Australian Museum Joint Consultative Committee update
7 July 2021
The quarterly Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) between the Australian Museum and the É«ÀÇÉçÇøtook place on June 25 2021. The meeting was following the 2021-22 NSW state budget.
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøraised your voice directly with the Australian Museum executive and management representatives. Below are the PSA’s notes of the meeting. These are not official minutes, which will be agreed and circulated to the membership prior to the next Joint Consultative Committee.
Change Management Plan
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøpresented its final feedback on the Change Management Plan and made suggestions as to what could be incorporated into future plans.
COVID-19 communication
Prior to the JCC, the É«ÀÇÉçÇøDelegates requested a Working from Home communication be circulated to all staff. The É«ÀÇÉçÇønoted in the JCC that the Australian Museum promptly responded to the PSA’s request, and circulated the requested communication.
The É«ÀÇÉçÇødiscussed the creation of a formal communications plan for future COVID-19 outbreaks to ensure Australian Museum staff are kept informed.
Australian Museum CAPEX funding
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøand the Australian Museum discussed review of capex funding for CEP management. The museum will send out an explainer to CEP staff.
É«ÀÇÉçÇøadvocates for ongoing roles
The É«ÀÇÉçÇørequested temporary employment figures be brought to the meeting. The Australian Museum provided these figures from April 2021, at least 88 staff being classified as temporary employees.
The É«ÀÇÉçÇødiscussed the goals of its Keep Our Icons Alive campaign – which campaigned for the NSW Government to provided funded, permanent and safe jobs at NSW Cultural Institutions.
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøstated its key principles in any process to increase ongoing roles was to be formalised, transparent and objective. The PSA’s recollects the Australian Museum agreed with these principles.
The Australian Museum discussed its plans to review its needs over the next six to nine months regarding ongoing employment. It will look at roles and seek to understand what is necessary for determining the need for ongoing roles
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøand the Australian Museum agreed ongoing employment was important. This is a productive step forward – the É«ÀÇÉçÇøsupports ongoing, long-term public service jobs.
Keep Our Icons Alive campaign win and the NSW 2021-22 budget
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøalso discussed the NSW State budget figures. The É«ÀÇÉçÇøis pleased to confirm that the Keep Our Icons Alive campaign was a success. É«ÀÇÉçÇømembers acting together stopped the reported to the Australian Museum.
The Australian Museum confirmed that for 2021-22 overall there was an increase in funding. The difficulty going forward will be how to continue to ensure funding levels are kept consistent.
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøwelcomes the increase in funding. This is a successful outcome of the PSA’s Keep Our Icons Alive campaign. However, the É«ÀÇÉçÇøconsiders the NSW Government must go further with its funding increases, to ensure the Australian Museum can continue to deliver high-level services to the NSW community.
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøwill continue to hold the NSW Government to account to ensure Cultural Institution jobs are funded, permanent and safe.
The É«ÀÇÉçÇøis your voice at the Australian Museum – join the É«ÀÇÉçÇøtoday.