Queensland Museum Annual Report 2001–02 Directory Museum of Tropical Queensland D 70-84 Flinders Street TOWNSVILLE, QLD, 4810 Telephone: (07) 4726 0600 Fax: (07) 4721 2093 www.mtq.qld.gov.au WoodWorks: the Forestry and Timber Museum Corner Bruce Highway and Fraser Road Locked Bag 13, Fraser Road GYMPIE, QLD, 4570 Telephone: (07) 5483 7691 Queensland Museum South Bank Fax: (07) 5482 1773 Queensland Cultural Centre Corner Grey and Melbourne Streets PO Box 3300, SOUTH BRISBANE, QLD, 4101 Telephone: (07) 3840 7635 Fax: (07) 3846 1918 www.Qmuseum.qld.gov.au Queensland Sciencentre 110 George Street BRISBANE PO Box 406 BRISBANE ALBERT STREET BC, QLD, 4002 Cobb & Co. Museum Telephone: (07) 3220 0166 Fax: (07) 3220 0113 27 Lindsay Street The Workshops Rail Museum www.sciencentre.qld.gov.au TOOWOOMBA, QLD, 4350 Telephone: (07) 4639 1971 North Street Lands, Mapping and Surveying Museum Fax: (07) 4638 5791 NORTH IPSWICH PO Box 88 Corner Main and Vulture Streets IPSWICH, QLD, 4305 PO Box 40 Telephone: (07) 280 5359 WOOLLOONGABBA, QLD 4102 Fax: (07) 3280 5382 Telephone: (07) 3896 3000 www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au Fax: (07) 3896 3275 The Honourable Matt Foley, MLA Minister for Employment Training and Youth and Minister for the Arts Dear Minister, I take pleasure in presenting to you the Annual Report of the Board of the Queensland Museum for the year ending 30 June 2002. Yours sincerely Nerolie Withnall Chairman Board of the Queensland Museum Presented to Parliament Queensland Museum Annual Report 2001-02 Queensland Museum Qm1 Our Vision • The provision of lifelong learning • Assistant Curator Mr Scott Hocknull opportunities for the whole was named 2002 Young Australian of The Queensland Museum will be community the Year following the November recognised as an innovative, exciting and announcement of his receipt of a accessible museum of science, • High ethical standards in all Museum number of Queensland environment and human achievement, activities Achievers awards. of international standing, reaching out to • Recognition of, and respect for, all Queenslanders. • Conservator Mr Andrew Viduka was biological and cultural diversity awarded a Fellowship by the Winston •Working together and respecting each Churchill Memorial Trust to survey Our Mission other’s contributions. methods used by large institutions specialising in the conservation of To create a stimulating environment of wet archaeological materials. discovery and understanding. We will achieve this by — Highlights and Achievements • In 2001, Senior Curator Dr Judith McKay was one of three •A major review of the organisational •Working with and empowering our Queenslanders to receive an inaugural structure of the Queensland Museum communities Queensland-Smithsonian Fellowship was undertaken during the year, to award. Between February and May • Preserving and interpreting material better align the structure with the 2002, Judith travelled overseas to evidence and new vision and strategy for the record how Queensland has presented Museum as a major player in the •Telling the changing story of itself to the rest of the world for more State’s knowledge industries. Queensland and its place in the world. than a century through exhibits at •A seven-point business improvement world expositions. strategy was developed to redress the • In September, staff excavated the first Queensland Museum’s previously Our Values of many bones of a large 95 million- deteriorating financial situation and year-old sauropod dinosaur from near In fulfilling its mission, the Queensland provide a platform for the Museum Winton. This is the largest dinosaur Museum is committed to the following change management process. guiding values — found in Australia. Excavations • The Stage 2 expansion of Cobb & Co. continued in June 2002, supported by •Excellence in research underpinning Museum was opened on 5 October corporate sponsorship, and are all Museum programs 2001 as part of the Queensland expected to continue for at least three • The importance of the Museum’s role Heritage Trails Network, with years. The discovery of ‘Elliot’ has as a generator and communicator of widespread community support and again positioned the Museum at the knowledge involvement. forefront of Australian palaeontology. • Professional management and care of • The Queensland Museum Loans the State collection as a unique Service received the 2001 Premier’s resource to be held in trust for Award for Excellence in Public Sector present and future generations Management, for Services to Rural and Regional Queensland. • The relevance of all Museum endeavours to contemporary Queensland society • Community participation in the business of the Museum • High standards of access, customer service, enjoyment and comfort for all visitors Queensland Museum Annual Report 2001-02 Contentsc 02 Chairman’s Report 03 Director’s Report 04 Board of the Queensland Museum 05 Organisational Structure and Responsibilities 06 Strategic Direction: 07 1. Statewide Museum Services 13 2. The Visitor Experience 14 3. Research and Scholarship 17 4. Caring for Collections 19 5. Information Management and Information Technology 20 6. Marketing 21 7. Management 22 8. Resources 25 Appendices: 26 I Functions and Powers of the Board 28 II Annual Performance Indicators 34 III Publications 38 IV Grants Won and Consultancies 44 V Overseas Travel 45 VI Temporary Exhibitions 48 VII Sponsorships 50 VIII Financial Statements Queensland Museum Annual Report 2001-02 1 Chairman’sc Report This has been a year of growth for the A statewide network of Museum Queensland Museum. Development Officers continues to provide support for small museums, art galleries Expansion of the Queensland Museum’s and historical centres. The unique network in regional Queensland has Queensland Museum Loans Service, which continued. Following the opening of the distributes 230 museum kits via 31 Museum of Tropical Queensland in distribution centres, was the winner of the Townsville in June 2000, this year has 2001 Premier’s Award for Excellence in seen major improvements at Cobb and Co Public Sector Management for services to Museum in Toowoomba with the opening rural and regional Queensland. of its Stage 2 expansion in October 2001. This development was made possible The Museum’s popular publications and through funding from the Queensland the website are also powerful means for Heritage Trails Network. The exciting $20 Queenslanders to access the intellectual million Workshops Rail Museum in assets of the Museum. The Queensland Ipswich is poised to open in August 2002. Museum is now strongly positioned as a provider of premier guidebooks with its Queensland is a large and decentralised wildlife series achieving combined sales of State and the Queensland Museum has more than 75,000 copies. The improved initiated a number of strategies to provide Museum Explorer website received almost Queenslanders with better access to their two million page views, an increase of Museum. During the year the Sciencentre 58% over the previous year. Roadshow took a stimulating, hands-on science program to 34,568 people in over The Queensland Museum will continue to 30 centres throughout Queensland. As reach out and touch the lives of part of this yearlong statewide tour, the Queenslanders no matter where they live excitement of science was taken for the in this great State. first time to eight isolated communities on Cape York. Nerolie Withnall Chairman, Board of the Queensland Museum. 2 Queensland Museum Annual Report 2001-02 Director’sD Report The financial year 2001-2002 was a time The Queensland Museum’s palaeontology of challenge and achievement for the team had a memorable year with the Queensland Museum. discovery of Elliot, Australia’s largest dinosaur, near Winton in September 2001. On 10 May 2002 the Honourable Matt This was followed by a successful Foley, Minister for Employment, Training excavation in June 2002, which unearthed and Youth and Minister for the Arts, further evidence of this 95 million-year- outlined a new vision for the Queensland old sauropod. The youngest member of Museum in a Ministerial Statement to the team, Assistant Curator Scott Parliament. This announcement was the Hocknull, was named 2002 Young culmination of two years of planning and Australian of the Year. consultation that resulted in a blue print for the growth of the Museum over the The repatriation of Aboriginal and Torres next four years and beyond. Integral to Strait Islander ancestral remains, burial the realisation of this vision has been the goods and secret and sacred objects has development of a new organisational been a high priority for the Queensland structure to be implemented from 1 July Museum this year with a record number 2002 and the adoption of a seven-point of objects and remains being returned to business improvement strategy that will communities. address the Museum’s financial The way ahead for the Museum is now challenges. clear. With our dedicated staff and Additional recurrent funding of $0.6 committed Board, the Museum’s potential million per annum for the Museum of to contribute to the Smart State, its ability Tropical Queensland in Townsville has to engage with all sectors of the assured the long-term viability of this Queensland community and its capacity important regional asset. The efforts of to enrich the lives of Queenslanders has Minister Foley in securing this funding never been greater. are gratefully acknowledged. The research achievements of the Queensland Museum have been outstanding this