Museum attack damages heritage building

An arson attack on the Museum of Australian Democracy hits the institution hard as it destroys heritage amid a peaceful protest.
Exterior of Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra.

Last week a fire was lit at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD), raising a number of issues. While most media coverage has called the arson a protest, the very message of democracy has been lost in all the noise.  

The site has been repeatedly referred to as Old Parliament House this past week, rather than its full identity as a museum today, which returns the building to a colonial ‘ruling’ position rather than one as a symbol for many voices.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina