Perth

Edith Cowan University (ECU) and Minderoo Foundation have announced a $30 million, 25-year philanthropic partnership to advance Australia's arts and culture with a new home for the university's performing arts training academy.

The new Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) will be located within the ECU City campus designed Lyons, Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins, which is currently under construction in Perth's CBD and on track to open in semester one, 2026.

According to a release from the Western Australian government, the donation from the Minderoo Foundation is among the top ten philanthropic contributions ever made to an Australian university. It builds on the $853 million investment made between ECU, the state and federal governments in the ECU City campus through the $1.7 million Perth City Deal, aimed at activating the city's centre.

The new WAAPA at ECU City is intended to complement several major performing arts projects currently being delivered across Perth, including the $234 million Perth Film Studios, the $150 million Perth Concert Hall redevelopment, expected to open in 2028, and the transformation of the Perth Cultural Centre, anticipated to open in 2026.

Western Australian premier Roger Cook observed, "These Western Australian institutions will draw thousands of students, staff and audience members into our city centre, driving economic activity, supporting businesses and creating a thriving and vibrant CBD day and night," while the culture and arts minister David Templeman described WAAPA at ECU City as "the jewel in the crown."

Along with an endowed fund for the delivery of an ongoing program of residency programs, Minderoo Foundation's donation includes a fund for the building's specialist fit-out. According to the release, the "gift will support ECU and WAAPA's bold vision to deliver nation-leading, state-of-the-art performance and learning venues within the new ECU City campus."

WAAPA's performance venues will include a recital hall, playhouse theatre, dance theatre, jazz and contemporary music studio, flex theatre and Aboriginal theatre, as well as music and theatre rehearsal spaces. The six public performance venues and two performance-capable rehearsal spaces will be equipped with advanced acoustics, box-in-box engineering and best-in-class technology.