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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-30 Daily Xml
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SOCIAL HISTORY MUSEUM

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (12:13): I move:

That this house urges the state government to create a social history museum in Adelaide to showcase the social, political and economic achievements of South Australians.

Members will be aware that this has been a bit of a hobbyhorse of mine for a while because, sadly, we do not have a comprehensive social history museum in Adelaide to serve not just Adelaide but the whole of South Australia. We have an excellent Migration Museum, but that has a particular focus and there is no reason why that could not be part of a bigger, broader social history museum. Some members would recall that Old Parliament House used to be a constitutional museum. That has since gone. In South Australia we have so many fantastic achievements to be proud of. We also have a lot of artefacts that are currently not on display, including the first printing press used here in Adelaide. That is in storage, and there are a lot of other things.

I will not go through the list of what we have achieved, because I have canvassed some of it before, but I would have thought that the government would be particularly keen to showcase some of the achievements in this state in relation to Australia: the legalisation of trade unions, 1876; the first juvenile court; adult women given the right to vote and to stand as members of parliament, 1894; the establishment of the public housing authority, 1936; the first police force in Australia, 1838; the first state to grant adult male suffrage, including to Aboriginal men, 1856.

On television last night, a new program about public speaking (which I would give a mixed rating) made reference to Aboriginal people getting the vote, and the wrong date of 1965 was given instead of 1967. South Australia actually gave Aboriginal men the right to vote in 1856. That is how progressive we were. The other states would not agree when we had federation. They wanted to continue discriminating. We gave Aboriginal women the right to vote at the same time as we gave non-Aboriginal women the right to vote in 1894. So we were leading Australia, and in many respects leading the world, with a whole range of achievements.

In regard to agriculture, things like the stump jump plough were developed here, and at dear old Woodville the photocopier was developed; that is where it came from. Xerography—that is what xerox took its name from, the photocopier was developed in South Australia. The stripper harvester was developed here by John Ridley; the first metal mine in Australia was opened at Glen Osmond in 1841; the first Lutheran service; the first non-English language newspaper in Australia Die Deutsche Post für die Australischen Colonien, 1848; first branch outside London of the YMCA; the first public animal-powered railway in Australia, connecting Goolwa and Port Elliot, 1854.

We developed the secret ballot here. We take that for granted, but that was created here in South Australia and adopted around the world. We introduced, or put a ban on, plural voting in 1856 (although sometimes I think there may be people in the cemetery who are still voting); no property qualification for members of the House of Assembly, that was 1856, and a relatively low property qualification for members of the Legislative Council. We were the first Australian colony to have parliaments elected for three-year terms, and our constitution is considered to be one of the most democratic in the world, ahead of other Australian colonies, the United Kingdom and most European countries.

The Real Property Act was passed in 1858 and developed by R.R. Torrens, who was a member of parliament; the Sisters of St Joseph, the first entirely Australian order of nuns, was founded by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods at Penola in 1866; first croquet club in Australia, 1867—something I am looking forward to playing one day; it is a bit too vigorous for me at the moment, but I will train and get used to croquet one day—the first chamber of manufactures in Australia, 1869; first Australian capital city to be connected by telegraph; and, as I said before, the first part of the commonwealth, the British Empire as it was, to legalise trade unions; and so the list goes on. The first state secondary school for girls in Australia opened in Adelaide, the Advanced School for Girls; and the University of Adelaide was the first university in Australia to admit women to degrees in 1880.

We have some fantastic things to tell the world, not only for tourists but also for the local community. If you do not acknowledge your history I believe you do not have much of a future, because you can learn from history. We should be developing a knowledge in our citizens, and making tourists aware, of the great achievements—and I could go on and on.

There are so many other things where we led not only Australia but the world. Catherine Helen Spence was the first woman in Australia to participate in an official commission. The first juvenile court was set up in 1890. In 1897, Catherine Helen Spence was Australia's first woman political candidate. It is rather appropriate that we notice that, given the recent convergence of the female governor-general and a female prime minister.

The list goes on and on. The first crematorium in Australia at West Terrace was established in 1903; the first driver's licence was issued in 1906; and the first women police were appointed in 1915, the first in the British Empire to be appointed on an equal basis with men, including equal pay for women police. That was 1915—how's that for a first? As I say, the list goes on and on.

I did mention earlier the development of xerography, using liquid developer. We should mention people who invented it in 1952: Ken Metcalfe and Bob Wright of the Defence Standards Laboratory. I do not think I need to list all of these. If members want the list, they are more than welcome to have one.

I noticed that, looking at the paper back in July, the member for Florey brought back to Adelaide a piece of history—an historic grille from the suffragette museum. As a place that led the world, and certainly Australia, in terms of facilitating female participation, we could certainly find a place for something like that in a comprehensive museum here.

If you travel around the world—and I have done some travelling but not a lot—in New Zealand you will find that Christchurch, which has only half the population of Adelaide, has a social history museum. If you go Wellington, they have a fantastic social history museum. Wherever you go in the world you will find that most modern societies have a comprehensive social history museum.

The one in Wellington is fantastic; if you ever go there have a look. Just up the road is their huge national museum, which includes a focus on natural history and social history. In their specific Wellington Museum every year is documented, and they also acknowledge the contribution of the Maori people to what is now New Zealand.

My dream is to have a museum where we acknowledge not only what has happened since the official settlement here, but also the contribution and the ongoing culture of Aboriginal people. I think it would be fantastic if we had a really large-scale museum which could showcase all of those things. We can acknowledge the contribution of people who have come here as migrants, we can acknowledge the people who were born here, we can acknowledge the people who have invented and developed things, and we can acknowledge the people who have been innovative.

I do not think all South Australians appreciate how progressive our society was—and it was not always realised. Even in the attitude towards and treatment of Aboriginal people the official policy was one of tolerance and acceptance. It was not always practised, we know that. However, I would like to see a social history museum which brings together all those various facets: Aboriginal history stretching back 40,000 to 50,000 years; the involvement of Europeans, as migrants or as those born here but descended from migrants; and so on.

We have a fantastic message to give. When people come here that is what they want to see. They want to have a look at what has made South Australia the place it is today. I think it is time, and I would urge the government—sure, maybe in this budget things are a bit tight—to start planning for a museum that is reflective of our wonderful heritage, and let's showcase it and show the world what has been achieved here, so that we can all look to the future, so the future can be based on an understanding of what has been achieved here in the past. I commend the motion to the house.

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (12:25): I move to amend the motion as follows:

That this house notes the state government is considering better ways of promoting the social, political and economic achievements of South Australians.

The idea of a social history museum has merit, and I have heard the member for Fisher talk about a lot of his ideas in this area. I remember agreeing with him that there needed to be a place, for example, to showcase the fantastic political cartoonists we have not only in South Australia but in Australia, and there needs to be some thought put into that showcasing. I also have great dreams of museums I would like to have seen in the past. I have to confess that I was part of a submission writing team—largely unsuccessful, I might add—that wanted to establish a Labor history museum.

I also share with the member for Florey the idea and also the proposal that we have a suffrage museum to commemorate the fantastic achievements, particularly with regard to women and our indigenous Aboriginal people getting the vote. It would be very good to have such a museum, and I am sure the member for Florey will speak to this herself. It may be that such a museum needs to be a national museum located in South Australia. We all have lots of plans and lots of dreams, but I just wonder where the funding would come from.

I am very proud of our own state museum. Certainly, the current director and her predecessor were very keen to make sure that our state museum—the South Australian Museum—was more accessible and had more flexibility regarding the exhibits and exhibitions held there. I have been very proud (probably infrequently) to be a Friend of the South Australian Museum, as I know a number of other people in this place are. With the progressive leadership we have in the state museum at the moment, this is something we should strive for.

In absolutely agreeing with the member for Fisher's views about social history, particularly our own South Australian social history, being commemorated, it seems to me that we already have venues that can do that and have done that in many instances, but there is always room for improvement. We also have three other excellent museums that come to mind: the Migration Museum, the South Australian Maritime Museum and the National Motor Museum, all managed by History SA, which cares for the state's history collection and interprets them for the public's enjoyment and appreciation.

The Migration Museum at Kintore Avenue, which is very close to my heart, opened in 1986 as a social history museum focused on the preservation, documentation and interpretation of South Australia's diverse cultures. It is a place where people can discover the many identities of the people of South Australia through the stories of individuals and communities and explore why people choose to come to South Australia—who came, how they came, what they brought with them and the effect immigration has had on people who were already living here.

The museum houses a number of permanent exhibitions on immigration and the settlement history of South Australia, and it has a collection that is particularly rich in documents and textiles. Featuring a number of hands-on displays, the main galleries take visitors from pre-European Australia to the present day through a range of personal stories and engaging objects that highlight the many different cultures that comprise our community.

In addition, the museum hosts and develops the changing exhibitions and public programs. The museum is a respected institution in the South Australian community, and it has been a key destination for both overseas and interstate visitors with approximately 159,000 people visiting the museum in the 2008-09 financial year. I think that we really do need to congratulate the Migration Museum.

I have been to a number of fantastic exhibitions just recently: Home is Where the Heart Is; The Migration of Ideas: It's All Greek to Me; and Remember the Holocaust. Some of the permanent exhibitions at the museum include Impact: An Illustrated Aboriginal History; The Memorial Wall; and Immigration and Settlement in South Australia.

In the short time I have left, I would like to talk about the South Australian Maritime Museum, which was also established in 1986. Its purpose was to collect, preserve and promote the state's maritime history. The South Australian Maritime Museum is located close to the sea in the heart of historic Port Adelaide—an area that I grew up in, so I feel very close to the Maritime Museum.

The museum has a number of different exhibitions. Most recently, minister Gail Gago from the other place, the member for Florey and I had the benefit of going to see the wonderful exhibition by Mark Thomson. I am not sure of his title, but I think that it might be vice-chancellor of the Institute of Backyard Studies. His exhibition looked at the lost tools of that infamous South Australian Henry Hoke. I have been to a number of other exhibitions there, which have included Dolphins: The Port River Pod; Action Stations! The Navy and South Australia; and Wrecked! Tragedy and the Southern Seas. So, the museum has hosted a wide variety of exhibitions. I am told that more than 74,000 visitors went to the Maritime Museum in 2008-09; so, again, a very impressive number of people have used that space.

Also, if people are interested and they do come from a migrant family (as I do), they can look up the ships that have come to South Australia and the passenger lists. I was very pleased to identify members of my family and my husband's family on different ships and to see their names.

There is also the National Motor Museum, which was established in a disused flour mill in 1965 at Birdwood. Many of us have had the opportunity to go there. It was acquired by the South Australian government in 1976 and houses the most important collection of motor transport history in Australia. There is a rumour that the Florey mobile is going to the National Motor Museum, so I think that will be quite exciting for us politicians.

It is also an international centre for collection, research and preservation, education and display of road transport history. Obviously, it is much more than a collection of vehicles; it has a social history about the way we were, the way we are now and perhaps the way we will be in the future. The National Motor Museum is the recognised centre in Australia for research, recording, and the preservation of aspects of Australia's motor road transport history with a collection of almost 400 cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles—and soon, as I said, the Florey mobile. This is one of the areas I think we should look at. I am told that 67,900 people visited the museum in 2008-09—again, another fantastic use of that venue. People who are interested in our state's history are also invited to check out the History SA website for information about the changing exhibitions and events in our wonderful museums.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (12:35): I take this opportunity to add to the debate today. As the member for Ashford alluded to, we are busy looking to establish a museum of suffrage and democracy. We think a national museum is in order and we very much think it should be here in Adelaide. I would like to put on record my thanks both to the Speaker and the Clerk of the House who have been absolutely instrumental in managing to get a portion of the grille from Westminster Palace in London which, as we all know now, was the scene in the Ladies' Gallery in the House of Commons where our own South Australian woman Muriel Matters chained herself.

Muriel Matters became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons and, to have that piece of history here in South Australia, is the beginning or the nucleus of a very important collection that we can establish here in South Australia. It is vital, particularly now that the Australian Electoral Commission has closed its education centres in both Adelaide and Melbourne so there is nowhere you can go now to learn about our system of democracy and voting.

I think a museum of suffrage and democracy lends itself to having a home here in South Australia. Once its home is here, it is vital that there are moving collections going around Australia all the time so that the message of how parliament works and why it is relevant is made known to everybody. The State Library does a marvellous job with lots of history around South Australia, and the National Archives, I think, is a collection that very few people know about and use.

Mentioning the National Maritime Museum, the clipper ship the City of Adelaide will be coming home to South Australia, and down at Port Adelaide that is going to be a marvellous new place to visit South Australian history. It may be that our museum of suffrage and democracy can be associated with that—there is not much room left on North Terrace, I guess is my point. We really need a home and 'build it and they will come' I think is the next thing that follows on there. With those remarks, I support the amendment.

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (12:38): I indicate that I do not support the amendment. I will not be calling for a vote on it, but I think that the mover's motion should stand and that the actual creation and getting on with having a history museum is what is required, not just further consideration. The government has had eight years to consider this matter. While I am heartened by other speakers to consider aspects that they still want to pursue, we need to have some action.

In the event that a social history museum is established, I would commend, as other speakers have, the incorporation of the outstanding achievements in our political history, including women's representation. I simply add that, if that is to be under the consideration of the present government, they should ensure that they include the Hon. Joyce Steele whose very portrait graces our chamber here in the Versace blue—a former member for Burnside and first female member of the House of Assembly in 1959. In addition to that—

Ms Bedford interjecting:

Ms CHAPMAN: Actually I don't think Amanda's blue is quite the same, so I would keep with the Versace blue.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I myself would have said it was a sort of a peacock blue.

Ms CHAPMAN: In addition, I suggest consideration be given, with approval, of recognition of the Hon. Jessie Cooper who also in 1959 was elected to the Legislative Council. Both these women represented the Liberal Party (then known as the Liberal and Country League, or LCL), and it has a very proud history. It is very important that they be recognised having, after 65 years since suffrage was achieved in this state, finally achieved office in parliament.

I mention Jessie Cooper particularly because, at the moment, she does not have recognition by having her portrait hanging in this parliament. I think that is a shame. If there is any possibility of that being remedied, I hope that would be considered by the government or, indeed, the President of the Legislative Council. I am not sure of his view on this matter, but I would urge him to consider giving her due recognition—right now, without waiting for the history museum.

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (12:40): I will not quibble over the words. I think the important thing is that the state government, and others, get involved in actively pursuing the creation of a facility, whether it is one or more, to showcase the social, political and economic achievements of South Australians. I think, as a community, we have been too modest in not acknowledging what has been achieved in South Australia.

My particular vision is a comprehensive social history museum where you could have the various elements acknowledging the suffragette movement. I think it is better to have one facility, if possible. I urge members, if they ever go to New Zealand, to visit the social history museum in Wellington. It is funded by the council, and I would hope that the City of Adelaide would come on board in terms of a social history museum. If members visit the Wellington museum they will see that every year is detailed in a brilliant and exciting way so people of all ages can appreciate what has been contributed by the people of New Zealand in general and the people of Wellington in particular.

So, let us see some action on this. Words are fine, but let us showcase what we have and what has been achieved here—the diverse range of achievements and artefacts that we have that are currently not on display. Let us not only enjoy our heritage but also showcase it to the current generation and generations to come, along with those who come to visit. I commend the motion to the house.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.

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