Collecting Christine Milne and Barry Jones: The significance of scale — Australian Historical Association annual conference hosted by The Australian National University

Collecting Christine Milne and Barry Jones: The significance of scale (220)

Libby Stewart 1
  1. Museum of Australian Democracy, Parkes, ACT, Australia

Museums collect things. Their staff study them, write and talk about them, love and admire them, and care for them. The Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) has a wide brief – its core subject has almost no limits, the scale and scope of its collecting can indeed be problematic. But its collection does have a strong focus on all things political, including prime ministers, members of parliament, their staff, those who seek to influence politicians, and much more.

This paper will focus on two of MoADs recent political collections to show how collecting on a grand and ambitious scale offers rich rewards; for the museum, for researchers, and for the general visitor. Both Christine Milne and Barry Jones were major political figures, and both have a strong sense of history. They were, and still are, collectors in their own right. Their recent donations to MoAD contain some items that are mundane and others that are rare and highly significant. The scale of subject areas they cover and uses to which these collections can be put is nearly endless, a treasure trove for scholars of all kinds.

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