The National Museum of Australia was established in 1980. A publicly funded institution, it ‘researches, collects, preserves and exhibits historical material of the Australian nation’.

It has 6 goals as outlined in its Mission Statement and Strategic Plan (2024-2029)

• We strive to build a just and equitable society that honours and respects the First Nations peoples of this continent and all who have come after.

• We collect, document, research and make accessible heritage collections that represent the diversity of experience in Australia.

• We engage with audiences physically and digitally to promote learning, dialogue and debate about our past, present and future.

• We promote collaborative work across the breadth of artistic, historical and creative practice to enhance the cultural life of our nation.

• We value and respect the commitment and contribution of all who participate in and contribute to the Museum’s community.

Its Collections Development Policy outlines the ‘three interrelated thematic areas’ which ‘guide the Museum’s range of operations’ and ‘assist in explaining the broader history of human interaction with the Australian continent’. These are:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

• Australian history and society since 1788

• people’s interaction with the environment.

You can find other important guidelines and development policies on the museum’s website.

The National Library of Australia was established by an Act of Parliament in 1960, with the premises opening in August 1968, though its origins lay in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library which was established soon after Federation in 1901. A history of the Library’s foundation and development until 1980 was published in 1981.

The library’s Collection Development Policy ‘guides the continuing development of [the Library’s] collection, to ensure that collecting supports its mission to collect today what will be important tomorrow, to connect all of Australia’s peoples to the nation’s  past, present and future’. Focuses of the collection include:

• published Australian materials;

• materials that represent the contribution of all Australians as the holders and creators of culture;

• overseas resources to inform and enhance Australians’ understanding of the region and their place in the world.

You can find their Collection Strategy Roadmap (2024-2028) here and more corporate information here.

The National Archives of Australia (then known as the Commonwealth Archives Office) separated from the National Library of Australia in 1961. It was renamed to the Australian Archives in 1975, and to its now-name in 1998. You can read more of its history here.

They ‘ensure that Australian Government’ information of enduring significance is secured, preserved and available to government agencies, researchers and the community’. The collection mainly includes Australian Government records from 1901 through to the present day. The organisation provides ‘stewardship of the nation’s archival collection’ and makes ‘the national archival collection accessible to the public, to enrich and inform Australians of who they are today and into the future’. Their latest (and historic) corporate plans are available on their website.

The Centre of Democracy is part of the History Trust of South Australia and is located in the Institute Building on North Terrace, Adelaide. It presents exhibitions and programs that examine the people, ideas, and movements that have shaped—and continue to shape—democratic life in South Australia. 

The Centre draws on South Australia’s state collections to address questions of power, participation, citizenship, and civic action. In line with the History Trust’s stated purpose to ‘explain the complexities of the past and build wisdom for today’, its exhibitions and programs are positioned as sites for critical engagement with democratic practice, to ‘challenge visitors to think again about people and power’. 

The Centre operates within the History Trust of South Australia's Strategic Plan 2023-2027 and Ten-Year Goals 2021-2031, which commit the organisation to: 

• presenting South Australian history ‘in all its facets through quality curatorial and research work’ 

• ensuring history remains ‘relevant across the world, for the world’ 

• prioritising education as a core function, with learning framed as ‘a process of active engagement with experience’ 

• adopting a ‘digital by design’ approach to access and engagement 

• advancing co-development models that recognise history as ‘an ongoing and collaborative practice.’ 

You can read more from their Strategic Plan here. 

The Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) is a national museum located within the heritage-listed Old Parliament House in Canberra, home to Australia’s Commonwealth Parliament from 1927 to 1988. The museum positions the building as both a national icon and a site of contested political history, framing it as a ‘people’s place’ where democratic ideas are examined and debated. 

MoAD’s Strategic Plan 2023–2028 defines its purpose as protecting, conserving and interpreting Old Parliament House; sharing the story of Australia’s democracy through exhibitions, programs and digital content; and enabling audiences to actively explore democratic systems and participate as engaged citizens. Its strategic priorities emphasise civic participation, public accountability, national reach, and learning programs that ‘inspire, encourage and equip Australians of all ages to participate in our democracy.’ 

MoAD’s equity frameworks position access and truth-telling as integral to democratic practice. Its Reconciliation Action Plan commits the museum to acknowledging ‘the complex history of Australia’s democracy and its impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,’ recognising Old Parliament House as a site with ‘negative as well as positive associations.’ Its Disability Inclusion Action Plan frames accessibility as a democratic obligation and commits to improving access across exhibitions, programs, physical spaces, digital platforms, and organisational practice. 

MoAD’s Collection Development Plan 2021–2026 defines the collection as ‘connected to and located within the historical heart of Australian government,’ documenting the ideas, movements, individuals and events that have shaped Australian democracy. The collection comprises three sub-collections (Heritage, Democracy, and Interpretation and Learning) and follows a selective, significance-led collecting approach grounded in provenance, research value, interpretive potential and ethical practice, with an emphasis on collecting ‘today the objects that will be important for telling our history in the future.’ 

Further strategic plans, policy frameworks and reporting documents are available via the museum’s website here. 

Museums Victoria is Australasia’s largest museum organisation and the state museum authority for Victoria, responsible for a network of museums and heritage sites including Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, the Immigration Museum, Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, and the Royal Exhibition Building. Its Strategic Plan 2017–2025 positions Museums Victoria as a leading knowledge institution with a responsibility to help audiences ‘make sense of the world’ and to foster understanding of social, cultural, scientific and environmental change. 

The Strategic Plan articulates a vision of ‘people enriched by wondrous discovery and trusted knowledge’ and a ‘society compelled to act for a thriving future.’ It emphasises Museums Victoria’s role in creating and exchanging knowledge through research, collections, and public engagement, and identifies museums as critical civic spaces in a period of global uncertainty, declining trust in information, and environmental and social challenge. 

Two key themes underpin the Plan, to: 

• To place First Peoples’ living cultures, histories and knowledge at the core of Museums Victoria’s practice 

• To develop an audience-centred Digital Life that delivers experiences beyond our walls. 

These are supported by the following strategic objectives, to 

• provide unmissable experiences for all audiences. 

• have the primary material collection that inspires and enables excellent enquiry into the region’s major contemporary and historical questions. 

• engage with, welcomes and celebrates all communities. 

• be a centre for technological and scientific expertise and fosters innovation to build economic value. 

• be a sustainable and thriving organisation. 

Further strategic documentation, including research, collections and First Peoples frameworks, is available via the Museums Victoria website.