Art Gallery of NSW Staff Strike Amid Planned Job Cuts

Staff at the Art Gallery of NSW walked out on strike at midday today to protest the cutting of 51 jobs.

Details of the new “management plan” were announced by the gallery’s new director Maud Page earlier this month.

“After five months at the helm, it’s become apparent that a reduction in staff roles is necessary to secure a sustainable future for the institution we all care deeply about,” she said at the time.

“The executive team and board of trustees explored every possible avenue to reduce operating expenses. Despite these extensive efforts, changes to our staffing structure are unavoidable to ensure the long-term future of the institution can serve our community for years to come.”

It’s the first industrial action for the institution in more than 10 years, with the Assistant General Secretary of the Public Service Association, Troy Wright, saying staff have “had a gutful”.

“The public will notice these cuts, if you enjoy the gallery then you need to know the amount of exhibitions and their quality is in the firing line,” he said.

Not all arts institutions are faring as badly as the state’s art gallery though- the Minns government approved an increase of $10 million to the 2025-26 Powerhouse Museum staff budget, in addition to the record $50.2 million spent the year before.

“Arts Minister John Graham needs to know we won’t cop this, the Powerhouse in Parramatta has a blank cheque meanwhile established arts institutions are being looted and vandalised,” Wright said.

Gallery desperate to lower operating costs amid reduced state funding

The gallery said the proposed staffing changes had been carefully considered and calibrated across the institution, but structuring was required in order to lower operating expenses and meet the organisation’s budget shortfall of $7.5 million.

A 2024 state Treasury review of the gallery found that a increase in full-time roles, combined with staffing levels higher than at comparable institutions, had contributed to budgetary pressure. These pressures were exacerbated by the gallery’s long awaited expansion in 2022, which doubled operating costs from $63 million in 2019-20 to $120 million in 2023-24.

The gallery received $72.4 million from the government in 2024-25, but these numbers are set to fall to $66.6 million in 2025-26 financial year.

“We’ve seen new galleries and gardens added, like the Sydney Modern extension in 2022, and now we see how they’re paying for it, by painting our members out of the picture,” Wright said.

“People travel from all over Australia to visit exhibitions like The Archibald and it’s time the government started treating this cultural institution as the tourism money spinner it is.”