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Appendix 14 - Assets management
ScreenSound Australia
Assests management is a significant aspect of the strategic business of ScreenSound Australia. ScreenSound Australia, the National Screen and Sound Archive, is custodian of Australia's national audiovisual collection. This collection has more than one million items and, as at 30 June 2001, has a value of $162 million. The collection is housed in specialist climate and humidity controlled storage facilities. ScreenSound Australia monitors the collection continuously in accordance with a collection assessment and monitoring program that is based on statistical principles. The results of this monitoring are used to determine asset preservation priorities. ScreenSound Australia is located in a heritage listed art deco building at Acton, which is open to the public for research, presentations, film screenings and exhibitions. The building is valued at $17 million and is maintained in accordance with a conservation management plan. This plan ensures that the heritage value of, and public access to, the building are maintained.
Questacon
The last 12 months have seen much greater emphasis being placed on asset management to optimise asset utilisation and life within Questacon-The National Science and Technology Centre. Life cycle maintenance plans are not in place for the building, plant and equipment with life cycle planning for exhibitions to be a big focus in 2001-2002. An ongoing asset replacement program is in place to ensure the facility is functioning to a standard expected by both staff and visitors to the Centre.
During 2000-2001, building, facilities and systems upgrades were a priority. This included work on the airconditioning system, the fire protection system, some staff accommodation and both infrastructure and software enhancements for a number of information technology applications. A master leasing contract has been implemented to enable leasing instead of purchasing IT infrastructure.
As part of a three-year program to refurbish the Centre's building in Canberra to showcase the best in interactive exhibitions, Questacon developed and opened two new exhibitions during 2000-2001. They were:
- Our Clever Country-a new permanent exhibition launched by the Prime Minister on 24 January 2001 which showcases Australian inventions-from pacemakers to solar cells, and from the boomerang to the ute; and
- Sea Chest Secret-a highly portable travelling exhibition designed specifically for upper primary and lower secondary students.
Questacon also installed, for opening on 2 July 2001, a new permanent exhibition titled Awesome Earth. This is about spectacular natural phenomena including earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and lightning.
Old Parliament House and the National Portrait Gallery
Asset management is integral to the operation of Old Parliament House and the National Portrait Gallery.
Old Parliament House contains significant assets.
Home of the Commonwealth Parliament from 1927 until 1988, Old Parliament House is of national historic, social and architectural significance. In recognition of its heritage significance, Old Parliament House is listed on the Register of the National Estate. The building is valued at $28.1 million.
Old Parliament House houses significant collections of furniture associated with the building and its history, valued at $4.3 million. Most of the collection is housed on-site with those items not currently on display or in use in public areas of the building being kept in standard storage conditions, with some of the collection in temporary storage off-site.
The building is maintained in accordance with the Old Parliament House Conservation Management Plan 2000. This plan ensures the heritage values of the building are preserved while the public is also able to access the site. Old Parliament House is also being refurbished and maintained in accordance with the long term Master Building Plan.
The National Portrait Gallery, which is housed within Old Parliament House, currently has a permanent collection which the Department's Asset Register values at $6.7 million. The collection is housed on-site with those items not currently on display being housed in specialist climate and humidity controlled storage facilities.