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Powerhouse under fire over $440,000 Kylie Kwong ambassador role weeks after program axed

Contract notice reveals new two-year culinary ambassador deal as museum faces ICAC-referred procurement probe

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
The Powerhouse Museum has appointed celebrity chef Kylie Kwong to a new ambassador role worth $440,000 of public money, just a month after confirming her tenure under a controversial associates program was over. The appointment has angered the arts sector while the museum remains under scrutiny for overspending and an executive procurement investigation referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

Kylie Kwong has been awarded a two-year contract as the Powerhouse's culinary industry leader and ambassador, according to an NSW government contract notice published on October 3. The role is believed to be part-time and does not involve catering or the operation of food venues.

The appointment comes just over a month after the museum's $2.6 million "Associates" program, which included Kwong and eight other creative identities, was terminated on June 30. At the time, then chief executive Lisa Havilah said Associates would not be given continuing roles once the program concluded.

Kwong's new contract worth $440,000 has prompted anger within the arts sector, with the museum already under pressure over overspending and an executive procurement investigation that has been referred to ICAC. The contract notice reveals the new role was awarded one month after the program's end date, despite the earlier assurance that associate arrangements would not continue.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • A $440,000 contract has been awarded weeks after a $2.6 million program was terminated, raising questions about consistency in how the museum uses public money.
  • The appointment comes while the Powerhouse faces an executive procurement investigation referred to ICAC, adding political sensitivity.
  • Anger within the arts sector could further damage confidence in the museum's governance and spending decisions.

Background

The Powerhouse Museum is a major NSW cultural institution that has faced heightened scrutiny in recent years over its spending and direction. The terminated "Associates" program brought in creative figures as high-profile ambassadors. The new contract indicates the museum is maintaining a relationship with Kwong in a different capacity, despite the earlier commitment that associate roles would not continue.

Key Perspectives

Arts sector: Frustrated by the timing and size of the appointment, given the public assurance that the terminated program would not lead to continuing roles. Powerhouse and NSW government: Would likely frame the role as a new, part-time position focused on culinary industry leadership, separate from the earlier associate program. Critics and skeptics: Likely to question why a fresh contract worth $440,000 was awarded while the museum is facing an ICAC-referred procurement investigation and wider scrutiny over overspending.

What to Watch

  • Whether the Powerhouse or NSW arts leadership issues a public explanation of the new contract.
  • The progress of the executive procurement investigation referred to ICAC.
  • Whether further contract notices reveal ongoing payments to other former associates or new ambassador appointments.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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