AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2015–16 II THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 2015–16 ANNUAL REPORT AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2015–16 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 2015–16 ANNUAL REPORT 1 Australian National Maritime Museum Annual Report 2015–16 © Commonwealth of Australia 2016 ISSN 1039-4036 (print) ISSN 2204-678X (online) This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior permission from the Australian National Maritime Museum. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) at Darling Harbour, Sydney, opens 9.30 am–5 pm every day (9.30 am–6 pm in January). Closed 25 December. ENTRY AT 30 JUNE 2016 Big Ticket: admission to permanent galleries, special exhibitions, vessels and Kids on Deck Adult $30, child $18, concession/pensioners $18 Members/child under 4 free, family $75 Special Exhibitions ticket: admission to special exhibitions such as Wildlife Photographer of the Year Adult $20, concession/pensioners $12, Members/child under 16 free Galleries Ticket: free admission to permanent galleries Members/Australian pensioners/child under 4: free Group bookings: 20% discount on ticket prices for groups of 10 or more MAILING ADDRESS Wharf 7, 58 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont NSW 2009 Australia Ph (02) 9298 3777 cover The new Action Stations pavilion and Fax (02) 9298 3780 ‘... the ocean bed their tomb’, an installation by light Website (including this annual report) anmm.gov.au artist Warren Langley commemorating the loss of Australian submarine AE1 and its 35 officers and CONTACT OFFICER crew in 1914. Supported by the Australian Government’s For enquiries about this report please contact the Anzac Centenary Arts and Culture Fund. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM Publications Officer, Janine Flew Ph (02) 9298 3777 page 1 Pearl shell decorated with tufts of cassowary Fax (02) 9298 3670 feathers by Richard Davis of Yam Island, Torres Strait, Email [email protected] 1993 – one of the Indigenous items from the museum’s Editor Janine Flew collection that travelled to Monaco for the Taba Naba Staff photographer Andrew Frolows exhibition. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM Designers Austen Kaupe page 3 Exterior of the Action Stations pavilion, Printed in Australia by Pegasus Print Group designed by FJMT Architects. Image Brett Boardman THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 2015–16 ANNUAL REPORT 3 2015–16 CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE AND LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Dear Minister On behalf of the Council of the Australian National Maritime Museum, I am pleased to submit our annual report for the financial year ended 30 June 2016. The Council is responsible for the preparation and content of the report of operations of the Australian National Maritime Museum. This annual report has been prepared and is submitted to you in accordance with the requirements of the Public Governance and Accountability Act 2013, the Public Governance and Accountability Rule 2014, section 4 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, section 311A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and section 516A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, as well as the Guidelines for the Presentation of Documents to the Parliament prepared by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Finance’s Resource Management Guide No 136 – Annual reports for corporate Commonwealth entities. This report was presented to the Council on 5 October 2016. In accordance with a resolution of the Council, the members of Council accept this report as being a fair and accurate representation of the organisation’s performance during the 2015–16 financial year. The Council is pleased with the museum’s achievements in 2015–16. This year there was very good progress in addressing the six strategic priorities set out in Shaped by the Sea – the museum’s corporate plan for 2015–19 – and given effect through an Annual Operational Plan. These priorities are listed on page 11. I am delighted to report that in 2015–16, the museum exceeded past records for onsite, offsite and online visitation. This year we shared the national maritime story with more than 1.5 million visitors to our Sydney site and travelling exhibitions, and a further 700,000 people visited our website. More than 900,000 people saw a wide range of travelling exhibitions throughout Australia and overseas and a further 545,000 people had the opportunity to see our precious Saltwater Barks at the Istanbul Biennial. Our exhibition offering was very diverse, from Horrible Histories® – Pirates to Ships, Clocks & Stars. A personal highlight was opening the exhibition Black Armada – Australian Support for Indonesian Independence at Museum Benteng Vredeburg in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where one could readily recognise how our museum contributes to soft diplomacy. The museum’s Classic & Wooden Boat Festival was another highlight this year, attracting more than 16,300 people to Darling Harbour. Fortuitously, the festival 4 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 2015–16 ANNUAL REPORT Museum Chairman Peter Dexter with Minister for the Arts The Hon Mitch Fifield during his visit to the museum in 2016. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM coincided with the museum’s first major attempt at attracting the lucrative incentives business – a highly successful engagement with 4,000 Asian Nu Skin delegates. It is great to see the museum’s efforts to be ‘China-ready’ bearing fruit. The appeal of the museum’s Sydney site was greatly enhanced this year after you opened the new Action Stations pavilion. This building provides a major new interpretation of our naval vessels Onslow, Vampire and Advance. Both the building and the Action Stations attraction have already received numerous awards, commendations and nominations. The museum is, first and foremost, a place of learning. The museum’s Learning team broke new ground this year with the launch of The Voyage game – a digital learning tool developed by the museum and Roar Films. This highly successful, award-winning game attracted more than 20,000 unique visitors, with almost 40,000 sessions, averaging 20 minutes each. In 2015–16, the Council concentrated on a number of strategic priorities, particularly the museum’s funding and growth. The museum now earns more than one-third of its revenue, with the remainder coming from government. This year has brought strong results in some commercial areas but the museum has also faced a significant reduction in appropriation, increases in mandatory insurance costs, decreased interest from investments and major disruptions in the Darling Harbour precinct – challenges that will remain with us for the foreseeable future. The Council has welcomed three new members (Professor Sarah Derrington, Ms Maria-Teresia Fors and Mr John Mullen) this year, and farewelled another three (Mr Paul Binsted, Mr Shane Simpson and Mr Robert Clifford). I express my gratitude for the support of all Council members, who have brought their considerable expertise to the governance of the museum over the past 12 months. Their commitment in championing the museum’s interests is highly commendable. I also thank the executive, every member of staff and every Volunteer and Member of the museum for their efforts this year on behalf of the people of Australia. Peter Dexter AM FAICD Chairman Australian National Maritime Museum Council THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 2015–16 ANNUAL REPORT 5 CONTENTS YEAR IN REVIEW Chairman’s message and letter of transmittal 4 Highlights 14 Our vision 8 Director’s overview 15 Our mission 8 Exhibitions and attractions 20 Our purpose 9 Travelling exhibitions 32 Our values 10 Interactives and multimedia 37 Our priorities 11 Achievements, outreach, collaboration and partnerships 38 Annual performance statement 68 Statutory information 74 Human resources 80 6 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 2015–16 ANNUAL REPORT FINANCIAL REPORT APPENDIXES Statement by Chairman, Chief Executive and Visitor and Member programs 124 Chief Financial Officer 85 Selected acquisitions to the National Independent Auditor’s Report 86 Maritime Collection 132 ANMM Statement of Comprehensive Income 88 ANMM publications 137 ANMM Statement of Financial Position 89 Staff publications, displays and ANMM blogs 138 ANMM Statement of Change In Equity 90 Staff conference papers, lectures and talks 146 ANMM Cash Flow Statement 91 Staff media appearances 150 ANMM Notes to and Forming Part of the Staff professional and academic appointments 152 Financial Statements 92 Staff overseas travel 153 Organisation chart 155 Director and APS staff 156 Council members 160 Council meetings and committees 162 Australian National Maritime Foundation 163 Patrons and sponsors 164 Corporate members 164 Honorary life members 165 Honorary research associates 166 Volunteers 167 Resource statement by outcomes 173 Expenses by outcomes 174 Consultants and contractors 175 Functions and powers of the Minister 178 Functions and powers of the museum 179 List of Acts administered 180 Director’s statement 181 Glossary of abbreviations and acronyms 181 List of requirements 182 Index 186 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 2015–16 ANNUAL REPORT 7 OUR VISION OUR MISSION To be a world leader in maritime As the National Maritime Museum, our mission heritage – engaging communities is to lead the promotion and conservation of Australia’s maritime heritage through: and increasing their appreciation Developing and sharing our collections, of the importance