People in the Illawarra will be able to hear first-hand this week about the bold plan to create a world-class museum on surplus BlueScope land at the Port Kembla Steelworks.

On Wednesday, a community information forum will be held at BlueScope's visitors' centre near the main entry to the steelworks.

The driving force behind the project to create a Museum of People, Country and Industry, Franca Facci, will outline the vision of her team and the ambitious plan to be a part of BlueScope's exciting plans for about 200 hectares of non-operational land, roughly the size of Sydney's CBD.

Community consultation for the rezoning proposal ended on Thursday, 2 October, and the prospect of this site generating up to 30,000 new jobs and doubling the Illawarra's $20.6 billion contribution to the NSW economy has generated plenty of interest.

Wholehearted support

In a submission to the rezoning proposal, Franca Facci said the team behind the Museum of People, Country and Industry "wholeheartedly supports the BlueScope application".

"The rezoning on non-operational land at this scale is a decisive, insightful and aspirational act that will galvanise a new and resilient future for the people of the Illawarra and the nation," Franca said.

"Our proposal for a Museum of People, Country and Industry is closely aligned with the vision for the new precinct. Framed on five key pillars – First Nations, Migrant Heritage, Social Heritage, Industrial Heritage and our Natural Environment, this inspirational and contemporary museum will not only be a vessel for the stories of the people and the industries located here but it will be a catalyst intersecting with TAFE, the university and other agencies, to generate opportunities for a wide range of jobs and specialisations in the creative industries."

One of those industries is the film sector, and Screen Illawarra's chair Nick Bolton shares the museum's enthusiasm for the reimagining of the vacant steelworks land.

"Firstly, what a wonderful idea to create a museum of this scale to tell our unique stories. I believe it will be something like a cross between MONA in Hobart and the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa in Wellington."

Nick is lobbying for the BlueScope cultural precinct to also include space for major film studios, which he says are desperately needed right now.

Franca and Nick plan to work collaboratively with the aim of seeing both their visionary ideas brought to reality.

Museum could be a gamechanger

At Wednesday's community briefing, which starts at 5pm, Franca will explain how the Museum of People, Country and Industry can do for the Illawarra what MONA has done for Hobart and the whole of Tasmania.

"In a single year," Franca says, "MONA employed 400 people and added $135 million to Tasmania's gross state product.

"But more importantly, we know that museums bring a sense of pride and wellbeing to the community. Storytelling in creative and contemporary ways can inspire and create empathy, joy, sadness and ire, and spark curiosity and enthusiasm just by revealing the past.

"They are also places that can provide meeting and conference spaces, co-locate with art galleries and artisan workshops, entertainment and function venues, as well as provide quality food offerings.

"Taking inspiration from Sydney's White Bay Power Station and Cockatoo Island, we would advocate to retain much of the built heritage on site and aim to create our spaces inside the vast cavernous warehouses in place."

Franca will be supported during Wednesday's information sharing forum by John Shipp from the Illawarra Historical Society and David Bottin from Lost Wollongong.

To book to attend at BlueScope's visitors' centre, from 5pm on Wednesday, 8 October, email events@mhpillawarra.com.au