Extract from The Guardian
Cultural institutions in Canberra face $36.8m cut over four years and
say they may have to sack staff and perhaps close one day a week to
save money
National cultural institutions in Canberra,
including the National Gallery of Australia, National Portrait Gallery
and National Library, have warned they may have to sack staff and even
close one day a week because of federal funding cuts.
In the 2015 midyear economic update the government imposed a 3% efficiency dividend on cultural and collecting institutions – except the Australia Council – a total cut of $36.8m over four years.
In Senate estimates on Tuesday, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Angus Trumble, said the gallery might have to cut three of its 55 full-time staff, a “large” loss. He hoped current opening hours could be maintained, but said the gallery would consider closing on Mondays to save money.
The director of the Museum of Australian Democracy, Daryl Karp, said: “We’ve cut fat, we’ve cut muscle, now we’ve got to look at what we stop doing.
“It means our exhibitions will run for longer, we will have fewer exhibitions happening, we will do one less significant event each year.”
The National Library’s director-general, Anne-Marie Schwirtlich, said she would be looking to cut eight to 10 jobs out of the library’s 403 full-time workers and would also consider savings in programming.
The director of the National Gallery of Australia, Gerard Vaughan, said the cuts amounted to $4m over three and and half years for the gallery.
Vaughan said everything, including changes to opening hours, was on the table. The gallery would probably have to lose 10 or more of its 240 employees, which was “quite substantial”.
The ACT’s chief minister, Andrew Barr, said he has written to the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to tell him to stop “bashing Canberra ... and using cultural institutions as a political plaything”.
“It is concerning that in the space of a few days, our national institutions have come under attack, government research jobs have been ripped out of Canberra, and heads of departments are threatening to move senior roles to other cities,” Barr said.
“All Australians have a right to see our national treasures. Visitors to the national institutions support jobs in Canberra. If the Liberals drive these visitors away because they don’t value our national institutions, they threaten Canberra businesses.”
In the 2015 midyear economic update the government imposed a 3% efficiency dividend on cultural and collecting institutions – except the Australia Council – a total cut of $36.8m over four years.
In Senate estimates on Tuesday, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Angus Trumble, said the gallery might have to cut three of its 55 full-time staff, a “large” loss. He hoped current opening hours could be maintained, but said the gallery would consider closing on Mondays to save money.
The director of the Museum of Australian Democracy, Daryl Karp, said: “We’ve cut fat, we’ve cut muscle, now we’ve got to look at what we stop doing.
“It means our exhibitions will run for longer, we will have fewer exhibitions happening, we will do one less significant event each year.”
The National Library’s director-general, Anne-Marie Schwirtlich, said she would be looking to cut eight to 10 jobs out of the library’s 403 full-time workers and would also consider savings in programming.
The director of the National Gallery of Australia, Gerard Vaughan, said the cuts amounted to $4m over three and and half years for the gallery.
Vaughan said everything, including changes to opening hours, was on the table. The gallery would probably have to lose 10 or more of its 240 employees, which was “quite substantial”.
The ACT’s chief minister, Andrew Barr, said he has written to the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to tell him to stop “bashing Canberra ... and using cultural institutions as a political plaything”.
“It is concerning that in the space of a few days, our national institutions have come under attack, government research jobs have been ripped out of Canberra, and heads of departments are threatening to move senior roles to other cities,” Barr said.
“All Australians have a right to see our national treasures. Visitors to the national institutions support jobs in Canberra. If the Liberals drive these visitors away because they don’t value our national institutions, they threaten Canberra businesses.”
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