Job cuts trigger protests from staffers

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Work on the museum’s two major construction projects, worth more than $1.2 billion, are managed and primarily staffed by Infrastructure NSW and construction giants Lendlease and Richard Crookes.

“The Powerhouse gets $1 billion for a vanity rebuild in Parramatta despite its well documented issues,” PSA’s Anne Keneally told protesters. “The gallery gets punished after delivering record-breaking success. And what about the Archibald Prize, the jewel in the Crown? Will it tour the state or has that now become too expensive?”

The gallery’s budget crisis is a major test of the new leadership of Page, named five months ago as the gallery’s first female director.

It also spotlights the Minns government’s priorities to fund the Powerhouse Museum’s expansion ahead of the March 2027 state election while enforcing budget restraint on all other major cultural institutions.

The state funding agency, Create NSW, is also being gutted, with the loss of 24 staff including three senior executives.

The cuts to Create NSW amount to annual savings of about $5 million, or $20 million over the next four years, with only $4 million of that announced for western Sydney as part of the government’s three-year strategic plan.

The Coalition’s assistant art spokesperson, Jacqui Munro, told protesters: “We have to question whether this government is about to preside over an art gallery that opens four days a week because of these staff cuts. It’s a travesty.”

The Public Service Association, which represents staff at the gallery and the museum, has blamed the Powerhouse’s runaway employee costs on management’s push for consultants and external hires. Government says the extra staff funding is needed to build five major exhibitions for the Powerhouse Parramatta project.

The gallery has extended the consultation period with staff by an additional two weeks. “This is a profoundly challenging time for the gallery,” Page acknowledged, “especially for our dedicated colleagues who are impacted by the proposed structure.”

Change was a normal part of any organisation’s evolution, Graham said. “The Art Gallery is stable and focused, with a strong executive team committed to delivering its vision. I’m advised that the proposed organisational change reflects the Art Gallery’s operational requirements, future programming and ambitions, its collections and audiences.”

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