20,000-Seat Music Amphitheatre Promised For Perth

Perth will get a 20,000-seat music amphitheatre if the Labor Government gets back in power at the March 8 WA elections.

It will look like Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, which, since the late 1950s, has hosted some of the biggest acts in the world.

Set to be Perth’s biggest outdoor amphitheatre, it would be a permanent structure to host not just live music but also arts, cultural events, community and family events.

The amphitheatre is part of a proposed $217.5 million Perth Street Circuit and entertainment precinct to be built at Burswood Park as a broader package to the motorsports community across WA.

The precinct will also have a multi-use event infrastructure that will also host live music, and a function centre. Work on the precinct, which will begin in 2025-26, has the aim of getting it ready for the 2027 Supercars season.

Based on a highly successful model of street racing in Townsville and the Gold Coast, the street circuit would see roads around Burswood Park converted into a racetrack, allowing around 50,000 locals and interstate visitors to turn out each day.

Permanent grandstands and other upgrades to the park “will also be attractive for future events, reducing costs for live music promoters and touring acts to come to WA,” the Government said.

It added, “A further benefit of the precinct is the development of a long-term solution for public transport access to Optus Stadium on event days.”

First Announcement

The Burswood Park project is the first announcement of the year by the Government for the WA elections and set its vision for WA to become a major events state and for Perth “to be an event destination for southeast Asia,” Premier Roger Cook says.

In the 2024-25 State Budget, the Government increased funding to secure blockbuster, major and homegrown events to $77.5 million.

Buoyed with the success of its first exclusive concert (a $43 million return for a $8 million fee for two Coldplay shows), it went on to bid for Taylor Swift and Oasis. Neither worked because of the artists’ schedules, but it is believed to be negotiating with tour promoters.

This month, the Government spent $1,902,619 to support 42 cultural initiatives through individuals and organisations. Contemporary music recipients included emerging singer-songwriter Banjo Lucia (aka Banjo Caruana-Butler), Performing Lines for The Shimmering Duet, and the Kimberley Arts Network for the Regional Arts Triennial 2026.

Also on the list were Kav Temperley’s ArtsiX 2025 project, Didion's Bible album tour, A North American tour by Oceanique, including a Folk Alliance International showcase, and a French tour by Silver Sands Guitar Quartet.

Organisations included multi-divisional 360 Artist Logistics’s mentoring program, the Audioplay Australia app for business development, Boss Arts Creative’s Indigenous performance program, The Equity Benevolent Guild of WA for the 2025 Performing Arts WA Awards, Bunbury Fringe Festival, Boyup Brook Country Music Muster, and the See Saw and Westerly magazines.

Starter Gun

So far, none of the other political parties have announced any policies for the music industry or arts sector. Usually, they wait until January 26 before firing the starter gun.

In the 2021 elections, the best the WA Liberals could do was $10 million to run events within the City of Perth to draw people to the CBD.

The WA Nationals promised $35 million to support the regional arts scene.

The Greens promised $25 million a year to create jobs in the arts sector, $19 million for greater access by regional and remote communities, and lobby to increase funding from Federal and State sources for the arts sector to free them from getting sponsorship from green-hostile corporations.

It also outlined a vision that would see more input from regional First Nations and musicians with disabilities, as well as Artists in Residence schemes, and greater support for tech and music business start-ups.

Meanwhile, the Greens in Queensland have addressed plans for the building of the 17,000-seat Brisbane Arena. 

It was initially planned to be built above the railway tracks at Roma Street Station at a cost of $4 billion. Last year, a sports venue review by former lord mayor Graham Quirk suggested a cheaper option would be the northern end of Roma Street Parklands.

In a submission to the new Queensland Government’s 100-day review of Olympics venues, Greens Qld were among the 5,000 who made submissions.

The Greens agreed with the stance, saying: “Many object to the proposed loss of public green space and award-winning facilities to build the Brisbane Arena venue, and the $2.5 billion budget that is now expected to run over by another $500 million.”

The Greens also objected to plans to build the main 60,000-80,000-seat Olympic Stadium and a 12,000-seat indoor arena at Barrambin/Victoria Park on the grounds that it was an ancient First Nations meeting place and greenspace for apartment dwellers.