NATIONAL GALLERY BILL 1975
SECOND READING SPEECH
BY
THE HONOURABLE E. G. WHITLAM, M. P.,
PRIME MINISTER
The purpose of the Bill is to establish an Australian
National Gallery in the national capital to develop, maintain
and exhibit a national collection of works of art and to
provide an art focus for the whole Australian community.
Like the Australia Council Bill, this is another
historic initiative taken by the present Government to promote
interest and activity in the arts in Australia. Our intention
to introduce this legislation was announced in the
Governor-General's Speech at the opening of Parliament on
27 February 1973 and again in the Speech by Her Majesty
The Queen on 28 February 1974. Our commitment was reiterated
in the Policy Speech for the 1974 election and confirmed in
the Governor-General's Speech on 9 July 1974.
Honourable members will be aware of my longstanding
interest in a National Gallery and the Hansard record of my
questions over many years stands testimony to my concern
about the growth of our national collection of works of art.
I shall not dwell on the chequered history of the
idea of a National Gallery but it is worth remembering that it
is as old as the master plan for the national capital itself.
Provision for it appeared in the list of requirements prepared
for competitors submitting designs for the future city and
Walter Burley Griffin in his own plan allowed for two such
institutions. For a time the idea was obscured by depression, war
and the other great forces which were reshaping Australian
society; but the vision was not lost and it was the force
and vigour of Sir Daryl Lindsay, in particular, which once
more brought it to the fore./ 2
On 10 September 1965 the then Prime Minister,
Sir Robert Menzies, announced the establishment of a National
Art Gallery Committee of Inquiry under the Chairmanship of
Sir Daryl Lindsay. The Committee's report was presented to
the new Prime Minister, Mr Holt, on 14 March 1966. Mr Holt
tabled it and paid tribute to it in a ministerial statement
on 1 November 1967. The report recommended as the basis for
all else that the Gallery be given statutory authority. The
committee suggested that construction of the gallery might
commence when the National Library was due for completion
during 1968 and hoped that the opening of the gallery in 1970
would be a fitting means of recognising in the National Capital
the 200th anniversary of the discovery of eastern Australia
by Captain Cook.
On 26 October 1971 the then Prime Minister,
Mr McMahon, announced his Government's intention to legislate
for a permanent Council as a statutory body to administer the
Gallery. He also announced at that time his Government's
intention to appoint Mr James Mollison as the Gallery's
first director. The design of a Gallery building was entrusted to
Edwards, Madigan, Torzillo and Briggs Pty. Ltd., architects
and town planners of Sydney. A contract for construction of
the building was issued by my government in April 1973, and on
7 November of that year I unveiled a foundation plaque
commemorating the beginning of construction on the banks of
Lake Burley Griffin nearby.
A fine gallery building is not, however, an end in
itself. In the final analysis, an institution is judged by what
it offers and how effectively it does this, and in large measure
this will depend upon the soundness of the principles on which
it is based and the quality of the people who run it. / 3
The Australian Government believes that the
National Gallery Bill 1975 represents the best basis devised
to this time for such an institution in our kind of society.
It will be an independent statutory authority in
many respects similar to the National Library of Australia.
It will be responsible for the national collection of works
of art and be expected to make the most advantageous use
of the collection in the national interest.
The affairs of the Gallery will be conducted by
a Council, including the Director of the Gallery, and not
more than 10 other members chosen with regard to their
knowledge and experience with respect to the visual arts
or other areas of knowledge relevant to the affairs of the
Gallery. It is in mind that there should always be a
proper blend of the artistic and other interests most likely
to optimize the effectiveness of the institution.
A novel feature of the Bill is that it provides
for two statutory offices, the Director of the Australian
National Gallery and the Secretary and Manager of the Gallery.
The Director shall have overall responsibility to the Council
for the running of the Gallery and its artistic direction,
and the Secretary and Manager shall, under the Director,
manage the day-to-day administration of the affairs of the
Gallery and act as secretary to the Council. This provision
has been introduced to avoid the problems which have arisen
so often elsewhere, where unlikely and unreasonable
combinations of different expertise and experience have been
demanded of the one person, usually with unfortunate results.
It is hoped that by this means there will always be a proper
complement of artistic and administrative skills with the
most satisfactory use being made of what each office-holder
is best able to offer.
The Gallery will engage its own staff on terms
and conditions determined by the Council but subject to
the approval of the Public Service Board. This measure of
flexibility is seen as essential to allow the Gallery to
obtain the services of the best professional staff available
whether in Australia or overseas, whether from other
galleries or from universities or other areas.
In its financial affairs the Gallery will operate in
much the same way as most other statutory authorities. It will
be required to submit estimates to the Minister in the
normal way and it will be funded by annual appropriation.
It will operate its own bank accounts, but it will be required
to keep proper accounts and records of its affairs which will
be subject to inspection and audit by the Auditor-General. It
will also prepare annual reports to the Minister which will
be tabled in Parliament.
I shall not go into other features of the Bill here;
I believe that altogether they will ensure the proper control
and accountability of one of the ration's important cultural
institutions, while at the same time providing the vital
elements of independence and flexibility which the institution
requires to achieve the greatest measure of effectiveness.
Much has been said over the last year or two about
some of the Gallery's acquisitions of contemporary art from
overseas. On balance, I think this has been for the good.
Many art-interested Australians have been obliged to reconsider
some of their values and tastes and I believe that this is a
salutary experience for us all every once in a while. I
should like to remind honourable members, however, that the
Gallery's collection is indeeed not confined to contemporary
art from overseas. In the view of the Director, the Gallery possesses
close to the finest, balanced collection of Australian art
anywhere in the country and it is virtually complete to this
time. It is building a fine collection of primitive art
based primarily on Pacific and African cultures. It is not
neglecting the arts of our neighbours in Asia and the Far
East nor the early civilizations of South America. The
Gallery is assembling a major collection of graphic arts,
and it already possesses the very fine Felix Man collection
of lithographs tracing that art form from its very origins
to recent times. A great sculpture collection is also being
developed. / 6
6.
No Australian artist of importance has been
neglected, and names like Constantin Brancusi, Alexander
Calder, Honore Daumier, Auguste Rodin and Giambattista Tiepolo
should leave no doubt that the Gallery is seeking the best
of more than one period or place.
We have here the beginnings of an institution which
it is my hope, and the Government's, will be a source of
pleasure and artistic stimulation for generations of
Australians to come, a worthy addition to our growing national
heritage, and an endeavour in which we might all take pride.
I commend the Bill to the House.
I