Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you visit any great city in the world you will find at least one grand church, an art gallery of note and a museum that defines that city in time and place. In Geelong we have fine churches, including a basilica and several churches with important links to the early history of the Victorian colony, we have an art gallery with an outstanding collection of Australian and European art from the 19th and 20th centuries and we have several local museums.

Our National Wool Museum is particular to our city. The wool industry bankrolled the growth of Geelong. It marked us as a major centre for export at a time when Australia rode on the sheep’s back, and this museum celebrates that central theme of Australian settlement. We have a maritime museum with a commendable collection of artefacts that trace the importance of our maritime heritage, and the highly popular Ford Discovery Centre is a favourite not just for car enthusiasts but for the whole Geelong community as it celebrates our continuing connection with the Ford motor company since the 1920s.

These museums each tell a part of Geelong’s history—our agricultural, maritime and industrial heritage. We have in the National Wool Museum a strong municipal museum, but we are missing a museum of true national importance. For a city the size of Geelong, and one with such historical richness, this is a sad fact. We need a museum with a significant collection and active exhibition spaces that connect us to our history but also engage with other museums around the country and indeed the world.

Last week I toured our National Wool Museum. It has some outstanding display areas and is currently showing a terrific exhibition from Questacon. But it is many years since this municipal museum has had any major investment and its age is starting to show. If the Wool Museum is going to move forward, what direction should it take? I understand the City of Greater Geelong is currently undertaking a review of the museum, and I congratulate it for doing this. I think it is an ideal time for us as a city to think about the sort of museum we want for our city. Is it time to broaden the scope of the National Wool Museum and make it a national museum that is about more than just wool? There is ample space to retain the best of the current exhibits and build on these to include other permanent collections and space for special events. There is also scope to include the celebrated Customs House in the orbit of this plan. So today I call upon the City of Greater Geelong to hold a forum with civic leaders and other interested people to discuss the future of the museum. This is an exciting opportunity for Geelong to have a conversation about our history and our future and, in the process, create something that we can truly be proud of.