The geography of Australia imposes problems for participation in
national organisations (such as our museums association) similar to
the problems of ICOM. Some states are so far away, others are so
poor, that it is impossibly expensive for representatives to attend
council meetings and conferences. (4/5 of Australians live more or
less on the east coast between Mebourne and Brisbane).

At various times the association has subsidised expensive airfares,
but each time, the small budegt of the association blows out, and
subsidies are withdrawn.

The problem boils down to a struggle between justice/democracy/equity
and financial efficiency. Alas, we have still no elegant solution -
only the perspective that the organisaiton must make a deliberate
choice for one or the other. It is, if you like, an ideological
choice.

To be honest, though the issue has been articulated, the association
has never grappled directly with the problem in these terms, ie has
never made that choice.



Dr Linda Young
Research Fellow
History, Research School of Social Sciences
Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200
Tel: 02-6249 4008
Fax: 02-6249 3969


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