Most Saturdays I can be found at various venues around Southern
Tasmania enjoying the incredible live music scene that we have in this
state. Not this Saturday. This Saturday I will be staying at home and
spending my evening glued to the TV. I
am a politics junkie. I will be watching
the results of the Federal election with great interest.
Over the 2½ years my quest to become “Patron of the Arts” has given me
some of the most wonderful experiences and my life has been irrevocably changed
for the better. I have met amazing
people both appreciating and creating music.
So, this election, I am particularly interested in what each of the
significant parties and candidates have to say about the arts.
Putting a cost on the individual happiness and social wellbeing that
comes with experiencing the arts is difficult but check out these economic statistics.
In 2015 the Australian Council for the Arts estimated that cultural
activity makes up 4% of GDP and $1.3 billion is spent by federal and state governments
on the core arts. Australians spend
almost $20 billion annually on cultural activities which is 4% of the average
household income. Over a quarter of this
is tickets sales for Live Arts. It is
clear that the Arts play a significant role in Australia’s cultural and
economic development
If you are not one of the 5 million people who have already voted in
this election and you think that the Arts are an important part of Australian
life then I have put together a little guide of who is promising what.
|
|
Independent
(Andrew Wilkie)
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Australian Greens
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Australian Labor Party
|
Coalition
Libs/Nats
|
|
Artist Development
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·
Living Wage for artists
·
Funding for new and emerging artist
|
·
Living Wage for artists
·
$30 million to establish a creativity
commission
|
·
$5 mil for 5 music hubs
·
$7.6 mil for youth music
·
$0.3 mil for new recording
|
·
|
|
Industry Development
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·
Restore Australia Council funding
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Intellectual property protection
·
Trade & tariff concessions
|
·
Restore Australia Council funding
·
$150 mil for local content productions
|
·
Restore Australia Council funding
·
$40 mil for Australian content
·
Restore Regional Arts funding
·
$10 mil for Sounds Australia
·
Copyright reform
·
Ticket reseller reform
·
$0.75 Mil Manager training
|
·
$0.5 mil for Australia Council in budget
·
$21.6 mil for Australian music industry in
budget
|
|
Arts Education
|
·
|
·
$150 mil for artists working with teachers
|
·
$7 mil for music education and teachers
·
Music teacher recognition
|
·
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Other
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·
Remove poker machines from pubs and clubs
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·
Establish Australian content quotas for
broadcasters
|
·
$4.2 mil for Artist mental health and arts
therapy
|
·
|
I emailed each of the major parties and their candidates for the
electorates of Clark, Franklin and Lyons in Southern Tasmanian as well as
independent candidate for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, to ask them what their plans
were for Live Arts (particularly live music) over the next term of government. I am yet to hear from any of the Liberal/Nationals
Coalition candidates or Minister Fifield.
I did have a look at the budget papers though to see what I could find
out. Don’t ever do this you will go
crazy. I was lucky to find my way out
again!!!! The figures I gleaned may be a
little dodgy as a result.
Disclosure: The author of this post is a member of the Australian Labor
Party.
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