Category Archives: Advocacy

AAANZ calls for Toitu te Tiriti (Honour the Treaty)

December 16, 2024Advocacy

The Art Association of Australia and New Zealand stands in solidarity with Māori people and supporters in Aotearoa to voice opposition to the New Zealand’s government controversial Treaty Principles Bill. This bill sets out to introduce changes to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) signed by British officials and 500 Māori chiefs on the 6 February 1840. This important founding document enshrines rangatiratanga, (Māori self-determination) ensuring Māori people have the right to govern themselves. Through the Treaty Aotearoa is recognised as a world leader in supporting Indigenous rights. The Treaty Principles Bill will undermine the Te Tiriti and […]

Statement of associations of humanities and social sciences academics across Aotearoa New Zealand on the disbanding of humanities and social sciences panels of Marsden Fund

December 9, 2024Advocacy

Press release Thursday 5 December 2024 Professional associations representing fields in the humanities and social sciences across Aotearoa New Zealand are appalled and saddened at the decision announced on 4 December 2024 by the Hon. Judith Collins, Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology concerning a ‘refocus’ of Marsden funding. From 2025, the panels supporting humanities and social sciences research are to be disbanded. This means that the only significant and focused government funding for wide ranging research will no longer be available to budding and established academics in these fields. All successful nations fund research in the humanities and social […]

AAANZ letter of response to the proposal to close Griffith University Art Museum

December 18, 2023Advocacy

12 December 2023 Re: Feedback on Proposal to Close Griffith University Art Museum I am writing to you as President of the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ), a national membership association and peak advocacy body, representing art historians, writers, curators and artists from around Australasia. The Association is strongly opposed to the University’s proposal to close the Griffith University Art Museum (GUAM), a decision that puts economics before student interests and ignores the vital role university art museums play in teaching, learning and research. University art museums enrich the cultural and intellectual life on campus. They are […]

AAANZ statement on the result of the Voice Referendum

December 4, 2023Advocacy

AAANZ expresses disappointment at the outcome of the Referendum on the Voice to Parliament. We acknowledge that the result is a devastating outcome for many members and their families across the country. It was a lost opportunity to begin the process of creating a fairer and more structurally equitable democracy. However, while this particular battle has been lost, the fight continues. AAANZ is committed to the importance of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and calls for Treaty, truth-telling and self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. While the discussion in the lead up to the Referendum vote exposed […]

AAANZ Statement for The Voice

August 14, 2023Advocacy, News

The Uluru Statement from the Heart, presented at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention, calls for the establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice enshrined in the constitution. With over 250 signatures from some of the remotest communities in Australia, it makes a poignant plea to build a better and fairer future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people around the country. The Art Association of Australia & New Zealand supports the Uluru Statement of the Heart and the ‘yes’ vote in the forthcoming referendum. We encourage members to make their own decisions based on verified official information, however […]

AAANZ supports the continued operation of Trove │ LETTER TO THE HON. TONY BURKE MP, MINISTER FOR THE ARTS

February 27, 2023Advocacy

Dr. Wendy Garden, President of the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand wrote to The Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for the Arts to emphatically support the continued operation of Trove and urge the federal government to ensure the National Library of Australia receives sustainable, ongoing funding for this vital digital platform. Trove is vital to ensure Australia remains a fair and egalitarian society. As a free digital platform, it plays a fundamental role connecting people with collections no matter where either are located. It ensures that people living in regional and remote areas, and those who are mobility […]

Speak up for Trove – Petition

February 21, 2023Advocacy

The National Library of Australia will not have sufficient funding to maintain the current online Trove service after June 2023. Trove is often used as a free, online portal which connects with collections around the country. It contains many digitised resources vital for researching the past, including a collection of Australian newspapers. There have been online petitions asking the Federal Government to ensure Trove has funding into the future. There is now also a Parliamentary Petition which will close for signature this Wednesday 22 February 2023. You can find that petition here: e-petitions – Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au) The President of ASHA will […]

Submissions to the Australian Research Council review

December 5, 2022Advocacy

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is currently undergoing review and AAANZ is encouraging submissions from our members on the experiences and concerns of researchers working in art history, practice-led research and related fields. Members from non-university institutions may like to make a submission reporting on how Linkage schemes can support the goals of their work in partner instiutions. The terms of reference are as follows: whether the role and purpose of the ARC as set out in the legislation remains relevant, including consideration of the contribution the ARC can make to identifying reforms to its programs to actively shape the […]

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST ADVOCACY REPRESENTATIVE | AAANZ EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

August 8, 2022Advocacy, Opportunity

AAANZ is looking for a passionate member to join our executive team as the Advocacy Representative to assist with promoting and supporting visual arts research and art history across Australia and New Zealand. The Advocacy Representative will work with the President, the Advocacy Committee and other working groups to address critical issues, Indigenisation, make submissions and provide support on current concerns for the sector as they arise. The Association aims to address these matters in the public domain, ensuring the concerns of its members are heard. In pursuit of this goal AAANZ seeks to foster productive working relationships between members, […]

Shadow Minister for the Arts Tony Burke promises landmark cultural policy

May 18, 2022Advocacy

AAANZ welcomes news that Shadow Minister for the Arts Tony Burke will spearhead a new national cultural policy if elected to government on Saturday 21 May. Acknowledging that a new direction was needed to give the arts the support it needs, Burke stated that a Labor national cultural policy would be informed by wide consultation with the sector and local and state governments, bringing ‘new drive, direction and vision to Australia’s arts sector’ which has significantly suffered following years of cut backs under the Coalition Government. Beginning with restoring ‘arts’ as part of a named government department, Labor announced its […]