Tandanya to reopen thanks to significant investment by the State Government

The Malinauskas Labor Government is investing $780,000 to support the reopening of beloved Aboriginal cultural institute, Tandanya.

Tandanya has been dedicated to supporting and promoting First Nations arts and culture in South Australia for more than 30 years and the State Government has been working closely with Tandanya to secure its reopening.

The Tandanya building in the city is owned by the Aboriginal Lands Trust and the State Government has been assisting leaseholder Tandanya to identify required building improvements to enable its reopening.

We will now contribute $780,000 towards this work with the aim of reopening from January 2025. It is expected further works will be required beyond this date.

Works include:

• Mechanical Services including replacement of some air conditioning units.
• Fire Services including replacement of sprinkler heads.
• Works associated with internal walls to address deterioration and internal doors to improve access.
• Electrical work.
• Painting multiple rooms
• Carpet replacement.

The State Government also invested $90,000 in building works in 2023 including replacing the fire panel and warning system, repairing fire doors and replacing exit and emergency lights.

The State Government is committed to supporting First Nations arts and culture including through project funding, strategic investment, and funding for Aboriginal-led organisations.

Since its release in early 2022, the South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Arts Strategy has seen approximately $600,000 of funds allocated to strategic projects.

In 2023/24 this investment along with other programs supporting artists and organisations amounted to approximately $1.2 million, in addition to the annual funding provided for the operations of Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute.

Quotes

Attributable to Kyam Maher

Tandanya has long stood as the dedicated space for cultural works and artistic expression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within South Australia.

I look forward to Tandanya reopening its doors, welcoming visitors and continuing its rich history of showcasing the works of many talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Attributable to Andrea Michaels

It’s fantastic to announce that Tandanya will soon be reopening through this significant investment by the Malinauskas Government.

Tandanya is an important part of South Australia’s arts community and we have been working closely with them to secure its reopening.

We are committed to supporting First Nations artists and creatives and it’s wonderful that Tandanya will continue to be a dedicated space for Aboriginal artists for generations to come.

Attributable to Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin, CEO, Tandanya Arts Program

Tandanya's Board of Directors and executive team have been working closely with the State Government to address critical infrastructure issues impacting the building being reopened to the public.

We are very pleased to have received this grant of $780,000 to address the short term maintenance needs of the building, enabling us to open and deliver our program in January 2025.