27
April 2009 National Cultural Heritage Account
helps secure a major collection for the
Powerhouse Museum Arts Minister Peter Garrett
today welcomed the Powerhouse Museum’s latest
acquisition, the Bruno Benini Photography
Archive(1950–2001), purchased with assistance
from the Australian Government through the
National Cultural Heritage Account.
The account has now
contributed to the purchase of four major
items for the Powerhouse Museum's collection,
including this latest addition. The 1950
Sydney Gold Cup, an historic biplane and
an early musical instrument (a double bass
by 19th century instrument-maker John Devereux)
have also been secured for permanent public
access with funding from the account.
Minister Garrett attended
the launch of the collection with Hazel
Benini - Bruno Benini's widow and professional
partner during their working lives together
- along with a number of the subjects who
featured in Benini's photographic works.
Mr Garrett acknowledged
the Powerhouse's sustained commitment to
collecting and preserving objects that tell
the history and attest to the value of unique
Australian design.
“This wonderful collection
of Australian commercial photography comprises
over 250 prints, thousands of colour transparencies
and black and white negatives, as well as
support materials like magazine and newspaper
clippings,” Mr Garrett said.
“I'm thrilled that the
Powerhouse will ensure the ongoing preservation
and display of the Bruno Benini Photography
Archive.”
Mr Garrett also paid
tribute to the achievements of this husband-and-wife
team.
“The collection the
Beninis built together forms a valuable
and unique record of developments in Australian
fashion and popular culture from the 1950s
to 2001. They documented Australia's fashion
and manufacturing industries, as well as
our celebrated writers, actors,artists and
musicians.
“Securing this collection
for the public highlights the importance
we now place on innovation and the creative
industries, and is a vital historical and
professional record for Australians employed
in this growing sector.”
Since 2001, the Australian
Government's National Cultural Heritage
Account has helped cultural organisations,
ranging from regional historical societies
to state-based and national collecting institutions,
buy more than 30 nationally significant
objects or collections. The account assists
organisations that cannot raise the full
purchase price of an object so that historic
items can be preserved and made accessible
to the public.
The account is established
by legislation that protects Australia's
movable cultural heritage. A review of this
important legislation is currently under
way and is expected to be completed by mid
2009.
For more information
on the National Cultural Heritage Account
and the review of the Protection of Movable
Cultural Heritage Act 1986 and the Protection
of Movable Cultural Heritage Regulations
1987 visit www.arts.gov.au/movable_heritage.
Coordinated National
Action to Drive Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy Uptake
+ More
30 April 2009 The Council
of Australian Governments (COAG) today took
a major step forward towards Australia’s
low pollution future.
COAG today endorsed
the design of the expanded Renewable Energy
Target and agreed to the introduction of
new 6 star standards for houses and strengthened
energy efficiency standards for commercial
buildings.
As a result of today’s
decisions, work will immediately commence
on five key measures to drive growth in
the number of highly energy efficient homes
and commercial buildings across Australia:
Increasing the stringency
of energy efficiency requirements for all
classes of commercial buildings in the Building
Code of Australia from 2010;
Phasing in the mandatory disclosure of the
energy efficiency of commercial buildings
and tenancies from 2010;
Increasing energy efficiency requirements
for new residential buildings to six stars,
or equivalent, nationally in the 2010 update
of the Building Code of Australia, as well
as introducing new efficiency requirements
for hot-water systems and lighting;
Phasing in mandatory disclosure of residential
building energy, greenhouse and water performance
at the time of sale or lease, commencing
with energy efficiency, from May 2011; and
Reforming current building energy efficiency
standard and assessment processes to achieve
consistency across the nation.
These represent the first measures under
the National Strategy on Energy Efficiency
that will be finalised by COAG in mid-2009.
By ensuring a coherent
and unified approach to energy efficiency
policy, the Strategy will provide a clear
complement to the Commonwealth Government’s
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme – helping
households and businesses reduce energy
costs, improving productivity of our economy
and reducing the cost of greenhouse gas
abatement.
It will build on the
Commonwealth Government’s existing commitments
to energy efficiency such as the Energy
Efficient Homes package: a $3.9 billion
package to install ceiling insulation in
2.7 million Australian households.
COAG also endorsed the
final design of the expanded national Renewable
Energy Target which will see 20 per cent
of Australia’s electricity being generated
from renewable sources by 2020.
This endorsement will
provide certainty for investors, driving
substantial investment and employment in
the renewable energy sector.
It will help transform
the electricity sector and drive the low-pollution
electricity generation that we need to tackle
climate change.
The RET scheme will
increase the renewable energy target by
over four times, to reach 45,000 gigawatt-hours
(GWh) in 2020. To provide renewable energy
investors with even greater legislative
certainty, the 45,000 GWh target will be
maintained until 2030.
The expanded national
RET scheme includes ‘Solar Credits’ to assist
with the upfront costs of installing small-scale
renewable energy systems, including household
solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.
COAG also agreed to
provide partial exemptions to emissions-intensive,
trade-exposed industries. COAG recognised
the impact of the RET on trade-exposed industries
in the context of the CPRS and the additional
pressures these firms are experiencing as
a result of the global financial crisis.
Emissions-intensive,
trade-exposed industries will continue to
support renewable energy, as exemptions
will only apply above the existing Mandatory
Renewable Energy Target of 9,500 GWh.
Legislation to implement
the expanded target design will be in introduced
by mid-2009, with new targets due to commence
in 2010.
Details of the draft
National Strategy on Energy Efficiency and
the RET are now available on the COAG website
(http://www.coag.gov.au).
