Below is a copy of a recent letter sent by Dr Sue Anderson President, Oral History Australia to the Minister for the Arts, Senator George Brandis regarding the changes to the National Films and Sound Archives.
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Senator the Hon George Brandis QC
Minister for the Arts
Dear Senator Brandis,
It is with great distress that Oral History Australia, the national representative body for oral historians, has learned of the significant cuts to be made at the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA). In particular, we find the termination of one of only two positions dedicated to oral history most alarming, particularly when the Oral History Program has just completed its most productive year on record.
One of the five main aims of Oral History Australia, as stated on our website, is to ‘foster preservation, access and use of oral history collections.’ The removal of the Melbourne Manager of the Oral History Program flies in the face of this aim and therefore we must protest it most strongly.
In addition, we oppose the absorption of the Oral History Program from the NFSA’s curatorial umbrella into a communications section of the organisation where we believe its effectiveness as a Program will be significantly diminished. Currently the Program has been commissioning in excess of 100 new interviews each year and running parallel transcription and digital preservation programs for the Oral History Collection. It is not possible to see how the NFSA can sustain its commitment to these important levels, and indeed to the discipline of Oral History generally, with the reduced staffing and revised status.
Further, Oral History Australia condemns the failure to provide transparency by releasing the Business Review that has led to these decisions.
We therefore request the following:
- Immediate public release of the Loebenstein NFSA Business Review to enable its contents to be analysed, discussed and where necessary contested by those inside and outside the NFSA affected by its decision; and
- Your agreement that the NFSA will at the earliest possible opportunity convene a properly publicised open forum or series of fora in the major capitals to enable a full public discussion of these matters wherein those proposing the changes, and in the case of the NFSA Board, supporting their implementation, publicly defend and explain them. Such discussion should take place before final decisions on terminations, sackings and personnel restructures come into effect.
Thank you for your consideration,
Yours sincerely,
Dr Sue Anderson
President, Oral History Australia
cc. The Hon Mark Dreyfus, Opposition Spokesperson for the Arts
cc. Senator Christine Milne, Leader of the Greens
Mr Michael Loebenstein, Chief Executive Officer, NFSA
Ms Gabrielle Trainor, Chair, NFSA Board
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