Bigger and better: The Arts Minister, George Souris, is looking to expand cultural institutions. Pictured, The Art Gallery of NSW. Photo: James Alcock
George Souris wants Sydney's cultural insti tutions to grow so they can overcome the arts world behemoths in Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart, but they will increasingly have to find private money to fund their operations.
The Arts Minister wants the Art Gallery of NSW, State Library and Australian Museum to expand outwards, upwards and even downwards, in the case of the library, to regain ascendancy in staging more blockbuster exhibitions and attracting interstate and overseas numbers.
Mr Souris said the institutions needed to get bigger - and the Sydney Opera House renovations needed to get started - for them to play a more significant role in tourism and major event offerings for NSW. His ideas are being developed as part of the state's first arts and cultural policy.
"We want to be open-minded about funding and we're keen to explore ideas for government and non-government partnerships": George Souris. Photo: Peter Rae
However, the institutions will rely more on private sector partnerships and donations to cover their daily costs, as recurrent state funding is reduced as part of annual 1.5per cent efficiency demands placed on all state sectors.
He said the arts world would need to explore new partnerships for funding and generating revenue, pointing to James Packer's $60 million donation after the NSW government approved his $1.5 billion casino development at Barangaroo as an example.
''We want to be open-minded about funding and we're keen to explore ideas for government and non-government partnerships that will grow the level of investment available for arts and culture,'' Mr Souris said.
''Let me rule out one thing immediately: privatisation. These are state cultural institutions, they are flagship institutions owned by the state. I don't want to walk through the Qantas foyer to enter the Optus hall to find the Vodafone exhibition in one of our state institutions.
''However, James Packer may have started something off here with his donation. We have corporations out there who do business in this country and benefit by our society.''
Asked whether business deals in NSW should attract a cultural dividend, Mr Souris said he was against applying an official levy. ''But, if there are two bidders, and everything else is equal, the one with the cultural dividend would win my vote, of course,'' he said.
Mr Souris has told the Art Gallery of NSW, State Library, Australian Museum, Opera House and Powerhouse Museum to deliver master plans with capital works projects attached.
The master plans form a part of the government's requirements to ''prove up'' a proposal for funding. These requirements include a business case for the proposal and compliance with NSW Treasury's ''gateway'' review process. The proposal as a whole is then considered as part of the budget process.
Cabinet has already agreed to give $13.7 million to the Opera House to develop a major renewal plan and $10.8 million to the gallery for design works to double its exhibition space as well as $2 million for similar preparatory work at Walsh Bay.
Louise Walsh, chief executive of Philanthropy Australia, said the new funding models were a ''fact of life''.
''Governments find infrastructure sexy and that's where the money will go,'' she said. ''The institutions are going to have to galvanise like they have never before.''
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