POLICY MAKING: QVMAG

LCC, the Aldermen, have on the whole had a hands-off attitude towards policy making in regard to the QVMAG for well over a decade. To remind Aldermen what is involved here and what falls in the court of governance in regard to museum policy making its governance need to consider and be directly engaged with the following:

Accession Policy: This falls within the realm of governance as it has budget implications – capital and recurrent – and programming consequences. Ideally, Accession Policy is typically developed in collaboration between governance and management but fundamentally it is the function of a museum’s governance to set the parameters of the museum’s policies and accommodate them within its strategic planning and marketing processes;

Deaccession Policy: This falls within the realm of governance as it has security and budget implications plus programming consequences. Like with Accession Policy, Deaccession Policy is developed in collaboration between governance and management but fundamentally it is the function of a museum’s governance to set the parameters of the policy and accommodate it within its strategic planning and marketing processes;

Specific Issue Policies: Specific issues need policy determinations to be made to not only assert their necessity but also to contextualise and underpin executive decision making – Access and Equity, Ethics, Aboriginal Cultural Material, Collection Management, Repatriation, Collections Conservation, Equal Employment Opportunity, Smoking in the workplace, Occupational health and safety policy, Publication, Photography in the museum, Human remains, etc.

Best Practice Issues: Albeit that there is often the need operate in the absence of a ready to hand in-house policy there is now easy access to the ‘best practice’ model policies used by like institutions – nationally and internationally. Given this, the QVMAG’s governance needs to identify default policy reference points to guide management in the institution’s operation. Ad hoc decision making in regard to ‘policy’ needs to be replaced by informed and strategic policy determination and decision-making.

In March 2007 LCC stood back from its governance role at the urging of the Director and presumably on the urging of the General Manager as well. It was intended that this be reviewed “within 12 months” but that never happened it seems. Consequently, since 2007 LCC has stood further back from its governance role to the extent that by default governance has been handed to management.

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The situation where the function of governance and management are virtually amalgamated can no longer persist and especially so given the current situation the QVMAG finds itself in. Much of that can be accounted for as failures and weaknesses of governance and this too cannot be allowed to persist.

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Foreword
Background
Policy Making QVMAG
Proposed Membership: Interim Board of Governors
Proposed Tasks: Interim Board of Governors
APPENDIX #1: Notes on Special Purpose Commissioner
APPENDIX #2: Notes on Community of Ownership & Interest
LINK: Submission to Tas State Govt. CLICK HERE
LINK: Open Letter QVMAG Governance CLICK HERE