Appendices
Appendix C Charter of Operations
The Old Parliament House Charter of Operations, which sets out the agency’s obligations and services to the public, is reviewed annually. Table 12 describes performance against the standards set out in the charter for 2008–09.
| Standard | Performance |
|---|---|
| APMC = Australian Prime Ministers Centre, EPBC Act = Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, HOCI = Heads of Cultural Institutions, OPH = Old Parliament House, PACER = Parliamentary and Civics Education Rebate | |
| OPH will provide national leadership within the broader collections sector by: | |
| Working cooperatively with major institutions such as the National Museum, National Archives of Australia, National Film and Sound Archive, and National Library of Australia as appropriate on the implementation of redevelopment initiatives, including Stage Two of the Australian Prime Ministers Centre (APMC) and other initiatives related to its role as a museum of our democratic traditions. | Achieved, as part of the development of the Museum of Australian Democracy. |
| Developing cooperative and complementary collecting arrangements with other key institutions. | Achieved, as part of the development of the Museum of Australian Democracy. |
| Developing key linkages with academia, libraries, research institutions and other bodies with similar interests in our political, parliamentary and social history. | Achieved, as part of the development of the Museum of Australian Democracy. |
| Exchanging information on the operational implications of implementing Heritage Management Plans with other collecting institutions which have EPBC Act requirements and responsibilities. | Achieved through a program of collaborative research programs and conferences. |
| OPH will work collaboratively with the other national collecting institutions to explore operational efficiencies through shared services by: | |
| Working through the Heads of Cultural Institutions (HOCI) and various APMC-related forums to develop a strategic approach to common collection policy and operational issues, including storage, preservation and digitisation. | OPH was an active participant in the discussions and activities of all of these cooperative bodies. |
| Working with the Corporate Management Forum of the Commonwealth Cultural, Collecting and Exhibiting Agencies to explore and implement opportunities for ongoing cooperation between member agencies in areas of common interest, such as corporate services. | |
| Working with the Commonwealth Collecting Institutions Public Program Working Group to explore issues and opportunities that will inform and enhance current program development and delivery and avoid duplication. | |
| OPH will jointly agree on the parameters of its collecting with national collecting institutions and avoid overlap by: | |
| Having a clearly defined and understood collection development policy. | OPH has clearly defined guidelines for the development of its own collection. |
| Working with other cultural institutions through such avenues as HOCI and APMC-related forums to develop a strategic approach to common collection acquisition issues and to avoid areas of potential overlap. | OPH was an active participant in relevant discussions through such forums. |
| OPH will develop frameworks and strategies in conjunction with the national collecting institutions around common areas of collection management by: | |
| Having regard to the findings and recommendations in the Australian National Audit Office report Safe and Accessible National Collections 2004 in developing, maintaining and providing access to its collection. | In addition to having a clearly defined Collection Management Policy, OPH actively participated in consultative discussions on such issues. |
| Working through established networks and working groups covering registration, conservation, security and facilities management to develop, implement and promote strategies that improve the safe and appropriate care of the collection. | |
| OPH will ensure the widest possible access to collections through the development of exhibitions including touring exhibitions, education and public programs by: | |
Researching and mounting innovative and diverse collaborative, in-house and travelling exhibitions across various media focusing on aspects of our social and political history. Exhibitions in 2008–09 include:
|
OPH maintained an active program of collaborative, in-house and travelling exhibitions. |
| OPH will complete the implementation of a package of major redevelopment initiatives, which will: | |
| Deliver a suite of new exhibitions, visitor activities, education and research programs and online services that will allow visitors to explore the past, present and future of Australian democracy. This will include new exhibitions on democracy in the former Parliamentary Library and adjoining spaces, as well as a range of programs that will extend the themes throughout OPH as part of a coherent visitor experience to both the building and its website. | This program was successfully undertaken in 2008–09 and delivered by the May 2009 deadline. |
| As part of these initiatives, OPH will continue development of the Australian Prime Ministers Centre by: | |
| Establishing Stage Two of the APMC, with the research centre and fellows facilities in the south-east (House of Representatives) wing of the building and relocation of the Prime Ministers exhibition to the former Parliamentary Library spaces (most recently occupied by the National Portrait Gallery), and the implementation of a range of associated activities. | Development of the Australian Prime Ministers Centre Stage Two was successfully completed in 2008–09 as part of the development of the museum. |
| OPH will continue to develop and provide Education and Learning programs by a range of initiatives, including: | |
| Providing high-quality, curriculum-based education programs as one of the mandatory destinations for schools/organisations wishing to access the Parliamentary and Civics Education Rebate (PACER). | OPH continued to provide a range of education programs for students, including those from schools visiting Canberra under the PACER scheme, and developed new self-guiding and online education programs as part of the Museum of Australian Democracy initiatives. |
| Developing self-guiding and online education programs for both school students and life-long learners as part of the major redevelopment initiatives. | |
| OPH will continue the implementation of a major Capital Works Program by: | |
| Continuing to carry out its current Capital Works Plan (2007–12), which defines the future direction for capital works at OPH over a five-year period. | OPH continued its program of capital works developments and building maintenance activities. This included the removal of asbestos from, and redevelopment of, the south-east wing of the building. |
| Undertaking a range of upgrading works to improve compliance with the current Building Code of Australia, maximising the area of the building accessible to the public, and facilitating many of the major redevelopment initiatives. Relevant activities include asbestos removal and refurbishment in the south-east (House of Representatives) wing, consistent with the government’s policy for public buildings, and the enhancement of OPH access and storage infrastructure. | |
| Undertaking all works in accordance with the requirements of relevant heritage legislation and the OPH Heritage Management Plan. | All such works were undertaken in compliance with the requirements of the Building Code of Australia, relevant heritage legislation and the Heritage Management Plan. |
| OPH will ensure the widest possible access to collections by undertaking partnerships with other Commonwealth, state, territory and local government agencies by: | |
| Building partnerships and collaborating with relevant agencies with regard to exhibitions, loans programs and events. | OPH through such measures as participating in forums, seeking loans and touring exhibitions built such partnerships in 2008–09. |
| Working cooperatively with key APMC stakeholders to improve access in key collecting institutions with significant prime ministerial collections. | The Australian Prime Ministers Centre worked closely and cooperatively with its stakeholders to achieve this goal. |
| Working through HOCI, participate in the Federated Discovery Service managed by the National Library of Australia. This will enable web users to search for cultural information from the databases of all the national collecting institutions and the Collections Australia Network in a single search. | Old Parliament House continued to work through HOCI, and plans are in place to begin contributing data to the Libraries Australia federated database in the course of 2009–10. |
| OPH will engage strategically with Australian Government and Cultural Ministers Council key initiatives by: | |
| Actively engaging with the Collections Council of Australia through its key programs, initiatives and products as appropriate. | While OPH did not engage directly with the Collections Council of Australia during 2008–09, it participated in a review of the Collections Australia Network, which included examination of the relationship between the network and the Collections Council. |
| Working cooperatively with the minister, relevant areas of the portfolio (including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet), as appropriate, and other national cultural institutions to effectively fulfil OPH’s role as Australia’s major museum of political, parliamentary and social history. | OPH worked closely with its successive ministers and across the portfolio to achieve this goal. It also hosts an annual meeting of representatives from cultural institutions which held prime ministerial material. |
| OPH will undertake activities that will develop stronger links with the broader creative sector and assist it to develop and grow by: | |
| Delivering the APMC’s fellowships and summer scholarships program. This brings both leading and developing scholars to research and source the collections and programs of many of the national collecting institutions, including OPH. Applications for the 2008–09 fellowships and scholarships closed at the end of September 2008. | During the year, holders of 2007–08 fellowships and scholarships completed their associated activities, and recipients of 2008–09 fellowships and scholarships were chosen and announced. All had commenced and completed their projects by 30 June 2009. |