‘Promised The Community’: Kobi Shetty Is Still Fighting For The Powerhouse

Since her election in 2023, MP for Balmain Kobi Shetty has taken a keen interest in the future of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.

“As soon as I was elected, I knew it was my responsibility to take up the mantle on behalf of the local community,” the Greens member said.

The Minns Government has been conducting a major renovation of the site since early 2024.

The Wran Building, built in 1988 with a curved roof of steel and glass, was recently demolished. Having pledged to “save” the iconic structure before the 2023 election, the Government says that it will be rebuilt largely as it was.

“They should have refurbished it. But like a lot of renovation projects, once you start knocking things down… you find huge amounts of contamination, and that’s what they’re dealing with. I think they’ve wasted a huge amount of money, and now they’re trying to figure out how to proceed when it’s going to cost them a lot more.”

The Sydney institution is located directly across from Shetty’s electorate. She and independent MP Alex Greenwich have worked together to scrutinise potential threats to its survival.

An unending fight

In September, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Government was considering whether to curtail upgrades.

Options reportedly included the sale of the Harwood Building, selling the museum after upgrades bring it up to present standards, or the mothballing of the entire landmark.

Shetty is not surprised that the museum’s future is still an issue, six years after the Berejiklian Government abandoned plans to sell it completely. Rather, she is “just disappointed and frustrated alongside thousands of people in the community who thought that they had won that initial battle, but have unfortunately continued to have to campaign to save it time and time again.”

“Labor have a responsibility now to deliver what they had committed to when they were in opposition,” says Shetty. “They promised the community, and they need to deliver.”

“We were initially told that it would open again in 2026 or 2027. That time is upon us now, and it looks like, even if they do proceed, it is not going to be open until 2029.”

Shetty said that locals have been “amazing” in their support since 2015, when the Baird Government initially announced its intention to sell the institution.

“We’ve run petitions, we’ve had letter-writing campaigns, and we’ve really gotten together and tried to put the pressure on the Government as much as possible to make sure that they follow through with their commitment.”

Treasured memories

“I took my kids to the Powerhouse when they were little,” said Shetty. “We went to the Wiggles exhibition… and they marvelled at the amazing engines, the steam engine, the seaplane hanging from the roof…

“It was a really special moment for us to walk around and see all these incredible pieces of historical machinery.”

A NSW Government spokesperson said in September that it “is committed to the Powerhouse Museum, including the Wran Building reopening in Ultimo.”

“The NSW Treasury review is considering the future operating model for the Powerhouse in its entirety, and options to deliver a museum in Ultimo that meets community needs and expectations.”

The Save the Powerhouse campaign told City Hub that “the Government should immediately stop its so-called revitalisation project which will never deliver a genuine museum, and engage with museum and heritage experts to design a project that will deliver a true museum of applied arts and sciences.”