Dearest Simon Birmingham,
I thought perhaps I’d wait until I found a moment of internal calm to write you a letter opposing your proposed funding cuts to arts education here in Australia, but seriously I don’t think I’m going to get calm. I keep re-reading all the media releases thinking it must be a scam gone haywire because I can’t make a lick of sense out of it.
This is what you said -‘Currently there are far too many courses that are being subsidised that are used simply to boost enrolments, or provide “lifestyle” choices, but don’t lead to work,’ you then listed more than 50 arts based training courses to have their subsidies cut. Mr Birmingham, it’s time to hire a new fact checker. In the 2013/14 financial year, 15.9 million Australians aged over the age of 15 attended a cultural venue or event, that’s 86 per cent of all Australians in that age bracket. Someone was working in the arts to generate those stats. Australian households spend $6.5 billion a year on arts related goods and services, that’s more than they spend on dairy products or household appliances. Think you better talk to the dairy industry that we prop up with government funding about the tax payer cost of their “lifestyle choices” (i.e. this May the Victorian government created a support package to the tune of $11.4 million for dairy).
1 in 3 professional artists bring their creative skills to other industries on a paid basis (translation – they “work”) contributing to the growth of multitudes of Australian industries. On an economic level the arts is responsible for more than 3% of the GDP. Cultural tourism attracts 3 million international tourists and 23 million domestic cultural and heritage tourists per year. Half of all international tourists engage in arts and cultural experiences during their time in Australia. The economic contribution of a thriving cultural sector is worth billions to our entire country’s economic strength and it’s an industry forecast to continue to grow. That is unless, in addition to the Australia Council funding cuts that have already thrown the industry into disarray, politicians like you make it impossible to train arts industry workers properly.
Getting paid work in the arts is really challenging but that’s not because of lifestyle choice. Thanks to the political posturing of parties such as yours and political leaders such as you, we have a culture that devalues the economic value of the arts and the work of artists. Perhaps instead of defunding arts training start requiring people to pay artists for the work they do. Instead of systematically withdrawing government investment into this sector boost it up a notch like you do in so many other core industries and play a part in helping this industry to continue to grow and thrive.
In case you don’t think your proposed cuts are that bad here’s a reminder of the full list of creative courses now deemed ineligible for funding;
Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance)
Diploma of Musical Theatre
Diploma of Live Production Design
Diploma of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Industry Work
Diploma of Ceramics
Advanced Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance)
Diploma of Floristry Design
Diploma of Jewellery and Object Design
Advanced Diploma of Jewellery and Object Design
Diploma of Broadcast Technology
Advanced Diploma of Performance
Graduate Diploma of Classical Ballet
Diploma of Performing Arts
Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts
Diploma of Fashion Styling
Diploma of Screen Acting
Diploma of Screen Performance
Advanced Diploma of Acting
Diploma of Circus Arts
Diploma of Social Media Marketing
Advanced Diploma of Acting for Contemporary Screen Media
Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts
Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship for Creatives
Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance
Diploma of Arts (Acting)
Advanced Diploma of Arts (Acting)
Advanced Diploma of Professional Screenwriting
Graduate Diploma of Elite Dance Instruction
Advanced Diploma of Stage and Screen Acting
Diploma of Visual Communication (Design Communication / Photo Communication)
Advanced Diploma of Visual Communication (Design Communication / Photo Communication)
Advanced Diploma of Music Theatre
Diploma of Cinemagraphic Makeup
Diploma of Styling (Fashion, Image and Media)
Advanced Diploma of Commercial Song and Dance Performance
Diploma of Journalism
Advanced Diploma of Art (Musical Theatre and Commercial Dance)
Advanced Diploma of Film, Television and Theatre Acting
Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts (Acting)
Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing
Advanced Diploma of Photography
Diploma of Theatre Arts
Diploma of Product Design
Advanced Diploma of Screen and Stage Acting
Diploma of Creative Arts in Christian Ministry
Advanced Diploma of Creative Arts in Christian Ministry
Advanced Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing)
Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing)
Diploma of Mass Communication
Advanced Diploma of Photography
Diploma of Performing Arts
Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts
Graduate Diploma of Photography
Diploma of Fashion Products and Markets
Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts (Musical Theatre) (Commercial Dance)
Advanced Diploma of Animation
That’s a pretty systematic annihilation of an entire profitable industry. Love to gain some understanding on what on earth you’re thinking. Makes no sense to me.
Yours uncalmly,
Christina Giorgio
creativeconsultancies.com
P.S That triple J profile picture you’ve got on Facebook seems pretty ridiculous in the light of this stunt.
Recent Comments