Do any of the departments or agencies within the Minister’s portfolio consider that new or additional office accommodation may be required in the next 2 years; if so, would that accommodation be provided in Canberra; and if so, approximately how many staff are estimated to need accommodation in the new or additional offices.

Three of the agencies within my portfolio will require new or additional office accommodation in the next 2 years and some of that accommodation will be provided in Canberra. The details are:

Bureau of Meteorology - approximately 16 staff (associated with the National Plan for Environmental Information)

National Museum of Australia - approval was granted during the May 2010 Federal Budget for the Museum to extend the administration wing of its main building on Acton Peninsula in Canberra.  The extension will enable existing museum space, currently used for administration, to be used for other museum purposes such as exhibition space.  When the extension is complete, approximately 65 staff will move from the existing museum space and co-locate, in the extended administration wing, with staff already in the administration wing.

National Film and Sound Archive - the NFSA anticipates that additional office accommodation will be required in Canberra and is investigating options for additional space to store its growing audiovisual collection with current space 95% full. Up to 20 staff could be relocated to any new storage facility.