The New Cabinet – impact on museums
There has been much coverage in recent days of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Cabinet and Ministry appointments. The following is a quick round-up in relation to portfolios of potential interest to the museum sector:
Arts/Communications
Senator George Brandis has been replaced by a new Minister for the Arts: Senator Mitch Fifield. Senator Fifield has been a Victorian Senate member since March 2004. He was formerly a member of the Abbott Ministry as the Assistant Minister for Social Services with responsibility for disabilities and ageing and has been the Manager of Government Business in the Senate since 2013.
He was an Ambassador for the not-for-profit school music organisation The Song Room and an Advisory Board Member for the Yachad Accelerated Learning Project for indigenous students. He is also a founding director of the Sir Paul Hasluck Foundation.
Senator Fifield has not yet indicated where he stands in relation to the controversial National Program for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA), established by Senator Brandis. In June of this year, Senator Fifield voted against the inquiry into the establishment of NPEA maintaining that it was ‘absurd’ to have an inquiry before the program had begun.
Senator Fifield is also the new Minister for Communications. The movement of the Arts portfolio from the Attorney-General’s Department to the Department of Communications ‘to better align the funding and administration of support and incentives for our creative industries’ may create some useful synergies.
It should also be noted that responsibility for copyright reform, internet piracy and classification has also been moved from the Attorney-General to the new Minister for Communications.
Industry, Innovation and Science
The Hon Christopher Pyne MP has moved from the Education portfolio to take up a position described by the PM as representative of ‘one of our most important agendas’. He also remains as Leader of the Government in the House. The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science will drive the Government’s focus on investing in science; promoting STEM education; supporting start-ups and dealing with innovation initiatives across Government. National policy issues relating to digital economy have also been brought under the Ministry.
Working with Minister Pyne will be Assistant Ministers Karen Andrews (science) and the government’s youngest member, 25-year-old Wyatt Roy (innovation).
Some commentators have noted that Mr Pyne, as Minister for Education and Training in the Abbott Government, oversaw cuts of AU$300 million to university research grants, AU$174 million to research training, and AU$75 million to the country’s major science funding body – the Australian Research Council (ARC).
It is not yet clear whether the new Minister will have oversight of research infrastructure and funding bodies like the ARC. Details should be worked out before 12 October, when Parliament next meets.
Education and Training
South Australian Senator Simon Birmingham replaces Christopher Pyne as the Minister for Education and Training. Senator Birmingham was formerly the Assistant Minister working on vocational education and the training sector. As noted, it is not yet clear whether the ARC will stay with Education and Training.
Tourism
The economic importance of Tourism to Australia has been recognised with the appointment of a dedicated tourism minister, Tasmanian Senator Richard Colbeck. Under the Abbott government, Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb also held the tourism portfolio, despite it not being in his title. Mr Robb will remain the chief advocate for the industry in cabinet as the new portfolio is an outer Ministry.
Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program, remains with Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop.
Environment
Greg Hunt MP, Federal member for Flinders, retains the Environment portfolio which includes responsibility for built and natural heritage.
A new position of Minister for Cities and the Built Environment, headed up by Jamie Briggs MP, has been created within Environment. He is to work with Greg Hunt to develop a new Australian Government agenda for cities in cooperation with States, Local Government and urban communities.
The full list of appointees to Cabinet and the Ministry can be found here.
The most recent administrative arrangements order can be found here.
Meredith Foley
CAMD Executive Officer