He reinvented the Art Gallery of NSW. This is where Michael Brand is headed next
And it seems like Brand is also done with Sydney – for now anyway. The former director is packing up and relocating north to Brisbane, where he will be based for the foreseeable future.
No new job yet – after more than a decade in one of the biggest roles in the Australian cultural sector, Brand needs a breather. But we hear he is set to do a bit of casual work for the Bhutanese royal family, who are hoping to establish a new museum in the picturesque, pint-sized Himalayan nation.
As far as cultural icons go, Brisbane is better known for the likes of Lang Park and the XXXX brewery on the banks of the Brown Snake at Milton. Jokes aside, the Queensland capital is working hard to build its own cultural capital in its quest to become a proper global city by the time the Olympics rolls around in 2032. It now even has a few restaurants nice enough for Brand's high-end tastes.
Could Brand be a part of that transformation? Watch this space.
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Meet the press
With 94 seats in the House of Representatives, you'd think the Albanese government might be feeling bold. Bold enough to take on those chumps in the Canberra press gallery, at least.
But the party's 24 new MPs are still feeling a little timid about starting out at big school. On Wednesday night, the National Press Club hosted a convivial, off-record drinks for new MPs to schmooze with the press gallery.
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