{"id":956586,"date":"2026-11-08T02:36:33","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T02:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/956586\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T02:36:33","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T02:36:33","slug":"powerhouse-parramatta-why-the-controversial-1-billion-museum-is-being-called-a-transformative-moment-for-western-sydney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/956586\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerhouse Parramatta: Why the controversial $1 billion museum is being called a transformative moment for Western Sydney"},"content":{"rendered":"

November 7, 2026 \u2014 3:24pm<\/p>\n

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The Herald charts the ups and downs of the creation of Sydney\u2019s newest cultural institution. See all stories.<\/a><\/p>\n

After 11 years of planning, three years of construction, two parliamentary inquiries, four NSW premiers and a bill of $1 billion, Powerhouse Parramatta, the city\u2019s newest cultural landmark, has opened to the public, with the NSW government declaring the museum Sydney\u2019s answer to The Smithsonian and London\u2019s British Museum.<\/p>\n

Long-running controversies over the project\u2019s location, costs, focus and collection were set aside as the vertiginous Moreau Kusunoki and Genton-designed building<\/a> with its striking exoskeleton drew a wave of excitement and wonderment from a crush of curious visitors, just some of the 20,000 people who were expected to cross the threshold over its opening weekend.<\/p>\n

\"AA dragon dance on the opening day.James Brickwood<\/p>\n

Without exception, visitors were taken aback by the ambition and spectacle of the marquee opening exhibition: Task Eternal, an exploration of space and flight in four chapters.<\/p>\n

Queues were longest in the museum\u2019s only dedicated children\u2019s show, The Dark, with its meteor tunnel, night forest and spaceship, for Es Devlin\u2019s The Turning which has timed entry. The only slight grizzle at The Dark was that phones had to be placed out of sight in a sealed pouch to encourage sensory engagement.<\/p>\n

Delighted children paddled bare-footed in the shallow pond of the Indigenous show, Overflow, while panoramic views from the CBD to the Blue Mountains through the soaring glass windows drew onlookers and selfies. Most visitors said they would be back.<\/p>\n

It was former premier Mike Baird who announced bombshell plans to relocate the Powerhouse in the state\u2019s most populous region weeks out from the 2015 election.<\/p>\n

\"PremierPremier Chris Minns and visiting schoolchildren from far western NSW cut the ribbon.Audrey Richardson\"HoursHours before opening, the Powerhouse Parramatta was ready for visitors.Audrey Richardson<\/p>\n

But it was Labor Premier Chris Minns who cut the ribbon on the monumental project \u2013 after a Coalition backflip on closure of its Ultimo home \u2013 with help from 18 visiting students of Menindee Central School, the museum\u2019s first overnighting students.<\/p>\n

Minns declared the museum \u201copen for business\u201d shortly after 10am, later admitting that Labor\u2019s historic opposition to the project had been \u201cwrong\u201d and the museum would be \u201ccity shaping\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important that I acknowledge that at different points over the last few years, when we were in opposition, we were sceptical about this project. We wanted a cultural institution in western Sydney, but we did criticise this project. We were wrong. This is fantastic. This is going to be great for western Sydney. It\u2019s going to be great for NSW.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Powerhouse<\/a><\/p>\n

Arts minister John Graham acknowledged the role of the museum\u2019s absent chief executive \u2013 Lisa Havilah, who was stood down 72 days ago pending the outcome of a formal misconduct investigation \u2013 prompting cheers from members of the audience. Appointed in 2019 and a critical force in the building\u2019s design, fitout and shows, Havilah was not invited to the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an investigation taking place, and we need to make sure that\u2019s done,\u201d Minns later said. \u201cBut I think that you can do two things at the same time. You can pay tribute to the enormous work that Lisa and others have put into the institution while respecting the need for an independent investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if the inquiry would be resolved quickly, Graham said: \u201cOne of the issues with that process is people have got a right to be able to contribute more material and ask for more time. We will not short-circuit that process.\u201d<\/p>\n

The museum is staging five shows, all of which are free except for Task Eternal, where visitors aged over 16 pay $30. Accessing James Turrell\u2019s Shangri La (Over the Hump) within that exhibition will cost an additional $10.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Roselands shopping centres. \u201craindrop fountain\u201d, part of The Mall, one of the new museum\u2019s exhibitions.Sam Mooy\"VisitorsVisitors explore the exhibition.Audrey Richardson<\/p>\n

After weeks of prevarication, the museum\u2019s open hours for exhibition shows from November 30 were confirmed as 10am to 5pm, with Friday late entry, a retreat on original plans to run the Powerhouse as a 24-hour museum, with nightly events, overnight stays and apartments for visiting artists and scientists.<\/p>\n

The opening of 30 serviced apartments built on the top floor of the Powerhouse Parramatta and fitted out at a cost of more than $3 million has been delayed. These are to cater for visiting artists and scientists, but the logistics and management remains under review. Powerhouse says it has secured 18 contracted bookings for its commercial spaces, through to June 2027, from business, industry, cultural and government organisations.<\/p>\n

The announcement on the museum\u2019s opening hours raises questions about the size of the workforce required now that the museum will be brought in line with all other cultural institutions.<\/p>\n

\"VisitorsVisitors streamed into the new museum.James Brickwood<\/p>\n

Minns committed to funding the museum\u2019s operations sufficiently to enable it to live up to its potential. \u201cIt\u2019s not cheap, and it does cost taxpayer money, but we believe this is an investment in the future. The fixed costs of this beautiful building mean that you\u2019ve got to have world-class exhibitions inside their halls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Powerhouse Trust president David Borger lobbied for western Sydney\u2019s first state significant cultural institution. \u201cAs a young bloke growing up in Parramatta I walked past this site \u2026 on my way to school. There was a car park here. It was the ugliest building on the Parramatta River, and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that we\u2019d actually have this magnificent cultural institution built. We haven\u2019t done anything like this, frankly, since the Opera House. But there\u2019s a new house in town.\u201d<\/p>\n

The unfurling of banners declaring the Powerhouse \u201cnot a museum\u201d and \u201cvale Willow Grove\u201d alluded to two of the many controversies which have embroiled the project \u2013 the demolition of historic building Willow Grove, which made way for the redevelopment, and ongoing controversy over its remit and treatment of its priceless collection.<\/p>\n

Long-time heritage advocate Suzette Meade said she was not surprised by the action given the street protests in 2021 and the extent of feeling. \u201cFive years after the demolition of Willow Grove, the community\u2019s blood still boils over this project. The NSW government underestimated the damage it caused, the disrespect it showed and how deeply it disenfranchised the people of Parramatta. We will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ProtestProtest banners reminding Sydney of the heritage building that was demolished to build the new museum in Parramatta. Audrey Richardson<\/p>\n

The day began with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, kicked off by a Welcome to Country, with seven of the eight children who were present for the 2019 groundbreaking ceremony attending as young adults. The proceedings were watched by some of the museum\u2019s youngest collaborators, Theodore Bui, Jason Cilia and Tyler Pham Luu, all aged four, who donated toys to the museum\u2019s dedicated children\u2019s show, The Dark.<\/p>\n

Following the Australian Museum opening in 1827, major state arts spending had remained clustered east of Sydney Olympic Park, and this project marks a reshaping of Parramatta and a less CBD-centric arts scene.<\/p>\n

For arts advocate John Kirkman, who was on the advisory committee that had lobbied for funding equity in western Sydney, the Powerhouse stands alongside the Sydney Opera House as an institutional project that is both controversial and transformative.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Powerhouse<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI take a broader view on these massive cultural developments,\u201d he says. \u201cThey are rare, transformative, and signal something profoundly positive about cultural production and public investment. A Sydney without the Opera House is inconceivable today \u2013 it delivered far more than anyone anticipated at the time. This is that same kind of moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Kirkman, the investment holds generational weight. \u201cGrowing up in Granville, I lived in a fibro house with no books and no art, but I loved the idea of a museum,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI used to take the train to the Powerhouse at Ultimo and spend the day there. It was amazing because it was so far removed from my immediate world. This new institution has the power to open up the world to so many young people in that exact same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Close\"AnthonyAnthony Segaert<\/a> is the Parramatta bureau chief at The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously an urban affairs reporter.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.\"EllieEllie Busby<\/a> is a Parramatta reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.\"MostafaMostafa Rachwani<\/a> is a Parramatta reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously the Community Affairs reporter at Guardian Australia.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"November 7, 2026 \u2014 3:24pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":956587,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-956586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=956586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/956587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=956586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=956586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=956586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}