Arts Minister to restore Aus Council funding

A substantial amount of funding that was seized by former Arts Minister, Senator George Brandis, will be reallocated to the Australia Council for the Arts, according to the Daily Review.

Federal Minister for the Arts, Mitch Fifield, who has been in the role since September 2015, is undoing the substantial funding cutback which saw $104 milliontaken from the Australia Council.

Brandis plundered the money in May 2015 to fund his failed arts project, The National Program For Excellence in the Arts (NPEA), now referred to as ‘Catalyst’.

It is understood that most, if not all, of the $104 million that was assigned to Catalyst will now be returned to Australia Council by Fifield, with Catalyst set to remain despite a substantial funding cut-back.

The former Victorian Senator is reversing the disastrous effects of Brandis’ tenure in office, which has caused immense damage to the arts sector in Australia.

Money set aside for small to medium arts organisations, whom in which the Australia Council funding was intended to reach, was instead allocated to fund elaborate Catalyst projects.

While the Catalyst funding still bolstered and supported the arts sector to an extent, including a $485,000 move to fund an indigenous art showcase at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, the mismanagement of funds saw small to medium arts organisations around the country axe programs or close their doors.

The Labour Party and Greens labelled the Australia Council funding cut-back as “Brandis’ slush fund”.

Fifield is treading carefully as he attempts to salvage relationships with arts bodies and organisations that were fractured by Brandis’ policies. His first move in office was to restore a third of the Catalyst funds to the Australia Council.

With the recent injection of funds, the Australia Council has been able to initiate new projects, including $5.7 million investment in musical acts, groups and small to medium arts organisations, as well as $300,000 in funding to Sounds Australia each year, from 2017-2020.

In comments made at the National Arts Debate in Melbourne on June 8, Fifield said, “I don’t claim that we’ve achieved perfection in arts administration. I am open to adjusting and refining the program and arrangements. Happy to keep the dialogue open with the sector.”