| Senator Joe Ludwig Cabinet Secretary Special Minister of State |
The Hon Duncan Kerr SC MP |
The Hon Dick Adams MP |
Julie Collins MPMember for Franklin |
Senator Carol Brown |
05/2010
23 February 2010
The Rudd Government today announced the National Archives of Australia will maintain face-to-face services in Hobart.
“Australia’s National Archives play a vital role in keeping the political, social and cultural history of Australia alive,” the Minister with responsibility for the National Archives, Senator Joe Ludwig, said.
“The Rudd Government has listened to community concerns, and the National Archives will maintain a local presence in each state and territory.”
Member for Lyons, Dick Adams, welcomed the news, saying today’s announcement coincides with Shake Your Family Tree Day, a National Archives initiative to encourage more Australians to explore their family history.
“Instead of closing the Hobart office, the Government will work to co-locate with similar institutions,” Mr Adams said.
“This will enable the National Archives to continue to provide high quality services in Hobart for all Tasmanians,” Member for Franklin, Julie Collins, said.
“This is a good outcome for Tasmania. In particular, the Hobart office holds locally significant information about Australian Antarctic missions.”
The National Archives has already begun looking at options for co-location with local institutions.
“Co-location will help put the National Archives on a sustainable footing for the long term, while maintaining face-to-face services in Tasmania,” Senator Carol Brown said.
“The reality is that our society is changing and more people are using the internet to search for records,” Senator Ludwig said.
“Last financial year there were only 635 visits to the Hobart reading room compared to 22,290 visits nationally, while more than 1.9 million records were accessed online.”
“Today’s announcement is great news for the many academics, researchers and other interested groups who use the Archives to search for information pertaining to our rich history,” Member for Denison, Duncan Kerr, said.
Similar arrangements will be put in place in Adelaide and Darwin, and I will encourage other National Archives Offices to consider options for co-location.
| Media Contacts: | Website: |
|---|---|
| Senator Ludwig's Office - Sarah Cosson - 0423 823 843 | www.cabinetsecretary.gov.au www.smos.gov.au |
| Dick Adams’ Office - Dee Alty - 0438 981 175 | |
| Julie Collins’ Office - Lisa Mycko - 0409 584 840 | |
| Carol Brown’s Office - Brenton West - 0439 816 238 | |
| Duncan Kerr’s Office - Ben McKay - 0400 101 847 |