Media Release, Additional Support for our National Collecting Institutions, Senator The Hon Mitch Fifield, 9 May 2017

The Turnbull Government will provide $48.5 million over three years in the 2017-18 Budget to support Australia’s national cultural collections.

This additional investment in the arts sector will support Australia’s key museums, galleries and archives to continue to develop and deliver programs and services for all Australians and to enable important capital works.

The funding will be made available through the Public Service Modernisation Fund.

Delivering services and programs

The Government will provide an additional $8.2 million to support the delivery of core services and programs at the National Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, the Australian National Maritime Museum, National Film and Sound Archive and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House.

This funding will ensure the ongoing development and delivery of online initiatives, education programs and new exhibitions including the use of new technologies to extend the reach of cultural heritage and creative touring programs.

Capital works

There will also be $31.4 million for capital works to maintain important infrastructure, gaining efficiencies in reduced long-term maintenance costs. This work will assist the national collecting institutions to fully utilise the assets available to them and better enable the ability for self-generated revenue. This funding includes:

• $13.9 million for the Australian National Maritime Museum to improve disability access, energy and water sustainability works, life extension work on heritage vessels and for building and utilities maintenance.
• $13.6 million for building maintenance at the Old Parliament House Museum of Australia Democracy, including the replacement of inefficient lighting and plumbing, refurbishment of building space to provide habitable office space and updating the technology infrastructure to the permanent exhibition spaces.
• $3.9 million for the National Film and Sound Archive for capital works and replacement of critical equipment required for thermally controlled preservation of NFSA collection material.

Shared services

The National Museum of Australia will receive $8.9 million to establish a Cultural and Corporate Shared Services Centre to provide shared corporate and business services functions to other collecting institutions. This will enable the consolidation of information technology platforms to create efficiencies as a single point for upgrade and maintenance. The consolidation of these back office functions will also create longer term efficiencies by allowing the participating collecting institutions to focus resources on the delivery of core services and programs.

These Budget commitments will ensure our major collecting institutions continue to preserve Australia’s valuable cultural heritage and deliver world class programs and services for all Australians.

More information is available at: https://www.communications.gov.au/who-we-are/department/budget/2017-18-budget-communications-and-arts-portfolio