THE National Gallery of Australia is slashing 10 per cent of its 300 staff in the face of a funding shortfall.
The loss of around 30 jobs was described by Chief Minister Andrew Barr as “hugely disappointing”.
“At a time when our country is hurting, continuing to enforce efficiency dividends on our National Institutions is reckless and hurtful to many families,” he says.
“Right now, jobs are the priority. Every jurisdiction is trying to get their economies back on their feet.”
Galley Director Nick Mitzevich is reported as saying though the timing was unfortunate, the cuts were not COVID-related, but the result of several months of discussions on how to cut back.
“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 says.
“Further news of cuts to the National Gallery is another blow to many local businesses that benefit from tourists that the gallery attracts to Canberra.
“Rebuilding our tourism industry is an important component of Canberra’s Recovery Plan. Our tourism industry contributes over $2.5b a year to our local economy and employs tens of thousands of Canberrans. Supporting our national institutions is fundamental to this recovery.
“These institutions collectively bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Canberra each year, and the ACT government has proven a track record of significantly supporting them through our Major Events Fund.
“When the Commonwealth can fund $500 million for the redevelopment of the War Memorial, there should not be job losses in other institutions.”
Who can be trusted?
In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.
If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.
Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.
Thank you,
Ian Meikle, editor
Leave a Reply