PRESIDENT'S REPORT

The year to August 1998 has been one of administrative and structural consolidation for the PHA NSW. As usual the Association has relied on the valued support of the many volunteer members serving tirelessly in the numerous internal services and as professional representatives on outside bodies to carry forward the interests of the PHA. The Management Committee commends them for all their hard work during the year.

The Association now has some 73 Members and Associate Members, a great proportion of whom are actively involved in sharing the workload of running the day-to-day business of the Association. We are currently represented on the Australian Council of Professional Historians Associations In., the History Council of NSW, the History Advisory Panel of the Heritage Council of NSW, the State Archives Customer Council, the Australian Historical Association and (via my role as Secretary of ACPHA) on the National Council for the Centenary of Federation.

One of the major initiatives during the year was the development of a Strategic Plan and Budget, which have already proved a valuable tool in prioritising the forward planning and the financing of the Association's Objects. PHA NSW has also lobbied with some success over issues like the Australian Law Reform Commission's review of the Australian Archives Act, the revised Burra Charter, the Cyprus Hellene/ Australia Hall debate, East Circular Quay, the contentious proposals for redevelopment of Walsh Bay and the Heritage Office Draft Paper on Accreditation, which has adopted PHA standards for the engagement of historians.

Significant comment has also been made by members on a proposed restructure of the Mitchell Library (this is ongoing). Serious questions of professional standards, ethics and fees were also addressed by the Management Committee as a result of the Manly History Project. Under direction from the last Annual General Meeting, the Management Committee, for the first time in the Association's history, expelled a member for failing to uphold the Objects of the Association. This was a regrettable course to be forced to pursue but one that a professional association could not allow to go unanswered. The PHA NSW has received the full support of ACPHA in this matter and, at the recent AHA Conference, the AGM unanimously passed an in-principle motion supporting our contention that academic historians should not use uncompetitive funding structures to undercut their colleagues in the public sphere.

The PHA has been vitally involved in the ACPHA review of the draft National Accreditation Criteria for Professional Historians. Given the often difficult disparities that exist between state associations, this has been an enormous legal and logistical task. Another 50-page questionnaire is on the table at the moment! When this process is completed, however, it will prove to be a major vehicle in attaining a unified national approach to issues of professional parity, fees, accreditation and lobbying.

My thanks go to all members of the Management Committee and the Association services, especially to Tony Prescott, the outgoing Secretary, who has worked very hard for the last three years in this increasingly demanding role.

Christopher Keating, President

SECRETARY'S REPORT

Reform and upgrading of the Association's administration was completed this year. The Association now has a three-year Corporate Strategic Plan, a Budget and a Procedures Manual. The old-fashioned structure of administration by sub-committees has been replaced by a number of business units responsible through the Secretary (the Executive Officer) to the Management Committee which, in turn, is freed from mundane tasks - which were overwhelming it - in order to concentrate on its broad management responsibilities. This represents the end of a process extending over more than three years during which the Association's administration has been remodelled along modern corporate business lines and structured to ensure that the Association's objectives were being adequately resourced and fulfilled.

In conjunction with the Strategic Plan and the Budget, the Association's business structure should now provide a sound platform for attainment of its objectives within the limits of its volunteer and financial resources. At the same time, members who volunteer to manage areas of the Association's business are provided with a fully-fledged opportunity to develop and exercise management skills in their profession.

As a result of this restructuring, ten Association members from outside the Management Committee (as well as all seven members of the Management Committee, in addition to their elected duties) now serve in managing or assisting the Association's business units, on sub-committee work or as representatives on outside bodies. A number more serve on the editorial groups for Phanfare and Public History Review. In all, 24 members (one-third of the membership) serve in the 18 principal and 32 supporting non-elected positions in the Association's administration. Though this is a satisfying result of the Management Committee's move for democratisation, many of the same few names do appear again and again. We do reiterate that members should come forward and gain the valuable professional experience of Association administration.

Preparation of the first budget has highlighted the Association's slender financial base and the importance of the labour of volunteer members in attaining objectives. Nevertheless - and despite rising costs - we are better funded than ever with a reserve of about $5,000 and an annual revenue of about $10,000. Public History Review remains financially self-supporting thanks to funding by the NSW Ministry for the Arts, though again heavily dependent on volunteer labour. The financial crunch, however, is that we cannot get by without expending all that we earn. The Management Committee decided to increase charges for publications, social activities and workshops in an effort to recoup some costs.

Membership reached 72 before the end of the year, the highest since the constitution was modified in 1993 by restricting membership to professional historians only. The membership profile continues to change rapidly with many new enquiries and admissions from new graduates and from outer areas of Sydney and the country.

The national body, ACPHA, continued its study of accreditation during the year and the PHA provided input to this. It is satisfying to see the PHA NSW accreditation standard being used as a benchmark in formulating national competency standards. The Association's diligent pursuit of accreditation standards has resulted in many commissioning and statutory bodies using the Association's standards - and even actual membership - to define and select historians.

The importance of the accreditation issue cannot be over-emphasised. Historians need to connect with issues of professionalism nationally and across the professions. Professional standards are starting to be addressed in legislation and professional associations are facing an increasing expectation that they guarantee the competence of their members, even performing a legal role when members become delegated official certifying authorities. It will not be long before historians start to become involved at this level and the Australian professional historians' associations will be assuming new professional guarantee and risk management obligations. As part of this process, the associations will need to liaise with training institutions, to the point of accrediting their courses, and boost their continuing professional development programs. These are the issues ACPHA is addressing.

Unsuccessful applicants for membership of the Association - of whom there were several during the year - also need to consider these facts when choosing their level of training. Some types of history training currently available simply do not meet accreditation standards. No other major profession will accredit a person on the strength of anything less than a full principal degree in the discipline; the PHA considers that there is no reason for history to be any different.

During the year, the Association also forwarded a resolution to ACPHA recommending that the state professional historians' associations be amalgamated into a single national body with state chapters. Historians are atypical among Australian professions in being segregated by state. The formation of ACPHA has brought rapid realisation that the professional issues we face are national. Amalgamation would also solve the viability dilemma of the smaller state associations. The Association's suggestion has been accepted by ACPHA as a long-term goal.

Tendering practices were also targeted during the year, the principal example being a member, a university academic, who tendered for and gained a major job at a fraction of even the lowest recommended rates. This event caused widespread consternation and resulted in the person losing his membership of the Association, the first time such drastic action has occurred. The Association's position was widely supported in other academic circles and by the Australian Historical Association.

The Association's Management Committee met eight times during the financial year. (The first of these meetings was of the previous Committee, the new Committee being elected in August.) In addition to matters mentioned in this Annual Report, the Committee authorised representations by the Association in respect of a number of matters, including the Aboriginal Day of Mourning site (the Cyprus Hellene Club, Sydney), the Australian Archives Act review and heritage accreditation in NSW.

This year has been my last term as Secretary. It has been an exhausting but tremendously rewarding time. I apologise to those who thought I was 'driving the bus' too hard and too fast but I think the results are worth it. The Association's 'corporatisation', together with our initiatives have given us and our members a leading profile and business-like image both in the history profession and in many other areas. I am grateful for the support of many members - in particular Paul Ashton, Shirley Fitzgerald, Chris Keating, Beverley Johnson and Sue Rosen who have supported me at times when I felt like falling over - and honoured to be part of a great team. Feeling guilty about not naming more names, I do nevertheless thank all the members of the Management Committees I've served on over the last five years and all the other Association members whose support as 'staff' in our new business structure has enabled the Secretary to keep his sanity. The vigorous achievements of those Committees and members have brought admiration and emulation of the Association across Australia and overseas and, most importantly, have brought more recognition, more work and better conditions for all members.

Tony Prescott, Secretary

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE:

SUB-COMMITTEES, DELEGATES AND WORKING PARTIES 

The Association's Management Committee sets up standing advisory sub-committees and appoints delegates to assist it in its work. These appointments are on an annual basis. Temporary working parties are also set up from time-to-time to advise the Committee on specific issues.

STANDING SUB-COMMITTEES OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Standards Committee

Convener: Christa Ludlow

Members: Shirley Fitzgerald, Hilary Golder

The Standards Committee advises the Management Committee on accreditation, contracts, ethics and professional fees. During the year the major issue of accreditation standards was under consideration at a national level through ACPHA. The PHA NSW responded to a survey circulated by ACPHA. The Standards Committee will consider the issue further when proposals are put back to the state associations for consideration.

DELEGATES OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPRESENTING THE ASSOCIATION ON OUTSIDE BODIES

Australian Council of Professional Historians Associations

PHA Representative: Christopher Keating Alternate: Tony Prescott

ACPHA recently held its second AGM. The major issues under current consideration were the long-running survey about (dis)parity between member associations; the resulting national review of accreditation criteria for professional historians; the completion of a strategic plan; the completion of a nation-wide survey of historians in government; the formation of a body in Queensland in opposition to the one already recognised by ACPHA; the proposed amalgamation of the Tasmanian member association with a largely non-professional body; plus a never-ending list of administrative minutiae.

The Council has been active in advocating the input of professional associations in issues such as the National Royal Historical Society, the review of the Australian Archives Act, and the Noel Butlin Archives. ACPHA was also represented at a recent conference in Canberra to set priorities for the National Council for the Centenary of Federation's History and Education program. It recently agreed with a PHA NSW proposal to reduce the annual levy on state associations from $15 per head to $10 per head.

ACPHA believes that its on-going work to create a national, uniform set of criteria for accreditation, standards, ethics, fees, nomenclature, etc will do much to promote the interests of professional historians more effectively within the national arena of historical debate and advocacy.

History Council of NSW

PHA Representative: Bruce Baskerville Alternate: Nicole Secomb

The PHA is an institutional member of the History Council of NSW. The History Council was established in 1995 by the NSW Government as a peak body to promote the practice of history and to raise history's public profile. During the year the Association succeeded in having its representative elected to the Council's Management Committee and thus participated more closely in the affairs of the Council. Linkages are also being expanded through PHA involvement in History Week activities and forwarding of Phanfare to the Council. The two bodies also liaised in issuing supporting media statements on the Walsh Bay issue and the PHA participated in the Council's activities at the presentation of the Premier's History Awards at Armidale in May.

History Advisory Panel

PHA Representative: Joan Kent

Alternate: Paul Ashton

The History Advisory Panel is a sub-committee of the Heritage Council of NSW, the State Government advisory body on heritage. The Panel was newly reconvened and met twice during the year, discussing broad issues of history and heritage, a strategic plan for history in heritage and the Your State: Your Place community heritage project, amongst other matters.

State Archives Customer Council

PHA Representative: Sue Rosen

The Customer Council of the NSW Archives Office met during the year, providing advice on a new Archives Act and the new Sydney archives office, amongst other matters. The PHA representative also participated in a review of the future of substitute care records.

Australian Historical Association

Correspondent: Paul Ashton

The PHA continued to liaise with the Association on issues of public history, particularly during preparation for the 1998 AHA Conference in Sydney.

WORKING PARTIES OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED DURING THE YEAR

History Week

Bruce Baskerville, Joan Kent, Tony Prescott

ICOMOS Burra Charter

Bruce Baskerville, Joan Kent

Strategic and Financial Planning

Bruce Baskerville, Beverley Johnson, Chris Keating, Joan Kent, Tony Prescott

PHA SERVICES

The Association's organisation consists of three divisions: Administration Services, Professional Services and Information Services. Within each division are a number of business units responsible for the Association's services.

ADMINISTRATION SERVICES

Secretariat

Executive Officer (Secretary):

Tony Prescott

Finance Officer (Treasurer):

Beverley Johnson

Agenda Officer: Tony Prescott

Database Officer: Beverley Johnson

Records Officer: Sigrid McCausland

The Secretariat's major initiative during the year was completion of a new administrative framework for the Association. This included preparation of a Corporate Strategic Plan, a Budget, a Procedures Manual and a 'staffing' framework. Some reordering of facilities at the Professional Centre was undertaken together with a major review of the Association's records. A report on the records and a disposal schedule will follow in the new financial year. All of this activity was aimed at streamlining the administration as much as possible in order to ease the increasing work-load on the volunteer office-bearers. As the Association is not sufficiently funded to employ staff, it has been decided to create additional volunteer administrative positions to take some of the workload off the Secretary and Treasurer.

Public Relations

Public Relations Officer: Dianne Myers Alternate: Tony Prescott

Media contact: the President

The supply of update information to serial indexes and the Directory of Australian Associations was maintained. Dianne Myers was appointed as the new Public relations Officer during the year. Media statements were prepared on the Walsh Bay and East Circular Quay issues, the Association receiving some publicity as a result.

Social Activities

Co-ordinator: Pauline Curby

Alternate: Nicole Secomb

The Social Activities unit was established during the year in response to a desire to cultivate member contact and to cater for major social functions such as the Annual General Meeting and the Christmas function. The unit conducted a member survey and organised an outing during the year, in addition to informal gatherings following Management Committee meetings.

PHA Collection - Mitchell Library

Co-ordinator: Sue Rosen

The Association's collection of members' unpublished work in the State Library of NSW was maintained and augmented with some new accessions.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Consultants' Register

Co-ordinator: Paul Ashton

The PHA's Register of Consulting Historians is published in a high-quality flexible format and is distributed to potential clients of members, either on request or by targeted circulation. The Register continues to be in demand and numerous copies were sent out during the year, often with supporting information.

Professional Advisory Service

Professional Adviser: Sue Rosen

The PHA's Professional Advisory Service was established to answer inquiries from members and clients of members on professional matters. There was minor usage of the service during the year.

Library

Librarian: Terri McCormack

Alternate: Eve Stenning

The library continues to grow and provides a valuable information service to members through the Librarian's monthly summary of incoming material in Phanfare.

Professional Development

Co-ordinator: Grace Karskens

Unit members: Paul Ashton, Pauline Curby, Chris Keating, Tony Prescott

Having completed its initial set-up tasks, the Professional Development group was allocated funding as a business unit and settled in to continue the Association's Continuing Professional Development program during the year. A workshop was presented on Web Page Design (run by Christine de Matos) and preparation for a workshop on Heritage Work was commenced.

INFORMATION SERVICES

PHA Publications

Co-ordinator: Tony Prescott

Alternate: Paul Ashton

The PHA's publications unit has maintained, updated and restocked the suite of informational publications previously produced as required. Other needs of the Association were also supplied. Preparatory work was undertaken for a Web page (Internet 'Home Page') for the Association and a proposed Register of Historic Places. The latter is intended to raise the profile of history in the heritage field and help to balance the heavily architectural emphasis of existing heritage registers. Preparation of Monograph No. 3 (Native Title) continued during the year.

Phanfare

Co-ordinator: Beverley Johnson

Editorial Collectives: Rosemary Broomham, Rosemary Kerr, Terri McCormack, Nicole Secomb; Deborah Edward, Bruce Baskerville, Richard Temple; Grace Karskens, Christine Cheater, Tony Prescott; Terry Kass, Beverley Johnson, Carol Liston

Four new editorial collectives were formed during the year to produce the Association's house magazine. This helped to spread the workload. Circulation continued to rise due to the increased number of members and subscribers. Because of rising costs, the Management Committee decided to raise the subscription price to $35 a year from July 1998. The 'What's On' feature, compiled by Christine de Matos, and the Library report by Terri McCormack continue to provide the backbone for the magazine. 'What's On' now has a second syndicated user, the City of Sydney Website.

Public History Review

PHA Editors: Paul Ashton, Christopher Keating, Christa Ludlow

The public history journal published by the Association continues to attract grant funding from the NSW Ministry for the Arts. A combined issue, volume five and six, was released in 1998. Discussions were held with the Management Committee during the year on future options for the journal. It was decided to increase the profile of the Association in the journal in future issues. 

Professional Historians Association NSW Inc

Copyright PHA NSW 1998

Web version
Site URL: www.phansw.org.au
Last updated 30 April 1999