We've fought hard to save the Aurora Australis for the nation, but the time has come for a reality check.
At our Board meeting on 13 August 2020, the Directors of the Aurora Australis Foundation discussed Minister Paul Fletcher’s decision this week to sign an export permit for P&O Maritime, essentially removing the heritage protection given to the Aurora Australis as an Australian Protected Object under Commonwealth law.
In so doing, and by later statements reported in the media, the Minister – who is also responsible for funding to the Australian National Maritime Museum - has made it clear that by his department’s assessment the Aurora Australis does not have sufficient heritage value to be protected and to be shared with Australians.
Though the Board of the AAF vehemently disagrees with this decision – and though our own assessment demonstrates a considerable intrinsic heritage value for the Aurora Australis – we appear to have little or no right of appeal and almost no chance of success to overturn it.
Without government support or substantial private funding – neither of which are forthcoming, despite months of work to seek same – we are unable to make an offer to P&O Maritime to purchase and preserve the Aurora Australis ourselves.
The AAF Board therefore sadly and regretfully accepts that there is nothing we can do to prevent the Aurora Australis being sold to a foreign owner and/or to be broken up for scrap. We believe the ship will leave Australia in the near future and is unlikely ever to return.
Sad as this is, this is not the end of the story for the work of the AAF.
If we cannot have the physical fabric of the ship, we can at least work hard to ensure that the spirit of the Aurora Australis – the stories, experiences and memories of those who sailed on board to or from the adventure of their lives – can be preserved for the future and shared with other Australians.
The AAF will therefore now turn its attention to collecting artefacts, histories, photos and film, and other mementoes of the Aurora Australis, which we hope we can share with the Australian public through physical displays, a ‘virtual museum’, through audio and video documentaries, and a variety of other means.
We will also be working hard to lobby for an Australian Antarctic Museum in Hobart, through which all Australians will be able to learn more about our nation’s remarkable achievements – past, present and planned – in Antarctica. The Australian Antarctic story is full of adventure and courage, heartbreak and happiness, and Australians deserve to understand it better.
A fundraising drive to assist with this work will be launched soon, and we will keep you informed.
Thank you to all who have supported the adventure so far. The AAF Board is deeply sorry for any disappointment felt at this outcome – a disappointment that we feel ourselves.
We hope you will continue to work with us through this change in direction, and we'll keep you informed!
If you haven't already, please sign up for our newsletters on our website:
https://www.aurora-australis.org.au/contact/
- we will close down this petition and updates at the end of the month.
Cheers
Dr Melanie Van Twest
Secretary
Aurora Australis Foundation