The Museum has a comprehensive suite of policies and plans. These are monitored and reviewed at regular intervals and made publicly available on the Museum’s website. Five of the Museum’s published policies or plans require reporting of activities or performance in the Museum’s annual report: the Donor Recognition Policy, the Partner Recognition and Sponsorship Policy, the Reconciliation Action Plan, the Indigenous Australian Art Charter of Principles for Publicly Funded Collecting Institutions, and the Client Service Charter.
Donor Recognition Policy and Partner Recognition and Sponsorship Policy
Support from corporations, organisations and foundations 2018–19
Cultural Partners
The British Museum
National Museum of China
Shanghai Natural History Museum
Shanghai Science & Technology Museum
Musei Vaticani
Sharjah Museums Authority
Muséum d’histoire naturelle du Havre
Government Partners
Australian Government, Department of Communications and the Arts
Australian Government, International Exhibitions Insurance Program
Australia–China Council
Australian Embassy, China
Principal Partner
Gandel Philanthropy
Major Partners
VisitCanberra
Australia Post
Supporting Partners
De Bortoli
Pratt Foundation
Mei & Picchi
Legal Partner
MinterEllison
Program Partner
ABC Radio
Media Partners
Fairfax Media
The Monthly
The Saturday Paper
Prime 7
oOh!media Operations Pty Ltd
Palace Cinema
Airline Partner
Singapore Airlines
Accommodation Partners
QT Canberra
Accor Hotels
Hyatt Hotel Canberra
Beverage Partners
Capital Wines
Clonakilla
Support from individuals and groups 2018–19
The Museum acknowledges and thanks all donors, including those who would like to remain anonymous, who have contributed significantly during 2018–19 to fundraising programs, education initiatives, exhibitions and the Museum’s collection:
Lynne Alexander
Margaret and Ken Alexander
Dr Marion Amies
Robin and Mary-Ann Anderson
Eric and Peg Armstrong and family
The Arnberg family
Peter Barclay OAM and Dorothy Barclay
Helen Barnes
Belfanti family
Graeme and Linda Beveridge
Robin Blake
Daryl Blaxland
Kayla Borman
The estate of Diana Boyd
Keith Bradley
Nicole Bright
Joan ten Brummelaar
Eileen Bryan
Dr Geoffrey Burkhardt
Anthony Bushell
Stephen Byron
Stewart and Iris Campbell
Jeanette Carroll
Wal Childs
Alex and Linda Church
Alison Clugston Cornes
Vicki Coltman
Helen Cosgrove
Karen and Paddy Costanzo
Catherine Crompton
Maria Magda Damo
Sarah Davies
Alan C Dawson
Jennifer Dobbin
Lynne Duckham OAM
Sue and Steve Dyer
Jennie Edwards
Carolyn Forster OAM and Richard Forster
Bob and Irene Foster
John Gandel AC and Pauline Gandel AC
Greer Gehrt
Daniel Gilbert AM
Lucy Gormly
Ross Gough
Elizabeth Grant AM
Elizabeth Gray
Helen Kun Hai and Jason Jingshi Li
Elizabeth Halfnights
Helen Harvie
Sally Anne Hasluck OAM
Heather Henderson
Meredith Hinchliffe
Margaret Hughes
Jenny and Eric Hunter
Bill & Trish Hyland
Fiona J James
David Jones and Melinda Conrad
Fiona Jose
Sandie and Trevor Kaine
Maureen and Keith Kerridge
Joan Kitchin
Susan Klimpsch
Pat Kneebone
Gerry and Ted Kruger
Thena Kyprianou
Ian Lawrence
Teresa Layton
Lady Jodie Leonard
Marjorie Lindenmayer
Colin Macdonald
Patricia McLachlan
Pip McNaught
Ben and Marina Maguire
Neil Manson
Elizabeth Mayberry
Betty Meehan
Rob and Joan Merrell
Pip Merriman
John Miller AO
Peter Mitchell
Dr Elizabeth Morrison
The Mundango Charitable Trust
Neil Munro
Jenny Myers
Brenda and Ian Nicholson
Tony Nutt AO
Patricia Ann Palmer
Michael and Rita Parker
Mark Parkinson
Margaret Pender and Di Chalmers
Andrew and Monica Phelan
Peter Pigott AM
Kirsten Pinnington
Tony and Kaye Purnell
The Hon Margaret Reid AO
David Richardson
K Riethmiller
Marie and Barry Riley
Sanya Ritchie
Jennifer J Rowland
Karen and Bill Ruse
Sean Sadimoen
Garth Shaw
Chris Sinclair
Dr Sharyn Sinclair-Hannocks
Geoff Speldewinde
Keith Speldewinde
Russell Speldewinde
Robert Stanton
Helene Stead
Amber Stewart
James Thirkell
Olive Thompson
Margaret Tong
Michael Traill AM and Jenny Gage Traill
Dr Mathew Trinca
Linnett & David Turner
Andrew Tweedie
Penelope Vaile
Linda Wake
Peter Walker
Kathy Walter
Denis Warne
Dawn Allison Waterhouse
Norman and Joy Wheatley
Sally White OAM and Geoffrey White OAM
Louise Willey
Jennifer and Paul Winch
Kylie Winkworth
Suzanne Wood
Moh Yan Yang
Significant support
The Museum acknowledges and thanks all donors who have contributed significantly to activities, fundraising programs and the Museum’s collection:
Perpetual Governor ($1 million and above)
John Gandel AC and Pauline Gandel AC
Geoff Ford OAM and Kerrie Ford
Wayne and Vicki McGeoch
Life Governor ($500,000–$999,999)
The late Diana Boyd
Jim Maple-Brown AM and Pamela Maple-Brown
Governor ($100,000–$499,999)
The Dick and Pip Smith Foundation
The Prince’s Trust Australia
The Scully Fund
Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton
Professor Graeme Clark AC
Edward Frank Everitt and Eric George
Christopher Hodges and Helen Eager
Richard (Dick) Kimber
John Moriarty AM and Ros Moriarty
Sidney Sinclair
Major Benefactor ($50,000–$99,999)
The Australia Council for the Arts
Gordon Darling Foundation
Robin Bryant
Joel and Margaret Cowey
Jack Gallaway
The Gibson family
Benefactor ($10,000–$49,999)
The Mundango Charitable Trust
The Rossi Foundation
Sidney Myer Fund
Geoff and Fran Barker
Graeme and Linda Beveridge
Daryl D Blaxland
The Brideson family
Jean Clements
Professor Robert W Crompton AM
The Cuckson family
Ken Done AM
Sue and Steve Dyer
Dr Guy Fitzhardinge AM
Daniel Gilbert AM
Gwyn Gillard
Lucy Gormly
Jeremy Gould
Professor Elery Hamilton-Smith AM
Alexander and Domitille Hartman
Susan and Grant Hilliard
Meredith Hinchliffe
The family of Raymond Arthur Holliday
Emeritus Professor Andrea Hull AO
Dr Anthea Hyslop
David Jones and Melinda Conrad
Carol and Richard Kemp
The Kennedy family
Maureen and Keith Kerridge
The late Patricia McCracken
The McCue family
Peter Pigott AM
Jan L Robertson
John and Pam Seccombe
Graham Smith
The family of the late Sir Alastair Stephen
Rex Stevenson AO and Caroline Stevenson
Michael Traill AM and Jenny Gage Traill
Norman and Joy Wheatley
Sally White OAM and Geoffrey White OAM
Kim Williams AM and Catherine Dovey
Tony Willsallen
Cameron Wright
Tania Young
Fellow ($5000–$9999)
Kindred Spirits Foundation
Moyes Delta Glider
Royal Automobile Club of Australia
Treviris Holdings
Margaret Anderson
Rena Estick and Rae Clarke
Marjorie Lindenmayer
Eloise Murphy
Archdeacon Anne Ranse
Patron ($1000–$4999)
Lynne Alexander
Margaret and Ken Alexander
Dr Marion Amies
Duncan Anderson
Robin and Mary-Ann Anderson
The Arnberg family
Rena Atkow
Peter Barclay OAM and Dorothy Barclay
Helen Barnes
Belfanti family
Elizabeth Bennett
Marc Besen AC
Kayla Borman
Keith Bradley AM and Kerry O’Kane
Nicole Bright
HM and JE Brown
Eileen Bryan
Dr Geoffrey Burkhardt
Anthony Bushell
Stephen Byron
Dorothy Cameron
Stewart and Iris Campbell
Jeanette Carroll
Wal Childs
Alex and Linda Church
Christine Clark
Alison Clugston Cornes
Vicki Coltman
Mervyn and Shirley Cornish
Dr Mark Crees
Suzanne Curtis and Tony Gay
Graham Dash
Sarah Davies
Merrell Davis OAM
Haydn Daw
Alan C Dawson
Patricia Degens
Jennifer Dobbin
Lynne Duckham OAM
Jennie Edwards
Sandy Forbes
Katee Forner
Carolyn Forster OAM and Richard Forster
Bob and Irene Foster
Andrew Freeman
Greer Gehrt
Julian Goldenberg and Neta Saint
Ross Gough
Alan and Andy Greenslade
Sally Grimes
Helen Kun Hai and Jason Jingshi Li
Elizabeth Halfnights
Sally Anne Hasluck OAM
Catherine Harris
Helen Harvie
Keith Hearn and Bruce Hearn
Dr Beth Heyde
Dr Marian Hill
Jenny and Eric Hunter
Mark Huppert and Theresa Rowan
Dr Anthea Hyslop
Christine Jackson
Fiona J James
Dr Joseph Johnson
Fiona Jose
Sandie and Trevor Kaine
Kasandra Karvelas
Yvonne Kilgour
Joan Kitchin
Susan Klimpsch
Patricia Kneebone
Thena Kyprianou
Ian Lawrence
Ailsa Lawton
Lady Jodie Leonard
Nicholas Lidstone
Colin Macdonald
Merv McDonald
Patricia McLachlan
Ben and Marina Maguire
Catherine and Strat Mairs
Neil Manson
Elizabeth Mayberry
Betty Meehan
Louise Muir
The late Emeritus Professor John Mulvaney AO
Ron Muncaster
Simon Murnane
Michael Nicolazzo
Jim and Sophia Notaras
Tony Nutt AO
Michael and Rita Parker
David Peck
Colin Percival
Andrew and Monica Phelan
Kirsten Pinnington
Brian Polden
The Pooley family
Dr Diana Quiggin
The Hon Margaret Reid AO
Dr Gary Reynolds
David Richardson
Sanya Ritchie
Mark Rolfe
Winnifred Rosser OAM
Jennifer J Rowland
The Rutledge family, in memory of Thomas Lloyd Forster Rutledge
Sean Sadimoen
Margie Seale and David Hardy
Gwen and Terry Sharman
Chris Sinclair
Dr Sharyn Sinclair-Hannocks
Robert Stanton
Amber Stewart
James Thirkell
Olive Thompson
Margaret Tong
Dr Mathew Trinca
Linnett and David Turner
Andrew Tweedie
Penelope Vaile
Michael Vaughan
Linda Wake
Peter Walker
Peter and Liz Warner
Hilary White
Louise Willey
Paul Winch
Paul and Jennifer Winch
Kylie Winkworth
Ruth Wilson
Suzanne Wood
Kaely and Mike Woods
Moh Yan Yang
Cindy Young
Donors to the National Historical Collection
The National Historical Collection was greatly enhanced during 2018–19 through the donation of objects by anonymous givers and the following donors:
Australian Bureau of Statistics
National Library of Australia
New Hope Group
Parliament of Western Australia
Roe 8 Community Collection Group
Professor Jon Altman
The family of John Bey
Tony Dare-Edwards
Joe Duggan
Dr Angela Dulhunty, in loving memory of the achievements of John and Roma Dulhunty
Ian Dunlop
Dr Robert Edwards
The Honourable Leneen Forde AC
The Neville Gare family
Valerie Grant and the Old family
John Henryon
Azroum McKenzie
Trudy Mehrer
Leesa Plester
Professor Peter Read
Philip Reed
Trish Roberts
Dr Shirleene Robinson, on behalf of The Equality Campaign
Dr Mike Smith
Tom Snow and Brooke Horne
Bruce and Nan Webber
Miki Whitehouse, in memory of her mother Marianne Seemann
The Wiggles
Diversity Action Plan
The Museum’s commitment to promoting an inclusive workplace culture is set out under its Diversity Action Plan, through which the Museum develops and implements strategies to ensure that the Museum celebrates and values diversity, creates a fair and respectful workplace culture, and builds and retains diverse capabilities and experiences. The Museum has progressed a number of diversity initiatives this year, including:
- establishing an informal carer’s network for staff
- providing mental health first aid training for staff to support colleagues, increase awareness of mental health and reduce stigma around mental illness
- participating in the ACT Government’s Healthier Work program
- embedding a ‘People and Culture’ framework to create a positive workplace culture
- providing proactive support of return-to-work programs for ill and injured staff
- ensuring all project plans have accessibility provisions
- committing to a flexible workplace environment that caters for staff needs
- establishing special measures and identified positions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with a disability
- providing training to enable staff to remove barriers to accessibility of information and increase staff awareness of accessibility issues
- actively encouraging staff to participate in multicultural activities and celebrations.
Scott Grimley, the Museum’s Diversity and Wellbeing Support Officer, won the Individual Award at the Australian Public Service’s Diversity and Gender Equality Awards for 2018. These awards recognise outstanding contributions to workplace diversity across the APS and nationally. The Museum recommended Scott (and his guide dog Dudley) for the Individual Award, in recognition of his leadership in disability advocacy both at the Museum and across the Australian Capital Territory.
Reconciliation Action Plan
In May 2015 the Museum launched its ‘Innovate’ Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). As part of the RAP, the Museum made a commitment to report on RAP activities in its annual report. Its vision for reconciliation is to work closely with communities to create opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to contribute to, participate in and enjoy the Museum’s programs. The Museum strives to show respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to value their culture and histories and to be inclusive and welcoming to all. The Director, Deputy Director and senior executive members have supported the Museum’s RAP, and participate as members of the RAP Working Group, together with staff from divisions across the Museum, made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people.
During 2018–19, the RAP Working Group met four times and began developing a ‘Stretch’ RAP to increase the Museum’s commitment to reconciliation (see Explore new ways of doing business). Throughout the year, the Museum also delivered against existing RAP targets by:
- increasing its Indigenous employment target from 5 to 8 per cent, after reaching the original target during the year. The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed by the Museum was 14 at 30 June, representing 5.4 per cent of Museum staff
- touring a number of exhibitions that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and culture, including Old Masters: Australia’s Great Bark Artists, which toured to four venues in China Yidaki: Didjeridu and the Sound of Australia, on display in Japan Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters at the offices of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra; and graphic-panel displays of works from the Old Masters, Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route and Evolution: Torres Strait Masks exhibitions to Australian diplomatic posts globally
- collaborating with artists and organisations to display a range of exhibitions in its First Australians Focus Gallery, including Painting on Country, Bush Mechanics and Black Mist Burnt Country: Testing the Bomb: Maralinga and Australian Art
- continuing to promote sustainable and ethical business practices for Indigenous artists. The merchandise range prepared to accompany the Old Masters exhibition in China was developed with artists from the art centres involved, and proceeds from the sales were shared between the artists and the Museum
- marking the Year of Indigenous Languages through activities that included a public performance by the Ntaria Ladies Choir singing Lutheran hymns in Arrernte and Pitjantjatjara, and a poetry workshop with Paul Collis that included Barkindji language
- commemorating Reconciliation Day with performances by Muggera Dancers, guided tours of the First Australians gallery and a screening of films by seven Indigenous women on leading community and living on country
- continuing support for the Museum Indigenous Network (MINmin). Membership of MINmin is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. The purpose of MINmin, as expressed in its mandate, is to support Indigenous employees in their role at the Museum, both socially and in the workplace. MINmin recognises the unique challenges that face Indigenous Australian museum professionals and works towards creating positive and collaborative futures for Indigenous employees in the cultural sector
- acknowledging and promoting significant anniversaries and events through social media and online.
Indigenous Australian Art Charter of Principles for Publicly Funded Collecting Institutions
The Museum endorses the Indigenous Australian Art Charter of Principles for Publicly Funded Collecting Institutions by publishing it on its website.
The Museum has embedded the obligations and commitments outlined in the charter into all relevant areas of its museological practice, most notably through the incorporation of due diligence and consultation requirements in its collection acquisition procedures, and through the development and adoption of the Indigenous Cultural Rights and Engagement Policy.
The Museum’s Council approved the Indigenous Cultural Rights and Engagement Policy in 2015. The policy promotes acknowledgement of and respect towards Indigenous cultural and intellectual property (ICIP) across all Museum activities, and embeds the obligations of due diligence and consultation outlined in the Indigenous Australian Art Charter of Principles for Publicly Funded Collecting Institutions. In doing so, the policy aims to:
- recognise and respect Indigenous peoples’ rights to access, maintain and control the use of their cultural heritage
- outline how the Museum engages with Indigenous peoples, their cultural heritage and its associated rights, including through appropriate interpretation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage within the Museum
- give public acknowledgement to the value of ICIP and reinforce the Museum’s support for the recognition of ICIP rights
- establish a transparent feedback and complaints process regarding the Museum’s engagement with Indigenous peoples and its dealings with ICIP.
The Indigenous Cultural Rights and Engagement Policy is publicly available on the Museum’s website, and a training package has been developed to raise awareness and engage staff in understanding and applying the principles, where relevant, to their work.
Client Service Charter
The Museum’s Client Service Charter is available to the public on the Museum’s website. The Museum has committed to publishing a summary of its performance against the charter each year in its annual report.
During 2018–19, the Museum received 1591 unsolicited written comments from visitors using the visitor feedback form, email, review websites or social media. Most feedback comments took the form of general remarks, questions or suggestions. The comments covered a range of enquiries related to exhibitions, programs and events, Museum Cafe bookings and venue hire, school and educational tours, conservation of items, object donations, historical event/object research, requests to use copyright material and retail (both in-store and online) products.
Approximately 90 per cent of feedback was positive, referring to the Museum’s staff, services, galleries and exhibitions. Negative feedback accounted for about 5 per cent of comments and related to exhibitions, programs, services or facilities. The remaining 5 per cent were questions or recommendations.
Monthly reports on feedback received are prepared and reviewed by CMG and EMG, allowing for key issues to be addressed at a high level.