National Cultural Policy squeezed from Federal budget

Release of the Federal Government's long-awaited National Cultural Policy (NCP) appears to have been delayed because of a lack of funds, a casualty of tight fiscal controls before next week's Federal budget.

The NCP, the first such document for nearly 20 years, is still expected to be released this year, but hopes it would be published to coincide with the budget have been dashed, given the government's pledge to return to surplus.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Federal Arts Minister, Simon Crean had originally hoped to announce the Plicy in conjunction with the budget. However, its release has been shelved because there are no spare funds to allocate to a new arts policy.

Minister Crean has made the development of a National Cultural Policy the centrepiece of his portfolio having also commissioned the Mitchell review, which recommended ways the government could encourage arts philanthropy, and a review into the Australia Council, which is close to completion.

Both reviews are intended to form part of the policy, which will set out the Labor Government's 10-year 'strategic vision' for the arts, although it is unclear how much money, if any, will eventually be allocated to it.

Australia's last cultural policy then Prime Minister Paul Keating's 'Creative Nation' was unveiled in 1994.

Consultation for the new policy began in 2009, with Minister Crean's office receiving more than 400 formal submissions to its discussion paper.

However, members of a 22-person steering committee, who have been advising the Minister's office on the policy, have not heard anything about its contents since their last meeting on 8th March, despite expectations the policy would be released for the budget.

ArtsPeak, which, through its member organisations represents thousands of arts and cultural organisations and individual artists, has expressed its disappointment that release of the NCP has been postponed.

ArtsPeak Co-conveners Julie Dyson and Tamara Winikoff, issued a statement that read "while we are disappointed to hear of the delay, we wish to reaffirm our support for the development of a well crafted and well resourced National Cultural Policy, and to assure the Government that our aspirations for a stronger and better supported arts industry remain undiminished."

During the consultation process last year, ArtsPeak strongly supported the development of a National Cultural Policy.

On behalf of its members and their millions of audience and participant members, ArtsPeak called on the Government to minimise the delay of the National Cultural Policy, and to demonstrate that support for the arts is high on the Government's agenda.

Dyson and Winikoff added "the cultural sector has fundamental significance in providing value to the creative endeavours, quality of life and expression of identity of the Australian community."

ArtsPeak believes that urgently needed is an articulation of specific strategies within a National Cultural Policy and appropriate resource allocation to further advance the contribution made by the arts to all Australians.

ArtsPeak is a confederation of the 32 national peak arts organisations, which aims to promote the value of the arts in Australia and strengthen the capacity of the arts sector.

16th November 2009 - CULTURAL POLICY MUST MOVE BEYOND FUNDING DISPUTES