Highlights of the year
August 2008
Emily exhibition opens.
After its successful tour in
Japan, the Museum brought Utopia: The Genius of Emily Kame
Kngwarreye to Canberra for display to a national audience. This
exhibition told the story of one of Australia's greatest
contemporary artists, and was opened by The Hon Peter Garrett AM
MP, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts.
November 2008
Workplace Agreement strongly supported.
Highlights of the
Museum's new Workplace Agreement included a provision for
individual employees to negotiate pay and conditions enhancements,
an increase in maternity leave entitlements and measures to
encourage employment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples.
December 2008
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's
birth.
The Hon Dr Barry Jones AO officially opened
Darwin on 9 December 2008. The exhibition offered visitors a
unique glimpse into Darwin's intellectual and personal life.
December 2008
Minister awards student prizes at the Museum.
The Hon
Peter Garrett AM MP, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the
Arts, presented awards to student cartoonists at a ceremony held at
the Museum. 'Drawing the lines', a national cartooning competition
for Australian schools, attracted almost 700 entries from primary
and secondary students.
January 2009
Australian Journeys opens.
The Museum officially opened
the Australian Journeys gallery, the first permanent gallery to be
redeveloped since opening in 2001. The gallery explores the
passages of people to, from and across Australia and traces the
ways in which migrants and travellers have made homes in Australia
and overseas, and have built and maintained connections between
here and abroad.
February 2009
Barak address illuminates the past.
William Barak's
illuminated address was acquired for the National Historical
Collection. The address is a material reminder of the complexity of
nineteenth-century race relations, and of William Barak
himself.
March 2009
A new Chair of the Museum's Council.
Daniel Gilbert AM
was appointed as the new Chair of the Museum's Council. Mr Gilbert
has a broad background as the managing partner of the law firm
Gilbert+Tobin and a range of public company and not-for-profit
directorships. He has a long involvement with social justice and
Indigenous issues, and the arts.
March 2009
Acquisition of Canning Stock Route collection.
This
collection is the first significant attempt to document the
Aboriginal experience of the Canning Stock Route. General Manager
Mathew Trinca said, 'The Museum regards the collection as one of
truly national significance, providing a unique archive of
Indigenous social and cultural histories. It is an important
addition to the nation's heritage and history collections'.
May 2009
Approval to go ahead with planning for collection
storage.
The Museum received approval to progress the
development of a business case for three collection storage options
in the 2009–10 Budget.
June 2009
Record numbers visit the website.
Visits to the Museum's
website continued to increase exponentially, growing from 1,521,926
last year to 2,533,138 this year.
June 2009
The Museum wins gold.
The Museum won a gold award in the
Australasian Reporting Awards (ARA) for its 2007–08 annual
report. According to ARA judges, 'Outstanding features of the
Museum's report include the comparisons of measured performance
with the targets, and design features that enhance communication'.
The Museum's report was selected from over 450 entries and was
appraised by 14 judges.
June 2009
Seattle Art Museum returns secret/sacred object to
Australia.
For the first time an American cultural
institution initiated the return of a secret/sacred object to an
Australian cultural institution. Director Craddock Morton said,
'The Seattle Art Museum has shown great responsibility, as well as
compassion and respect for Aboriginal culture, in deciding to
repatriate this object. It is to be commended for its initiative
and leadership'.
Performance summary
The National Museum of Australia is a statutory authority within the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts portfolio. The Australian Government funds the Museum to achieve an agreed outcome through a series of outputs and associated performance indicators, as specified in the annual Portfolio Budget Statement (PBS). The Museum's outcome is to ensure that:
Australians have access to the National Museum's collections and public programs to encourage awareness and understanding of Australia's history and culture.
(National Museum of Australia, Portfolio Budget Statement, 2008–09)
Financial summary
The price of outputs was $47.775 million (anticipated $45.471 million). Departmental appropriations were $40.275 million (anticipated $40.275 million) and revenue from other sources was $7.504 million (anticipated $5.196 million).
The Museum's financial statements disclose an operating surplus of $0.004 million compared with the 2007–08 operating surplus of $0.171 million. The Museum also received an equity injection of $1.089 million in 2008–09, which related to the implementation of the Review of Exhibitions and Public Programs 2003.
The revenue from non-government sources increased by $0.118 million this year. The increase was the result of increased retail sales. Donated assets for 2008–09 were valued at $0.141 million.
Total expenses decreased by $0.204 million. The balance sheet discloses an increase in the Museum's net assets to $391 million. In 2008–09 there was an increase in the asset revaluation reserve following an independent valuation of land, buildings, infrastructure, plant and equipment ($3.4 million) and heritage cultural assets (not revalued).
Cash as at 30 June 2009 totalled $1.5 million (30 June 2008: $1.3 million) and investments totalled $47.2 million (30 June 2008: $46.5 million).
Net cash received from operating activities increased by $3.8 million in 2008–09.
Output summary
The extent to which awareness and understanding of Australia's history and culture is increased
The target of 75 per cent for the proportion of visitors and users who indicated the Museum's exhibitions and public programs contributed to a new or different awareness or perspective on Australia's history or culture was reached (75 per cent achieved).
Output Group 1.1: Collection development and management
The price of Output 1.1 was $8.201 million (anticipated $10.069 million) Departmental appropriations were $9.666 million (anticipated $10.069 million).
Quality
The target of 100 per cent for the proportion of acquisitions acquired in accordance with the Collection Development Framework was achieved. The estimate for the percentage (75 per cent) of the National Historical Collection being packed or stored at, or above, appropriate museum standards was achieved.
Quantity
The Museum acquired 88 collections as part of the National Historical Collection. The number of conservation treatments completed was 2138, against an estimate of 1000 treatments. Against the anticipation that documentation for 7500 collection items would be made available on the Museum's website, 10,742 were made accessible.
Output Group 1.2: National exhibitions, programs and services
The price of Output 1.2 was $39.574 million (anticipated $35.402 million). Departmental appropriations were $30.609 million (anticipated $30.206 million) and revenue from other sources was $6.458 million (anticipated $5.196 million).
Quality
Visitor satisfaction (95 per cent) exceeded the target (85 per cent), and the satisfaction of schools with the Museum's schools programs meeting core curriculum requirements (99 per cent) also substantially exceeded the target (80 per cent). The target of 75 per cent for the proportion of visitors and users who indicated the Museum's exhibitions and public programs contributed to a new or different awareness or perspective on Australia's history or culture was reached (75 per cent achieved).
Quantity
The target of 2,300,000 for the number of visitors or users of Museum exhibitions and programs (including web) was substantially exceeded with a total of 3,474,499 (941,361 visitors or users and 2,533,138 web visitors).*
* The target for 2008–09 as recorded in the Portfolio Budget Statement was erroneously noted as 1,150,000.
Achievement of strategic and business priorities
Strategic and business priorities: Summary of activities and achievements, 2008–09
1. Key strategic priority: Enhance exhibitions, programs and services
The National Museum of Australia strives to ensure that Australians have access to its collections and programs and to encourage awareness and understanding of Australian history and culture. The Museum will achieve this by developing and delivering exhibitions and activities that are audience-focused, object-centred and rich in content.
|
Business priorities for 2008–09 |
Reports |
|---|---|
|
1.1 Deliver the new Australian Journeys gallery |
The refurbishment of the gallery was completed in July 2008, followed by five months of exhibition and object installation. The gallery was officially opened in January 2009. |
| 1.2 Continue development of the new Creating a Country gallery |
Significant progress in the development of this new permanent gallery included:
|
| 1.3 Develop and deliver a temporary gallery program |
The temporary exhibitions program promotes knowledge of Australian history and provides access to Museum collections throughout the country. This year the Museum delivered:
|
| 1.4 Plan and develop increased exhibition space |
The Museum continued further detailed planning to extend the administration wing to accommodate staff currently located in back-of-house areas behind the permanent galleries. It is anticipated that should funding become available, the administration wing will be complete by mid-2012 and the conversion of the back-of-house area into gallery space will commence post-2012. The Museum commenced planning to convert the Studio facility into a new temporary exhibition gallery. The Museum anticipates that the new gallery will be completed by September 2010. See Management performance - Facilities management. |
2. Key strategic priority: Develop the National Historical Collection and improve collections storage
The National Museum of Australia is mandated to develop and maintain a national collection of historical material. The Museum will continue to develop its acquisitions program, maintain its collections to the highest possible standards and improve its collections storage.
| Business priorities for 2008–09 | Reports |
|---|---|
|
2.1 Develop the collection through key acquisitions and targeted collecting projects |
The Museum's Council approved 88 significant collections for inclusion in the National Historical Collection. All were acquired in accordance with the Collection Development Framework as set out in the PBS performance indicator. Targeted collecting projects supported gallery development and future exhibitions. A series of operating procedures concerning collection assessment and documentation were reviewed, and improved procedures were implemented. See Developing the collection and Appendix 3. |
| 2.2 Develop storage and management plans that ensure the long-term preservation and sustainability of Museum collections |
The Museum undertook a survey of Canberra's climatic conditions over the past 100 years to provide critical data for the design specifications of a dedicated storage facility for the National Historical Collection. The Museum also engaged a conservation architect to provide advice on design specifications for an environmental passive facility and undertook a site evaluation report on possible sites for a dedicated collection storage facility. See Managing the collection - Centre for National Museum of Australia Collections. The Museum implemented its conservation work plan, and exceeded PBS performance indicators, with 2138 objects treated for all purposes by conservators. |
| 2.3 Increase the quantity, quality and accessibility of collection information |
Collection information was increased as follows:
|
3. Key strategic priority: Strengthen research and scholarship
The National Museum of Australia aims to be a centre of excellence for research and scholarship, and to contribute to the body of knowledge about Australian history and culture. The Museum will significantly develop its research and scholarship activity over the coming years.
| Business priorities for 2008–09 |
Reports |
|---|---|
|
3.1 Establish the Centre for Historical Research and implement a program of research, conferences and publications |
Research and scholarship continued to be fundamental to Museum activities. Highlights included:
|
| 3.2 Integrate the operations of the Centre for Historical Research into existing Museum research in history, museum studies and material culture |
The Centre for Historical Research:
See Research and scholarship - Making Museum research accessible. |
| 3.3 Continue a program of research in history, museum studies and material culture |
A diverse range of research projects informed exhibitions, audience development and website content and included:
Research was also undertaken on the 'Material histories' program, the impact of bushfire on a small Victorian town, the history of repatriation, and economic and ecological exchanges in the Pacific. |
| 3.4 Establish partnerships with academic and institutional partners |
Partnerships continued with:
|
4. Key strategic priority: Enhance national and international profile
The National Museum of Australia's vision is to be a recognised world-class museum. The Museum will continue to develop as a national institution of international standing through leadership in museum practice, by fostering partnerships and delivering effective, engaging outreach programs.
| Business priorities for 2008–09 |
Reports |
|---|---|
|
4.1 Build relationships and collaborations with the museum sector in Australia and internationally |
Relationships and collaborations were established or continued during the year with:
Negotiations commenced with Australian museums in relation to touring the Canning Stock Route exhibition (due to open at the National Museum in July 2010). |
| 4.2 Deliver travelling exhibitions and other outreach programs |
High-quality outreach programs delivered included:
|
| 4.3 Continue development of rich web content to extend access to the Museum's National Historical Collection and programs, exhibitions, education and research activities |
Improvements to and new content made available on the Museum's website in 2008–09 included:
|
| 4.4 Engage with key Australian Government cultural, educational and equity initiatives |
Highlights of the Museum's engagement with key cultural, educational and equity initiatives included:
See Outreach (page one) - Reaching a national schools audience.
|
5. Key strategic priority: Develop staff, business practices and infrastructure
The National Museum of Australia will continue to review the way business is conducted. The Museum will operate in a way that utilises better practices and provides an environment to assist staff to undertake their work.
| Business priorities for 2008–09 |
Reports |
|---|---|
|
5.1 Develop staff |
A staff accommodation planning exercise was completed to review current staff accommodation pressures, provide baseline data and analyse future accommodation planning options. A cost report for the recommended options was also developed. |
| 5.2 Support workforce diversity and skill retention |
The Museum continued to implement the Workplace Diversity Plan with a focus on recruitment and retention of Indigenous staff. Along with a comprehensive induction program, corporate training concentrated on building capabilities in cultural awareness, leadership, teamwork and communication skills. See Taking care of people - Supporting and making workplace diversity a priority. |
| 5.3 Implement the new Workplace Agreement |
The new Workplace Agreement, which was strongly supported by staff, commenced in November 2008. Highlights included:
|
