In a huge blow to the nation's cultural legacy, Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia (NGA) has announced it will have to shed up to 12 per cent of its staff in a major “operational restructure”.
The ABC quoted NGA director Nick Mitzevich as saying redundancies would have to be made “across the organisation” to “protect the gallery’s long-term offering and financial stability”, following a reported $3.6 million funding shortfall.
The gallery currently employs some 300 people, meaning that voluntary redundancies would likely amount to north of 30 job losses.
The Canberra Times quoted Mitzevich as saying: “We’ve got rising costs, we’ve got the efficiency dividend, our ability to raise income is limited, and so all of that needs to be part of a bigger approach." He added, “We’ve taken a big hit with interest, and all the money that we get at the beginning of the financial year, we invest it, and what people don’t really realise is that as we spend it down, we pull income from the interest. Utility costs and specialist services are also going up.”
While the gallery’s much-loved blockbuster exhibition program was funded externally though a combination of ticket sales, grants and sponsorships, the NGA will have to adapt to a new way of working after so many job losses.
An NGA statement elaborated, saying: “The new structure will focus the National Gallery’s programs and create greater opportunities for the Australian and international community to engage with the national collection beyond its physical presence in Canberra.”
Shadow arts minister Tony Burke and his colleague and shadow public service minister Katy Gallagher issued a joint statement, saying, “Reports that around one in eight jobs at the NGA will be cut is devastating for those who work hard to deliver exciting exhibitions and tell the stories of our nation through art. It also comes at a time when galleries around the country are hurting after being abandoned by the Morrison government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They added, “With public servants working hard to keep Australians safe, it’s time the PM gave them his support and guaranteed that there will be no further job losses across the APS as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. He can start today by protecting the jobs at the NGA.”
In other art world news, here's what the artist residents of Carriageworks had to say about the company entering into voluntary administration.
This article is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
