Recent commentary in the press and online has drawn attention to Commonwealth arts budget decisions.
As part of the 2015-16 budget, the Commonwealth announced:
In response to concerns raised by arts sector representatives, the Senate has now referred the matter to its Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry. You can read the terms of reference on the Parliament of Australia website, but in essence the committee will consider:
There are six members of the References Committee who will hear this inquiry, half of whom are from Queensland. The Committee’s Chair is Senator Glenn Lazarus (Queensland), the Deputy Chair is Senator the Hon Ian Macdonald (Queensland), and other members include Senator Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania), Senator the Hon Jacinta Collins (Victoria), Senator the Hon Joseph Ludwig (Queensland) and Senator Linda Reynolds (Western Australia).
Arts Queensland will be making a submission to the inquiry. We would be interested in your thoughts and responses to the matters being considered by the Senate. Please share your comments below, or if you prefer to respond privately, you can email aqpolicy@arts.qld.gov.au.
You can also make your own submission to the inquiry. You have three weeks to do this, with contributions due by Friday 17 July. Details about how to make a submission are available on the Parliament of Australia website, including an online submission option or direct email to the committee secretariat (legcon.sen@aph.gov.au).
In making your submission, you may wish to refer to funding data from a Queensland perspective. Here are some sources provided by Arts Queensland that might assist you:
The Senate is due to report on 15 September 2015 and the outcomes will no doubt be watched with interest across the arts sector.
Arts Queensland
** The 2014 budget decisions included: reduced funding of $4.4 million to the Ministry for the Arts, $9.6 million to the Australia Council and $5.2 million to Screen Australia in 2014-15; cessation of the Australian Interactive Games Fund and Get Reading! Program; and continued operational funding for Creative Partnerships Australia.