Construction of First Nations cultural centre in SA halted amid budget blowout
Work on Tarrkarri, slated as “the world’s leading First Nations cultural centre”, has been suspended amid cost blowouts.
The construction of Tarrkarri, which means “the future” in Kaurna, began in December 2021 in...
Work on Tarrkarri, slated as “the world’s leading First Nations cultural centre”, has been suspended amid cost blowouts.
The construction of Tarrkarri, which means “the future” in Kaurna, began in December 2021 in...
Construction of First Nations cultural centre in SA halted amid budget blowout
Work on Tarrkarri, slated as “the world’s leading First Nations cultural centre”, has been suspended amid cost blowouts.
The construction of Tarrkarri, which means “the future” in Kaurna, began in December 2021 in Adelaide, and it was due to open in 2025.
In 2018, Scott Morrison, former prime minister, pledged $85m towards the centre as part of a “city deal” for Adelaide, with other funds coming from the state government.
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, announced on Monday that there would now be a review into the building after the $200m budget blew out by $50m amid surging construction costs.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something truly extraordinary,” he said.
“So I am announcing today that we are taking a moment … that we will be conducting a review into the plan for the centre to ensure that what we build is a truly world cl artistic cultural institution.”
Malinauskas said that with the current budget, the centre wouldn’t reach the goal of being internationally significant and “truly magnificent”.
“A centre celebrating the longest continuous culture on earth, celebrating 60,000 years of history … must do justice to the cultures that it seeks to represent,” he said.
“In that context, good isn’t good enough.” Two weeks ago, Malinauskas told state parliament the government remained committed to the plan, and there had been no change to its policy.
Ken Wyatt, former Indigenous Australians minister, will work with Bob Carr, former foreign affairs minister, and Carolyn Hewson, business leader, on the review, which will report early next year.
Several people have told Guardian Australia there is some confusion about whether the SA centre will compete with or complement another planned national Aboriginal arts and cultural centre in Canberra, announced in July.
Australia’s largest collection of Aboriginal cultural artefacts is held in South Australia, much of it in a suburban warehouse where it has been under threat from insects and rain.
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Work on Tarrkarri, slated as “the world’s leading First Nations cultural centre”, has been suspended amid cost blowouts.
The construction of Tarrkarri, which means “the future” in Kaurna, began in December 2021 in Adelaide, and it was due to open in 2025.
In 2018, Scott Morrison, former prime minister, pledged $85m towards the centre as part of a “city deal” for Adelaide, with other funds coming from the state government.
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, announced on Monday that there would now be a review into the building after the $200m budget blew out by $50m amid surging construction costs.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something truly extraordinary,” he said.
“So I am announcing today that we are taking a moment … that we will be conducting a review into the plan for the centre to ensure that what we build is a truly world cl artistic cultural institution.”
Malinauskas said that with the current budget, the centre wouldn’t reach the goal of being internationally significant and “truly magnificent”.
“A centre celebrating the longest continuous culture on earth, celebrating 60,000 years of history … must do justice to the cultures that it seeks to represent,” he said.
“In that context, good isn’t good enough.” Two weeks ago, Malinauskas told state parliament the government remained committed to the plan, and there had been no change to its policy.
Ken Wyatt, former Indigenous Australians minister, will work with Bob Carr, former foreign affairs minister, and Carolyn Hewson, business leader, on the review, which will report early next year.
Several people have told Guardian Australia there is some confusion about whether the SA centre will compete with or complement another planned national Aboriginal arts and cultural centre in Canberra, announced in July.
Australia’s largest collection of Aboriginal cultural artefacts is held in South Australia, much of it in a suburban warehouse where it has been under threat from insects and rain.
#Blogs
1+ min read
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