Peter Garrett MP
Member for Kingsford Smith
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Reconciliation and the Arts

In a wide ranging address to Currency House in Sydney, ALP Spokesman for the Arts, Peter Garrett, said today that it was time to move on from the false debate which pits the Arts against sport.

“This line of thinking has been a feature of the debate in regard to the Arts. There’s been a prevalent suggestion that people who like the Arts, for example people who read books, are a different mob to those who like sport.”

“Well, I think you can – and should – have both. I like both, and I think both are very important. And I suspect there are plenty of people out there who agree.”

Mr Garrett also called for a change to the way in which the performing arts were supported.

“The Government, instead of providing top-up funds for the arts, needs to move to a new funding formula which includes indexation to allow the arts sector to flourish into the long term.”

“It is urgent that better funding arrangements for the Arts and the national broadcaster are implemented. This includes exempting arts organisations from the efficiency dividend which is now straight jacketing arts bodies and making the development of new and innovative work that much harder.”

“The efficiency dividend acts as an extra constraint by slowly strangling struggling arts companies. The Australia Council has declared the cumulative effect of the dividend ‘unsustainable’, for both arts companies and the Council itself.”

Mr Garrett also announced that he was undertaking a comprehensive review of ALP Arts Policy.

“I am now engaging in a major review of Arts policy. Comments, recommendations and suggestions are welcome as we build an Arts policy that can serve Australia well into the future.”

Contact: Andrew Palfreyman 02 9349 6007