Museum Highlights

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  • The People's Museum
  • Museum Highlights
• Part 1 - Director's review of operations
• Part 2 - Performance reports
• Part 3 - Accountability and management
• Part 4 - Financial statements
• Part 5 - Appendices
• Multimedia
• Annual Report PDF

Some highlights at the National Museum in 2002-2003

• The Museum achieved an operating surplus of $3.9 million (excluding Capital Use Charge funding) compared to last year's operating deficit of $3.7 million.
  
  
• More than 825,000 people visited the Museum between July 2002 and June 2003, including 193,000 visitors who attended the Museum's travelling exhibitions. This was a 130 per cent increase over visitors to the Museum's travelling exhibitions in 2001-2002.
  
  
• One million visitors were reached through the Museum's online and broadcasting programs.
  
  
• More than 81,700 students and 1734 schools visited the Museum on booked school tours.
  
  
• More than 1000 teachers attended professional development workshops at the Museum.
  
  
• There was a 55 per cent increase in visits to the Museum's website, www.nma.gov.au.
  
  
• 95 per cent of visitors surveyed recorded a satisfied or very satisfied visit; a five per cent increase from last year.
  
  
• Evaluation demonstrated that over 95 per cent of schools visiting the Museum were satisfied that it met their core curriculum requirements.
  
  
• 93 per cent of media coverage of the Museum was judged by an external consultant as favourable. The level of unfavourable coverage dropped from eight per cent to two per cent.
  
  
• A new Collections Development Policy and Framework were approved by Council to guide future acquisitions, exhibitions, research and programs.
  
  
• 32 new acquisitions were approved by Council.
  
  
• There was a large scale rationalisation of collection and non- collection storage, and a 50 per cent increase in public visits to collections in storage.
  
  
• A conservation staff member was appointed to the Australian Government's Cultural Heritage Reference Group for Iraq.
  
  
• The Museum was invited to advise the National Museum of World Cultures in Sweden on the development of its information and communication technologies.
  
  
• The remains of 405 individuals were returned to their Aboriginal communities.
  
  
• Major changeovers of objects took place in the Museum's permanent galleries.
  
  
• The Anzac pilgrims appeal was launched.
  
  
• The Museum's first international travelling exhibition, Stories from Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, opened in China.
  
  
• Four travelling exhibitions opened across Australia.
  
  
• 113 public lectures, forums, seminars, conferences and workshops were presented at the Museum.
  
  
• 60 youth groups from remote and outback communities across Australia participated in online sessions.
  
  
• Nine Talkback Classroom forums involving more than 1000 students and nine public figures took place.
  
  
• The teaching resource, Our Voices, won a national educational award.
  
  
• The largest conference on desert archaeology ever held in Australia was attended by 90 delegates from 16 countries.
  
  
• The Museum was contracted by the Learning Federation to develop content for interactive online curriculum materials for primary schools.
  
  
• Significant energy reduction and environmental measures were taken to reduce impact of the organisation on the environment.
  
  
• There was a 242 per cent increase in both cash and in-kind sponsorship and donations over the previous year.
  
  
• A new sponsorship was launched with APN News and Media Ltd.
  
  
• The Museum's retail operations experienced a substantial increase in net return in contrast to the previous year's loss.
  
  
• 96.6 per cent of the eligible staff who voted were in favour of the Museum's new certified agreement.