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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-06-22 Daily Xml
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South Australian Museum

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for the Arts. Minister, as the world's largest collector of Australian Indigenous cultural material, how is the South Australian Museum increasing employment opportunities for Indigenous people?

The SPEAKER: The cultural attaché.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:57): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I would like to thank the member for Colton for the question. The South Australian Museum is the custodian of the world's most comprehensive collection of Australian Aboriginal ethnographic objects. This collection boasts an unparalleled depth, both historically and geographically, consisting of around 30,000 items from different Aboriginal communities and language groups right around our country.

The Museum also has an archives collection containing tens of thousands of cultural records from throughout Australia, most relating to Aboriginal people. These collections are impressive, but their importance is lost without the engagement of Aboriginal communities to enable the access and interpretation of these items. In tying in with the need for engagement, there is also recognition that many science graduates face difficulties in gaining the necessary hands-on experience required to develop their careers.

As a result, the Museum has created a dedicated program which identifies opportunities for Aboriginal employment and training with the aim to support long-term career opportunities. Last financial year, Museum personnel contributed over 2,000 hours of teaching, mentoring and supervision to 22 PhD students and 11 honours students, providing them with valuable insight and, more importantly, access to collections. This level of support not only helps the students with their academic work but it also helps them to build connections with their ancestors and their country.

The Museum have set themselves a goal to increase Aboriginal employment to reflect the institution's dependence upon and engagement with Aboriginal communities. Through the support provided, the Museum has also recently developed Museum pathways, which create paid employment opportunities with academics and professionals who share their expertise, providing high-quality training and development opportunities across the institution.

As a result of this fundraising, I am pleased to inform the house that the Museum is now able to employ an early career Aboriginal graduate and four Aboriginal cadetships, all of whom work directly with the Australian Aboriginal Material Culture Collection. The Museum is also now in a position to employ an Aboriginal curator for the collection. This new position will allow the opportunity to work alongside some of the best anthropologists from across Australia and around the world as they conduct their research and build upon the collection.

I wish to place on the record my thanks to those benefactors and donors who have contributed so generously to allow ongoing education and employment of Aboriginal staff and students at the Museum. These initiatives will enhance the reputation of the Museum as the nation's most successful research institution and custodian of the world's most comprehensive collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural materials.

The SPEAKER: I am pleased to see that the suspension has enabled enough effluxion of time for the member for Hartley to rejoin us. The leader.

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