The $71 million (Aus) project in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, the first part of a $273 million (Aus) plan to renovate the entire complex, will replace engines, hoists, and other backstage equipment as well as a “state-of-the-art acoustic enhancement system” (presumably electronic) to improve the auditorium’s famously poor sound quality. (And Sydney’s leading newspaper now has no arts writers to cover this story.)