The Victorian State Government has announced it will inject $6.5 million into the state’s libraries over the next three years. The funding will also involve a comprehensive review of the state’s library services. 

 

"We have listened carefully to the views of library corporations, councils, the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), parliamentary colleagues and the wider community and we have been working together in good faith to address funding issues and establish a bi-partisan Libraries Ministerial Advisory Committee to ensure we can deliver a modern, vibrant and effective library service into the future,” Victorian Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell said.

 

The funding includes the following:

  • An injection of $6.2 million over 2012-13 and 2013-14
  • Restoration of funding for 2011-12 through an up front full-year single payment and over $200,000 in top-up payments this year to ensure no library receives any less money than they did last year;
  • Re-establishment of the Libraries Ministerial Advisory Committee (Libraries MAC) – for the first time as a bipartisan committee including a representative from the Opposition; and
  • Funding of up to $100,000 for a comprehensive review of the role, services and funding for libraries in Victoria to be undertaken by the Libraries MAC.

 

The funding structure was agreed to after consultations with concils, library corporations and the MAV.

 

All councils and library corporations will be sent a new funding agreement which will cover the two years of 2011-12 and 2012-13 with funding to be reviewed prior to the 2013-14 budget.

 

The terms of reference for the agreement can be found here.