Independent Review of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust

Submission
Cockatoo Island Foundation

Contents
1. Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 2
2. The Cockatoo Island Foundation .................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Sydney Harbour Federation Trust engagement...................................................................... 4
2.2 Developing a Vision for Cockatoo Island................................................................................. 5
3. The need for investment................................................................................................................. 7
4. Vision for Cockatoo Island ............................................................................................................ 10
4.1 Waremah .............................................................................................................................. 10
4.2 Inspiration ............................................................................................................................. 11
4.3 Artistic projects ..................................................................................................................... 12
4.4 The gap in Sydney ................................................................................................................. 12
4.5 Community Involvement ...................................................................................................... 13
4.6 Activation .............................................................................................................................. 13
5. A Long Term Plan for Cockatoo Island .......................................................................................... 14
5.1 Long term investment ........................................................................................................... 14
5.2 A non-government, not-for-profit partner ........................................................................... 14
5.3 Feasibility study..................................................................................................................... 15
5.4 Implementation .................................................................................................................... 15
6. Governance ................................................................................................................................... 17
7. Summary of Recommendations.................................................................................................... 20
8. Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 22
8.1 Contemporary Art Examples ................................................................................................. 22
8.2 Biographies of Founding Directors........................................................................................ 24
8.3 Visioning Group Member Biographies .................................................................................. 27
8.4 Visioning Document .............................................................................................................. 30

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1. Executive Summary
Cockatoo Island is one of Australia’s most remarkable sites. The island has served as an
important indigenous site for women’s business prior to colonisation and boasts a multitude of
heritage buildings; remnants of the island's former convict penal establishment, naval ship
dockyard, industrial school for girls and reformatory. This history led to the island being World
Heritage listed.

With this incredible history and heritage, we see an opportunity to revive the island through
transforming it into a world class arts and culture destination, which preserves its heritage,
brings to life its history and also allows for visitors to reflect on the future.

The Cockatoo Island Foundation has been established as a not-for profit philanthropic entity by a
dedicated group of founders to enable this opportunity. We bring to this endeavour a vision for
Cockatoo Island that has been developed with global experts in art, culture, planning and
architecture; a collaborative spirit to further shape this vision with the local community,
government and other stakeholders, and the expertise and dedication to turn this vision to
reality.

The founders of the organisation are committed to leaving a lasting legacy for Sydney and
Australia that makes a genuine contribution to the life of the city and country and provides the
public with new and unique arts and cultural experiences.

The Foundation is also prepared to support this vision with significant philanthropic resources.
We believe that at least $100 million of philanthropic support will be required to turn Cockatoo
Island into a globally recognised arts and culture destination, in addition to necessary repair and
refurbishment. Subject to State and Federal Government funding support, we are prepared to
guarantee at least $80 million in philanthropic funding toward this project and are confident that
overall philanthropic donations will exceed $100 million.

Our vision is to revive Cockatoo Island by transforming it into a sustainable, world class arts and
culture destination. Through the preservation of heritage and the universal language of art, we
will commemorate the past eras of Cockatoo Island and it’s indigenous, colonial and marine
engineering history.

Through a unique infusion of art, technology, placemaking and cultural experiences, the island
will revitalise a beautiful, yet severely underused landscape in the heart of Sydney Harbour.

The island will feature iconic permanent art installations, as well as temporary exhibitions and
events, offering new experiences upon each visit and would become an essential part of any visit
to Sydney and will drive international interest in Sydney as an arts and cultural destination.

We believe the indigenous history of the island should be recognised and celebrated. We would
propose that there should be engagement with the tribal elders to consider the renaming of
Cockatoo Island to Waremah.

To achieve this vision, we believe new governance of Cockatoo Island is required. While the
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust has successfully stewarded the island to this point with
significant volunteer and community support, to fully realise the potential of Cockatoo Island a
different structure is needed that is capable of providing the vision and attracting the significant

2
inspirational and financial support needed to revitalise the site to a global standard. In our view,
the current Sydney Harbour Federation Trust will be unable to take on a project of this scale and
attract the resources to make it happen.

This new governance model would bring together the Commonwealth and State Governments,
the local community and not-for-profit interests to ensure that the heritage values of Cockatoo
Island are maintained and celebrated, while opening up a new vision for the future of the Island.

The Cockatoo Island Foundation has put forward a number of recommendations on how we
believe this may be achieved. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these
recommendations in more detail. The remainder of this submission outlines our vision for
Cockatoo Island, and our recommendations on changes required to achieve this bold vision.

3
 2. The Cockatoo Island Foundation
The Cockatoo Island Foundation is a not for profit organisation supported by a group of
philanthropists who have a shared vision to revitalise Cockatoo Island. Founding directors of the
foundation are:

- Anthony Berg AM
- Danny Goldberg OAM
- Karen Martin

Simon Mordant AM has been working alongside this group from the beginning and is yet to join the
Foundation Board.

The organisation has no other objectives than the restoration and celebration of Cockatoo Island’s
unique heritage, to support arts and culture at Cockatoo Island and to create a destination for the
local and international community to enjoy. The Cockatoo Island Foundation will revitalise the
heritage of the island by respecting and preserving its past and creating a future which is engaging to
a wide range of visitors.

The Foundation is also prepared to support our vision for Cockatoo Island with significant
philanthropic resources. We believe that at least $100 million will be required to turn Cockatoo
Island into a globally recognised arts and culture destination. Subject to State and Federal
Government financial support, we are prepared to guarantee at least $80 million in funding toward
this project and are confident that overall philanthropic donations will exceed $100 million.

The Foundation was registered on 31 May 2019 as a not for profit organisation. The organisation is
registered with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission (ACNC) and intends to hold
deductible gift recipient (DGR) status. The Board will have a mixture of skills, backgrounds and
perspectives including people with visual arts, marketing, entertainment and financial expertise.

The objects of the Foundation include:

• restoring, conserving and maintaining the heritage of Cockatoo Island and facilitate its
appreciation by the public;
• creating, developing and maintaining venues for art and culture on Cockatoo Island;
• acquiring and installing works of art in the buildings and in open spaces on Cockatoo Island;
• developing and promoting cultural events, public programs, and education programs, and
facilitating other organisations to hold cultural events;
• provide or attract funds for the purchase, maintenance and preservation of works of art.

The Constitution of the Foundation is available on the ACNC website.

As the Foundation was set up for the single purpose of renewing Cockatoo Island, if the Foundation
is not successful in its endeavours to renew the island, the Directors would be open to handing over
the Foundation to others to continue its purpose or to deregister the entity.

2.1 Sydney Harbour Federation Trust engagement

The founding directors of the Cockatoo Island Foundation have been engaging with the Sydney
Harbour Federation Trust since mid-2016. We initially met with the CEO of the Trust, Mary Darwell,
in June 2016 and raised our interest in the site and our view of the potential of the site to be
significantly renewed through a partnership between philanthropic donors, State and Federal
Governments and the Trust.

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We proposed that a way of achieving significant renewal of the island was through the
establishment of a long term lease to a not-for-profit entity, which would allow the Trust to set
appropriate terms for the lease and allow significant investment in the heritage interpretation, arts
and culture to occur on a whole of island basis.

Eventually, we were advised in November 2018 that the Board of the Trust considered our proposal
a ‘potentially exciting opportunity’ and was ‘attracted by the potential for philanthropic investment’.
However the Board determined that it would not proceed with further discussions on the proposal
for a whole-of-site lease.

The reasons given for this determination were “the purpose and objects of the Sydney Harbour
Federation Trust Act, community expectations, [the Trust’s] funding and operational constraints, and
the requirement for consistency with the current Comprehensive and Management Plans.” In
addition, the Trust stated that its term expired in 2033 and it could not grant a long term lease
beyond this point.

The Trust did acknowledge that it needed to review plans for Cockatoo Island and committed to
undertake significant work on this, with a high level concept plan to be completed over the next 3-4
months [from November 2018].

In February 2019, the Trust wrote to us noting the significant unrealised potential of Cockatoo Island
and proposing a wide consultation process, that would result in a report that sets out a ‘refreshed
shared vision for Cockatoo Island’ to be published in June/ July 2019. To our understanding, while a
Cockatoo Island Engagement Outcomes Report was published in November 2019, a refreshed vision
for Cockatoo Island is still under consideration by the Trust.

We believe that this process for developing a vision for Cockatoo Island would best be undertaken in
partnership with philanthropic interests, as well as the broader community. This would align with
the recent Statement of Expectations from Minister Sussan Ley1, which noted an expectation for the
Trust in “developing commercial strategies for Trust sites to maximise revenue in a way that is
consistent with the broader public access and amenity objectives of the SHFT Act” and “continuing
to seek opportunities to partner, and share costs, with private and philanthropic entities for the
rehabilitation and ongoing management of Trust sites.”

We are supportive of these objectives particularly in the context of the work we have already
undertaken, noted below.

2.2 Developing a Vision for Cockatoo Island

In July 2019, the founding directors of the Foundation brought together a significant group of
internationally recognised experts including artistic curators, architects, urbanists, artists and
filmmakers to develop our vision for Cockatoo Island over the course of three days. Visioning group
members were:

- Michael Lynch AO CBE

- Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
- Genevieve Clay-Smith
- Juliana Engberg
- Dillon Kombumerri

1
Statement of Expectations for the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, The Hon Sussan Ley MP,
https://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/media/2483/shft-statement-of-expectations.pdf

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 - Wendy Martin
- Sir Jonathan Mills AO
- Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO
- Alexander (Alec) Tzannes AM
- Tea Uglow

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust staff presented to this group and the visioning group spent
significant time on the island to brainstorm and consider potential options and ideas that would
bring new life to the island and enhance the enjoyment of its indigenous, convict and marine
heritage. This was a highly successful exercise, and benefited significantly from the expertise and
international perspective of the participants.

The outcomes of the work of this group have informed our continuing interest in heritage, art and
culture on the island, and are incorporated in our vision as explained in this submission. We have
attached a short biography of the visioning group participants and a copy of the visioning document
at Section 8.4.

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 3. The need for investment
Cockatoo Island has changed dramatically over the centuries. Prior to colonial times it was a meeting
place for Aboriginal women from the various clans around Sydney Harbour, and hence called
Waremah.

Following British settlement, in the nineteenth century, it became a place for convict incarceration
and later a girls’ reformatory. In the twentieth century it became a shipbuilding base and naval
engineering hub.

It needs to find a compelling use in the twenty first century and beyond. We propose that it be a hub
for contemporary art and culture - a permanent ‘art island’ for Sydney. Cockatoo Island could be a
unique destination enjoyed by locals and a significant attractor for domestic and international
tourists. This would respect and celebrate the Island’s past and allow it to become a place to debate
the future through the art of the day. However, to achieve this vision, significant investment will be
needed.

At present our observation is that there is no clear vision for the future of the Island, and no clear
sense of what its owners and stakeholders want the Island to be. Even if the vision for the island was
clear, the present governance structure limits the capacity for this vision to be realised. As we
understand it, the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust has no independent financial capacity to invest
in improvements and deliver the necessary investment required and would be dependent on
additional funding from the Commonwealth Government to achieve this. The Trust also has a finite
life.

However, without investment, Cockatoo Island is a missed opportunity for Sydney and Australia, and
the likely outcome is that the visitor experience of the island will slowly decline. Our experience in
engaging with the Trust also suggests that existing governance structure for the Island makes it
exceedingly difficult to complete big and imaginative projects, and that the future for Cockatoo
Island may be confined to piecemeal developments which would be a poor outcome for a place as
iconic as Cockatoo Island.

The Trust has run a deficit budget last year of $1.2m, and this is forecast to increase to a $2.4m
deficit this year.2 While the Trust does not publish segmented accounts that might show the ongoing
financial position of its various sites, we note that Cockatoo Island would appear to have significant
maintenance costs and generate limited revenue in its current state.

The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust has acknowledged that there remains a significant amount of
remediation work to be done on Cockatoo Island, and that the cost of this remediation could be in
the order of $150 to $200 million3.

We believe that investment in Cockatoo Island is critical to revitalise the island and fulfil its potential.
This investment might be considered in two parts:

- Firstly, the responsibility for the full remediation, repair and restoration of the site owing
to its former use as Defence lands. This is the responsibility of the Commonwealth
Government, and in our view, should be a priority to address the historical
environmental impact on the island and to ensure that health and safety issues are
addressed.

2
Budget 2019-20, Budget Related Paper No. 1.6 Environment and Energy Portfolio, p 280
3
“Trust funding crisis as harbourside gems go under review”, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December 2019

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 - Secondly, to invest in the island’s future potential. This investment will be critical to the
island’s future success, but does not need to be solely funded by the Commonwealth
Government. This investment should be made to drive the future vision of the island.
We believe a partnership between philanthropists and State and Federal Government is
appropriate.

While the investment in remediation, repair and restoration is critical, it would be a missed
opportunity to invest in this without further investment to make the island more attractive to
visitors, both tourists and members of the local community. Equally, philanthropic investment could
only be made on the basis that the historic remediation issues were appropriately funded and
addressed.

This investment in the island’s future potential must be guided by a strong and compelling vision for
the island, that ensures that visitors enjoy a cohesive and memorable experience. This vision should
be executed by highly experienced curators that can bring together the skills needed to make the
vision a reality.

We recognise that there is significant work that is required and it will take time to progressively
remediate and restore the island and its buildings. This could happen in a progressive manner and be
co-ordinated with progressive investment in art, culture and heritage interpretation on the island.

There should be a deadline for all remediation work on the island to be completed, to give
confidence to the community and other stakeholders in the Commonwealth Government’s
commitment to the project. We believe that 10 years is an appropriate period to complete this work,
and that the Island should be fully restored by 2030.

We also believe that the NSW Government should consider investing in the island, given its potential
as a significant tourism attraction for Sydney and the fact control of the site is intended to revert to
the State in 2033. This should include ensuring that there is appropriate public transport access so
that the NSW public and tourists can access the island on a regular schedule and at limited costs.

Equally, given the potential for the island to become an essential part of the arts and culture
landscape for Sydney, there is a case for the State to make a capital contribution and ongoing
funding to support the arts and cultural endeavours at the site.

Investment in the island is critical to attract a significant stream of ongoing visitors to the island. In
turn strong visitor numbers will make commercial ventures on the island more viable – from food
and beverage offerings to functions and other potential uses.

We have noted the comments of the Trust that there is some risks that parts of the Trust sites may
need be closed off unless additional funding is found.4 In the case of Cockatoo Island, we think the
best way to address this is through investing in the site, ensuring strong visitor numbers and that this
should drive commercial revenues and a sustainable business model for the Island. While this
approach would need to be confirmed through a feasibility study, we believe that with appropriate
investment, the island should not only be able to remain open to the public but public access could
be increased.

4
Ibid

8
Recommendations

1. The Commonwealth Government should invest in the full remediation, repair and
restoration of the site over the course of the next 10 years. This should be contingent
on significant investment by a philanthropic partner in the facilities, art and other
requirements to ensure the island is successful as a destination.
2. The NSW Government should support the revitalisation of the Island. This should
include:
a. supporting with appropriate public transport and integrating the Island into
tourism promotion for Sydney.
b. Financial support, recognising the broader tourism and cultural benefits for
Sydney and NSW.
3. The enlivening of the island should be a partnership between philanthropists and State
and Commonwealth Government.

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 4. Vision for Cockatoo Island
This section outlines the vision and the potential that the Cockatoo Island Foundation sees at
Cockatoo Island. In our view it can become a world class international arts destination with an
authentic Sydney approach that recognises the indigenous, colonial and maritime history of the
island.

4.1 Waremah
We recognise the significant indigenous history of the island. The island spoke to the Eora people,
the traditional owners of the land and they called her Waremah, which means ‘women’s place’. The
Island was originally an important place for women and a meeting place for clans around Sydney
Harbour.

This indigenous history should be recognised and celebrated. We would propose that there should
be engagement with the tribal elders to consider the renaming of Cockatoo Island to Waremah. In
this section of our submission that explains our vision, we have referred to the island as Waremah.

In the nineteenth century, Waremah was a convict island, with a number of beautiful buildings that
still remain. In the twentieth century, the island become a dockyard and marine engineering centre
which was indispensable to Australia’s naval exploits in two world wars. These two centuries of
unique heritage should be preserved and made approachable, understandable and interesting to
visitors. This could be assisted by iPhones, virtual reality, augmented reality and enhanced by
soundscapes.

It is our vision that Waremah will engage all generations of people, including children and families,
through creative places which encourage discovery, play and exploration. Waremah should include
everyone and be accessible for people with disability, ensuring that guests can move across the
landscape with ease and engage with artwork, exhibitions, places and facilities.

While Waremah will exhibit art, it will also support new art by providing residencies for art makers
across multiple disciplines. It will showcase a variety of cinematic and visual experiences which
celebrate the power of storytelling.

Waremah will be a postive environmental example. We see the potential to “rewild” some of the
open spaces to bring back the trees, create beautiful native gardens, bring back the cockatoos, and
have quiet reflective spaces. Waremah will be passionate about conservation, valuing
environmentally friendly practices with a goal of being carbon neutral.

We will explore the pain and violence associated with this island: violence to people and to its
landscape, including social justice issues regarding indigenous people, convicts and girls in
reformatories, and the removal of trees and cockatoos and the mass removal of terrain.

The island will become a living Island, infusing art and technology within an environment which
offers a compelling ecosystem of reflective, interactive, historic and constantly evolving experiences
for multiple generations.

Waremah will be known for providing an immersive experience. It will captivate guests from the
moment they step onboard the ferry at Circular Quay or Parramatta, by engaging their technology
and communicating with them throughout their journey.

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In addition to celebrating the Island’s heritage, we see the twenty first century as being a new
evolution for the Island – a century of art, architecture, space and culture. We intend to employ an
outstanding artistic director to commission architects to collaborate with artists to create exciting
venues (many within the existing Island buildings) for outstanding art installations. It is intended that
these spaces and installations will co-exist indefinitely – that is mainly, they would not be changing
exhibitions.

RECOMMENDATIONS

4. Subject to consultation and support from the appropriate indigenous cultural

authorities, Cockatoo Island should be renamed Waremah to reflect the indigenous
history of the island.
5. Cockatoo Island should become a unique destination celebrating island’s indigenous,
colonial and maritime heritage and featuring contemporary art and culture.

4.2 Inspiration
The Founders of the Cockatoo Island Foundation have been inspired by significant arts and culture
philanthropic partnerships around the world. These inspirations have included:

- Naoshima. Naoshima is known as Japan’s art island. Located in the Seto Inland Sea,
Naoshima is a former industrial island, that now houses a number of museums designed by
renowned architect Tadao Ando and housing significant works of art by artists including
Claude Monet, James Turrell, Walter De Maria, Lee Ufan, Yayoi Kusama, Giacometti, Andy
Warhol, David Hockney, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Cy Twombly. Part of the charm and
experience of Naoshima is the journey to the island, which is often challenging due to its
remote location.

The construction of museums and the acquisition of art on Naoshima has been funded by
significant Japanese philanthropist Soichiro Fukutake and the Benesse Foundation.
Naoshima is now a significant international art destination and a major tourism destination,
attracting 800,000 visitors in 2016, despite its very remote location and the journey required
to visit.

- MONA. The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart is the largest privately funded
museum in the Southern Hemisphere. The museum houses over 1,900 artistic works from
David Walsh's private collection. Notable works include Australia's largest modernist
artwork, Sidney Nolan's Snake mural, displayed publicly for the first time in Australia.

The museum originally cost $75 million to build and was officially opened on 21 January
2011. It hosts the annual MOFO and Dark MOFO music and arts festivals which showcase
large-scale public art and live performances.

MONA is also home to the Moorilla winery, restaurants, bars, cafe, and accommodation
pavilions. In the year ending September 2018, 347,000 people visited MONA whilst on their
trip to Tasmania, 27% of all tourists. Visitors who went to MONA spent $861 million during
their trip to the state.

- High Line. The High Line is a 2.33 km elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on
a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan. The abandoned

11
 spur has been redesigned as a "living system" drawing from multiple disciplines which
include landscape architecture, urban design, and ecology. Since opening in 2009, the High
Line has become an icon of contemporary landscape architecture.

Repurposing the railway into an urban park began in 2006, with the first phase opening in
2009 and completed in 2019. The High Line's success has inspired cities throughout the
United States to redevelop obsolete infrastructure as public space.

While the High Line is owned by the City of New York, the High Line is programmed,
maintained, and operated by Friends of the High Line, in partnership with NYC Parks.
Funders of the High Line park raised a total of over US$150 million to support the park.
Contemporary art is an essential part of the High Line, with the Friends of the High Line
commissioning and producing world-class art projects on and around the High Line.

All of these examples have brought together private sector and public sector interests to reimagine
an existing site, which has often been degraded over time by previous industrial uses. Cockatoo
Island could go through the same renaissance, while reflecting the unique history, heritage and
topography of the site and being authentic to its location in Sydney.

4.3 Artistic projects

With imaginative use of its open spaces and buildings, Waremah will feature exciting, provocative
and artistically excellent contemporary art and culture projects. Visitors can expect to be taken on
an intersecting journey of art, architecture, scientific, sonic, technological and cultural layers.

Through this journey we will tell stories of Waremah’s history and heritage including the indigenous,
colonial and maritime engineering eras. The use of visitor’s devices will add a unique experiential
layer to certain artworks and places while guests explore all Waremah has to offer.

We will appoint an outstanding artistic director who will oversee the project and commission some
of the most outstanding Australian and overseas artists to present major works. (Section 8.1 has
some inspirations). We believe the artists will be excited by the opportunity to engage in really large
scale works and projects and by the pledge of indefinite exhibitions.

Each commissioned art work will be site specific and dedicated indefinitely to its unique space,
usually in existing buildings but potentially in some cases in new and carefully designed buildings
thereby creating a symbiosis of space, art and architecture.

4.4 The gap in Sydney

We believe that Waremah could form an essential part of the Sydney cultural landscape. Sydney has
a vibrant contemporary arts culture, supported by institutions such as the Art Gallery of NSW, the
Museum of Contemporary Art, White Rabbit Gallery as well as major contemporary art events such
as the Sydney Biennale, Kaldor Public Art Projects, regional galleries and others. There is also a
vibrant local contemporary art community of artists across Sydney and particularly Western Sydney.

Waremah could become an essential part of this ecosystem:

- providing a location for truly large scale works which are impossible to deliver in a museum
context
- Providing a bridge between Sydney’s east and west – the location of Cockatoo Island means
that it as accessible from people from Parramatta as it is from the Sydney CBD.

12
 - Acting as a location for temporary exhibitions, as it currently does for the Biennale – but it
could also host major international exhibitions that could take advantage of its location and
flexible footprint.
- Providing a location for artists to create new works in a supportive environment.

4.5 Community Involvement

We believe that community involvement will be critical to the success of Cockatoo Island. The
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust has done a commendable job in engaging with volunteers and the
local community, and this community involvement has done much to contribute to work done to
date on the island and to the success of many projects and events on the island.

We are keen to continue the successful community involvement with the Island into the future As
part of our vision for the future of the island, we would envisage using existing and new volunteers
to work with us on restoration, heritage interpretation, the delivery of arts and culture projects and
to partner with us on projects such as the potentially the re-wilding of areas of the island.

4.6 Activation
We believe that the island must provide a range of experiences for visitors, and that these
experiences must be compatible with each other, and with the interests of the local community. This
will ensure that the island becomes a popular and accessible location for both locals and tourists
alike.

Over time, we would envision that there would be a range of restaurants, cafes and food offerings
which will suit a range of tastes and budgets. Some of these food venues we believe will become
destinations in their own right.

We will also encourage other commercial activities which are compatible with the experience and
local community.

While we believe that it is important that the island has a compelling and exciting permanent
offering of heritage, art, culture and food, we also believe that temporary exhibitions and events can
add to the attraction of the island. For many temporary exhibitions and events, particularly those of
scale, the island will be an attractive and unique venue that offers a flexibility that is difficult to
achieve in many other locations in Sydney.

13
 5. A Long Term Plan for Cockatoo Island
To achieve the vision outlined above, while conserving, protecting and managing the heritage values
of the island as an historic place within Sydney Harbour will require significant investment and a long
term commitment.

We believe that a project of this scope and scale cannot be successfully realised by the Trust or
Government alone. This project will only be successfully realised through partnership between:

- the Australian Government as the long term and continuing owner of the site,
- the NSW Government due to the island’s location within Sydney Harbour and its tourism
potential, and
- philanthropic interests which have the vision, implementation skills and intellectual, cultural
and financial resources to achieve a truly visionary outcome.

5.1 Long term investment

The Foundation envisages a minimum 50-year commitment to the Island, with the potential to
extend the commitment for a much longer period. This will ensure that planning can be done in a
truly long term context and to ensure the long term sustainability of the proposed operating model
for the island.

A long term commitment by Government is also needed to recognise the considerable investment
planned by the Foundation and to convince artists that their work will have an indefinite life in the
spaces designed for them.

5.2 A non-government, not-for-profit partner

We believe that the best way to ensure upfront commitment by all parties is for the Commonwealth
Government to select a non-government not-for-profit partner for this project. The partner would
share the initial costs of developing and refining the vision for the island, share the costs of feasibility
studies, and would be responsible for providing significant funding to realise the vison and execute
the plan for the island.

The Cockatoo Island Foundation is ready and prepared to take on this role.

The partner should be a not for profit entity chosen on the basis of a number of factors that ensures
that they will be best placed to form a long term partnership with government. The factors to
consider in selecting a partner should include:

- A vision for the island that is compatible with the aspirations of the Commonwealth and State
Governments and Australian people. We recognise that Cockatoo Island is public land and the
use of the island must reflect the values and aspirations of its owners, the Australian people.
Ultimately the project cannot be successful if it does not enjoy strong public support and
support from the Commonwealth and NSW Governments.

- Delivery capacity will be crucial to give confidence that the vision can be realised. The execution
of this vision will require imagination and artistic leadership, and the ability to attract some of
the best and most talented people from around the world to be engaged in the project.

- The financial capacity to make a significant investment to realise the vision of the Island. An
investment in excess of $100 million is likely to be needed for the vision to be fully realised.

14
It would be expected that the partnership would be an exclusive arrangement, however the not for
profit partner would be a vehicle for the public and other philanthropists to provide additional
funding to invest in Cockatoo Island. In fact, establishing a network of philanthropic, corporate and
public giving would be a core role that the partner could play in partnering with Government.

5.3 Feasibility study

Once a not-for-profit partner was selected, the initial stage of work on the project should be a
feasibility study on the vision and the financial model for the project. We believe that this does not
need to be a long or overly expensive process, but should be detailed enough to give confidence to
the Government and partner that the vision for the island is viable, will generate sufficient public
interest and is affordable within the available resources of the partner and Government.

The cost of this type of feasibility study should be less than $1 million. This could be jointly funded
by the Commonwealth Government and the partner.

The feasibility study would assess:

- the likely local and international interest in the concept, and provide estimates of likely
visitor numbers and the economic impact of the project;
- the investment needed by the Commonwealth Government to fully fund their
obligations for restoration, remediation and repair of the site;
- the benefits from State Government investment;
- the required capital costs for investment in buildings, facilities, internal fitout,
revegetation and landscaping, art commissioning and installation;
- ongoing operation costs for the island including staff costs, maintenance cost and other
associated costs;
- potential for commercial revenues on the island from compatible uses, noting that the
island would always be free to access;
- the overall financial viability of operating the island, and whether there is likely to be a
need for ongoing government operational funding support
- the potential for staging investment, remediation and renewal over time.
- risks and opportunities

It would also consider management and personnel requirements, location of key facilities such as
the entrance, information and restaurant / café facilities, as well as how pedestrian traffic would
most effectively flow around the island.

5.4 Implementation
If the project is found to be viable by the feasibility study, significant investment in the Island could
begin.

This would start with the development of detailed plans and the appointment of project
management and artistic directors.

The initial investment phase will involve repair, restoration and remediation of the key sites and
buildings and the creation of the establishment body of artworks. This may take some time to
achieve, and there would be a transition period, allowing existing uses to continue and continuing
public access while investment was made.

15
We would envision that buildings on the island could be adapted to house art works and cultural
experiences. If new facilities were needed, leading architects would be engaged to ensure that any
construction was sympathetic and supportive of the island’s heritage.

In its operating state, it is envisaged that admission to the Island would be free to all and viewing of
many of the artworks and heritage would not incur any charge. It is contemplated that there would
be an app which would incorporate a GPS guide to the island with explanation of heritage and
artworks.

Recommendations

6. The Commonwealth Government should choose a not for profit partner to realise the
potential of the Island;
7. The partner should be chosen on the basis of:
a. Vision for the island
b. Capacity to deliver on the vision
c. Financial capacity
8. A feasibility study should be conducted on the plan:
a. A budget of up to $1 million
b. Jointly funded by the Commonwealth Government and not for profit partner
c. Would assess:
i. the likely local and international interest in the concept,
ii. assess upfront capital and ongoing operation costs,
iii. potential for commercial revenues,
iv. financial viability
v. investment required by the Commonwealth Government for
remediation
vi. investment required by State Government and likely return
vii. potential for staging investment over time
viii. risks and opportunities

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 6. Governance
We recognise that finding an appropriate governance model for the Island will be critical in being
able to realise or vision for Cockatoo Island.

The Foundation has no interest in outright ownership of the island – we recognise and value its
heritage, and the importance of its ongoing role as public land, and in providing open space and
access to a unique landscape for all members of the community to enjoy. The Island should always
remain as a public asset and allow free public access to the site.

However, we also recognise that Cockatoo Island is different to the other Sydney Harbour
Federation Trust sites. By virtue of its location, the challenges of maintaining access and the
significance of the remediation and heritage investment required, we believe the Island needs the
structure of a separate entity focused on optimum use of the land given the needs of the local
community, our nation as well as the attributes of the site. With that in mind, we do not believe that
the current governance of the island under the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust is the right model
for the Island into the future. However, we have no view on the SHFT’s role in relation to its other
sites.

We note the significant achievements of the SHFT in terms of its remediation of the island to date,
its stewardship of the island and the strong relationships it has built with communities and
volunteers. These efforts are commendable, but as the Trust has acknowledged, to realise the
potential of the vision for Cockatoo Island significant additional investment is needed.

In order for the not-for-profit partner to invest heavily in art and culture on the site, there needs to
be confidence in the governance structure of the Island, to make sure that the funds are applied as
intended and in line with a jointly agreed vision.

We also believe that the NSW Government should be represented in the future governance of the
Island. As the largest Island in Sydney Harbour, and given the potential for the Island to become a
significant part of the arts, culture and tourism landscape of Sydney, the State has a significant
interest in the success of the island.

We believe that one model that could be considered would be to establish a separate entity that
would have responsibility for the operation of Cockatoo Island.

Under this approach:

- The Island would remain under the ownership of the Commonwealth Government,
either through the SHFT, or other ownership structure that the Commonwealth finds
appropriate (including possible transfer to the NSW Government).
- There would be a long term lease to an entity that would represent Commonwealth,
State and philanthropic interests.
- This entity would invest in art and culture and the promotion of the island, and would
operate the island, ensure ongoing public access and ensure that any commercial
revenues raised would go to the ongoing operating costs of the island.

The creation of a new body that is solely focused on Cockatoo Island, in our view, is the best way to
achieve the vision we have outlined. This new entity should have a governance structure that
recognises the contributions that the various parties bring to the endeavour, and should have a
board that is selected on the basis of expertise, and an understanding of the essential skills needed
to make the island successful including an understanding of heritage, art and indigenous culture.

17
We think that ongoing representation of the Commonwealth and NSW Governments as well as
philanthropic interests on the entity would be appropriate in ensuring an alignment of interests and
to reflect the shared goals of all three parties in maximising the potential of the island in the public
interest.

We would expect that the entity would have an ongoing role to raise funds to support the artistic
and cultural endeavours of the island and its upkeep, so the entity should have deductible gift
recipient status, to allow it to continue to raise funds from donors into the future.

The Foundation envisages that the lease will be for the whole island to ensure that activities are
compatible and mutually reinforcing, and that the entity would have the autonomy to run the island
in the best way to attract visitors. We believe that compatible commercial activities could be used to
assist in offsetting operating costs. We would also envisage that many of the existing uses on the
island would continue, and that the significant efforts of volunteers and the community would
continue and be significantly valued.

It would be expected that the lease would be contingent on a significant level of investment by the
philanthropic partner into the Island. To unlock the significant philanthropic funding, we would also
expect that the Commonwealth Government would fully fund its obligation to remediate and
restore the island. Our intention is not to take on the responsibility of the Commonwealth to fund
necessary remediation work, but to ensure that a fully remediated island can be put to best use for
the community.

While the feasibility study will assess the ongoing costs and revenues from the operation of the
island, where necessary basic maintenance of the heritage infrastructure of the island could not be
met by commercial revenues from the island, we would expect that the Commonwealth had an
ongoing funding role. A significant financial contribution from State Government would also serve to
enhance the project.

We would also expect that any lease would include necessary conditions relating to the ongoing
management of the island and the protection of its heritage, to ensure the Commonwealth as
landowner could appropriately ensure that its ongoing obligations to protect the public interest was
managed appropriately. This would include ongoing free public access to the site, protection of the
heritage buildings and heritage values of the site, ongoing protection and promotion of indigenous,
colonial, and maritime heritage, and ongoing availability of part of the site for temporary exhibitions
such as the Biennale. We would also be happy to comply with appropriate protections for local
residents, such as noise controls.

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Recommendations

9. Ownership and ongoing management of Cockatoo Island should be separated from the
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust;
10. The Island should be managed on a long term basis by an entity governed by a board
with representation from the philanthropic partner, the Commonwealth and NSW
Governments.
11. The entity would have a long term lease over the entire site.
12. The terms of any lease between the Commonwealth Government and the Trust should
guarantee:
a. Ongoing free public access to the site
b. Protection of the heritage buildings and heritage values of the site.
c. Ongoing protection and promotion of indigenous, colonial and maritime
heritage
d. Ongoing availability of part of the site for temporary exhibitions such as the
Biennale

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 7. Summary of Recommendations
In summary, the Cockatoo Island Foundation believes that Cockatoo Island needs a dedicated focus
that is separate from the management of the other Sydney Harbour Federation Trust sites and
ensures a holistic and cohesive vision for the island as a destination for locals and international
visitors. The Commonwealth Government should fully remediate and restore the island and
maintain public ownership, but to realise the potential of the island, there needs to be a structure
which attracts imaginative and innovative ideas as well as philanthropic support to achieve them.
The State Government should also make a significant financial contribution.

In summary, the Cockatoo Island Foundation recommends:

1. The Commonwealth Government should invest in the full remediation, repair and
restoration of the site over the course of the next 10 years. This should be contingent on
significant investment by a philanthropic partner in the facilities, art and other requirements
to ensure the island is successful as a destination.
2. The NSW Government should support the revitalisation of the island. This should include:
a. supporting with appropriate public transport and integrating the Island into tourism
promotion for Sydney.
b. Financial support, recognising the broader tourism and cultural benefits for Sydney
and NSW.
3. The enlivening of the island should be a partnership between philanthropists and State and
Commonwealth Government.
4. Subject to consultation and support from the appropriate indigenous cultural authorities,
Cockatoo Island should be renamed Waremah to reflect the indigenous history of the island.
5. Cockatoo Island should become a unique destination celebrating island’s indigenous,
colonial and maritime heritage and featuring contemporary art and culture.
6. The Commonwealth Government should choose a not for profit partner to realise the
potential of the Island;
7. The partner should be chosen on the basis of:
a. Vision for the island
b. Capacity to deliver on the vision
c. Financial capacity
8. A feasibility study should be conducted on the plan:
a. A budget of up to $1 million
b. Jointly funded by the Commonwealth Government and not for profit partner
c. Would assess:
i. the likely local and international interest in the concept,
ii. assess upfront capital and ongoing operation costs,
iii. potential for commercial revenues,
iv. financial viability
v. investment required by the Commonwealth Government for remediation
vi. investment required by State Government and likely return
vii. potential for staging investment over time
viii. risks and opportunities
9. Ownership and ongoing management of Cockatoo Island should be separated from the
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust;
10. The Island should be managed on a long term basis by an entity governed by a board with
representation from the philanthropic partner, the Commonwealth and NSW Governments.

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11. The entity would have a long term lease over the entire site.
12. The terms of any lease between the Commonwealth Government and the Trust should
guarantee:
a. Ongoing free public access to the site
b. Protection of the heritage buildings and heritage values of the site.
c. Ongoing protection and promotion of indigenous, colonial and maritime heritage
d. Ongoing availability of part of the site for temporary exhibitions such as the Biennale

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 8. Appendices
8.1 Contemporary Art Examples
Our intention is to engage highly credentialled artistic director to lead the commissioning and
selection of contemporary art on Cockatoo Island. The following examples are intended to give a
sense of the scale and direction of the type of art works that could be located at Cockatoo Island
under the Foundation’s vision.

Pumpkin – Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin has become an icon of Naoshima, the Japanese art island. The work was
installed in 1994 and was the first of many notable examples of public art and architecture on the
island.

Cloud Gate – Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate is located in Millennium Park in Chicago and is the work of artist Anish Kapoor.
Constructed between 2004 and 2006, Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury and the
sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline.

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AMARNA – James Turrell

AMARNA, by artist James Turrell is located at MONA in Hobart. It is one of a series of more than 80
Skyspace installations Turrell has built in high altitude and geographically isolated locations.
MONA’s work is the largest Skyspace to date and Turrell’s southern-most installation.

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Skyscraper (The Bruges Whale) – StudioKCA

StudioKCA is an award-winning architecture and design firm led by Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang,
based in Brooklyn, New York. For the 2018 Bruges Triennial, they created a 4 story tall whale made
from 5 tons of plastic waste pulled out of the Pacific Ocean, as a powerful reminder of the 150
million tons of plastic waste in our oceans.

8.2 Biographies of Founding Directors

Anthony Berg AM

Tony Berg graduated from the University of Sydney with an Honours degree in Economics and
received an MBA with High Distinction and Baker Scholar from the Harvard Graduate School of
Management. Between 1970 and 1972, he worked with Loeb Rhoades & Co. in New York, and in
1972 joined Hill Samuel Australia becoming Managing Director in 1984. When Hill Samuel became
Macquarie Bank in 1985, he was appointed its first Managing Director and CEO.

In 1994, he was appointed Managing Director and CEO of Boral Limited, and retired in February 2000
when the company was split into two companies: Boral Limited and Origin Energy Limited. He is an
Executive Director of Gresham Partners Limited and chairs the Investment Committee of Gresham
Property Funds Management.

He retired as Chairman of Jawun – Indigenous Corporate Partnerships in 2017 but remains on the
Board. He is a Director of The Ethics Centre.

His former non-executive directorships include Westfield Holdings, ING Australia and ING Bank
(Australia), Record Investments.

He served as a Council member of the National Gallery of Australia from 1997-2003 and is a Director
of the National Gallery of Australia Foundation Board where he was Chairman for 7 years. He was a
Director of Musica Viva Australia from 1983-2000 and Chairperson for 12 years. He was a Director of
the Sydney Institute from 1993-1997, and a Member of the Australia Council from 1978-1982. At the
University of New South Wales, he was a member of the Board of Management of the Australian

24
Graduate School of Management from 1991-1998 and 2004-2006 and was a member of the UNSW
School of Business Advisory Council from 2007-2015 and was Chairman for two years. He was also a
member of the University of New South Wales Foundation Board from 2007-2015 and remains a
member of the Advisory Council of the Centre for Social Impact.

He was a member of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Australian Institute of Company
Directors from 2004 to 2017 and Chairman from 2014-2016. He is a member of the Advisory
Committee of Thrive Refugee Enterprise, a not-for-profit microfinance business for refugees in
Australia.

Tony Berg was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1992, was Banker of the Year in
1993 and was awarded the Richard Pratt Business Leadership Award by the Australia Business Arts
Foundation in 2002. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business degree from the University of
New South Wales in 2009.

Danny Goldberg OAM

Danny runs the Dakota Group companies which invests in a range of asset classes globally. These
include real estate, illiquid hedge fund interests, non-performing loans, private equity and venture
capital.

Danny is a member of the Advisory Council of VGI Partners, a Sydney and New York based hedge
fund. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee of AirTree Ventures.

For the past few years, he has been Chairman of Communal Planning, a Non-Trustee Governor and
Vice President of JCA. Before this, he was a member and chaired the Allocations Committee. JCA is
the governing body for 22 organisations in the Sydney Jewish Community covering schools,
hospitals, homes for the aged and social welfare.

Danny has been collecting art for many years. All works in his collection are available for any
museum in Australia to exhibit and works have been lent to the National Gallery of Australia, the Art
Gallery of New South Wales, MONA, Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Art Gallery of South
Australia, Artspace, and the Sydney Biennale. Many works have also been exhibited internationally
including the Venice Biennale 2013 and 2015, Royal Academy of Arts, MOMA PS1, the New Museum,
the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburg, the Serpentine Galleries, London and the Hirshhorn Museum
and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC.

A touring exhibition, “Stars + Stripes: American Art of the 21st Century from the Goldberg
Collection” made its way through 9 regional galleries around Australia from 2014 to 2016. More
recently, “Eurovisions: Contemporary art from the Goldberg collection” opened at the National Art
School in Sydney and then travelled to Lismore Regional Gallery, Heide Museum of Modern Art,
Canberra Museum and Gallery and Bathurst Regional Art Gallery.

Danny has been a Trustee of both MoMA PS1 in New York, and the Hirshhorn Museum and
Sculpture Garden - Washington DC, as well as a Member of the latter’s Acquisition Council. He was
named by Art News as one of the top 200 collectors globally for the last 4 years.

Danny was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the visual art and the
community in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2016.

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Karen Martin

Karen is Director and Company Secretary of the Cockatoo Island Foundation Limited.

From 2016 to 2018, Karen was Director of Family Office at Ageis Accounting Tax Legal. Karen has
extensive experience in managing the financial administration, investment management and
reporting requirements for private clients. Prior to Ageis, she spent more than 6 years working
directly within a family office. She has direct investment, asset management and property
development experience. This includes managing investments within equity markets, funds,
property syndicates, private equity funds and other bespoke deal originators. She currently has
several philanthropic responsibilities and has experience in managing charitable trusts. Prior to this
she worked as Development Manager for a boutique property development firm.

Karen graduated from the University of New South Wales with a degree in Bachelor of Commerce.

Simon Mordant AM

Simon Mordant has been working with this group from the beginning and is yet to join the
Foundation Board.

Simon Mordant specialises in advising local and multinational companies and Government on their
capital markets strategy and merger and acquisitions. Simon has been a practising corporate adviser
in Australia since 1984 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Simon is Executive Co Chairman and founder of Luminis Partners in association with Evercore. He
previously co-founded Caliburn Partnership which was sold to Greenhill in 2010 and prior to that
was Head of Corporate Finance at BZW Australia and ABN AMRO.

Simon is a passionate collector of contemporary art with a long history of benefaction to the Arts. In
2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation which was re-
established to raise funds for the $53 million capital campaign for its redevelopment. In 2010 Simon
was appointed Chairman of the Board of the MCA Australia.

In addition to the above, Simon is a director of MOMA PS1 in New York, a Trustee of the American
Academy in Rome, a member of the International Council of The Museum of Modern Art in New
York, a member of the Executive Committee of the Tate International Council, a director of the
Garvan Research Foundation, a member of the Wharton Executive Board for Asia, a member of the
Advisory Board of Venetian Heritage in Italy, Chair of Lend Lease’s Art Advisory Panel for
Barangaroo, a member of the NSW Arts & Culture Advisory Committee and a board member of the
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA). He was Australian Commissioner for the 2013 &
2015 Venice Biennale, a director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2012-2017, Deputy
President of Takeover Panel 2000-2010 and past board member of Opera Australia, Sydney Theatre
Company and Bundanon Trust.

Simon was awarded an AM being made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia
for Services to the Arts and to the cultural environment of Australia through philanthropic and
executive roles, and to the community.

In 2010 Simon and his wife Catriona were awarded the Australia Business Arts Foundation’s
Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Leadership Award.

26
8.3 Visioning Group Member Biographies
Michael Lynch AO CBE

Michael Lynch was Chief Executive of London’s Southbank Centre from 2002 until 2009 and was
responsible for the major renovation of Royal Festival Hall and the transformation of the Southbank
cultural precinct. Previously, Michael held positions as Chief Executive of the Sydney Opera House,
General Manager of the Australia Council and General Manager of the Sydney Theatre Company.
From 2011 to 2015 he was Chief Executive of the West Kowloon Cultural District, an ambitious
project which will see a huge arts precinct built on the shores of Hong Kong‘s Victoria Harbour.
Michael is currently Chairman of Circa, Chairman of the Sydney Community Foundation, and a Board
Director of Belvoir Theatre and Ted X Sydney.

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev is director of Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea and of

Fondazione Francesco Federico Cerruti. She is the recipient of the 2019 Audrey Irmas Award for
Curatorial Excellence. She is Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Northwestern University, and has
taught at the University of Leeds, at the Goethe Universität Frankfurt Am Main and at Harvard
University. She served as Chief Curator at MoMA PS1 in New York. In 2008 she curated the Sydney
Biennial, followed by dOCUMENTA(13) in 2012, and the 14th Istanbul Biennial in 2015.

Genevieve Clay-Smith

Genevieve Clay-Smith is a film director, writer and the Co-founder of Bus Stop Films where she
served as CEO for a decade. She is also the Co-Founder/ Director of Taste Creative. In 2009
Genevieve won Tropfest with her film, Be My Brother, and the lead actor Gerard O’Dwyer, an actor
with Down Syndrome, won best Actor. The film was made inclusively with a crew of people with and
without disability. Since then she has established an inclusive employment model for people with
disability to gain employment in the film industry with companies such as Endemol Shine and
Fremantle. Genevieve recently won the National 2019 Telstra Business Women’s Emerging Leader
Award, in 2015 she was named the NSW Young Australian of the year, was the winner of B&T's 2015
Women in Media award for Creative, and the winner of the 2014 100 Women of Influence, Young
Leader Award. She is a board director of the Monkey Baa Theatre and is also a committee member
on the NSW Arts and Culture Advisory board. She is the series director and writer of the SBS
documentary mini series Perspective Shift and is currently in pre-production on the second season.

Juliana Engberg

Juliana Engberg is an award winning and internationally acclaimed artistic director, curator, cultural
and event producer and writer. Until recently she was Programme Director of the European Capital
of Culture Aarhus 2017. Juliana has been Artistic Director of the Sydney Biennale; Melbourne
International Biennial and Adelaide Biennial, and has contributed projects and participated in the
Venice Biennale, Istanbul Biennial, Liverpool Biennial, Lyon Biennial. She was Artistic Director of the
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. TEMPEST, her award-winning exhibition for the Tasmanian
Museum and Art Gallery was a catalyst feature of DARKMOFO FESTIVAL 2016 and her Patricia
Piccinini EVOULTION was a highlight of 10 Days on the Island Festival 2009. She is currently the
Curator for the Australian presentation at the Biennale di Venezia 2019: Angelica Mesiti ASSEMBLY.
Her book, En Route was recently published by Melbourne University Publishing.

Dillon Kombumerri

27
Dillon Kombumerri is a Yugembir Goori from the Gold Coast, Queensland. Dillon is a strategic design
thinker and social conciliator with a passion for projects that seek to improve the health, well-being
and prosperity of indigenous communities. With over 25 years of experience in architectural
practice he brings his own unique indigenous perspective to re-imagining the built environment.
During this time Dillon has also been teaching and lecturing globally in many forums to shine a light
on the hidden value of indigenous knowledge and how it can positively influence private and public
agencies to deliver better outcomes for the built environment. Dillon is currently employed by the
Government Architect NSW as Principal Architect, providing strategic design advice to Government,
industry and community focusing on how to engage with Aboriginal culture and heritage in the
design of buildings and places.

Wendy Martin

Wendy Martin is a cultural industries consultant and producer. In March 2019 she completed a four
year tenure as Artistic Director of Perth Festival. Between 2000 and 2015 Wendy was Head of
Performance and Dance at the Southbank Centre, London and the Sydney Opera House creating
distinctive international programs and festivals including Unlimited: a Festival of work by deaf and
disabled artists, a highlight of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. At Sydney Opera House she
founded Spring Dance (2009) and Message Sticks Indigenous Arts Festival (2001). For the decade
prior to 1998, she was a television arts producer for public broadcasters ABC and SBS. Wendy is a
Board member of Chunky Move Contemporary Dance Company, Melbourne and DADAA, Western
Australia’s arts and health organisation that creates access to cultural activities for people living with
disability. In 2010, she was a founding Board member of Shaun Parker & Company (Aus). In 2005,
she received a Tudawali Award for her contribution to fostering Indigenous Australian Culture.

Sir Jonathan Mills AO

Sir Jonathan Mills AO is an Australian composer and festival director. His work includes two operas,
an oratorio, a ballet, song cycles, concertos, and chamber music. Mills was a Research Fellow and
Composer in Residence at RMIT University, Melbourne between 1992 and 1997. Between 1998 and
2003 he was an Adjunct Professor at RMIT. Between 1988 and 2003 he was the artistic director of
music festivals in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Between 2006 and 2014 he was Director and
Chief Executive of the Edinburgh International Festival. In the Queen's Birthday Honours (Australia)
of 2011, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia, "for distinguished service to the
performing arts as a composer and director of international festivals, through the promotion of
cultural exchange, and to public debate". He was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours (UK) of
2013. He was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of
Culture in 2013.

Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO

Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO is an urbanist, businesswoman and philanthropist with a longstanding

interest in cities, and technological and social innovation. In 2015 she was appointed Chief
Commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission, tasked by the NSW state government to assist in
delivering strong and effective strategic planning for the whole of metropolitan Sydney. Ms Turnbull
was the first female Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney from 2003-4 and in 2011 she became an
Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community, local government and
business. She was Deputy Chair of the COAG Reform Commission’s Cities Expert Panel from 2010-12.
She was Chair (2012-15) and Deputy Chair of the Committee for Sydney. In 2012 Mrs Turnbull was
awarded an honorary Doctorate of Business by the University of NSW, and in 2016 was appointed

28
Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Built Environment, University of NSW. In 2017 Mrs Turnbull was
awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Western Sydney University which she received for
her substantial and sustained service and contribution to the University and the Greater Western
Sydney region.

Alexander (Alec) Tzannes AM

Alec Tzannes is the founding Director of TZANNES, an Architecture and Urban Design practice. He
has served as Dean of UNSW Built Environment and is now an Emeritus Professor. TZANNES is
recognised by more than 100 local, state, national and international awards in architecture, urban
design and industrial design. In 2014 Alec was made a Member of the Order of Australia for
significant service to architecture, as a practitioner and educator and through professional
organisations. In 2017 UNSW honoured Alec’s achievements with the degree of Doctor of the
University honoris causa. In 2018 he was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal.
The Gold Medal recognises distinguished service by architects who have designed or executed
buildings of high merit, produced work of great distinction resulting in the advancement of
architecture or endowed the profession of architecture in a distinguished manner. In 2019 The
Hellenic Union of Eptanisians honoured Alec for his contribution to architecture and academic
endeavours.

Tea Uglow

Tea Uglow is a writer and speaker on innovation, inclusion, arts & culture and digital futures. Tea
founded Google’s Creative Lab in Sydney where they work on a range of projects with cultural
organisations and practitioners globally to enable artists, writers, dancers and other traditional
cultural practitioners to digitally augment or adapt their work. Previous projects include Editions at
Play, which won a 2018 Peabody award for digital storytelling, Belongings with SBS, Oracles with
Punchdrunk, Amaravati with the British Museum, Hangouts in History (education), Dream40 with
the RSC, buildwithchrome.com (LEGO), Web Lab with London's Science Museum, Life in a Day a YT
film with Ridley Scott and the YouTube Symphony Orchestra (with the LSO), she is proud of her early
involvement in the Art Project (now Google's Cultural Institute) . In 2018 she was D&AD’s Digital
Jury President, and sat on the Cannes Glass Lion jury. She is a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique
International), the ABC Arts Advisory Panel, and the Science Gallery Leonardo Group. She has sat on
the board of directors for the Biennale of Sydney; D&AD; and AWARD. Prior to Google, Tea worked
for the Royal Academy of Arts, the Wellcome Trust, Random House and Christian Aid.

29
8.4 Visioning Document

30