Federal budget delivers pre-election funding commitments for arts, sport and tourism

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg first budget has not only targeted at rebates for Australia’s low and middle income earners and an infrastructure spend of $100 billion over the next decade, but has also included funds for the arts, recreation, sport and tourism.

Following on from a series of pre-budget announcements, the budget includes an extra $393.7 million to strengthen communications, music, regional media and cultural institutions.

Key announcements in this funding includes the previously announced $30.9 million for Australia’s music industry, $22.0 million in new funding to the Bundanon Trust over the next three years to deliver its masterplan development, $10 million over four years to establish the National Library of Australia’s (NLA’s) Digitisation Fund and $1.5 million in 2019-20 to deliver a world-class art installation in southern Tasmania to promote tourism in the region after the impact of the 2019 bushfires. This is in addition to the $500,000 committed by the Tasmanian Government for the project.

In sport, the budget includes a $385.4 million package to implement Sport 2030 - Australia’s first national sports plan, that funds sport in communities and schools and supports elite athletes before, during and after their careers. The budget also provides an additional $54 million over the next two years for high performance Australian sport.

In tourism the budget has included a small rise of $5 million for Tourism Australia - to $175 million a year - to back international marketing to attract overseas tourists as well as $50 million funding for a ‘Tourism Icons Package’, to back a small number of flagship attractions in regional Australia.

Details of these announcements and industry reaction will follow.

Click here to view Budget Statements by Portfolio.