Stephanie Bull wants the public to see more of the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) during her time as the museum director, both by opening the building itself and by taking the museum on the road.
Having started in the role in February, Bull laid out to The Mandarin three goals she hopes to achieve in her five-year term.
“There are 1,500 rooms in Old Parliament House; I haven’t even visited a small component of that yet,” Bull said.
“But it’s an amazing building that has lots to tell and to show and I’d love to be able to open more of this building in a way that visitors can enjoy it.”
Another item on the agenda is showcasing MoAD around the country.
“I’d also like to be able to expand what we do to take the story of the People’s House to people across the nation, locally, regional, remote, metropolitan, through schools, through libraries, through councils, whatever we can do to share this content,” the director said.
“Because while we’re in Canberra, Australia’s a big nation and not everyone can get to Canberra and I like to be able to take our content to them.”
In terms of funding for MoAD, Bull is looking to see what is in the May Budget.
With 2027 marking 100 years since Old Parliament House (then just Parliament House) opened its doors, early plans are in motion.
“In the lead-up, [we’re] looking at multiple aspects in terms of Canberra, why it was chosen, the design of the building, the opening of the building, how Canberra came to function in terms of the national parliament and the public service,” Bull said.
“But also, it’s not just about 2027, it’s about what legacy we can build on for the next 100 years. Plans are very early on, it’s only initial, but stay tuned.”
Taking on the role of leading the beloved institution has felt like a privilege for Bull.
“I love this building. The staff love this building, the public love this building, our board loves this building. It’s well-loved by all,” the director said.
“I think that also resonated during the fires where — I wasn’t here at the time — MoAD received a lot of support from the public.”
The “fires” Bull referred to is the 2021 incident during which the doors of Old Parliament House were burned down in a protest from alt-right protestors.
Bull applauded museum staff for starting to “collect the story” of the fire, with specialists repairing the doors of the heritage building.
“There was the team that did a lot of work to be able to open and repair the damage and open the building back up to the public. But they also focused on archiving or capturing that story,” Bull said.
With exhibitions such as Behind the Lines 2022: the year in political cartoons and Blueprint on how Australia’s democratic system works, Bull encouraged people to visit.
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