More than one quarter of visitors of the Powerhouse Museum are from the inner city
SYDNEY’S great cultural divide has been laid bare by new data that reveals how the Powerhouse Museum is the domain of the inner city elite.
NSW
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SYDNEY’S great cultural divide has been laid bare by new data that reveals how the Powerhouse Museum is the domain of the inner city elite.
As the battle rages over moving the cultural institution to Parramatta, it can be revealed that more than a quarter — 26.1 per cent — of total visitors to the museum live in the inner city.
The inner city museum-goers are almost double the 10.5 per cent of museum visitors from Sydney’s west.
And worse, those from outer Sydney regions — like the Blue Mountains — make up just four per cent of visitors.
Those in Sydney’s north account 17.3 per cent, while the south contribute 9.7 per cent.
Regional NSW visitors make up 12 per cent and the rest come from interstate or overseas.
Labor leader Luke Foley has opposed the government’s plans to move the museum to Parramatta with plans expected to go before cabinet soon.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Parramatta Lord Mayor Andrew Wilson wrote to Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday saying his community “wants and deserves” the flagship arts institution.
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“One that will benefit all of Sydney, including the two million people who live in its west.”
“Western Sydney is undergoing rapid and dramatic transformation. The government is building the railways, roads, schools, hospitals and homes to support one million new residents by 2031.
“That investment must be balanced by a commitment to the cultural arts.”
Western Sydney business chamber director David Borger said the figures were “damning”.
“Putting the museum in Western Sydney is an issue of equity.”