In March 2018, the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories announced an inquiry into Canberra’s national institutions. The inquiry held hearings and received submissions and provided an opportunity for committee members to visit sites to see firsthand the challenges facing the institutions in managing their collections, providing access to them, and ensuring staff had skills required in largely expert roles.
I was a latecomer to the inquiry, joining the committee halfway through the year, but had the opportunity to talk to archivists, curators, librarians, sound engineers and others doing their best in their work within, and in some cases across, institutions. It was obvious how thin the resourcing was and, as a result of ongoing funding cuts, the risk it created to these institutions if the issues weren’t addressed.
Our National Institutions are undoubtedly the guardians of our nation’s story, and they endeavour to share our history, our unique Australian story, with as many visitors as possible and yet, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted, our National Gallery can house hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of paintings, but must resort to buckets and towels to contain leaks from the roof.
Earlier this month, I joined Prime Minister Albanese and Minister for the Arts Tony Burke to announce the Government will invest $535.3 million towards the nine National Collecting Institutions over the next four years. This investment will guarantee ongoing, indexed funding and ensure that vital repairs and urgent safety improvements can finally be made. This funding will ensure Australia has a strong cultural infrastructure – which is a key pillar of ‘Revive’, the Government’s new National Cultural Policy.
Our National Cultural Institutions contribute significantly to the ACT economy and to the character of Canberra as the national capital. They have an integral role as part of the Canberra visitor experience and have contributed to our recovery in overnight tourism, and visitor expenditure for 2022, which increased 144 per cent to $3.03 billion – the highest ever visitor expenditure in a 12-month period in Canberra.
As the heart of the nation, Canberra is rightly home to the nation’s most iconic national institutions. They tell our Australian story. It is, therefore, essential that they receive the funding that reflects their importance and significant cultural contribution.
