A retiring Liberal MP has called for bipartisan support of the National Archives. 

Retiring former speaker of the House of Representatives, Tony Smith, has called on politicians to support meaningful funding for the National Archives.

Mr Smith says the nation’s history is at risk of being left to rot.

Mr Smith has a reputation as one of Australia's most even-handed speakers, and hopes that his good standing will help back his call for the archives to be brought back from a “funding cliff”. 

The Archives were granted an extra $67.7 million in last year’s mid-year budget update, which advocates say was desperately needed to help save almost 300,000 individual documents and collections at risk of disintegration.

That money may not have come without a series of reports by on the dire situation following years of funding and staffing cuts.

A review of the archives found up to $167 million is needed to protect and upgrade archival and preservation systems.

Mr Smith says the nation will suffer without access to the documents and facts of its history.

“As well as having the additional funding, I’m very keen that, in the future, whether it’s in this Parliament or the next, we end the days of the National Archives coming to government at a time of crisis, every one or two years, seeking money so that we don’t face the situation where vital records are not preserved,” he said.

“I don’t believe the National Archives should face any more funding cliffs. The recent Tune review found that far more money will be required into the future.

“Additional funding shouldn’t be seen as a cost, it should be seen as an investment in our nation because serious and proud democracies should not treat the preservation of, and access to, their history in an ad hoc way.”

Mr Smith called for a formal committee to be set up to oversee the archives, hold public hearings and increase awareness about its importance.

“This would shine a lot more sunlight on the challenges facing the National Archives of

Australia and provide certainty about future funding demands,” he said.

Mr Smith stepped down as speaker last year and is retiring from his Melbourne electorate at the May election.