Thursday, 19 February 2026

 John BERGER (Southern Metropolitan) (18:32): (2342) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Creative Industries in the other place. Many of us in Southern Metro were pleased to hear towards the end of last year that the Ian Potter State Theatre, part of the Melbourne arts precinct, would be reopening in October in 2026, six months ahead of schedule. In the Southern Metropolitan Region we are very lucky to have so many incredible institutions of arts and culture. In 2024 the State Theatre was temporarily closed to allow for extensive refurbishment. These works will see greatly improved accessibility in the building; better safety systems, including fire protection; modern heating and cooling; and improved energy efficiency. The refurbishments also seek to improve the theatre experience, including a modern high-performance sound system. While these works have been taking place, painstaking care is being taken to preserve the State Theatre’s heritage, history and everything which makes this beautiful building unique. These refurbishments are part of a broader package which makes up Australia’s largest cultural infrastructure project, the Melbourne arts precinct transformation project, which is worth a total of $1.7 billion. The action that I seek from the minister is to provide an update relating to how many jobs are being supported by the Melbourne arts precinct now, how many will be supported once the transformation project is complete and how much creative industries more broadly are expected to contribute to our economy in the years ahead.