GLAM/Newsletter/December 2025/Contents/Australia report
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AMaGA partnership, signing the Open Heritage Statement and South Australian Museum Partner Project
AMaGA: Building Digital Skills, Sharing Stories, Sustaining Culture
In late 2025, Wikimedia Australia awarded Partner Project funding to the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA). Heading into 2026, this project will deliver targeted training to AMaGA staff and volunteers on Wikimedia platforms, initially focusing on underrepresented regions of Australia. These newly trained users will then review and strengthen the representation of Australia’s regional, remote, and First Nations owned and operated galleries, museums, and keeping places on Wikimedia platforms. By engaging directly with cultural organisations, AMaGA will update and expand Wikimedia entries, ensuring that diverse local collections, stories, and knowledge are visible to both national and international audiences.
Read more: Partner Projects Announcement 2025-2026, Ali Smith, 5 November 2025.
Wikimedia Australia signs the Open Heritage Statement
Wikimedia Australia (WMAU) has proudly signed the Open Heritage Statement (OHS), joining organisations worldwide in calling for equitable access to public-domain cultural heritage in the digital environment. By signing this statement, WMAU reinforces its commitment to open access and to the free exchange of knowledge. This includes supporting initiatives that allow people to engage with, build upon and benefit from our shared cultural record.
Read more: Wikimedia Australia signs the Open Heritage Statement, Elliott Bledsoe, 31 October 2025.
South Australian Museum Partner Project wrap up
Spearheaded by Adam Moriarty, the South Australian Museum's digital transformation leader, this project finished up in late 2025 and was aimed at increasing the visibility of the Museum's research and collections on Wikimedia platforms.
Highlights have included:
- increased collaboration between museum staff and volunteers and the broader Wikimedia editing community.
- Mike Dickison developed a roadmap for engaging with Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons. This strategy prioritised inclusivity and ensured that contributions effectively represent South Australia’s history and culture.
- a part-time Wikipedian-in-Residence (WiR) engaged with the museum for 100 hours to implement the roadmap. The WiR worked on priority areas to create and edit content, provide staff training, and engage the community.
- an in-person hands-on workshop, a Wiki Day at SA Museum: From Photos to Facts, explored the Wikimedia Commons workflow for local wikimedians.
- the work undertaken in the museum collections led to a remarkable increase in interest in polar explorer Sir Douglas Mawson. See An incredible 1 million new reads about Mawson.
This project has laid the foundation for sustainable long-term contributions by the South Australia Museum to Wikimedia platforms.
Read more about the project on the Wikimedia Australia website.
Image: South Australian Museum staff, volunteers and Director Dr Hamilton with Wikimedians by BindiS, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
