Parliamentary Committees

Social Development Committee: Petition No. 60, 2024, South Australian Museum

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (16:28): I move:

That the report of the committee on Petition No. 60, 2024, on the South Australian Museum, be noted.

Petition No. 60 of 2024 was presented to the House of Assembly by the Hon. John Gardner on 28 August 2024. It sought an inquiry into governance, staffing, budgetary and other matters related to the SA Museum and its administration. The House of Assembly sent the petition to the Social Development Committee for its consideration.

The Social Development Committee received the petition on 5 June 2025, and the committee noted in its consideration of the petition that the Premier, the Hon. Peter Malinauskas, established an independent review of the South Australian Museum in April 2024 to inquire into the proposed restructure of the SA Museum and to examine the options going forward. The review panel reported on 19 September 2024, making six recommendations, all of which were accepted by the SA government, I am advised.

Following this review and the recommendations made, the South Australian government made commitments to support the SA Museum in developing its future strategy and committed $4.1 million of funds over two years. During the time the independent review panel was inquiring into the SA Museum, the Statutory Authorities Review Committee resolved on 13 May 2024 to inquire into and report on the SA Museum and Art Gallery of South Australia. The SARC inquiry addressed other aspects of the SA Museum's administration, such as the role of the SA Museum Board, the funding program and the involvement of the community in the SA Museum's future.

The SARC tabled its report on 19 August 2025, making nine recommendations to assist the SA Museum in the future. The committee reviewed those two preceding inquiries, the recommendations made and the SA government's commitment to the future of the Museum. The committee determined that the terms for the inquiry requested by petition 60 of 2024 have been properly considered and addressed in the reports and recommendations of the preceding two inquiries and will not be further inquiring into the matter. I commend to the house the 50^th report of the Social Development Committee.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. D.G.E. Hood.