National gallery business case still not public

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By ERWIN CHLANDA
 
The NT Government wants the people of Alice Springs to surrender their civic centre, the seat of their town’s local government, for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery to be built there.
 
Yet the public remans completely in the dark about what it will look like, what it will do, and what benefits it will bring to the town.
 
“The National Aboriginal Art Gallery business case is currently under consideration by government,” a spokeswoman for Arts Minister Lauren Moss replied this week when the News requested a copy of the document.
 
“Once it is due for public release, I will contact you directly.”
 
It is now a year since the News raised the absence of a business case for the project to cost upwards of $50m.
 
The government let a tender worth $246,534 for a “Comprehensive Business Case” on October 22 to Ernst & Young.
 
Initially it had to be delivered before the end of November, then a “draft” was required by early this year.
 
While the business case remains outstanding, the government is pushing ahead with discussions of a land swap with the Town Council (civic centre block for old Anzac Hill High site ) that will involve considerable additional expense for both tiers of government.
 
Meanwhile, consultation about the civic centre location for the gallery  is reportedly being undertaken with Arrernte custodians.
 
 
 
 
 

4 COMMENTS

  1. I doubt if Aborignal organisations want to be seen in the same light as the CLP when they destroyed Turner House and Marron’s news agency.
    I am sure they would not want to be seen as responsible for the destruction of another Alice Springs icon.

  2. The Arrernte custodians of Mparntwe have given the government a very clear statement of their position: “South of The Gap.” Is anyone listening?

  3. Questionable land deals are a feature of local and state governments.
    Those done in secret are the most suspect.

  4. Just do something already, you aren’t going to make everyone happy and there will always be the perpetual sooks.
    At least spending some money on Alice will be better than ignoring it.

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