NGA reopens on Saturday as national collections unlocked

The Morrison government has given the green light to the NGA, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Library to reopen with safety measures in place.

An exterior view of the National Gallery of Australia

Federal Arts Minister Paul Fletcher has urged his state counterparts not to delay reopening their cultural institutions as the Morrison government gave the green light to the national collections to begin welcoming visitors as soon as Saturday.

The national collecting institutions on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin — including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Library — will be able to reopen from the weekend with health and social-distancing measures in place.

At a meeting on Tuesday night with state cultural ministers, Mr Fletcher urged them also to move ahead with reopening their galleries, libraries and museums.

Several, including the Art Gallery of NSW and the Art Gallery of South Australia have announced their reopening on, respectively, June 1 and June 5.

But Victoria’s cultural bodies including the National Gallery of Victoria and the State Library of Victoria are closed until June 30.

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher

Mr Fletcher said the national collections will reopen by adhering to “strict guidelines” to protect visitors and staff. The national collections not only include the Canberra-based museums — others are the National Museum of Australia and the National Film and Sound Archive — but also the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney and Arthur Boyd’s former property Bundanon near Nowra on the NSW south coast.

Opening the doors to the nation’s cultural treasures was an important step towards resuming a normal life after the coronavirus lockdown, Mr Fletcher said.

“Like many Australians, I am looking forward to once again being able to visit our wonderful national institutions,” he said.

“The reopening of Australia’s national collecting institutions is possible because of work by the Morrison government to fast-track the development and implementation of special safety protocols designed for public gallery, library and museum spaces.”

Safety measures will include timed entry, one-way flow through gallery spaces and frequent cleaning. Visitors may also be asked to provide their contact details to enable public health tracing.

“These measures are important and will help give visitors confidence that their health and safety is a priority,” Mr Fletcher said.

“After a challenging period, the reopening of the nation’s premier cultural institutions is an important step in the re-emergence of Australia’s cultural and creative economy.”