Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Bean for raising this very, very important question. I have recently become the chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories, of which the member for Bean is also a member. I look forward to the ongoing investment in these very, very important institutions, these nationally important institutions around Canberra that tell Australia's story and why it is important. I would like to quote the member for Tangney, who was the chair at the time the report was tabled:

Canberra is the heart of the nation, and home to some of its most iconic national institutions. These institutions tell our Australian story. It is essential that we understand that story, learn from it and use it to build confidence and pride for the present and future … This report considers the shared value of Canberra's national institutions in conserving, interpreting and facilitating engagement with Australia's history, culture and national identity.

I do want to respond to the motion that has been put. The government acknowledges the work of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories, and it's important to thank that committee for the report Telling Australia's storyand why it's important. As the motion has identified, the report has made 20 recommendations. I have been consulting with my colleagues about these recommendations, and they are directly relevant to several portfolios across government.

The government's full response to the Telling Australia's story report will be tabled in the coming months, but I do not accept that there has been inaction by the government when it comes to supporting our national institutions. In fact, just recently I had the great pleasure of riding a bike around the inner section of Canberra, which actually takes you quite a way out, to look at some of the national capital. It was wonderful. I hopped on the bike and followed the National Capital Authority's chief planning officer—he rides much faster than I do—and I enjoyed seeing all our wonderful buildings and reflecting on what that holds for us as a nation. It was very exciting, and I can highly recommend it to anyone.

The government's full response to the Telling Australia's story report will be tabled in coming months, as I said. Over the past three years, however, the government has announced additional funding of more than $700 million in support of the national institutions in Canberra. There's $63.48 million throughout the Public Service Modernisation Fund to support the following Canberra based institutions: the Australian War Memorial, the National Capital Authority, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery and Old Parliament House. If there are people in my electorate who have not been to Canberra and have not had the pleasure of seeing those buildings, I encourage you, once we're through this pandemic, to make a trip. It is wonderful.

$16.6 million has been provided to the National Gallery of Australia as part of a package to deliver $25.6 million in capital works. That was in the 2017-18 budget. There was $498 million for the expansion of the Australian War Memorial in 2018-19 budget; $63.8 million uplift on ongoing funding for the National Gallery of Australia in 2018-19; $15.1 million to enable Questacon to expand its education and outreach programs in the 2019-20 budget; and $10 million for the National Library of Australia's Treasured Voices digitisation fund in the 2019-20 budget. There's $7.36 million to deliver capital works at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, the National Library of Australia, the National Museum of Australia and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. There's $12.7 million to deliver capital works at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, the National Library of Australia, the National Museum of Australia and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. And there's $5.5 million to the National Film and Sound Archive to enable it to digitise its at-risk audiovisual collection. There's a further $8 million to the National Library of Australia for it to continue its ongoing delivery of the Trove platform. Many of the national icons of Australia are to be found in this wonderful Australian Capital Territory, and I would encourage all members to visit these sites.

See this speech in context