Labor calls on the Morrison Government to ensure the National Library of Australia preserves its Asia collections as a national asset, following the Librarys decision to abandon its collecting of material on most Asian countries.
The change to the NLAs Collecting Strategy removes Japan, Korea, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar from its list of priority countries. That leaves just China, Indonesia and Timor-Leste but a likely reduction in collecting material on these three countries has also been flagged.
We have written to Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Arts Minister Paul Fletcher to ask what action they will take to ensure the NLAs Collecting Strategy recognises the importance of Asia to Australias future stability and prosperity, and preserves the Asia collections as a national asset.
At a time where Australia should be looking to improve and expand our engagement in Asia, the NLAs decision is alarming, and is counter to our national interest.
The Asia collections of the NLA are a crucial source of material for research on key strategic issues related to Asia. It provides a valuable resource for our universities which train our business people, journalists, diplomats, public servants and educators.
The government has placed the NLA, like other national institutions, under incredible budgetary pressure.
The 2014-15 budget delivered cuts to our national institutions of $2.4 million and in the 2015-16 MYEFO a further $36.8 million was cut from cultural and collecting entities within the Arts portfolio, which included a nearly $6 million cut to the NLA.
These cuts have resulted in job losses, the closure of the Asian reading room, and shrinking its publishing arm.
Authorised by Paul Erickson, ALP, Canberra.