Dear Members, over the past few months, we have continued to progress delivery of our 2025–2030 Strategic Plan and made clear decisions about the next stage.
National Council met face-to-face over two days in May and again in June to review our performance, consider member feedback, set priorities for the current financial year and ensure our ambitions are supported by the right governance, resources and operating capacity.
Members have shaped our priorities
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2026 Membership Survey. Your feedback was central to National Council’s discussions in May and directly influenced the FY27 Business Plan.
The survey confirmed that members value connection to the profession, access to information, professional identity and the national conference. It also showed that members want more tangible and consistent value throughout the year.
Members asked for:
- more practical workshops, technical masterclasses and professional development
- stronger mentoring, career pathways and support for emerging conservators
- better digital resources and easier access to recorded learning and practical guidance
- more visible advocacy for conservation, employment pathways, funding and professional standards
- more equitable access for regional, remote and geographically dispersed members.
National Council agreed that our focus must be on delivering fewer priorities well, rather than expanding activity without the capacity to support it.
National Council Face to Face meeting May 2026
FY27 Business Plan and Budget
At its June meeting, National Council endorsed the FY27 Business Plan and Budget. The plan was developed from the May face-to-face discussions, the Membership Survey, our review of FY26 delivery and the objectives of the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan.
Our principal areas of focus are:
- expanding mentoring, practical training, Special Interest Group activity and hybrid learning, with stronger regional access
- improving the website, digital resources and tools for online participation
- strengthening relationships with the galleries, libraries, archives and museums sector, universities, governments, donors and international partners
- increasing First Nations representation in governance and progressing cultural safety, accessibility, disaster resilience and sustainable conservation
- strengthening organisational and financial resilience through better governance, diversified income and improved operational capacity.
The Budget represents a deliberate investment in our strategic priorities. Long-term sustainability will also require continued work on membership growth, grants, philanthropy, partnerships, investment income, fundraising and responsible cost management.
Group photo, National Council Face to Face meeting May 2026
Strengthening governance and operating capacity
National Council endorsed a comprehensive suite of updated financial policies and procedures in June. We are also establishing a Finance, Risk and Audit Committee to strengthen oversight of financial planning, risk management, investment decisions and long-term sustainability.
National Council position descriptions and organisational policies are also being reviewed and updated so responsibilities, decision-making authority and accountability are clear. This work is essential to delivering the Strategic Plan responsibly and sustainably.
We have also endorsed a 12-month, full-time, fixed-term General Manager appointment. I am pleased to confirm that Jessica O’Brien, who has supported AICCM through the Secretariat function, will take up this expanded role.
The General Manager will bring together the Secretariat, website and communications responsibilities, while providing additional capacity across governance, grants, fundraising, partnerships, project delivery and information technology.
AICCM remains a member-led and volunteer-powered organisation. This appointment will support that foundation by enabling members to focus their voluntary contributions on professional leadership, knowledge sharing and member activity.
Modernising our information technology systems
Our transition to Microsoft 365 is progressing. AICCM currently operates across several disconnected platforms, making file management, collaboration, records management and access more challenging than they should be.
The migration will provide a more secure and integrated environment for National Council, State Divisions, Special Interest Groups, committees and working groups. It will improve records management, shared access, communication and organisational continuity.
This is a practical action under the Strategic Plan’s commitment to build a digitally capable and future-ready organisation. It will also support future improvements to the website and the development of a more useful digital resource hub for members.
Advocating for conservation nationally
Advocacy remains a central responsibility of AICCM and was one of the strongest priorities identified by members.
In May, AICCM made a substantial submission to the review of Australia’s National Cultural Policy. We called for conservation and preservation to be embedded at the centre of national cultural policy, rather than treated as a secondary consideration.
Our submission recommends a renewed National Conservation and Preservation Framework and a dedicated National Cultural Heritage Preservation Fund. These initiatives would support conservation treatment, collection documentation, digitisation, sustainable collection environments, disaster preparedness, workforce development, volunteers, regional and remote collections and First Nations-led preservation on Country.
The submission supports our Strategic Plan commitment to represent the profession to governments and decision-makers and demonstrate that preservation is essential cultural infrastructure.
Partnerships, conferences and sector engagement
AICCM continues to build partnerships that increase opportunities for members and strengthen the profile of conservation.
We have submitted a proposal to present a practical conservation session at the Australian Museums and Galleries Association National Conference in Canberra in November 2026. If accepted, this will allow AICCM to represent the profession across the wider museums and galleries sector.
AICCM will also deliver a dedicated session at the ICOM NATHIST International Conference in Adelaide in November 2026, connecting conservators with natural history professionals and institutions from Australia and overseas. With generous philanthropic support, we are developing bursaries to help conservators participate in these events. Further information will be shared shortly.
National Council has also supported the development of a national Environmental Parameters Project in partnership with International Conservation Services, the University of New South Wales and institutional partners in Australia and overseas. The project will examine how collection environments can protect cultural material while reducing energy use and carbon emissions, and will produce practical case studies, research and guidance for the sector.
Looking further ahead, planning is beginning for the 2028 AICCM National Conference. Feedback from members and the successful 2025 conference will inform its development. Stay tuned for opportunities to contribute.
Contribute to the AICCM Bulletin
The AICCM Bulletin is one of the most important ways our profession records and shares its knowledge. It provides a lasting platform for original research, treatment case studies, technical methods, policy development, conservation science and reflections on professional practice.
A strong Bulletin depends on a steady flow of member contributions. We welcome publications about treatments, new methods, institutional initiatives, student research, collection-care programs and lessons from practice.
Sharing this work strengthens the profession’s evidence base, supports knowledge sharing, and increases the national and international visibility of Australian conservation practice. It also supports the continuing reach and sustainability of the journal.
I encourage members, institutions, universities, Special Interest Groups and conference presenters to share your work and also contribute through peer review and editorial participation.
Get involved
There is an extraordinary amount of activity across AICCM. State Divisions and Special Interest Groups are delivering talks, workshops, tours, webinars and networking opportunities. Working groups and committees are progressing professional standards, cultural safety, disaster preparedness, sustainability and other strategic priorities.
These activities are made possible by the expertise and generosity of members.
You can contribute by attending an event, joining a Special Interest Group or working group, mentoring another member, proposing professional development, submitting to the Bulletin, sharing employment and training opportunities or helping AICCM build partnerships in your community or institution.
The direction we have set is ambitious, focused and achievable.
Thank you for your continued commitment to AICCM and the conservation profession.
Best wishes
Dr Samantha Hamilton
President, AICCM