Overview
A trip to the Melbourne Museum will soon become more expensive, with funding cuts to Museums Victoria bringing about price increases and staff cuts. As reported by The Age, the increase will take effect in September, with adult ticket prices rising from $15 to $18. Then, a second increase planned for July 2027 will push tickets to $20.
Though unconfirmed, admission fees are also expected to increase for concession card holders and seniors. However, entry for children under 16 and First Peoples will remain free. In addition, the increase will only apply to the Melbourne Museum, with prices not affected for other Museums Victoria venues, including the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks.
Published in The Age, Museums Victoria Chief Executive Lynley Crosswell blamed May's state budget, with Melbourne Museum needing to find $56 million in savings over the next four years. At the same time, money allocated to Melbourne Museum didn't include funds for new display spaces, leading to additional operating costs.
To meet savings targets, Crosswell also announced that Museums Victoria would shrink staff by the equivalent of 55 full-time roles. This decline follows news reported earlier this year that Museums Victoria was considering reducing its visitor engagement officer numbers. Instead, security staff would take over some of their responsibilities — a move that led to public protests.
Crosswell also announced that Melbourne Museum would defer much-needed upgrades to its IT systems, with savings of $40 million expected over the four-year period. Meanwhile, the organisation would look to reduce operating costs at the Immigration Museum, alongside other potential changes.
With government debt rising to record levels, the 2025–2026 state budget allocated $552.2 million to the creative industries — a two percent increase on the previous year's $541.2 million budget. Yet this figure is 13.7 percent down from the $640 million spent in 2023–24 and 10.5 percent less than the $617 million spent in 2022–23.
Melbourne Museum ticket prices are expected to increase from September.
Images: Eugene Hyland | supplied.