Saving Australian Culture from Turnbull Cuts

Date: 7 March 2016

Last week, the History Council of New South Wales wrote a letter of concern to Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, Minister for the Arts, regarding recent funding cuts to various national cultural institutions. 

Among the affected institutions are

• the National Archives of Australia, 
• the National Library of Australia, 
• the National Portrait Gallery, 
• the Museum of Australian Democracy, 
• the National Film and Sound Archive, 
• and the National Gallery of Australia. 

These are some of Australia’s most used and visited cultural institutions, and among the most important organisations for people in New South Wales interested in history.

Of additional concern is the threat to one of Australia’s most valuable online research tools for those interested in history, the National Library of Australia’s Trove. 

As a direct result of these cuts, the National Library will cease aggregating content in Trove from museums and universities unless it is fully funded to do so.

There have been numerous messages of support for Trove since the cuts were announced, and a Facebook page, Fund Trove has also been set up to address these concerns.