The arts need funding, not philanthropy
Authors
Media release
Art attack: Australian artists should be properly funded, not forced to beg
Artists, authors, musicians and other creatives have a huge impact on Australian culture, how Australians see themselves, and how the world sees Australians. Australia’s arts and culture cannot be produced overseas, and cannot be moved offshore. It must be made here.
But the sector is in crisis.
Employment in the arts and entertainment sector took almost five years to recover from the shock of COVID-19, three times as long as the rest of the Australian economy. Looking further back shows a sector with long-term struggles. Australia-wide employment has more than doubled in the last 40 years, whereas employment in arts and entertainment has increased by just less than half that.
In real terms, Australian governments’ arts funding is at its lowest point since 2017-18. The scale of private giving is simply not large enough to make up for reductions in government funding.
Philanthropy cannot replace the role of government funding in supporting the arts. Australian governments, including the Commonwealth, have a duty to invest in the arts, ensuring that future generations can continue to enjoy Australian arts on the page or stage, in galleries or on the airwaves.