Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is an emerging need for a landmark regional cultural facility in my electorate of Moore to accommodate performing arts, visual arts, crafts, film and media. The north-west corridor of the Perth metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. In 2013 the region had a population of 334,000 residents and is expected to grow by a further 200,000 residents over the next 20 years. There is a need for a venue with sufficient seating capacity for close to 1,000 patrons for concerts, graduations and major civic events.

The City of Joondalup, led by visionary mayor Troy Pickard, has played an instrumental role in initiating the Joondalup Performing Arts and Cultural Facility, with the aim of creating an inclusive environment to celebrate imagination and creativity, inspiring individuals and the community to take part in culture and the arts. In 2006, the city purchased land suitable for the development of the performing arts centre from the Department of Education. It is located at lot 1001, in Teakle Court, Joondalup.

Since then, the city has commissioned a project feasibility study based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data on population projections, as well as culture and arts participation rates, to assess the demand for regional cultural facilities. The research undertaken for the market analysis and feasibility study indicated that there is currently a significant underprovision for performing arts and cultural facilities in the north-western corridor. The analysis found evidence that local residents are travelling outside the city of Joondalup to attend cultural events.

A steering committee for the project has been established. An architectural design competition attracted 21 entries from architects. Various design options for the centre were examined. The preferred Art Box option includes an 850-seat lyric theatre, a 200-seat black-box theatre, a dedicated art gallery and hospitality facilities. The capital cost of the performing arts centre and cultural facility is estimated to be in the order of $91 million. This figure will increase to approximately $113 million with the inclusion of car parking and commercial tenancies. The City of Joondalup is not in a financial position to fund the construction of the facility in its entirety. The city is seeking capital-funding commitments from both the state and federal governments to construct this important regional facility.