ISAA was founded in 1995 as an Australian-wide association for the promotion of scholarship. Our members include academics and scholars from engineering, medicine, sciences, arts, administration, law, economics and diplomacy. 

The recent publicity surrounding the funding difficulties being suffered by a statutory institution alarms us greatly. The comments of Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, Amanda Stoker made in response to the adverse publicity reflect poorly on the Government. We are aware of the impact of years of funding and staff cuts on the capacity of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) to fulfill its statutory functions under the Archives Act, 1983. The NAA has a fundamental role in preserving ‘the memory of the nation’. This is a grave responsibility, not one to be confined to a new IT system or a funding appeal. The under resourcing of the nation’s archives raises bigger questions about the Government’s commitment to the NAA charter.