Though election fever builds, sadly the arts gets little political attention. But it has not always been the case that we have been so low in the pecking order. Those of us who remember the pre-Howard years will recall the pivotal part played by the ‘Arts for Labor’ public meeting which was credited for rallying the lagging spirits of the then Labor leader Paul Keating, so that he went on to win the 1993 election against the odds.
One exception to the media art policy vacuum was the debate on the ABC at last weekend between Arts Minister Senator George Brandis and Shadow Arts Minister Peter Garrett. Perhaps because we couldn’t see a worm, to this listener they seemed to come out about even. They touched on a range of issues of interest to the visual arts (including resale royalty, freedom of expression, operation of the Australia Council), but there was a conspicuous lack of any mention of any financial commitment. To be fair, the Liberals have not yet released their arts policy and Labor has promised that their $ commitments are still to come – we are waiting!
We hear rumours that another debate is planned, this time in real time and place. Those of you who will be in Sydney on Friday 16th November can pencil in 11.00am at the Conservatorium of Music, for coffee with discussion starting from 11.30. Apparently after opening remarks from each of the pollies, a panel of journalists will be invited to pose the first set of questions, then we can all join in. This still has to be confirmed so check the latest news on NAVA’s website www.visualarts.net.au.
A firm promise is that Peter Garrett is having another arts policy launch at 2.30pm on Saturday 10 November at the Parramatta Riverside Theatres, corner of Church & Market Streets, Parramatta. The MC will be that gorgeous actor David Wenham, joined by Tim Freedman, Mark Seymour & others. We are asked to RSVP by 8 November to: abroun@bigpond.net.au
This text appears in a regular monthly column NAVA writes for Arts Hub, the online home for arts workers. To read the full column, click here to visit Arts Hub News, Analysis and Comment.
