The Art Gallery of NSW should relocate to Penrith and "ignorance" shown by the city's premier cultural institutions towards western Sydney must end, advocates for the region say.
Western Sydney leaders say Premier Mike Baird's spoken support for better cultural infrastructure in the region should come with an iron-clad commitment, and have called for an iconic new arts building in Parramatta to rival the Sydney Opera House.
Mr Baird on Tuesday announced that, should the government be re-elected, it would create a cultural precinct in Parramatta, and investigate relocating the Powerhouse Museum collection to the site. The move is contingent on the privatisation of the state's electricity assets.
Western Sydney Arts and Culture lobby spokesman David Capra said the government should not stop there, asking why the Art Gallery of NSW, now located in the Domain, could not "do the same and develop a new home in Penrith".
"This would add to the cultural dynamism already in western Sydney, stimulate tourism and improve access and equity," he said.
Mr Capra said at the very least, the gallery should establish a permanent outpost in western Sydney, akin to Tate Liverpool in Britain.
He said the region's burgeoning population meant "western Sydney is the future of Sydney, where people are actually going to be living".
The region is home to more than 2 million people.
Sydney Business Chamber western Sydney director David Borger said the government's arts plan for Parramatta, alongside light rail and sports stadium investments, were contingent on further studies.
He called on the government to commit to the projects and release more details before the state election, including timelines for completion.
The government has also pledged to share the collections of central-based institutions with western Sydney facilities. Infrastructure NSW singled out the Australian Museum's collection for this purpose.
Mr Borger said the "power structure" in Sydney's arts scene had always been clustered around the harbour and "there has been almost complete ignorance of the [western Sydney] region, its people and their aspirations . . . [major institutions] don't understand it, they ignore it".
Mr Borger said a relocated Powerhouse Museum must be housed in a building with "pulling power" to rival the Sydney Opera House.
"The Sydney Opera House provided a sense of identity for the entire city," he said.
"Western Sydney doesn't have many truly great public buildings . . . this could be an opportunity to provide a sense of identity for the region through a building."
Mr Baird said projects announced in the infrastructure plan would be completed or under way by 2024, adding the government was "future-proofing western Sydney".
Art Gallery of NSW director Michael Brand said it had "no plans" to move to western Sydney.
He said the gallery "actively engaged" with the region through its exhibition program, loans, education initiatives and other programs.
Australian Museum director Kim McKay said more sharing of its resources would ensure "our collections reach an even wider audience".
She said the museum had an active loans and touring program involving western Sydney.
