Perth Voice Interactive

LOCAL artist Matt McVeigh will be paid $25,000 for his artwork, effectively cancelling a decision by  Vincent city council last year to sack his commission.

Last year the council had voted to pay McVeigh $30,000 for public artwork Togetherness. He’d been given a down-payment of $5000 and got to work, but there were disagreements over the emerging sculpture’s stability and appearance. Then-mayor Alannah MacTiernan dismissed it as a “very stock standard piece of municipal art” and convinced the council to sack McVeigh and pay $59,800 for Chen Wen Ling’s Games.

McVeigh claimed breach of contract.

Now the council has decided to go ahead, pay him the remaining $25,000 and find somewhere to house the work.

Mayor John Carey says it was a goodwill decision by the new council and not forced by legal proceedings.