Former premier Mike Baird summonsed to Powerhouse Museum parliamentary inquiry
FORMER Premier Mike Baird has been summonsed to give evidence at the Powerhouse Museum relocation inquiry after remaining tight-lipped during the 18-month investigation.
Parramatta
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parramatta . Followed categories will be added to My News.
FORMER Premier Mike Baird has been summonsed to give evidence at the Powerhouse Museum relocation inquiry.
The upper house committee inquiry into museums and galleries received another refusal from the former premier and his then chief of staff Bay Warburton last week to talk about the Powerhouse Museum being relocated to Parramatta, an announcement Baird made while in power back in 2015.
The pair is now due to give evidence at a hearing on April 4 in the Jubilee Room, Parliament House, Sydney.
The summons comes after multiple requests from the Portfolio Committee Number 4 — Legal Affairs.
Committee Chair and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party’s Robert Borsak said the government has tried to keep the details of the relocation secret throughout the 18-month inquiry.
“The public has a right to know why,” he said.
He said the power of the summons was rarely used.
“Only Mike Baird and his former chief of staff Bay Warburton can answer why this decision was made before a business case was drafted, before anybody knew how much it would cost, and before anybody knew whether it was value for money.
“I am baffled by the extreme lengths the government appears to be taking to hide this decision from public scrutiny. We’re talking about an iconic public museum here, not the construction of a nuclear defence facility.”
If a witness refuses to answer questions at the committee’s inquiry, they can be held under house arrest in the Parliament under the custody of the Usher of the Black Rod or jail, as punishment. False evidence carries a five-year prison term.
The final hearing session follows on from the committee’s interim report handed down mid-December, which examined the costs, rationale, logistics and issues around relocating the Powerhouse Museum to the former David Jones car park on the Parramatta River’s edge.
The committee wants its recommendations to be considered by the NSW Government alongside the final business case, currently being prepared by Johnstaff Projects NSW.
The postponed hearing date also extends the reporting date to June 28.
Mr Borsak said the relocation was made before a preliminary business case, including the cost and rationale, had even been prepared.
It is estimated to cost up to $800 million in construction costs and $200 million to relocate the 240,000 items from Ultimo.
Concerns over the size of the site has also put the relocation under scrutiny. It is more than 2000 sqm less than the current Ultimo site and is in a flood prone area.
“It is appalling the decision to move the Powerhouse Museum was announced before either the preliminary or final business cases were prepared, and the exact costs and details of the move being unknown,” Mr Borsak said.
“This decision was made without any genuine consultation with the community or arts and cultural sector.”
Giving evidence at the hearing back in June 2017, Arts Minister Don Harwin said the final business case would expand on options for the new museum at Parramatta and consider the option of keeping all or part of the Ultimo site as a cultural space.
He said they were committed to establishing an ‘iconic, vibrant, interactive, world-class institution in Parramatta’.
Subpoenas were used by the same committee involving former NSW police deputy Nick Kaldas in the parliamentary inquiry into police bugging scandals.
HOW WILL THEY MOVE IT
Some of the more challenging displays to relocate at the current Powerhouse Museum:
● The Catalina Frigate Bird II which is suspended from the ceiling and helping hold the building walls up
● Boulton and Watt Engine circa 1785. It is not thought there is a person that can pull it apart and put it back together
● Two steam locomotives that were driven in on railway tracks that have since been removed
BACKGROUND
● The Powerhouse Museum’s relocation was part of the Coalition Government’s 2015 election commitment and included in its 2014 State Infrastructure Strategy Update
● Former Premier Mike Baird and then deputy premier Troy Grant formally announced the relocation in February 2015
● Seven months later, two potential sites were being considered.
● A preliminary business case determined in April 2016 the former David Jones carpark was the preferred option
● A final decision on the relocation is yet to occur
● Johnstaff Projects NSW is currently preparing the final business case