interview
George Petelin I want to ask you about the management of this place to start with, and then about the acquisition and exhibition policies and finally about your views on present and future needs of Brisbane's art scene. So if we go back to 1987-there was a new Act of Parliament passed. How did this relate to your appointment?
Doug Hall In 1987-when I came here-there was an entirely new ball game as you said. There was a new Act of Parliament which simply unified the Acts concerning the participants here-the Queensland Art Gallery, the Museum, the Library, the Performing Arts. There was a new Minister, I got the job, there was a new Chairman, a new Board of Trustees. And from day one we were given an incredibly free hand to just totally restructure 'the managerial'. Since then there's been a new Board of Trustees reduced from thirteen to nine, and I'm also a Trustee ...
George Petelin But the Act also changed the way the Trustees were selected!
Doug Hall The only substantial change was that the Chairman is appointed by the Minister as distinct from being appointed by the colleague Trustees-other than that the Minister appoints the Trustees the same as they do in any other state. it's great.
George Petelin Because the Trustees are all appointed by the Minister, how do you think you 'll fare if the Labor Government gets in at the next election?
Doug Hall I've worked in galleries with Trustees of various persuasions. I'm here on a contract-for seven years-which is renewable. The chance of Trustees changing is a fact of life. The fact that Oppositions have a habit of becoming governments... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline