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Tasmania’s cultural estate is at risk given the outmoded governance structures plus inadequate legislation and regulation that come together to place it at risk.
Ray Norman, independent researcher and cultural geographer, said today “while some protective legislation and regulation does exist, generally it is somewhat haphazard in its application and its inconsistent in the ways that it is applied”.
Tasmania has some of Australia’s most important, oftentimes unique, public collections and heritage sites, collectively understandable as ‘musingplaces’. These collections tell important stories relevant to Tasmanian and Australian social histories and cultural identities.
Public musingplaces, including art galleries, are responsible for the care of much of a nation’s, a region’s and ultimately, a community’s tangible and intangible cultural assets plus natural and cultural heritage.
The governing bodies of these cultural institutions, and the people concerned with the strategic direction and oversight of musingplaces, have a primary responsibility to protect communities’ cultural assets and to facilitate the development of new understandings via the public’s access to our musingplaces and the research work they do.
Likewise, musingplaces’ governing bodies play a key role in promoting heritage and cultural values as well as putting in place the human, physical and financial resources made available for that purpose.
Ray Norman said today, “there are international standards in place to provide guidance on best practice but all too often, at a local level, they are seen as being discretionary advice and sometimes ignored out of convenience or for some other reason.”
“However, and more importantly, many of Tasmania’s public musingplaces and heritage properties, despite having a kind of ‘charity status’, operate without standalone constitutions or appropriate governance structures that represent best practice in protecting the cultural property they hold under their stewardship” he said.
Some small local museums and art galleries operate as incorporated bodies and somewhat strangely they are more accountable ‘as museums’ than those operating under the aegis of Local Government or even a university.
Without transparency, and appropriate checks and balances, people donating to public collections cannot be assured that their donation will be directed to the purpose intended.
Likewise, when governments grant public money to public musingplaces they need the assurance of accountability and compliance with appropriate standards.
Functionally that may not be there in the ways expected as demonstrated by the Auditor General’s recent comments in the press relevant to the States premier musingplaces, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
Today, Ray Norman released a discussion paper entitled “The Tasmanian Cultural Estate: A case for change”.
Ray Norman says “the paper explores ways to reimagine museum and art galleries' and our built heritage estate's governance and management in a 21st C context .”
Ray went on on to say that ”it is clear that there are compelling reasons to look at fundamental change in regard to the governance of Tasmania's musingplaces and heritage properties."
"Indeed, in a 21st C context, it appear that it would be timely to undertake a root and branch investigation of what our cultural estate consists of and the best ways to govern and manage the institutions and organisations holding this enormously valuable cultural heritage” he said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Ray Norman: Independent Researcher and Cultural Geographer
Lionel Morrell: President Tasmanian Heritage Protection Society (Tasmania) Inc
Greg Parkinson: Convener: Tamar Institute Steering Committee
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| CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE DISCUSSION PAPER |
