Australia provides training for museum staff

Antara ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 05/28/2008 7:44 PM  |  World

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer has welcomed a University of Sydney team to Jakarta this week. The team are here to deliver a training to senior museum staff.

The team will deliver training to staff from the Presidential Palace museums in Jakarta, Bogor and Cipanas museums, the Australian Embassy said in a statement Wednesday.

"Australia appreciates that preserving the records of historical developments of the Republic of Indonesia is a priority for the Indonesian government," Farmer said.

"This project will contribute to this goal on a longer-term basis."

During the visit, Dr. Jennifer Barrett, director of museum studies, and Dr. Chiara O'Reilly, a lecturer at the University of Sydney, will meet program participants and learn about the Presidential Palace museums' collections, management and administration.

Six officers from the Presidential Palace museums have been awarded scholarships to study at the University of Sydney from July until September.

The tailored course combines formal coursework and practical experience with an internship at Australian museums. As a result, participants will be able to take leadership roles at the Presidential Palace museums in the key areas of conservation, collection management, collection interpretation and museum administration.

"This training program will build people-to-people skills and professional linkages between Australia and the Presidential Palace through delivering high quality specialized training to key cultural government institutions," Farmer said.

Barrett will also deliver a seminar to museum staff on the latest Australian and international developments in the field of museum studies and conservation.

The visit is funded by the Australian government's IN2OZ: Creative Australia program, which will hold cultural diplomacy activities in Indonesia throughout 2008. (****)

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