Peter Garrett MP
Member for Kingsford Smith
Shadow Minister for the Arts

Labor welcomes the appointment of Kathy Keele as Chief Executive Officer of the Australia Council.

Ms Keele brings comprehensive experience in business and marketing to the country’s foremost arts funding and advocacy body in what will be a particularly challenging period for the Australia Council.

A review of the council’s triennial funding is impending, and the uncertain state of the community arts sector and the perpetual threat of insolvency in the small to medium sized sector warrant urgent attention.

Labor hopes Ms Keele’s appointment will help harvest a commitment from the business community to expand its support for the arts, and recognise its broader economic and cultural role.

The incoming CEO must commit to:

• Fundamental principles of strict ‘arm’s length’ funding and ‘peer review’;
• Strong advocacy for artists and arts organisations; and,
• Streamlining the increasingly cumbersome layers of arts bureaucracy.

Further, the policy floated to merge AbaF into the Australia Council requires serious consideration in light of the recent decision by Minister Kemp to arbitrarily award scarce, additional funding to the foundation.

Labor looks forward to working co-operatively with Ms Keele in navigating this critical time for the arts in Australia.

Contact: Andrew Palfreyman, 0434 600 577