Page 279 - Week 01 - Thursday, 15 February 2018
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MS BERRY: Sure.
MADAM SPEAKER: Minister, will you take it on notice?
MS BERRY: I will take that part of the question on notice. But I took the chance to then talk a bit more about how schools in the ACT Education Directorate work with school communities in the ACT to make sure that every child gets a place in their local school.
MR MILLIGAN: Minister, when will the next enrolment projection data be produced, and will you table it in the Assembly?
MS BERRY: I will take that question on notice.
Arts—music engagement program
MR WALL: Madam Speaker, my question is to the Minister for the Arts and Community Events. According to the ACT arts policy, one of the principles of artsACT is participation in and access to the arts. One way it does this is through partnerships and collaboration. Further, artsACT recognises that the ACT government’s priorities include health and education. On 14 February 2018 the Canberra Times reported that in the week before Christmas artsACT defunded the music engagement program delivered by the ANU School of Music. The report says it came as a shock to staff, that there was little or no consultation outside the ANU, and that artsACT has made no public statement. Minister, why did you scrap funding for the music engagement program?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Wall for the question. The ACT government certainly has a very strong commitment to the ANU, including through funding within the ANU School of Music and the ANU School of Art and Design, to deliver the community outreach program. The government is confident, as has been announced, that the new community outreach program will provide a significant range of supports across the whole community and enable it to access music and visual arts programs.
The community outreach program along with the government’s other significant arts funding commitments provide strong support for the community to access and participate in the arts, to support and better develop artists and their work, and to support a broad range of local artists.
There is, indeed, a new community outreach program that has been in development for 12 months. It is a shift away from focusing on specifically supporting students to supporting members across the entire community. That new community outreach program better aligns with the ACT arts policy, which has a focus on developing the arts and participation in the arts for the whole community. The government sought independent advice from national peers in relation to the community outreach program in line with the standard assessment process for all arts funding against the aims of the arts policy.
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