In 2004, AEA was commissioned by the Department of Premier and Cabinet and Arts Victoria of the State of Victoria to carry out an in-depth review of the operations and finances of the National Gallery of Victoria for 2005-06. 

The NGV has the largest art collection in Australia and the largest physical plant in the Southern Hemisphere. The aim of the review was to provide expert independent appraisal of the Gallery’s operations, current financial position, and financial projections for 2005-06, along with an investigation of the current operations against key parameters, and the development of alternate operational models for consideration. 

The project was intended to assist the Gallery’s director and Board in bringing its budget into balance, and to change course in its programmatic and strategic directions.

Following a one-week site visit, AEA and its Australian affiliate ARTD undertook a comprehensive study of the budgeting procedures, staff structure, past and future programming, and planning methodology of the NGV. The result was a study that made specific recommendations leading to staff reductions, program changes, and numerous efficiencies.  A cornerstone of the report was to suggest that the Gallery was dedicating a disproportionate amount of resources to special exhibitions, and that savings were to be found in redeploying newly created gallery space to the permanent collections. 

In the six months since the AEA Study was submitted, the Gallery has undergone significant changes and is headed towards a balanced budget in 2006.

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