show, on December 31, the vast majority of objects on display will disappear into storage in Castle Hill, joining other items that have been hauled off into obscurity, destined to resurface only as part of someone’s art or political statement.
1,001 Remarkable Objects may be a PR exercise for the new regime, but for Schofield and his curatorium, it is a Trojan horse, showing us what will be lost if the Powerhouse is comprehensively made over, sacrificing its unique identity as a museum of applied arts and sciences. It’s a plea to give the public what it really wants rather than impose a set of priorities that reflect the ideological values of those who have been handed the reins of power.
In a recent budget estimates hearing, Premier Chris Minns said: “The ultimate mission of the Powerhouse was really the advancement of science, showcasing innovation in NSW”. But under the Powerhouse’s new direction, science and innovation are being sidelined, and social history is being rewritten in narrow, partisan terms. If the Labor government is serious about honouring its election promise to preserve the Powerhouse as a museum, it needs to stop prevaricating and act swiftly and decisively. Otherwise, most of Schofield’s remarkable objects will be gathering dust for a very long time. The only experience of wonder involved will be to wonder how this could ever have been allowed to happen.’ Read Here, or Here: SMH John McD 1001 objects
Note: includes sections edited from original as […], and sourced from McDonald’s website

12 November, 2023
‘Collection that refuses a Once-over’
Christopher Allen, in The Australian, reviews the Powerhouse Museum’s exhibition, 1,001 Remarkable Objects, saying ‘A Sydney exhibition is so rich with intriguing items from a vast history of mankind. It will keep you doubling back.’
He documents very informed responses to the content, the display and the significance to historical and contemporary aspects of museums.
Read Here: (with text version to come) Christopher Allen The Australian 12 November

8 November, 2023
‘The City, the River and the Museum: Ways of Knowing the Parramatta/Burramatta River.’
In a local context, which includes the ‘flood’ issues associated with the development of the proposed ‘Powerhouse Parramatta’ Western Sydney University organised a symposium to discuss these issues. Their invitation said: ‘This symposium brings together researchers, scientists, policy makers, artists, activists, community members and museum workers to focus on different aspects of the Parramatta River as a central feature of Parramatta’s growing role as the Central River City in Greater Sydney.
Parramatta is the furthest navigable point inland on the Parramatta River, and also the point at which the river becomes freshwater. Aboriginal people once fished from bark canoes on the river, and the river continues to be a place of Aboriginal cultural significance. The river was also an important transport corridor between Sydney and Parramatta, and most of the Parramatta River was once swimmable. By the 1950s, however, a lack of regulation and rapid industrial development caused substantial pollution and degradation of the water quality. Today, there are growing calls and initiatives to restore the Parramatta River’s significance as the green heart of the city. The arrival of the Powerhouse Parramatta – scheduled to open in 2025 – is a catalyst for this development.
The symposium will discuss the ways in which the Parramatta/Burramatta River exemplifies the multiple roles of rivers in the lives of cities and their environs through intersecting physical, social and cultural structures and processes.’
Read more Here, and Here: UniWS Conference re Parra floods

Comments from Powerhouse Museum Alliance correspondents:
(most names withheld), about the University of Western Sydney’s conference on Floods.
Abbreviated comments include:
1: ‘So the symposium is about ‘Ways of Knowing the Parramatta River’. Hmmm, how about a session summarising the latest flood study?’
2: ‘Right from the beginning the university’s support for the ‘museum’ has been for its own programs at the new Powerhouse Museum site.’
3: ‘What’s the point? The river – at least at Parramatta – is as much lost as Willow Grove. Meriton et al have built high rise towers within metres of the riverbank and overturned planning controls to maintain the views down the river corridor from Parramatta Park. Developers including the Powerhouse have destroyed the river’s history, (demolishing Willow Grove the last riverside garden villa in Parramatta). They have wrecked the scale and public amenity of the river, and made it impossible to appreciate its history and significance.
4: I note the PP’s flood advisor is Arup’s who designed the Windsor Bridge which regularly disappears under flood waters and fails to achieve what it was designed to do – safely link the population on both sides of the river in times of flood. I agree we should request the Government commission a new study of the flood risks given updates re flood risk and, changes to the building – as well as the report by Steve Molino … and Dr John Macintosh’s evidence, …which are unambiguous in their overall conclusions of why would you build a museum – or indeed large public building – on a flood prone site with limited access in and out of the site.’
5: ‘May I suggest, in the light of the recent Parramatta Council release of an updated flood risk impact assessment, that you reread Kylie Winkworth’s outstanding submission to the Select Committee into Museums (Upper House Inquiry) Mark II, in 2021.’
Read More: Comments Flood conference

9 November, 2023:
‘MINISTER GRAHAM RE-EMPHASISES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM FOR POWERHOUSE ULTIMO’
The Daily Mail report below (6 November) was followed up in NSW Parliament on 9 November. On 12 November, Save the Powerhouse Museum group reported in email and Facebook that: ‘Minister for the Arts John Graham, answered questions during the 9 November Budget Estimates session and disclaimed responsibility for the Absolutely Queer exhibition excesses. Read here. (Pages 19 to 21)
Mark Banasiak, MLC, showing sexually explicit images from the exhibition, “which is best described as exhibit of sex, cosplay, etc…”, asked “whether this (fitted) into the (Government’s) view of good family entertainment.” “The souvenir shop (also) had explicit souvenirs” he added.
The Minister admitted that there were “far less families going to the Powerhouse at the moment” and re-affirmed the Government’s “very clear vision” for the Powerhouse: “It’s very much a science and technology museum and very much the institution that the Powerhouse has been known and loved for.” He concluded that the Absolutely Queer exhibition was “probably straying outside the Government’s direction for a science and technology museum.” “We will take some time to work through that with the Powerhouse” he added, but, as Arts Minister, “I am not going to interfere in particular exhibitions.”
“Clearly the leadership of the Powerhouse museum doesn’t share (your) vision or direction for the Powerhouse Museum, do they?” concluded Banasiak. Read Here: Save the P Govt response  (Watch the video of the proceedings HERE)

 6 November, 2023
‘Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum is slammed after sexually-explicit exhibit is set up next to popular attraction for children’
Writing for the Daily Mail Australia, Sarah Liversidge reports on the Absolutely Queer exhibition that: ‘A popular child-friendly museum has been slammed for allowing a sexually explicit exhibition to run alongside child-friendly activities. A shocked patron came across the racy exhibition while visiting the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and uploaded a video to social media documenting his shock. …
In the video, Sam shows viewers around an exhibit of an old train set up at the museum. ‘The kids will love this,’ he said. But then the camera turns around to show a cardboard cutout of a woman dressed in a skimpy black leather outfit. The camera then goes inside the room housing the queer exhibition and comes across another carboard cutout of a man with exposed buttocks. …’ I’m not a prude,’ Sam said. …’This is supposed to be about science but instead it’s a whole lot of sexual innuendo being injected into kids’ minds under the guise of science,’ he says. A spokesperson for the Powerhouse Museum told Daily Mail Australia: ‘The Powerhouse Museum is proud to present diverse views and stories from Sydney’s queer creatives through the Absolutely Queer exhibition’. See Here. ‘At entrances to this exhibition, content information exists to assist visitors including parents with children navigating the museum. ‘These signs clearly state, “This exhibition celebrates the creativity and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community. It contains swearing, sexually explicit language, nudity and religious references.”’ Read More.  For video, See here.  

25 October, 2023
PREMIER ANSWERS TO ROBERT BORSAK’s BUDGET ESTIMATES QUESTIONS
Save the Powerhouse Museum group documents the questions asked in Parliament during a “Budget Estimates” session on October 25, by former Chair of Enquiry, Robert Borsak, and the replies provided by Premier Chris Minns on October 25. They provide the questions asked relating to the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, and responses given, and then summarise a large number of continuing issues that remain unresolved:
They note: ‘To Borsak’s question “It has been announced that the Government, in its renewal of the Powerhouse Museum, will deliver a dynamic applied arts and applied sciences program. What’s your understanding of what that means?” he answered “The ultimate mission of the Powerhouse Museum was really the advancement of science”, reaffirming the NSW Government’s commitment to re-establishing a Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. Even so, he seemed unfamiliar with the details. To the question “Do you ‘believe the persons advising him have the expertise they need to return that facility to a proper arts and sciences museum?” he answered” I’m not sure who he’s getting his advice from…but I haven’t heard that he’s getting bad advice or from the wrong people.”
Among other leading questions, he responded to the question: “Would you agree with the concept that a technology and applied arts and sciences museum really does need to be put back on that site?…this is a unique technology museum that has stood there since the eighties” The Premier responded “Yes, I think you’re right and I think showing the evolution of the Powerhouse, and not just the Powerhouse but showing the evolution of how scientific innovation and technology has changed in Australia, is really important for our national story…” Save the Powerhouse Museum summarises: ‘This is exactly what the community wants: a museum that showcases science history (steam revolution, transport and space, etc.) while showing how science and technology continuously evolve to transform Australia and the world…which is a long way from the CEO’s vision of a fashion and event centre! And where does this leave Minister John Graham and CEO Havilah and team? Keep watching for more “Budget Estimates”.
Read more Here:  Premier replies to Borsak 25 Oct 
See also: Budget estimate, Portfolio Committee No 6: Transport and the Arts
Extract from NSW Government, Hansard: relating to Powerhouse Museum: Read here: Budget Estimates PHM 25 Oct

16 October, 2023
DESPITE MINISTERIAL STATEMENT, NOTHING AT PHM HAS CHANGED?
Save the Powerhouse Museum comments:
‘Shortly after the Treasurer, Daniel Mookhey delivered the 2023-24 NSW Government budget on September 19, John Graham, Minister for the Arts, said in the Upper House ( Read here: or Here: ) that “Museums have always been democratic places…The Government wants the Powerhouse Museum that the people of New South Wales have always known and loved: a museum of applied arts and sciences, a temple to technology and science…a place where families…could get off the train at Central, and within a short walk they could be in the Powerhouse Museum alongside Locomotive No. 1 or, indeed, launching into space.” This followed the September 2 announcement that the $500M “Renewal” was abandoned and replaced by a $250M “Heritage Revitalisation”, even though, budget details showed that only $119M was budgeted over the next 4 years. Despite his apparent good intentions, it seems that that we are being offered exactly the same project (to transform our beloved Science and Technology Museum into a fashion and event centre) re-packaged for the third time, from Berejiklian’s “Presence”, to Perrottet’s ”Renewal”, to Minns’ “Revitalisation”. The same MAAS/Create NSW/Infrastructure NSW management team is currently working on yet another version of the same project even though they have consistently disdained Applied Arts and Sciences and demonstrated a clear lack of Museum experience and understanding. The Museum CEO has regularly stated her intention to close the Ultimo site at the end of this year and fire visitation staff, confusing curatorial and consultant positions, move professional curators to Castle Hill and move unnecessarily collection objects to Castle Hill, and denied they have been damaged. She said in 2021 that her intention was to “ignore the weight of history, language and architecture” (Here)  contradicting the Minister’s statement about respecting the historical and architectural “Wran Heritage” and carrying out a “Heritage Revitalisation”.’
They note also that ‘The recent resolutions of the Heritage Council of NSW  (Here) confirm our concerns’, and provide many issues and recommendations for the Minister to consider, and for supporters to follow up. Only relentless pressure from the powerful Powerhouse Museum supporting community which has already saved the Museum from demolition can halt this destructive project.
We urge you to send your concerns immediately to the Minister at https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-for-roads-arts-music-and-night-time-economy-jobs-tourism and encourage your friends and families to do the same.
Read more here: Nothing has Changed 16 Oct

11 October 2023
CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE POWERHOUSE
Australia’s major Museum of Arts and Sciences in Sydney’s most evocative heritage building.
Long-term supporter of the Powerhouse Museum, Tom Lockley, published his final Bulletin 91, the last in a long series of summaries of issues, questions and concerns, about the future of the Museum in Ultimo. He says:
‘In brief: the Government has promised to develop a scheme for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo ‘Heritage Revitalisation’, not further defined beyond an earlier statement that there will be a ‘dynamic applied arts and sciences program, presenting exhibitions that showcase the Powerhouse Collection and attract international exhibitions…’. But it is being developed by the same planners who have been operating for the past eight years, and of course we have heard nothing about involvement of people with experience and qualifications in museum work. The rumour is that the ‘design and fashion emphasis’ is not dead, but may be dressed up as ‘the retention and repurposing’ of the heritage building. An allied rumour is that the museum will still be closed during major alterations, hardly necessary if the popular and highly significant steam display, the heart of the museum, is to be retained.
The constant demand for the future has been for THE Powerhouse MUSEUM to remain as the main Australian museum dedicated to the vital interface between the applied arts and sciences, in its present magnificent heritage building on its present site, most accessible to the state, the country and the world. So, until this is achieved, another battle has to be fought.’ He notes that: ‘There is a little bit of progress in getting heritage protection for the museum. On 8 October the Heritage Council of NSW resolved to ‘note the significance of the 1988 adaptive reuse of the entire site to create the Powerhouse Museum’ and ‘to recognise its social and historic significance’. The experts of the Powerhouse Museum Alliance are examining the report in detail, but at least it is a step forward from the ‘tear down and rebuild’ plan of the previous Government.’
Lockley documents a number of related concerns, and concludes: ‘I need to thank the people who are still reading! … Over the years, there have been a few comments to the effect that the struggle is useless – why try to beat these people who have usurped democratic power? Other people have been afraid to openly criticise Government policy because they are Government employees or contractors, which is of even greater concern…But overall this experience over the period since our first publication, May 2015, has been very positive, and a great affirmation of the collective wisdom of the supporters of Australian culture. I do think that the battle is nearly won, and that our museum will survive. Read more: Tom Lockley Last Bulletin 91 

1 October, 2021
MAAS CEO’s 2021 STATEMENT CONTRADICTS 2023 MINISTERIAL PROMISE
Save the Powerhouse Museum writes that:
‘On August 27^th, 2021 Lisa Havilah, MAAS CEO, said that her intention was to “ignore the weight of history, language and architecture” in Ultimo. (Read here.) 
This contradicts directly John Graham, Minister for the Arts, statement on September 2^nd, 2023, that the Minns Labor Government would carry out a “Heritage Revitalisation” to the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. (Read here.)
He said that “The NSW Government is delivering on its election commitment to save the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo and preserve the Wran legacy.The Minns Labor Government is committing $250 million for a heritage revitalisation to the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo…The iconic and much-loved 1988 Wran building will be saved…”
They ask: ‘But can a leopard change its spots? The CEO has consistently displayed her lack of understanding of Applied Arts and Science and Museology and her preference for elitist fashion shows and late evening events completely unrelated to a museum’s real mission (see ICOM definition of a museum HERE ).
In contrast the Minister said he wants the revitalised Museum to be “…a democratic place…that the people of New South Wales have always known and loved…a temple to technology and science”…a place where families could take a short walk along the Goodsline to be alongside Locomotive No. 1.’ They suggest that: ‘If you have an opinion on this blatant contradiction between the Minister’s stated intentions and the MAAS CEO’s objectives or on any other aspect of the “Revitalisation” write to the Minister HERE. 

October, 2023
‘Structural updates in Parramatta’
Infrastructure NSW and Lendlease report on developments taking place at the Parramatta site for the proposed ‘Powerhouse Parramatta’. They say: ‘Powerhouse Parramatta is the largest investment in cultural infrastructure since the Sydney Opera House, and the first major NSW cultural institution to be established in Western Sydney. Lendlease is responsible for the detailed design and construction of Powerhouse Parramatta.
Their summary includes: Latest updates;  Key construction activities; Structural works ;  Other work in progress; Upcoming construction activities: October to December;  News and events; ABC News exclusive; Breaking Ground Program;  More information.
To read the details Read here, and Here: INSW and Lendlease Parra construction    and for ABC video, here:    ABC video Parra construction         

25 September, 2023
‘The Powerhouse Museum Parramatta receives $8M donation to support engineering and science in Western Sydney.’
In a Media Release from the Minister for the Arts, it was announced that:
‘Engineering and science education will benefit from an $8 million donation to the Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta by the Sir William Tyree Foundation supporting generations of students, particularly in Western Sydney. Sir William Tyree, who built an engineering and manufacturing empire in south-west Sydney, was a passionate advocate for education and giving back. This visionary donation from the Tyree Foundation will establish:
… an Australian Engineering Summit to showcase research excellence and innovation while engaging future generations to embrace the endless possibilities of engineering. Delivered by the Powerhouse annually, the summit will bring together engineering leaders from Australia and around the world and will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, industry led workshops, and an industry expo.
… an annual, free, hands-on engineering school holiday workshops for Year 7 to 10 students from Western Sydney. The Powerhouse will collaborate with TAFE NSW to devise programs that encourage students to learn about leading new technologies across engineering and science.
… the Tyree Foundation Gallery, one of the most significant gallery spaces at Powerhouse Parramatta, will feature an impressive 2000 square metres of floor space and an 8-metre-high ceiling. The gallery will present world-class immersive exhibitions related to the world of engineering and science.’
Comments are documented from: Minister for the Arts John Graham, Chair of Sir William Tyree Foundation Robbie Fennell, Powerhouse Trust President Peter Collins AM KC, and Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah. Read more Here; or Here  Media release Parra donation

As well, among other announcements in the News From Powerhouse, email newsletter, the donation and its purpose is also discussed, as TYREE FOUNDATION GALLERY;  VISIONARIES – SIR WILLIAM TYREE FOUNDATION.
Comments include: ‘We are thrilled to partner with Powerhouse Parramatta. This investment reinforces the Sir William Tyree Foundation’s ongoing commitment to developing the next generation of Australian innovators, engineers, and entrepreneurs. We are very proud to support students across Western Sydney and NSW to actively pursue engineer-related education and careers and to catalyse multidisciplinary collaborations right here at Powerhouse Parramatta.’ Robyn Fennell, Chair, Sir William Tyree Foundation.
‘The Tyree Foundation Gallery at Powerhouse Parramatta will present nationally and internationally important exhibitions that connect audiences with new ideas around engineering, technology and culture.  The programs that Tyree Foundation has so generously supported will bring together educators, researchers, and industry leaders to create new pathways for young people across NSW into future engineering and science jobs.’  The Hon John Graham MLC, NSW Minister for the Arts. Read more Here, or Here: Tyree Foundation Gallery PHM news

18 September, 2023
‘Borsak Queries in the Upper House Raise More Questions’
Following the release of the Q&As (below), Save the Powerhouse (Facebook) group circulated very relevant summaries and further questions. Comments included:
‘But the meticulously-crafted answers received just raise more questions. Is the same team (museum management and trustees, Create NSW, Infrastructure NSW and Consultants), responsible for the $1.5 Billion Powerhouse debacle for nearly a decade, going to direct the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo “Heritage Revitalisation”? …How could the Minister be confident that this team could “deliver a dynamic applied…and sciences program, presenting exhibitions that showcase the Powerhouse Collection and attract international exhibitions…” within budget? Especially when the current management has consistently shown its disdain for Applied Arts and Sciences and its lack of Museum experience.
Is the current SSD (State Significant Development) application for a $500 Million “Renewal”, now defunct according to the Minister, going to be used for the “Revitalisation” project although the building envelope scope of work is totally different? … Are the broad consultations, repeatedly promised by the Minister, going to take place, if ever, only after the “Revitalisation” details are finalised and, as under the previous Government, when nothing is left to debate?  Is the inadequate (see Docomomo’s submission of July 2022 http://tiny.cc/yp7bvz ) “Curio” CMP (Conservation Management Plan), which replaced the professional draft CMP from Alan Crocker, going to be revived? If so, who wrote the brief and when will it be released? Will the inadequate current heritage listing which only protects the original powerhouse buildings external walls and omits the interiors, the 1988 Wran extensions, the Harwood building and the collections remain unaltered?  Will the Museum be closed (when? and for how long?) and large objects be moved for the “Revitalisation”? And, if so, why when experts advise that they could protected on site?
… The Minister announced that “INSW WILL procure qualified engineers…” Why did this decision take 6 months when it was obvious, well before the election, that the site needed a qualified engineer’s assessment after over a decade of gross neglect? The Minister confirmed that the Harwood building’s collection storage facilities will no longer be used and that the transfer of the collections to Castle Hill were now a “fait accompli”. He did not indicate however the future function of the building but said that HE IS ADVISED that “there are no plans to sell or lease the Harwood building or the Wran Building or any part of the sits” and that “there are CURRENTLY no plans for (UTS) to lease or purchase any Powerhouse facility”. What does this mean?
Well, Minister for the Arts, how do you answer these questions? Read more Here: Q&A Followup – Save the Powerhouse

Mid-September, 2023
Powerhouse Museum Ultimo: Questions and Answers in Parliament: Borsak to Graham
On 24 August, 2023, Robert Borsak MP, who chaired both Upper House Inquiries into the Powerhouse Museum management, asked John Graham, Minister for the Arts, many seriously significant questions about the future of the Powerhouse Museum. These questions cover issues that have  been debated, and generally unanswered, for many years. By mid-September, both the Questions, and the Answers to them, became available in Hansard. The questions and the answers received are now available as one of the House Business Papers for questions 1147, 1148, 1149, 1150, 1151: starting Here.
For full transcript Read Here. Parliament – Questions and Answers Sept 2023

19 September, 2023
NSW Budget report, referring to Powerhouse Museum
Minister John Graham is reported in Hansard regarding the government’s proposals for arts and culture, including comments regarding current plans for the Powerhouse Museum. Within a longer statement, he said: ‘I turn to arts and culture matters. It has been a tight budget and there is a cost‑of‑living battle. In that context, the Minns Labor Government has delivered $1.2 billion into arts and culture and the experience economy. That is a remarkable investment. As I said, the proportion for arts and culture has increased significantly since the last pre-COVID budget. That is very welcome.’ He continues: ‘Museums have always been democratic places. That is the tradition we have built in New South Wales. The budget not only continues that tradition but also strengthens it. The Government is delivering on the election commitment to save the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, committing $250 million to a heritage revitalisation. The Government wants the Powerhouse Museum that the people of New South Wales have always known and loved: a museum of applied arts and sciences, a temple to technology and science. Like the majestic Catalina flying boat Frigate Bird II, until recently the future of this beloved museum had been up in the air. On Saturday 2 September, the Minns Government ended what had been a sorry eight-year saga. The first plan that the former Government conceived was for the museum to be shuttered and moved. Then, when community outcry from across New South Wales took the former Government by surprise, it offered up the planned half a billion-dollar knockdown rebuild. It would have made the project the Allianz Stadium of the museum world. One thing that the former Government never quite understood was the passionate community support for that institution, not just from the local community but also from citizens around the State. It was a place where families from the outer suburbs of Sydney or from regional New South Wales could get off the train at Central, and within a short walk they could be in the Powerhouse Museum alongside Locomotive No. 1 or, indeed, launching into space. That is one of the reasons there has been such strong support. The $250 million heritage revitalisation is an example of the sort of approach we will take in government, and I am pleased to commend it to the House.’ Read more of the Statement  Here:  or Here: 2023 Hansard re Powerhouse

Budget extracts:
‘A long-term fiscally responsible approach to the State’s infrastructure program’
Within its overall infrastructure funding statement, the Budget noted: ‘In recent years, the State’s infrastructure program has continued to expand, white high inflation was driving up input prices and market capacity was highly constrained. The State has seen record levels of capital slippage (e.g., $6.8 billion in 2022-23). The program has stretched the State’s balance sheet, with the 2023 Pre-election Budget Update projecting gross debt to rise to $188.2 billion by June 2026 and interest expenses to $7.0 billion by 2025-26. In April 2023, the Government commissioned an independent expert, Ken Kanofski, to undertake a review of the State’s infrastructure program – the Strategic Infrastructure Review. The Review was commissioned in response to significant challenges facing the NSW infrastructure program, driven by substantial cost escalation, the ongoing impacts of COVID and the need for a fairer distribution of investment. The Review was tasked with identifying infrastructure projects and programs that should no longer proceed, be delayed or de-scoped, to get the State’s infrastructure pipeline back on stable footing. Following the Review, the Government has agreed to delay or descope projects worth more than $2.5 billion.’ This included reference to the Powerhouse Museum.
Read more Here:  Budget Extracts Sept 2023

11 September, 2023
‘Media Release: Willow Grove’
Minister John Graham’s media release announces: ‘The NSW Minns Labor Government will not proceed with a costly rebuild of Willow Grove in Parramatta, following comments from Heritage experts that a rebuild would be an act of “fake heritage”. The former Liberal Government demolished Willow Grove in late 2021, with the promise of rebuilding the heritage mansion at an alternative site. It has now been revealed the former Liberal Government never allocated funds for the reconstruction. The former government never resolved an alternative site.
Moving forward the Minns Labor Government has outlined three priorities to address the Parramatta community cultural and heritage needs:
1. Supporting the new Powerhouse Museum at Parramatta to appropriately engage with the
heritage of their site.
2. Working with local community to consider the options to secure the Roxy Theatre for future
generations. This includes developing a comprehensive Final Business Case for reactivating
the venue.
3. Seek advice from the heritage and local community stakeholders the best way for the
materials from Willow Grove to be used.’ Read more here: 230911 MR GRAHAM – Willow Grove 

10 September, 2023
‘Willow Grove won’t be rebuilt in Parramatta, NSW government decides’
Housnia Shams, in ABC News, wrote that: ‘The NSW government has ditched a plan to rebuild the historic 19th-century Willow Grove house in Parramatta … Built between 1870 and 1880, the villa was torn down in 2021 to make way for the new Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta, despite opposition from community groups. Parts of Willow Grove, including over 90 per cent of the original bricks, the slate roofing, windows, the front door, timber framing and fence have been kept in secure storage. The building was set to be reconstructed at an alternative site under a proposal by the previous Coalition government, but Arts Minister John Graham has scrapped the plan, saying a rebuild would be a “terrible idea”. “It was a tragedy that Willow Grove was demolished, particularly against the community’s strong wishes to preserve it,” he said. “The former government did not allocate funds or find a site for reconstruction, despite their promises that Willow Grove would be rebuilt. Given the heritage and broader community are strongly telling us that attempting to rebuild the beloved Willow Grove would be a bad use of taxpayer money – that it would be a ‘fake heritage’ — and that there’s no money to do so, today we are drawing a line under this sorry saga… Mr Graham said the government would instead focus on other heritage sites in Parramatta, including the Roxy Theatre…The North Parramatta Residents Action Group (NPRAG), which led protests to save Willow Grove, welcomed the decision. “Thankfully sanity has prevailed, no Willow Grove Frankenstein will be resurrected,” NPRAG spokesperson Suzette Meade said. “It must not be forgotten that we lost Willow Grove due to the former government’s refusal to acknowledge the community and experts’ opinions. “How we honour its memory into the future must be driven by the community.” The government said it would seek advice from the heritage and local community stakeholders to determine the best way for the materials from Willow Grove to be used.
Read more, or Here  Willow Grove ABC 10Sept

September 9, 2023
‘A terrible idea’: Minns government scraps rebuild of historic Willow Grove
Linda Morris wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘The historic 19th-century villa Willow Grove, controversially pulled down to make way for the Powerhouse Parramatta and a flashpoint for public protests, will never rise again. The Minns government has jettisoned the former Coalition government’s planned rebuild of the heritage riverside home, which is lying in pieces in a storage facility in south-west Sydney … The announcement was welcomed by heritage advocates, including the North Parramatta Residents Action Group which had led the campaign and public protests, saying any rebuild would have amounted to “fake heritage”. “The Parramatta community does not support replica heritage buildings being the precedent for developments that are too lazy to incorporate our-fast disappearing heritage,” the group’s president Suzette Meade said.
The historic building was demolished in 2021 after an unsuccessful bid in the Land and Environment Court to save it and a union green ban was revoked. It was a condition of development consent of the Powerhouse Parramatta – to open in 2025 – that Willow Grove be rebuilt. Before the change of government, three new sites had been shortlisted – with the build at one time estimated to cost $10 million. Graham said Willow Grove’s significance as a key site of female and First Nations history, and in nursing and midwifery would be honoured differently with a book about the site’s broad history and interpretative text panels in the Powerhouse undercroft, an open basement space built to collect floodwaters.’ Among many other comments: ‘The rebuild was opposed by the National Trust, which had withdrawn in 2022 from a reference group formed to find a new site. “We don’t believe you can rebuild it in any true sense because any new building would have to meet new building code requirements,” Trust’s conservation director David Burdon said. “We’d essentially have a new building with some old pieces stuck on it, that’s the reality of it.” Read More: or Here: Willow Grove SMH 9 Sept

 6 September, 2023
‘The Powerhouse Museum is Saved. Again.’
In a mass email circulated by the Powerhouse Museum Alliance,  museum expert and member, Kylie Winkworth, makes an excellent summary of information associated with the reassuring announcement on 2^nd September from the NSW Arts Minister, John Graham, that the significant 1988 buildings of the Powerhouse Museum will not be demolished. She discusses positive new directions that are possible for renovation and development in Ultimo, and further issues that must be addressed about the identity, management, program and presentation that best reflects this state Museum’s long-term purpose and profile.
She says: ‘The announcement by Arts Minister John Graham on 2nd September, 2023, that Labor is committing $250 million for the heritage revitalisation of the Powerhouse Museum is great news.  It appears that the LNP’s destructive $500m ‘Powerhouse Ultimo’ demolition and redevelopment project is dead.   Is it possible that the community’s near nine year battle to save the PHM is nearing an end?…
The Powerhouse Museum Alliance (PMA) is grateful for the common sense that Minister Graham has brought to this long-running cultural policy debacle. It’s not a cheaper Powerhouse that the Minns government will deliver, but the heart and soul of the real Powerhouse Museum, finally saved for the second time, to be revitalised as a museum, not a half empty function centre. Contrary to what the Opposition has said, the plans championed by Create NSW and MAAS would have halved the museum’s exhibition space and public domain. Instead of dedicated exhibition galleries all the gallery spaces would be available for commercial hire. The result would have been at best a part time exhibition facility with a narrow remit for fashion, design and creative industries.
… No wonder the leadership of MAAS hid the details of the project under a cloak of secrecy worthy of a national security project, not a public museum. After the former government promised the PHM was saved in July 2020, they embarked on a re-make of the ‘Ultimo Presence’ plans from the 2018 business case. It was a deeply cynical public deception, based on fake consultations and a determination to ignore community and expert views. …
There are still many questions and uncertainties over the future of the Powerhouse Museum, not least the restoration of the PHM’s name, brand and mission. There is no clarity yet on the future of the Harwood building, the museum’s conservation, storage, workshops and research centre. The government must abandon the secret deal with UTS and return the building to the museum’s control and operations.  It is an integral part of the PHM’s history, heritage, design, functionality, and future opportunities.
The Powerhouse Museum Alliance looks forward to assisting the government in what we hope will be the visionary revitalisation of the PHM’s precinct, site, buildings and exhibitions.’
Read more: PMA The Powerhouse Museum is Saved Sept 2023

4 September, 2023
‘Things we need to know’
Tom Lockley, who has provided information Bulletins and Fact Sheets throughout the nine years of the campaign to save the Powerhouse Museum in its Ultimo site, circulates a summary of many of the issues from 2014 to the present, demonstrating that it is clear that background information, rationales for decision-making and details of planning and consultation, have been withheld by former government departments and related bodies, and kept secret from those who also need to know.
He writes: ‘Over the years, the Government has been required to release some information, but this has been manifestly unsatisfactory. Some information on basic matters is needed so that the Government’s decision-making process can be properly examined.’
Issues noted in his 2023 September summary, include: alternatives to the ‘move’ of the museum to Parramatta; release of all documents emanating from the Finance Ministry or the Treasury which supported the statements of Mr Baird as Premier (26 November 2014 and thereafter) that the sale of the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum site for ‘urban renewal’ would finance the ‘move’ of the museum to Parramatta; release of all public consultation and research done in many sessions; the Government’s statement that the purchase of the Parramatta Museum site by the government-appointed administrator (31 July 2017) was in accordance with the wishes of the previous elected Parramatta Council; this is clearly wrong, and we would like an acknowledgement of this fact; the decision-making process of the reprieve of the museum announced on July 4 2020, appears to be yet another basic decision made by a small group within the Government. There was no consultation, eg with the Trustees or the CEO, and apparently also no input from people with museum qualifications and experience; release of the decision-making process regarding the new emphasis on having ‘a museum dedicated to design and fashion’ announced on 15 June 2021; details of involvement of people with museum experience and qualifications in basic decision-making; explanation of why a Conservation Management Plan was not an integral part of the initial proposal of 26 November 2014 as required by the Burra Charter; a clear statement about the future of the remaining traditional features of the museum if the Government’s latest proposal proceeds. In particular, we would like assurance that the steam gallery – certainly the best such display in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the best in the world — should be retained in its present site, the first industrial power station in the world; the report that a statement from the museum that a minimum of $100 million was thought to be needed to replace the museum’s roof and make it safe. This has been greeted with incredulity. We would really like to see the full documentation of any basis for this claim! Indicative costs as guesstimated by architects and engineers who have commented on this matter suggest two million dollars at the most.’
Lockley concludes that: ‘Over the years information has been sought on all these matters, with no response. We have, however, had acknowledgement that from the DPC that the current fact sheet has been received and considered by the previous Government and this covers most of the issues raised.’ Read the full report Here: Things we need to know – Tom Lockley

5 September, 2023
‘Minister for the Arts back-pedalling on promises’
In ArtsHub, Gina Fairley asks: ‘Is the “revitalisation” of plans for Powerhouse Ultimo a sign of the NSW Government’s dwindling commitment to the arts?’ and continues: ‘Buried with a bunch of announcements on the NSW Government website was a rather staggering headline…‘The Powerhouse Museum Ultimo revitalised’, and suggests that ‘“Revitalised” has the ring of energised growth and renewal. While Powerhouse Ultimo is set for renewal, the Government’s announcement rather cloaks a slash of funds.’ She cites the media release  which explains “…The $230 million balance from this decision will support the construction of new school and hospital projects as part of a new era of responsible long-term budget repair,” and asks ‘ “Revitalised”? More like scrapped.’ Apparently unaware of the many wider management and program issues, including heritage concerns about costly demolition of the 1988 buildings, and how the new decision has averted this, Fairley recalls that: ‘It was only nine months ago (December 2022) that the Government was celebrating the announcement that a team of architects … would “deliver a world-class museum for the people of NSW, and beyond”, and notes that ‘ArtsHub will be watching the development of this story.’ Read More:   or Here: ArtsHub 5 Sep 2023

3 September, 2023
On-line record of responses to announcement:
Save the Powerhouse (Facebook and email) locates three on-line meetings with Arts Minister John Graham, and interviews with themselves (Patricia Johnson and Jean-Pierre Alexandre) and advocate Tom Lockley, recommending we watch here:
 – ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-02/nsw-minister-for-the-arts-john-graham-on-the-powerhouse/102807760
 – 9News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TulQiZBhgQ
 – 7News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1egWv_EKyCQ
Minister for the Arts, John Graham declared  “This is great news for the Powerhouse Museum. We are delivering on our electoral commitments, we are saving the Powerhouse Museum, we are saving the Wran building and we are also saving more than $200 million.”Save the Powerhouse said “The main objective was to keep the building as it is with reasonable repair”.

3 September, 2023
John McDonald’s response to Saving the Museum
In his regular newsletter, art critic John McDonald writes about discovering ‘…that the NSW government had finally bitten the bullet and killed off the proposed $500 million vandalism of the Powerhouse Museum’s Ultimo site.’, ,,, that  ‘First of all, this is great news. Secondly, the PHM has been “saved” before, and that only led to further duplicity and disaster. This new announcement is a test of the Labor government’s mettle, although it would be impossible for them to match the extraordinary hypocrisy and double-dealing of the previous regime.’ … He also observes: ‘For the moment there are two responses to the announcement that are worthy of attention. Firstly, Lisa Havilah, the CEO of the PHM operation, who has personally driven the emptying out of collection storage, with much reported damage to items – which she has publicly denied – says she “welcomes” the new plans. This is, I suppose, an inevitable response. One can’t speak out against one’s employer when they’ve made a big decision  …. Nevertheless, the hypocrisy is staggering. Under Havilah, the collection has been treated with cavalier disrespect, the standout piece of evidence being the dinners and rave parties held in the main exhibition gallery where important items such as the Catalina flying boat have been damaged. She was also happy to close the museum for three years while the rebuild was underway, moving the curators to rented offices in Parramatta and Castle Hill, where they could “hot desk”, while wondering what to do with themselves all day. Finally there is the questionable obsession with “residencies” and “food and beverage” facilities. All of this is secondary – if not simply anathema – to the historical mission of the museum.’
‘As for the Coalition response, the Opposition spokesman for the Arts, Kevin Anderson, said: “This is a huge blow for the arts sector who will now have to settle for less.”  … Apparently no-one has informed Mr. Anderson that the arts sector has opposed these schemes from Day One; has submitted countless petitions, objections, analyses and expert opinions… which were comprehensively ignored by the Coalition, who failed to produce a workable business plan and kept all their deliberations secret from the public.’
‘… The Labor announcement is indisputably good news, but there’s still a great deal that has to be done to sort out the white elephant that is being constructed in Parramatta; the fate of the Harwood Building, which is crucial to the PHM’s operations in Ultimo, and – most importantly of all – the kind of administration the PHM requires, “going forward”, as the cliché has it. .. If the PHM is to be revived, it requires more than a patched-up mess of half-baked ideas from the people who hastened to push through as much of their destructive program as possible while Labor hesitated to act… If a vote of no confidence were taken, from the public and within the institution, it’s easy to predict the results.’ Read Here: John McDonald 3 Sept

3 September, 2023
Minister defends cheaper Powerhouse renovation amid ‘budget challenges’
Andrew Taylor and Mary Ward write in the Sydney Morning Herald’s SunHerald, that: ‘The NSW government has defended its decision to scrap a $500 million redevelopment of the Powerhouse in Ultimo for a cheaper renovation, as the Coalition labelled the decision a tragedy and “huge blow for the arts”. Existing structural elements of the museum building including its 1980s Wran wing are expected to be restored and not demolished.’
‘Arts Minister John Graham on Saturday denied the announcement was a “watered down” solution for the museum, which was placed into turmoil in 2015 when then-premier Mike Baird expressed intentions to close the site and replace it wholesale with a Parramatta museum. “This is exactly what we promised: we promised to save the Powerhouse, we promised to save the Wran building, and that’s what we are doing here today,” Graham said. Graham said the plans both aligned with community expectations for the site and reflected current budgetary constraints.’
‘… However, the Coalition’s arts spokesman Kevin Anderson said the NSW government was walking away from an opportunity to build a new purpose-built museum on the site. “This is a huge blow for the arts sector who will now have to settle for less,” he said.
… Graham said the final redesign for the Ultimo site would be influenced by community consultation, and may still include a significant reconfiguration of the space.“The plan to open up the building to potentially face in other directions is still part of the discussion,” he confirmed. “But, appropriately, we want to take the time to sort through those details with the community.” In a statement, community group Save the Powerhouse Museum said the plans took the future of the museum in a very promising direction, and it looked forward to further discussions.
Graham denied the Ultimo site would be a secondary museum to the new Powerhouse Parramatta, which is scheduled to open in 2025. “Museum fans will have many to choose from in Sydney, as a result of these projects. They’ll each pick their own favourite, but I won’t be doing that,” he said.’ Read more Here: or Here: SMH 3 September 

3 September, 2023
Minns government rejects ‘modest’ rebuild of Powerhouse Museum is a broken election promise
Following the government announcement on 2 September, Danuta Kozaki writes for ABC net news, that: ‘New South Wales Arts Minister John Graham has rejected suggestions they have broken an election promise over plans for the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney…The museum in Ultimo is set to get a more “modest” rebuild than planned under the former state Coalition government — with only half of the $500 million previously allocated to be spent. Mr Graham said $250 million will be used to give the 1988 museum a “heritage revitalisation” instead of knocking it down as previously outlined. “This is not a watered down plan. This is exactly what we promised,” Mr Graham said.” We promised to save the Powerhouse Museum, we promised to save the Wran building and we are also saving more than $200 million dollars with this decision. NSW families are facing rampant inflation, as well as rising energy and housing costs. This is a more modest proposal and suits the times.” ‘
…’ Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope said cutting the project was a “slap in the face” for the creative community and accused the government of following a pattern of slashing to pay for election promises.’
However, Graham confirms that the Ultimo site needs significant investment, and that: ‘Museum advocates, local members and community groups have been consulted, according to Mr Graham. But he stressed that was just the first step and other decisions needed to be made.’ Read here: and Here:  2 Sept ABC news

2 September, 2023
AMAZING LONG-AWAITED NEWS!!!
‘Minns government scraps Powerhouse Museum rebuild at Ultimo’
Received with great excitement by the many people critical over more than 8 years of the former government’s plans to demolish the Ultimo site of the historic Powerhouse Museum, Linda Morris reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, that ‘The Minns government has scrapped a $500 million rebuild of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo, opting instead for a $250 million “heritage revitalisation” and redirecting the savings towards new schools and hospitals. The decision is the latest pre-budget announcement by the NSW government reining in large construction project costs in an attempt to rebalance the state’s finances…
Arts Minister John Graham said the decision to upgrade the Ultimo museum instead of a complete rebuild was a prudent investment in a tough fiscal environment. Construction of the Powerhouse Parramatta site is on schedule to be completed by late 2024. “We promised at the election that we would preserve the Wran legacy and keep the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo open. We are doing just that,” he said…
It effectively draws a line under eight years of turmoil over the future of the Ultimo museum, dating from 2015 when then-premier Mike Baird flagged his government’s intention to close the site and relocate the museum to the Parramatta riverside. That decision sparked a long-running upper house inquiry and provoked public protests.
After a change of heart in 2020 on the Ultimo museum, the former Coalition government last year allocated $481 million to redevelop the site to replace the museum’s galleria and the Wran wing along Harris Street. Architects were appointed and development plans were unveiled last year for a six-storey annex containing a library, fit-for-purpose exhibition spaces for international blockbusters, and upgraded public circulation spaces. But the Coalition’s redevelopment plans came under fire from former staff and heritage advocates who argued parts of the existing building deserved conservation, and more sympathetic changes could be achieved at half the cost to taxpayers…
Under Labor’s new plans, existing structural elements of the museum building including its 1980s wing are expected to be restored not demolished. But no timeline has been developed for the works and their scope has yet to be determined.
Graham said consultation would now begin with key players to determine the details and timings of the revised renovations and whether the museum remains open beyond December.’ Read Here, and Here: SMH 2 Sept Morris re Minns

2 September 2023
Arts Minister’s Media Release
In Arts Minister John Graham’s Media Release, he announces all the points above, and confirms: ‘The NSW Government is delivering on its election commitment to save the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo and preserve the Wran legacy. …The Minns government will undertake further consultation with current staff as well as the arts and culture sector, business and creative industries groups, the education sector, peak bodies, expert advisors, local communities, and the public on the details and timing of this heritage redevelopment.’ Read here: 230902 Med Rel Minister Graham – The Powerhouse Museum Ultimo revitalised

Many questions remain:
PMA member Kylie Winkworth asks: ‘I hope the funding includes a proper exhibition renewal plan, and the reinstatement of many galleries that have been closed in the scandalous nine year run down of the PHM under the Liberal government and a succession of directors bent on driving the museum into irrelevance. But key questions remain unanswered. Are they still closing the PHM, evicting the collections, hiving off the Harwood building and leaving the current management in charge of the museum’s heritage revitalisation? And will the PHM keep the museum word in its name and renowned brand – as Labor promised?’
PMA member Grace Cochrane asks: ‘Will this encourage the Parramatta development to be a separate museum about Parramatta’s history and heritage, and a local art gallery (as with other city suburbs), and leave the Ultimo site to be the Powerhouse Museum’s state centre, and not merely an adjunct? We look forward to consultation that is more than box-ticking!’

1 September, 2023
Museum exhibitions: Information rather than ‘art experience’??
In recent years many concerns have been expressed by former staff and long-term interested audiences, about the noticeable decrease at the Powerhouse Museum, in information provided to contextualise new exhibitions and describe the objects on display. Whereas there used to be a very visible main theme wall panel, followed by sub-theme panels that explained groupings, with informative readable labels for each object, providing information about who, why, where, how and what it meant then and now, minimal information if any, is now given in many of the exhibitions. Sometimes there is only obscure access to information, on small panels, in unreadable locations, and in small print. Relevant to these concerns is the comment made in Richard Glover’s column in the Sydney Morning Herald (26 August 2023) about ‘The type-size in museums and art galleries’. This prompted a number of responses from former professional staff, and others, giving their views of what is now missing.
Read here: Issues about information

26-27 August, 2023
‘The Power of Place’
Writing in the Weekend Australian Review about the new Powerhouse Museum exhibition 1001 Remarkable Objects which opened to around 800 people on 25^th August, Matthew Larwood reports on his earlier discussion with Leo Scofield, a long-term supporter of, and donor to the Powerhouse Museum, who was recently contracted by the Museum management to curate the exhibition, with considerable assistance from museum staff.
He wrote: ‘The Powerhouse Museum’s spectacular and tumultuous history has galvanised imaginations and, for 80 years, it has permeated the existence of one man… What you won’t find in the museum catalogue, at least not in the public one, are the trenchant letters to the editor from one Leo Schofield, of Potts Point. He has fulminated, frequently, at plans to destroy his beloved Powerhouse and move its historic collections to a new tower building in Parramatta. In a 2018 letter he couldn’t bide his contempt as the “myopic state government persists with its risible plan to relocate this august institution from its historic location in the heart of Sydney to Parramatta, whose locals are agog with indifference at the prospect”.
‘The Powerhouse evidently arouses strong feelings in Schofield whose connections with the place go back decades and run deep. He’s been an enthusiastic visitor, donor, fundraiser, trustee, champion and, yes, critic. He joined the protest on the Powerhouse forecourt, wrote the letters and bent the ear of politicians, begging them not to dismantle the museum. A well-organised campaign has helped save Ultimo from oblivion, with the result that both Parramatta and Ultimo will have branches of the Powerhouse total cost, some $1.5bn – although the battle continues to save key parts of the institution from the wrecking ball.’
‘Against this ongoing uncertainty, Schofield has been brought back into the fold. In what has the optics of a strategic move by Powerhouse management, he has been appointed guest chairman of a “curatorium”, leading a team of curators and designers to organise possibly the largest exhibition yet staged at the museum. The show, called 1001 Remarkable Objects, promises exactly what it says on the tin, bringing out 1001 of the eccentric, wonderful, rare and gorgeous things from the 500,000 objects in the collection.’
Larwood summarises the significant history of the Museum, and the many changes made along the way, including the former Coalition government’s proposal to close it in Ultimo and move it to Parramatta. ‘Several premiers, parliamentary inquiries and policy backflips later, Ultimo will be retained and refreshed with a $500m investment – but the 1988 Wran building will be demolished to make way for a new annexe with a library, exhibition spaces, a roof garden and accommodation for school sleepovers.’ He also notes that: The Powerhouse Museum Alliance has rejected the “wasteful and unnecessary” destruction of museum infrastructure after just 35 years, but there may be a reprieve: the newly elected Minns government is reviewing the extent and cost of the project, and it’s possible the Wran building could he saved. Still, if the upgrade works go ahead next year, in full or in part, it’s likely that 1001 Remarkable Objects will be the last major exhibition at the Powerhouse until at least 2026.’
But, Larwood asks: ‘Why would Schofield, such a vigorous critic of the Powerhouse in recent years, be drawn into staging an exhibition there? He says he took some time to respond when Lisa Havilah, chief executive of the Powerhouse, called to ask if he’d be involved. “It was, I suppose, a moral position,” he says. “I’d gone on bended knee, begging Baird not to pursue that idea of bifurcating the collections. At that time, it was pretty clear to most people that (removing the Powerhouse from Ultimo) was a developer-driven idea.”But as it’s panned out — which is the only thing that history does for you, irons out wrinkles — I agreed to take it on…’. 1001 Remarkable Objects is said to be the largest exhibition ever mounted by the Powerhouse. Schofield’s team of exhibition planners includes art and antiques expert Ronan Sulich, marketing specialist Mark Sutcliffe and Powerhouse curator Eva Czernis-Ryl. Theatre designers Damien Cooper, Pip Runciman, Julie Lynch and Ross Wallace promise to give it all a ravishing display.’ Read more Here: 26-27 August Westwood re Schofield

23 August, 2023
Parliament of New South Wales – Hansard Extract Robert Borsak PHMU Adjournment speech
Former chair of two Legislative Council Inquiries into the former governments destructive proposals for the Powerhouse Museum, The Hon Robert Borsak spoke in Parliaments, saying: ‘The future of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo is dear to my heart, as well as to many good citizens of New South Wales. Planning for the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum was undertaken in 2015 under the previous Government. Planning for the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum was undertaken from June 2020 until late March 2023. Since the election, the current Labor Government has noted repeatedly that it wishes for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo to become, once again, a museum of world class practice and standing. Under the former Liberal-Nationals Government, we experienced a litany of confusion, secrecy, contradiction and, at times, outright lies about the future location, continuity and purpose of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.
The much-to-be-desired success of the Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta in 2026 should not be at the expense of a destroyed or mothballed Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo and damage its world-class collections. It is now time to move forward and develop policies to support museums and galleries to ensure the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo can retake its place as a world-class, properly funded cultural institution that benefits all of the people of New South Wales.
The purpose, experiences and contents currently on offer from the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo appear to be of a very different nature and character to the previous world-class collections, permanent exhibitions, temporary displays and supporting educational programs. I believe there is an urgent need to review proposals for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, as well as its current management…. Despite what current management thinks, the Powerhouse Museum is not a part-time nightclub or partying venue. We urgently need to return to the classic museological approaches typical of a world-class museum, as opposed to the art installations and Carriageworks-type experiences—plus the part-time social and party venue—which appear to be either proposed or now the norm for the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo.’ As well as documenting a number of instances where collection objects were in danger of damage, he concludes: ‘Supported by educational, engaging, family-focused, collection-based and interactive programs and experiences—underpinned by completely updated displays using cutting-edge technologies—the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo can once again be restored to the iconic institution it once was. It can remind visitors of times gone by and the technologies that accompanied them while educating, engaging and inspiring tomorrow’s historians and technological innovators, in line with what the Hon. Chris Rath was saying.’ Read in Hansard here: or here: Borsak Parliament 23 August
Borsak Media Release, 24 August 2023: Borsak also circulated a media release, confirming:
‘Robert Borsak has highlighted the issues of the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo inherited from the former Liberal-National government… “We experienced a litany of confusion, secrecy and contradiction in relation to the future location, continuity and purpose of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo”. The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party believes the much-to-be-desired success of the Parramatta Powerhouse in 2026, should not be at the expense of a destroyed or mothballed Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.
Since the election, the current Labor Government has noted repeatedly that it wishes for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo to become, once again, a museum of world-class practice and standing. “It is now time to move forward and develop policies to support museums and galleries to ensure he Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo can resume its’ place as a world class institution” Borsak said’. Mr Borsak believes there is an urgent need to review proposals for, as well as the current management of, the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.
Read here: Media Release Borsak

24 August, 2023: ‘We entirely agree with Borsak’
Following Borsak’s statements and Graham’s responses, Save the Powerhouse group wrote: ‘We entirely agree with Borsak and once more urge the Minister for the Arts, John Graham and Cabinet to listen to the many voices of reason calling for an urgent change of direction at the Museum, to return to its Applied Arts and Sciences vocation and to abandon the destructive “Ultimo Renewal” in its current form. We met recently with Evan Hughes, the Minister for the Arts’ Advisor, and Kate Foy, Deputy Secretary for Community Engagement at the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and took the opportunity of the half-hour session to summarise our requests for our Museum which were –
– No demolition of any part of the Museum
– No (temporary) closure
– No movement of large objects
– Keep the Ultimo entrance and forecourt
– Keep the Harwood Building for collections
– Heritage listing of the whole museum and collections and a professional Conservation Management Plan (CMP) as, for example, Alan Croker’s.
– Keep and engage competent staff in Ultimo
Read our meeting notes HERE: Notes for meeting with Evan Hughes
When we suggested that “three and a half months after the election nothing seemed to have changed” we received the reply that the facts that Stage 2 “Renewal” EIS had not been placed on exhibition and that the staff had not been moved to Parramatta were signs that things were indeed changing. We were also advised that the numerous “Catalina incidents” (see our previous post) were thoroughly investigated by the Ministry. In this context we find yesterday’s 60-guest dinner beside the Catalina (see Borsak’s speech above) extremely disappointing. In short, a very cordial but not very productive meeting. We understand that a similarly friendly meeting of the PMA with the same Authority’s representatives was equally inconclusive.
Read here: 24 August 2023 Save the P

August 12, 2023
Atmospheric Memory, ‘New show may make you feel like you’re being watched. That’s because you are’
Amid continuing public concerns about the possible still imminent closure of the Powerhouse Museum, and the demolition of the 1988 buildings, Cameron Bayley reported in the Sydney Morning Herald about a new exhibition, Atmospheric Memory, that combines early technology from the collection with that of the present day: ‘Tracking technology, facial recognition and more are all at play in Atmospheric Memory, the Mexican Canadian artist’s latest exhibition, which is designed to make air into something tangible.’ The exhibition also includes a significant early museum object: ‘The ideas link back to the work of Charles Babbage, the 19th-century British polymath credited with inventing the first computer. “In his Ninth Bridgewater Treatise he talks about this moment that I’ve always been fascinated with, which is that as we speak, we create a turbulence in mid-air,” Lozano-Hemmer says. “For [him] the atmosphere is a vast library that contains everything everybody has said.” Babbage wanted to harness everything spoken in the past. It may sound poetic, but encompasses the ugly side of history too.’ Among many others: ‘In the exhibition, you’ll find machines that turn speech into water ripples (Voice Tank), and one spectacular work that takes spoken words from the public and transforms them into three-dimensional water mist (Cloud Display).’
Read Here, or Here: SMH Atmospheric memory

August 12, 2023 ‘There’s no such thing as a neutral algorithm’: the existential AI exhibition confronting Sydney’
And Alex Gorman writes in the Guardian, that: ‘Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Atmospheric Memory allows visitors to interact with generative tech – and become part of the show in unexpected ways.’ His new exhibition conceived with and curated by José Luis de Vicente, at Sydney’s Powerhouse museum, ‘required more than 60 people, from eight different countries, to mount.’ … ‘When Y2K seemed like the world’s most pressing technological concern, [he] was using a dictionary and a set of grammatical rules to teach a computer how to write questions.’ ‘The show’s premise stems from a paragraph in the Ninth Bridgewater Treatise, written by the computing pioneer Charles Babbage in 1837. Babbage proposed that the air surrounding us could be a “vast library” that, once attuned to properly, could offer perfect recollection, capturing every movement, moment and utterance ever passed. This notion is “very romantic and beautiful,” Lozano-Hemmer says, “but it is a very dystopian project.” In the exhibition’s first room, the core of one of Babbage’s mechanical calculators, Difference Engine No 1, is on display. The Powerhouse curator Angelique Hutchinson says looking at the steampunk device, about the size of a shoebox, can be an existential experience. “It is quite humble,” she says. But when you reflect on the predictions Babbage made, many of which came to pass, “it causes you to think about where we’re going to go next”.’ ‘Nearby is a series of conversation booths built by Lozano-Hemmer, where visitors can sit and watch the words from their mouths transformed into text as they speak. Whatever they say will be answered by a digital incarnation of Babbage, trained on the computer scientist’s texts, and powered by OpenAI, the technology behind ChatGPT.’
Read Here, or Here: Guardian 12 August 2023

2 August, 2023
Borsak and Graham: Legislative Council Hansard: Powerhouse Museum Collection
Former chair of two Select Committee inquiries about the future of the Powerhouse Museum, The Hon Robert Borsak, questioned the new arts minister, John Graham, about recent reports of incidents that endangered the Museums collection objects on display, in this case the Catalina flying boat Frigate Bird II, which had been lowered within reach of audiences. In his reply, Graham noted he had been assured of its safety, and also added: ‘Talking more broadly about the future of the Powerhouse, the Government has made clear that its expectation about the Powerhouse at Ultimo is that whatever the future of the physical building—the Government is going through a process to make its own assessment about that—it is important that it is a museum. Part of the commitment to it being a museum is a commitment to care for the objects that are being preserved and conserved there and are available to the public. I say to the member and, through him, to the groups who have raised those issues that an important part of the Government’s commitment is dealing with the issues in the long term. We want a museum there; that is what has made it special to the community. The Government’s expectation is that the standards that come with ensuring a museum is in place—that apply to protecting those objects—are upheld.’ Read here:  or Here: Borsak 2 August

On 7 August, Save the Powerhouse group reported on this exchange, by email, also noting that: ‘Partygoers have not been kind to the Museum’s treasures, disrespectfully using the Loco No1 as a pub standing table (see photo HERE http://tiny.cc/f9o9vz ) and a number of “object incidents” to the Catalina plane have been reliably reported (see photo of a “late” party around the flying boat HERE http://tiny.cc/c9o9vz  ) Following their report of Borsak’s questions, and Graham’s response, they add: ‘Save the Powerhouse have sighted 11 object incident reports of damage to the Catalina proving that the concerns were real. But in this case WHAT WILL THE MINISTER DO?’ Read more:  Save the Powerhouse 7 August

 

4 August 2023
‘Powerhouse Parramatta to Open in Western Sydney in 2025’
Sam Gaskin writes in Ocula magazine, about plans for the museum development in Parramatta, saying: ‘Developers describe it as ‘the largest cultural development in Australia since the Sydney Opera House.’ Critics have called it an entertainment centre ‘masquerading as a museum’. Australian museum group Powerhouse Sydney is spending AUD $1.4 billion (US $920 million) on the development of a new museum complex in the western Sydney suburb of Parramatta.
Powerhouse Parramatta will feature seven exhibition spaces alongside learning and digital studios, a cinema, an 800-seat theatre, a rooftop garden, restaurants and cafés when it opens in 2025.
‘Simultaneously a centre for production, display and learning, we will celebrate the dynamic shift in how Sydney thinks about itself, its culture and its communities,’ said Lisa Havilah, Chief Executive of Powerhouse Sydney…. Havilah directed Campbelltown Arts Centre from 2005–2011 and Carriageworks from 2012–2018, both of which have strong emphases on contemporary art, before taking on her role at Powerhouse Sydney.
Plans for Powerhouse Parramatta have drawn a number of criticisms, including objections to the destruction of heritage buildings in Willow Grove and St George Terraces, concerns that the riverside site is prone to flooding, and accusations from a New South Wales upper house inquiry that the institution is an entertainment centre ‘masquerading’ as a museum.
Read more:  or Here:  4 August Ocula re Parramatta
Planning Portal: Associated with this report, is the information on the NSW government’s Planning Portal: Submissions can be made before 14 September, 2023. Read Here.
[Of the Portal information, Kylie Winkworth asks: ‘Increasing the height of the western building by a floor and deleting two and a half floors of glazing in the eastern building, replaced by something called GRC panelling. Is this about saving money? It doesn’t improve the look of the building from Phillip St. Considering they cited design integrity issues when they deleted the proposed hoist to the upper floors for moving large objects into the P2 space, it seems a bit rich that now the glazing will be replaced by bland panelling while money is wasted on a glasshouse. This is code for another function centre and café on the top floor of the western building. Have they realised the business case doesn’t add up and they need more revenue opportunities? Then there’s the telescope on the roof of the eastern building in the centre of a CBD bathed in artificial night light. Maybe they could try opening the Sydney Observatory instead. We should be commenting on these modifications. Why is a cultural institution wasting taxpayer dollars on a roof top greenhouse? That makes roof top vegie gardens on both buildings. How many gardeners will they employ instead of curators?’]

29 July, 2023
John McDonald, newsletter
Art critic, John McDonald, writes in his regular newsletter: ‘There is a suggestion this week that the dreadful, wasteful, vandalistic, unpopular makeover of  Powerhouse Ultimo – previously known as the Powerhouse Museum – is finally being rethought. Considering that these plans were going to cost the new Labor government more than $500 million, and deliver an institution with half as much exhibition space, in the teeth of massive community opposition, one wonders why it took so long to put the brakes on … Obviously the museum requires repairs and renovations, but the radical schemes proposed went far beyond what was necessary. No less alarming than the building issues is the Powerhouse’s change of direction, and the millions that have been spent clearing items out of storage in preparation for a rebuild that probably won’t happen. This was a blatant attempt to force the new government into endorsing the existing scheme – “We can’t back down now! We’ve spent millions moving the collection! It’ll cost millions to put it all back!” … In fact, there should be an independent inquiry into the entire Powerhouse debacle, which was conducted under a cloak of secrecy, defying expert opinion, public concern, and commonsense. There is no cultural or touristic logic to the plan. It only makes sense as a land grab. Those responsible need to be held accountable, whether they are currently employed on the project, or have already beaten a retreat.
It’s reassuring to learn that the scheme to send the curators to Castle Hill and Parramatta, where they would sit around in rented offices, ‘hot-desking’ for the next three years while building work proceeded, has been stopped – or at least paused. Had this gone ahead, it would have resulted in mass resignations, emptying the Powerhouse of corporate knowledge and expertise. New, young, malleable replacements would have been brought in to fill the gaps, and “Hey presto! Goodbye museum, hello contemporary art and fashion hub.”
Whatever renovation plans are ultimately pursued, there needs to be a renewed commitment to the Powerhouse as a museum, and to the “applied arts and sciences”, not simply fashion. Another email that arrived this week, described the brilliant new “food and beverage” initiative at Powerhouse Parramatta. In the words of CEO, Lisa Havilah: “This incredible opportunity includes retail food and beverage, Powerhouse produced events and programs, commercial hire and catering opportunities. It also includes hospitality catering services to a residential program which includes 30 short-term stay apartments..” If we needed further convincing that the Parramatta edifice is not, and never will be, a museum, here is the admission that it’s all food and beverage and accommodation. What an innovation! ‘ Read more: John McDonald 29 July

28 July, 2023
‘Powerhouse compromise could halt demolition, save $100m’
Following many letters sent by public to government ministers, and a long wait following the 2023 government election, Linda Morris reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, that: ‘The NSW government is considering a compromise plan for the redevelopment of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo that would spare its 1980s wing from demolition and save taxpayers more than $100 million. The Herald understands an options paper developed by Create NSW, the government’s arts agency, costs five different options for the museum and is due to be presented to cabinet’s powerful expenditure review committee over the coming weeks. Proposals range from “do-nothing” to the approval of the current $500 million redevelopment announced by the former Coalition government last December. A middle course option to retain the Wran building, completed in 1988, and build a smaller building on the museum’s Harris Street forecourt is preferred by some within the new Labor government….
Former president of the Powerhouse’s board of trustees, professor Barney Glover, urged the government keep to plans for a major refurbishment and realignment of the Ultimo site, even if revised, to maintain the Powerhouse as a world-class museum. “It is vital that this occurs to ensure the long-term future of the extraordinary Powerhouse collection including its fashion collection in particular,” he said. [PMA asks, how could he possibly still be prioritising this narrow version??] “Any consideration of a do-nothing option at Ultimo fails to appreciate the current state of the buildings, the additional significant maintenance required to ensure the site was safe and fit for purpose and the likelihood of the museum needing to close on the site even with maintenance funding within a few years. “I would strongly encourage the government to continue with the planned Ultimo project whether within the currently proposed funding envelop or revised but still ensuring the key expansion, refurbishment and realignment occur.”
The museum’s founding director, Lindsay Sharp, is among those who have called for the government to undertake a less expensive but “radical evolution” of the 1988 campus and exploit major advances in display and audiovisual design capable of taking the museum far into the future. Read here:  and Here: 28 July SMH PHM Options

28 July, 2023
‘Cultural tapestry empowering arts in the west’
Parramatta Council’s Linked In post shows a 28 July report in the Australian Financial Review, about cultural and business developments in Western Sydney. The Council notes: ‘Spoilt for choice, Parramatta is a place where inquiry and research opportunities abound.
Pick up a copy of The Australian Financial Review today and you’ll find an insightful special report on Innovation & Research in Western Sydney, packed with great stories on ways we’re building an innovation ecosystem in Parramatta. Don’t miss the Industry Insight op-ed from City of Parramatta CEO Gail Connolly PSM. Special thanks to our partners who joined City of Parramatta Council in sponsoring this report: Powerhouse, Western Sydney University, and the University of Sydney.’
In the attached page in the Australian Financial Review, Anders Furze writes that ‘the new Powerhouse Museum looms large, but arts leaders in the west decry inequitable funding.’ After many examples of funding needs, he notes that ‘the local arts landscape is set for a major transformation thanks to the upcoming $550 million Powerhouse Parramatta project ….Lisa Havilah, chief executive of the Powerhouse Museum, says the scale will be important because the site will become the Powerhouse’s new home. ”It’s important for the community to understand that its not an offshoot of our Ultimo [site], It’s our new flagship museum”.’ Read Here, or Here: Australian Financial Review 28 July
[But Powerhouse Museum Alliance reminds us all that Parramatta does not yet have its own art gallery or museum, despite its significant local history and population, and that a state museum should remain with all its collection areas in its longstanding central city site. Recent advertisements and reports indicate that the ‘Powerhouse Parramatta’ will be an entertainment centre with (from recent examples) short-term exhibitions with minimal museum stories available in the displays.]

26 July, 2023
‘Willow Grove was Bulldozed to make way for food outlets and short-term accommodation’
Following the announcements about the ‘Powerhouse Hospitality Industry Briefing’ (see 25 July, below) Save the Powerhouse commented on email and Facebook that: ‘We always suspected it but it is now officially confirmed in a Government release (see below). The beloved heritage-listed Willow Grove Victorian Italianate Villa in Parramatta was bulldozed to make way for a food centre and short term stay apartments for an astronomical cost of $1B to the NSW taxpayer… Powerhouse Parramatta? And what about the Parramatta new institution’s “own identity and name” promised by the new Government?
It may be too late to change the commercial trend in Parramatta, and Willow Grove is gone forever. But we can still stop this process in Ultimo and keep our internationally respected Arts and Sciences Museum by telling the new Government to halt the toxic “Renewal” project.
The project will come before the Cabinet soon for a final decision, so write to the Ministers to voice your opposition.’ Read here:  Save the P Culinary comment 26 July  And read their letter to Cabinet here: Save the Powerhouse to Cabinet 13 July

25 July, 2023
‘Powerhouse Hospitality Industry Briefing’
Powerhouse (Museum?) circulated a news email which included an announcement: ‘Powerhouse has announced a unique opportunity for food and beverage industry leaders to partner with us to redefine hospitality. The retail food and beverage program will be concept-driven, collaborative, and embedded into the Powerhouse program of exhibitions and programs alongside major events and festivals. Powerhouse Parramatta will be the first NSW Government cultural institution to be based in Western Sydney and our retail, food and beverage offerings will be equally pioneering. Join us for the Powerhouse Hospitality Industry Briefing at 10.30am on Tuesday 8 August. This session will detail the opportunity to redefine the museum hospitality experience with one of Australia’s most exciting cultural institutions opening in 2025…. Following the briefing, an Expression of Interest process will seek proposals from industry.’ Read here:  or Here:  Powerhouse media release  or Here: Powerhouse hospitality industry briefing

25 July, 2023
‘Parra powers to a top ‘foodie’ destination’
In a front page preamble to a Kitchen Confidential article in the Daily Telegraph,  Karlie Rutherford writes: ‘Parramatta’s food scene is set to expand even further with the injection of a food and hospitality hub at the new Powerhouse Parramatta…Powerhouse CEO Lisa Havilah said: “Powerrhouse Parramatta provides an unprecedented opportunity to redefine retail food and beverage, and diverse … event experiences are integrated into the experience of a cultural institution.’ Read here: Daily Tele 25 July, Parramatta

25 July, 2023
‘The briefing’
The back cover of SMH Good Food Guide advertises: ‘Powerhouse hospitality and Industry briefing’, to be held on August 8. But NPRAG (North Residents Action Group) draws comments ‘Don’t hold your breath for the family friendly science and technology museum – the word museum has been deleted from the project altogether’. Read Here: NPRAG comment Parra Food

24 July, 2023
‘Nine out of 10 NSW heritage sites lack a condition rating’
(in print as) ‘Heritage watchdog’s database in woeful state’
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Linda Morris also follows up the recent ‘Performance audit: State Heritage Assets’ report, saying ‘The state’s heritage watchdog has been portrayed as weak and largely ineffective in a damning audit which found it had taken up to 17 years to assess properties for protection, and its records are so poor it knows little about the true physical condition of hundreds of historic properties in its inventory.’ She reports: ‘New heritage minister Penny Sharpe said it was clear there was a “lot to fix when it comes to heritage in our state” and blamed the agency’s failings on chronic underfunding over 12 years and a lack of interest in heritage by the previous government. “Heritage has accepted the findings of the report,” she said.’ And relevant especially to PMA’s concerns, she reports: ‘Suzette Meade, from the North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group, said any new heritage strategy needed to also look at the make-up of the sister Heritage Council and its listing committee. “Any new changes in NSW heritage policy can’t be progressed in a silo; it’s imperative that NSW planning legislation is reviewed in unison,” she said. “The DA for Parramatta’s light rail through the North Parramatta heritage precinct seemed to have been expedited compared to the lag in getting the Parramatta Female Factory nominated for UNESCO World Heritage listing.” Former trustee of the Powerhouse Museum Kylie Winkworth said governments should be model owners of heritage places. Instead, she said government had “turned a blind eye to heritage risks, delisted heritage items owned by government entities, and in the case of the Powerhouse Museum confected a partial listing – opposed by the eminent museum and heritage experts – to facilitate the wasteful demolition of a Sulman award-winning museum”. ‘
Read here, and Here: SMH Linda Morris 24 July
And in ‘Heritage watchdog weak and largely asleep on the job’, editor Bevan Shields wrote in the SMH Editorial, ‘For an organisation charged with protecting the past for the future, Heritage NSW seems to have difficulty living in the present. A report by the NSW Auditor-General has portrayed the state’s heritage watchdog as weak and largely ineffective… For its part, Heritage NSW accepted the audit office’s eight recommendations and has started to rectify databases and said changes and improvements to processes were already under way.’
Read Here, or Here: SMH Editorial 24 July

20 July, 2023
‘Riba launch Reinvention prize to encourage refurbishment over demolition’
Relevant to the critical NSW report ‘Performance audit: State Heritage Assets’ (see 27 June, 2023, below), it is pertinent to note that  Roger Harrabin wrote in the Guardian that, in the UK, ‘The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced: ‘The Riba Stirling Prize for flamboyant new architecture faces a humble challenger – the Reinvention award for the transformation of second-hand buildings. The Royal Institute of British Architects has created the new prize to encourage architects to pour their creativity into refurbishing existing buildings, rather than demolishing them in favour of new-build… The new prize was championed by outgoing Riba president, Simon Allford, who said: “We have a collective responsibility as architects to minimise our impact on the planet’s resources and maximise the societal and economic benefits of our work. The inventive reuse of buildings is critical to reducing carbon emissions and, whilst often not the simplest solution, requires exceptional creativity and vision – I look forward to seeing some inspiring examples in due course.”’
Read Here: or Here:  RIBA Reinvention Prize July 2023

11 July, 2023
‘Greens Deputy Mayor questions grant to partnership including Sydney casinos’
In writing about grants made to businesses around the Sydney Western Harbour precinct, Wendy Bacon and Clare Connelly write in City Hub, that concerns are expressed about the role of the Powerhouse Museum! They write: ‘City of Sydney approved a $50,000 Council grant to a business partnership that includes Sydney’s two casinos at its meeting in June.  Deputy Mayor Greens Sylvie Ellsmore, who described the grant as neither “appropriate or ethical”, was the only Councillor to object to the grant. The purpose of the grant is to develop an “environmental, social and governance plan” for the Sydney Western Harbour precinct that stretches 7 kilometres from Walsh Bay around Darling Harbour to Blackwattle Bay in Glebe and includes several public parks and other public land ….’
Among descriptions of other grants, they note that City Council’s ‘Ideas and Innovations grants mostly go to small organisations. The emphasis is on sustainability goals. … The major partners have contributed funds but it is not clear how much or for what purposes they are being used. In addition to the big commercial partners, there are two publicly owned major partners – the Powerhouse and the University of Technology Sydney.’ The authors also report that: ‘However, some community advocates are planning experts are sceptical. Inner West resident and heritage and museum expert Kylie Winkworth, who was previously a trustee on the Powerhouse Museum is asking, “why does the WSHBID consortium need ratepayers’ money when it can clearly afford to fund the work itself?  Grants funded by CoS ratepayers should be giving a leg-up to new businesses, not funding business development research for major companies and multinationals.” She also questioned why the Powerhouse is a major partner. “With a $1 billion project under construction at Parramatta, and a controversial $500m development at Ultimo, why is the Powerhouse Museum (PHM) involved with a consortium of casinos and property developers? If anything, property development interest groups have had too much sway over the fate of the Powerhouse Museum, lobbying for the disastrous ‘move’ of the museum to Parramatta. … The management of the PHM should be focusing on their core business running a major museum, and growing audiences and education outcomes.”
“Why would the Powerhouse (Museum) be on the board of what is a thinly veiled development lobby group, intent on controlling planning and development across a swathe of sensitive waterfront land?  Is the Powerhouse Museum being redeveloped as a ‘creative industries entertainment venue’ to support the 24 x 7 entertainment and business ambitions of The Star and Crown Casino? …Is this why Labor has not cancelled the ‘Powerhouse Ultimo Renewal’ SSD EIS? “ Read more Here, or here:  City Hub Deputy Mayor questions grant  And Read Here for who is involved in the business territory:

8 July, 2023
Questioning proposed state arts funding…including the Powerhouse Museum
In his regular newsletter, art critic John McDonald comments on recent arts activities, including:
‘This week’s visit to Sydney Modern was for the launch of a NSW Government discussion paper,  A New Look at Culture, presented as the first step towards a dedicated Arts policy. For me it was a first look at Arts Minister, John Graham, who seems the serious, committed type. It’s certainly a change from the flamboyant Don Harwin, who had his good points and his bad ones. If Don was an occasionally benevolent autocrat, Graham is a technocrat who believes in widespread community consultation in the formulation of policy. There’s a lot of talk about the “creative industries”, as the all-purpose economic justification for activities that should be justified solely because they are good for the soul. It helps to quieten the philistines when there is a dollars & cents argument involved. This is typical Labor Party procedure. It comes across as inclusive and responsible, but there is always the potential of things getting bogged down in committees, consultations, and exaggerated regards for every sensitivity, while budgetary considerations still determine major outcomes.
The press conference at Sydney Modern introduced us to a new Ministerial Advisory Panel, chaired by Opera House CEO, Louise Herron. … If you want to contribute, this is the link.
Even though I’m naturally cynical about committees, I’d urge everyone to make a submission, as
there are no grounds to complain if one declines to participate in the process. My own priorities are as follows:
Firstly, the government must take steps to properly fund and support regional galleries. These play a vital role in raising awareness of cultural matters in rural areas, and are engines for community building… In recent times a lot of money has been directed to the Sydney suburbs, for no better reason than the attempt to buy votes. While the suburbs shouldn’t be neglected there needs to be a more equitable rebalancing of spending.
The other major issue for the NSW government must be the ongoing disaster that is the Powerhouse Museum. With attendances at their lowest ebb since the 1960s; a $500 million remake underway that will only reduce exhibition space and visitor numbers; an expensive white elephant being raised in Parramatta; a plan for three years of shutdown, and a final bill that will nudge $2 billion, what’s to like? This is a catastrophe generated from scratch by the previous government, most likely as a land grab, that took no account of the museum, its heritage, or public and expert opinion. It was pushed through in the most ruthless and unethical fashion, and now Labor is left to deal with the mess. Decisive action is required, not further long drawn-out consultation, as there is no longer any leeway for delay. The current development needs to be frozen, and serious consideration given to the views of the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, the group that best reflects the interests of the institution and the community.’
Read more Here: John McD 8 July 2023

7 July, 2023
‘State’s first Arts and Creative Industry policy will be artist-led to grow the sector’
‘The NSW Government is calling on artists and other creative industries practitioners across the state to help craft the first-ever Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy for NSW.
Minister for the Arts John Graham today released a discussion paper, A New Look At Culture, which focuses on how to grow the Arts and Cultural sector – an employer of almost one in ten people in Greater Sydney – in a way that is led by the people involved in the arts and creative industries.
The discussion process seeks to understand what’s working, what’s not working and what fresh ideas will propel the sector forward. To achieve this, an extensive consultation process will be undertaken across the state, including at least 11 in-person townhall meetings from Bega to Dubbo, Lismore to Tamworth and across Greater Sydney, with meetings in Liverpool, Penrith and Newcastle, as well as online meetings.
The discussion paper outlines 3 considerations for the sector to respond to:

• A new look at people: How can we create better, more inclusive, support and pathways for practitioners in the arts, culture and creative industries?
• A new look at infrastructure: How can we create and improve sustainable access to spaces, programs and other support for all aspects of artistic and cultural activity?
• A new look at audiences: How can we grow local, national and international audiences for cultural experiences, for the benefit of our community and the broader economy? ‘
  To read the media release and discussion paper, and make a submission: Read more Here.  Or Here:  NSW Govt new arts policy     Also Here: Arts policy Discussion Paper

3 July, 2023
‘NSW Premier Chris Minns foreshadows infrastructure spending cuts, after 100 days in power’
Alexander Lewis records for the ABC, current information about possible funding cuts to projects initiated by the former government. He writes: ‘NSW Premier Chris Minns says a range of infrastructure projects will be put on ice, as the new Labor government tries to rein in spending and keep its election promises. Since being elected to lead the state 100 days ago, Mr Minns has painted an ugly portrait of the government’s books and claimed the state’s debt was on track to reach a record $187 billion. In a sit-down interview with ABC News, Mr Minns has foreshadowed spending cuts in his first budget, which will be handed down in September, to afford a four per cent pay rise Labor has promised to public sector workers. “We’ve already identified a range of infrastructure projects that we don’t believe are a priority right now,” Mr Minns said.’
However, he adds, ‘Mr Minns declined to reveal which projects would not be funded in the upcoming budget, but there have been some clues.’ But despite the pre-election support for reviewing the demolition of significant buildings at the Powerhouse Museum, this is not yet mentioned. Read more Here, or Here: 3 July Govt Spending cuts

27 June, 2023′
Performance audit: State Heritage Assets’
Margaret Crawford, Auditor-General for NSW, presents a Performance Audit for State Heritage Assets saying that apart from financial audits ‘…we also conduct performance audits. These examine whether an entity is carrying out its activities effectively and doing so economically and efficiently and in compliance with relevant laws. Audits may cover all or parts of an entity’s operations, or consider particular issues across a number of entities.’
Regarding the ‘Oversight and administration of state heritage assets’, on P.2, their Conclusion includes: ‘The Department of Planning and Environment (Heritage NSW) does not have adequate oversight of state significant heritage assets. Information gaps and weaknesses in certain assurance processes limit its capacity to effectively regulate activities affecting assets
listed on the State Heritage Register. These factors also constrain its ability to effectively
support voluntary compliance and promote the objects of the Heritage Act, which include
encouraging conservation and adaptive re-use. Heritage NSW has adopted a focus on customer service and recently improved the timeliness of its advice and decisions on activities affecting listed assets. But Heritage NSW has not demonstrated how its customer service priorities will address known risks to its regulatory responsibilities. It could also do more to enable and promote effective heritage management among state government entities that own listed assets.’
Read Performance Report Here:   or Here: FINAL REPORT – State heritage assets Performance report
Read Overall state heritage assets Audit report Here.
Many correspondents have since noted issues in this report that reflect on decisions about the heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum.

22 June, 2023
‘Paying for projects…’
Following Mookhey’s announcement (below), he elaborated more on ABC ‘Sydney Mornings’, where the focus was on the $7 billion of unfounded projects inherited from the previous government. Calls and texts were invited by interviewer Sarah McDonald, and in answer to an online question from long-term Powerhouse curator and supporter, Andrew Grant, ‘How about cutting back on the ridiculous overspend on converting the Powerhouse Museum into a fashion and design centre?’ Mookhey responded that ‘we are having a real good look at the entire construction pipeline including that project and are asking whether we are getting value for money….’ When McDonald asked ‘is it too late to get out of it?’ the answer was ‘no’, and he did not correct her when she asked that the project therefore ‘may not happen’.
But it is still not clear what will actually be decided. Grant notes that in his question he chose his words carefully to describe an ‘overspend’, implying what was needed was the reduction of the budget, not its deletion. Listen here, from 15 mins 30 secs to 16.30.

 20 June, 2023
‘NSW tipped to stay in red as dark economic clouds hover’
Referring to CoVid costs, and other financial commitments made by the former government, Alexandra Smith and Michael McGowan wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that ‘The NSW budget is poised to remain in the red and not return to a predicted surplus next year as Treasurer Daniel Mookhey used his first major economic update to signal tough spending cuts in a bid to ease inflationary pressures. Mookhey’s economic statement to NSW parliament on Tuesday painted a gloomy picture for the state’s finances, with the treasurer warning that the state had lurched from a once-in-a-generation pandemic into a once-in-a-generation cost of living crisis. “There are tough choices ahead, they will not be easy, but they cannot be avoided,” Mookhey said. “The Treasury thinks inflation will remain NSW’s preeminent economic trial. This government acknowledges we can do more. The next step in bringing inflation under control is to bring our own spending under control.”‘ Read more Here, or Here: SMH Treasurer 20 June

16 June, 2023
‘It’s just ridiculous’: Key unions demand premier scrap $500m Powerhouse redevelopment
Linda Morris writes in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘Two of the state’s most powerful unions have called for a halt to the proposed $500 million redevelopment of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo, and the reinvestment of the savings to top up pay rises for frontline health and emergency sector workers. The Public Service Association, representing 40,000 public sector workers, says it will press for Premier Chris Minns to personally intervene to shelve plans the Labor government inherited for the knockdown rebuild of the museum’s 35-year-old modern wing. The Public Service Association’s general secretary Stewart Little said his members, including more than 100 permanent museum staff, believed the project was an extravagance the state could ill afford at a time of crippling cost of living increases. He was joined in his criticisms by Health Services Union boss Gerard Hayes who said spending to redevelop and reconfigure the museum’s inner-city location made as much sense as knocking down and rebuilding the Sydney Harbour Bridge. “As a health service person, we are in very difficult economic times. Why would we be dealing with luxury wish lists when we are not dealing with providing the necessities?” Hayes asked.
… At the March election, Labor pledged to “save” the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo as a “world-class institution” and is currently undertaking broad community consultation about the museum’s future. These reorient the museum’s entrance and demolish the museum’s galleria, home of NSW’s first train, Locomotive No 1 and the priceless Boulton & Watt rotative steam engine, and the Wran wing along Harris Street. In its place, a new six-story annex is to be built (containing a library and new fit-for-purpose exhibition spaces), which museum chief executive Lisa Havilah says is necessary to draw international shows and upgrade public circulation spaces.
After a meeting between the union and museum management last week, Little said the Ultimo museum remained on track to close its doors on December 31 for up to three years. “We were advised by management on Thursday that there was no change to the former government’s plans to substantially demolish the Powerhouse museum and move the collection,” he said. “The union is supportive of this government providing for much-needed maintenance, after a decade of financial instability, to get the Powerhouse Museum back to where it once was. “It’s been tragic to watch its decline. The collection should be kept at Ultimo, and if anything expanded. This is an iconic cultural institution with a unique history and from the union’s point of view we do not want to see the museum effectively taken down and turned into a fashion centre.’ … Hayes said: “You’ve got a perfectly built museum and the cost of knocking it down and rebuilding it and dismantling these big exhibition items and storing them to do the same thing . . . why don’t we pack up the Sydney Harbour Bridge and send it to Gladesville? …”
The Public Service Association is seeking to delay the departure of 58 staff members who are scheduled to leave Ultimo for the museum’s Castle Hill storage facility ahead of Ultimo’s from June 20 as the museum prepares for closure. Three weeks later another 76 staff will shift to offices overlooking the riverside construction site of the Parramatta Powerhouse, where core parts of the new building’s steel exoskeleton are going up. Staff say hot desk arrangements and facilities at the museum’s newly extended Castle Hill storage facility are inadequate for the intensive research work they perform. Soft forms of industrial action including a refusal by staff to relocate have not been ruled out. Read more here:   or Here: SMH 16 June Unions protest

13 June, 2023
‘Construction milestone reached on largest museum in the state’
Ellie Busby reports in the Parramatta News that ‘The contentious Powerhouse Parramatta has reached a major construction milestone with the buildings huge steel exoskeleton now starting to take form….Recently visiting the site, which sits on the former home of the historic Willow Grove building, NSW Minister for Arts John Graham said Powerhouse Parramatta will be the biggest museum in NSW… Construction on Powerhouse Parramatta is anticipated to be complete by 2024.’ Read more here: Parra News 13 June

2 June, 2023
‘It’s time for another look at the Powerhouse Museum saga’
Arts and cultural critic, John McDonald, writes in his regular newsletter: ‘Labor came to power in NSW with a promise of ending the long drawn-out vandalism inflicted on the PHM by their predecessors. After two months in office there has been little indication from relevant ministers such as John Graham and Pru Car, that the government is following through on this commitment. Instead, there has been a great deal of prevarication, while the management of the PHM fast-tracks its destructive program.
It’s entirely predictable that members of the business lobby and sympathetic bureaucrats will tell the incoming ministers it’s impossible to stop these processes; that it will cost millions to get out of contracts; that the only way to go is full steam ahead; that it’s a great deal for the western suburbs. It’s predictable that PHM management will take every opportunity to suck up to the new government and make their case as forcefully as possible. Let’s put these claims against the counterclaims:
The entire redevelopment is massively unpopular. It serves the vested interests of a few, and effectively destroys a major public asset. Community opinion and expert opinion are solidly opposed – and have been for almost a decade!
If the project proceeds as planned, there will be three separate buildings under the “Powerhouse” label, in Ultimo, Parramatta and Castle Hill [and the Observatory]. The Ultimo site is currently being emptied of its collection in preparation for a rebuild that will remove fifty percent of current exhibition space. The Parramatta building, set in a floodplain, has had so many features excised it no longer meets international standards for a museum. It’s hard to say exactly what it actually is – aside from a kind of overgrown function centre. … a massive white elephant that delivers nothing to the vast majority of people of Parramatta. As for Castle Hill, it promises to be a glorified storage depot in the outer suburbs where the bulk of the PHM collection will be left to gather dust in perpetuity. It will double as a place of exile for most of the museum departments, such as conservation, curatorial, etc, that will be relocated to this impractically distant location.
There is much talk about “residencies” in Ultimo and Parramatta, but why? What is the point of the Powerhouse turning itself into a hotel for artists, designers and students while forgetting the core business of a museum – which is to preserve and display important items of cultural heritage.
… However many millions it will cost to stop and undo this ongoing catastrophe, this will represent a fraction of the cost of proceeding as planned. Once demolition begins in Ultimo, this heritage site is gone forever. As it is proposed to close the museum for three years while the work is being done, this already represents an enormous loss of revenue and a waste of human resources. What are staff members doing for the next three years? When the makeover is complete, attendances will never come close to justifying the expense.
Labor has spoken out about the Coalition’s mania for privatisation, but they should recognise that what is happening at the Powerhouse is little more than the privatisation of a major public asset by a small group of people with a particular agenda. An industrious member of the Powerhouse Museum Alliance has told me about a plan to have a new department called “Community Curatorial”, to be headed by one Ivan Muniz Reed, a co-founder of the independent exhibitions agency, The Curatorial Department, with Glenn Barkley, husband of Powerhouse CEO, Lisa Havilah. Mr. Muniz Reed’s big idea is the “decolonisation of the museum”. … I can only say it is a problematic, pernicious ideology cloaked in heroic colours.
… The turnover of staff at the PHM over the past year has been unusally rapid. … existing staff are too demoralised to speak about problems, feeling they will be victimised and sacked if they complain. The proposal to send everyone to Castle Hill and Parramatta … is hardly more than a way of forcing long-term employees to resign, so the culture of the PHM can be rebuilt from the ground up with fresh, willing drones. There’s no concern whatsoever about the knowledge and expertise that will be lost.
Dear Ministers: we stand on the brink of a cultural debacle of mammoth proportions that you have inherited from an irresponsible and secretive former government. It is overwhelmingly opposed by the community and by expert opinion. The museum with the largest and most diverse collection in Australia is being taken apart before your eyes, and turned into a contemporary art and fashion hub, with “residencies”. It is a national disgrace and an international embarrassment that suggests we do not care for our own heritage, and are not fit to borrow from other countries. The most urgent action is required. If the ongoing proposals are implemented in their entirety we will have created a black hole that will absorb ever greater amounts of public money, with scant capacity to generate revenue. Aside from sheer moral cowardice there is no reason whatsoever – be it cultural, economic or even popularist (it’s the opposite of popular!) – to continue down this path to perdition.’ Read more Here: J McDonald 2 June 2023

30 May, 2023
‘Powerhouse team: The cultural leaders shaping the museum’s public domain’
Helen Norrie writes in Indesignlive, about ‘The Powerhouse Parramatta’s Landscape Curatorium comprises a group of esteemed individuals advising on First Nations landscape design, farming, caring for Country, and more. Their goal? To assist in the development of the landscape design for the museum’s public domain.’ After documenting the history of the Museum from 1882, she adds: ‘In 1998 [PMA correction 1988] the Ultimo Power Station was transformed into the Powerhouse Museum, displaying parts of the collection that had been in storage for decades and providing a catalyst for a new urban network, as the nearby University of Technology Sydney campus developed. The proposal to relocate the Powerhouse to Parramatta and to sell the Ultimo site to fund the new building was met with a barrage of protests about the loss of a much-loved institution in the inner city, concerns about the technical issues of relocating the key large-scale exhibits and calls for the new development in the west to address the community of Parramatta more specifically. An expanded consultation process led to the decision to retain and regenerate the Ultimo site and to develop Parramatta with a specific agenda to connect to place and people.
A Landscape Curatorium has been established to assist with the development of the landscape design of the museum’s public domain, and an exploration of program, use, spatial design and planting strategies that can foster connections between people and place. It brings together collaborators and cultural leaders to explore the landscape brief in an expansive way, and to provide expertise in the detail design of the spaces. Read more Here, or Here: Powerhouse Parramatta Landscape curatorium May 30

16-18 May, 2023
Powerhouse Museum and Climate Change?
On 16 May, Climate Control News reported on an entry on the Powerhouse Museum’s website, that: ‘Powerhouse yesterday became the first museum in Australia and latest signatory of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. Through its renewal the museum is taking radical action to embed low carbon solutions into its infrastructure projects and operations across all Powerhouse sites, leading the way to net zero emissions by 2025. This aligns with the Powerhouse Climate Action Plan that is the pathway for the museum to achieve net zero carbon emissions in operations by 2025.
A key distinguishing feature of the plan is the centrality of the museum’s ‘Caring for Country Principles’, developed in consultation with First Nations communities on which Powerhouse sites are located. The commitment Powerhouse has made to World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment includes reducing existing buildings’ energy consumption, eliminate emissions from energy and refrigerants, remove fossil fuel use drastically, and compensate for residual emissions. By 2030 Powerhouse will be operating climate positive across all sites.’
Powerhouse chief executive, Lisa Havilah, and Powerhouse climate action and sustainability manager Carmel Reyes, further discussed their plans.
Read Powerhouse Climate Action Plan: or PHM Climate Action Plan 2023
Read Climate Control News: or:  16 May Climate Control and PHM

HOWEVER, Read also:  Comments from colleagues Comments re Climate 18 May 2023

16 May, 2023
Advertisement: Local Publicity Agency – Powerhouse Renewal
In a mailout seeking Open Tenders, the NSW Govt has advertised to appoint a local publicity agency to promote the current proposed Powerhouse plans. It says:
‘Tender Details: The Powerhouse is one of Australia’s oldest and most important cultural institutions. It is Australia’s only museum of applied arts and sciences with an exceptional collection of approximately 500,000 objects. The Powerhouse is undertaking significant renewal through the creation of Powerhouse Parramatta, expansion of Powerhouse Castle Hill, the digitisation of Powerhouse Collection, and the renewal of Powerhouse Ultimo. The Powerhouse renewal is focused on redefining museums and with a $1.4 billion dollar investment by the NSW Government is the largest cultural project in Australia.
To deliver this major renewal program, Powerhouse seeks to appoint a local publicity agency to collaborate with international communications agency Bolton & Quinn to:

• Promote Powerhouse as a significant global brand.
• Deliver significant Renewal stories across all Powerhouse sites.
• Profile strategic projects and programming across all Powerhouse sites.
• Focus on six primary communities requiring specialist cultural understanding.
• Deliver executive profile opportunities locally and nationally.’

It adds: ‘…Open Tenders – An invitation to tender by public advertisement with no restriction placed on who may tender. Tenderers will normally be required to demonstrate in their tender that they have the necessary skills, resources, experience, financial capacity, and in some cases licences, accreditations, etc., to fulfil the tender requirements.’  Read more Here, or Here: NSW Govt tender for PHM Publicity

[Note: Powerhouse Museum Alliance asks:

• Will the Ultimo State Museum site remain they key management location? Or is it to be a minor adjunct to Parramatta, which does not have the appropriate spaces for the broad collection, and should have its own local institutions.
• Where is the published program of exhibition and project themes for what is to take place in each site?
• Do they realise there is inadequate professional staff to properly interpret the collection?]

17 May, 2023
‘Firm decisions crucial to future of Powerhouse’
In his Opinion editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald, Editor Bevan Shields summarises the current situation: ‘A$500 million redevelopment of the Powerhouse Museum seems on hold as authorities return to their indecisive habits on what to do about the Ultimo institution. The people of NSW are adamant they want a museum on the site but years of confused policy risks stripping the Powerhouse of purpose and turning it into a second-class attraction as other Sydney cultural institutions bloom.’
‘Then-premier Mike Baird decided in 2015 that the much-loved complex, which includes the city’s former powerhouse and tram sheds and was converted to a museum as a Bicentennial project in 1988, would be relocated to a new $915 million facility in Parramatta and the Ultimo site redeveloped. After considerable public outcry, the Berejiklian government reviewed Baird’s decision in 2017 and determined it should stay put. The following year it reversed the decision and suggested closing Ultimo sometime between 2020 and 2021. In July 2020, it went back on its word to close the site and relocate the collections. In 2021, the Berejiklian government allocated $500 million to transform the Powerhouse precinct into a commercially oriented fashion and design hub.
The latest proposal has also been met with full-frontal attacks from conservationists, arts administrators and some who pushed for the museum’s establishment in the 1980s. They want the Ultimo site’s partial heritage listing to be expanded to its entirety, as recommended by the National Trust … Meanwhile, public confusion is being stoked by architects arguing the toss: one company that drafted a conservation management plan claimed the museum had low to moderate heritage significance; another architect, Alan Croker, said his pro-heritage listing report to the NSW government was buried because it would have scuppered the new development.’
‘… For its part, NSW Labor in the approach to the March state election affirmed qualified support for Ultimo as a world-class museum but admitted concern over the shift in focus from a science and engineering museum to fashion and design… Certainly, the way through the current confusion will be fraught … Perhaps the Powerhouse’s rebuild cost of $500 million can be revisited. After all, the cost of the Art Gallery of NSW’s monumental new Sydney Modern wing was held to $344 million and it is looking for 2 million visitors in its first year….The people of Sydney said years ago they wanted a museum on the Ultimo site. The challenge facing the Minns government is to clear the confusion that now overhangs redevelopment of an increasingly stale part of Sydney.’ Read more Here,  or Here: Opinion SMH 17 May 2023

16/17 May, 2023
‘Plibersek, City of Sydney, enter row over $500m Powerhouse redevelopment’
Linda Morris writes in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘Prominent federal Labor minister Tanya Plibersek and the City of Sydney have weighed into the growing row over the future of the $500 million redevelopment of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo, upping pressure on the Minns government to hit pause on the knockdown rebuild of the museum’s modern wing.
… Plibersek was at the forefront of community rallies to save the Powerhouse at Ultimo seven years ago when it was to have been relocated to Parramatta, and the Ultimo site sold off. She told this masthead: “I want to see the site maintained and restored so it can be enjoyed by future generations. Before the NSW government decides to approve the removal of any of its history, they need to be sure it’s the right thing to do. Heritage listing is a matter for the NSW government but I am glad the new minister is bringing transparency back to this process.”
Plibersek’s intervention lays the groundwork for a rethink of the redevelopment, which could involve a more modest refurbishment at a reduced cost to taxpayers. Savings could potentially be redirected to western Sydney arts including Parramatta’s Female Factory, an important site of Australia’s convict history.
… The Minns government has yet to commit to the Powerhouse redevelopment and is consulting widely, including business groups that argue the redevelopment is needed to revive the Pyrmont precinct. “Unfortunately, the Powerhouse forecourt on Harris Street has stood like a barren wasteland for far too long,” said Paul Nicolaou, executive director of Business Sydney. “The planned $500 million investment is important for the whole Pyrmont precinct. Chinatown and its many wonderful businesses will benefit greatly from having a world-class museum nearby.”
On Monday night [15 May], the City of Sydney voted to call on NSW Arts Minister John Graham to review the project’s scope and all contractual obligations entered into by the previous Coalition government. Council also urged Graham to take “all possible steps” to ensure the heritage value of the site was respected and protected as part of any future scheme. The motion was sponsored by Labor’s Linda Scott and supported by Lord Mayor Clover Moore, both of whom acknowledged the strength of local community opposition to the redevelopment. …
[The motion was approved by Council: Read the motion HERE: Council motion 15 May and view Councillor Scott presenting the motion: Webcast Here:    (Go to item 11.9) ]
‘The museum’s chief executive Lisa Havilah says the redevelopment is needed to expand exhibition spaces, mount and show travelling international exhibitions, and improve visitor experiences.
Controversy over the redevelopment reignited last month when a draft report by eminent heritage architect Alan Croker recommended significant parts of the modern extension be heritage protection. Croker’s contract was terminated last year before he could deliver his preliminary findings. The government’s arts agency denied it was because of the report’s content.’  Read more Here, or Here:  SMH Plibersek, City of Sydney enter row 16 May

15 May, 2023
‘Questions in Parliament for the Powerhouse Plans’
In his Update Issue 494, Sydney Independent MP Alex Greenwich advises that:
‘Politicians need to stop treating the Powerhouse as a political football and start working towards the best outcome for the museum and the inner city. Since former Premier Baird announced relocating the museum to western Sydney and redeveloping the land, the future of this vital public institution has been uncertain. Recent plans for a design museum complemented with existing permanent exhibitions are even in doubt now that it was revealed the previous government changed heritage consultants when the expert advice received was in favour of keeping not demolishing the award-winning Wran Building.’
‘I’ve submitted questions in Parliament about the government’s plans for the Ultimo Powerhouse site and museum:  HERE. 
This link notes that:
57 – POWERHOUSE MUSEUM
Greenwich, Alex to the Minister for Transport representing the Special Minister of State, Minister for Roads , Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism
(1) What are the Government’s plans for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo?
(2) What are the plans for the Powerhouse buildings?
(3) What are the plans for the Powerhouse operations?
(4) When will the community have a say on these plans?
Question asked on 10 May 2023 (session 58-1) and printed in Questions & Answers Paper No. 2
Answer due on 14 June 2023
He also refers to ‘Recent media reports question previous decisions on heritage values’ and ‘protection of the museum’s collection.’ (See news entries below from Sydney Morning herald and The Guardian).

15 May, 2023
Campaign Update: Bulletin 87
In his regular Bulletin, Tom Lockley writes: ‘If you want to save THE Powerhouse MUSEUM in its present building, retain the heritage of the Bicentennial celebrations and incidentally save a quarter of a million dollars of public money, please [sign] a petition being organised by Kobi Shetty, who has followed our great supporter Jamie Parker as MLC for Balmain. Please do it NOW!’  Here
Acknowledging that various committed groups had been working on this campaign for 8 years, he reports that: ‘John Graham, the NSW Minister for the Arts, met with Lionel Glendinning, Jennifer Sanders and Lindsay Sharp on Friday afternoon. Jennifer reports that ‘there was good and frank discussion across the key issues’, and it is great to see that at last, people with museum expertise are being heard. Many details cannot be divulged, but it is clear that our representatives presented a compelling case for the saving of THE Powerhouse MUSEUM along the lines indicated in the Powerhouse Museum Alliance manifesto…’ HERE:PMA Key Requirements to Save the PHM Jan 2023
As well, ‘…the new Government is still under pressure to continue with the current plans of the preceding Government. …The Powerhouse Museum Alliance concludes that ‘it is critically important that we continue to make a strong case for the Powerhouse Museum, the entire site including the Harwood Building, to be saved as promised. The program of work commissioned by the previous government is still progressing as reported in the media: the Development Application is to be submitted in a month’. The plan is for demolition is to commence at the end of the year, and the opening of whatever the final result will be some years hence. However, the Minister has promised that there will be no further degradation of the museum until he has the outcomes of a proper investigation of the situation. …Massive amounts of data are already available for analysis. Principally, the two legislative council Inquiries have demonstrated grave flaws in the process, but the Government has treated their findings and recommendations with contempt. Data has been gathered over the years in many ways, as is recorded in the massive Powerhouse Museum Alliance website and the Save the Powerhouse Facebook site. The Government archives are also available to the incoming administration. Read More here: Campaign Update 15 May

13 May, 2023
‘…a ruinous, massively expensive rebuild is under way’
Arts critic John McDonald includes in his regular newsletter, that ‘A shocking story in the Herald revealed that the Powerhouse is set to close for the next three years while a ruinous, massively expensive rebuild is under way. Former director, Lindsay Sharp, and others have rightly denounced this as untenable. To close a major museum for three years, sending the curators to offices in Castle Hill and Parramatta, dumping major parts of the collection any-old-where… only to re-emerge with a product that nobody wants at a final cost approaching $2 billion, is the most absurd act of cultural vandalism ever perpetrated by any government in this country. It was wholly the initiative of the Coalition, so Labor must be as good as their election promises and put a stop to this wildly expensive, incredibly short-sighted project. As it appears there is a concerted effort to push through with the plans, the new government has no time to waste making further inquiries. Do you have to inquire about a tsunami when it’s looming over your head?’ Read here.

12 May, 2023
‘Save our Powerhouse from dodgy redevelopment’
Greens MP for Balmain, Kobi Shetty, circulated a petition to save the Powerhouse Museum and wrote: ‘The Powerhouse Ultimo is an iconic cultural and historic landmark that deserves to be protected. Over the last decade the future of the Powerhouse has been in the hands of development-hungry politicians, and this local gem has only just survived thanks to key advocates and a massive community campaign. That is why it’s so disappointing that the new Labor minority government hasn’t halted the controversial $500 million redevelopment plans for next month despite strong community concerns.  Our community has expressed concerns over the proposed demolition of state-significant sites, a dodgy heritage assessment process and the risks of damaging artefacts in the rebuild.’ She said: ‘I have made it a priority to meet with the Minister for the Arts as soon as possible so we can find a better solution for our community. Join me in calling on the minister to rethink the controversial redevelopment plans, stop the demolition of heritage sites and ensure a transparent planning process. Show your support here. 

10/11 May, 2023
‘Say goodbye: Powerhouse Museum set to shut its doors for almost three years’
Linda Morris writes in the Sydney Morning Herald, ‘The Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo would likely shut for almost three years to allow for the knock-down and rebuild of the museum’s 35-year-old wing. Management of Australia’s leading science and technology museum will begin moving dozens of staff out of the Ultimo location from next month when an application for the site’s redevelopment could be lodged. A construction period of 30 months is estimated for the $500 million redevelopment, which will upgrade exhibition and circulation spaces and reorient the museum’s entrance towards the city. The museum was expected to close in December, with tenders to go out early next year, and in this scenario the rebuilt museum would not reopen until 2026. The broad timetable for the redevelopment was disclosed for the first time in a briefing called by new arts minister John Graham, who has ordered transparency around the planned rebuild.’
In opposition to current plans, ‘…the museum’s founding director, Lindsay Sharp, has called for the government to halt the redevelopment and consider undertaking instead a less expensive but “radical evolution” of the 1988 campus that would be capable of “taking the museum far into the future”. It would be possible, he said, to renovate and extend the museum for about half the cost of the planned rebuild without shutting down the site entirely and having to rebuild audiences once it reopens.’…”The government can get maximum, sustainable value for around half the cost. Truthfully, it would be a really exciting museum experience.”
‘Graham, whose government will have the final say if the project should go ahead, said the government supported a museum of the highest excellence at the Ultimo site that had “a clear and distinct identity, and which built on its traditional focus on science, engineering, transport, design, the technical arts, and education”. He added that the government remained “committed to the Wran legacy and transparency. We are working through the details of this significant project in an orderly manner, including upcoming community consultation in the coming weeks”.’ Read More here; or Read Here: SMH 10 May 2023

10 May, 202
‘Powerhouse Museum: whistleblower staff claim more exhibition items damaged or put at risk’
Kelly Burke follows up her report from 9 May (below) in The Guardian, writing that ‘Current workers blame policy of ‘open display’ for compromising safety of collection, in new allegations the museum rejects as ‘lies’… Powerhouse Museum staff members have raised further allegations of damaged exhibition items, as pressure rises on the NSW Labor government to intervene in the Ultimo museum’s future. In April, Guardian Australia reported claims that the museum’s 1950s Catalina seaplane was damaged with white spray paint late last year, after being lowered from the ceiling in August; and that a 20th century Bleriot monoplane was put at risk while the transport exhibition hall was gutted.… On Tuesday, Guardian revealed that another priceless antique was potentially at risk: the world’s oldest working rotative steam engine, the 1785 Boulton & Watt. The museum has denied these claims of damage and risk, saying that the safety of the collection has been ensured “at all times” and that “the care and preservation of the museum collection is our highest priority”.
‘Since then, more staff members have come forward with other instances of damage to exhibition items, including a Victorian-era indication board from Sydney’s Central station; a rare 1970s Mellotron keyboard; a dress designed by Ron Muncaster; and two works by HSC design students…. More exhibition items have been damaged, current staff members claim, in instances they blame on recent staffing cuts, an introduced policy of open display (removing protective barriers and “do not touch” signs), and the use of the space as a party venue.’
Kelly Burke continues with further details including comments from museum management and external specialists. Read more:   or Here: Guardian 10 May, 2023

9 May, 2023
‘Cultural vandalism’: Powerhouse Museum’s landmark steam engine under threat, experts warn
Kelly Burke writes in The Guardian, that: ‘The world’s oldest working rotative steam engine could be at significant risk, experts say, if Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum goes ahead with plans to dismantle, store and then electrify part of the 1785 Boulton & Watt: a priceless antique whose components are “as fragile as 200-year-old glass”. The warnings about the engine – a gem of the museum’s collection – follow serious claims of neglect of other exhibition items which were recently raised by current staff and former board members, after Guardian Australia broke news of an allegedly “buried” report that could have thwarted its controversial $500m redevelopment.
On Thursday, the new Labor arts minister, John Graham, met with executives to thrash out the contentious future of the Powerhouse, Australia’s largest science and technology museum. Touring the institution, Graham was met by members of the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, a collective fighting to keep it intact. One member delivered a letter to the minister, calling on him to make publicly available all documentation by the previous Coalition government over the new $915m Powerhouse Parramatta, scheduled for completion in 2025; and the conversion of the Ultimo site into a commercially driven creative arts, design and events precinct.
Under that plan, the world’s oldest working rotative steam engine – the 1785 Boulton & Watt – will be dismantled and placed in storage before being reassembled at the redeveloped Ultimo site, where the power source that creates the steam will be converted from gas to electricity….’
‘In a statement, a Powerhouse spokesperson maintained that the steam engine would be safely dismantled and stored, as it has been in the past. “The care and preservation of the Museum collection is our highest priority,” the statement said. But experts have described the move as “extremely risky”. … ‘The Boulton & Watt has been part of the museum’s collection since its arrival in Australia in 1888. In the 1920s it was electrified, then restored back to its original steam operation in the 1980s, at a cost of about $2m at the time, according to the founding Powerhouse director Lindsay Sharp.’… And ‘University of New South Wales emeritus professor David Phillip Miller, one of Australia’s leading experts in technology of the industrial revolution, said that ‘dismantling of the Boulton & Watt – and introducing an electrical component – would be an act of “cultural vandalism” that formed part of a “greater travesty”: the dismantling of the Ultimo museum’s entire steam engine collection…’
“The working Boulton & Watt draws people from around the world,” said Debbie Rudder, who was previously the Museum’s curator of power technologies for 23 years. “Historians, industrial revolution enthusiasts, steam enthusiasts come from Britain and all round the world to Sydney to see it operating.”
‘The museum spokesperson said the Boulton & Watt had a history of being safely dismantled, stored and reassembled, both in 1888 when it arrived in Australia and in the 1980s when it was restored and housed in a custom-built space in the newly designed museum….But an April 2023 independent report, commissioned by the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, strongly advised against ever moving the steam engine again “unless absolutely essential”, due to “cumulative fatigue” of its fragile components that have weakened over time. The report’s author, Sydney mechanical and structural engineer Steve Muscat, told Guardian Australia: “It’s like [playing with] the tab on a can of coke. You can only do it so many times before the tab snaps.”… Similar advice was given to the museum more than 40 years ago. The UK’s world steam engineering expert Jonathan Minns travelled to Sydney in 1980, where he advised the museum’s then director Lindsay Sharp that once the engine was installed in its purpose-built space, it should never be moved again. “Jonathan was unequivocal,” Sharp said. The engineer, who died in 2013, warned him that components of the engine were “as fragile as 200-year-old glass”. Sharp said Minns repeated this advice in a report that current staff at the Powerhouse, some who are speaking to Guardian Australia, were unable to locate among the conservation archives. The Powerhouse’s executive did not respond to questions about the Minns report.’ Read more Here, or Here:  Guardian 9 May 2023

8 May, 2023
‘Too soon to tell – is the Powerhouse Museum saved and what happens next?’
On his Blogspot Indefinite articles, cultural researcher and writer, Stephen Cassidy, provides links to a number of documents, saying: ‘Over the years I have written several articles about the decline of the once mighty Powerhouse Museum, one of the gems of Sydney and an internationally renowned institution. It was steadily undermined by a State government more at ease with pork-barrelling the suburbs it had long neglected than fostering a great museum and major tourist attraction. Rather than extending and upgrading the museum into the Western suburbs, it seemed intent on establishing a de facto entertainment and functions centre in Parramatta. Now, with a new State Government, that all may have changed.’
A former Membership Manager at the Powerhouse Museum, who regrets that this aspect appears to no longer exist, he adds: ‘Hopefully, with the election of the Minns Labor Government in NSW, there may be some hope of an end to this embarrassing debacle with the Museum, though there are no guarantees. I include extracts from a breaking update distributed on behalf of the broad alliance that has been battling for years to reverse this policy failure and halt the sad decline of the Museum. [Powerhouse Museum Alliance; distributed paper attached] I haven’t written about the saga for several years because I was so unhappy about the whole sorry business. …’
He continues: History of a train wreck Here are the three earlier articles I wrote about the Powerhouse Museum. The process they outline can best be described as a train wreck – apt given the long association between the Powerhouse and trains.
Better late than never – does Powerhouse Museum turnaround signal new promise?
Going, going, gone – the final spiral of a cultural icon?
The grand design of things – the lost unrealised potential of the Powerhouse Museum
Extract from update by Powerhouse Museum Alliance
An abridged and edited version of an update distributed yesterday, 5 May 2023, follows. It summarises developments so far and suggests the way forward.
Read Here for links to his Blog: or Read Here: Stephen Cassidy Blogspot

5 May, 2023
‘Powerhouse Museum: an 8-year update! What now? Issues, comments, suggestions …’Speaking for the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, Grace Cochrane wrote in a mass mailout:
‘This update is sent to hundreds of colleagues, both as individuals and in institutions and organisations across NSW, Australia and other countries, who have established important relationships with the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, and who have expressed concerns about our previous government’s plans to firstly demolish and move the Museum, and then ‘save it’ while vastly changing its role and program. You may like to follow this up, to further support the future of the Museum (see below). In summary:
–  Yes, keep the main Museum site in Ultimo; Parramatta to have own institutions
–  Yes, keep all buildings, and get state heritage listing for 1988 buildings and historic Harwood building
–  Yes, as core business stay with ‘applied arts (industrial and decorative arts, crafts, design) and sciences’ (including industrial and technological) and social history, as always!
–  Yes, encourage release of the secret design briefs and secret business cases
–  Stop anything leading towards demolition in Ultimo; encourage only appropriate ‘renewal’

‘Just a few weeks after the NSW State Election (25 March, 2023), it is now possible to identify reversals that may be made by our new government, to the destructive plans for the Powerhouse Museum initiated by the previous government in 2014. Even though the Museum was ‘saved’ in its Sydney city site in 2020, it is still unclear exactly what its future role is, or what its relationship will be with the proposed Parramatta venue. We want it to remain with its original purpose, on its current site, in its current buildings – albeit with appropriate renewal to better access the collection through exhibitions and related events.’
The document continues with more details of issues and expectations, and links to members of NSW parliament for those wanting to pass on their concerns. Read Here:  Mailout May 2023

2/3 May, 2023
‘Second report casts doubt on Powerhouse demolition plans’
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Linda Morris follows up previous reports, writing that a report by architects Robertson and Hindmarsh, for Heritage NSW, provided: ‘A second study challenging the plan to demolish the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo has added to pressure mounting on the Minns government to step in and halt the $500 million redevelopment.
The Powerhouse Museum was named as an example of the state’s best-built heritage of the last quarter of the twentieth century, alongside 33 other buildings likely to be of state heritage significance in the report by architects Robertson & Hindmarsh. The report was commissioned to provide Heritage NSW with expert guidance about the comparative value of the museum’s modern extensions that were left off the heritage list in 2020 and other buildings including schools and office towers of the period.
The study’s findings add weight to the work of eminent heritage architect Alan Croker, who found the modern extension deserved to be conserved and protected…The Robertson & Hindmarsh report rated the Powerhouse on a shortlist of buildings deemed of architectural or design merit. Two of three appendixes are missing from the publicly available copy of the report in Heritage NSW’s digital library. But the Herald can disclose that the missing documents for the Powerhouse quote the museum complex as historically and architecturally significant for its reuse of existing industrial buildings in “one of Sydney’s largest and more successful architectural adaptions”.
… As one of the few remaining legacies of the former Wran government, Croker says he wants to be able to complete his draft conservation plan. “In order to protect its important values, whilst still allowing change, it is essential that no further works or changes be done on the site that could threaten or compromise these values until an appropriate and comprehensive set of conservation policies and guidelines for change are in place,” he said.
Architect of the 1988 adaption, Lionel Glendenning says the new plans effectively reduce the museum to the brick shell of the former power station, as if the Powerhouse Museum had never existed. He has urged heritage listing for the entire site and estimated the government could save taxpayers $250 million if it limited the scope of redevelopment and concentrated on re¬opening shuttered exhibition spaces, reversing unsympathetic alterations, completing overdue maintenance, and opening entry to the Goods Line.’…Heritage listing for the entire museum’s site was not supported in 2020. It was held that though the Wran building was innovative for its adaptive reuse of the site, it impacted the visibility and legibility of the state heritage-listed buildings within the site, including the former Power House buildings, and the Ultimo Post Office. (But PHM notes that the new proposed design ‘blocks completely any view of the Power House and takes over all of the Harris Street frontage including the forecourt – a brick box looking over Harris Street and the historic Vernon Post Office.’ ) Read more Here: or Here: SMH Second report casts doubt on Powerhouse demolition 3 May 2023

27 April, 2023
Sydney Powerhouse ‘a half-empty neglected mess’ amid redevelopment, museum staff claim
Kelly Burke reports in the Guardian that:  ‘Staff and former board members at Sydney’s Powerhouse allege the museum’s collections have been neglected and put at risk of damage, as Australia’s flagship science and technology museum undergoes a controversial $500m conversion into a commercially driven creative arts and events space.
Guardian Australia has spoken to multiple members of staff who have have shared their concerns that the upkeep on the historic buildings in Ultimo appears to have been neglected and the quality of programming downgraded in order to smooth the way for its conversion into what the previous New South Wales government touted as a “creative industries precinct”.
In addition, staff, former board members and volunteers at the museum have alleged that objects in the museum had been placed at risk during major modifications to exhibition spaces and at parties and events held at the site, and that unrectified leaks in the building had threatened exhibits….
One former Powerhouse board member told the Guardian the museum had been reduced to “a half empty neglected mess”, while a written statement from the museum board’s former long-serving president, Nick Pappas, accused the former state government of conducting “a miserable land-grab under the guise of supporting the cultural needs of western Sydney”, resulting in the “unjustified and catastrophic destruction of a beloved and award-winning public edifice and cultural institution”.
In coming weeks, the majority of Powerhouse staff will be relocated from the Ultimo site to the institution’s storage facility at Castle Hill while a new Powerhouse museum is built in Parramatta – a $915m project scheduled for completion in 2025.
Yesterday, the Guardian revealed heritage architect Alan Croker’s allegations that the former NSW government had “buried” his company’s work on a conservation management plan (CMP) for the Ultimo museum after it found the entire site should be heritage listed.
Such a finding would have prevented the government’s plans to demolish at least one-third of the museum’s existing buildings and significantly modify others….
Dr Lindsay Sharp, who served as founding director of the Powerhouse in the 1980s before going on to become the director of the UK’s sprawling network of science museums, said he was astounded by photos he had seen of parties held at the Ultimo site.
“You’re looking at absolutely irreplaceable, iconic objects,” he said. “Of course there is a way of opening up exhibits for the public to get up close to, but it has to be done in a professional way. As a museum director, as a museum professional, you just don’t believe what you’re looking at here.”
The cavernous transport hall where the Catalina seaplane is housed was gutted in mid-2021, with most of the museum’s extensive transport collection – including an early 20th-century Bleriot monoplane, a 1904 motorcycle, a 1939 Chevrolet, a Victorian boneshaker bicycle and an 18th-century sedan chair – now removed.
Staff also shared photos of large glass and steel display cases being dismantled with angle grinders while prized exhibits, such as the fragile Bleriot, were left uncovered and risked exposure to industrial dust, which has the potential to damage machine parts and corrode surfaces.’ Read more Here; or Here Guardian Kelly Burke 27 April

27 April, 2023
Powerhouse Museum ‘Hidden report puts $500m project under a cloud’
Linda Morris reports in the Sydney Morning Herald that: ‘A $500 million redevelopment of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo is under a cloud after a long-hidden report surfaced that recommended state heritage listing of parts of the museum now slated for demolition later this year.
Arts minister John Graham has called for the government arts agency to provide him with a copy of the draft report by heritage consultant Alan Croker, whose firm’s contract ended shortly before he could officially deliver his final draft.
Croker found significant parts of the 1988 museum extensions deserved conservation and protection. Croker’s draft conservation management plan shows the site was of historical and exceptional cultural significance for its collection of 19th-century historic buildings on the site of the first power station constructed for Sydney’s electric tram network, and its later adaption in 1988 into a museum precinct. These findings were not included in the planning documents used to justify the redevelopment of the Ultimo museum for a new main entrance, reoriented to the Goods Line and new public square, rooftop gardens and multistorey annex running the length of Harris Street across its forecourt. The “renewal” plans are now being finalised by the winning architect team, Architectus, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Tyrrell Studio, Youssofzay + Hart, Finding Infinity and Arup.
The plans require the demolition of the arched galleria constructed when the former power station was converted into Australia’s iconic science, applied arts and technology museums. Croker’s firm Design 5 rates the galleria that references the Garden Palace, which burnt to the ground in 1882 and housed the museum’s foundation collection, as being of exceptional significance; the half-arched building on Harris Street, less so.
Croker’s contract was terminated by Create NSW days before finalising the report in April last year that confirmed the “Powerhouse Museum in its setting reaches the threshold for state significance”.
A spokesperson for Create NSW characterised the work of Design 5 as research and said the contract was ended on March 28, 2022, due to missed project deadlines.”Any inference that the contract was terminated due to the content of the research is false,” they said…Croker said he presented an initial draft in December 2021 to Powerhouse executives and staff for formal comment, and his contract was ended abruptly without ever receiving that response. Current design plans, he said, were based on an “incomplete understanding of the importance of the buildings and the museum on the Powerhouse site”. Graham said he had raised questions about “a second CMP” on the Ultimo Renewal project in Budget Estimates in September. “I have now begun being briefed on the matter,” he said. “I have requested the relevant documents be delivered to my office.” The nature of the contract, the content of the work, and motivations for ending it are expected to be carefully examined by his office. “I have also asked for advice as to what documents can be released publicly,” he said. Read more Here; or Here  SMH Linda Morris Hidden report 27 April

26 April, 2023
Revealed: the ‘buried’ Powerhouse Museum report that could have stopped $500m redevelopment
Kelly Burke writes in the Guardian, that Alan Croker, ‘A prominent heritage architect alleges the NSW government terminated his contract and hired another company after he advised that the Ultimo site should be heritage listed. A heritage architect hired by the previous New South Wales government to consult on major redevelopments at Sydney’s Powerhouse museum is alleging that his research was buried. He alleges this was because it would have scuppered controversial plans to demolish much of the beloved Sydney institution.
Alan Croker, who has previously consulted on architectural landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, told Guardian Australia his company, Design 5, drafted a conservation management plan (CMP)for the heritage significance of the Ultimo site in October 2021.
However, his recommendation that the entire site be heritage listed threatened $500m plans to turn the Powerhouse into a commercially-oriented fashion and design hub. The final report from a second company was published under then premier Dominic Perrottet in mid-2022. It meant the government could demolish most or all of what was constructed at the Powerhouse in the 1980s, when the former power station was converted into Australia’s largest science and technology museum….
Croker believes his CMP, a draft of which was handed to the government in April 2022, ended up “buried somewhere” because its findings were “not what the powers that be wanted to know”. His findings would have laid the groundwork to expand the heritage listing to the Ultimo site in its entirety, as per the recommendation of the National Trust. “It’s time somebody told the truth about what happened,” Croker told the Guardian. “This ongoing silence is not right.”…
Croker said communication with Create NSW stalled soon after he presented his findings in December 2021. He alleges that a series of public consultations, which were to be included in his report, were initially delayed, while requests for feedback to enable him and his staff to proceed to the next stage were ignored.” The silence from the Powerhouse Museum and the government became increasingly loud,” Croker said.
… Before it was elected in March, Labor promised to “save” the Ultimo Powerhouse and end the secrecy still shrouding many of the plans for the site. The new arts minister, John Graham, attributed the lack of transparency to the previous government’s “obsession with commercialisation and privatisation”. “We are going to be a lot more public about what’s going on there … it’s got to be a museum, that’s not up for negotiation,” Graham said three days before the March election. On Tuesday the minister said the allegations raised were concerning. “I’ve asked for advice [from various departments] on which of these documents can be made public,” he said.’ Read more Here; or Here Guardian Croker report buried 26 April

21 April, 2023
‘Crisis in our museums reaches far and wide’
Also as: ‘Sydney Powerhouse and APY Lands reveal crisis in our cultural sector’
Henry Ergas writes in The Australian, that the ‘destruction of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum highlights everything that’s wrong with our cultural institutions’, saying: ‘… there is an urgent need for a proper review of the strategy, governance and future of our major cultural institutions. Nothing more starkly highlights the problems than the fate of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum which, until not so long ago, ranked among the world’s greatest museums of the applied arts and sciences.
Now, eight years after the state’s LNP government triggered an endless series of abrupt policy moves and reversals by announcing that it intended to shut the Powerhouse’s Ultimo site, the museum’s treasures have largely been placed into storage – with several priceless items, including the Bleriot monoplane, which is the oldest historical aircraft in Australia, being severely damaged in the process.
Meanwhile, the very idea of having a museum of applied arts and sciences seems to have been surreptitiously jettisoned in favour of what can be described only as a cross between yet another contemporary arts centre, a fashion venue and a glitzy entertainment mall. There have been, for sure, moments of comic relief. It was, for example, heartening to hear the then arts minister, Ben Franklin, echo Andy Warhol’s prediction, made back in 1975, that eventually “all museums will become department stores” by stating that the Powerhouse’s new “core” would be a “precinct (showcasing) fashion, design, photography, film, broadcasting and First Nations”. “Gone are the days when museums and galleries are big rooms filled with glass cabinets,” asserted Franklin, who has clearly not wasted any time in the world’s leading scientific museums; and gone with them, it seems, is any mention of science and technology in an institution whose governing legislation is called the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Act.
As for what is to come … somewhat unusually for the head of an institution that holds, in trust for the public, an extraordinary collection of historical objects, the hip CEO boasts of her willingness to “ignore the weight of history, language and architecture”. Ignore them she certainly has. Although the data is shrouded in secrecy, it appears that since January 2019, when Havilah came on board, the number of expert conservators has fallen by two-thirds; for the first time in decades, the museum lacks a specialist curator for engineering and transport; as for educational staff, whose tours were among the museum’s great attractions, their numbers have plummeted from 24 to three. Slashed too is exhibition space. The misnamed “renewal” of the complex at Ultimo – which amounts to a demolition – seems likely to halve the display area, while entirely gutting the site’s state of the art storage facilities. Nor is that loss offset by the new site at Parramatta which, despite its imposing size, cannot host or store large, museum quality, objects and exhibitions. As a result, what was a depot in Sydney’s outer suburbs is being “repurposed” into the Powerhouse Castle Hill that will hold – and occasionally exhibit – the collection’s magnificent transport and engineering objects at a site where visitor numbers are a minute fraction of those at Ultimo. All that is, of course, being done at Pharaonic cost – in the order of $1.5bn – although a sixth of that amount would have sufficed to upgrade the Ultimo complex, retaining, rather than destroying, the integrity of its Sulman award-winning building, which was specifically designed to display the Powerhouse’s works. Little wonder the cost-benefit appraisal justifying the massive outlays conveniently overlooked that option, which was the least costly and least harmful …
Topping off those creative efforts, which could have landed private sector accountants into the soup, the latest forecast claims the renovated Powerhouse will generate more commercial revenue each year than the National Gallery of Victoria, which is Australia’s most popular museum. That forecast is entirely fanciful; but what it reflects is a strategy of converting the Powerhouse into a function space and shopping centre, where the collection that has been meticulously built up since 1880 merely provides unusual adornments and striking accoutrements.
There are, nonetheless, some of us who cling to the view the Greeks and Romans held that the sciences are among the highest of the muses. …The founders of the Powerhouse understood that; infused with the spirit of the Enlightenment, they believed that truth and humanity were companions on knowledge’s endless frontier. And its founders also understood that enthusing tomorrow’s Australians with the lure of discovery was crucial to this country’s future. The institution they built, spanning all of “the useful arts”, was designed to promote that endeavour. Now it is being reduced to a parody of everything it stands for, with even the term museum being stripped from its branding.
It may be that this vandalism is an extreme case …But that it is being allowed to happen speaks to a crisis of cultural purpose, direction and governance. Our muses are ill; so too are many of our great museums. Unless they are cured, the harm will spread – and a wasteland of the Australian mind will spread with it.’  Read more Here: The Australian – Henry Ergas 21 Apr 2023 : See also over 300 comments following the article Here: Comments Ergas article 22 April 2023

April 15-16, 2023
‘Mission not accomplished’
Relevant to the circumstances of the Powerhouse Museum, Christopher Allen writes in The Australian about current issues in galleries and museums, that ‘We should not be content to leave our organs of collective memory to people who have forsaken the original purpose of these institutions.’ He continues, regarding national institutions, but also relevant to state institutions, that: ‘The federal government has at last announced much-needed emergency grants to avert disaster, but this does nothing to solve longer-term problems that arise from inadequate funding, institutional mismanagement, or frequently some combination of the two. Thus the enforcement of so-called “efficiency dividends” seems like a perverse approach to funding, and yet it has not prevented the proliferation of bureaucracy and what the anthropologist David Graeber has called “bullshit jobs”, too often at the cost of curatorial positions and expertise. These meaningless positions, concerned with “engagement” or “corporate development” and so on – which should be the director’s job – are also a response to government’s ill-conceived priorities (“key performance indicators”). The emphasis on visitor numbers in galleries, for example, can lead to populist programming and gimmicks to attract crowds at any cost. In all of this we seem to have drifted a long way from the original purpose of galleries and museums in particular…But returning more particularly to museums and galleries, it seems that we have rather lost sight of the purpose of these institutions. Too often they behave as though their mission was to provide a form of entertainment, which explains the populist bias towards fashion and design as well as the desperate chasing of trends in contemporary art. At the same time, they seem driven to impose their social ideologies on exhibitions, on programming and perhaps most of all on the permanent collections and displays. But neither populist pandering nor ideological indoctrination is the true mission of public museums and art galleries. Their primary duty, as places of communal memory and reflection, is to collect, conserve, research and exhibit works of art, cultural documents, and historical or natural artefacts. Exhibitions should be engaging, welldesigned and appealing, but they should not be populist; and they should be open to new readings and alternative perspectives, but they should offer these as possibilities rather than attempting to impose them as dogma… I already mentioned the way that curatorial expertise has been sacrificed for bullshit jobs, and this goes all the way to the top, and helps explain the weakness of our public gallery directors. Most of these people know little about art and are visibly more concerned with politics, fashion, money and ideological self-positioning than with the serious cultural role that they should be playing …The question, however, is whether we are content to leave our most important cultural institutions, our organs of collective memory as suggested above, to people like this. Reform will not be easy, because so many functionaries will cling to their positions until they retire, but it could start with conscious change at the level of boards and management. Otherwise, one may well ask why governments should be expected to increase funding for dysfunctional organisations.’ Read More Here:  The Australian Christopher Allen 15 April 2023

10 April, 2023
‘Forget the bridge and Bondi Beach: Culture at heart of new tourism plan’
Also as:  ‘Culture, not scenery, is NSW tourism’s new hot spot’
Linda Morris reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, on the new Labor Government’s proposals for cultural organisations. ‘Sydney’s musicians, galleries, museums, restaurants and theatres will be at the forefront of a new national and global tourism rebrand as the Minns government takes its lead from federal Labor and commits to “bringing cultural vibrancy back to NSW”. The state’s tourism pitch to international and interstate visitors will shift focus from the icons of the harbour, Bondi Beach and Sydney Opera House to experience-based tourism under the watch of incoming Arts and Tourism Minister John Graham…NSW will also get its own arts and cultural policy by year’s end, … with Graham declaring it one of his biggest priorities.
She notes in particular: ‘Graham has also flagged changes in priorities to the Powerhouse Museum at Parramatta and Ultimo, as Labor takes charge of the controversial museum project eight years after former Premier Mike Baird first took the idea to relocate the Ultimo museum to voters. That decision was overturned in the face of public protests, with the Powerhouse to now operate across the two campuses.
The $915 million Parramatta Powerhouse will be given a new name when the Minns government opens the building in the next two years. It will likely drop the use of the word Powerhouse altogether, so it can forge a separate identity from its sister museum. “We want Parramatta to grow with its own identity, its own place, its own name over time,” Graham said.
Labor will also abandon an unpopular split between fashion and design at Ultimo, and science and technology at Parramatta. It has not committed to the detail of the Coalition’s $500 million redevelopment at Ultimo, now in its design phase, which calls for the demolition of the museum’s 1988-built atrium extension to the heritage-listed buildings of the Ultimo Power Station and the old post office. “I’m very conscious [Powerhouse Ultimo] is a big part of the Wran story,” he said. “[Former NSW Premier] Neville Wran supported the arts and that institution and I’m conscious the redevelopment is controversial and has been kept secret for eight years. “We are going to be a lot more public about what’s going on there, what’s planned and I want to invite the public in on the conversation. I want a vibrant museum that is evolving over time, it’s got to be a museum, that’s not up for negotiation. Read more here,  or Here:  SMH 10 April Labor cultural policy

 28/29 March, 2023
‘… Minns’ interim ministry swears in’ (28 March) and
‘Long time for Labor but they swear they’ll avoid the snags’ (29 March)
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Michael Koziel wrote about the swearing-in of ministers to office in the new Government. While counting is still taking place in some seats, he identified the ministers, and included comments made by the NSW Governor Margaret Beazley. As well, he noted:
‘Making brief comments to reporters outside, the 47th premier acknowledged votes were still being counted and said his cabinet knew there was a huge responsibility on their shoulders. ‘‘We don’t know the final composition of the next parliament, but my team and I are ready to hit the ground running, and we can’t wait for those responsibilities of office,’’ Minns said. The full Minns ministry will be selected in the coming days.  Read here: or Here: Ministry 29 March

29 March, 2023
‘ALP behind in key seats as hopes of majority fade’
In  the Sydney Morning Herald, as the COUNTCONTINUES, Matt Wade and Lucy Cormack, acknowledge that:
‘The Minns government’s hopes of forming a majority have faded as NSW Labor fell behind in the count for several crucial seats, reinforcing the role a historically large crossbench will play in parliament. Labor was ahead in 46 seats late yesterday, including the electorate of Ryde where it has a slender lead, but the newly elected government is trailing in a handful of electorates that it will need if it is to pass legislation without the support of the crossbench. A total of 47 seats is needed for a majority. As the count walked back Saturday’s early calls of a majority Labor government after 12 years in the political wilderness, Premier Chris Minns said he was still confident of landing 46 or 47 seats, insisting no deals had been made with the incoming crossbench.
‘‘We have had fruitful discussions with the crossbench, consistent with the principle that we took to the election that we wouldn’t be horse-trading on policy deals,’’ he said. ‘‘There hasn’t been and that’s consistent with my promise at the election.’’ Read more pge 4: or here: SMH 29 March

29 March, 2023
‘Chris Minns sworn in as NSW premier as Labor majority appears more unlikely after election’
Tamsin Rose writes in The Guardian, that: ‘Party remains two seats short of governing in its own right as three crossbenchers promise supply. Labor is unlikely to form majority government in New South Wales, after three further seats were called for the Liberals on Tuesday. The party is expected to lose in other tight races in the coming days. Failing to reach 47 seats could impact Chris Minns’s agenda, and he may need to work with crossbenchers to govern. While election analysts, including the ABC’s Antony Green, said otherwise, the newly sworn-in premier remained confident he would be able to form a majority or fall just one seat shy.
“We have had fruitful discussions with the crossbench … consistent with the principle that we took into the election that we would not be horse-trading,” Minns said on Tuesday. Read more, or Here:  Guardian 29 March

25-27 March, 2023
Results of NSW State Government election
From a very early stage in polling counts, and with many more votes to be counted, it was clear that the NSW Labor Party had won the election. Many continuing reports were provided along the way… These include:

25 March, 2023 (updated 27 March)
‘Minns to be next NSW premier after voters savage Liberals’
Alexandra Smith writes in the Sydney Morning Herald ‘Chris Minns will be the next premier of NSW after voters savaged the Liberal Party in seats across Sydney, paving the way for Labor to govern in its own right for the first time in 12 years.’ Read here, or  SMH 25-27 March

25 March, updated 26 March 2023
As it happened: NSW election results 2023 as Chris Minns defeats Dominic Perrottet to become next NSW premier
In ‘live updates’ Michael Kozier and Billie Elder record the progress of the election and evolving results in the NSW electorates. Read here.

27 March, 2023
‘From enigma to premier: How Chris Minns and Labor won the election’
Alexandra Smith identifies in the Sydney Morning Herald some of the perceived turning points in election issues. Read here.   Or here:  SMH 27 March, 2023 NSW Election

26 March, 2023
‘The people who will make up the next government’
Christopher Harris reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, that incoming Premier ‘Chris Minns has indicated that he will keep the same front bench he took to the election. These are the Labor personalities likely to make up the team.’ Among them is John Graham, who had spoken supportively about the Powerhouse Museum on 22 March (see earlier report):
‘John Graham is expected to be Minister for Roads as well as the Arts when the Minns ministry is sworn in. He has been a member of the NSW upper house since 2016. Graham grew up in government housing in Albury, moved to Newcastle and graduated from Newcastle High before completing a bachelor of economics at the University of Sydney. Before joining parliament, he worked in the higher education sector, was assistant general secretary for the NSW Labor Party and was deputy chief of staff to former NSW premier Nathan Rees. He was a vocal critic of the previous government’s lockout laws. He is married with two children.’ Read all here. 

26 March, 2023
‘Comments on Museum issues for the new government, including the Powerhouse Museum’
In his regular newsletter, arts journalist John McDonald comments on a number of issues facing the incoming Labor government in NSW. Among them he notes:
‘A few days out from the election – and much to my surprise – the Labor Party made the bold announcement that it would put a halt to the Powerhouse debacle. … Labor has a huge task ahead if it means to make good on its Powerhouse commitment. First, it must halt the extravagant, inappropriate makeover plans for the building in Ultimo, and channel some of the money into intelligent maintenance and renovation.
The ghastly edifice in Parramatta which is well on its way to being built, must be cut loose from the Powerhouse, and given a new name, perhaps in honour of David Borger, who worked so hard to keep this disastrous project going when nobody else in Parramatta wanted it. (“Dave’s White Elephant” has a nice ring). Once again, money might be sensibly redeployed in giving Parramatta a proper art gallery, which is what it asked for in the first place. The final indignity is that those ungrateful Parramatta voters – who obviously don’t read the SMH – punished the Coalition in the election.
In relation to the Powerhouse there are dozens of things that need to be stopped, and dozens more that need to be done. You can read all about it at the PHM Alliance website. One thing that’s going to be both important and tricky, is to clean up the administration – meaning a complacent, supine top brass and trustees. Over the past few months we’ve watched the Powerhouse dump the word “museum” from its title and go headlong into contemporary art and fashion – abandoning everything that constitutes its unique historical identity. Along with the MCA and Sydney Modern, do we need another contemporary art museum?
One of the nastiest rumours was that the curators were going to be shunted off to Castle Hill, which would have meant about three hours daily travel for most of them. There’s also much blather about “decolonising the museum” – a modish term that should set off alarm bells whenever it is heard, as it serves as a guarantee of ideological narrowness, the closing down of debate, and the stupefaction of audiences.
I’m not suggesting that everyone associated with all those utterly irresponsible and foolish schemes promulgated under layers of secrecy and spin should be removed. They will simply have to change their tune and learn to kiss a new set of arses. Can they manage a 180 degree turnaround, with pike? If Labor follows through on its promises it’s a huge tribute to the tireless folk at the PHM Alliance, who never gave up hope over almost a decade of conflict with an arrogant and brutal government hell-bent on destroying a unique part of Australia’s cultural heritage. Medals should be awarded.’ Read all here.  John McDonald 26 March 

22 March, 2023
NSW Labor announces ‘Only Labor will save The Powerhouse Museum’
Shadow Minister for the Arts, John Graham, with Skye Tito, Labor candidate for Sydney and Philippa Scott, Labor candidate for Balmain, spoke to a large group of Save the Powerhouse, Powerhouse Museum Alliance, North Parramatta Residents Group and other supporters on the forecourt of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. They had circulated their plans for properly saving and renewing the Museum in Ultimo which included:
‘NSW Labor supports The Powerhouse Museum. We want a museum of the highest excellence at the Ultimo site which has a clear and distinct identity and which builds on its traditional focus on science, engineering, transport, the technical (and decorative) arts and education…. The NSW Parliament Select Committee on the management of the Powerhouse Museum has revealed the shroud of secrecy that the NSW Government has sought to apply across the operations of The Powerhouse Museum for the past 12 years. NSW Labor remains concerned about the focus on event rather than museum spaces in the Government’s plans. This reflects the Government’s obsession with commercialisation and privatisation. A NSW Labor government will release key details of the plans for the Ultimo and Parramatta sites that until now have been kept secret.’ As well, it notes: ‘NSW Labor champions major investment in the arts and culture in western Sydney and we acknowledge the value of the major investment in physical infrastructure that has taken place.  The Powerhouse Parramatta deserves its own identity and name and to develop in relationship with its specific context.’ For full document Read here, with photos of rally: Labor media release 22 March 23

3 March, 2023
‘PHM “Renewal” timeline – contradictions and Backflips’
Save the Powerhouse reported in email and on their Facebook page, about the inconsistencies of the government planning process and ‘consultation’. They write, about recent consultation sessions:
‘Even if we’ve become used to the irregularity and secretive nature of the planning process for the so-called Powerhouse Museum “renewal”, the recent chain of events almost defies belief!
The process began conventionally back in December 2021, when a Concept Proposal (Stage 1) State Significant (ie considered specially “important” to the State) Development Application was submitted to the Planning Department by Infrastructure NSW  Read here.  This was then placed on Public Exhibition for several weeks in June and July 2022, a design competition was subsequently conducted, and a winner announced.(July-Dec). Nothing unusual there, and all within the “rules.” But this month, on:
– Tuesday 21 February – Stage 1 (Concept Proposal): the Response to Submissions, Assessment, Recommendation and Determination were all completed in a single day even though 88% of the 107 submissions received OBJECTED to the Project!  Read here.
– Monday 27 February (only 6 days later) – Stage 2 (Detailed Design)  (Read here) the SEARs step was completed and the EIS step started and
– Friday 3 March (4 days later): pre-election caretaker mode started when all NSW Government action is frozen –but not the public service which continues normally!
This sudden frenzy of activity, just before the start of the caretaker period is dangerous because it could open the way to irreversible decisions (such as signing unbreakable contracts) just before or immediately after the election.’
After reporting on questions asked, they concluded: ‘…according to our own observations and reliable reports, not more than a total of 20 people came to the entire consultation series despite a massive publicity campaign (full page newspaper ads, postcards and even door knocking) marking one more PR disaster and waste of public money, and providing yet another reason to choose a better option at the ballot box on March 25!’ Read here: Save the P Contradictions and backflips

As well, the Powerhouse Museum Alliance’s summary of Key Requirements to Save the Powerhouse Museum, was among papers handed out at the sessions. Read here: PMA Key Requirements to Save the PHM Jan 2023

29 February, 2023
Re the ‘Approval; ‘Campaign to Save Powerhouse Museum: urgent action’
Writing in his Bulletin 83 about ‘Australia’s major museum of arts and sciences in Sydney’s most evocative heritage building’, advocate Tom Lockley argues that current: ‘consultation and information sessions may be used to justify a Government application for a detailed Significant Development Application (SSDA). An SSDA essentially allows the state Government complete control over the project. This means that the Government might even make more irrevocable decisions about the fate of the museum before the ‘caretaker’ election period begins.’
He provides summaries of both the Government’s proposals for demolition and development on the Ultimo site, and well-argued alternatives. Also listed are links to relevant documents and reminders to take part in current ‘consultations’, including:

• If possible, attend the final ‘consultation and information’ at the Powerhouse Ultimo (500 Harris Street, Ultimo), Thursday 2 March: 5 pm-7 pm. It would be good if we could have as many people as possible attending at 6 pm.
• and / or email : powerhouse.ultimo@infrastructure.nsw.gov.au
• If you take part in the online survey https://swipengage.com/#/PHUR be sure to use the comments spaces to make your opinion clear, and we strongly recommend that you also send an email to  info@powerhousemuseumalliance.com outlining your comments.
  Read More Here:  Campaign Bulletin No 83

23 February 2023
‘Minister has Approved the application for the Powerhouse Ultimo Renewal’
In an email circulated by the Department of Planning and Environment, it was announced that:  ‘The Department is writing to inform you that the Minister has Approved the application for the Powerhouse Ultimo Renewal (SSD-32927319 ).’
It adds that ‘Further information can be accessed from the Major Projects Website.
Read more:  23 February 2023 Govt Approval
See also: Links to Major Projects Website, relating to the Powerhouse Museum:
Assessment requirements: for Powerhouse Museum
Planning portal for Powerhouse Museum
Takes you to Request for View to read Scoping Report:

Associated with, and following this announcement, many concerns are still widely expressed about the purpose, rationale, process and conclusions.
Read informed documents on our PHM website here:  PHM Being Destroyed not Saved: Call to Action.

23 February, 2023
‘It’s Official: Powerhouse Ultimo’s Multimillion-Dollar Redesign Has Been Granted Approval’
Ben Hansen, writing in Concrete Playground, reported that the ‘Powerhouse Museum Ultimo is set to look a whole lot different thanks to a $500-million makeover — and the plan for the revamp has just been given the green light. The approval for the concept that won 2022’s design competition is the latest step towards kicking off construction on the project’
Powerhouse Trust President Peter Collins AM KC said: “We will now continue to consult with the community and stakeholders as we refine the final design of the museum and ensure the community provides input into the renewal during the next phase of the planning process.”
Hansen adds, following up earlier opportunities for ‘consultation’, ‘If you’d like to have your say, you can participate in the consultation on the design by completing the online survey before Friday, March 10.’   Read more.

23 February, 2023
Comments on  ‘the Approval’
Save the Powerhouse group commented on Facebook that: ‘Following our complaints to the Department of Planning (our letters of 11th http://tiny.cc/n6n4vz and 18th http://tiny.cc/o6n4vz of February) and our publication of the 19th of February (“Is the NSW Government above the law?”), the Department has announced this morning that their SSD SSD-32927319 – Stage 1 Concept Proposal). This represents an advance of 3 steps of the DA process (Complete Assessment, Recommendation and Determination) in a single day and attempts to justify, after the event, the “Prepare for SEARs” current status of SSD-54612708 – Stage 2 Detailed Application https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/…/powerhouse…
It does not justify however the current “Community Consultations” which started yesterday 22nd of February and will end on the 2nd of March, the day before the Caretaker Period starts.
Community consultation must only take place during the Exhibition period, when the public has been fully informed about the project by the SEARs, the EIS and the documents exhibited. All of these are still to be produced. Given that all planning decisions are legally frozen during a Caretaker Period this announcement may be disappointing but is certainly not the end of the fight to Save the Powerhouse. This will continue until the 25th of March – your opportunity to change the NSW Government. Read more: Save the Powerhouse comments on Approval

12 February, 2023
‘What’s in a name? Powerhouse drops the m-word from its title’
In the SunHerald, Linda Morris reports that ‘The word “museum” has been dropped from the Powerhouse Museum’s title in all external publicity under a $1.5 million-plus rebranding campaign and revamp of its visual identity. The shortening of its title on advertising banners and online is an attempt to reposition one of Australia’s oldest cultural museums as it prepares to operate across three sites: Parramatta, Castle Hill and Ultimo…But critics say the rebrand is an expensive waste of taxpayers’ dollars and proof that the museum now sees itself as an arts centre and presentation venue, not an institution committed to presenting, interpreting and conserving its priceless collection. Museum consultant and former Powerhouse trustee Kylie Winkworth said the word museum had been defenestrated from the organisation and building, “along with the membership program, family audiences and troublesome volunteers”.’
Morris also records that: ‘Melbourne design team Studio Ongarato was commissioned at a cost of $764,000 to develop the new visual identity for the Powerhouse [and that] Separately, digital agency Paper Giant has been engaged, at a cost of $800,000, to conceptualise, design and build a new website “that will provide global access to the digitised Powerhouse Collection and is a digital platform to showcase the practice of the museum, its exhibitions, programs, content and archives”. Separately, digital agency Paper Giant has been engaged, at a cost of $800,000, to conceptualise, design and build a new website “that will provide global access to the digitised Powerhouse Collection and is a digital platform to showcase the practice of the museum, its exhibitions, programs, content and archives”… The museum is now to be known across its three sites as Powerhouse Castle Hill, Powerhouse Parramatta and Powerhouse Ultimo. In the official staff style guide, a copy of which has been seen by this masthead, all references to the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) have been retired from internal communications and external publicity.’
But …’ Winkworth said the contortions in language and semantics go back to management’s failure to develop a compelling concept and brand for its Parramatta development, which a parliamentary inquiry described as more entertainment centre than museum. “It won’t be called a museum because it won’t actually be a museum.” ‘ Read here:   or  Here: ‘What’s in a name’ SunHerald 12 Feb

February 2023
‘What’s in a Name? Killing the Powerhouse Museum Brand and its Museum Purpose’
Kylie Winkworth follows up Linda Morris’ article (above) writing: ‘The Powerhouse Museum’s name and identity is set for the scrap heap at a ridiculous cost to NSW taxpayers of $1.56 million. As reported by Linda Morris in the Sun Herald, the cost of deleting the museum word from the Powerhouse Museum’s name and brand is a whopping $764,000, with a further $800,000 to redesign the website.  That’s a lot of money to delete one crucial, defining, powerful word from the PHM’s brand: MUSEUM.’…‘The reason the museum word is being dropped is because the PHM won’t be a museum anymore.  Relieved of its museum moniker Powerhouse is morphing into a contemporary arts and entertainment organisation managing what will be two commercially focussed function centres.’ Winkworth discusses in detail the government’s fake promises, inadequate spaces in Parramatta, undisclosed plans, sham ‘consultations’, destruction of the Harwood building in Ultimo – and many other issues. She concludes: ‘What’s happening to the Powerhouse Museum is an unprecedented cultural crime that runs against all the basic tenets and obligations of the custodianship of museums in civilised societies. The museum we thought we’d saved through an eight year community campaign is not saved. It’s going on the scrap heap along with unique Powerhouse Museum brand which is indivisible from its Sulman award winning building and iconic exhibitions built around the themes of power, transport, engineering, innovation and design.’
Read Here: Winkworth Killing the PHM Brand and its Museum Purpose Feb 2023

 February 2023
Invitation: ‘Meet the candidates’ in Ultimo, 15 February
The Pyrmont Action/Friends of Ultimo groups, supported by Save the Powerhouse, invited people to meet local government candidates and discuss local issues, including saving the Powerhouse Museum. They said:
‘You are invited to the Pyrmont Action/Friends of Ultimo “MEET the CANDIDATES” Forum:
– WHEN: Wednesday 15 February, 2023, 6:30pm-8:00pm
– WHERE: The Station, 58 Bowman St, Pyrmont
Hear from the Sydney and Balmain electoral candidates
Make YOUR voice heard in the community Q&A session.
Read Pyrmont Action/Friends of Ultimo’s ELECTION MANIFESTO  or: 230117 Election Manifesto
 In the Manifesto they note: ‘that the priority item in the Manifesto is to “restore the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum to its traditional status as Australia’s leading Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences” which is a major community concern, by cancelling current plans to turn it into a glorified function centre focused on fashion – for half the cost.
Others are the Pyrmont Peninsula Place Strategy (PPPA), the Blackwattle Bay overdevelopment and school and public transport issues in our local area.’ Read the invitation here: Pyrmont meeting 15 Feb 2023 

7 February, 2023
Radio Interview by Andy Park with Lisa Havilah, PHM
On ABC Radio National, Andy Park interviews CEO of Powerhouse Museum (MAAS) Lisa Havilah, and about her background, and current plans for the ‘renewal’ of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, and plans for Parramatta. He introduced her saying “… coming up in a moment you will hear from one of the most forward-thinking arts leaders in the country who is tackling the sometimes controversial project of renewing and expanding the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney Lisa Havilah…Well in one form or another the Powerhouse in Sydney has been an important institution for more than a century showcasing the best of science and the applied arts and making its mark on a generation of children just like me, who visited there on their excursions and walked amongst the giant steam engines and wonderful forms of transport in the transport hall. But it also became a political hot topic several years ago when the state government announced the Museum would be moving to Parramatta. Now that decision was later changed. In Parramatta will now be a second home for the Powerhouse with a major renewal also beginning for their original space in Ultimo. So what does it take to guide an institution through a time of change like that?’
A circulated transcription of the interview prompted many very critical comments about the both the questions and the responses. Read a transcription of the interview here, followed by a number of anonymous  critiques of the proposal and arguments for continuing in what is seen as a very destructive way. Read interview and comments here: ABC interview with Havilah

12 February, 2023
MAAS CEO FAILS TO “SELL” POWERHOUSE RENEWAL POLICY
Save the Powerhouse group circulated their comments about the ABC interview (above), saying:
‘MAAS CEO Lisa Havilah’s remarks in an ABC interview …on February 7 were greeted by many with disbelief and derision. Introduced by RN’s fawning Andy Park as “one of the most forward thinking arts leaders in the country” (according to whom?) “…who is tackling the… project of renewing and expanding the Powerhouse Museum”… With her focus clearly on “Powerhouse Parramatta” , she firmly defended the NSW government’s flawed “investment decision to establish Powerhouse Parramatta right in the heart (of) western Sydney “ because “Sydney is shifting socially and culturally…(so that) we really see this investment decision by NSW government as a responsibility to rethink what Museums should be…for their communities  and we really see this new approach to Museums now as community…knowledge holders.”
Save the Powerhouse identified a large number of critical issues associated with the rationale and procedures associated with the project. Read here: MAAS CEO fails to sell Renewal policy

24 – 26 January, 2023
Powerhouse Museum Ultimo: Community Consultation
Sydney Morning Herald, 24, 25, 26 January 2023, and Daily Telegraph, January 26.
The Powerhouse Museum published full-page advertisements on these days, saying of the ‘renewal of the Powerhouse’, that ‘the project has moved to its next stage in the planning process’. See advertisement here:  PHM consultation advert. 24-16 Jan 2023
A digital Find Out More link opened up to the Museum’s website, which provided information about proposals and developments in Parramatta and Castle Hill, as well as the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo. Open here.
Considerable public concern is now being expressed, as over eight years of lobbying, community consultation has clearly not been taken seriously, and nor have the recommendations in two long-term government inquiries. Despite the decision in 2020 to ‘save’ the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, while also proceeding with a new museum/entertainment centre in Parramatta, and transferring all the collection (and soon the museum staff) to Castle Hill, there remains NO CLEARLY DEFINED future for the Ultimo site.
So a major question remains: what is the consultation about? There is no public documentation of what was provided to the architects as content and purpose of the museum, and no rationale for destroying the award-winning buildings of 1988. Despite being a museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, it seems to be narrowed down to ‘fashion and design’, with a token technology presence. It is also noted that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is for  ‘the Powerhouse Ultimo Renewal of a Creative Industries Precinct integrated into the operations of the Powerhouse Museum’, not the Powerhouse Museum, ie: ‘The renewal will see Powerhouse Ultimo deliver a programming focus on design and fashion.  One of the objectives is to enable and support development of the NSW creative industries….’
It is also not clear exactly what the very essential working area of the adjacent Harwood Building will contain, and it could also be rationalised that it is likely to be taken over by the neighbouring University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
The website includes two key paragraphs:
STAGE TWO STATE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION
‘In preparation for the lodgement of the second stage State Significant Development Application (SSDA2) to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), community consultation on the Powerhouse Ultimo design will commence in February 2023. We invite the public to join us at public information sessions held at Powerhouse Ultimo where project team members will be present to discuss plans and respond to community questions and feedback. Sign up below to receive updates, including links to register for upcoming sessions.’
As well: ‘Foundation University Partner, the University of Technology Sydney, has committed $10 million to Powerhouse Ultimo, a significant investment that will help boldly reimagine the Ultimo precinct, realised through the landmark $480–500 million renewal of Powerhouse Ultimo. The institutions will work together to foster a dynamic creative industry ecology and expand the international profile of Australian design and fashion both nationally and internationally.’
So – is this more public box-ticking? Will they listen to anything we have to say: Go to the website here, for links to ‘more information or feedback content’.

7 February,  2023:
This was then followed on 7 February, by a further NSW Govt Powerhouse Ultimo Renewal advertisement seeking Indigenous consultation, saying:
‘Curio Projects (heritage consultants), on behalf of infrastructure NSW (the proponent), are commencing Aboriginal community consultation for the proposed Powerhouse Ultimo Renewal at the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, NSW (see map below). We are writing to you in order `to compile a list of Aboriginal people who may have an interest in proposed project area and hold knowledge relevant to determining the cultural significance of Aboriginal objects and/or places’. Read here: Indigenous Consultation Ad 7 Feb 2023

1 January, 2023
PYRMONT / ULTIMO BRANCH LOCAL LABOR BRANCH DEMANDS PHM RENEWAL REVERSAL AFTER MARCH ELECTION
In a widely circulated message, Save the Powerhouse community group; reminds us that:
‘Branch Secretary Brian Yao reports that at its December branch meeting, the Pyrmont/Ultimo branch of the Labor Party voted unanimously for the reversal of the proposed “renewal” of the Powerhouse Museum.
The motion http://tiny.cc/qgr2vz, proposed by Bill d’Anthes, “calls on the Labor Leader of the Opposition, Chris Minns and the Shadow Arts Minister, John Graham to pledge that when elected to Government (in March 2023) to review and reverse the decisions leading to the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo being dismantled…”, that “the Powerhouse at Ultimo must be retained in its current form as a Museum of Technological Sciences and Engineering…” and that the Powerhouse collection currently in storage in Castle Hill should be completely returned.
Wishing all Powerhouse supporters everywhere a happy New Year and renewed determination to continue the battle!’