JOHN FAULKNER: Well ladies and gentlemen, thanks very much for coming along today to old Parliament House. Very pleased to be joined here by the director of old Parliament House, Jenny Anderson and I'm especially delighted to say I'm also joined by the newly appointed chair of old Parliament House's advisory committee, William McInnes and William is taking over from the former chair, the - Doug Anthony, who of course you would all know served as deputy Prime Minister of Australia. And I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Doug for the work that he has done in steering the future of this great heritage building.
William joins us at a time of very exciting developments here at old Parliament House. You'll of course know him from his screen and TV work and, of course, his writing. He's won AFI and Logie awards, was named Australian Newcomer of the Year at the 2006 Australian Book Industry Awards and delivered the John Batman Oration in 2007 on what it means to be an Australian.
And, he's also, of course, recently depicted on screen the great Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin. And he, himself, has a very deep interest in Australian history and our democracy. And I very sincerely, William, welcome you on board.
And, I must say William, you've got a big job because this is very much a period of transition for old Parliament House. From May we are going to see a new focus here with the launch of the Museum of Australian Democracy here at Old Parliament House. And this building, the interim parliament that served as Australia's Parliament for more than 60 years is such an important forum of our national democracy. So, I'm - there is really no better place to tell that story of our democracy. The idea has been underdevelopment since the National Portrait Gallery signalled it was going to move to those new premises down the road. But the redevelopment will include new exhibitions in the parliamentary library using interactive technology and displays and revamping other areas of Old Parliament House as well.
And I can assure you though that care will be taken and has been taken to ensure the unique historic and architectural integrity of this great place is maintained.
It'll encourage people to participate in and understand our democracy by showing that democracy is about ordinary people using their voice to do extraordinary things. Visitors will discover that democracy isn't just about words on a page or numbers on a ballot paper, but a day-to-day lived experience.
So, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me very great pleasure to introduce to you William McInnes, the new chair of the Old Parliament House Advisory Committee.
[Applause]
WILLIAM MCINNES: Thank you. It's very generous of you. Thank you Senator Faulkner. It's a real treat for me to be offered and to accept this position. And I'd also like to just echo the Senator's words concerning Doug Anthony. He's been marvellous serving to the Australian public and I'd like to thank him for the work he did with Old Parliament House.
I came to this place years ago when it wasn't the Old Parliament House and it was the Parliament House on a school trip from Queensland years ago and it was in the middle of winter and we were all dressed up like we were off to a Frankie Avalon ski movie meet or something like that, because we were all wore parkers and jumpers and our best woollens and we travelled for about 48 hours in an old bus down here. And this was our first port of call on our trip. And it was a fantastic sight, because we were supposed to meet our local member of parliament who wasn't here, he was doing politician's business, but in his place was a large tray of sandwiches. And to me, that's always been a fond memory of this place.
[Laughter]
But for, you know, it was one of the gifts of democracy if you like. But for some of us, you know the heady taste of democracy proved too much and sadly a lot of the contents of - ended out there on the lawn, which wasn't very edifying, but it's a memory indeed I hold.
The exciting thing about being asked to be a part of the rebirth, if you like, of this place is that there will be a continuation of the heritage and historical value of Old Parliament House as an iconic building of Australia's history. But, the rebirth is that there'll be this exciting gift to the Australian people of a museum of democracy. And it will not only celebrate Australia's democracy, it will place Australia's democracy in relation to the history of democracy. It'll be a place, I think, where Australians can come and renew their knowledge of our history and be inspired and be challenged in many ways by the new museum's exhibits. I've seen a few of them this morning and they're exciting. It's a museum which won't lecture people, it won't talk down to people, it'll be a museum and a place that will invite people and inspire people. And that is something, when in an uncertain world, where every day we see new upheaval, that we can celebrate Australia's history as one of the most stable and the longest existing democracies in our world. We may be a young nation, but our democracy is an old one by world standards. And that's something to celebrate.
As my father always said, you can't just take democracy for granted, you've got to look after it like it's a garden, you've got to cherish a bit. Because if you don't look after it, weeds will grow and you won't be able to function in it anymore.
So in a small way, I'm very, very excited and terribly honoured and flattered to be taking on this new role.
Now, I'd like to invite Jenny Anderson, the director of Old Parliament House to give you more detailed and a much more clear picture of the exciting happenings which will seen here.
Jenny?
[Applause]
JENNY ANDERSON: Thank you Senator Faulkner and William McInnes and thank you for coming today.
The announcement of the Museum of Australian Democracy is a long-term strategy to enhance the role of Old Parliament House. Some of you may already know, but for the last three years, we have been under intense preparation preparing for this exciting new venture into our plans for the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House.
The opening of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House comes at a time when recently news poll research shows that 94 per cent of all adult Australians value living in a democratic society, but only 76 per cent of Australians actually understand the relevance of democracy to their everyday life.
This has demonstrated to us a very clear need for a place where Australians can think about democracy and understand how democratic principles connect all facets of their life, from their own personal values to way that they interact with their family and their local community.
This announcement today means that come 9 May, visitors will not only be able to continue to enjoy the history and the heritage of the house, but they will also be able to celebrate, debate and experience the past, present and future of our democracy.
So to celebrate this significant moment in the history of Old Parliament House, we are launching today a national campaign entitled, 'What's on your Mind?' This campaign will engage Australians in the democratic process in a fun and entertaining way. The What's on Your Mind campaign will use the tools of democracy, of free media, electoral process and a civil society to inspire Australians to get involved, to be heard, and to make a mark on current and future democracy.
We encourage you to visit the website www.whatsonyourmind.moad.gov.au, a very long website name, to take part in this fun and exciting campaign. And we look forward to seeing you back on 8 May in the House of Representatives Chamber to witness a well known - a debate with well known Australian personalities chosen by the Australian public and debating a social and cultural topic also chosen by the Australian public.
Thank you for coming today.
Senator Faulkner now has time for some questions and I think William might have some time too, if - so I'll hand over to questions.
QUESTION: Senator, [indistinct] hearing about the value of democracy, [indistinct]. Can you tell us some of the areas [indistinct].
JOHN FAULKNER: It's very hard to answer that question without being political. But I'll tell you very seriously one way, and that obviously is to ensure that Australians, particularly - particularly young Australians, have more of an understanding about how their democracy works. And that's a really critical role I believe that Old Parliament House can play.
I in fact saw, Matthew, in your newspaper this morning, a story about concerns about school students who had an inability to - to understand - knowledge of and understanding of some of the key features and functions of the Parliament. And, of course, here at Old Parliament House we have a unique opportunity, and with the changes that we're talking about today, an enhanced opportunity for school students, school tours, families, to visit this place and really improve and enhance their understanding of how our democracy works.
And that's one of the really critical reasons that extending Old Parliament House as a museum for Australian democracy is going to have a positive impact. And it's going to extend the teaching tools for schools right across Australia on that critically important issue of civics education.
So, I hope, in answer to your question, I haven't given you an answer full of political spin. But it's a serious - it's a serious issue you raise and I think it's important for all of us to understand the critical role this building, this place, can have in that task.
QUESTION: Senator - Senator, I wonder what kind of museum you envisage this place becoming. Whether it will embrace the kind of very colourful storytelling that other national institutions, like the museum - National Museum does, or whether it'll be a more, you know, brand (*) nation-building kind of institution.
JOHN FAULKNER: Well, I might ask Jenny to outline to you some of the plans that the advisory council are - have considered and approved. And I think when she does that that you'll - you will accept that it's going to be a very new and unique experience for those that visit the building.
But it might be best, Jenny, if you wouldn't mind just outlining some of those - some of those places in some detail.
JENNY ANDERSON: I might just give you a couple of examples of a couple of themes that we're taking on board with the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House.
And you will recall the former parliamentary library area. That was formerly the home of the National Portrait Gallery. We're in the process of installing quite a number of exhibitions in there. One of those exhibitions will be more than 2000 years in the making. And that's telling the story of how our democracy initiated right back through the origins of Greek democracy.
And you will recall William mentioned about putting our Australian democracy in the context of the international terms. That exhibition will be a timeline where you can explore all the depths of our democracy from those very early days, right through to our contemporary democracy. It'll be very much based on multi-media, so we're certainly focusing on being interactive and using innovative technology.
Another area to - which is currently being developed, will be called Living Democracy: the Power of the People. And I think this is a very important issue in our contemporary democracy. This exhibition will be based on the idea that a living democracy is what we actually do. It will deal with how and why Australians practise and engage with their democracy on an every day basis.
In this exhibition, visitors will be able to discover what democracy means to them personally and it will explore how Australians use their voice in democracy and what inspires them. And that's a very contemporary way of looking at our democracy today.
Another interesting feature - and I'm not going to go through all the themes, but just to give you a bit of a taste of what's in store. And the working title for this is Decision Theatres. And I can give you an example of the current Cabinet Room, how we're going to use that to be a very interactive experience.
We're going to actually have what we're going to call a Cabinet in Confidence session in the Cabinet Room. And in that context you will be able to explore decision-making, decisions that governments made previously and how they affect our lives today. And that's an area where we haven't been able to explore into before and I think you'll find that that's going to be a very interactive session as well.
We'll also have a children's exhibition, which will focus on those early learnings that we need to - to put through to our children on civics and citizenship and how their voices can be heard. And that's going to have a very interactive feel to it as well.
You will recall that we opened the Australian Prime Minister's Centre in 2007. The actual exhibition part of that centre will also move across to this area under the theme of Leadership. That exhibition has been very popular. It will be expanded and will be very prominent in that area as well.
Our Prime Minister's Research Centre will move across to the refurbished South-East Wing, the House of Representatives Wing, which many of you would have seen at the moment is under a large refurbishment program. And that will also be completed by May. And that also has our academic and scholarly focus to it as well.
So, I think you can see from that there'll be a very wide range of exhibitions, so that there will be a whole journey through Old Parliament House that you can take. There will be things for people of all ages. It's not just children, it's not just adults; it'll be a whole spectrum. There will be activities for groups, for our school children.
We currently have 80,000 school children coming through here a year. We're certainly enhancing those education programs and that'll go a long way towards what Senator Faulkner just spoke to you about, that understanding our democracy and civics and citizenship for our school children. So, we'll certainly have a very wide range of programs and we'll gradually be releasing more details on those as we go along.
We do have today, if you can view following this press conference, is some very special objects that we know we will have on display in some of those exhibitions. And we have some of our curators standing by to talk to you about those as well.
Thank you.
QUESTION: [Indistinct] Labor promised at the last election [indistinct] standing cutbacks [indistinct]. Have you done that?
JOHN FAULKNER: Well, I'm always reluctant, as you may or may not know, to - I'm a bit old-fashioned about this. I tend not, too often, to speak outside areas of my own ministerial responsibility. But given you've so generously asked, let me - let me do so, because I've had an interest in this area, of course, for a long period of time.
I did have an opportunity to read the article in today's Press about estimates based on contracts which are entered into the AusTender website. My understanding is that AusTender records all data regarding contracts that have been entered into, not actual expenditure. And I think you'll find that some of the consultancy contracts entered into may span over the financial year period into the next year before all work and payments are complete. So, I've got to be careful here about drawing comparisons, as you'd appreciate.
What I can say to you, and I've said it before, publicly and in the Parliament, is that the Government is very committed to reducing government waste and inefficiencies, which I certainly believe flourished during the life of the Howard Government, across a range of areas such as government advertising, property procurement, IT, travel, use of consultants and the like. And I think - I think that's just a matter of public record. And my colleague, the Minister for Finance, has also responded to the - this issue.
I do make the point, of course, that I think the best way of drawing a complete picture on the issue of consultants will be by a close and thorough examination of the full record in relation to those matters, which of course appears in the annual report of, the annual reports of all agencies.
QUESTION: Senator, I've got a question that I think is in your portfolio…
JOHN FAULKNER: Sure.
QUESTION: With the…
JOHN FAULKNER: I'm happy to try and answer that one too.
QUESTION: …with the global financial crisis, and, you know, the government, the government [indistinct] - do you see that there's a possibility that the government might have to reduce the size of the public service?
And do you think that there is an argument for another special efficiency dividend in the coming year?
JOHN FAULKNER: Well of course there is a tie in between your, your question and the previous question that I was asked; because it is important to remember that the government has significantly reduced the available funding for consultants - and a range of other services - as a result of the increase in the efficiency dividend.
And I think the, the two things are related.
As you'd appreciate - in the, in relation to the first element of your question - as you'd appreciate the government is in the preparatory stages of its budget deliberations now, and, while I can't give you a particular insight into the nature of those deliberations, I can obviously assure you that, that as you saw in the last budget, if there were any reductions in the size of the public service, and in some agencies they, there were - you saw a, the establishment of a career service transition centre which is operated by the Australian Public Service Commission, and while it currently has, I think it's fair to say, a minimal workload - the work of that service goes on.
But these are matters that my colleagues in the Expenditure Review Committee of Cabinet will address in the lead up to, to the budget, as is, as is always the case, as every Commonwealth program is examined in the budget context.
QUESTION: If public service departments are having their funding reduced [indistinct] efficiency dividend, is there any risk that that would make them less able to provide this sort of information, and then hence the government needing to, you know, engage more consultants?
JOHN FAULKNER: No. I don't, I don't draw that link. I've made the point that, that the efficiency dividend is not unrelated to the issue of consultants. Because of course, as you would understand, if a government significantly, or significantly reduces or reduces available funding by, through an efficiency dividend, or by increasing the efficiency dividend that has occurred previously, that obviously has an impact on the capacity of, of an agency to, to fund the procurement of such consultants.
That was the point I was trying to make.
QUESTION: What's your response to criticism that the government's overlooking the public service to use consultants?
JOHN FAULKNER: Oh look, I don't, I don't accept that criticism. I've said often, very clearly and publicly, how much the government values the Australian public service and the Australian public servants.
And, and I believe that is well understood, and well acknowledged.
I think the current government, and previous governments, have been very very well served by the Australian public service.
It is certainly appreciated by me. I think it is appreciated by all members of the current government, and it is a long-standing and bipartisan tradition in the Australian public service.
QUESTION: This will be a question for William.
WILLIAM MCINNESS: For me?
QUESTION: Yeah, for you.
QUESTION: I've got one for him too.
[Laughter]
WILLIAM MCINNESS: [Indistinct] public service.
QUESTION: Just in relation to your [indistinct]. How hands on do you think you will be with this, changing to the museum democracy, say will you be reprising your role as Curtin for the exhibition?
WILLIAM MCINNESS: I plan on doing a…
QUESTION: [Indistinct].
WILLIAM MCINNESS: Do I have to do that. My voice carries.
Right, okay. Yes, yes, of course. Yes, no, I plan to do a Wednesday matinee performance, about 45 minutes and I'll do a little act of all the prime ministers - naked, if that'll bring people here to celebrate democracy, then [laughter], that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for Old Parliament Hou… no, I'll be - no, the nuts and bolts work are done by people like Jenny and her fantastic staff - Katie, Andrew, and I'm just privileged to be a part of that.
And, I'm very happy to help in any way I can.
QUESTION: My question was, just, you gave that anecdote of when you came here from school…
WILLIAM MCINNESS: Yes.
QUESTION: …[indistinct], because this place was alive with politicians at the time; it wasn't a museum.
What are your recollections of what you actually…
WILLIAM MCINNESS: What I ate? I didn't go near the beef sandwich that made the girl I was very keen on sick.
QUESTION: And also…
WILLIAM MCINNESS: Not to trust the sandwiches that are made from beef here. No, sorry, go on.
QUESTION: …also, what is your view about the level of consciousness among young people today about civics, [indistinct] because I understand you're a father yourself - what do you - what, do you agree with what the Senator was saying earlier that there's a, there might be a [indistinct]?
WILLIAM MCINNESS: Well I don't know about there being a deficiency, but there's I think always a need for everybody, no matter whatever our age, no matter whatever part of life you may be from; to re-acquaint yourself with history.
Because without knowing where you've come from, you've probably got a fair chance of mucking up where you might be heading.
I think that - it's not just kids who need to learn more about Australia, or think more about Australia; it's all of us; all of us - from the Governor General down.
So I think a place like the Old Parliament House and the Museum for Democracy is a real chance to reinvigorate that, that excitement of learning; that it's not a finger wagging exercise, it's an adventure through Australian democracy.
And, you know, it hasn't always worked smoothly, and that's the great thing about the museum. It'll portray that.
But it's an exciting adventure. And it's something to really be proud of, I think. And to celebrate, not to get self-righteous about, but to celebrate. And that's really, I think, the great thing about, about this place.
And when I first came here, it was, it was like a hub. It was sort of exciting to come here. It wasn't sort of, it was exciting. This was the place where things had, were done. And this is, I guess, if you like, the tangible evidence of the struggles that Australians had, had gone through to give us democracy. This was a tangible bricks and mortar example of, of democracy.
And so I don't think you can sort of just wipe it away and, you know, sneer at it and say it doesn't matter, because it does, more than I think we realise sometimes.
QUESTION: William, what age were you first interested in politics or democracy? And, was there a point in your life that you remember becoming more interested [indistinct] process, and was that [indistinct] a particular issue?
WILLIAM MCINNESS: I can remember - I lost interest in politics very early on in life, because, I was often asked to hand out how to vote cards, and, I was never very great at that. We used to be given sort of handfuls of them and they turned into Ninja stars after a while. We were flicking them here and there, and, you know - but I tell you one thing, I mean, I do love democracy, I do love an election.
And I can remember the last federal election, was just that reaffirmation of - I come from a family that loved any sort of election, because my father and my mother always said it was a celebration of all the struggles that this country had been through.
And I tell you, there's nothing greater than to wander off to vote I think, and then smell the sausage sizzle and have a chat with all the candidates, and to see how; there's no real animosity, the people out there exercising their right. And it's a great thing that I think we take for granted, because, in many respects we're a very fortunate people; that we do have that chance to exercise that right in peace and freedom. And, it's a wonderful thing, and I think that is what the Museum of Democracy will celebrate, hopefully.
QUESTION: And do you think that's what, why we do take it for granted, or people can take it for granted; is because we have it so good?
WILLIAM MCINNESS: Well, not, we don't all have it good. I mean, life's a struggle for lots of people. You can't just make a general assessment like that I think.
But I, I think when we get on with living, we forget to remember what's important, and that can be all sorts of things. It can, can be just looking out for the person next to you; it can be forgetting, about, to say goodbye to your kids in the morning; it can be as simple as that.
But I think, as I said, you don't need to sort of get down and whip yourself into a frenzy of, this is wonderful, we're so lucky, aren't we great. It's just a moment, a chance, that some people strive all their lives for, to say, this is something that we should, should cherish.
* * End * *
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