NSW spending $1.5m on literary hub to rival Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre and boost Sydney writers’ festival

The refurbished auditorium at the Mitchell Library reading room at the State Library of NSW will be headquarters for many of the events. Photograph: Adwo/Alamy

Sydney’s literati is about to get what Melbourne has had for more than decade – a rival to the Wheeler Centre that established the southern city’s Unesco-endorsed reputation as the literary and publishing capital of Australia.

On Sunday, the New South Wales arts minister, John Graham, announced the establishment of a dedicated literature hub, to be based out of the state’s public library, as is Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre.