Future looks bright for Melbourne arts precinct

Melbourne's Southbank arts precinct will enjoy a new burst of life under recommendations announced today.
[This is archived content and may not display in the originally intended format.]

Concept art for the Melbourne Arts Precinct: Dodds Street. Credit: Nick King.

The vision of an activated and integrated Southbank arts precinct came a step closer today with the release of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Blueprint.

In 2011, the State Government of Victoria under then-Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu initiated the Melbourne Arts Precinct Blueprint; a $500,000 commitment to developing a detailed plan for the future development of the Southbank precinct. Additional resources for the Blueprint came via the Commonwealth Government’s Liveable Cities program, to the sum of $400,000, and in-kind support from the City of Melbourne and University of Melbourne.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts