March 1956: Sir Eugene Goossens forced to resign as director after a major public scandal involving Rosaleen Norton, the "Witch of Kings Cross". He pleads guilty to pornography charges.
March 1991: The state government shelves plans to move the Conservatorium of Music to the grounds of the Rozelle Hospital complex.
May 1997: Premier Bob Carr announces projected $69 million upgrade of the Macquarie Street site. During 2008-2011, the Conservatorium faces the challenges of a split campus, with performance activities and the Conservatorium High School relocated to the Australian Technology Park, and Composition, Music Education and Musicology Units housed in a Pitt Street office block.
March 1998: Computer-generated images depicting the future site reignite the controversy surrounding the redevelopment. Sydney Alliance leader Kathryn Greiner describes the new building as atrocious (the design eventually won the Australia Award of merit for Urban Design Excellence 2002).
July 2001: Redevelopment of the Macquarie Street site is completed. The final cost of $144.6 million is described by Mr Carr as "an uncharacteristic blow-out, driven largely by the archaeological discoveries".
December 2007: The head of the Conservatorium of Music High School, Robert Curry, sacks a teacher, escalating his battle with staff, parents and former students of the school opposed to his curriculum changes.
April 2008: The Herald reports accusations the then dean, Professor Kim Walker, had plagiarised material in lecture notes in talks at the Art Gallery of NSW.
August 2008: Roger Gyles, QC, appointed to provide an independent review. Delivering his report in November, he concludes "there was extensive controversy within the senior staff, and in those circumstances ... Walker's appointment as dean should be terminated, but on the basis that the university had no cause to dismiss her". In fact, Walker completed her tenure as dean in 2011 and continued as a professor until 2013.
December 2011: Professor Walker begins legal proceedings against the University of Sydney, for the alleged trashing of her international reputation and lost future earnings.
February 2013: Professor Walker granted leave in the Supreme Court to add to her statement of claim.
