❓ Mr. Sutherland asks about facade repairs to His Majesty's Theatre. Minister Day responds, outlining the planned repairs and criticising the previous government's inaction on the issue.
AnsweredQoN 453Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE — FACADE WORK
As a former councillor and Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Perth, I am aware that the facade of the iconic His Majesty’s Theatre is in need of urgent repair work. Can the minister provide an update on what the government is doing to address this issue? Mr J.H.D. DAY
As a former councillor and Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Perth, I am aware that the facade of the iconic His Majesty’s Theatre is in need of urgent repair work. Can the minister provide an update on what the government is doing to address this issue? Mr J.H.D. DAY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I am sure that all members will agree that His Majesty’s Theatre is a wonderful example of Edwardian architecture and is a very important part of Perth’s and Western Australia’s heritage. Since the theatre was first opened on Christmas Eve 1904, it has been home to many wonderful performances, including, in the current year, many ballet, opera and theatre performances. Unfortunately, the facade of His Majesty’s Theatre is suffering from concrete cancer, and the steel reinforcing is breaking down. It is in fairly urgent need of attention. I was made aware of this issue after becoming minister, and I have ensured that the department and the Perth Theatre Trust have been working towards undertaking the necessary maintenance work. This is not a new issue. Indeed, it was brought to the attention of the previous Labor government on three occasions, going back to December 2006. The most recent report was provided to the Labor government in June of last year. As I said, this is not a new issue. The previous government was made aware of it and did absolutely nothing about it. Obviously, it was not an issue that would get enough of a headline or create a big enough splash for the spin machine in the previous government. This government is addressing the issue, and the funding will be provided out of the culture and arts budget. Work will be undertaken, commencing in September this year, with completion due in March 2010. We get a lot of noise and a lot of spin from the other side of politics, together with a lot of media statements and headlines, but very little action. This is just one relatively small example of how the previous government was made aware of the issues on a number of occasions but did not address them, apart from putting out media statements. His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
Mr J.H.D. DAY replied: I thank the member for the question. I am sure that all members will agree that His Majesty’s Theatre is a wonderful example of Edwardian architecture and is a very important part of Perth’s and Western Australia’s heritage. Since the theatre was first opened on Christmas Eve 1904, it has been home to many wonderful performances, including, in the current year, many ballet, opera and theatre performances. Unfortunately, the facade of His Majesty’s Theatre is suffering from concrete cancer, and the steel reinforcing is breaking down. It is in fairly urgent need of attention. I was made aware of this issue after becoming minister, and I have ensured that the department and the Perth Theatre Trust have been working towards undertaking the necessary maintenance work. This is not a new issue. Indeed, it was brought to the attention of the previous Labor government on three occasions, going back to December 2006. The most recent report was provided to the Labor government in June of last year. As I said, this is not a new issue. The previous government was made aware of it and did absolutely nothing about it. Obviously, it was not an issue that would get enough of a headline or create a big enough splash for the spin machine in the previous government. This government is addressing the issue, and the funding will be provided out of the culture and arts budget. Work will be undertaken, commencing in September this year, with completion due in March 2010. We get a lot of noise and a lot of spin from the other side of politics, together with a lot of media statements and headlines, but very little action. This is just one relatively small example of how the previous government was made aware of the issues on a number of occasions but did not address them, apart from putting out media statements. His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
I thank the member for the question. I am sure that all members will agree that His Majesty’s Theatre is a wonderful example of Edwardian architecture and is a very important part of Perth’s and Western Australia’s heritage. Since the theatre was first opened on Christmas Eve 1904, it has been home to many wonderful performances, including, in the current year, many ballet, opera and theatre performances. Unfortunately, the facade of His Majesty’s Theatre is suffering from concrete cancer, and the steel reinforcing is breaking down. It is in fairly urgent need of attention. I was made aware of this issue after becoming minister, and I have ensured that the department and the Perth Theatre Trust have been working towards undertaking the necessary maintenance work. This is not a new issue. Indeed, it was brought to the attention of the previous Labor government on three occasions, going back to December 2006. The most recent report was provided to the Labor government in June of last year. As I said, this is not a new issue. The previous government was made aware of it and did absolutely nothing about it. Obviously, it was not an issue that would get enough of a headline or create a big enough splash for the spin machine in the previous government. This government is addressing the issue, and the funding will be provided out of the culture and arts budget. Work will be undertaken, commencing in September this year, with completion due in March 2010. We get a lot of noise and a lot of spin from the other side of politics, together with a lot of media statements and headlines, but very little action. This is just one relatively small example of how the previous government was made aware of the issues on a number of occasions but did not address them, apart from putting out media statements. His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
This is not a new issue. Indeed, it was brought to the attention of the previous Labor government on three occasions, going back to December 2006. The most recent report was provided to the Labor government in June of last year. As I said, this is not a new issue. The previous government was made aware of it and did absolutely nothing about it. Obviously, it was not an issue that would get enough of a headline or create a big enough splash for the spin machine in the previous government. This government is addressing the issue, and the funding will be provided out of the culture and arts budget. Work will be undertaken, commencing in September this year, with completion due in March 2010. We get a lot of noise and a lot of spin from the other side of politics, together with a lot of media statements and headlines, but very little action. This is just one relatively small example of how the previous government was made aware of the issues on a number of occasions but did not address them, apart from putting out media statements. His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
Mr J.H.D. DAY replied: I thank the member for the question. I am sure that all members will agree that His Majesty’s Theatre is a wonderful example of Edwardian architecture and is a very important part of Perth’s and Western Australia’s heritage. Since the theatre was first opened on Christmas Eve 1904, it has been home to many wonderful performances, including, in the current year, many ballet, opera and theatre performances. Unfortunately, the facade of His Majesty’s Theatre is suffering from concrete cancer, and the steel reinforcing is breaking down. It is in fairly urgent need of attention. I was made aware of this issue after becoming minister, and I have ensured that the department and the Perth Theatre Trust have been working towards undertaking the necessary maintenance work. This is not a new issue. Indeed, it was brought to the attention of the previous Labor government on three occasions, going back to December 2006. The most recent report was provided to the Labor government in June of last year. As I said, this is not a new issue. The previous government was made aware of it and did absolutely nothing about it. Obviously, it was not an issue that would get enough of a headline or create a big enough splash for the spin machine in the previous government. This government is addressing the issue, and the funding will be provided out of the culture and arts budget. Work will be undertaken, commencing in September this year, with completion due in March 2010. We get a lot of noise and a lot of spin from the other side of politics, together with a lot of media statements and headlines, but very little action. This is just one relatively small example of how the previous government was made aware of the issues on a number of occasions but did not address them, apart from putting out media statements. His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
I thank the member for the question. I am sure that all members will agree that His Majesty’s Theatre is a wonderful example of Edwardian architecture and is a very important part of Perth’s and Western Australia’s heritage. Since the theatre was first opened on Christmas Eve 1904, it has been home to many wonderful performances, including, in the current year, many ballet, opera and theatre performances. Unfortunately, the facade of His Majesty’s Theatre is suffering from concrete cancer, and the steel reinforcing is breaking down. It is in fairly urgent need of attention. I was made aware of this issue after becoming minister, and I have ensured that the department and the Perth Theatre Trust have been working towards undertaking the necessary maintenance work. This is not a new issue. Indeed, it was brought to the attention of the previous Labor government on three occasions, going back to December 2006. The most recent report was provided to the Labor government in June of last year. As I said, this is not a new issue. The previous government was made aware of it and did absolutely nothing about it. Obviously, it was not an issue that would get enough of a headline or create a big enough splash for the spin machine in the previous government. This government is addressing the issue, and the funding will be provided out of the culture and arts budget. Work will be undertaken, commencing in September this year, with completion due in March 2010. We get a lot of noise and a lot of spin from the other side of politics, together with a lot of media statements and headlines, but very little action. This is just one relatively small example of how the previous government was made aware of the issues on a number of occasions but did not address them, apart from putting out media statements. His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
This is not a new issue. Indeed, it was brought to the attention of the previous Labor government on three occasions, going back to December 2006. The most recent report was provided to the Labor government in June of last year. As I said, this is not a new issue. The previous government was made aware of it and did absolutely nothing about it. Obviously, it was not an issue that would get enough of a headline or create a big enough splash for the spin machine in the previous government. This government is addressing the issue, and the funding will be provided out of the culture and arts budget. Work will be undertaken, commencing in September this year, with completion due in March 2010. We get a lot of noise and a lot of spin from the other side of politics, together with a lot of media statements and headlines, but very little action. This is just one relatively small example of how the previous government was made aware of the issues on a number of occasions but did not address them, apart from putting out media statements. His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
His Majesty’s Theatre will be restored to its former glory. It will be made safe as a result of the work that will be undertaken, and I look forward to it being completed.
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.