The arts sector has been hit especially hard by COVID.
- In the 2022-23 the Morrison government provided a minimal $20 million dollars to support the Arts while ending to COVID relief. Most of this money went to the large professional arts companies – not to support small community/regional galleries/companies /theatres or individual performers who were unable to work. [‘The Conversation’, March 31, 2022]
- This was because the Morrison government believed that this support for the Arts would stimulate the economy – not because they wanted to support artists and performers! Their attitude now is ‘we supported the Arts through CoVid now they can stand on their own feet’.
- In fact, in the recent Morrison/Frydenberg budget, ‘the arts and culture appear to be the big losers’ [ The Conversation, March, 2022].
- Comparing funding in 2021-22 Budget with the 2022-23 Budget:
- ‘Film and Television’ a loss of $45 million;
- ‘Australian Music ‘ – no funding after 2024!;
- ‘Regional Arts’ - [support for community/regional/remote] - a loss of $10.5 million;
- ‘Screen Australia’ – nearly $28 million loss by 2023-24;
[Portfolio Budget Statements 2022-23 Budget Related Paper No. !.10]
- During CoVid the biggest investment by the Morrison government in the Arts was $20 million to support 541 projects through the RISE fund [Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand] BUT decisions on who received money WERE NOT made by the independent Australia Council: IT WAS THE MINISTER OF THE ARTS WHO MADE THE FINAL DECISION: much of the funding went NOT to ‘not for profit’ community organisations and individual artists but to profit-making commercial activity.
