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FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETIES INC

 

e-BULLETIN No. 89 – 30 September 2011

 

Hon Editor, Dr Ruth S. Kerr

 

 

1) Resources for planning for recovery from disasters

 

2) HMAS Australia shipwreck report

 

3) Intellectual property and the public interest

 

4) Sydney heritage building sold

 

5) History teaching

 

 

1) Resources for planning for recovery from disasters


Australian Library and Information Association have updated their webpages for resources for planning for recovery from disasters at www.alia.org.au/disasterplanning/ It is available for wide circulation.


(Source: Sue Hutley, ALIA Executive Director – 29 September 2011)

 

 

2) HMAS Australia shipwreck report


On 12 April 1924, the former HMAS Australia, the largest warship in the Australian fleet was towed 50km east of Sydney Heads and scuttled with full military honours. The significant vessAustraliael was Australia's only battle cruiser, and was the centrepiece of the Royal Australian Naval Fleet. It was said to have single handedly prevented German aggression in the South Pacific during World War I. 

The wreck lay undisturbed for many years until its accidental discovery in 400m of water in 1990.  However, due to its extreme depth, a survey was not undertaken of the site until the RAN (at the request of the NSW Heritage Branch) directed a suitable deep water ROV unit (US CURV) to undertake the first photographic survey of the site in 2007.  A Report of the survey (commissioned by the NSW Heritage Branch, Office of Environment and Heritage) is now available on-line at the Maritime Heritage Online Web site: http://maritime.heritage.nsw.gov.au .  It presents a potted history of this vessel which led to its sinking, along with the survey results and analyses which have documented key diagnostic elements of this, Australia's largest protected Historic Shipwreck.  A summary Information Sheet is also available.

Dr Brad Duncan, Maritime Archaeologist, Office of Environment  and Heritage, Policy and Programs, 3 Marist Place Parramatta NSW 2150 (Locked Bag 5020 Parramatta NSW 2124) T 02 9873 8552
 brad.duncan@heritage.nsw.gov.au
www.maritime.heritage.nsw.gov.au,
 www.heritage.nsw.gov.au
Vice President, Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology www.asha.org.au/


(Source: asha@flinders.edu.au – 5 September 2011)

 

 

3)Intellectual property and the public interest


The Australian Digital Alliance (ADA) has endorsed the Washington Declaration on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest, drafted at the Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest in August 2011.


The Washington Declaration advocates strong copyright exceptions and limitations to support competition and consumer protection, as well as checks on excessive enforcement, and safeguarding of openness and the public domain. ADA as the peak representative body for copyright users and innovators in Australia, advocates  intellectual property laws that strike a balance between providing appropriate incentives for creativity against reasonable and equitable access to knowledge.


ADA Director Kimberley Weatherall attended the Congress and was involved in drafting of the Declaration. Derek Whitehead has endorsed the Declaration as ADA Chair, and so have several individual Board members. Signatories to the Declaration are shown here.


Ellen Broad | Copyright Adviser | Law and Policy, Australian Digital Alliance | Australian Libraries Copyright Committee, t (02) 6262 1273   |   e ebroad@nla.gov.au   |   w www.digital.org.au   |   a PO Box E202 Kingston ACT 2604

 

(Source: aliaaglin@lists.alia.org.au – 9 September 2011)

 

 

4) Sydney heritage building sold


The 1888 merchant and partners warehouse building in Kent Street, Sydney was sold recently for $3.95 million. It was owned by property developer, Keith Johnson and was sold to a subsidiary of Johnson Property Group. The reason for the sale was financial stress. $500,000 had recently been spent on the property which was bought in 2007 for $3.4 million.


(Source: Australian Financial Review 10-11 September 2011 p.20)

 

 

5) History teaching


The Australian newspaper continues to advocate strongly the teaching of history in schools. It has had editorials on the subject on 27-28 August 2011 (Inquirer page 2) and a feature article by Frank Furedi, ‘The past is not history but should be retold as part of our future’.


(Source: Australian 27-28 August 2011 Inquirer pages 2 and 8)