 ongoing Issues
- Arts Victoria lobbying
- Ozco Restructure: The Federal government's main arts funding and advisory body announced a major restructure in December 2004 with on-going major implications for all artforms.
- Voluntary Student Unionism: The Federal Government has drafted a bill to make membership of student unions non-compulsory, threatening important campus infrastructure and programs including arts programs. (needs more info)
- Small-Medium Arts Sector
Arts Victoria lobbying
AIC(V) made a significant impact on the Victorian Government's cultural policy through lobbying and a significant submission in 2002. "Creative Capacity +" replaced an arts policy that was very focussed on bricks and mortar, marketing and consolidating the existing arts infrastructure.
"Creative Capacity +" is an improvement in that it acknowledges that creativity is fundamental to all people and communities in Victoria and sets an agenda that could assist in raising debate about Culture and the roles that arts can play in it. It is our view that the arts are central to Australian life and make a vital contribution to our well-being, education, and economic and social growth. In particular, arts have intrinsic values for people as imagination and creativity as fundamentally a part of what it is to be human.
To implement a program that reflected the above would mean more arts programs in the community, greater support for arts companies and more employment opportunities, as well as contributing the greater good of Victorian communities. It would also mean whole-of-government approach to funding. While several government departments invest in arts activity that relates to their programs, there is little coordination and virtually no strategic overview of this investment.
In 2005 new funding was announced for small-medium arts organisations and new funding was delivered under the Visual Arts & Crafts Strategy. Further to lobbying by an alliance of Victorian arts festivals, additional funding for festivals was announced in the 2006 budget, with results announced in October 2006.
See: “Victorian State Election”
The Small-Medium Arts Sector
Since 1999 AIC(V) has been at the forefront of a campaign to highlight the lack of resources and funding available for what's been known as the "Small-medium Arts Sector." New initiatives were identified and delivered for the visual arts sector after the Myer Report into contemporary visual arts and Craft. Arts Victoria have acknowledged the need for more resources for this sector overall. The Australia Council have also acknowledged a critical resource issue, though it is nclear if they have strategies to effectively address this.
AIC(V) fought for an Inquiry into performing arts appointed by the Cultural Ministers Council along the lines of the well-resourced "Nugent" Inquiry into the major performing arts companies. A small Inquiry was held in 2001 and AIC made a submission (see below). The CMC released the Report in 2002 (see below) which outlines an obvious finding:
"The Working Party found overwhelming evidence that the Small to Medium Performing Arts Sector is essential to the artistic vitality and the ongoing development of Australia’s performing arts. It is the main source of new Australian works in the subsidised performing arts. The Sector provides access to the arts, offers many employment opportunities and in particular gives young and regionally based Australians opportunities to participate in the arts. The Sector also has a considerable economic impact."
There is now a strong recognition that the powerhouse companies are chronically under-resourced. There have been some steps to remedy this with some increases granted to companies by Arts Victoria. The need to find resources for these companies from a limited pool has also been cited as one of the reasons why the Australia Council has undertaken its restructure - partly to set-up a "Key Organisations" unit (see Ozco Restructure).
- There is still a limited pool of investment for the small to medium performing arts sector;
- The static funding situation means that new companies and organisations find it difficult to receive on-going funding support as most resources are already allocated to existing companies;
- New resources have been made available when some existing companies have ceased producing;
- Development of the sector is at a standstill, despite record audiences, increasing production, increased international profile and many other indicators of success;
- The same chronic issues face small-medium organisations in other artforms, including galleries, visual arts creators, literature and so on.
Arts Victoria have recently announced a new research initiative to scope the size and depth of activity
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Arts Industry Council Victoria