Page 2982 - Week 08 - Thursday, 15 August 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
expenditure growth was static. The increases across the country from 2016-17 to 2017-18 were the highest in New South Wales and South Australia. The ACT increased too, but one could interpret much of that as being catch-up from the previous years.
It is also telling that the ACT’s expenditure level is nearly the same as the Northern Territory’s. The ACT has twice as many people as the Northern Territory, so this government’s commitment to cultural funding is about half the per capita level of our friends in the north. It is the same story for capital expenditure on the arts. The ACT expenditure in 2017 was almost the same as the Northern Territory’s. Having said that, only New South Wales and South Australia had any real commitment to arts capital expenditure. All other states and territories need to pull up their socks in this regard.
During estimates I submitted a question on notice about future arts funding in the ACT. My question was this: what is the budget for artsACT funding for 2019-20 and for the outyears? The answer was:
The arts funding budget for 2019-20 is $10.6 million and may increase by CPI in the out years if available.
I emphasise “may increase by CPI”. There are two very critical elements to this answer: the word “may” and the words “if available”. Let me give that part of the answer again. The minister is saying that arts funding may increase by CPI in the outyears if available. I do not know what “if available” means. Does it mean they do not know what CPI will be in the outyears? Are they seriously saying that the ACT has so little money that it cannot increase arts funding by CPI?
This answer does two things. Firstly, it underscores the static nature of the Labor-Greens government approach and attitude to the arts in this town. Secondly, it offers no certainty for the arts community, already running on the smell of an oily rag. This static state, the hallmark of this Labor-Greens government’s commitment to the arts in the ACT, is evidenced further by the 2019-20 budget’s accountability indicators for arts engagement. These indicators offer no hope to the arts community that this government has any commitment either to growth or to its importance to the ACT broader community. They offer no hope that this government has any understanding of the many benefits—economic, social, and health and wellbeing—that the arts community brings to the ACT and its people.
Let me look briefly at the first accountability indicator, the number of arts organisations that support community participation. Despite the ACT’s growing population, the government anticipates no growth in this area. This is because there is no growth in funding. The target is 24 for both 2018-19 and 2019-20. This is down from the target of 25 for 2017-18, a target that was achieved. The decline in the target was because the government defunded the highly successful music engagement program run out of the ANU School of Music. The much-celebrated H course in music is the government’s next target for defunding. It runs out of Narrabundah and offers a unique and valuable opportunity for our most gifted young musicians. This Labor-Greens government—with the support of the Greens—has ensured that this program will be no more after the end of this year.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video