SA Museum restructure axed after Premier’s Review
A controversial restructure of the SA Museum has been withdrawn effective immediately following a Premier’s Review, while the museum’s chair has resigned.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said this afternoon that the state government had accepted all six recommendations of a review set up in April following a strong backlash from scientists and museum supporters to controversial restructure plans.
Changes under the proposed restructure, which was put on hold during the review, would have included the axing of all 27 positions in the musuem’s research and collections division, to be replaced by 22 new roles focusing on curatorial research.
The state government will now inject an extra $4.1 million into the SA Museum, while the institution’s chair had resigned and a new policy would be developed.
“A new Strategic Plan for the Museum will be developed through a through and collaborative consultative process involving staff, donors, supporters, and other stakeholders,” a government statement said.
Further, the state government made “a commitment that no functional or structural changes will be proposed to the Museum’s research and collection priorities and business models, prior to the finalisation of the Museum’s new Strategic Plan”.
“Effective immediately, the proposed restructure of the Museum’s Research and Collections division is withdrawn,” it said.
“This means the division’s current structure, roles and responsibilities remain unchanged. No new organisational changes will be proposed until the Panel’s recommendations have been fully implemented.
You might like
“Kim Cheater has made the decision to resign as Board Chair to allow a new chair to offer a fresh perspective on implementing the Panel’s recommendations.”
Professor Robert Saint has been appointed as a member and presiding member of the board.
A geneticist and molecular biologist, Saint is a former vice-president and deputy vice-chancellor of research at Flinders University and previously held senior roles at the universities of Adelaide and Melbourne.
The Premier said a short time ago that the SA Museum was “cherished by the South Australian public”.
“There is widespread agreement that the museum must evolve for the future,” he said.
“As I’ve made clear, it needs to do so in a way which inspires the confidence of the broader community, key stakeholders and Museum staff.”
The extra $4 million over two years would help develop a new strategy, support the marketing and promotion of an international exhibition and assist in museum operations.
The government also said it would work with South Australian universities to create sustainable research and funding models, develop “existing and new opportunities with donors, philanthropists, and major corporations to enhance existing funding sources”, and undertake an asset management and infrastructure study “to consider ways for renewal and enhancement of galleries and exhibition spaces”.
Stay informed, daily
The now-cancelled restructure announced to staff in February prompted a protest on the steps on Parliament, an open letter signed by over 400 prominent individuals, a petition signed by over 10,000 people and a second inquiry by the Statutory Authorities Review Committee into the SA Museum and the Art Gallery.
Former SA Museum chief and renowned scientist Tim Flannery told InDaily the changes “could result in the death of an institution – one of the most important in the state”.
“The collections are there for research, and without research, the collections wither and die, and with that, the museum withers and dies,” he said.
SA Museum CEO Dr David Gaimster told InDaily earlier this year that the SA Museum risked losing relevance without change and that academic research undertaken there was not accessible to the public.
“I think we all recognise that the museum has reached the tipping point. Now is the time for action,” he said then.
“We recognise that the museum is fairly static as a visitor experience. You could argue that some of its displays are anachronistic and certainly not very well equipped to engage modern audiences, particularly at a time of social and environmental change.
“We’ve basically got a research museum and a public museum, but there’s very little connection between the two. So, we’re not seeing the outcome of that work for our audiences.”
Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia welcomed today’s announcement and labelled it a “backflip”.
“This has been a PR disaster for this Government, they were going to slash and burn jobs and some of the displays. It’s a shame it got to this point but we welcome the backflip by the Government,” he said.
Greens MLC Tammy Franks “cautiously welcomed” the outcome of the Premier’s Review, but said the SARC inquiry would continue to probe the SA Museum.
“This isn’t just about the museum; it is about safeguarding access to vital cultural and scientific resources for generations to come,” she said.
This story has been updated with additional comments from the Liberal and Greens parties
