❓ Question regarding the signed five-year lease with Picabar in the Perth Cultural Centre, followed by discussion of hospitality opportunities and renovations. The Minister expresses enthusiasm and tables a supportive letter from Picabar's owners.
AnsweredQoN 908Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PICABAR — PERTH
CULTURAL CENTRE PRECINCT
908. Mr J.N. CAREY to the Minister for Culture and the Arts:
Can
the minister please update the house on the five-year lease that has been
negotiated and is now signed with Picabar?
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Calm down,
pork chop!
Several members interjected.
Withdrawal of Remark
The
SPEAKER : Member for Perth, you
will call the member by his correct title, please. Will you withdraw that
remark.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Sorry, I did
not mean to refer to the member for Carine as a pork chop.
The SPEAKER : No, member, you
cannot do that.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members! I call you to
order for the first time, member for Perth. You will withdraw your remark.
Mr J.N. CAREY : I withdraw the
comment.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr J.N. CAREY : Can the minister
advise the house how this will build on other hospitality opportunities within
the Perth Cultural Centre?
CULTURAL CENTRE PRECINCT
908. Mr J.N. CAREY to the Minister for Culture and the Arts:
Can
the minister please update the house on the five-year lease that has been
negotiated and is now signed with Picabar?
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Calm down,
pork chop!
Several members interjected.
Withdrawal of Remark
The
SPEAKER : Member for Perth, you
will call the member by his correct title, please. Will you withdraw that
remark.
Mr J.N. CAREY : Sorry, I did
not mean to refer to the member for Carine as a pork chop.
The SPEAKER : No, member, you
cannot do that.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members! I call you to
order for the first time, member for Perth. You will withdraw your remark.
Mr J.N. CAREY : I withdraw the
comment.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr J.N. CAREY : Can the minister
advise the house how this will build on other hospitality opportunities within
the Perth Cultural Centre?
AnswerView source ↗
Yes, indeed, I can.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Yes,
indeed I can, Mr Speaker. I am very pleased to answer the question. I thank the
member for Perth for his question. It was great to go down to the Perth
Cultural Centre on Tuesday morning. I did actually pour a beer at the Picabar.
I poured a beer at the Picabar! It was a beautiful, beautiful beer that I poured.
A government member: Did it have a big
head on it?
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : No, it did
not have a big head on it. It had a very good one. It looked like I had done it
before, but I digress!
The Picabar is an important part of
the cultural precinct, as we know, because it has a very good history of
providing magnificent opportunities for visitors to the centre. It is going to
be in addition to some new commercial restaurant and hospitality opportunities
that have been put out for expressions of interest, including, of course, the
McGowan government's proposal to activate the rooftop of the Art
Gallery of Western Australia. We will be able to have a beer at the Picabar and
a cocktail on the top of the art gallery.
The SPEAKER : Minister, can
you talk this way so that Hansard can hear you.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Get this
down, Hansard!
We
will be able to experience the beverage opportunities that will be part of the
new Museum for Western Australia, which the McGowan government is constructing
currently. It will reach practical completion later this year, and the fit-out
for that magnificent new Museum will be central. The Picabar lease has been
signed for five years, with a five-year option, which is wonderful. They love
me down there at the Picabar.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : They do love me; I think they love
me more than the member for Carine.
Mr A. Krsticevic : No, they
don't.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I think
they do, because they wrote me a letter, and since the member has pressed me, I
will now have to read the letter to him. He has pressed me. I think they do
like me down there at the Picabar. I want to highlight that, and I am happy to
table this letter. I want to acknowledge and congratulate Brian, Melissa and
Conor. We had a good meeting and a good chat on Monday and Tuesday morning.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! I want
to hear this letter.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I think
this is important, because I think they recognise that reaching this agreement
is a great opportunity for their business and for the cultural centre. I just
want to highlight a couple of things. I will not read the whole thing. They
wrote —
David,
I wanted to send a personal thankyou
on behalf of my family now that we have signed a lease with The Perth Theatre
Trust.
�
Brian, Conor and I were very
appreciative of the fair and lengthy hearing you gave us (especially in a sitting
week) and your intervention.
We also wanted to take this
opportunity to assure you that we intend to vindicate your decision by creating
an iconic venue in the cultural heart of the city that is welcoming to all.
As members would know, the Picabar
occupies some very important heritage buildings, so as part of the lease
arrangement there will be some enhancements and renovations of those important
heritage buildings. It is a great outcome for everyone involved. We will see
now in the Perth cultural centre—we are very jealous of the member for
Perth, because he will have what will be an important cultural hub in the city
centre, rivalled only, of course, by the Mandurah foreshore and cultural
precinct—a magnificent example of vibrancy activation. There is a whole
range of further plans to come once our new Museum is open next year. The place
will see a whole range of cultural, social and economic benefits being
delivered to new people, new audiences and new faces to the place. It is an
exciting time. I know that we are excited on this side, unlike those on the
other side, who only bring up negativity, only looking at bringing down the
state, and are always happy to attack everything they can find. The Minister
for Tourism is bringing in thousands of people from around the world, as we
know, and members opposite keep saying that the numbers are down. The member for
Vasse keeps yakking away, saying that she cannot see anything. But I tell you
what, Mr Speaker —
The SPEAKER : Minister, do you
want me to sit you down, or are you going to sit down yourself?
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I do not
want you to sit me down, Mr Speaker. I would hate that.
The SPEAKER : Well, wind it
up.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Although
we have great positivity here on the McGowan government side, doing all these
things that we know are delivering quality outcomes for the people of Western Australia
and highlighting the wonderful benefits of Western Australia to the world and
to interstate visitors, members opposite keep talking the place down. They keep
attacking it, and they keep going on about how bad they think things are. The
only bad things in this place are them.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Yes,
indeed I can, Mr Speaker. I am very pleased to answer the question. I thank the
member for Perth for his question. It was great to go down to the Perth
Cultural Centre on Tuesday morning. I did actually pour a beer at the Picabar.
I poured a beer at the Picabar! It was a beautiful, beautiful beer that I poured.
A government member: Did it have a big
head on it?
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : No, it did
not have a big head on it. It had a very good one. It looked like I had done it
before, but I digress!
The Picabar is an important part of
the cultural precinct, as we know, because it has a very good history of
providing magnificent opportunities for visitors to the centre. It is going to
be in addition to some new commercial restaurant and hospitality opportunities
that have been put out for expressions of interest, including, of course, the
McGowan government's proposal to activate the rooftop of the Art
Gallery of Western Australia. We will be able to have a beer at the Picabar and
a cocktail on the top of the art gallery.
The SPEAKER : Minister, can
you talk this way so that Hansard can hear you.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Get this
down, Hansard!
We
will be able to experience the beverage opportunities that will be part of the
new Museum for Western Australia, which the McGowan government is constructing
currently. It will reach practical completion later this year, and the fit-out
for that magnificent new Museum will be central. The Picabar lease has been
signed for five years, with a five-year option, which is wonderful. They love
me down there at the Picabar.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : They do love me; I think they love
me more than the member for Carine.
Mr A. Krsticevic : No, they
don't.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I think
they do, because they wrote me a letter, and since the member has pressed me, I
will now have to read the letter to him. He has pressed me. I think they do
like me down there at the Picabar. I want to highlight that, and I am happy to
table this letter. I want to acknowledge and congratulate Brian, Melissa and
Conor. We had a good meeting and a good chat on Monday and Tuesday morning.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! I want
to hear this letter.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I think
this is important, because I think they recognise that reaching this agreement
is a great opportunity for their business and for the cultural centre. I just
want to highlight a couple of things. I will not read the whole thing. They
wrote —
David,
I wanted to send a personal thankyou
on behalf of my family now that we have signed a lease with The Perth Theatre
Trust.
�
Brian, Conor and I were very
appreciative of the fair and lengthy hearing you gave us (especially in a sitting
week) and your intervention.
We also wanted to take this
opportunity to assure you that we intend to vindicate your decision by creating
an iconic venue in the cultural heart of the city that is welcoming to all.
As members would know, the Picabar
occupies some very important heritage buildings, so as part of the lease
arrangement there will be some enhancements and renovations of those important
heritage buildings. It is a great outcome for everyone involved. We will see
now in the Perth cultural centre—we are very jealous of the member for
Perth, because he will have what will be an important cultural hub in the city
centre, rivalled only, of course, by the Mandurah foreshore and cultural
precinct—a magnificent example of vibrancy activation. There is a whole
range of further plans to come once our new Museum is open next year. The place
will see a whole range of cultural, social and economic benefits being
delivered to new people, new audiences and new faces to the place. It is an
exciting time. I know that we are excited on this side, unlike those on the
other side, who only bring up negativity, only looking at bringing down the
state, and are always happy to attack everything they can find. The Minister
for Tourism is bringing in thousands of people from around the world, as we
know, and members opposite keep saying that the numbers are down. The member for
Vasse keeps yakking away, saying that she cannot see anything. But I tell you
what, Mr Speaker —
The SPEAKER : Minister, do you
want me to sit you down, or are you going to sit down yourself?
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I do not
want you to sit me down, Mr Speaker. I would hate that.
The SPEAKER : Well, wind it
up.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Although
we have great positivity here on the McGowan government side, doing all these
things that we know are delivering quality outcomes for the people of Western Australia
and highlighting the wonderful benefits of Western Australia to the world and
to interstate visitors, members opposite keep talking the place down. They keep
attacking it, and they keep going on about how bad they think things are. The
only bad things in this place are them.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.