Under the scheme, parents can redeem $100 every calendar year to offset the cost of cultural activities for children up to 18 years.

For the first time, free general admission will apply to properties of Sydney Living Museums except for Hyde Park Barracks where discounts will apply and Susannah Place, at The Rocks, which will continue to charge for its bespoke guided tours.

Almost $6 million has been set aside to subsidise the free museum entry over the next 12 months.

“History belongs to everyone, and this gives more people the opportunity to be captivated and engaged with what we do at Sydney Living Museums,” said chief executive Adam Lindsay.

NAS’s master plan and final business case are complete, Arts Minister Ben Franklin said. “In this budget we are not committing to the full $300 million because there are still other projects that need to be funded but we wanted to send the message that this project was a particularly important one.

“It allows the National Art School to begin progressing the master plan and does send a signal to the art school, the market and philanthropists we want them to pony up.”

NAS has called the former Darlinghurst Gaol home since 1922, celebrating 100 years of teaching at this location this year.

Through the expansion, NAS director and CEO Steven Alderton said the art school would “become the front door for art and creativity in NSW”.

“The funding will enable design and planning work to create a 21st-century art school where art and creativity are central to the community.”

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“We will build state-of-the-art studios to enable graduates to become leading artists telling our NSW stories to the world.

“We will open up this extraordinary site for all of NSW to enjoy – with art workshops, drawing festivals, kids creative programs, heritage tours, film festivals, Sydney Festival, Vivid, Mardi Gras, art degrees, and so much more.

“We will restore and preserve the sandstone buildings, celebrate NSW heritage and open up the precinct as a cultural tourism destination and leverage the City of Sydney’s plans to develop the area into a creative precinct.”

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