NEW federal government planning and performance measures for national cultural agencies aim to deliver improved financial management, better care of collections and more consistent reporting across national cultural agencies.
The reforms will be progressively implemented from the start of the 2012-13 financial year and 13 agencies will have to comply, including Screen Australia and the National Gallery of Australia.
“These agencies hold our national treasures, tell our national stories, and play a vital role in the education of our people, and of visitors to our shores,” Arts Minister Simon Crean said.
“This new framework is the culmination of nine months’ work by the institutions and the government, to develop a consistent, best practice approach to strategic planning and reporting.
“This new framework gives our agencies some of the tools to plan, set targets and look to grow.”
Independent analysis of the national cultural agencies found a lack of reporting consistency as well as increasing cost pressures as a result of managing growing collections.
Common performance measures to be collected across all agencies include the number of public visits (on-site and online), the number of Australian artworks supported and the level of conservation and preservation activity.
