Committee of Inquiry into Museums and National Collections, 1965-1977

Component identifier:

Series 11

Content Summary:

In 1974 the Committee of Inquiry into Museums and National Collections was appointed to advise the government on the future coordination and development of Australia's museums and national collections, with particular reference to the establishment of a national museum in Canberra. Mulvaney was an inaugural member of the Committee of Inquiry, which was chaired by Peter Pigott. At the same time, Mulvaney was appointed as chairman of a special planning committee, convened to make recommendations to the Committee of Inquiry concerning the possibility of establishing a gallery of Aboriginal Australia. The Committee of Inquiry presented its final report in 1975.

This series includes minutes, correspondence, research material, reports, submissions and other papers relating to Mulvaney's work on the Committee of Inquiry and on the Planning Committee on the Gallery of Aboriginal Australia. This material documents discussion of such issues as the state of ethnographic collections held in museums and other institutions, the need for a National Museum, the role of such an institution and the scope of its activities, and the development of museology and conservation training programs.

Among the major correspondents are W.R. Ambrose, Peter Baume, Anne Bickford, A.J. Birch, Lionel Bowen, J.L. Carrick, R.J.H. Deane, Barrie Dexter, Robert Edwards, W.F. Ellis, Jack Golson, D.R. Gregg, P.H. Karmel, Peter Lauer, Bruce Macdonald, F.D. McCarthy, John McNally, E.E. Payne, Colin Pearson, Peter Pigott, B.N. Primrose, Paul Reid, Barrie Reynolds, Michael Ridding, Sir William Roberts, Eva Rosander, Peter Sims, Gavin Souter, R.V. Southcott, Jim Specht, P.J. Ucko, D.F. Waterhouse and W.C. Wentworth.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The original instalment of this collection (MS 9615) was donated by Professor Mulvaney under the Cultural Gifts Program in September 1999. Further instalments were received in 2013 and 2017.

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