Member for Goulburn Pru Goward welcomed the funding announcement by NSW Arts Minister Arts Minister Don Harwin when he was in Goulburn on Friday, June 15. 

Minister Harwin announced a total of $5.8 million in funding for a brand new arts and culture precinct, which includes $4.5m for the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) and $1.3m for a new Creative Precinct to be built in the old ceramics room at the Goulburn Regional Conservatorium. 

The funding is part of the first round of the NSW Government’s $100m Regional Cultural Fund, and is just two of 68 projects funded from 12 regions across NSW.

Member for Goulburn Pru Goward said the funding would be a great boost for the local arts scene, with the addition of a 440-seat auditorium as part of the PAC in the former Town Hall. 

“This funding will transform the historic Old Town Hall into a cutting-edge multipurpose centre for the arts,” Ms Goward said. 

“The Creative Precinct project will re-purpose the town’s Old Ceramics Room to facilitate greater flexibility and opportunities for performance, collaboration and creative exploration.  

“The new facilities will also offer much needed spaces for rehearsal, performance, collaboration and creative exploration. I can’t wait to see the final result.”

Ms Goward said the funding would mean the PAC can be built without debt or any pressure on Goulburn ratepayers. 

“We now have the ability to create a fantastic space that will bring people to Goulburn and give citizens great opportunities to enjoy great performances,” Ms Goward said. 

“We will become the new ‘off Broadway’ - that site between Sydney and Canberra that you must play if you are a performing group.

“That is what we want Goulburn to be known as - a great place to come and a place that has great shows.”

Goulburn Muwlaree mayor Bob Kirk welcomed the funding.

“We are thrilled about this. Hopefully citizens will be very happy to hear this great news. It solves a funding question and it is a great show of faith from the state government in Goulburn and in out future,’ Cr Kirk said. 

“The Arts Minister said this was the most impressive application that came before them in this funding round.” 

In relation to the discovery of a former Goulburn Jail on the site, Cr Kirk said the council was seeking a solution.

“We will hopefully resolve a way in which we can put some of the old wall of the former jail on display with some imagination – and we just need the office of Environment and Heritage to be cooperative and work with us to achieve that,” he said. 

He thanked the Working Party members and the council staff who assisted with the grant application. 

Goulburn Mulwaree Council general manager Warwick Bennett said despite the finding of remnants of the old jail on the site, the council was still hoping to get work underway this year.

“We just have to sort out a small issue with the old Goulburn Jail wall that we have found,” Mr Bennett said. 

“We have a solution and we are putting an application to the OEH to use stones of the old jail wall, which we found, to highlight a wall in the new PAC or a walkway up to it on the outside.

“I see the finding of that wall as an opportunity to make this an even better place than what we initially proposed.”

In regards to delays, Mr Bennett said he expected any delays would not be significant. 

“We expect a delay, but it will not a significant one,” he said. 

“We are still hopeful that we will start construction (we need to go through the tender process first) in the last quarter of this year.” 

NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin said the regional Cultural Fund was established to ensure regional NSW received its fair share of arts and cultural infrastructure, no matter where people lived.

“Arts and culture is at the heart of every regional community and this first round of funding is evidence that the NSW Government’s commitment to driving growth in arts, screen, culture and heritage in regional NSW is making a difference,” Mr Harwin said.

Applications will soon be invited for the next round of funding through the scheme.

Further information about the RCF is available at www.nsw.gov.au/regionalculturalfund or email regional@arts.nsw.gov.au.