Facing Funding Stress, Sydney’s Museum Of Contemporary Art Scraps Its Free Admission

Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art will begin charging an entry fee in 2025 for the first time in more than two decades.

Free general admission was introduced in 2000 under the directorship of Elizabeth Ann MacGregor with the aid of a Telstra sponsorship.

But stagnant government funding has forced the museum’s hand, with the introduction of a $20 entry fee from 31 January. That fee will rise to $35 if visitors want to also see its major summer or winter exhibitions.

Concession tickets will be priced at $16 and $28 respectively, however visitors under 18 and students will continue to have free entry.

“Significantly increasing costs and inflation are putting immense pressure on the MCA,” a statement from the museum said.

“At the same time, our government funding has actually declined, in real terms, since 2007. We have already implemented a range of measures to cut costs – including closing one day per week – but our current financial position means we cannot afford to keep admission free. Introducing an admission charge will help the museum remain sustainable into the future.”

The MCA, which last year reported a $2.6m operating loss, receives recurrent funding of $4.2m from the New South Wales government. But it is not a state-owned organisation. In 2025 85% of the museum’s total operating costs will have to be funded through donations, ticket sales and commercial activities.

Efficiency dividends by previous state and federal governments have placed some public art museums in a precarious financial position. In 2023 the Art Gallery of NSW flagged the possibility of charging general admission after a $3m cut in its recurrent funding left it with a $16m deficit. The Minns government gave the gallery an additional $8.8m in new funding in this year’s June budget.

The National Gallery of Australia flagged the introduction of a general admission fee while facing a $265m bill over 10 years for urgent repairs in 2023.

The NGA received an additional $42.4m for capital works between 2023 and 2025, along with $76.7m over four years to ensure the gallery’s financial sustainability from the federal government.