-- 1~ OEC 19 95 ANNUAL REPORT A U S T R A L I A N M l l S E U M s ,. d n c .' A s 11 ISSN 1039- IJl41 - ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS 4 Introduction and Highlights s Mission 7 Premier's Message 9 President's Message 11 Director's Message 1 3 Public Programs and Marketing 17 Science in the Museum 2 9 Commercial Activities 31 Administration 34 Financial Statements Appendices 47 Trust 48 Management Structure 51 Staff 55 Publications 63 Sponsors 64 Index 3 INTRODUCT ION AND H IGHLI G HTS The Australian Museum finds itse lf in the fortunate position of being located in the city of Sydney, host of HIGHLI GHTS OF THE Y EAR IN CL UDE: the Olympic Games in the ye ar 2000. Our plan s are influenced by the goal of full participation in the Games • 'Rediscovering Pompeii' exhibition received over lead -up program. the Cultural Olympiad. Sydney can 15o,ooo visitors; ga in from the creativity and expertise which Museum staff offer in both exhibition developm ent and • 'Search & Discover' resource centre In its first six environmental management. These are the two distinct, months, received 35,000 visitors an d over 4,000 yet interacting sides : the public face of the Museum and telephone enquiries; the expertise which lies behind the scenes. Over the years. ma ny changes have occurred in the Museum, just • Outreach Programs reached over 550,ooo people in as concepts of science. nature and humanity have regional centres and schools; changed and tech nological adva nce s have been forged. The Museum's outlook is flexible which enables us to • School visits to the Museum increased by 21%: respond to 'hot' issues in the global and local political arena. in scien tific research and public programs. Our • Museum scientists discovered new species in the expertise is often sought to advise and assist the media, evolutionary chain and gave the State and Federal government and the co mm unity. The ability to act governments advice on population, environmental q uickly and effic iently, and with conviction, has and biodiversity issues; enhanced our position as one of the leading natural history museums in the world. • Radio carbon dating of Aboriginal shell middens on Sydney Harbour revealed occupation dating back 4000 years; • 196 research articles, books and other pu blications were published by Australian Museum employees; • 223,006 new acquisitions were added to Museum collections. bringing the overall total to close to 16 million; • Fifteen Museum scientists received research grants totalling $664,438. 4 N <' w M u <H' u m I' o.v e r a " d S 11 o p CClll c ., e S 1 re e 1 f 11 1 rcllll' I' PREMIER ' s MESSAGE The Australian Museum makes an outstanding contribution to the understanding of our natural environment and cultural heritage, through public programs and through scien tific research. The Museum provided a lively series of exh ibitions and other public programs throughout the year, including This year Museum scientists discovered a number of species Rediscovering Pompeii, which was enjoyed by 15o,ooo previously unknown to science, and conducted research in people. A new exhibition titled More Than Dinosaurs: topical areas such as evolution, conservation, biodiversity and Evolution of Life was opened in March this year. and a population. series of sma ller topical exhibitions examined drought in Australia, woodchipping and the volcanic eruption in Through its outreach program. the Museum continues to develop Rabaul. partnerships with Aboriginal communities, and also provides support and advice to communities on a wide range of issues. ... the \lu~eum ronrintH'J le deL·elop parttlC'rJllip~ with Aborisinal eommunitie~. and The expertise of Museum staff was sought for many commercial projects throughout the year, including Fauna! Impact surveys. al.sc prot11deJ .support and adnee tc conservation studies, education and exhibition projects. ('C.lllllllHlitieJ C'll a Wide r0115e (( 16JIIC6. A new Museum space. Search & Discover. which opened in late 1994, provides public access to the Museum's expertise. This in teractive space is equipped with state·of-the-art computer As well as this, the Museum co-ordinated a program of data bases. CD ROMs and Internet connections. Museum displays and performances by Sydney communities in collections and other resources. the community access space, Our Place: Australian People & Identity. The Australian Museum plays an integral role in increasing understanding in the state. in Australia and also internationally. The Museum's reputation as one of the world's great museums is well deserved . and I thank and congratulate the Australian Muse um Trust. management and staff for their con tinuing commitment to the highest quality programs and scientific research. Bob Carr, MP Prem e w IVIITI/Ster for tl1e Arts 7 T1t e re re n r I.Y ope 11 <' d ·Se a r c 11 f· D 1 6 c o 11 er· PRESIDENT ' s MESSAGE P tr c a W tc;on The btrd ot wonder die~. lite maiden Phoenix. An innovative new interactive area, Search & Discover, moves ller· a61te6 then new c·reate anot/1er heir the Museum into the 21st century. Visitors can now consult directly with scientists, log onto the internet and conduct their AJ great a6 llerulj>. " in adnurallon own research. The program, initially funded by TAMS (the Museum friends), is set to expand with the assistance of W. Sh,Jk P~ lWdrf . Henry VI II , Art'}. Scene ') , line 40 Hewlett·Packard. Like the mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes. the Australian TAMS is always a great mainstay of Museum activities and it is Museum has enjoyed yet another exciting and highly with regret that we say goodbye to the indefatigable Susan successful year. The high profile of Rediscovering Pompeii, the Bridle. who left in April. after 14 years as Executive Officer. She stimulating 'hands-on' nature of Search & Discover, together helped make TAMS one of the most successful and interesting with the resurrection of our foyer. have all ensured a year of Museum support groups in Australia. consistent gains. None of this activity would have got off the ground without the 1\11 innovattve new interactive area. help of friends . particularly our long-time supporter and then Search & Di6cover. move6 the Mu~H'tnn Minister for the Arts. the Honourable Peter Cotlins: and the dedicated members of The Australian Museum Society. The into t 1t e 2 t M c en 1u r.Y. Minister provided the funding for the much needed renovation of the main en trance, which has enabled us to provide an Staff tend to stay a long time at the Australian Museum. additional restaurant and up-graded shop. Or Hal Cogger has been with us for 43 years, developing from cadet preparator to a calm and ca ri ng Deputy Cons tru ction was almost completed in time for the Director and Internationally recognised herpetologist. Rediscovering Pompeii opening in September, and He is 'retiring' to concentrate on his research but contributed to the evening's success. The exhibition fortunately will con tinue his association with the engendered great response from critics and public alike, Museum as Research Associate. and due to popular demand was extended for two months. Assistance from our major corporate sponsors Since the last annual report Chris Puplick, Dr Telford IBM and a special grant from Peter Collins were crucial in Conlon and Jim Layt have all completed their time with securing this international exhibition for Sydney. As the Trust and I acknowledge the contributions they President and near neighbour of the Museum it was made as trustees. I thank them. the current Trust always exciting for me to walk down William Street, past members, the Ministry for the Arts and all Museum staff regular queues of eager Museum goers. and volunteers for their enthusiasm and commitment to Australia's leading natural history museum. More recently 1 have been gratified to see families flooding into the new gallery More Than Dinosaurs · a stimulating new approach to a perennial Museum favourite. 9 Mu6eum Director. De6 Gribhin DIR E CT OR ' s MESSAGE De~ G•iffin AM The major focus for museums. in the midst of continued and often mindless drives to reduce costs, through downsizing and outsourclng. must be a search for what attitudes and sandy beaches and monitoring impacts on the marine environmen t behaviours will help museums make a significant difference. have been developed, and new interpretations of deep·sea diversity Making a difference is the most important indicator of a examined. In human studies. there were breakthroughs in museum's effectiveness. understanding the role of conflict in Australia's indigenous society in northern Australia thousands of years ago. The cha llenge for museums is to improve the understanding of the world we live in. By making the underlying va lues of The Trust adopted a policy to achieve meaningful and proper the objects in museums manifest. we can ultimately bring involvement of indigenous people in the Museum's responsibility for them to the consciousness of the visitors. cultural material. fhr challenge tor mu~eum~ i& to improve tile Museum scientists participated in commercial projects contributing to environmental decision making. The turn over for Business under.stanclmg ot tile world we live in . Services exceeded $1 million and the surplus exceeded $3oo,ooo, much of which will assist scientific programs in this time of reduced Museums must understand more about what they can funding from traditional sources. The Museum grossed more than co ntribute to effective learning and enjoyment through ways $7.6 million, ou tsi de of State Government funding, through of drawing on visitors' intrinsic motivation.