It’s the phone call every gallery director hopes for – funding to answer its plagued problems. Today (17 December), the National Gallery of Australia announced it will receive a total of $219.7 million over five years through MYEFO, the Federal Government’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
NGA funding boost – quick links
Where is the $219.7 million coming from?
The Federal Government’s 2025-26 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook has delivered a stronger budget result than expected, with lower deficits and less debt over the forward estimates. The report’s overview states: ‘For the first time in eight years, net policy decisions in this MYEFO are positive, improving the budget position by $2.2 billion over the forward estimates.’
This money will be returned to the Australian public in various ways, including by strengthening Medicare, investing in cleaner energy and funding much needed rectification works on the NGA’s deteriorating building.
‘We’ve been working on it for a number of years, so it’s great to finally bring this major building rectification work to fruition,’ NGA Director Nick Mitzevich tells ArtsHub about the news announcement.
Also landing a win for necessary development is Bundanon Trust, with $1.5 million to upgrade roads and the car park at the Bundanon Homestead site. The National Library of Australia receives $4.5 million over two years to complete the replacement of its heritage windows, doors and façade.
But clearly, the winner here is the NGA.
How will the funds be spent?
‘It’s slightly confusing how it’s been expressed, but it [is] essentially $219.7 million over five years and $2.9 million of it is for a business case for all the other stuff we have to do into the future,’ explains Mitzevich.
He adds: ‘Because we’ve got a building program, which we’re starting in January [2026], which is $100 million already, that means that over the next five years we will be rolling out a $319 million rectification project of the gallery.’
Mitzevich said the spending will cover everything that’s engineering or mechanical. ‘So lifts, escalators, anything with a moving part will be replaced. There’ll be safety and fire compliance, and a whole series of HVAC improvements – that is air conditioning and plant upgrades, renovations to our airlocks, humidity controls. So, as I said, anything with the moving part will be replaced.’
What sits outside that is the National Gallery’s Sculpture Garden redesign, which is being funded entirely from philanthropic contributions. This redesign was announced in 2024, and will be completed over a five-stage process. The first phase will be revealed in June 2027.
Read: $60 million revitalisation for National Gallery Sculpture Garden
‘But before then, we open the new restaurant, the Kirsten Thompson Architect [designed] restaurant in June 2026,’ adds Mitzevich.
And the finish date? Mitzevich says, ‘the building rectification is going to be around 2030. And with the sculpture garden, the last phase, should be completed by 2031.’
The expected timeline for the building works
Mitzevich reported that the first stage of works – triggered by that initial $100 million – is already underway, with a plan of works determined by the main contractor, and starting in January 2026.
The NGA will have rolling shutdowns of parts of the building over the next four years. In 2026, about 20% of the building will be closed. That will increase over 2027 and 2028 with 70% of the building closed.
In regard to staffing, Mitzevich tells ArtsHub that, ‘some people [will] remain on site. Some people will be shuffled – so it’s a bit of everything, to be honest. We have to keep the facility running and that people have the right facilities to work in and to manage the risks.’
While the NGA moves through rolling closures it will focus on ‘Australian content, because, as you can appreciate, during this period we want to make sure that we can deliver a program that’s achievable within a major construction site,’ Mitzevich tells ArtsHub.
‘So, you won’t see the scope and the ambition of the program that you would normally expect from us. And it’s not that we don’t want to be ambitious. We’re just de-risking our program during this time, but making sure the Australian public does have access to some important things while we do this,’ he continues, likening the period to juggling while tap dancing.
During this time, the gallery will continue with its program Sharing the National Collection.
The director adds: ‘We’ve got seven touring shows. We’ve got 30 sites at the moment for sharing the national collection, which over the next two years will become 40 sites at least. And we have a very big loans program. So it’s important that we continue as best we can to support those things around the country.’
He confirms that ‘we definitely will not have an acquisition freeze,’ during this period, drawing upon a different budget. ‘The building of the national collection is critical, and certainly making major acquisitions are a core part of what we do, and there is no acquisition freeze during this period.’
Bigger thoughts – is it worth it?
With a laugh, Mitzevich relays a conversation with the contractor. ‘We were talking about ramps this morning and I jokingly said, “Can that ramp accommodate my Zimmer frame?”’
When he signed on as the NGA’s Director in 2018, wearing hi-viz and talking the minutiae of a building site was probably not the picture he had in mind.
‘One of the things that [inaugural director] James Mollison said to me – and I spent time with him before I started – [was that] being the director of the National Gallery is never a popularity contest, and you will have to do things that you didn’t necessarily think you would. But you will work out that it’s completely necessary.’
He continues: ‘It was good to get that cautionary tale at the beginning. I think one of the things that I’ve worked out is what’s necessary, and I’ve tried to throw myself at “what’s necessary”, because you can’t have a template that you establish at the beginning. It has to be iterative.
‘This is absolutely necessary and it’s a once-in-a-generational approach to rectify the building – and perhaps we should have done this work much sooner and it’s a lesson for the future – but this is absolutely necessary now.’
When pushed on that lack of work before now, Mitzevich says simply: ‘I think it’s very unfortunate, and I’m just relieved that the Government has concurred with us, and we have a clear plan [for] the most critical things.’
Answering the naysayers
Over late 2027 and 2028, there will be many who will be saying ‘why is my gallery not open?’
‘It’s our job right now to make the infrastructure fit for purpose for the future,’ Mitzevich says. ‘And we all need to have a facelift every now and then.’
‘Yes 2027 and 2028 will be the epicentre of this work, but it’s critical work for the investment in the cultural infrastructure, for one of the most significant cultural institutions in Australia.’
He adds: ‘I think it’s heartening that we have made the decision to remain open. It will compromise how we present ourselves, yes. However, it is an important investment for the next 50 years and beyond.’
And if the NGA hadn’t received this money, what would the future have looked like? ‘I think we’d always be hamstrung by the limitations and the risks of the building not being up to scratch. And I’m relieved that we’ve avoided that,’ concludes Mitzevich.
