National Archives of Australia funding campaign and Tune Review

Many of our members will be aware of the sustained campaign over the last few months, driven by Emeritus Professor Graeme Davison and Gideon Haigh, calling for immediate funds to help save some of our nation’s irreplaceable historic records at the National Archives of Australia (NAA).

An open letter signed by over 150 prominent historians, researchers and writers was coordinated by Graeme Davison and Gideon Haigh and circulated to key members within the Federal Government, as well as being published online. This was followed by a huge push of letter-writing by individuals around the country calling for the government to provide immediate funding for the archives, based on the recommendations of the Tune Review released in March 2021. Professional Historians Australia was among the many organisations that advocated for the support of the archives during the Tune Review process in 2019.

The good news is that this campaign succeeded, with the government promising $67 million in urgent funding for the archives to be provided over the next four years. While this win should be celebrated and goes some way towards saving some of the most at-risk records in the immediate term, these funds still fall short of the $167.1 million recommended by the Tune Review.

We will be watching this space and encourage all members to keep a keen eye on developments for the NAA in the near future. As part of a fundraising campaign, the NAA is also encouraging those who are able to join as a member for as little as $30.

 We encourage all members to continue to put pressure on the government via your own local representatives, to ensure that action is taken to address all recommendations of the Tune Review.