The face missing from the opening of the new Powerhouse

November 7, 2026 — 4:00am

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The NSW government’s biggest cultural investment in more than half a century will open on Saturday. Its suspended chief executive Lisa Havilah – “devastated” to miss the ribbon-cutting – is increasingly unlikely to return.

Havilah’s legacy was acknowledged by Powerhouse Trust president David Borger at a celebratory sit-down dinner for 200 donors, staff and VIP guests on Thursday night, even as news filtered through that the board he leads had recently referred conflict-of-interest matters to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

On the eve of its opening, its operating budget is being picked apart by Treasury for savings, with the cost of five exhibitions tipped to exceed $70 million inclusive of artist commissions and licensing fees. The museum says only that its exhibition costs fell within its budget allocation of $62 million for fitout and transition.

Havilah was abruptly stood down on August 27, just weeks from the completion of the western Sydney cultural institution, pending the outcome of a departmental investigation into governance and procurement practices.

The trust’s ICAC referral followed legal advice and concerns contracts already under scrutiny as part of the formal misconduct inquiry involving Ki Community, a marketing agency co-founded by former Powerhouse trustee Mark Hassell.

As this masthead revealed, the museum awarded in February a $2 million contract to the boutique agency following a selective tender process – in which Ki Community emerged as the sole applicant. Trustees subsequently declined to endorse the decision when it came before them in May.

ICAC referrals are statutory obligations handled in confidence and do not guarantee an investigation will be launched. Nor do they amount to statements of findings. But the move coincides with a hardening resolve within government to block Havilah’s return once the misconduct probe........

© Brisbane Times