News
Annual Indigenous festival axed as budget cut hits home
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| In 2010, Canberra’s premier NAIDOC Week event – NAIDOC on the Peninsula - attracted a record crowd of over 4500 people. (Photo: Kerstyn Styche) |
24 June 2011
Funding constraints have forced the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) to cancel Canberra’s premier NAIDOC Week event – NAIDOC on the Peninsula - scheduled for the first Sunday in July.
The annual free outdoor public event is used by AIATSIS and the local Indigenous community to encourage and promote a greater understanding in the general community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and lifestyles.
In 2010, the one day festival attracted a record crowd of over 4500 people.
AIATSIS’ Chairperson, Professor Mick Dodson AM, said that the AIATSIS’ Council had taken the unenviable decision to cancel NAIDOC on the Peninsula this year after failing to secure Government funding in the May Budget to continue the digitisation of its priceless and growing audiovisual archives of film, sound recordings, photographs and print materials.
“I know how much the whole Canberra and surrounding community look forward to NAIDOC on the Peninsula but it would have been remiss of Council in the current circumstances to have funded this event.”
Professor Dodson said that after failing to secure approval to continue the digitisation program beyond June 30, AIATSIS had sought and gained approval to carry an operational loss of $3.2 million in the forthcoming 2011/2012 financial year to maintain its digitisation program.
“But while this is good news - I emphasise that it is only a temporary respite to AIATSIS’ funding crisis,” Professor Dodson said.
“The Institute has not had an increase to its annual budget for over a decade and in order to meet even our ongoing statutory requirements AIATSIS will be forced to cut several of its services and programs in 2011/2012”.
Other services and programs identified to be cut after June 30 include the Institute’s very popular community access activities as well as placing restrictions on services available to clients under AIATSIS’ Return of Materials to Indigenous Communities (ROMTIC) program and access by the public to the Institute’s Reference library.
Professor Dodson said that cuts in services and activities were necessary in order maintain the Institute’s digitisation capacity of its archives – some of which are at significant risk of being lost forever.
“Our digitisation program, which was previously funded by the Federal Government over the last few years as a non-ongoing program will expire on 30 June 2011. The long term continuation of this program is the number one priority of the Institute.”
Chairperson of the local ACT and District NAIDOC Committee, Ms Joanne Chivers, said that NAIDOC in the Peninsula had evolved into the biggest Indigenous community activity in the ACT and last year for the first time incorporated the official ACT NAIDOC Family Day and Official NAIDOC Flag raising ceremony.
“It’s sad that such a fantastic NAIDOC event will not be going ahead in July as last year’s event created such a wonderful feeling and spirit of reconciliation and celebration by thousands of Indigenous and non Indigenous Canberrans,” she said.
The one day event - held within the Institute’s grounds - includes a mix of national and local Indigenous performers, free children’s and family based activities, and over 50 stalls including Indigenous arts and crafts, free health checks and information on government and non-government services to the local Indigenous community.