Canberra galleries, museums call for urgent budget aid to undo decade of 'utter neglect'

Canberra's top museums and galleries say they cannot afford to fix their ageing buildings and are pleading for financial aid in next month's federal budget.

A lobby group representing the cultural institutions said about $800 million was needed to repair the facilities, which include places like the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) and the National Library of Australia (NLA).