Pressure mounts on Berejiklian to dump 'Orwellian' order for cultural icons to adopt waratah logo

Michael Koziol, brisbanetimes.com.au

The NSW government is under increasing pressure to ditch a heavy-handed directive ordering the state's beloved cultural institutions to abandon their logos in favour of the official state government waratah.

The Herald last month revealed the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo and the city's major museums had been hit by an order to dump their distinctive brands and adopt the waratah as part of a rebranding drive by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

The "Orwellian" rebranding exercise requires famous icons to replace their logos with the waratah.

Speaking at a Herald arts event, Australian Museum director and chief executive Kim McKay said the state's cultural institutions – including the Art Gallery of NSW and the Opera House – had put up a united front against the directive.

"All of the cultural institutions have applied jointly for an exemption on that, so it'll be up to the minister to determine that," she said. "We have received exemptions in the past, so we'll be optimistic."

"Ask again at dinner": Opera House chief executive Louise Herron, middle, jokes about the directive at a Herald panel on the arts.

Photo: Fairfax Media

Despite the public diplomacy, captains of various cultural icons on the panel hinted at a simmering frustration with the government's directive. "Ask her again at dinner," joked Opera House chief executive Louise Herron.

The Labor opposition will step up the pressure on the government when State Parliament returns this week, with its arts spokesman Walt Secord intending to raise the issue with Arts Minister Don Harwin.

"We know all of the cultural institutions are against the plan," he told The Sun-Herald. "It is a shame to trash these brands which are instantly recognised around the world.

"The waratah is beautiful as the state's official floral emblem and I don't object to it being used for a bland government department like the Premier's department, but it is silly to replace the Opera House sails or the zoo's platypus."

Labor arts spokesman Walt Secord said the government should cease trashing the brands of icons.

Photo: Janie Barrett

Mr Secord called on the government to "listen to common sense and drop its edict, which is a massive waste of taxpayers' money".

Penelope Figgis, a former board member of Tourism Australia and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, said the "Orwellian" plan threatened the long-standing international recognition of the state's beloved tourist icons and must be abandoned.

"This Orwellian proposal completely ignores the value of intellectual property in the public and commercial endeavours of our institutions and will result in a massive waste of time and money in rebranding signage, merchandise and marketing," she said.

"If the government wants more credit then maybe add the waratah where appropriate."

The Department of Premier and Cabinet said a process was available for institutions to seek exemptions from the new rule.

But the guidelines that accompany the directive stipulate that even agencies granted a "co-branding" exemption must apply the waratah alongside their own logo, with strict requirements about its size and position.

"The NSW government waratah logo needs to be the more dominant mark. It should always be slightly larger in size," the guidelines state.

A brand designer working with the state government contacted the Sun-Herald but wished to remain anonymous. The designer described the guidelines provided by the government as "vague" and "abysmal".

"We've had to make things up in terms of design templates as nothing has been supplied," the designer said. "I've rolled my eyes so hard I've sprained them."