Tuesday, 5 March 2024

Southern Metropolitan Region

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (13:02): (715) My matter today is for the attention of the Minister for Government Services, and it relates again to the issues around local history funding. I have raised this in the chamber before, but there are further developments that are relevant. The local history funding, to be clear, began in the 1990s under Jeffrey Kennett. There were two forms of finding – one through the Royal Historical Society and the other through the Public Record Office Victoria. One of the developments is the government intends to abolish the public records advisory committee. This is further to the attack on history. I note the relevance of the Royal Historical Society based in my electorate is that it oversights these significant awards. What I am asking the government to do is to review the problems that are created by the abolition of the committee and the potential weakening of records in the long term.