‘It’s a cultural thing – isn’t it?‘ Inside Story, 5 September 2018
A parliamentary inquiry seems to be carefully avoiding the real challenge for Australia’s national museums, archives and libraries … [The inquiry by the Joint Committee on the National Capital and External Territories] is not primarily about funding at all — and certainly not about budget funding. It is about getting tourists into Canberra, “bums on seats” at travelling roadshows, and eyeballs in front of computer screens — and doing so while limiting as far as possible the calls on the budget …
Under cover of talking about tourism in Canberra, the inquiry really seems to be about pressuring institutions to bag more corporate dollars. Least of all is it about quality service and cultural heritage.