Election-mode arts sector calls for tripling of grants funding

Image: Womadelaide 2015

Ahead of a likely early, double dissolution election, the arts sector is calling for a tripling of arts funding and more priority for use of arts and music in education.

The Arts Party – set up to represent the interests of the arts and culture sector in the wake of severe budget cuts – will launch its campaign in Melbourne on April 1 (at 6 pm on April 1 at David Williamson Theatre, Prahran). It has announced nine candidates coming from the sector, the latest being comedian Anthony Ackroyd.

In the meantime, ArtsPeak, the confederation of arts organisations, sent an open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. It asked him to reconsider his party’s arts policy and to also revert the Australia Council’s funding to pre-2015 levels.

The Arts Party’s call for the Arts Council’s funding to be increased by $124 million is so it can “achieve (its) true purpose – making cultural and artistic participation an essential part of the lives of every Australian and encouraging artistic creative output by artists and organisations across the country.”

It endorses the continuation of Arts Minister Mitch Fifield’s alternate funding Catalyst program (which replaced George Brandis’ now axed National Programme for Excellence in the Arts) provided it is funded separately without cannibalising Australia Council’s finances.

It also wants the arts included as a key part of education, for STEM to become STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths) as well as expanding the Research and Development Tax Incentive.

Aside from initiatives to strengthen the film and television, book publishing and video games industries, it has policies on public broadcasting, health care, disability support, marriage equality, climate change, immigration and refugees.

It provides a list of economic reforms which will generate savings of $22 billion to fund the ideas it is proposing.

ArtsPeak’s letter to PM Turnbull emphasises how since 2014, “We have witnessed sector budget cuts, funding administration changes and destabilising implementation that we believe is detrimental to the sector.”

It warns of the fall-out to small to medium organisations when the Arts Council’s announces new grants in May from a funding pool slashed by $12 million. It also recommends the continuation of Catalyst, include the arts in the innovation and STEM agendas as promised in January by Minister Fifield) and “to prioritise arts and culture as key tools to Australia’s future prosperity.”