Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has delivered the first Labor budget in almost a decade and it's a more than $1 million pay day for the Southern Highlands.
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Ngununggula Southern Highlands Regional Art Gallery received $450,000 for a new solar system, part of the government's investment in renewable energy to combat rising costs.
A further $585,000 for an education centre at the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens also falls within the scope of new investment that promotes a resilient economy.
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"We are very excited that this election promise has been confirmed," Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens (SHBG) director Lyn Collingridge said.
"We've had this education building on the books for some years."
The new building will be multi-purpose and available for community use, in line with the government's commitment to a resilient economy.
"It will be used by the community for things like garden club meetings and private hire for small events," Ms Collingridge said.
"This flexibility will enable us to earn some small revenue from the building so we can continue developing the garden."
Solar energy is the key to a resilient and sustainable future at Ngununggula Southern Highlands Regional Art Gallery.
That's according to board director and founder Ben Quilty who said climate control was an underestimated cost for regional art galleries.
"Having been on the board for several galleries before, every year the directors and the executives of these institutions have to come up with money in their budget to pay for power [and] it just always seems like such a lot of money," Mr Quilty said.
He said a regional gallery must meet the climate control standards of the NSW Art Gallery to operate.
"You can't get any loans from any major artist or any public institutions without having your certificate in order to show your building protects those artworks," Mr Quilty said.
"You have to meet the standards."
Ngununggula's energy bill is currently about $55,000 a year.
"I thought it would be pretty amazing to hand the gallery over unencumbered by power," Mr Quilty said.
"A lot of people said it doesn't make financial sense but it does if you're the incoming director who has to pay $55,000 up front."
That the government's $450,000 investment would return $55,000 to the gallery within its first year was fundamental, Mr Quilty said.
"In ten years that's over half a million dollars that we can save and spend on educating kids in the Highlands," he said.
"That's always been my dream. That sunlight going through the solar panels into the building is indirectly funding the education of our kids."
Mr Quilty said Whitlam MP Stephen Jones understood Ngununggula's push for renewable energy.
"He understood the technology instantly and he totally understood why," Mr Quilty said.
"Once we've built it we will be the first totally renewable energy powered art gallery in the country. It's a no brainer."
Sally Foy
Regional reporter based in the Southern Highlands. I am also a mother and advocate for children with a disability and epilepsy.
Regional reporter based in the Southern Highlands. I am also a mother and advocate for children with a disability and epilepsy.
