Page 2864 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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There is one good thing, and I do give the government credit for this—moving arts into Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development. I think that was a recommendation of previous estimates committees. That is where it is more properly aligned and where it will be more effective in developing the city and developing our artists.
But you need a strategy that is looking to achieve real outcomes. Again, it is always about inputs with this government: “We spend this much.” It is not about what we achieve. How are we going to create, for instance, the new eX de Medici Canberra schoolgirl—someone who went to school in one of our local high schools, who was doing art from an early age and who has gone on to be, quite bizarrely, a world-renowned tattoo artist. She has tattooed one gentleman from his head to his toe, and I understand that his will says that his skin is to be left to the National Gallery of Australia. I would be very interested to see how they display that one.
But eX has also been a war artist. I think she went to the Solomons. Some of her work is stunning and provocative; the use of flora and fauna, particularly flora, with armaments in art is quite extraordinary. And if you have ever seen any of her botanical studies of Australian flora, they are stunning. This is a local artist who sells for enormous amounts of money around the world. We are not all going to reach that height as artists. Some will; some will not. But how do we develop the next eX? How do we keep them here? How do we celebrate them? How do we make sure they get the local acknowledgement of somebody who is in galleries around the world?
You do not hear or see that in this strategy, because there is not really a strategy. There are bits going on. An acknowledgement of our recommendations is that the theatre review might look at the prospect of a national performing arts centre. I take it that the government accepts that, and that is a good thing. But look at some of the other recommendations, some of the simple things that the community asks for. For instance, we saw Belconnen Arts Centre and we saw the Childers Group again. All of them said that we need to build a second stage of the Belconnen Arts Centre. Four members of the committee—two Liberal, two Labor—agreed with that, but the government noted that this is a matter for future budget consideration. Given that they want works that are ready to roll, I understand the DA for this could be lodged at the drop of a hat. But there is no funding.
Recommendation 16 in the report was:
… that the ACT Government review the ACT Arts Fund with a view to an immediate increase of base funding … and further consideration of increases in line with the growth of the … sector.
The government said:
Noted.
I note that part (i) of this motion says:
… the Australia Council on the Arts currently does not fund the ACT at a fair level compared with other jurisdictions …
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