The planned Arts & Media Hub is aimed at making Adelaide a cultural mecca. Image: Renewal SA, South Australian Government.
The South Australian Government has initiated a partnership with the ABC for a new Arts & Media Hub in the centre of Adelaide.
Under the new agreement, the ABC will relocate from its current headquarters at Collinswood to the Tapangka development site in Franklin Street, next to the State Theatre Company, Country Arts South Australia and State Opera.
It will be at the site of the former Adelaide Bus Station in Franklin Street, adjacent to the Adelaide Central Market.
The plan, set for completion by 2030-2031, is being developed by Renewal SA to transform the CBD.
Featuring galleries, rehearsal spaces and studios, the hub will give South Australia’s creatives a chance to develop new programs and strengthen collaboration between the state’s arts organisations and the significant resources of the ABC.
South Australia’s Government will also invest $51 million towards a new home for the State Theatre Company, the State Opera and Country Arts South Australia so that the public has continued access to arts programming, theatre and opera.
The deal comes in the wake of the State Government’s $12 million investment in a partnership between the South Australian Film Corporation and the ABC, with the goal of producing a continuous pipeline of quality television content.
Through this partnership, season three of the ABC series Austin will be filmed in South Australia, particularly around Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills.
The production of the show is expected to generate more than $3 million for the South Australian economy. It will employ 13 South Australian heads of department, up to 180 extras and 79 crew members, and provide benefits for businesses.
Recent series filmed in South Australia include the children’s show Beep and Mort, Ladies in Black and Gold Diggers, creating hundreds of creative jobs in the field.
Tapangka will also allow for the development of residential and commercial space, boosting the CBD’s housing supply.
Also planned are further works to beautify and enhance Adelaide’s capacity, including the construction of Festival Tower Two on the Riverbank Precinct, a large student accommodation housing development, and a four-tower City East development to bring new energy to the east end.
