The Northern Territory government has abandoned its plans for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Gallery of Australia (ATSIAGA) in Mparntwe/Alice Springs after more than nine years of back of forth, citing a lack of commitment from the federal government.
The project was first announced in 2017, with the Northern Territory government pledging $69 million, and the federal government to contribute $80 million.
A statement from Northern Territory treasurer and infrastructure minister Bill Yan said they had been “left with no choice.” The communique stated that repeated attempts had been made to secure federal endorsement of the gallery in Alice Springs CBD ahead of a November deadline to begin construction.
The project has evolved through several iterations by a design team comprising BVN, Susan Dugdale and Associates (SDA), Aspect Studios and Clarsen and Clarsen. The first scheme, unveiled in July 2023 under the name the National Aboriginal Art Gallery, proposed a building with a four-level atrium to be built on Anzac Oval. The plans prompted mixed reactions, with some community members pushing for an alternative site outside the town centre.
A revised five-storey design for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery was revealed in November 2023, featuring updates to the facade and atrium. In March 2024, the Northern Territory government lodged a development application for this design.
The latest version, exhibited publicly in July 2025, proposed a scaled-back three-storey gallery – a revision that the NT government said would make the project more “affordable and achievable.” Under this scheme, the gallery was renamed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Gallery of Australia (ATSIAGA), with a new proposed location at the Wills Terrace car park.
Minister Yan said the nearly ten-year saga had to end, stating that despite repeated assurances, financial support from the federal government had not been secured.
“I won’t have NT taxpayers burdened with yet another project blowout and potentially significant penalties if it continues to be delayed,” he said.
According to a National Indigenous Times article, Yan’s federal counterpart, Catherine King, told the publication the “project is unable to progress” following the NT Government’s withdrawal of funding. King added that the “Commonwealth is disappointed that this project cannot go ahead.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
