Government pledges funding for Trove

The National Library of Australia (NLA) has welcomed the federal government’s commitment to funding the library’s digital archive, Trove.

In its May federal budget, the government will commit $33 million over four years to the NLA to maintain Trove, as well as $9.2 million annually for ongoing and indexed funding from July 2027. The funding will be part of the government’s National Cultural Policy, Revive, which totals $286 million over four years.

‘Trove has a place for every story, with 14 billion Australian moments captured for future generations,’ said the NLA. ‘It has a story for every place, with Voluntroves from Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory to Burnie in Tasmania. It is where old poetry is transformed into new lyrics, newspapers articles become historical fiction, and where Australian humanities research is powered. Most recently, it has been a place for First Nations communities to continue to tell their stories, through our First Australians pages.’

Over the past two months, several organisations had called on the government to provide funding to Trove.  ‘The overwhelming support we have received from the Trove community (both new and old) has been humbling,’ said the NLA. ‘We take our role as the custodians of Trove, on behalf of the Library and our partner organisations, very seriously.’

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) had asked members to speak up for Trove in its campaign for increased funding. ALIA CEO Cathie Warburton said, ‘We are relieved by today’s news. Trove is a beloved, world-leading resource and the persistent, cross-sectoral support for Trove over the last few months has clearly been seen and heard by decision-makers. We are deeply grateful for everyone who advocated for its ongoing preservation. Today we celebrate.’

NLA said, ‘The certainty of this funding decision will allow the National Library to continue to provide this essential service, enrich it with new content, and stabilise and secure the platform, in line with the Trove Strategy.’

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