Museum poses ‘unacceptable risk’ to the public, says Defence

KEEPING the Milne Bay Military Museum on Defence land poses an “unacceptable risk” according to a spokesman for Defence Minister Marise Payne.

SUPPORTERS SIGN: Milne Bay Military Museum president Marian Jones with many signatures to save the museum. Thursday, 5th Jul, 2018. Picture: Nev Madsen

KEEPING the Milne Bay Military Museum on Defence land poses an "unacceptable risk to Defence personnel, volunteers and visiting members of the public," according to a spokesman for Defence Minister Marise Payne.

Detailing reasons for the museum's eviction to The Chronicle, the spokesman said the museum had been closed since November 2016 "after a number of World War I and World War II-era weapons were reported missing".

"A Defence inquiry identified a number of discrepancies in the accounting, handling and storage of weapons, including 75 weapons or weapons parts belonging to the Milne Bay Military Museum which cannot be accounted for based on previous records, including some weapons that were potentially functional," he said.

"The report also found that the museum operated as a commercial enterprise.

"This issue is not isolated. The Milne Bay Museum has been temporarily closed on a number of occasions over the years due to concerns about poor management and record keeping with regard to weapons.

"Despite these closures, there does not appear to have been any improvement in the practices of the Milne Bay Military Museum."

Museum president Marian Jones said the issues raised by Defence were "historic issues" dating back nearly a decade, and that many involved had since passed on.

"Whenever Defence asked us to do something, we've always done it," she said.

She also said the non-profit organisation's finances were "none of Defence's business" and that entrance fees, donations, and charges for medal-mounting were how the museum survived.

A parliamentary petition asking Defence to gift the museum and its land to the community is approaching 17,000 signatures. Minister Payne's spokesman said disposal of the museum and its land "is not being considered".

Originally published as Museum poses ‘unacceptable risk’ to the public, says Defence