Damian Hale (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to outline the importance of an announcement made earlier this week by my good friend and hard working Special Minister of State and cabinet secretary, Senator Joe Ludwig, about Australia’s National Archives. In a ministerial statement on 23 February, Minister Ludwig reaffirmed the Rudd government’s commitment to ensuring continued public access to records documenting Australia’s history. I would like to congratulate the minister and our government for responding positively to community concerns about the closure of the National Archives offices in Darwin, Adelaide and Hobart. I would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the work done by my colleagues, including the Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health, and Regional Service Delivery; senator for the Northern Territory Trish Crossin; the members for Lyons, Hindmarsh, Franklin, Port Adelaide and Fowler; and the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth and Minister for Sport, in representing their constituents’ concerns over the closures.

I also recognise the work of all the individuals and members of the historical and archive societies who highlighted to me the significance of the National Archives office in Darwin and I thank them for their contribution. In fact, I was provided with some very sound professional advice about the National Archives of Australia by my sister Jacinta Francis. Jacinta is head of the English faculty at Darwin High School and a regular visitor to the Archives office in Darwin. Jacinta and others explained to me in detail the vital role the National Archives Office plays in keeping the political, social and cultural history of Australia alive. The announcement was fantastic because it coincided with ‘Shake your family tree day’, a National Archives initiative to encourage more Australians to explore their family history.

Particularly important for so many of my constituents in Solomon is that National Archives offices around the country hold many records containing important information about Indigenous people and their history. It was particularly pleasing to hear the minister emphasise the fact that the government will not change existing access arrangements for records relating to the separation policies imposed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These access arrangements were strengthened in response to the landmark 1997 Bringing them Home report on the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. It is an important report that is close to the heart of the Stolen Generation communities around Australia. I was pleased to hear that National Archives will continue to work with local cultural and heritage institutions and other organisations in pursuit of co-located reading rooms and records storage facilities. Co-location will help put the National Archives on a sustainable footing for the long term while maintaining the face-to-face services in the Territory. I understand that National Archives has already begun looking at options for co-location with local institutions.

I am proud to be part of a Rudd Labor government that has listened, and understands and delivers. The National Archives office is yet another practical example of our government listening to the community’s concerns, understanding the importance of maintaining a local National Archives presence at a state and territory level, and taking action to deliver real results. On behalf of my constituents I commend the government and in particular the minister for making a guarantee that a physical National Archives presence will be maintained in every state and territory. I thank the people in my constituency who came and made representations to me. I ran a petition in order to collect signatures of people who came in. A diverse range of people came to my electoral office and signed the petition—ranging from historians to year 11 and 12 students that utilise these services on a regular basis, to teachers, researchers and lecturers from the university. These people made the effort and came in to sign the petition. It was really a case of a bit of people power being able to stand up to the bureaucracy and say, ‘Hold on a second; these are services that we need, especially in Darwin.’ If we give these services back willingly it becomes so much easier for the Commonwealth to take other things away in the future.

I will continue to make sure that the Archives are protected in my electorate. As I alluded to just then, I really am thankful to those people who made the effort to come in. In this job we all want to make a difference and we strive to do that. We do not always have wins. We probably have more losses at times than wins. But certainly when something like this occurs you do feel good about it—the fact that people have rallied and we have a result that is great for my electorate. Once again, I thank the minister.

Question agreed to.

See this speech in context