Further investment in Canberra’s Historic Places and the Canberra Museum and Gallery


Released 18/05/2018

The ACT Government will provide additional funding to our local historic sites and the Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG), to further improve the visitor experience, improving accessibility, and investing in conservation and collections storage. This will ensure that growing numbers of visitors and community groups can continue to share in Canberra’s unique heritage and social history.

The upcoming 2018 Budget will invest in conservation works at heritage sites across the territory, including Lanyon Homestead, Calthorpes’ House and Mugga Mugga. We will also invest in upgrades to the galleries and facilities at CMAG so that this institution can expand its capacity to collect, conserve and exhibit more local artists.

Minister for Arts and Community Events Gordon Ramsay said Canberra’s historic places and cultural institutions are seeing growing visitor numbers every year and this investment will protect their heritage values while expanding the range of programs they can offer.

“These institutions are dedicated to the social history and visual arts of the Canberra region. They connect people with our region’s rich and diverse stories, sense of place and contemporary identity,” Minister Ramsay said.

“This $1 million new investment in conservation, upgrade and expansion works will add to the $6.2 million the ACT Government already delivers each year to support these important institutions and ensure they can share Canberra’s stories with even more visitors.”

The announcement comes on International Museum Day which focuses world attention on the role of museums in their local communities, their cultural landscape and their natural environment.

Lanyon Homestead at Tharwa, Calthorpes’ House at Red Hill and Mugga Mugga at Symonston are among Canberra’s most significant sites relating to our early European heritage. These properties together attract around 55,000 visitors a year as well as delivering education programs to about 3,700 local students a year. CMAG is also an increasingly popular destination and holds the largest collection of artworks by artists from the Canberra region as well as several nationally-significant works such as the iconic Sidney Nolan Collection.

The coming Budget will see a step up in our investment in core services and infrastructure to match Canberra’s rapid growth.

With the 2018 Budget, the ACT Government is growing services for our growing city.

- Statement ends -

Gordon Ramsay, MLA | Media Releases

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