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Federal Election 2010: 3 Parties’ Arts Policy Statements
In the lead-up to the forthcoming federal election, NAVA approached politicians from the three major parties who have responsibility for the arts, asking them to answer a set of policy questions which we felt were currently of particular interest to the visual arts craft and design sector.
The questions were:
1. National Cultural Policy
Late last year Arts Minister Peter Garrett called for ideas for a national cultural policy for Australia. The Australia Council's More Than Bums on Seats: Australian participation in the arts study found that 9 in 10 Australians participate in the arts. If this is an accurate representation, why doesn't this seem to be reflected in arts policies and funding priorities? What new measures will your party put in place to foster the long-term development of Australian arts and culture?
2. VACS
The report on the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy (VACS) commissioned by the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council will be published shortly and is expected to reveal the remarkable difference this funding has made to the stability and productivity of the sector as well as the changes that have occurred and new areas of demand and opportunity that have arisen since the Myer Inquiry. Will your party maintain with indexation the current level of financial support for VACS, and respond positively to new areas of funding identified as needed to increase the vitality of the sector?
3. Design and Innovation
Visual arts, craft and design practitioners can be seen as key drivers of innovation. How would your party open up greater opportunities for them to contribute to the innovation agenda? It is recognised that design is one of the key elements which powers the cultural industries, and internationally many countries have made a major commitment to bolstering their design capacity. Currently there is no national design policy for Australia. Would your party make a commitment to adopting and implementing such a policy?
4. Indigenous Art
Various measures have been adopted by governments to protect Indigenous artists against exploitation and foster adherence to more ethical practices. What additional measures will your party implement to protect Indigenous art and artists against unethical dealings including appropriation, forgery, misleading labelling, intellectual property transgressions and abuse of cultural rights?
5. Visual Education
There has been widespread support for the inclusion of the Arts in the implementation of a national curriculum for schools. Will your party ensure the arts become a mandated part of the national school curriculum and commit to providing support for better pre- and in-service education of teachers in the arts, production of the required new teaching and learning resources and fostering the enrichment contribution which can be made by artists and galleries?
6. Artist Support
Governments emphasise different methods of supporting artists from helping to build their business skills to providing grant funding. Research shows that although annual production of Australian cultural goods and services is over $42 billion (2004/5 ABS stats), direct public sector support for individual artists has fallen by a third since the mid-1990s. NAVA has been calling for governments to allocate $3 million per year to assist underfunded public organisations to pay artists' exhibiting fees at the recommended industry rates. What will be your party's approach to assisting individual artists?
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| Peter Garrett, Arts Minister | Steven Ciobo, Shadow Arts Minister | Christine Milne, Australian Greens |
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Download response to NAVA Questions Download the Green's Arts Policies: |
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