PRIME MINISTER 5/ 96
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING, MP
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA
The next major extension stage of the National Museum of Australia will be
the development of the social, political and constitutional theme at Old
Parliament House.
A national competition to build the environmental component of the National
Museum network at Yarramundi in Canberra will also be held.
The National Museum of Australia will be a museum which reaches all
Australians in their own communities, their schools and libraries and on their
own computers and in Canberra, other capitals and regional centres.
Exhibition sites will be developed in Old Parliament House, at Yarramundi
and at the Gallery of Aboriginal Australia on Acton Peninsula. The Museum
will also produce on-line and interactive material which will be widely
available in all schools and libraries and will develop partnerships with State
and regional museums to operate an extensive program of travelling
exhibitions and educational projects.
As part of the first stage of the physical network of the National Museum of
Australia, Creative Nation announced that the Government will build the
Gallery of Aboriginal Australia on Acton Peninsula. A new facility for the
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies is to be colocated
with the Gallery. Building will commence on the site later this year.
Old Parliament House holds great significance for all Australians and the
Government will provide $ 12 million over 3 years to extend exhibition areas
for the National Museum of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery and the
Australian Archives. This will allow the Museum to develop exhibitions which
are specifically designed to explore Australia's social, political and
constitutional history in the Old Parliament House context.
A similar extension of the National Portrait Gallery and the Australian
Archives will complement the National Museum presence and confirm Old
Parliament House as a vibrant celebration of our history.
The Government is also foreshadowing the stage three development of the
National Museum at Yarramundi in Canberra. The site and nature of the
facility is such that the Government will organise a design competition for this
building and site landscaping.
The Yarramundi facility will provide an environmental focus on our history
and contemporary life. This will be developed so as to provide links with the
National Botanical Gardens and to develop public programs in conjunction
with bodies such as the CSIRQ, the Australian Heritage Commission and
Greening Australia. The 88 hectare site at Yarramundi provides an
outstanding opportunity to explore, illustrate and educate on environmental
issues.
To further extend access to the Museum beyond Canberra, $ 6 million will be
allocated to the Museum over the next three years to facilitate the funding of
a number of specific partnership projects with State and regional museums, to
increase the rate of their digitising program to enable more Australians to get
in touch with their cultural heritage and to extend the range of travelling
exhibitions developed and toured by the Museum.
It is critical thit in addition to a strong Canberra base, the Museum should
work collaboratively with State and selected regional museums to develop a
national network which maximises the effective use of the distributed national
collection and recognises the significant and active role which regional
centres have to play in Australia's cultural life.
Since the Creative Nation commitment to extend access to our national
collections through new communications technology, the National Museum
has worked within the Australia on CD program and will have a critical role in
the recently announced $ 10 million program, Australia's Story Our National
Collections On Line, which will begin the task of digitising the collections of
our national cultural institutions.
The Government believes that a modern National Museum must go beyond
the notion of a single facility in the National Capital. The National Museum of
Australia will give all Australians everywhere the opportunity to experience
their country's cultural heritage.
CAN BERRA
January 1996