❓ Question regarding the progress of the new Western Australian Museum project, a government campaign commitment. The Minister provides an update on consultant appointments and project timeline.
AnsweredQoN 356Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MUSEUM —PERTH CULTURAL CENTRE
356. Ms E. EVANGEL to the
Minister for Culture and the Arts:
Can the minister —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Cockburn, I call you to order for the second time today. Member for Bassendean,
I call you to order for the first time today.
Ms E. EVANGEL : My
question is to the Minister for Culture and the Arts —
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the third time today.
Ms E. EVANGEL : Can
the minister please update the house on one of the government's
campaign commitments, the new Museum, a commitment about which I believe the
minister addressed a culture and arts forum where he expressed his and the
government's commitment to the new Museum?
356. Ms E. EVANGEL to the
Minister for Culture and the Arts:
Can the minister —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Cockburn, I call you to order for the second time today. Member for Bassendean,
I call you to order for the first time today.
Ms E. EVANGEL : My
question is to the Minister for Culture and the Arts —
Mr
F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the third time today.
Ms E. EVANGEL : Can
the minister please update the house on one of the government's
campaign commitments, the new Museum, a commitment about which I believe the
minister addressed a culture and arts forum where he expressed his and the
government's commitment to the new Museum?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I well recall the forum,
which was held in the election period. It was organised by the Chamber of Arts
and Culture and moderated by John McGlue.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : When was it held?
Mr
J.H.D. DAY : It was held during the election period. It was a very hot
afternoon in February.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : The question was asked by the member for Perth. Can the minister
take that question and then we will move on?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I
am putting in context the progress that has been made with the development of a
new Western Australian Museum and the commitment that was reiterated during the
election campaign period was in the Spiegeltent, which was in the Perth
Cultural Centre on a very hot February afternoon, I remember. T here were representatives of
the Liberal Party, the National Party, the Greens and the Labor Party, and the
then shadow Minister for Culture and the Arts, the then member for Perth.
Unfortunately, he was hung out to dry by the Leader of the Opposition through
Labor's opposition to the construction of the new Western Australian
Museum.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time today.
Mr J.H.D. DAY :
That position caused a very large degree of amazement in the arts community; a
lot of people found it very hard to understand. Nevertheless, we were re-elected to government. The
project is going ahead and the next major stage has now been reached. I am very
pleased to advise that two key consultants on the project have now been
appointed. The first is Johnson Pilton Walker, which is a significant
architectural advisory practice. The second is Root Projects Australia, which
is a strategic museum planning company. They have both been appointed to work
with the Museum to prepare the final project definition plan. This will define
the scope and the schedule of the project. Both of these companies are very
well respected. Johnson Pilton Walker is a nationally recognised architectural
firm that has worked on some major cultural and museum buildings, including the
Sydney Opera House, the —
Ms R. Saffioti :
What is the cost of the Museum, minister?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : It
is $428 million over the forward estimates and beyond. It is due to be
completed in late 2019 or early 2020.
Johnson Pilton Walker has also worked on the Australian War
Memorial, the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and the Tasmanian Museum
and Art Gallery. Root Projects Australia has a strong track record of
project-managing large-scale cultural and commercial developments, including,
amongst others, the Sydney Powerhouse Museum, the Melbourne Museum and the
Melbourne Airport expansion. As I said, this is a very significant further step
in the development of the new Western Australian Museum, something that is much
needed both for Perth and for Western Australia more generally so that, amongst
other things, the Museum can have a much better equipped facility to provide
exhibitions such as the one that is there currently, Secrets of the Afterlife: Magic, Mummies and Immortality in Ancient
Egypt , which has attracted a lot of public interest. As of Monday this
week, more than 25 000 people had visited, and approximately 5 000 had
pre-purchased tickets. The stage that has been reached indicates this
government's commitment to the development of the new Western
Australian Museum.
which was held in the election period. It was organised by the Chamber of Arts
and Culture and moderated by John McGlue.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : When was it held?
Mr
J.H.D. DAY : It was held during the election period. It was a very hot
afternoon in February.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : The question was asked by the member for Perth. Can the minister
take that question and then we will move on?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : I
am putting in context the progress that has been made with the development of a
new Western Australian Museum and the commitment that was reiterated during the
election campaign period was in the Spiegeltent, which was in the Perth
Cultural Centre on a very hot February afternoon, I remember. T here were representatives of
the Liberal Party, the National Party, the Greens and the Labor Party, and the
then shadow Minister for Culture and the Arts, the then member for Perth.
Unfortunately, he was hung out to dry by the Leader of the Opposition through
Labor's opposition to the construction of the new Western Australian
Museum.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
M. McGowan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Leader of the Opposition, I call you to order for the first time today.
Mr J.H.D. DAY :
That position caused a very large degree of amazement in the arts community; a
lot of people found it very hard to understand. Nevertheless, we were re-elected to government. The
project is going ahead and the next major stage has now been reached. I am very
pleased to advise that two key consultants on the project have now been
appointed. The first is Johnson Pilton Walker, which is a significant
architectural advisory practice. The second is Root Projects Australia, which
is a strategic museum planning company. They have both been appointed to work
with the Museum to prepare the final project definition plan. This will define
the scope and the schedule of the project. Both of these companies are very
well respected. Johnson Pilton Walker is a nationally recognised architectural
firm that has worked on some major cultural and museum buildings, including the
Sydney Opera House, the —
Ms R. Saffioti :
What is the cost of the Museum, minister?
Mr J.H.D. DAY : It
is $428 million over the forward estimates and beyond. It is due to be
completed in late 2019 or early 2020.
Johnson Pilton Walker has also worked on the Australian War
Memorial, the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and the Tasmanian Museum
and Art Gallery. Root Projects Australia has a strong track record of
project-managing large-scale cultural and commercial developments, including,
amongst others, the Sydney Powerhouse Museum, the Melbourne Museum and the
Melbourne Airport expansion. As I said, this is a very significant further step
in the development of the new Western Australian Museum, something that is much
needed both for Perth and for Western Australia more generally so that, amongst
other things, the Museum can have a much better equipped facility to provide
exhibitions such as the one that is there currently, Secrets of the Afterlife: Magic, Mummies and Immortality in Ancient
Egypt , which has attracted a lot of public interest. As of Monday this
week, more than 25 000 people had visited, and approximately 5 000 had
pre-purchased tickets. The stage that has been reached indicates this
government's commitment to the development of the new Western
Australian Museum.
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