The 12-month delay in the construction of the Parramatta Powerhouse construction gives us a chance to look back at a misguided project.

In February 2015, then Liberal premier Mike Baird announced his government would sell off the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo and open a facility in Parramatta. Even senior management were not consulted, but instead found out about the plan from the media.

A change of Premier in 2017 gave some hope of a repeal, but incoming premier Gladys Berejiklian wanted to keep the deal going. While the Government was deciding where to put a museum in Parramatta, a pandemic took over the world. COVID-19 shut the museum; and in 2020 while the it was still closed Berejiklian clearly got sick of the bad press and community and PSA action against the sell-off, and announced her government would not sell the facility, but instead turn it into a theatre, and a place to display fashion collections.

Another change of Premier in 2021 brought with it hope of another repeal. However, Premier Perrottet was happy to let Arts Minister Don Harwin get his theatre in Ultimo, and open a version of the Powerhouse Museum by the flood-prone Parramatta River, demolishing the heritage-listed Willow Grove in the process.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Government had found a Chief Executive for the poison chalice of heading up the process of shuttering one museum and building another, the construction of which would be intermittently halted when the worksite floods. The former director of Carriageworks in Redfern had been chosen and had set about engaging innumerable consultants. And, of course, restructuring the existing staff.

The Powerhouse Museum belongs to the people of NSW. So over the course of this very odd project, public opinion has been sought, despite almost all of the details of the project being kept secret. With each of these public consultations has come overwhelming objection to the whole thing. Since the decision was made to sell off the parcel of land in Ultimo, there have been nine community consultations. Not one of these consultations has resulted in a positive reaction from the public. In fact, in each of the consultations, the outcome has been overwhelmingly negative.

However, the Government has stuck to its predetermined plans. Earlier this year, the State Government held its latest community consultation. Only five of 126 public submissions supported Labor’s latest plans for the Ultimo museum which shut its doors in February. The PSA held a giant rally outside the Museum in February in protest to the closure – but the government chose to ignore that as well. 

The situation is incongruous. In any other situation, if the consortium of funders were in such deep opposition to a plan, the project leaders would need to work with the group bankrolling the project to satisfy their objections. But for whatever reason – and it seems PSA members will never find out why – the State Government and executive of the Powerhouse have the power to completely ignore what the taxpayers want, and can forge ahead with their own plans, now running a year behind schedule; like it’s their own private gallery. 

It is never too late though. The Minister for the Arts could keep his promise to return the Powerhouse to being the museum the community loves.

This would require new leadership; something PSA members would applaud.