Dear Supporter and Concerned Community Member,
The future of Ayers House as a treasured heritage property and museum is under threat. On Thursday 10th June 2021 a notice of eviction from the Minister for the Environment and Water and his Departmental Head was hand delivered to the National Trust of South Australia indicating that it should vacate the premises within 31 days.
And so, a proud 50 year history of stewardship of the House and its Museum by the National Trust was summarily terminated. This was an unprecedented and unwarranted attack by a Government on a major incorporated charity organisation which for 65 years has nurtured and safeguarded much of South Australia’s built and natural heritage.
The History Trust of South Australia is a statutory Government Agency residing within the Department of Education. Its funding, responsibilities and activities devolve from the Government of the day. It was established 40 years ago, and, since that time, has been seeking a permanent location for its burgeoning administrative staff. It is hard to know whether this reflects the value placed on the Agency by Government, or the ineptitude of the organisation.
Why wait so long before entering a complicit arrangement with the Premier, and the Minister responsible for State Heritage, to purloin Ayers House from the National Trust for the inappropriate purpose of transforming its heritage interior into modern offices, lecture theatres and function rooms?
No other jurisdiction in the country has indulged in establishing a Government administered History Trust or similar statutory body. There is a reason for this: the avoidance of the influence and vicissitudes of government control of our history, culture and heritage. These areas of our lived experience must be the purview and subject of true community ‘ownership’, under the administration and protection of prestigious independent bodies such as the National Trust. In other states, government public history activities sit within the purview of state museums and libraries. Why does SA need this extra bureaucracy?
Apart from an unwarranted and inexcusable vindictiveness by the Government and its associated History Trust towards the National Trust of SA, there is no logical or practical reason to evict the National Trust from its long-term and responsible tenure of Ayers House.
The requirement for an administrative centre to accommodate a bevy of public servants in proximity to the commercial opportunities and political status symbol of Lot 14, is no excuse to eviscerate Ayers House, tarnish its heritage status and sacrifice its Museum collection of 30,000 precious and priceless artefacts and furniture.
If the Government is seeking a North Terrace address for the History Trust and its structural and bureaucratic functions it need look no further than the near-deserted Institute Building on North Terrace, or the vacant Eleanor Harrald complex within the Lot 14 complex.
Vacant space configured for office in the Institute Building on North Terrace.
Eleanor Harrald Building at Lot 14.
These venues would more than serve the purposes of the History Trust. Failing this, a cogent and compelling case can be made for disbanding this, so-called Trust. It is not a Trust, it is a Government Agency. It masquerades as a Trust in soliciting donations from the public; a curious twist to have a Government body formally seeking charity from its constituents.
The functions of the History Trust could more rationally and economically be disbursed in other ways, and to other more appropriate bodies. The protection of our heritage should reside in a single, dedicated Government Department, and codified in new and comprehensive legislation. The administration and management of the museums currently under the imprimatur of the History Trust could be placed under an umbrella overseen by the SA Museum.
Its educational activities can be implemented and co-ordinated by the Department of Education and other bodies, with local community input and support.
There is no doubt that ‘History Month’ is popular and successful, but like many of our other public events it need not be the province of a Government Agency. In its current format, its activities rely heavily on local community involvement and front- line volunteers from the National Trust and other non-government organisations.
Simply put, the History Trust is an anachronistic and unnecessary impost on the public purse, consuming $6.5 million in taxpayer funds each year. Its functions should be distributed largely amongst appropriate independent bodies such as the National Trust, and its substantial budget diverted from this bureaucratic agency towards efficient and directed subsidisation of the activities of other established bodies.
For example, the multi-million dollar spend recently announced by the Government envisages changes to the structure and functions of Ayers House. This money could, most effectively, be used to install a lift and air conditioning in the House, and in assisting the National Trust to embellish and maintain the fabric and contents of this heritage icon, rather than establishing government offices there.
It’s all a question of political opportunism and priorities. The Government will need to re-assess its attitudes and policies with regard to protecting our built and natural heritage and to its treatment of bodies such as the National Trust of SA.
To ignore these issues is to recruit an escalating body of opinion which will undoubtedly have an influence on the outcome of the forthcoming State Election.
I urge you to show your support for the keeping the National Trust at Ayers House by signing their online petition: Keep Ayers House for the People
Thank you for your interest and support.
Yours sincerely
Warren Jones AO
Ask the Legislative Council to say no to privatising Martindale Hall
Please write to members of the Legislative Council and ask them to oppose the Government’s bill to allow the privatisation of Martindale Hall.Download a list of State MP contacts
Professor Warren Jones AO is the Convenor of the Protect our Heritage Alliance, a coalition of concerned organisations and individuals, working to protect our built and natural environment. GPO Box 2021 Adelaide, SA 5001
Phone: 0419 852 622 Email: convenor@protectourheritage.org.au
Friends of the City of Unley Society, Inc. 