Performing arts advocacy in Australia John Daley About the author A discussion paper commissioned by the Australian John Daley is one of Australia’s leading policy thinkers. He was Chief Executive Major Performing Arts Group of the Grattan Institute for its rst 11 years, and led it to become the leading This discussion paper was commissioned by the Australian Major Performing domestic policy think tank in Australia, publishing extensively on government Arts Group as its last substantial project. The members of AMPAG were given priorities, institutional reform, budget policy, and tax reform. the opportunity to comment on a draft of the discussion paper, but the author is responsible for its contents, and all remaining errors or omissions. He has 30 years’ experience spanning academic, government and corporate roles at the University of Melbourne, the University of Oxford, the Victorian This discussion paper was written by John Daley in his personal capacity. Bel Department of Premier and Cabinet, consulting rm McKinsey and Co, and Matthews and Bethwyn Serow provided research assistance for some aspects of ANZ Bank. the discussion paper. John is currently the Chair of the Australian National Academy of Music, which The author thanks for their extremely helpful contributions numerous members is one of the Arts8 performance training and education institutions that receive of Australia’s arts and culture community, in organisations, peak bodies, funds from the Commonwealth government. He is also a Director of the Myer government agencies, universities, and their personal capacity. Foundation. Previously, he was the Deputy Chair of the Malthouse Theatre, Deputy Chair of the Next Wave Festival, and the Chair of the Strategy and The paper is based on information available in April 2021. Research Panel of the Australia Council for the Arts. He spent his youth well, This discussion paper may be cited as: playing violin with the Australian Youth Orchestra, studying the piano with Daley, J. (2021). Performing arts advocacy in Australia Max Cooke at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, and producing musicals at the University of Melbourne. ISBN: 978-0-6451833-0-6 © John Daley 2021. John graduated from the University of Oxford in 1999 with a DPhil in public law after completing an LLB (Hons) and a BSc at the University of Melbourne in Cover image: Malthouse Theatre, 2021. Photo: Ian Laidlaw 1990. The material in this discussion paper is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Overview
The performing arts in Australia have much to celebrate. Live audiences us all how precious it is. Voters believe that the performing arts make have grown 50% in 8 years. Box o ce revenues and philanthropy for us happy – as they have in every known human culture, not least that public organisations have grown similarly. Participation levels are of indigenous Australians. Because this is the biggest impact of the high. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers and works are performing arts on people’s lives, it should be their central storyline for increasingly prominent and appreciated. advocacy. But there are challenges. The public organisations are focused on Of course, di erent stories appeal to di erent audiences. The performing artforms that are losing share of audience to contemporary music and arts also matter because they can help bring together an increasingly comedy. The ethnic composition of Australia has changed, but is not divided society. They can build social connections that improve both yet proportionately re ected in the work of many performing arts individual well-being and social outcomes. They can foster a sense of organisations. There are calls for more engagement with diverse groups, national pride. particularly young people and the socially disadvantaged. Both public While economic numbers can attract attention, the economic impact of and commercial productions have been hit harder by COVID than almost the performing arts is a supporting plotline. Stories about the economic any other sector in Australia. value of arts and culture are often told by people who don’t believe Public performing arts organisations are losing in uence with the them to people who don’t believe them. Few perform in order to grow Commonwealth Government, and its support for them is declining in the economy. Economic impacts are not the main aim of government real terms. Arts and culture received support through COVID later support. Governments care about a lot more than GDP. Over half of all than in many other countries. Their advocacy is under-resourced and government spending is directed to ends such as health and welfare, inconsistent, while political winds are unfavourable. which primarily serve ends that the community values rather than growing the economy. That said, the performing arts do employ a wide The performing arts in Australia will do better with government if range of people, produce valuable exports, attract tourists, and attract the public, commercial, and community sectors make common cause. people who are highly skilled in other industries, and these outcomes are They rely on each other. Government regulations of festivals, live often important to governments, particularly for regions concerned about music venues, and COVID health measures have forced these sectors declining population. into the same trench, and the RISE funding shows the Commonwealth Government is already treating them collectively The performing arts can also help those who are disadvantaged with the self-belief to do better. And they can enhance health, education, Advocacy should focus on the key benets of the performing arts. international diplomacy, and understanding of social issues. Performers, audiences and governments all believe that arts and culture make people happy, increase their understanding of each other and the Arts advocacy can work, as shown by campaigns for COVID support, world, and connect them together. Connecting to an audience is the to overhaul regulation of live music in NSW, for regional arts funding main reason that performers get up on stage, and COVID has reminded in Western Australia, in response to the diversion of Australia Council
3 Performing arts advocacy in Australia money to the Catalyst Fund, and for long-term boosts in funding in This approach to advocacy would have other policy consequences. It Canada and Ireland. In each case, governments responded to a united would reframe advocacy as about “arts and culture”. It would focus on sector, well organised for the long term. issues where governments need to step in to promote valuable outcomes that no-one else is likely to pay for. These include training, education, in- In Australia, a broadly supported performing arts umbrella organisation dustry development, and local content across a broad range of artforms, – a modied Live Performance Australia, or a new body formed as an al- and for all parts of the sector, including commercial and community liance of more specialised peak bodies, or some other structure – should performing arts. It would document more carefully the contributions be considered. Advocacy bodies for individual artforms, organisations of public organisations to the community sector. It would lead to new from the public, commercial, and community sectors, producers both organisations that take artforms from Asia, the Middle East and Africa large and small, and advocates for a diversity of backgrounds that can much more seriously given the changing make-up of Australia’s people. easily be overlooked could become members and get behind it, possibly And it would measure the direct impact of performances on happiness, using a federated structure similar to the National Farmers Federation. understanding and togetherness, however imperfectly, rather than just The peak body would need to show it is acting for all of them. And it is measuring attendance and awards. only likely to be e ective if it has substantial dedicated resources of its own. There has been little substantial change in Australian performing arts advocacy, policy, and institutions in over 30 years, despite radical shifts This peak body could improve the advocacy ground game of the in artforms, community tastes, and ethnic composition. More of the same performing arts. Like every other industry, the performing arts need advocacy is likely to lead to more of the same outcomes. Given their to explain their value, and dene their ask – not always about money. importance, arts and culture in Australia deserve better advocacy. The peak body needs to select and brief individual messengers who are credible with decision-makers. And they need a broad approach and consistent messages across all responsible ministers, other ministers, their advisers, and local members, on all sides of politics, and at all three levels of government.
The rst ask of advocacy could be for governments to rethink their image of Australia. Australia’s public culture is overwhelmingly about sport, perhaps because a few events draw very big crowds. But the private lives of Australians are much more about arts and culture. More Australians buy tickets more often for performing arts performances than live sport, they watch twice as much drama as sport on television, and they are more likely to create arts and culture for themselves than to play sport. Australia’s leaders could be persuaded to rework Australia’s public symbols so they better re ect the actual lives of their people.
4 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Table of contents Table of case studies
1 Introduction and scope6 1 Commonwealth arts support in response to COVID 15
2 The performing arts in Australia7 2 Regional development arts funding initiatives 35
3 Performing arts advocacy could be better 20 3 Music export success stories: South Korea and Sweden 37
4 Better advocacy for the performing arts – a summary 24 4 Externally focused national arts and culture organisations 49
5 A compelling rationale (for both public and politicians) 25 5 The rise and fall of the Catalyst fund 51
6 A common cause – commercial and community arts and culture 39 6 Arts funding through the UK National Lottery 52
7 A dened ask 47 7 International advocacy campaigns for the arts 57
8 Stronger askers 56 8 Overhauling live music regulation in NSW 68
9 Approach to government 67
10 Policy implications 73
11 Coda 78
5 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
1 Introduction and scope
This discussion paper was commissioned by the Australian Major Finally, it outlines some of the potential policy implications of these Performing Arts Group (AMPAG) as its last substantial contribution approaches (Chapter 10). to Australian arts policy. It asked how advocacy with government In preparing this discussion paper, the author consulted broadly across for the performing arts in Australia might be improved. Although the performing arts sector, both with AMPAG members and others. Their AMPAG’s members – the National Partnership Organisations – are an contributions have been extremely helpful, but the discussion paper important part of performing arts in Australia, the brief was wider: to ultimately re ects the independent views of its author. consider advocacy for the performing arts produced by public companies, commercial producers, and community organisations. The discussion paper discusses performing arts in their context of arts and culture (particularly visual arts and screen), and also draws on the experience of artforms more broadly. While advocacy for arts and culture beyond the performing arts is outside this discussion paper’s scope, analysis of them is relevant. But these broader sectors have not been extensively consulted in its preparation, and rm conclusions about their advocacy would require further investigation. This discussion paper reviews the current state of the performing arts in Australia – both their successes, and where they are struggling (Chapter 2). It identies gaps in advocacy for the performing arts, and how these are often leading to ordinary outcomes with government (Chapter 3). The remainder of the discussion paper sets out how advocacy for the performing arts might be improved (Chapter 4): ∙ with a better rationale (Chapter 5), ∙ better coordination between public, commercial and community sectors (Chapter 6), ∙ a more clearly dened ask (Chapter 7), ∙ a broadly supported and well-resourced peak body (Chapter 8), and ∙ a more sophisticated advocacy ground game (Chapter 9).
6 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
2 The performing arts in Australia
2.1 The performing arts are popular Figure 2.1: Performing arts audiences have grown rapidly in the last decade 1 The performing arts, and arts and culture more broadly, are popular. Number of ticketed attendances to Australian performing arts at major venues There are almost 23 million paid attendances at performing arts events (million) in major venues per year (Figure 2.1). Total performing arts attendances Comedy are more than double this if smaller music venues, all local council 38% growth 2 20 venues, and all festival events are included. For comparison, about (13% population growth) Music theatre 19 million tickets are sold each year to sporting events.3 Pre-COVID, Commercial attendances at performing arts events had grown about 50% in 8 years. performing 15 Contemp arts 54% of the population attend at least one live performance per year, and producers 20% attend more than one live music performance.4 For comparison, in music 2010, 43% attended a live sporting event, with 16% seeing an Australian 10 Contemp Rules football match, the highest for any individual sport.5 music festivals Special events Beyond the performing arts, cultural audiences are also large and Arts festivals Public Circus performing growing rapidly. In 2017, 82% of Australians attended at least one 5 Childrens arts cultural venue or event (including galleries museums, libraries and Theatre companies Dance cinemas). There are over 16 million attendances at public and national Opera Classical music 0 1. This discussion paper adopts a denition of “culture” from A New Approach (2019, Average 2008-2010 Average 2016-2018 p. 10). Sometimes “arts and culture” refers to a set of institutions, individuals and Notes: Excludes unticketed free events. Three-year averages smooth annual volatility. “Arts actions that produce and distribute texts, performances, exhibitions an events, festivals” only includes multi-artform festivals; festivals dedicated to a particular artform including galleries, libraries, archives and museums, music, screen, radio, video (such as the Melbourne Comedy Festival) are classied with that artform. gaming and digital arts, performance, literature, visual art, community-engaged practice, hybrid and experimental forms, language, festivals, craft, heritage, design, Source: LPA (2019a). and live art. At other times, “culture” refers to beliefs, values, ways of living and everyday forms of creativity that we share with other members of a community. Obviously each of these a ects the other: artworks can shape a community’s beliefs; a community’s beliefs shape its artworks. 2. Carter (2015, pp. 19–21). 3. Based on data from Austadiums (2020) for the largest codes for 2018-19 or 2019. This does not include tickets for athletics, cycling, golf, hockey, and swimming. 4. ABS (2019a, Table 1). 5. ABS (2010, Table 3).
7 Performing arts advocacy in Australia galleries per year.6 About half of these are attendances at the major state and national galleries, and they have increased by almost 50% over the last decade (Figure 2.3 on the next page). The programming of public Figure 2.2: About two thirds of the population agree the arts are galleries is increasingly contemporary, with exhibitions such as the important because they directly increase well-being Archibald Prize, Melbourne Now, and the Asia-Pacic Triennial some of Proportion who strongly agree or agree the biggest draws. Attendance in 2017 at local council cultural activities 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% (which includes performing arts, galleries, museums, library exhibitions and book readings) was estimated at 58 million, with another 13 million The arts make for a richer and more 2016 7 festival participants. meaningful life 2019 31% of Australians make art.8 16% participate in community arts activity such as choirs or theatres.9 By comparison, about 28% of the population The arts help you understand perspectives different to your own are involved in organised sporting activities.10 With high and increasing levels of participation both as audiences and as Artists make an important artists, individuals increasingly see the arts as important to their lives, to contribution to Australian society Australia, and to their children (Figure 2.2). The arts should be an important First Nations performing arts are thriving. First Nations artists have part of education an outsize presence in major Australian arts awards and international festivals and events, although there are concerns that there are still too The arts have a big impact on the 11 few First Nations performing arts companies. Their work is almost economy 2014
6. Museums & Galleries Queensland and Public Galleries Association of Victoria Notes: 2016 based on online respondents only so as to be consistent with 2019 survey. (2020). Although this discussion paper only includes data from about half of Source: ACA (2020a, p. 48) and ACA (2014, p. 34). all public galleries, it includes all of the larger institutions, particularly the big “national” galleries such as the Art Gallery of NSW that attract almost half of all attendances. 7. CDN (2018, pp. 12–13). 8. ABS (2019b, Table 4). An Australia Council survey found higher rates, with the proportion of the population creating art increasing from 40% to 45% between 2009 and 2019: ACA (2020b, p 15, 17) and ACA (2020b, p. 133). Care should be taken in comparing these Australia Council surveys given shifts in methodology. The proportion making art in the major categories (visual art, theatre, dance, writing, and music) has not changed materially. 9. ACA (2020b, p. 143). 10. ABS (2015). 11. ACA (2015, pp. 32–33); and Brix (2021).
8 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Figure 2.3: Attendances at major art galleries have grown steadily over Figure 2.4: Opera Australia has grown its audience mainly through the last 15 years musical co-productions Number of attendances, major state and national art galleries (million) Number of attendances at Opera Australia performances 10 700,000
AGWA 600,000 8 NGA Musical co-pros AGSA 500,000 6 QAGOMA 400,000 Schools & regional 300,000 Open air free 4 NGV Open air paid Concerts 200,000 2 MCA 100,000 Mainstage opera AGNSW 0 0 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 Notes: Attendance for AGSA in 2016-17 estimated, based on previous and subsequent year. Source: Opera Australia Annual Reports; and Nugent et al. (2015). Visitor numbers for AGWA before 2007-08 not shown, as they included website visitors. Excludes TMAG and MAGNT that only provide combined numbers for gallery and museum (452,000 and 332,000 in 2018-19). Does not include private and regional galleries, the largest of which based on the last available year of attendance are MONA Tasmania (347,000), Ballarat (237,000), Bendigo (214,000), Geelong (159,000) and Newcastle (77,000). Source: Art gallery annual reports; Report analysis.
9 Performing arts advocacy in Australia universally seen as an important to Australia’s culture, and audience Figure 2.5: All NPOs have grown their audience over the past 20 years interest and attendance is growing.12 Number of attendances at National Partnership Organisation performances (million) 2.2 Public performing arts companies are growing 1.2 STCSA “Public performing arts” companies are dened in this paper as the M Viva Black S not-for-prot companies that receive signicant support from gov- 1.0 QTC ernment, and largely engage professional performers.13 They can be Brandenburg M’house contrasted with “commercial performing arts” producers, who aim to ACO 0.8 TSO make prots, largely employ professionals, and are sometimes supported ASO SOSA MTC WAO by government (although this support is often less explicit). Both WASO oq WAB 0.6 VO commercial and public sectors can be contrasted with “community QSO QB Bell Bangarra performing arts” groups, where many of those involved (included Belvoir 0.4 MSO SDC performers) are unpaid. They are usually not-for-prot organisations, ADT often supported by government (particularly local government). While OA AB STC these distinctions are questions of degree, this paper will show that 0.2 SSO Circa advocacy has su ered because public, commercial and community C Oz sectors have often not cooperated closely. 0.0 1997 2019 1997 2019 1997 2019 1997 2019 1997 2019 The public performing arts organisations are primarily classical music, Music Opera Dance Circus Theatre opera, theatre, dance and circus companies. Audiences for these artforms Notes: 1997 does not include free admissions, which are included in 2019. are growing, although some people are shifting from traditional seasons Source: Nugent et al. (1999, p. 119); Company annual reports. to arts festivals (Figure 2.1 on page 7). The 30 major public performing arts companies once known as the traditional performing artforms. Over the last two decades, the audiences Major Performing Arts companies (MPAs) are now described as National of almost all the ensembles grew, and their collective audience more than Partnership Organisations (NPOs).14 They sell about half the tickets to doubled (Figure 2.5), while the population only grew by 70%.15
12. ACA (2015, p. 32); and ACA (2020a, p. 71). Audience growth largely re ects more mass open-air events, and 13. This is the implicit denition of “publicly funded organisations” in the work of the co-productions with commercial producers: open air events and musicals Arts Council, England: Arts Council England (2020, p. 33). 14. For a list, see ACA (2020c), to which the Victorian Opera was added in 2019-20. are now almost half of Opera Australia’s audience (Figure 2.4 on the Since 1997 the only changes to this group were to add the Australian Brandenburg previous page). Orchestra, Circa, and the Victorian Opera, and to subtract the Australian Dance Theatre: Nugent et al. (1999). In 2019, Australian Arts and Culture ministers replaced the Major Performing Arts Framework with the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework: Cultural Ministers (2019a) and Cultural Ministers (2019b). 15. ABS (2020a).
10 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Total NPO revenue is growing through box o ce, philanthropy and sponsorship (Figure 2.6). Philanthropic funding is growing much faster and now provides more revenue than corporate sponsorship.16 Figure 2.6: While NPOs have increased total attendances and revenues, mainstage audiences and government revenues have been at 2.3 Challenges before COVID-19 National Partnership Organisation attendances and revenues But the performing arts in Australia faced challenges well before COVID Attendances Revenues brought down the curtain. million $ million (in $2019) All attendance 700 2.3.1 Government support for performing arts 4 600 Government support for NPOs is e ectively shrinking. Government Other funding for NPOs, adjusted for wage in ation, has barely moved since 3 500 Philanthropy & private 1997, while the population increased by 70%, and attendances more than doubled (Figure 2.6). The pattern is the same for all major artforms Capital city 400 mainstage 2 (Figure 2.7 on the following page). 300 Box Support from the Commonwealth is shrinking even faster for smaller office 200 public performing arts companies. In addition to annual funding of 1 $115 million to 30 NPOs, the Australia Council provides $32 million a 100 Gvt year under four year funding arrangements to 95 arts organisations,17 mostly in the performing arts, and $44 million for other initiatives. While 0 0 Australian Council funding for NPOs fell by 6% over the last 10 years 1997 2011 2019 1997 2011 2019 (and a little further given minor changes in membership), its funding for Notes: “Other” attendances include regional performances, schools concerts, free events, and commercial co-productions, which were all excluded from 1997 attendance statistics. other initiatives (typically for smaller organisations) fell by 20% in real Revenues de ated by Wage Price Index to $2019. terms (Figure 2.8 on the next page). Source: Nugent et al. (1999); Company annual reports; Report analysis. The NPOs did worse than other areas of arts and culture. Support from all levels of government for arts and culture increased by about 8%, adjusted for wage in ation, between 2011 and 2018.18 But growth in support lagged population growth, and so government spending per person fell by 5% in the decade to 2018. Commonwealth Government
16. ACA (2015, p. 40). 17. ACA (2020d). 18. A New Approach (2019, p. 13).
11 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Figure 2.7: NPO revenues grew in all artforms over the last 20 years, Figure 2.8: Australia Council funding has fallen in real terms, mainly through non-government revenues particularly for smaller initiatives National Partnership Organisation revenue, $ million (in $2019) Australia Council funding (real $2020 million)
200 200 Government initiatives Council 150 150 initiatives Four year funding Sponsorship, 100 fundraising, & 100 investments National Partnership Earned 50 income 50 Organisations
Government 0 0 1997 2019 1997 2019 1997 2019 1997 2019 1997 2019 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 Music Opera Dance Circus Theatre Financial year ending Notes: 2018-19 nancial year, except Queensland Ballet and Musica Viva based on 2017-18 Notes: De ated by Wage Price Index. Four Year Funding equated with Key Organisations nancial year. Revenues de ated by WPI. Excludes companies not funded by the Australia Program. Council in both 1997 and 2019 (less than 2% of total in each year). Source: Australia Council Annual Reports. Source: Nugent et al. (1999); Company annual reports; Report analysis.
12 Performing arts advocacy in Australia funding fell by 19% per person, outweighing the lift in State and local four years to support live music venues to reduce sound spill; to support government funding per person.19 In many regional areas, the local industry development, to promote Victorian musicians internationally, government is the largest funder of arts and culture, often predominantly and for professional development.24 This program was extended through for capital works.20 COVID, in addition to a variety of new programs to support live music performances in outer-metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, Government support for commercial performing arts is material, live music venues, new recordings, and professional development.25 The although it is less transparent, and often delivered outside arts budgets, NSW Government has supported contemporary music less: for-prot which makes it di cult to identify funding trends. As discussed in producers can receive support such as the $1 million Music Now program Section 6.1.3 on page 40, governments support the commercial sector in- to support contemporary music, although the ALP promised much larger directly by supporting public performing arts companies that contribute support of $35 million ahead of the 2019 State election.26 The NSW to training a pool of sta shared with commercial producers. government announced a COVID recovery package of $23 million for Government also provides more direct support to commercial producers. contemporary music in 2021.27 Destination NSW (the NSW Government tourism agency) described securing Hamilton as the “pinnacle” of its e orts to secure e orts for 2.3.2 Audience artform preferences NSW in 2018-19’, although it refused to disclose how much it had paid to secure the rights.21 Visit Victoria (the Victorian Government tourism The public performing arts companies focus on artforms that are losing agency) highlighted in its annual report its support for three musicals audience share to contemporary music and comedy – artforms mostly (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Come From Away, and Moulin Rouge), produced by commercial organisations (Figure 2.9 on the next page). and blockbuster exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria.22 Audiences are also shifting from the main seasons of public performing arts companies to arts festivals. Individually these artforms reach a Commonwealth and State governments support contemporary music relatively limited audience. For example, the main classical music radio in a variety of ways. The Commonwealth Government announced a station, ABC Classic, reached 855,000 people per week in the 5 major new program in May 2019 that provided $7 million a year to support cities in 2020, with a 3.2% share of the broadcast radio audience, its live music venues, to support Sounds Australia to raise the prole of highest level since 2009.28 The background of Australia’s population may Australian music in Asia, to provide mentoring programs for female explain some of these changes. Australia’s culture is diversifying away 23 musicians, and to provide grants to indigenous musicians. This from the Western backgrounds that dominate traditional artforms. The program has been adjusted to support live music venues to become proportion of Australians born in Asia has grown from small numbers in operational again in the wake of COVID. The Victorian Government’s Music Works program started in 2014, and provided $22 million over 24. Live Music O ce Victoria (2021). 19. Ibid. (p. 5). 25. Creative Victoria (2021); and Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance (2020, 20. Cunningham et al. (2020, p. 5). Budget Paper 3, pp.83, 86–87). 21. Destination NSW (2019a, p. 18); and Collins (2020). 26. Challenor (2019). 22. Visit Victoria (2019, p. 5). 27. Berejiklian (2021). 23. Treasury (2019, p. 60). 28. Personal communication from ABC Classic.
13 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
1976 to 11% in 2016, while European and British born have fallen from 17% to 9% (Figure 5.3 on page 31).
Figure 2.9: Public performing arts companies mostly produce artforms 2.3.3 Public prole and social trends that are losing share to commercial producers With a declining share of audiences, public performing arts are losing Proportion of ticketed attendance to Australian performing arts public prole. When David McAllister competed in the International 100% Comedy Ballet Competition at the Bolshoi in Moscow in 1985 Prime Minister Bob Hawke sent him a telegram to wish him luck. When he returned Music theatre with Elizabeth Toohey in 1986, extended reports of their performance ran 80% Commercial in most of the Australian newspapers. And their third visit in 1987 was performing arts covered by Channel 9 television news.29 A similar tour would be unlikely Contemp 60% producers to lead news bulletins in the same way today. music The performing arts must also contend with adverse social trends. Many Contemp music festivals would say that the quality of school arts education is deteriorating.30 40% Special events Arts festivals Streaming and electronic gaming are increasing the competition for at- Public tention. Local performing arts face increasing international competition Circus performing 20% Childrens through online and all-but-comprehensive global platforms for music and arts Theatre companies movies. Dance Opera 0% Classical music 2.4 The challenges of COVID Average 2008-2010 Average 2016-2018 COVID hit the arts, particularly the performing arts, hard. The Common- Notes: As for Figure 2.1 on page 7. wealth Government took longer to help directly than governments in Source: LPA (2019a). other countries. But its JobKeeper package was relatively generous for those who qualied, and it ultimately delivered a relatively large package specically for arts and culture. As COVID spread, hundreds of productions, exhibitions, and projects were cancelled.31 Industry output of arts and recreation (which also
29. Australian Ballet archives 30. E.g. Music Australia (2017) and Music Trust (2017), although there has not been a comprehensive review of school music education since Seares et al. (2005). 31. Many documented by The Impossible Project (2020).
14 Performing arts advocacy in Australia includes museums, sports, and gambling) fell by over 25%. By December Box 1: Commonwealth arts support in response to COVID 2020 it had recovered somewhat so that output had “only” fallen by 9% from pre-COVID levels (Figure 2.10 on the following page). As a result, Public and commercial performances were nancially devastated by employment in arts and recreation also fell. Over 25% of workers in the COVID health regulations and audience fear of infection. The sector creative and performing arts had stopped working by May 2020. This lost more output and employees than almost any other. was similar to the employment fall in the accommodation and food The Commonwealth Government announced a limited package in industry (Figure 2.11 on the next page). Overall hours worked halved April 2020 that provided an additional $10m to regional artists, $7m 32 for the arts and recreation industry. to indigenous artists and arts centres, and $10m to a charity that Employment in the creative and performing arts has recovered slowly, provides counselling and nancial assistance to artists. and is now a little below pre-COVID levels. It has been the worst- In June 2020, four months after most live performances had been a ected industry, along with accommodation, food and beverage. On cancelled, there was still no industry-specic relief. An open letter the ground, many were left with so few opportunities, or so demotivated, prepared by APRA AMCOS and signed by over a 1000 people that they left the sector, or are contemplating doing so, particularly in from across the popular and classical music industry led to a key 33 Victoria where lockdowns lasted longer and were more stringent. meeting with the Prime Minister, Treasurer, and the minister While it is often said that Australian governments did relatively little responsible for the arts. It was dominated by popular musicians, to help arts and culture through COVID, their total support has been commercial producers, and industry peak bodies. Prominent substantial.34 popular musicians, Guy Sebastian and Mark Vincent were credited with “sealing the deal” on an industry-specic support package. The Commonwealth Government provided relatively large economy- The package included the $75 million RISE grant program, $35 wide general programs, particularly JobKeeper and Jobseeker.35 Job- million of grants to established public arts organisations, $90 Keeper ultimately provided $730 million of support to the organisations million of concessional loans for new productions and events, and and 40,000 people who work in the performing and creative arts subsec- $50 million of grants for local lm and television producers. In tor, much more than spending on direct grants.36 Most arts organisations November 2020, the Commonwealth provided a further $23 million qualied for JobKeeper because of signicant revenue declines. And for Commonwealth galleries, museums, and archives. In March JobKeeper provided them signicant support because it paid a xed 2021, the Commonwealth increased the RISE grant program by $125 million, and counselling assistance by $10 million. 32. ABS (2020b, Table 6). As this implies, in addition to the fall in employment, hours worked per person who remained employed fell by 20%. The rst tranche of recipients were advised they would receive RISE 33. C. Strong and Cannizzo (2020). funding in November 2020, 8 months after the pandemic had largely 34. E.g. Caust (2020) and Meyrick (2020). closed the sector. 35. IMF (2020, p. 2). Source: APRA AMCOS (2020a), Fletcher (2020a), Miller and Cooper (2020), Morrison 36. Fletcher and Frydenberg (2021) and Fletcher (2021). This subsector includes (2020a), Turner (2020), Burke (2020a), Treasury (2020a, Budget Paper 2, p. 128) and performing arts and visual arts, but does not include lm and television, museums, Fletcher and Frydenberg (2021). publishing, and libraries.
15 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Figure 2.10: COVID hit arts and recreation activity harder than almost Figure 2.11: COVID hit employment in creative and performing arts any other industry harder than most industries Change in industry gross value added relative to Dec 2020 quarter Number of people in payroll jobs by industry relative to 14 March 2020 Minimal impact Hit hard, still down Financial serv Agriculture 105% Health 10% Public admin Fin serv Dec 19 Dec 20 100% Retail 0% Ed & train Mining Arts & Rec Construction -10% 95% Admin -20% Transport Info, media, telco 90% -30% Accom & food -40% 85% Accom Education Hit, but bounced Hit, still wobbly & food 80% Creative & Retail 10% Wholesale performing Health Manufacturing 75% 0% Professional Utilities arts Construction -10% Info, media, telco 70% -20% Real estate serv -30% 65% Jul Jan Jun Sep Oct Feb Apr Mar Dec Aug May
-40% Nov Notes: Chain volume measure, seasonally adjusted. Notes: Workers receiving JobKeeper, but not working are considered to be in a payroll job. Source: ABS (2020c, Table 6). Data does not include jobs lost by the self-employed. Source: ABS (2021, Table 6).
16 Performing arts advocacy in Australia amount per employee, while salaries in arts organisations are relatively Figure 2.12: Commonwealth grants to arts and culture in response to low. On the other hand there were many who missed out because there COVID were substantial relative to other hard-hit industries are a relatively high number of self-employed and casual workers in arts Lost GVA per employee Commonwealth grant per employee and culture, particularly the performing arts.37 -$30,000 -$20,000 -$10,000 $0 $0 $2,000 $4,000 $6,000 The Commonwealth Government was reluctant to introduce industry- specic support beyond the general COVID support schemes of Travel agents JobKeeper and JobSeeker. After some persuasion, the creative and performing arts was one of the few industries that was specically supported with a package, announced in late June, although little of the money owed until 5 months later, 8 months after the industry had Residential building e ectively closed. (Box 1 on page 15). The industry-specic support for creative and performing arts was more than commensurate with the loss of output, when compared with specic support provided to other Screen hard-hit industries (Figure 2.12). The Commonwealth signicantly increased its support in late March Creative and 2021, responding to the sector’s ongoing di culties once JobKeeper performing arts ended. Unlike almost all other industries, the sector’s revenue for the rst quarter of 2021 was minimal; health restrictions were still biting in Notes: Lost GVA calculated as di erence between December 2019 quarter and the four late March; and revenues for the remainder of the year were vulnerable quarters of 2020. Travel agent GVA not available, and estimated at $70,000 per employee because of the lack of advance sales. The Commonwealth provided an (creative arts known to be $55,000 per employee). Travel agent lost GVA not available, and additional $135 million: $125 million added to the $75 million RISE fund, estimated at 40% of normal industry GVA. Creative arts and screen lost GVA not available, 38 and estimated at 21% and 20% respectively, proportionate to average fall in payroll jobs 18 and $10 million more for artist counselling and nancial assistance. March 2020 to 11 Jan 2021 (for comparison, actual arts and recreation lost GVA was 13% and State and Territory governments added signicant grants specically average fall in payroll jobs was 14%). Residential building GVA, GVA loss and employment use proportion of totals for construction sector, based on residential building work done as for arts and culture through COVID. The NSW Government provided a proportion of all construction work done. Screen grants do not include $400m for location an additional $50 million rescue and restart package for NSW arts and incentives announced in July 2020, which extends an existing scheme and does not result in cultural organisations,39 although by January 2021 only $13 million had additional payments until 2024-25. Travel agent employees based on industry estimate of 30,000 in January 2020, rather than unsourced industry estimate of 40,000 in August 2020. 37. BCAR (2020) suggests the proportion of casual workers in the cultural and creative Source: Employees from ABS (2020b, Table 6) and AFTA (2020). Lost GVA from ABS (2020c, sector is not particularly di erent from the overall population as per ABS (2020d, Table 6) and ABS (2021, Payroll jobs index by Industry Subdivision). Commonwealth grants Table 1c.3, Table 9.1), but performing arts is a small and atypical sub-sector of the from Birmingham (2020), Treasury (2020a, Budget Paper 2, p.141), Fletcher (2020a), Morrison cultural and creative sector. (2020a), Fletcher (2020b), Morrison (2020b), Treasury (2020b) and Fletcher and Frydenberg 38. Fletcher and Frydenberg (2021). (2021). 39. Create NSW (2020).
17 Performing arts advocacy in Australia been allocated, including $6 million to the Sydney Theatre Company.40 The Victorian government provided $30 million directly to arts and culture organisations, which also shared in $142 million provided to Figure 2.13: Australia provided less specic funding for arts and culture Victoria’s “experience economy” (that also included sporting organi- in response to COVID than other countries, but JobKeeper was large sations, racing, tourism and creative organisations in industries such Government additional grants per person in response to COVID for arts and 41 as gaming). The Queensland government provided an additional $22 culture (A$ per person) 42 million to support arts organisations and artists. The West Australian $0 $10 $20 $30 $40 $50 Government provided $20 million in additional funding to artists and arts organisations, alongside further money for longer term capital Australia Cwth States JobKeeper works, and a share (so far $7 million of $26 million allocated) from a $157 million COVID relief fund distributed from Lotterywest surpluses.43 It also announced a $157 million COVID relief fund from Lotterywest Canada surpluses, and of the $19 million distributed so far, $7m has gone to arts organisations.44 The South Australian government provided $10 million Germany in additional funding to fund new artistic work.45
Overall, specic government funding in Australia for arts and culture in Ireland response to COVID was less than a number of other countries provided, although JobKeeper far outweighed direct support – at least for those New Zealand who qualied (Figure 2.13).
Perhaps more importantly, Australian governments were relatively slow United Kingdom to allow performances to resume as COVID was brought under control. They seemed to put much more e ort into allowing sporting events to Notes: Currency conversions as at February 2021. Includes funding announced as of March resume, and gave the performing arts less priority than governments 2021, whether or not funds allocated or disbursed. Does not include sub-national government overseas. grants other than Australia. Does not include economy-wide programs for countries other than Australia. Excludes loans, capital works likely to continue past 2021, grants to screen For example, while all performances were still banned, the Victorian industries, and reallocated funding. Government agreed to allow up to 1,250 people to attend the Moonee Source: Canadian Heritage (2020), OECD (2020, p. 31), Hickley (2021), Ireland Government (2020), NZ Government (2020a), NZ Government (2020b), UK Government (2020) and Hickley (2021); Australian funding as per Figure 2.12 on the previous page. 40. Burke (2021). 41. Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance (2020, Budget Paper 3, pp.83, 86–87). 42. Queensland Government (2020). 43. Lotterywest (2021). 44. WA Government (2020); and Lotterywest (2021). 45. South Australia Department of Premier and Cabinet (2020).
18 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Valley Race track for the Manikato Stakes and the Cox Plate horse races contemporary music, where the increased availability of music through in October 2020 (a decision rescinded soon after it was published due streaming services such as Spotify has coincided with growing audiences to the public backlash).46 The outdoor Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne at live performances. Contemporary musicians have long earned far was limited to an audience of 3,000 in January 2021, a quarter of its usual more from live performance than recording.50 capacity,47 when the Melbourne Cricket Ground was allowed 30,000 spectators, almost a third of its normal capacity, for the Boxing Day test, and the Australian Open tennis championship was allowed a similar number, about half of its normal capacity.48 The impression of those in the arts seeking exemptions was that they were a long way down the pecking order in trying to attract the attention of public health teams that had limited resources to consider exemptions. By contrast, governments in other countries have often provided special exemptions for the arts. In France, for example, the government specically exempted performing arts audiences from COVID curfews, although despite earlier plans it has left galleries and museums closed while other facilities were opened; and cinemas and theatres were ultimately shut with the “second wave” of COVID, while churches remained open.49 Nevertheless, Australian venues have generally reopened long before their European counterparts because of Australia’s success in eliminating local transmission of COVID.
2.5 Opportunities for the performing arts While COVID has forced people physically apart, it has also made many people more aware of how much they value live performance. While COVID overcame audience resistance to recording and watching online performances, it may well broaden the overall audience, and increase demand for live performance. That has been the experience of 50. On the economics of popular music over time, see Connolly and Krueger (2005). An 46. McIver (2020). academic survey in the US in 2011 found that musicians made three times as much 47. Baroni (2020). from performing as recording (assuming that all salaries as an ensemble member 48. ABC News (2020). are income from performing, and all sessional musician earnings are income from 49. K. Brown (2020); Artforum (2021); and AAP (2021). recording): DiCola (2013, p. 57).
19 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
3 Performing arts advocacy could be better
The dwindling contribution of the Commonwealth Government to the sell about twice as many tickets as artforms typically staged by public performing arts over the past 20 years, despite rapidly growing audiences companies receiving rather more public support (theatre, dance, opera, and public support, has not been helped by ordinary advocacy. and classical music, which also form much of the program of arts festivals) (see Figure 2.1 on page 7). And the gap is growing. Public support for government funding for the arts is not secure. Most people think that governments should support the arts,51 but public In the past, the mismatch between what governments funded and what support for government funding dropped materially between 2009 and people attended was often justied by the rhetoric of excellence. As the 2016. And the public are keener on government support for arts and Chair of the Australian Council for the Arts, Nugget Coombs argued culture for young people and for free and low cost performances than in 1970, a prot could be made from “entertainment”, but seldom from support for artistic innovation.52 “high quality” cultural forms, because quality was rarely popular.53 The When advocating directly to those in power, advocacy for the performing belief that commercial producers did not produce excellence may have arts has often been unsophisticated and sporadic, particularly for public originated in the 1950s when Australian theatre was dominated by a performing arts. commercial producer, J C Williamson’s. Its work was seen as beneath the best standards of London, and it was argued that standards should More of the same is unlikely to yield better results. be raised by increasing government subsidies to the Elizabethan Theatre Trust.54 There are at least vestiges of these attitudes in thinking about 3.1 The inherent contradictions of historic arts policy performing arts today.55 Advocacy for the performing arts has been compromised as it tried to tread around the internal contradictions of “excellence” and “access”, the But the rhetoric is no longer defensible – if it ever was. The best of watchwords of Australia’s historic arts policy. today’s popular music concerts and commercial musicals are artistically and technically sophisticated. They too contribute to “public value” or 3.1.1 Popularity and excellence “well-being”, which are now broadly accepted as the touchstones of public policy.56 Historically, governments have funded least the performing arts attended by the most Australians. More people go to see performances staged by commercial presenters than public presenters. Artforms that receive relatively little explicit public support, and are primarily staged by 53. Rowse (1985, pp. 35–36), although it may be fairer to read Coombs (1970) as arguing commercial presenters (contemporary music, comedy, and musicals), that the non-commercial sectors provided “research and development” for the commercial sectors, a public good that depends on government investment. 51. In 2019, 63% thought that the arts should receive public funding, up from 51% in 54. Rowse (1985, pp. 7–8); Mills (2020, p. 77), citing Coombs’ memoir. 2016: ACA (2020a, p. 48). 55. Ibid. (pp. 83–84). 52. Ibid. (p. 55). 56. Daley et al. (2020, pp. 14–20, 51–52).
20 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
3.1.2 Performance and access Partly because of these tensions, many of the arguments for government support of arts and culture have been weak, and they have sometimes Arts policy – or at least the bulk of the funding – has also tended to focus failed to win over the public. on the public benets of attending rather than creating arts and culture. Arts policy has always aimed to provide “access”, but debated what that 3.2 Unsophisticated arts advocacy means. The term is ambiguous; as Deborah Mills pointed out, “access” can mean enabling people to:57 As well as problems with content, the conduct of advocacy in the corridors of power has been relatively unsophisticated. A lot of arts ∙ Experience art as an audience; advocacy has been unsustained lobbying reliant on a few well-connected friends rather than a sustained ground game that is the key to advocacy ∙ Engage with art as a critical audience; or for almost every other industry in its dealings with government. As ∙ Create their own culture. Chapter 7 to Chapter 9 will show, the ask has been unclear, and not necessarily targeted at the things that will be easiest for government to Arts policy in Australia from the 1950s focused on experience and provide. There has seldom been any body responsible for coordinating engagement, rather than creation. Even today, those involved in arts campaigns, and so messages have often been contradictory. Arts policy are evenly divided when they think about what sort of public companies have often cut across each other, focused on getting more access policy is trying to provide.58 of a xed pie rather than joining up for mutually benecial outcomes. Individual messengers have not been deliberately selected and primed There are only sporadic links between public art institutions and per- with an eye to what will appeal most to the decision-maker. The ground formers in the community. For example, the Key Performance Indicators game has been poor. It has not always been broad-based across all for the NPOs set by the Australia Council have tended in practice to three levels of government, across public service and ministers, across emphasise nancial sustainability, the number of performances, the size government in power and opposition, and across responsible ministers of audiences, artist diversity, indigenous connections, and perhaps the and back-benchers. And while advocacy has reacted to emerging crises, creation of new work, rather than the links between public companies it has seldom built long-term relationships and outcomes. and community arts. Metrics have e ectively dened mainstage excel- lence as the core activity, with links to community performers as merely It may be that this somewhat cavalier advocacy stemmed from a belief nice to have. that the inherent worthiness of the arts meant that they shouldn’t have to lobby – or worse, the belief that lobbying was a marker that the In contrast the ten-year strategy of the Arts Council England puts equal individual request was not truly worthy.60 weight on the value of being an audience member, and creating arts and culture.59 Advocacy for the commercial music sector has often been better. APRA AMCOS led a long-term campaign around the regulation of live 57. Mills (2020, p. 50). contemporary music (Box 8 on page 68). Music Australia articulated 58. Ibid. (pp. 215–216, 219–220). 59. Arts Council England (2020). 60. Rowse (1985, pp. 35–35).
21 Performing arts advocacy in Australia a National contemporary music plan in 2016,61 and advocacy around it Because arts policy tended to re ect personal interest rather than public in uenced the Commonwealth government’s music support program interest, interventions tended to favour the most prestigious organisa- announced in 2019, and the ALP’s policy in the 2019 NSW election to tions. Prime Ministers and Arts Ministers repeatedly intervened when provide much greater support for contemporary music (Section 2.3.1 there were suggestions that the Department or the Australia Council on page 11). APRA AMCOS has followed up with a campaign around might reduce the share of arts funding directed to Opera Australia or Australia becoming a net exporter of music.62 the Australian Ballet.65 And when Arts Minister Brandis reallocated money from the Australia Council to the Catalyst fund, the funding for the Major Performing Arts Groups was quarantined so that the change 3.3 The kindness of strangers did not adversely a ect them (Box 5 on page 51). Instead the arts have tended to rely on “the kindness of strangers”, as While some individual politicians have been benevolent, arts policy has 63 described by Chris Puplick, a former shadow minister for the arts. not been a broader political priority. In 45 Commonwealth Government Time and again, senior public servants and politicians intervened to elections since Federation, culture and the arts were mentioned in just 14 direct government money, usually towards traditional artforms, because campaign launches.66 The arts are usually a bauble around a minister’s they were personally interested. Robert Menzies set up the Australian neck rather than a major political prize. Many politicians are reluctant Elizabethan Theatre Trust; Nugget Coombs (then Governor of the to expend scarce political capital for the arts.67 The received political Reserve Bank) persuaded Prime Ministers Harold Holt and John Gorton to set up the Australian Council for the Arts (and to appoint him as 65. As Arts Minister, Peter Howson intervened to direct the Australia Council to Chair); Gough Whitlam set up the Australia Council as a statutory body, divert $400,000 from other projects so the Australian Opera would be ready for reformed its structure; almost doubled assistance to the arts, and most the Opera House opening, and for the Australian Ballet to tour to the Bolshoi: Macdonnell (1992, pp. 49–53). Fraser brought in “one-line” direct funding for the famously authorised the purchase of Blue poles; John Gorton and then Australian Ballet, Opera, and Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1977, strongly opposed Bob Ellicott (Arts Minister to Malcolm Fraser) set up lucrative subsidies by the Australia Council: Puplick (2008, p. 17). After this funding was returned for Australian lms; Paul Keating personally drove the Creative Nation to the Australia Council, Prime Minister Hawke committed in the 1984 election policy (which did not survive his term as Prime Minister); Rod Kemp to ensure that the Ballet and Opera funding was maintained in real terms: Mills (2020, pp. 130–131). In 1985, Arts Minister Barry Cohen e ectively directed the (Minister for the Arts) used his personal friendship with Treasurer Peter Australia Council to fund them accordingly: Puplick (2008, p. 19) and Mills (2020, Costello to get more money for the arts; and Premiers such as Cahill, pp. 132–133). In 1990, funding for Opera Australian was transferred from the Dunstan, and Carpenter all personally drove big arts agendas in their Australia Council to the Department, and increased by $1 million, no doubt assisted States.64 because the Secretary of the Department was also a member of the Opera Australia Board: Mills (2020, pp. 134–135). In 1994, the Major Performing Arts Board of the Australia Council was established, along with increased funding for the Opera and Ballet Orchestras, which Paul Keating argued would not have happened “without 61. Music Australia (2016). direct patronage from the Prime Minister”: Mills (ibid., p. 149). 62. APRA AMCOS (2020b). 66. Ibid. (p. 16). 63. Puplick (2008, p. 3). 67. Puplick (2008, p. 28). Simon Crean may have been an exception: insiders say that he 64. Macdonnell (1992, pp. 8, 15, 19–20, 93–104); Puplick (2008, pp. 7–12); Barrett (2001); threatened to resign if Prime Minister Gillard didn’t support his Creative Australia and Mills (2020). policy: Eltham (2016, p. 6).
22 Performing arts advocacy in Australia wisdom is that at best the arts can in uence public perception of political Figure 3.1: People with a university degree are much more likely to leaders, but commitment to the arts does not change votes.68 attend performing arts events Attendance rates at performing arts events, by highest level of education Across the political spectrum, arts and culture have lacked broad support. 70% As one senior arts administrator put it “the left think the arts are elitists; Highest level of education Post Certificate Year 10 and the right think the arts are all lefties”. 60% Bachelor Year 12 Overall - 3.4 Growing political indi erence 50% grad
There is a danger that strangers will be less kind in future. Kevin Rudd, 40% Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott never attended a NPO performance while Prime Minister. Scott Morrison has attended just one – Opera Australia’s 30% production of Evita.69 Arts policy is less than bipartisan, as the Abbott Government axed the ALP’s Creative nation policy within six months of 20% taking o ce. The Morrison Government was slow to support the arts through COVID, and its earlier interventions were prompted more by 10% concerns about commercial arts companies and the “tradies” involved in productions, rather than any wider cultural policy (Box 1 on page 15). 0% Music Theatre Dance Musicals Other Any live In part this growing indi erence may re ect politicians focused on outer & opera performance regional swing seats that tend to decide Australian federal elections, Source: ABS (2019a, Table 6). and the probably mistaken belief that voters in these electorates are 70 indi erent if not hostile to the arts. This political shift poses challenges for arts organisations. It is easy to It may also re ect more fundamental political shifts. People with tertiary perceive the arts as elitist, tending to exclude people with less education. education are now more likely to vote for ALP or the Greens than the People with a tertiary degree are almost twice as likely to attend most LNP,71 and this trend is intensifying.72 This is consistent with global forms of live performance as people with no formal qualications trends as voters without tertiary education swing towards right-wing (Figure 3.1). The divide is larger for traditional artforms that have tended parties, while left-wing parties are increasingly high-education parties.73 to receive more government support. In contrast, attendance rates at live sporting events do not vary signicantly by education.74 68. Puplick (2008, p. 13); and Mills (2020, pp. 136–137). In this environment, it would be unwise for the arts to keep relying on 69. Boland (2010); Westwood (2021). 70. Fielding and Trembath (2020). the kindness of strangers, from either side of politics. 71. Cameron and Mcallister (2019, p. 19). 72. Chivers (2019). 73. Piketty (2019, pp. 864, 867). 74. ABS (2010, Table 1).
23 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
4 Better advocacy for the performing arts – a summary
Public performing arts companies generally don’t have consistent – Systematically mobilising community performers as key political backers or broad and deep public support. It’s no surprise that advocates with both decision-makers and local MPs; and over the long term their government funding is going backwards. – Transparently reporting and celebrating the community To summarise, future advocacy for the performing arts can get better activities of public performing arts groups. results through a better approach: ∙ A step change in the advocacy ground game ∙ A common cause between public and commercial performing – Articulating compelling arguments that are both logical and arts: appealing to the interests of the audience – Shifting rhetoric (and activity) from “arts” to “arts and culture”, – Clearly dening “asks” from government that are less often as this language is more likely to win public support; about “more money”; – Emphasising the co-dependence of public and commercial – Centrally organising, selecting, and brieng individual messen- sectors, including their common reliance on training, and gers who are identiable and credible with decision-makers; personnel; – Persisting with a long-term approach that aims to build both – Asking for a bigger pie for the performing arts, while accept- public prole and relationships with individual decision- ing commercial organisations will receive a larger share of the makers over time; pie than at present; – Using a broad approach and consistent messages across all – Backing a well-resourced peak advocate, that broadly repre- responsible ministers, other ministers, their advisers, local sents both public and commercial sectors, which could be Live members, on all sides of politics, at all levels of government; Performance Australia; and and – Enlisting commercial artists and organisations as key messen- – Responding opportunistically to events – which requires gers for the performing arts. both preparation beforehand, and agility to change tack with ∙ A common cause between public and community performing developments. arts: This approach is not radical. It is the approach that almost every industry – Promoting more interactions between public performing arts takes with government. But it has not always been the approach of the groups and community performers; performing arts while they have relied on the kindness of strangers. – Increasing public performing arts group activity in outer metro areas;
24 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
5 A compelling rationale (for both public and politicians)
5.1 What sort of stories are compelling? While some arguments have drifted into suggesting that art is innately valuable irrespective of the audience, e ective advocacy in a democracy The most fundamental component of advocacy is a compelling story. But ultimately depends on demonstrating how performances improve even though the performing arts are all about telling stories, the sector people’s lives. hasn’t always been good at telling its own story.75
The key elements of civic rhetoric haven’t changed in millenia – 5.2 The impact of arts and culture on well-being 76 persuasion depends on logic, appeal to the emotions, and shared values. 5.2.1 A better story Good advocacy has all these features. Artists, people, and government all believe that arts and culture can In a democracy, a compelling political story ultimately persuades the improve well-being directly by making audiences happier, more under- electorate as well as politicians. In the long run, politicians will never standing, and more together. care about the performing arts the way they care about – and fund – health, unless they think people care.77 There are many reasons for focusing on how arts and culture improve the well-being of Australians. Di erent stories will appeal to di erent audiences. There are a wide Most importantly, it is a story that ts what people already believe. Most range of social, economic, innovation, health and well-being, educational, Australians participate in live cultural activities as an audience member, diplomatic, and cultural reasons to support arts and culture.78 Over and almost half make art (Section 2.1 on page 7). The importance that time, policy development has tended to focus on di erent reasons.79 people put on participating in arts and culture is illustrated not just A multiplicity of stories can be e ective advocacy, so long as they by the price of the tickets they buy; but also by the value of the scarce aren’t contradictory and all lead to the same conclusion. But given the leisure time they spend. Focus groups of “middle Australians” identied competition for attention, good advocacy should lead with its best story. the key reasons they value arts and culture as gaining a sense of identity, developing children, stimulating creativity, broadening your mind, 80 75. This view was widely shared across the performing arts in interviews for this having opportunities to be together and building community. These discussion paper, and was recently expressed by Chris Puplick in an Australian are also the areas where more people, and an increasing number, think Academy of the Humanities symposium, At the crossroad: Australia’s cultural future. that arts and creativity have a big impact. The value that people place 76. Aristotle (1991, I((ii)(3)). on directly experiencing arts and culture may explain why very high 77. Puplick (2008, pp. 42–43). numbers are keen for their children to experience arts and culture even 78. Summarised in Crossick and Kaszynska (2016) and Fielding et al. (2019). Creative 81 NZ (2019, p. 20) usefully maps the various ways that arts and culture contribute to if they are not regular audience members themselves. By comparison, overall well-being. For a recent survey of the rationales supported by the current LNP Commonwealth Government, see Fletcher (2021). 80. Fielding and Trembath (2020, p. 29). 79. Trembath and Fielding (2020a) and Gardiner-Garden (2009). 81. ACA (2020b, p. 48).
25 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
fewer think that arts and culture are important to the economy or in Figure 5.1: Arts and culture directly a ect well-being in a number of bringing customers to local businesses.82 And of course most artists don’t ways believe that the primary reason for performing is to grow the economy: Patrick McIntyre’s Pie Chart of Happiness few choose a career as an artist expecting that it will maximise their income.83 These values also t modern theories of government. Governments increasingly acknowledge that they are not just trying to maximise economic outcomes; they are also trying to increase well-being more broadly.84 The value of arts and culture to well-being is widely ac- cepted.85 A literature review for Australia’s cultural ministers in 2005 of the social impacts of arts and culture found that the evidence of the in- strumental benets of arts and culture to social outcomes such as health, social inclusion, education was often incomplete. By contrast, there was much stronger evidence that participation in arts and culture directly increases quality of life.86 At times, Commonwealth arts ministers from Whitlam to Fletcher have seen the enjoyment of the arts as an end in itself as the core purpose of government support.87 Patrick McIntyre’s “Pie chart of happiness”, as shown in Figure 5.1, illustrates the various ways that arts and culture directly contribute to these broader aims of happiness, understanding (of ourselves, others, and the world), and togetherness.88 Audience surveys consistently show that people are a ected by performances in these ways.89 Happiness through entertainment is a lot more than “meaningless consumerist desire” – it
82. ACA (2020a, p. 41); summarised in Figure 2.2 on page 8. 83. Indeed, performing arts qualications are less likely to increase lifetime income than any almost other course of study: Norton et al. (2019, pp. 34, 40) and Norton et al. (2018, p. 82). 84. Daley et al. (2020, pp. 14–19). 85. See Fielding et al. (2019, pp. 75–81). 86. AEGIS (2005, p. 60). 87. Whitlam (1985, p. 553); Eltham (2016, pp. 48–49); and Fletcher (2021). 88. McIntyre (2017). Source: McIntyre (2017). 89. Culture Counts (2020).
26 Performing arts advocacy in Australia fulls fundamental human needs. There is also value in how arts and culture build understanding and create communities.90 These values of happiness, understanding and togetherness are universal. Indigenous Figure 5.2: Good government is mostly not about the money (or GDP) songlines, for example, are a narrative creating personal meaning for Proportion of general Australian government expenses each person that sings, a map that locates each person in the world, and a shared memory and understanding for all those that sing.91 COVID may have suspended live performance, but it has reinforced the importance of (GDP not really Rec & culture happiness, understanding and togetherness in our lives. the point) Env protection Economic affairs Some may be nervous that such well-being arguments won’t cut much Housing & community (necessary for ice with hard-nosed governments focused on the language of economics. (helps GDP, but mainly Public order 2% economic But it is a myth that governments – left or right-wing – only care about re-distribution) 1% & safety production – and 2%5% Defence about economic growth. While a lot of political rhetoric focuses on 5% lots besides) Social protection 5% Transport (some) the economy, most of the things that governments fund are unlikely to 5% (helps GDP, but mainly 28% maximise economic growth (Figure 5.2). Much of the health budget is about re-distribution, 11% General public spent on older people who are unlikely to work again. The two largest particularly to ex-workers) services (some) components of the welfare budget (the Age Pension and the Disability 16% Pension, almost 20% of all Commonwealth Government spending),92 go 20% Education to people who are unlikely to work much again. Instead, they re ect Health (not so important to GDP – (very important to GDP – widely shared public beliefs that improving health and preventing and lots of other things) 93 much is for people who won’t poverty are valuable ends in themselves. work again)
5.2.2 A story about “arts and culture” Source: ABS (2019c), Table 939, Table 4. Advocacy is more likely to be e ective if the story is about “arts and culture” rather than just “arts”. As revealed through focus groups con- ducted for the think tank, A New Approach, many middle Australians see “arts and culture” as more accessible, whereas they often consider “the
90. O’Connor (2020). 91. Neal and L. Kelly (2020). 92. Treasury (2020a) Budget Paper 1, p.6-5, 6-22. 93. Whether politicians think that these ends are objectively valuable, or valuable because voters like them doesn’t matter much in practice – all the philosophical roads lead to the same place: Daley et al. (2020, pp. 15–16).
27 Performing arts advocacy in Australia arts” elitist.94 More people agree that government should support “arts 5.2.3 An inclusive story and culture” than “the arts”.95 At least some people perceive “the arts” If the primary value of arts and culture is their ability to increase our as a relatively narrow set of activities such as “opera and ballet”, that happiness, understanding, and togetherness, then popular music is do not include more popular cultural arts activities such as festivals.96 a central part of the story. Voters mostly experience performing arts This attitude to terminology is not just an Australian idiosyncrasy: many and culture in the forms of popular music, festivals, and activity and people in the United Kingdom have exactly the same discomfort with performances in local communities and schools. A story about the value “the arts”, while enthusiastically supporting “arts and culture” and their of arts and culture to people’s well-being is most likely to be believed if contribution to well-being.97 it includes these experiences, and they are re ected in arts and culture This narrow view of “the arts” may stem from the history of Australia’s policy. And recordings (of music, drama or other artforms) are similarly arts policy, which has tended to focus on a subset of the performing arts. part of this story. When government talked about “arts policy” it tended to focus on where its money was going – typically those artforms that had less mass appeal. This may prompt uncomfortable questions about what government does While policies such as Creative Nation did explicitly embrace a broader and doesn’t subsidise (see Chapter 10). But that price must be paid so range of arts and culture, the focus of funding still didn’t change much.98 that advocacy for arts and culture can start with a story that is logical, emotional powerful, and appealing to the values of a broad political In the past, some have avoided the language of “arts and culture” because audience. they thought that “cultural” policy has “vaguely totalitarian overtones”99 and “sounds like the Soviet Union.”100 But sensitivities about “reds under the beds” in the 1970s have passed. Plenty of non-totalitarian 5.2.4 Challenges to the story governments acknowledge the importance of shaping a society’s culture in positive directions. The United Kingdom, for example, has had a There are challenges to telling this story that arts and culture can Department for Culture since 1997, and the Arts Council England now improve happiness, understanding, and togetherness. Arts and culture describes its mission as promoting “culture” – meaning collections, must compete for attention, there is relatively little media space for some combined arts, dance, libraries, literature, museums, music, theatre and arts, and their values may not always align with Australia’s allegedly the visual arts”.101 anti-elitist ethos. All these challenges are easier to overcome with a broader focus on “arts and culture”.
94. Fielding and Trembath (2020, p. 45). 95. Compare Catalyse (2020, p. 10) and ACA (2020b, p. 48) The competition for attention is increasing with ubiquitous social 96. Fielding and Trembath (2020, pp. 11–12). media and mobile devices. But people are spending more time watching 97. Arts Council England (2020, p. 9). live performance and recorded drama. Pre-COVID, live attendances 98. Mills (2020, pp. 68–69). were growing rapidly (Figure 2.1 on page 7). And there seems to be no 99. Whitlam (1985, p. 555), cited in Gardiner-Garden (1994, p. 7). 100. Barry Cohen, Arts Minister in the Hawke Government, cited in Mills (2020, p. 38). shortage of demand to see live performances as COVID restrictions are 101. Arts Council England (2020, p. 12). relaxed. On screens, televised drama captures far more eyeballs than
28 Performing arts advocacy in Australia televised sport.102 And the shift from live TV to streaming is increasing play a constructive role in helping to dene what binds together a the preponderance of drama on screens. diverse community. The media has reduced the space for reporting on traditional artforms – Many are concerned that Australian society is fragmenting. A range of partly re ecting general cut-backs in newsrooms, and partly re ecting factors have been identied: the rise of social media, falling membership the ability of digital platforms to track what people actually read. But of traditional social organisations, increasing ethnic diversity (in capital news media continues to devote a lot of space to commentary on arts and cities but not so much in regions), and increasing wealth and income culture dened more broadly – even if this is weighted towards popular inequality (after housing costs).104 Politicians are particularly concerned music, television and streamed drama. about declining trust in many institutions (particularly parliamentarians), declining voter allegiance, and an increasing minor party vote.105 Focusing on the direct impact of arts and culture on people’s lives might seem to risk a race to populist low quality. But it is a myth that It is at least plausible that cultural interventions are the key to cultural Australians are interested in elite sport but averse to excellence in the problems. Governments from imperial Rome to imperial China to Medici performing arts. Shows such as The Voice, and Dancing with the stars are Florence and Bolshevik Russia have used (and sometimes mis-used) framed as competitions and attract big audiences. The key to promoting art to shape cultural identity.106 Commonwealth Government concern excellence in performance seems to be a format that makes the artform about communal identity may lie behind the substantial government more accessible, and helps to educate its audience about what constitutes investment of energy and money in promoting Australia’s shared excellence in the artform. military heritage over the last decade, including $100 million for the Sir John Monash Centre at Villers-Bretonneux, and current plans for a 5.3 Australian identity and social cohesion $500 million extension to the Australian War Memorial.107 These dwarf the Commonwealth’s other investments in arts and culture over the In a fractured world with declining trust in institutions, arts and last ve years. The “Anzac myth” may or may not help veterans, but culture can play a lead role in promoting a shared identity that helps it is manifestly part of a government attempt to create shared cultural communities to hold together. Governments are looking for ways to touchpoints.108 build social cohesion. The growing cultural distance between regions and cities is fuelling dissatisfaction with governments.103 Many politicians are Generating Australian work, that is widely consumed, can contribute worried about their ability to bring communities with them in making much to national identity and ultimately social cohesion. In the per- the tough choices needed for good government. Arts and culture can forming arts it manifests as the creation of new Australian work – or at least substantial new Australian interpretations of works from 102. On average, Australians watch 65 hours/month of television, and a further 26 hours elsewhere. The Australia Council already sets and measures targets for of streamed video; of this 10 hours/month is televised sport: Report analysis of ThinkTV (2020), Zenith Media (2020) and Dawson (2017). On commercial television, 104. See Leigh (2010), Daley et al. (2017, p. 28) and Daley et al. (2019, p. 28). 10% of hours watched are sport, while 23% are drama and movies, and another 13% 105. Wood et al. (2018). is reality TV – arguably a form of improvised drama: Deloitte (2020, p. 20). It is 106. Daley et al. (2020, p. 19). likely that the ABC and streaming services are even more weighted towards drama. 107. Miller (2018); and Midena and Doherty (2020). 103. Wood et al. (2018, pp. 56–68). 108. J. Brown (2014); and Eltham (2016, pp. 58–60).
29 Performing arts advocacy in Australia new Australian works. Australian content could potentially be increased than elsewhere. And Australian people are increasingly recognising if commemorative bodies were encouraged to commission works for indigenous arts and culture as an important part of Australia’s culture.112 o cial occasions (such as citizenship ceremonies, Anzac Day, and o cial openings). The value of reinforcing connections to a society’s shared history may explain why European governments spend so much more on arts and But Australia’s art and culture is unlikely to play a bigger role in culture – it ts with a history shared by more of their population. Much fostering social cohesion unless Australia’s senior politicians embrace of the classical music canon, for example, is more deeply part of the them as a key part of Australia’s identity, equivalent to sport and military shared history of Germany than of Australia. Correspondingly, German engagement (Section 7.2 on page 47). governments support 129 professional orchestras, dwarng Australia’s 10 supported orchestras.113 As a result people in Germany are also more The relationship between identity and culture is inherently complicated. engaged, although the di erence is not overwhelming: in Germany Beliefs about the government’s role in dening national identity, and classical music concerts each year sell 1 ticket for every 10 residents; in the nature and content of national identity in part depend on the precise Australia it is 1 for every 20.114 democratic tradition.109 An Australian national identity would need to encompass all of the three major parts of its history: indigenous; British In its current form, Australia’s public arts sector may not quite t the bill 110 institutions; and broad-sourced migration. in promoting an Australian national identity. When the Australia Council But whatever the precise theory, arts and culture can bring a society for the Arts was constituted, apart from indigenous arts and culture, together, because they catalyse social connection, foster a sense of Australia’s historical culture was overwhelmingly European. From its communal pride, and create shared narratives.111 As well as bringing a beginnings the Australia Council almost exclusively promoted European society together, arts and culture that dene a shared Australian identity forms of arts and culture. are also important to indigenous reconciliation, to marketing Australia In the last few decades Australian governments have substantially as a tourist destination, and to creating a sophisticated national export increased their support for indigenous arts and culture: the indigenous brand. Bangarra Dance Theatre was included in the Major Performing Arts Creating a shared identity requires particular forms of arts and culture. Group; the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development They need to stress what we have in common rather than what some Association Dance College became one of the Arts8 elite training people lack. They need local content that connects particularly to Aus- organisations directly funded by the Commonwealth; and indigenous tralia. Australian governments are increasingly funding indigenous arts artists are well-represented both in nominations for domestic awards and 115 and culture, partly to recognise its importance as part of the Australian in international events. story, and partly because it is so identiably from Australia rather
112. ACA (2020a, p. 68). 109. Mills (2020, p. 47). 113. Mertens (2019, p. 191). 110. Pearson (2014). 114. Excludes concerts for school students: Mertens (2019, p. 206) and LPA (2019a). 111. Fielding et al. (2019, p. 20); and ACA (2020a, pp. 88–89). 115. ACA (2015, p. 9).
30 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
But this still misses material parts of Australia’s history today. In 1976, 17% of those living in Australia were born in Europe and the UK. Today, only 7% of Australia’s residents were born there, whereas 11% come Figure 5.3: The ethnic background of Australians has changed from Asia, and another 3% from the Middle East, and Africa (Figure 5.3). Proportion of Australia’s population, by birthplace But there is no dedicated major performing arts training institution 1976 2016 or performing arts company that is focused on these cultural roots except perhaps the National Theatre of Parramatta. As Steven Wol Other Africa (1%) has put it, our public arts are now often playing 19th century content in 25% Middle East (2%) 20th century places to 21st century people.116 Arts and culture can only promote social cohesion if they take seriously the increasing breadth of 20% Australia’s ethnic history. Rest of world (3%) Asia (11%) Of course, fostering social cohesion should not be the only purpose of 15% arts and culture. Arts and culture that contribute to a shared identity as Continental Europe described may be less good at serving other worthwhile purposes, not (8%) N America NZ (2%) 10% least in dening individual identity (including how one is di erent from Continental Europe others) and in adding to movements for social change. (4%) Arts and culture, particularly the community sector, can also be powerful 5% UK & Ireland (9%) UK & Ireland tools for building personal and local connections. It is increasingly (5%) recognised that these connections are the dominant driver of overall life 0% satisfaction, alongside income.J.-F. Kelly et al. (2012, p. 4) But whereas Source: ABS (1997, pp. 12, 18) and ABS (2016). government has many tools to a ect incomes, it has fewer to promote social connections. Arts and culture can help.
5.4 National and civic pride Both public and politicians can be motivated by national or civic pride. Arts and culture can provide a sense of community accomplishment, and personal legacy. This motive is stronger for some than others – illustrating how the best argument for advocacy depends on the audience (Section 9.6 on page 71). Funding for elite sport demonstrates how powerful this motivation can be.
116. Wol (2019).
31 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Motivations of national and civic pride can overlap with the desire “cultural and creative activity” amounts to 6.4% of GDP.120 All States to create shared identities (Section 5.3 on page 29), promote export and territories have produced creative industries strategies.121 A recent industries, and regional development (Section 5.5.3 on the next page). article suggested that submissions from the arts and culture sector to government should focus on “the battle for jobs”, “generation of 5.5 Economic impacts economic success”, “backing small business,” “the budget bottom line”, and “regional economic growth”. Helping young people to make good Governments are right to care about economic growth. The size of life choices and supporting “the Australian way of life” were well down the economy is a close proxy for the sum total of resources available the list.122 to produce all of the things we care about – physical goods, health, education, and of course art and culture.117 Naturally, governments look 5.5.2 A weak leading argument for policies that will increase economic growth, even if economic growth is not the only thing that matters (Figure 5.2 on page 27). But while advocates for the performing arts have increased focus on their economic impacts over the last 20 years, Commonwealth government 5.5.1 Arts advocates have talked more about economics support for them has fallen. It is not obviously a winning strategy.
Since the 1990s, arguments for arts and culture have increasingly The economic impact of the arts is a poor leading argument for many referenced their economic impact.118 The introduction to the Keating audiences. It’s often an argument made by people who don’t believe it to Government’s cultural policy, Creative nation, concluded with the people who don’t believe it. assertion that:119 Few artists perform because it contributes to the economy. It is inher- This cultural policy is also an economic policy. Culture creates wealth. ently hard to lead with economic arguments when few of the industry’s Broadly dened, our cultural industries generate 13 billion dollars a participants believe that increasing economic activity is the point of what year. Culture employs. Around 336,000 Australians are employed in they do. culture-related industries. Culture adds value, it makes an essential contribution to innovation, marketing and design. It is a badge of our Arts organisations obviously care about the economics of their industry. The level of our creativity substantially determines our ability business – the books have to balance. And they are acutely aware of to adapt to new economic imperatives. It is a valuable export in itself their responsibilities as employers, providing jobs and income for many and an essential accompaniment to the export of other commodities. It attracts tourists and students. It is essential to our economic success. people. But for most – including those in the commercial sector – their primary motivation for being involved in the industry is the happiness, Arts advocates have been leading with economic arguments for much understanding, and togetherness that the performing arts provide to of the last two decades. Many have cited ABS work showed that audiences.
117. Daley et al. (2020, p. 16). 120. BCAR (2020), cited for example in ACA (2015, pp. 35–36). 118. Trembath and Fielding (2020a, p. 30). 121. Trembath and Fielding (2020a, p. 48). 119. Department of Communications & the Arts (Australia) (1994). 122. Bailey (2020).
32 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
The public is sceptical that the arts have much economic impact. While politicians often trumpet the number of jobs or the economic Only 22% of Australians think that the arts have a big impact on the activity “created” by a policy intervention, they are usually well aware economy – far more think that arts and culture have a big impact on that alternative policies (including doing nothing) would often have self-expression, thinking creatively, dealing with stress, and a sense an even bigger impact. The advertised economic impact can be just an of wellbeing (Figure 2.2 on page 8).123 Similarly the focus groups of ex-post justication for what government wanted to do for other reasons. “middle Australians” conducted by A New Approach struggled to identify Nevertheless, right-wing governments often try to maintain public focus economic contributions of arts and culture, even when prompted, on economic issues because electorates typically perceive them as better while they were much quicker to identify their impacts on wellbeing, at managing them.126 Consequently, right-wing often frame support for connection, and community.124 arts and culture using economic language even if this is not their primary Politicians and their public service advisors are also sceptical. motivation. Governments that want to stimulate economic activity can usually nd ways to do so more e ectively than supporting the performing arts. And As a result, it is sensible advocacy to supply these economic arguments, statistics about economic contribution are now treated with suspicion while at the same time maintaining well-being arguments that are more in Canberra, which is awash with industry-funded consultants claiming likely to convince the public and build long-term support. that each client’s industry contributes so much to the economy that they add up to much more than annual GDP. 5.5.3 A useful supporting argument The claim that “cultural and creative activity” amounts to 6.4% of GDP Nonetheless, economic justications can make good supporting argu- requires particular care. As a number of commentators have pointed ments for government support of arts and culture. out, it is in ated by including many activities which are not core to most Government strategies from Creative Nation, to the Blair Government’s conceptions of “arts and culture”, including IT development, the fashion Cool Britannia, to Victoria’s Creative State have linked arts and cultural industry, advertising and marketing (including people working in other activity with the growth of high value creative industries,127 even industries such as nance), book and newspaper printing and retailing. though the links between culture and creative industries are not always The arts industry – including broadcasting and electronic media – is just clear. Sometimes the links are seen as indirect – for example a thriving 125 0.8% of GDP. The connections between performing arts and “cultural visual arts culture might lead to better fashion and architectural design. and creative activity” are at best indirect: it’s a long bow to say that Or it may be that global creative talents and ensuing economic activity all the other cultural and creative activities would be proportionately in anything from nancial services to mining technology are attracted to a ected every time government reduced support for performing arts companies. 126. Daley et al. (2020, p. 18). For a discussion of issue-ownership, see: Petrocik (1996) and Walgrave et al. (2009). Polling consistently nds that Australian voters consider 123. ACA (2014, p. 34). This question has not been asked in subsequent surveys, which the LNP to be better economic managers than the ALP: Lewis (2010) and Essential instead asked if arts “bring customers to local businesses”. Research (2016). Politically it doesn’t matter that this perception is not backed by 124. Fielding and Trembath (2020, pp. 30–34). particularly strong historical evidence: Walker and Con Walker (2019). 125. O’Connor (2020); Trembath and Fielding (2020b); and Browne (2020). 127. Flew (2019).
33 Performing arts advocacy in Australia cities with a thriving cultural scene as argued in Richard Florida’s theory Positioning arts and culture as part of an “industry” can have some of the creative class.128 While plausible, these theories are inherently hard political benets. Inherently it makes common cause with commercial in- to prove.129 Talent and creativity usually correlate with thriving arts and terests, for which right-wing parties may have more intuitive sympathy. culture, but it’s at least possible that clusters of talent and creativity cause Pointing to the problems of an entire industry appears to have been an arts and culture to blossom, rather than the other way round. important part of the successful strategy for obtaining COVID support (Box 1 on page 15). Perhaps the most plausible connection is nation branding: the sophistication displayed by high-quality arts and culture may suggest Of course, characterising support for arts and culture as industry support sophisticated capabilities to potential buyers of other goods and services is a two-edged sword:132 in non-COVID times it arouses opposition from from nance to telecommunications. For example, The Australian Ballet’s institutions such as the Productivity Commission designed to oppose performance of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake in Paris was seen by industry support precisely because it typically benets one particular its major sponsor, Telstra, as a very helpful commercial calling card industry at the expense of the public interest. in changing French attitudes about Australian technical capability. But projecting this kind of national image requires consistent public Governments care even more about additional activity in regions. messaging. It would require realigning Australia’s o cial symbols and Governments in Australia have tried for over a century to redistribute tourism messaging to match the interests of individual Australians on economic activity towards slower growing locations, particularly in arts and culture rather than focusing so relentlessly on sport and the the regions, even if it does not increase the size of Australia’s economy outdoors (Section 7.2 on page 47). overall. While most of these attempts fail,133 arts and cultural invest- ments are more plausible than most other regional development policies. Governments may be particularly attracted to particular kinds of jobs The theory is that arts and cultural activity attract both employees and for political reasons. Some politicians focus on tradies and low income tourists to the region. At the very least they are invariably much lower small businesses because they believe that their political allegiance cost than the typical alternatives of spending on regional roads, rail links is relatively weak, and their votes tend to swing key marginal seats and sporting stadiums. in the outer suburbs.130 A key turning point for the Prime Minister in supporting an arts industry rescue package was seeing the impact on Regional development arguments are powerful not because of the small-business people involved in the arts, and the announcement said economic logic, but because regional residents are typically looking that the “package is as much about supporting the tradies who build for government intervention to ensure that they get their “fair share”. stage sets or computer specialists who create the latest special e ects, Politicians tend to respond, even if they know that many interventions as it is about supporting actors and performers”.131 will not deliver.134 The argument is not primarily economic; instead it
128. Florida (2002). 129. Holden (2007); and Cauldwell-French and Lydford (2019). 132. Eltham (2016, p. 49). 130. Black (2020). 133. Daley (2012). 131. Turner (2020) and Morrison (2020a). 134. PC (2017, pp. 148–187).
34 Performing arts advocacy in Australia responds to concerns that regions are not being treated fairly. This per- ception may re ect reality: fewer people attend and create performances Box 2: Regional development arts funding initiatives in regional areas than in city areas.135 In response to the Vote Arts campaign run by Country Arts WA There are many examples of government prioritising regional arts and ahead of the 2013 Western Australia election, the National Party culture in response to these political pressures. Governments routinely committed to a $16 million increase in regional arts funding, and make high prole regional arts announcements, often funded from the ALP matched this commitment. After winning the election, regional development rather than arts budgets. Election commitments as part of its much larger Royalties for Regions program, the LNP to regional arts funding can be the largest commitments to the arts in coalition allocated $24 million for Creative Regions funding over 4 an election (Box 2). Many of these commitments are initiated by the Na- years. This increased annual funding by all levels of government tional Party – refuting the claim that right-of-centre parties in Australia for the arts in WA regional areas by 56%. The campaign could are inherently hostile to the arts. Of course, campaign commitments can have gone further: even with the additional funding, government be a mixed blessing: they often fund capital infrastructure but not the spending in 2015-16 on arts and culture of around $41 per person in additional operating costs associated with a larger facility. regional areas was still less than the State-wide average of $50. Governments may be motivated to spend on arts and culture as eco- In the 2016 Federal election campaign, the largest single com- nomic stimulus. When an economy is moving slowly, spending on mitment to arts and culture by any party was $10 million for the entertainment tends to lead to more private sector investment than Shepparton Art Museum – funded from regional development 136 government spending in any other area. But this is a limited argument: funds. precisely because performing arts are a small part of the economy, government stimulus for them cannot be the centrepiece of stimulus In responding to COVID, the Commonwealth Government was spending. And ndings about the economic ow-on of entertainment quick to set up a Regional Arts Fund of $10 million in April 2020, industry stimulus are drawn from the history of “normal” recessions, well before it set up sector support for arts and culture more rather than the unusual circumstances of the COVID shock, which may generally in June 2020 (Box 1 on page 15). Government may have have (for a time) also dampened public appetite for entertainment. responded more quickly in regions because new arts programs were already in the works to respond to the Black Summer bushres. Arts and culture can attract international and domestic visitors Notes: Total government funding over the 3 years prior to 2013 for arts (including art 43% of international visitors to Australia engage in an arts activity museums) in WA regions was $32 million, and for all parts of WA was $481 million. – primarily visiting galleries and museums. About 9% attend a live Source: Country Arts WA (2013, p. 14), Fairley (2015), CACWA (2017, p. 25), performance – more than attend a sporting event.137 For 1 in 5 visitors, Cuthbertson (2016) and ABS (2018, Table 9). creative experience was the primary reason for visiting Melbourne (only
135. ACA (2020b, Tables 1, 3, 7). 136. IMF (2020, p. 43) 137. ACA (2018, p. 14); and ACA (2015, p. 25).
35 Performing arts advocacy in Australia behind visiting friends and outdoor experiences).138 International tourists APRA AMCOS are pressing for industry policy to support the vision of that engage in cultural activities tend to stay 25% longer; spend 20% Australia becoming a net exporter of music. This is a key justication more, and their numbers were growing a little faster pre-COVID, than for their calls to introduce tax o sets for live venues and recording tourists who don’t engage in cultural activities.139 Globally, tourism has producers, e ective enforcement of Australian quotas for commercial grown much faster to countries that feature cultural experiences in their radio stations, the retention of e ective copyright rights on digital tourism marketing policy.140 platforms, the relaxation of restrictions on live venues, and reforms to music education.144 They point to the successes of Sweden and South But Australian tourism marketing has tended to underplay cultural Korea in building export music industries (Box 3 on the next page). experiences, with poorly collated information and marketing. The Tourism Australia homepage, for example, currently features 24 out- There are no guarantees that this is a realistic option for Australia given door/wilderness pictures, 3 for food and wine experiences, and just 1 for how much the South Korean and Swedish precedents depended on local arts and culture (for the red centre).141 With relatively low expectations, factors that are not easy to replicate. But as advocacy it has the virtue of most international visitors to Melbourne are positively surprised by providing a politically attractive aspirational “light on the hill”, which their arts and culture experience.142 The failure to position Australia as also appeals to a sense of national pride. a cultural destination for tourists, despite its assets, is probably another manifestation of the mismatch between Australia’s “o cial” image, and A similar campaign might be mounted around developing Australian reality (Section 7.2 on page 47). theatre so that it provides a steadier stream of content suitable for turning into movies for export. There are a number of examples already, COVID creates an opportunity to reset Australia’s positioning for such as Babyteeth (Belvoir), The Daughter (originally Belvoir’s The Wild international tourists. Australia has managed COVID with more Duck), and The Boys (Gri n Theatre). Such a campaign would need to sophistication than almost any other country.143 This could be coupled articulate, as APRA AMCOS have, the government interventions required in tourism marketing with an increased prole for Australia’s arts and to develop the industry. culture experiences.
Governments can also be particularly attracted to measures that increase 5.6 Other instrumental arguments exports. Mercantilism appeals to powerful intuitions about the value of Arts and culture activities can have many other benets. They can exports, not least because they ultimately make imports more a ordable. improve health, education, social inclusion, and diplomacy. These are important rationales for government to support the performing arts, but 138. BCG (2018, p. 12). their usefulness for advocacy has limits. 139. Cultural Attractions of Australia (2019, p. 1). 140. World Tourism Organization (2018, p. 22). Health, education, disadvantage, and international a airs all matter a lot, 141. Australia (2021) as of 10 Februrary 2021, excluding pictures related to particular and well-designed arts and culture programs can substantially improve accommodation providers. 142. BCG (2018, p. 35). 143. Leng and Lemahieu (2021). 144. APRA AMCOS (2020b).
36 Performing arts advocacy in Australia outcomes.145 Arts and culture programs can be particularly e ective Box 3: Music export success stories: South Korea and Sweden in changing self-belief because they open windows into other worlds. Health, education, disadvantage, and international a airs are high-prole Success as a music exporter depends on both government support causes, and their advocates can be powerful allies for arts and culture. and local conditions. Sweden and South Korea have very large The di cult for advocacy is that arts and culture programs are not going music exports relative to population, despite the language barriers. to be consistently at the top of their agenda. Making hospitals safer, K-Pop broke through internationally in the 2000s. Local record rolling out a new literacy program, or international climate change producers who adapted early to the rise of social media were negotiations are always going to outrank an arts and culture initiative crucial. They selected performers and trained them intensively for a minister of health, education, community welfare, or foreign a airs. before public release with slick choreography and sophisticated imagery optimised for smart phone listening and viewing. They 5.7 Social change used a large network of international song-writers. And they distributed aggressively through new internet channels rather than Some, but by no means all, arts and culture engages with di cult social trying to protect existing album formats. issues. But it is often poor advocacy to claim these social interventions as the primary purpose of arts and culture. The South Korean government came relatively late to the party, providing support of over $200 million a year from 2012, perhaps Some argue that arts and culture should be supported because they riding on the coat-tails of success rather than driving it. It now has can encourage attitudinal and policy change on a range of issues from large government agencies to promote music exports. refugees to family violence.146 The Australia Council for the Arts recently set a priority for at least some National Partnership Organisations to Sweden has also built a large music export industry. Government “deliver arts and cultural activities that drive social change”, although support is important: from its relatively large total performing arts this is not an objective articulated in the Australia Council’s published budget of around SEK 1 billion (AUD $160 million), the Swedish strategy.147 Arts Council provided substantial grants to early career artists. Success also built on broader arts and culture infrastructure Arts and culture can decisively change the culture of local communities, ultimately supported by government, including an extensive 148 particularly when the community is part of making the work. This network of municipal music schools. kind of social change overlaps with the objectives of building social cohesion (Section 5.3 on page 29), improving education, and reducing Other local factors contributed: Sweden has a deep choral tradition disadvantage (Section 5.6 on the previous page). with 6% of the population regularly singing in choirs and an Anglo- Saxon pop culture. Sweden also has a critical mass of international music industry rms, which may have contributed to the birth in 145. The literature is extensive: see e.g. Trembath and Fielding (2020a, p. 22), Creative Victoria (n.d., p. 24), Sunderland et al. (2018) and DLGSC WA (2019) Sweden of Spotify, the world’s dominant music platform. 146. E.g. Lillie (2015). Source: Vella et al. (2019, App.J), Parc and Kim (2020), Episkopos (2020), Hong (2014), 147. ACA (2019). Oh and Lee (2013), Forss (2003), Gradvall and Akerstrom (2017) and Johansson (2010). 148. For a number of examples, see Schultz (2014).
37 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Arts and culture can also challenge cultural attitudes more broadly, such to portray the rhetoric of innate worthiness as elitist, a justication as the impact of Back to Back Theatre on attitudes to disability. But for supporting work just because it has the imprimatur of insiders. As because each individual production reaches a relatively small proportion rhetoric it is unlikely to persuade the unconverted – people who haven’t of the population, it can only seed shifts in cultural attitudes, which are already personally had these experiences. primarily popularised through mass media, particularly television drama, A focus on improving the lives of professional artists can also be news and current a airs. misconstrued as a claim to the innate worthiness of producing art. But Arts and culture are seldom the primary drivers of shifts of particular the policy arguments for funding artists are not compelling unless their government policies. For example, plenty of artwork has advocated art improves the lives of Australians more broadly. After all, it is the change in Australia’s policies for dealing with asylum seekers; it is not Australia Council for the Arts, not the Australia Council for artists. To obvious that anything has changed as a result. As composer Andrew be compelling with the public, the story must be about how the art Ford wrote recently:149 produced is going to increase the well-being of Australians.
Changing society with a painting or a poem or a novel, a symphony or 5.9 Choosing a story a song is a tall order, and it’s di cult to name an example of where it has happened. As illustrated by this discussion of the various reasons for supporting the performing arts, di erent stories will appeal more or less to di erent For more abstract artforms, particularly music and dance, much of the audiences. The best story will always need to be tailored to the interests work inherently has a more tenuous relationship with social change. of the particular audience. On the other hand, arts and culture often re ect social change, helping Arguments about the ability of the performing arts to make people people to understand the world changing around them. happy, understanding and together are most likely to win the hearts and minds of the public. In the long run this is the most important form When arts and culture do help to drive social change, highlighting this of advocacy – as policy-makers inevitably respond to public opinion. as their primary rationale is often not good advocacy. Social change is For the same reason, it may often also be the most important issue for invariably controversial, and encouraging change on any particular issue backbenchers. is likely to a ront at least one side of politics in a world where successful arts policy needs to be long-lasting with the support of all major political Arguments about the economic value of the performing arts are more parties. likely to attract the attention of ministers, although often they will be motivated to act on them because the performing arts also make people 5.8 The innate worthiness of the performing arts happy, understanding and together. Some arguments for the performing arts have appealed to the intrinsic Arguments about the impact of the performing arts on social cohesion, value of the work produced, even if its audience is tiny. But it is easy education, health, or disadvantage are likely to be most important when talking to those with particular interests in these issues. 149. Ford (2021).
38 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
6 A common cause – commercial and community arts and culture
Making common cause between the public, commercial, and community 10% of the Sydney Theatre Company in 2019.150 Public companies can sectors of the performing arts is vital to e ective advocacy for them run particular productions at a surplus, as Opera Australia’s musicals aim all. A combined approach is the key to more logical arguments, more to do.151 Some youth theatre organisations fall between these categories: powerful advocates, and mass appeal to the electorate. they are supported by government (in part through education budgets), but legally the performers own the business entity, so that performer The stories that explain why arts and culture matter apply whether they income and company revenues are less clearly separated. Nevertheless, are produced by public, commercial, or community organisations. Policy the distinction between public and commercial sectors has tended to be arguments about arts and culture must logically include all of them. important in practice. Commercial and community artists, producers, and audiences are potentially the most powerful advocates for arts and culture. They often 6.1.2 Commercial performing arts and better advocacy have stronger political connections to right of centre governments and to When advocacy for the performing arts focuses on how it improves local members of parliament than public arts organisations. well-being, commercially produced performing arts should be part of the And commercial and community arts groups have mass appeal that could story. Making common cause enables more powerful advocacy for both enable them to mobilise public opinion more easily, which is the surest public and commercial performing arts. road to favourable political decisions in the long run. First and foremost, a common cause is the logical consequence of the core argument for supporting the performing arts. The argument is 6.1 The place of commercial performing arts that the performing arts are valuable because they promote happiness, 6.1.1 Dening “commercial performing arts” understanding and togetherness. This is true whether the performance has a public or a commercial producer. Logical coherence always helps a “Public” and “commercial” performing arts aren’t neatly dened powerful story.152 categories, but they are useful in practice. As discussed in Section 2.2 on page 10, the categories distinguish between not-for-prot and Second, it is easier to argue for “industry” support if public and com- for-prot entities, which both have a professionalised workforce. Public mercial producers club together. It draws attention to their very similar performing arts companies tend to receive more government support, but activities, distinct in many ways from other patterns of work. it is a question of degree. Governments support commercial producers 150. Precisely because these companies were so reliant on box o ce revenue, they directly through programs such as live music strategies, through tourism received rather more government support through COVID. budgets, and indirectly through education and training and industry 151. Nugent et al. (2015, p. 182). development (Section 2.3.1 on page 11). Some public performing arts 152. As Peggy Noonan, Ronald Regan’s speechwriter put it: “Nothing is more beautiful, more elevating, more important in a speech than fact and logic. People think companies receive relatively little government support: governments passionate and moving oratory is the big thing, but it isn’t... Without a logical case provided just 7% of the revenue of the Melbourne Theatre Company and to support rhetoric has nothing to do. It’s like icing without cake”: Noonan (2003).
39 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Third, commercial producers often make powerful political allies. They and individual administrators move between public and commercial are often politically well-connected. They tend to be aligned more companies. The capabilities required are similar: public sector producers, closely with other powerful industry sectors: commercial theatres with for example, need a strong commercial eye. And the relationships are tourism; and live music with pubs and clubs. Because they are ultimately symbiotic: for example the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Director of commercial enterprises, often small businesses, they may appeal more to Casting was seconded to cast Harry Potter and the cursed child.155 the right-wing of politics.153 But artistically the connections between public and commercial And nally, commercial performing arts often have more mass appeal, performing arts could be stronger. In recent years Opera Australia and thus more support from the electorate, and in some cases the ability has started to co-produce musicals with commercial producers. But to open more doors. Australia’s public companies do not usually graduate successful These factors came together in 2020 when advocating for government productions into commercial productions with longer runs. There is support through COVID-19. Even though the performing arts sector was more exchange between public and commercial performing arts in the a ected much more than almost any other industry, the Commonwealth UK where productions developed by public companies often become 156 Government dragged its heels in providing industry-specic support. long-running commercial productions, such as the National Theatre’s Advocacy by Live Performance Australia and many others argued for Warhorse which became an ongoing West End production, and then a an industry package that would help both commercial and not-for-prot major commercial international enterprise. This is part of a wider pattern producers. Popular music artists, Guy Sebastian and Mark Vincent, have in the UK of government-supported arts migrating into commercial 157 been credited as crucial in its decision to do so (Box 1 on page 15).154 productions. In Australia, the connections between public and commercial sectors 6.1.3 The missing connections between public and commercial in the visual arts galleries are rather stronger. It may help that public arts and culture galleries are important customers for commercial galleries, both in the Public and commercial arts and culture are linked, but they could be value of the work they buy, and because their purchases are an implicit better connected. mark of quality for private buyers. Public galleries routinely borrow work from commercial galleries for public exhibitions. The ecology Public and commercial performing arts producers both rely on govern- is tightly connected, with artists, curators and administrators often ment support for education and training for their workforce, both on rubbing shoulders at the same functions. This closer artistic relationship and behind stage (Section 10.2 on page 73). Public organisations often may have translated into better lobbying networks, which may partly provide early career training for people who later work on large-scale explain the success of public galleries in asking government to fund very commercial productions. substantial capital works such as the recent $491 million investment There are many personnel that connect public and commercial per- in the National Gallery of Victoria, which was prioritised over the forming arts. Many of the performers, designers, backstage personnel, 155. personal communication from Melbourne Theatre Company 153. Turner (2020). 156. Cogo-Fawcett (2003). 154. Ibid. 157. Cauldwell-French and Lydford (2019).
40 Performing arts advocacy in Australia redevelopment of the Victorian Arts Centre.158 No doubt a mass and through COVID, and government agreement to modes of operation rapidly growing public audience helped as well (Figure 2.3 on page 9). that were COVID-safe and nancially viable. Their joint advocacy, spear-headed through Live Performance Australia, ultimately resulted But historically the advocacy of public and commercial performing arts in $200 million of Commonwealth Government RISE funding, and sectors has not been particularly coordinated. Many of the lobby groups signicant industry assistance relative to the packages provided to represented one sector or the other. Theatre Network Australia, for other industries (Figure 2.12 on page 17). Without the support of the example, says that it is “the leading industry development organisation commercial sector, the RISE package might have been much smaller. In for the performing arts”.159 But it prioritises independent artists and practice, almost a third of RISE funding has owed to the commercial small to medium companies, and its membership is dominated by entities performing arts, over half to public and community performing arts, and that are either not for prot, or receive signicant public support, the remainder to other forms of arts and culture (Figure 6.1 on the next while commercial theatre producers are largely absent. Although Live page). Performance Australia is “the peak body for Australia’s live performance industry”, only one of its 18 member Executive Council works for a State government industry support to recover from COVID has likewise public performing arts company that is not one of the 30 National tended to be distributed to both public and commercial sectors.161 Partnership Organisations. And none of its members are from the independent theatre sector. The perception (right or wrong) amongst some public sector arts organisations is that Live Performance Australia 6.1.5 The consequences of closer connection has tended to focus on the issues of the commercial sector. For several In the past, public companies may have been nervous that drawing years its budget submission has asked for more government support for parallels with commercial performing arts companies might have invited public organisations, but its lead request (and the most expensive for the governments to divert support to them. Instead, they tended to focus on budget) has been for tax incentives on pre-production costs, which would the rhetoric of “excellence”, with the implication that the major public primarily benet commercial producers.160 companies were “excellent”, and therefore deserving of government subsidy, whereas commercial operators were not (Section 10.3 on 6.1.4 COVID connections between public and commercial page 75). Even if this was true in the past, it is an increasingly di cult sectors argument to maintain today. Many commercial productions today In recent years, and particularly with COVID, advocacy has become are both technically and artistically excellent. And governments are more coordinated. As one company leader said in an interview for increasingly prepared to support commercial performing arts companies, this discussion paper, “COVID forced not-for-prot and commercial as illustrated by a variety of COVID recovery programs. There is no companies into the same trench.” COVID forced both to close, hitting point trying to hold up the drawbridge against commercial companies revenues hard. For both, it was a priority to get government support when they are already supported by government anyway.
158. Lucas and Sakkai (2020). 159. Theatre Network Australia (2021). 161. For example, the Victorian Music Industry Recovery Program and Victorian Live 160. See Section 7.4 on page 50. Music Venues Program: Creative Victoria (2021).
41 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Of course, if advocacy stresses the parallels between public and commer- cial productions, then support will have to be justied more on the basis that it deals with “externalities” – it produces goods such as innovation, Figure 6.1: RISE funding beneted both the commercial and performing training and sector infrastructure that are commercially unviable because arts the person producing these goods cannot capture many of their overall Distribution of RISE funding, batch 1 ($60 million) benets to the community (Section 10.2 on page 73). Other (comedy, film, literature) 6.2 The place of community arts and culture Visual art 3% Contemporary 6.2.1 The importance of community arts 11% 19% music Dance Like “commercial arts”, there is no precise denition of “community 5% arts”. Typically, most of those participating in community arts groups are Circus 3% unpaid, and the organisations are either not-for-prot or unincorporated. Community theatre 4% 9% Musicals Government support is typically much less than for professional public performing arts companies. Community arts include a vast array of 1% Commercial Youth theatre 7% activities, including local ballet schools, big bands, orchestras, choirs, theatre theatre groups, community exhibitions, craft organisations, and libraries. 16% 16% 4% If the primary reason to support arts and culture is that they increase Festivals Public theatre 2% happiness, understanding and togetherness, then it is particularly important to promote community arts. They involve many more people Opera Classical music as artists rather than just as audiences. Because there are so many community arts groups, their combined audience can be very large,162 Source: DITRDC (2020); Report analysis. but because they are highly dispersed, they tend to y under the policy radar.
6.2.2 Community arts and advocacy Community arts groups can make powerful allies as advocates. There are a lot of them. AusDance estimates there are around 10,000 dance studios in Australia. 163 The population of Albury-Wodonga is less than 100,000 people, but the city hosts 2 professional, and 7 community theatre and
162. As evidenced by attendance and use of local government facilities: CDN (2018) 163. Personal communication from AusDance.
42 Performing arts advocacy in Australia circus groups.164 The opportunity to perform – at least to an electronic President of the Senate, were publicly opposing the recommendation.168 audience – has increased as digital technologies have spread. TikTok has The President’s key argument was that the TSO was crucial to other encouraged everyone to share their moves. musical and cultural institutions, not least the role of TSO players as teachers and mentors of other musicians in the Tasmanian community. Community arts groups are spread across the country. People who live in outer metro areas are almost as likely to be performers as people 6.2.3 Policy focus on community arts in inner metro areas.165 Between them, members of these groups are bound to have personal connections to every local councillor and every Commonwealth and State Government interest in community arts has State and Commonwealth member of parliament. An alliance including waxed and waned over the last 50 years, in parallel with broader policy these groups has the the potential to be like the Australian Pharmacies trends.169 Guild, named as the country’s most powerful lobby group because it can campaign through every local pharmacy.166 In the 1970s, the Whitlam Government tried to decentralise populations and economic activity, creating the Department of Urban and Regional Community arts groups also include people with the time and motivation Development, aiming to create a number of larger medium-sized cities in to advocate. Their members often donate considerable time to the existing centres, such as Albury-Wodonga and Bathurst-Orange.170 At the activity, and they need no convincing that it is worthwhile. Creators are same time the newly constituted Australia Council for the Arts initiated more likely than audiences to be forceful advocates in the community. a community arts program, converted into the Community Arts Board in 171 Community campaigns have swayed key arts policy decisions in the 1977. It supported a broad range of community arts networks through 172 past. A high prole example was the campaign over the Tasmanian the next decade. Symphony Orchestra in 2005. The Orchestras Review chaired by James In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Hawke-Keating Governments Strong pointed out that box o ce and sponsorship contributed less than opened up the Australian economy to international competition, and 20% of the orchestra’s revenue, and recommended that it be reduced reduced government intervention in the economy, often using peak from 47 to 38 players.167 The community campaign was vociferous, and bodies to navigate the politics.173 Policy moved away from government within days, members of the Commonwealth Government, including the support for grass-roots organisations. Government policy in the 1990s also became more focused on economic outcomes (sometimes pilloried 164. These include the professional Hothouse Theatre, and the Flying fruit Fly Circus, which is now one of the Arts8 elite performance training organisations supported as “economic rationalism”). Arts policy similarly started to focus more 174 by the Commonwealth Government. Community theatre groups include the on the contribution of arts and culture to economic outcomes. This Albury Wodonga Theatre Company, the Other Theatre Company, Centre Stage Event Company, Revolution Theatre, BYTESized Productions (the youth wing of 168. Hansard, Commonwealth Senate, Paul Calvert, 15 March 2005, p.114-116. AWTC), and Murray Youth Performing Arts. This doesn’t include the Yackandandah 169. Megalogenis (2020). Theatre Company and the Yackandandah Young Players just 25 kilometres south of 170. Collits (2015, pp. 24–25). Wodonga. 171. Rowse (1985, p. 22); and Gardiner-Garden (1994, p. 15). 165. ACA (2020a, p. 62); unpublished 2014 Australia Council analysis on le with author. 172. Mills (2020, pp. 120–121). 166. Ross and Aedy (2019). 173. P. Kelly (2008). 167. J. Strong et al. (2005, pp. 87–89). 174. Trembath and Fielding (2020a, p. 30).
43 Performing arts advocacy in Australia reduced the focus on community arts, where (by denition) most of the to take up musical instruments, art, and craft. Once formed, many of participants are unpaid. The Australia Council and state governments these habits will persist even as a COVID vaccine rolls out. withdrew support from community arts networks through the 1990s, with the Australia Council ultimately disbanding its Community Arts 6.2.4 Existing connections between public and community arts Board in 2005.175 and culture In the past few years, the Commonwealth Government has become Part of connecting with communities is to perform in ways that are more more involved in funding specic local community initiatives in a wide accessible for audiences: more familiar forms, at lower prices, closer to range of areas from xing road tra c black spots to sports facilities and home, in less formal venues, which increase the opportunities to connect security cameras. This renewed Commonwealth interest in localised with friends and family. activity has not yet been matched in arts and culture. Many large public arts companies do so. Ballet, opera and orchestra Not surprisingly, local governments have always been focused on performances in the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne and the Domain community arts. No local council in Australia has su cient resources in Sydney often select accessible repertoire, are free or low cost, and to be the major ongoing funder of a large professional arts group. But the outdoor venue can be less intimidating for new audiences. The they are predisposed to focus on the contribution of arts and culture Sydney Symphony Under the Stars at Parramatta Park attracts 15,000 to creating liveable communities, and they have been at the forefront people. Opera Australia’s Handa Opera on the Sydney Harbour stage of an increased focus on participation, community, and wellbeing.176 was seen by 65,000 people – comparable to the 83,000 people who visit For example, local councils provide almost half the funding for “public the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW and touring venues.179 galleries” in Australia.177 Audiences tend to be visibly younger and more ethnically diverse than mainstage audiences. Regional touring programs such as opera Community arts are particularly visible in their own local community, queensland’s Songs to die for combined opera and pop classics, touring and this may explain why local government funding per person for 17 venues from Windorah to Winton and playing to over 2,000 people.180 arts and culture has risen over the last 20 years, while Commonwealth Chamber ensembles from the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra play in funding per person has fallen.178 non-traditional venues such as microbreweries, apple packing sheds and COVID may have created an opportunity to refocus on local and commu- the Hobart Greek Club, and for some concerts almost two thirds of the nity arts. Lockdowns and border closures have promoted hyperlocalism, audience had not attended a TSO concert previously.181 deepening connections with local areas. Isolation has encouraged many Over the long term, performances beyond the main stage have been growing faster (Figure 2.6 on page 11), and audience demand for perfor- 175. Mills (2020, p. 121). mances beyond the main stage may explain why festival attendances are 176. Trembath and Fielding (2020a, p. 50). 177. Museums & Galleries Queensland and Public Galleries Association of Victoria (2020, p. 23), dening “public galleries” as not for prot galleries, excluding the major state 179. Opera Australia (2019, p. 32); and Art Gallery of New South Wales (2019). galleries. 180. Opera Queensland (2019, p. 38). 178. A New Approach (2019, p. 16). 181. TSO (2019, p. 10).
44 Performing arts advocacy in Australia growing much faster (Figure 2.1 on page 7). Building a broader audience to devise and present their own works.185 Some only reach a handful of can only help build long-term political support, as well as box o ce schools, but the Australian Ballet conducts workshops with almost 100 revenue, even if these new attendees never see a mainstage production. schools and 20,000 students, and Bell Shakespeare conducted student workshops at 128 schools with almost 5,000 students.186 Nevertheless, But larger audiences for more accessible performances need to be seen these contacts are far from universal: even if every major performing in context. They are still small relative to the total population. They do arts company increased its e ort to this level, they would collectively not have the same mass impact as events such as Sculpture by the sea reach only a fraction of Australia’s school students – there are around (500,000 in Sydney and 200,000 in Perth), White Nights in Melbourne 300 schools in Australia for each NPO. (700,000 attendees in 2019), The Giants in Perth (1.4 million attendances), and Vivid in Sydney (2.4 million visitors in 2019).182 Some of these mass Public performing arts companies can reach more schools through events may be “walk by” experiences that do much less to increase teacher-focused and digital programs. Musica Viva has an extensive happiness, understanding and togetherness than a focused two-hour online classroom, used by over 10,000 teachers.187 The Sydney Symphony performance in a theatre or concert hall. But some are just as engaging – Orchestra provides teaching resource kits for the teachers of all students many participants at White Nights, for example, spent hours at the event. that attend their schools concerts, and provides professional development workshops for over 100 teachers a year.188 The Tasmanian Symphony Digital channels can reach much larger audiences, and COVID has Orchestra has written a dozen teachers’ resource kits, complemented by encouraged performing arts groups to innovate further. Two “ordinary” scores and TSO recordings.189 radio and TV broadcasts increased the reach of opera queensland four times.183 The Australian Ballet claims a digital audience of over 1 million, But school students don’t vote. Some performing arts companies do run with 10 million views of high quality video on digital channels such as programs aimed at adults in the community, but they often have limited Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.184 reach. Opera Queensland, for example, has performed with a regional 190 Although these initiatives build audiences and directly contribute to chorus of 21 people from each of 6 regional locations. While these may their happiness, understanding and togetherness, occasional and digital be intense experiences for the participants, they touch relatively few audience members may not be vociferous advocates who can sway governments. People are more likely to be campaigners if they are more 185. E.g. the Sydney Opera House’s Creative Leadership in Learning program; the deeply involved. Malthouse Theatre’s Suitcase Series in which artists work with school students to devise their own short work in response to a featured script; and Opera Australia’s Performing arts organisations have designed a wide variety of school Regional Children’s Chorus program that provided professional development for programs that go well beyond simply presenting a performance. Many 22 local choir leaders to teach 330 children who then performed as part of an OA touring production: ACA (2020e), Malthouse Theatre (2019, pp. 28, 31) and Opera of these involve professional artists working with teachers and students Australia (2019, p. 15). 186. Australian Ballet (2019, p. 34); and Bell Shakespeare (2019, p. 18). 182. Sculpture by the sea (2020); White Night Melbourne (2021); Festival (2015); and 187. Musica Viva (2019, p. 13). Destination NSW (2019b). 188. SSO (2019, p. 37). 183. Opera Queensland (2019, p. 6). 189. TSO (2020). 184. Australian Ballet (2019, p. 30). 190. Opera Queensland (2019, p. 15).
45 Performing arts advocacy in Australia people relative to the proportion of the community that actively make highlight these informal but vital interactions. They may be underplay- art and culture for themselves. ing their most valuable advocacy asset. The contribution of a public organisation to arts and cultural activity in the wider community was The most extensive interactions between public organisations and com- precisely what politicians highlighted when the TSO’s funding was munity performers are informal. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra threatened in 1985 (Section 6.2.2 on page 42). Enterprise Award, for example, allocates almost 4,000 paid hours a year for its musicians to participate in a range of community work: Arts and culture could learn from sport, where professional organisations conducting, advising, leading, and playing side-by-side rehearsals and make their links to community sport highly visible. AFL professional masterclasses with community organisations such as youth orchestras, players often visit sessions of the children’s Auskick program; pro- community orchestras, bands and chamber groups; visiting schools and fessional games often have Auskick sessions oneld at half time; and aboriginal community centres; creating community education materials; Auskick participants are featured alongside star players in the AFL and workshopping compositions by emerging composers.191 These annual report.193 And the Australian Sports Commission commissioned a players also tend to provide individual lessons to the next generation major review from KPMG to document the broad benets of community of high quality players and teachers.192 And they are often the lynchpins sports and its infrastructure.194 of smaller scale regional chamber music festivals such as the Festival of Four Winds in Bermagui, Music by the Springs in Hepburn Springs, and the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival. Members of the Australian Ballet are informally involved as visitors at a large number of ballet schools, and their regional tours typically incorporate public classes and visits to the local ballet schools.
There appear to be fewer of these interactions between professional theatre companies and the large number of amateur theatre companies, perhaps because unlike the orchestras and dance companies, theatre companies usually employ most of their actors as casuals for each production rather than as permanent employees. The attitude epitomised in the pejorative “am dram” may also play a part.
Unfortunately, arts companies don’t do much to tell the story of their community involvement. Few of their annual reports quantify or
191. Personal communication from Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra 192. For example of the players in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, 75% teach school students; 20% teach in universities; and 15% tutor for the Queensland Youth 193. AFL (2019, p. 86). Orchestra: pers. com. QSO. 194. KPMG (2018).
46 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
7 A dened ask
If public, commercial and community sectors come together, their Dening the agenda for future performing arts advocacy is beyond the advocacy is more likely to succeed if there are clearly dened requests, scope of this discussion paper. The breadth of potential topics is illus- aligned with unimpeachable outcomes, for things that are relatively trated by almost 350 submissions to the current House of Representatives easy for government to provide. In the past, the ask for the performing inquiry into Australia’s creative and cultural industries and institutions. arts has not always been aligned with ends that are universally seen Many of these policy issues are chestnuts that have been debated for as valuable. And the ask has often been primarily for more nancial decades.196 But a brief outline of the potential asks may be helpful to start support rather than changes in positioning, tax subsidies, regulations, dening future advocacy priorities. and industrial relations, where the costs to government are lower, or at least less obvious. And there could be more emphasis on advocacy 7.2 Positioning and strategy around training and data collection, where the rationale for government intervention is particularly strong. Perhaps the most important ask for arts and culture is their overall positioning, which ultimately improves the prospects of future advocacy. It also has the advantage of being relatively cheap – it requires little in 7.1 Unimpeachable outcomes the way of changed or additional funding. But it does require a change in political rhetoric. Arts advocacy is more likely to succeed when it is linked to an over- whelmingly popular cause. Examples abound. Campaigns for regional Australia’s “o cial” culture – manifested in the events that the Prime arts funding have tended to succeed when they have been linked to Minister attends, and in tourism material – overwhelmingly focuses on broader aspirations for regional development in slower-growing regions sport and the outdoors. Apart from Malcolm Turnbull, an Australian (Section 5.5.3 on page 33). The substantial lift in funding and focus for Prime Minister has attended a National Partnership Organisation indigenous arts and culture, linked to growing audiences and public performance only once in the past 13 years.197 But Prime Ministers interest, coincides with popular movements to increase recognition of routinely attend sporting events: Scott Morrison regularly attends Rugby indigenous contributions to Australia, re ected in the Stolen Generation League matches, carries the drinks at cricket matches, and hosts sporting apology, the Recognition movement, the Uluru Statement from the Heart, teams at Kirribilli House.198 This o cial culture may re ect historic and moves towards indigenous treaties in Victoria, South Australia and gender roles, with politics and sport historically both male-dominated. It Queensland. The Victorian government provided substantial support for may also be that o cial culture has fallen behind the population (as it did the arts after the Black Saturday bushres, responding to a broad-based with same sex marriage, and workplace gender culture): arts and culture desire to help communities rebuild.195 have become much more “mass” activities over the last few decades.
196. For a summary, see Gardiner-Garden (2009) and Mills (2020). 197. See above footnote 69. 195. Fisher and Talvé (2011). 198. SBS (2021); and Matthey (2021).
47 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Table 7.1: Personal involvement in arts, culture and sport Arts & culture Performing arts Sport Proportion people attend live 82% 54% 43% Proportion international tourists attend live 39% 10% 7% Tickets sold per year n.a. 23 million 19 million Proportion of commercial TV hours watched* 23% 10% Proportion people actively participate 35% 9% 28% Notes: Drama and movies counted as performing arts hours watched on commercial TV. Australia Council survey estimates of active participation are materially higher than those shown from the ABS survey for arts and culture (45%) and performing arts (16%). Source: ABS (2019a, Table 1), ABS (2010, Table 3), ACA (2015, p. 25), LPA (2019a), Austadiums (2020), Deloitte (2020, p. 20), ACA (2020a), ABS (2015) and ABS (2019b, Table 4) .
The relative indi erence of the Commonwealth Government to arts and personal lives. Shifting tourism marketing would also help, as in part it culture is underlined by the focus of Australia’s tourism marketing,199 tells stories about Australia to Australians. and the absence of an organisation representing Australian arts and Shifting the national self-image matters because it will encourage more culture abroad, unlike most OECD countries (Box 4 on the following to participate, and will change the backdrop for setting priorities in other page). policy areas. Arts and culture can improve social cohesion (Section 5.3 But “personal” culture – manifested in how most people spend their own on page 29), but they are unlikely to do so unless the Commonwealth time – is much more about arts and culture, not least the performing Government embraces them as key to the country’s identity. Similarly, arts (Table 7.1). The importance of arts and culture relative to sport in arts and culture will do little to transform Australia’s national branding people’s lives may be counter-intuitive because of big crowds at sporting as an exporter (page 34 above) if the country’s public image continues to events. A small number of high prole sporting events obscure a much revolve around sport and the outdoors. larger number of moderately sized performing events – usually hundreds An overall arts and culture policy – or “plan” – with broad statements of every night of the week in each of Australia’s major cities, each attended intent can be helpful – Sport 2030 is often cited as an example.200 Another by hundreds of people. By contrast, “second tier” sporting matches such starting point might be the Australian Local Government Association’s as She eld Shield often have minimal attendances. Arts and Culture policy position, which articulates the importance of arts If senior politicians attended arts and culture events more often it and culture to personal, community, economic and civic development, 201 would shift the o cial symbols of Australia to better match Australians’ and the important role of local government in achieving this. But
200. Sport Australia (2018). 199. See above footnote 141. 201. ALGA (2020).
48 Performing arts advocacy in Australia a national arts and culture plan is no guarantee of success – it would Box 4: Externally focused national arts and culture need to dene objectives and commit resources to achieve them, and organisations even Sport 2030 is pretty light on government commitments to concrete actions. Many governments fund an organisation to represent their coun- try’s arts and culture abroad. These bodies are typically separate 7.3 Budgetary funding from their Australia Council equivalent. Australia is one of the few OECD countries that does not have such a body, which can The perception amongst politicians is that advocates for the performing also send a powerful message to domestic audiences about the arts primarily ask government for money – “like Oliver Twist always importance of its own country’s arts and culture. asking for more”.202 More money is often a di cult ask. It is usually easier for government to grant no less money or somebody else’s money Country International culture body Foundation through regulatory change. Austria Austrian Cultural Forum 1954 China Confucius Institute 2004 Although the amounts involved in the performing arts are typically Denmark Danish Cultural Institute 1940 small, additional budget funding is still usually a hard ask. New budget Estonia Eesti Instituut 1988 allocations, particularly net additions to a department’s budget, are Finland Finnish Culture and Academic Institutes 1992 automatically scrutinised by the budget review committee of cabinet France Alliance Française 1883 rather than being primarily the call of an individual minister. Germany Goethe Institut 1951 Greece Hellenic Foundation for Culture 1992 It’s at least easier to preserve existing funding. Governments know Hungary Balassi Institute 1927 that losers tend to yell louder than winners. This is manifested in their Ireland Culture Ireland pre-2005 preference for policy designs that avoid “net losers” (exemplied in Italy Dante Alighieri Society 1889 the compensation package for the GST, compensation package for the Istituto Italiano di Cultura 1961 carbon reduction package under Rudd, and school funding reforms). It Japan Japan Foundation 1972 also means that governments are more likely to accede to a campaign for Netherlands Dutch Culture 2013 Poland Adam Mickiewicz Institute 2000 the status quo. Portugal Instituto Camões 1929 This may explain the success of the campaign against the conclusions of Romania Institutul Cultural Roman 1991 the Strong symphony orchestras review.203 Recommendations to reduce South Korea Korean Cultural Centres 2009 Spain Instituto Cervantes 1951 existing funding, particularly to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Sweden Swedish Institute 1945 resulted in a vociferous public stoush, and government backed away Turkey Yunus Emre Institute 2007 quickly (Section 6.2.2 on page 42). Similarly the response to the Catalyst UK British Council 1934
202. As told by Chris Puplick at the Australian Academy of the Humanities symposium, Notes: Excludes institutions focused on bilateral cultural exchange. Unlikely to be At the crossroad: Australia’s cultural future comprehensive. 203. J. Strong et al. (2005). Source: Institute websites; AMPAG research.
49 Performing arts advocacy in Australia fund, e ectively reducing existing funding through the Australia Council only benet indirectly from this richer ecosystem – because they do not for small and medium arts companies, led to a unied campaign, and a pay company tax, they cannot utilise tax o sets themselves.207 reversed decision (Box 5 on the following page). Government proposals to close the Australian National Academy of Music in 2008,204 or to shutter Carriageworks in 2020,205 rapidly abandoned, are part of the same 7.5 Somebody else’s money pattern. It may seem politically less painful for governments to allocate money to the arts if it is somebody else’s money. The National Lottery in the UK Although these “negative” campaigns often succeed, they don’t usually is often seen as a model (Box 6 on page 52). But this model may not be build better long-term outcomes for the arts. Strategies for positive shifts easy to transfer to Australia: the National Lottery was set up in the UK are also needed. Often that does involve government budget funding, but when many forms of gambling, from scratchies to lotto, were banned – a if other avenues can help, they may be easier asks. far cry from Australia today. The funding is not necessarily sustainable: National Lottery funding through the Arts Council of England has not 7.4 Tax breaks increased in nominal terms over 25 years. In Australia, only Western Australia has this kind of arrangement, and historically it has regulated Although tax breaks impair the budget balance as much as additional gambling more tightly than other States. 5% of the money wagered on spending, governments tend to be more prepared to give them away. In Lotterywest funds is directed to the arts, and another 5% is allocated part this is because right wing governments ideologically prefer smaller to commercial lm location incentives and the Perth Festival.208 $157 government (typically measured by government spending as a share million of its retained earnings were distributed to respond to COVID, of the economy). In part, tax breaks are less visible. Precisely for this with arts organisations receiving a substantial share.209 reason, the Charter of Budget Honesty requires Treasury to publicly review all tax breaks every year in its tax benchmarks and variations Governments may be even more reluctant to grant dedicated funding statement (previously known as the “tax expenditures statement”). than a simple increase on budget. Treasuries usually resist “hypoth- Nevertheless, tax breaks generally remain easier to obtain than additional ecated” funding precisely because it constrains the ability of future expenditure. governments to allocate what is ultimately public money. The major exception in Australia is the “Medicare levy” of 2% of income. Even then, APRA and Live Performance Australia have been pressing for a tax o set there is no legal requirement to spend this revenue on health, and the for live performance venues and producers since 2016. This is likely Commonwealth Treasury may be relatively relaxed about the branding to increase the number of live music venues, live performances, and opportunities for artists to develop.206 Not-for-prot organisations would
207. A public organisation might benet more if it were co-producing with a commercial investor who could then use the o set – but there are minimal examples of this kind 204. Milne (2008). of arrangement in Australia to date. 205. Morris (2020). 208. Lotteries Commission Act 1990 WA, s.22(2). 206. APRA AMCOS and EY (2016); and LPA (2016). 209. See footnote 43.
50 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Box 5: The rise and fall of the Catalyst fund
The 2014 Federal budget, which cut spending across the board, did a Senate inquiry. They then encouraged people to write submissions, and not spare the Australia Council, which lost over $6 million a year in prepared them to appear as witnesses. The inquiry received over 2,700 recurrent funding. But the May 2015 budget contained a much larger submissions, including over 370 organisations. surprise: about $28 million a year was transferred from the Council to a AMPAG, the peak group of the Major Performing Arts organisations, new National Programme for Excellence in the Arts, to be administered made a submission recommending that funds for small to medium by the Minister for the Arts, George Brandis. In addition, $5 million a companies be added back to the Australia Council’s budget. But most year was transferred to fund the continuation of a matched funding of the individual MPAs kept a low prole: only four of them made program run by Creative Partnerships Australia, as well as an e ciency individual submissions. They may have been concerned that public dividend of $2 million a year. These were big changes to the Council’s advocacy could lead to government reallocating some of their funding to previous annual government income of $211 million a year. They primar- top up the Australia Council’s funds for small to medium arts companies. ily reduced the Council’s funding for small organisations. Allocations for the Major Performing Arts organisations (more than half of the Council’s The National Programme for Excellence in the Arts was rebranded expenditure (Figure 2.8 on page 12) were quarantined, possibly because as the “Catalyst” Program. Ultimately grants were allocated with they tted the Minister’s view of excellence, and possibly because they expert assessment through a process administered by the department, were protected by tripartite agreements with the States that were hard to apparently at arm’s length from the minister, and with far less ministerial unravel quickly. intervention than in many grants programs for other purposes in recent years. About 90% of those who received money through Catalyst had The changes appeared to undermine the “arms’s length” principle previously been funded by the Australia Council. of excluding the Minister from determining arts funding allocations. Questioning by the Liberal Chair, and the Minister’s evidence to a Senate In September 2015 Malcolm Turnbull replaced Tony Abbott as Prime Committee, suggest that the Minister may have lost condence in the Minister, and he appointed Mitch Field to replace George Brandis as Australia Council when it decided to cease funding the Australian minister responsible for the arts. By November 2015, Field announced Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville, which the minister had that $8 million a year would be returned to the Australia Council. In personally attended twice, and which was located in his State. December 2015, a majority of the Senate Inquiry recommended return of the remainder of the Catalyst funding to the Australia Council, and a Feral Arts (an existing body representing small to medium arts compa- further $20 million a year was returned in April 2017. But overall funding nies), Theatre Network Australia, the National Association for the Visual for the Australia Council in real terms remained below 2010 to 2013 Arts, and AusDance put their resources into a campaign under the ban- levels, and well below the allocations of the Creative Australia policy ner of ArtsPeak, a long-standing unfunded network of many (but by no (Figure 2.8 on page 12). means all) of Australia’s peak arts bodies. They organised the grass-roots #Freethearts movement, convened public meetings and coordinated with Source: Eltham (2016), Mills (2020, pp. 182–213), Letts (2015), Watts (2017a) and Treasury the ALP, the Greens, and cross-benchers to have the changes referred to (2020a, Budget Paper 2, p.59, 62).
51 Performing arts advocacy in Australia because it is unimaginable that government will ever spend less on 210 health than the Medicare levy raises. Box 6: Arts funding through the UK National Lottery Before 1994, lotteries were banned in the United Kingdom, one of 7.6 Regulatory changes only two countries in the European Union that did not permit some Regulatory changes can be an easier ask than direct subsidies. But the kind of lottery gambling. The United Kingdom set up a National politics depends on the collateral impacts, who loses, and whether the Lottery in 1994. 28% of the money wagered was equally divided losses are visible. between ve public causes: the Arts Councils of the UK; heritage; the Millenium Commission; the Sports Councils; and the National Any number of industries have successfully advocated for regulations Lottery Charities Board. that increase their revenue. For example, the Pharmacy Guild has For the Arts Council of England, this was a big increase in funding. successfully lobbied for legislation that e ectively prevents supermarkets In the late 1990s, lottery funding added around £250 million a year from providing pharmacy services and gives each pharmacy a monopoly to its government grants of around £180 million a year (not adjusted over its local area, reducing competition, and increasing how much for in ation). pharmacies can charge the public.211 These regulations survive because the cost to the public – in higher pharmaceutical costs – is not obvious, Originally lottery money was only allocated to capital works and the Pharmacy Guild can wage campaigns against any proposal for projects, under an “additionality” principle, that lottery money change direct to the public through each pharmacy. should not be used in place of existing government funding. But 1996 legislation allowed recurrent spending, and today there are Arts and culture have had some regulatory successes. They successfully few restrictions on the form or object of spending. The additionality 212 advocated for the introduction of a visual art resale royalties scheme, principle remains, with the aim that grants should be for “specic 213 to unwind restrictions on NSW venues playing live music, and to time-limited activity that would not take place without the support maintain restrictions on parallel imports. The last of these indicates of the Lottery”. the potential scope of regulatory advocacy – despite an unequivocal Productivity Commission review and the government prioritising the Over the long term, Lottery funding has remained static while debate for over three months, the industry e ectively resisted change government budgetary funding has increased: in 2018-19 the Arts that would have reduced its revenue.214 Council of England received £487 million in government grants and £223 million from the lottery – less in nominal terms than when the scheme began more than 20 years previously. 210. The Medicare Levy raises $16 billion a year; Commonwealth Government spending on health is around $97 billion a year: ATO (2020, Individuals) and Treasury (2020a, Source: Creigh-Tyte and Gallimore (2000) and Arts Council England (2019). Budget Paper 1, p.6-7). 211. Ross and Aedy (2019). 212. Gardiner-Garden (2009, pp. 63–64). 213. Box 8 on page 68 214. PC (2009); and J. Kelly (2015).
52 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Australian content can be mandated by regulation rather than just funded by government. The lack of Australian content available on electronic media is an increasing concern as streaming services globalise Figure 7.1: Copyright typically reduces how much of an author’s work content. But Australian governments have often chosen not to regulate remains available 20 years after initial publication further guarantees of Australian content on many broadcast media and Number of audiobooks currently available on Amazon from random sample of internet services. These regulatory outcomes aren’t surprising: advocacy US books in Library of Congress for regulatory change is less likely to succeed when it comes at the cost of powerful commercial interests. Australian content quotas increase Typically no longer Typically protected by copyright protected copyright the costs of broadcasters. They tend to have much more political power 250 given industry revenues of $5 billion a year, and their in uence over the 215 content of news bulletins. And their industry interests tend to be better 200 aligned than inherently disparate arts and culture interests. 150 Of course, regulatory changes that benet arts and culture may not necessarily benet the public – indeed change may only benet some 100 arts and culture interests at the expense of others. For example, copyright that extends for 70 years after the death of the author may benet the 50 author’s publisher somewhat, and their children and grandchildren a little, but it reduces how much the public benets from experiencing 0 their work, and increases the risk that the artist will fade more rapidly into obscurity (Figure 7.1). 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Decade of book’s original publication Regulatory changes can divide arts and culture advocates, potentially Source: Buccafusco and Heald (2013). weakening their ability to present a credible united front on other issues. For example, introducing a “fair use” provision to Australian copyright law was vigorously opposed by publishers, but would have beneted many artists.216 Often publishers are better organised and have more aligned commercial interests, and so they have more in uence on government than artists.
215. PWC (2020, pp. 12, 31). 216. Aufderheide (2017).
53 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
7.7 Workforce There are signicant concerns about the extent and quality of school education in the performing arts,219 although these are beyond the scope Government a ects working conditions through the industrial relations of this discussion paper. system and other regulations. Perennial issues for the performing arts workforce include limits on foreign artists, and working conditions Australia is not short of university places for artists: 17,000 graduate such as minimum call times. While changing these rules doesn’t cost from creative arts degrees every year.220 By comparison, there are only government money, they are inherently controversial. As in any industry, about 48,000 practising artists in Australia,221 implying that the vast the interests of employers (i.e. performing arts companies and producers) majority of creative arts graduates do not work as artists. do not align with employees (i.e. performing artists and supporting personnel). As a result, most changes in this area are likely to divide performing arts advocates. But there are questions about the institutional design of tertiary education in the performing arts. Many creative arts degrees have been The incomes of performing arts graduates are typically no higher than grafted onto universities from previous specialist institutions, and there those who don’t study past Year 12, and are lower than the graduates are questions about whether the emphasis on research that is core to of any other course of study.217 Most professional performers earn university culture is optimal for the skills-based training important to more from other work than performing.218 While the performing arts many practising artists. Governments can shape education and training workforce would doubtless prefer more secure better paid work, that institutions, and this doesn’t always require more money, although implies substantially increasing total funding, the hardest ask of all. it is usually controversial – and universities are themselves large and powerful advocates.
7.8 Education and training The performing arts industry is also concerned about su cient vo- cational training for production sta such as set builders. These are Governments play a big role in education and training in all walks consistent with much broader social concerns that not enough people of life. They are the archetypal public goods – the entity providing are undertaking trades courses such as carpentry. training can rarely capture the benets it provides to the trainee’s future employers. Consequently it is uncontroversial that government should be responsible for training and education. Training and education for the performing arts in Australia are provided primarily through schools, universities, vocational and educational training (VET), and the Arts8 219. See footnote 30 training institutions directly funded by the Commonwealth Government. 220. DESE (2021). 221. This is the best estimate of Throsby and Petetskaya (2017, p. 24). Others do not adjust numbers from the Census which identies 61,000 people who have “creative production roles in cultural production industries”, and a further 37,000 who have cultural production roles in other industries: Cunningham and McCutcheon (2018). 217. Norton et al. (2018, p. 82). Other estimates include “creative occupations” which includes architecture, design 218. Throsby and Petetskaya (2017, p. 74). and IT, and therefore a much larger pool of graduates.
54 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
7.9 Data culture.226 The Commonwealth Government could either compile these through the Australia Council, or encourage the OECD to do so. More Government is in a unique position to collect data, which is an inherently sophisticated approaches could benchmark the e ciency of Australian public good – it benets many, but the collector captures few of the arts organisations – particularly relevant when government is choosing benets. whether to apply e ciency dividends to the sector. Data on arts and culture is improving, with more available about employment and economic output. 7.10 Arts, culture, and other government departments
But data on attendance and participation is patchy. While LPA docu- Given that arts and culture can also improve outcomes in a range of ments ticketed attendance at the large venues, this probably misses many other policy areas (Section 5.6 on page 36), some advocate embedding of the smaller local venues that are the heart of community performing them as a priority for education, health and social services departments. arts. There are no regularly collected statistics of the use of local council Advocacy for signicant arts and culture initiatives in response to the 227 venues comparable to the aggregated data on library usage.222 Black Summer bushres is a recent example of this. But this is often a di cult ask. Education and health ministers usually The key data gap is precisely where it matters most – assessments of out-rank the arts minister. Their departments invariably face a broad the direct impact of arts and culture on happiness, understanding and range of pressing priorities, and arts and culture are seldom top of the togetherness. While the impact of performing arts on each attendee list, unless it happens to be a personal passion of the minister. is hard to measure, it is not impossible. Culture Counts has made signicant progress in helping organisations to collect audience reactions directly, although because it is a private-sector organisation, much of the collected data is not publicly available.223 The Measurement of Museum Social Impact project being piloted by the American Alliance of Museums is a similar approach.224 Other approaches include “willingness to pay”, “contingent valuation” and “wellbeing valuation” studies such as those being pioneered in the UK.225
Data for international comparisons of arts and culture is scarce – even on basic questions such as government spending on arts and
222. SGS2011 226. The OECD compares combined spending on recreation, arts and religion – 223. Culture Counts has an ongoing program in Western Australia, and has conducted which makes meaningful comparisons all but impossible given the substantial substantial pilot projects in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, England, and a variety of contributions that some countries make to established churches, much of which local councils: Moore (2015). they redistribute to education and social welfare causes: cf A New Approach (2019, 224. Mileham (2021). p. 15). 225. Lawton et al. (N.d.); and Bakhshi et al. (2015). 227. A New Approach (2020).
55 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
8 Stronger askers
Whatever the rationale, and whatever the ask may be, a more unied 8.1 Unity matters to successful advocacy approach is essential to better advocacy for the performing arts. This 8.1.1 Historic successes kind of approach, with a clearly identied and well-resourced peak body has tended to lead to better outcomes, both in Australia and overseas. Successful arts advocacy both in Australia and overseas has generally depended on collaboration. A broad coalition with a unied ask was But a divided arts sector has often asked for multiple and contradictory key (if not always enough) to almost all of the advocacy success stories outcomes. Advocates have often asked for benets to particular institu- identied in this discussion paper. tions rather than a more comprehensive strategy. The Western Australia Vote Arts campaign run by Country Arts WA created a broad coalition of arts groups across Western Australia (Box 2 More unity is possible, despite the varied interests within the performing on page 35), ultimately resulting in a substantial increase in overall arts sector. Other sectors have succeeded in uniting behind a single funding for regional arts in Western Australia. powerful peak body even though their membership covers a similarly broad variety of interests. The Commonwealth reversed a move towards more direct funding through its Catalyst fund in response to a broad campaign, e ectively Given the importance of a more cohesive approach between public and coordinated by Theatre Network Australia, Feral Arts, Ausdance and commercial sectors of the performing arts, this implies that a better the National Association for the Visual Arts, using the ArtsPeak banner resourced Live Performance Australia (LPA) could take a bigger role to deliver aligned messaging from hundreds of organisations (Box 5 on in advocacy for the performing arts. This would require more funding page 51).228 for LPA from performing arts organisations, and less focus on more specialised advocacy bodies. A similarly broad coalition lay behind the successful campaign to overhaul NSW regulation of live music (Box 8 on page 68).
Alternatively, a new peak organisation could be formed, either as an The Commonwealth’s COVID support package ultimately delivered alliance of existing sector bodies, or in other ways. To be e ective, they good outcomes for the arts sector (Section 2.4 on page 14) in response would need to nd substantial resources, and ensure broad buy-in across to a broad alliance across both public and commercial sectors (Box 1 on the performing arts. page 15). This was also the point at which LPA took on a bigger role for advocating for the performing arts across the sector. While the Australia Council will continue to contribute, the kinds of advocacy it can pursue are limited by its role as a government body. Similarly, think tanks like A New Approach can be helpful, but their 228. As illustrated by their submissions to the Senate inquiry into the changes: Mills nature constrains them from representing the industry. (2020, pp. 203–204).
56 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Box 7: International advocacy campaigns for the arts
The Canadian Arts Coalition was set up in 2007 to advocate for greater Advocacy by the Canadian Arts Coalition also contributed to the government support for the Canada Council. It was supported across the relatively swift announcement in April 2020 of a COVID support package Canadian arts and culture sector, and its members included many of the that included an extra C$55 million for the Canada Council, and C$198 peak bodies for individual artforms. million for existing arts and culture institutions. For over a decade, it consistently advocated for more government The National Campaign for the Arts was set up in Ireland in 2009 when support for arts and culture: organising an annual “Arts day on the Hill” government support for arts and culture fell in the wake of the GFC. By with over 100 arts leaders holding dozens of meetings with Members 2013 it was publishing substantial research reports, and making regular of Parliament; identifying and training advocates to make the case; and budget submissions. But it does not appear to have signicant permanent supplying advocacy support tools such as how to get a meeting with an sta , and its members do not appear to have included peak bodies for MP, what to say, and key statistics to use. Each year the Coalition agreed individual artforms. on three key messages, and one of them consistently asked to increase funding for the Canada Council. Despite its e orts, funding for the Arts Council of Ireland peaked at €82 In 2016, the rst budget of the Trudeau Government committed C$1.9 million in 2008, bottomed at €57 million in 2014, and had only recovered billion in new spending over 5 years on gallery and museum buildings, to €75 million in 2019 (in nominal terms). But the long-term advocacy the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and to increase Canada Council paid o with a COVID response package that included €130 million for funding from C$182 million in 2016 to C$362 million in 2021. the Arts Council as well as a range of other funds for arts and culture. Source: Canadian Arts Coalition (2021), Litzenberger (2013), Canadian Arts Coalition Obviously the election of a sympathetic Prime Minister helped. But if the (2013a), Canadian Arts Coalition (2013b), Department of Finance Canada (2016, pp. 184– ground had not been laid over the previous decade, it is quite possible 187), Canadian Heritage (2020) and Ireland Government (2020); Arts Council of Ireland that the funding boost would have been much less ambitious. Annual reports.
57 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Internationally, substantial shifts in government arts and policy were the Figure 8.1: Advocacy resources for the performing arts are spread thin result of broad-based advocacy by the National Campaign for the Arts in Employee costs used for advocacy, $ million Ireland and the Canadian Arts Coalition (Box 7 on the preceding page). 2.0
These examples illustrate that progress forwards for arts and culture 1.5 requires a constituted umbrella organisation, with broad membership. The case studies include all those repeatedly raised in consultations for 1.0 this review. Many of them were negative campaigns, trying to undo or 0.5 moderate government policy changes. For these an informal alliance 0.0 of aligned interests was enough. But successful campaigns for positive Unfunded Advocacy Venues Dance Contemp Other Regional Other Unions/Copyright change such as the Western Australia regional Vote Arts campaign, the networks focused music mixed program program e’ees collection •CAST •LPA •VMA •Ausdance •Music •Symph •Regional •Confed Aust •CrewCare•APRA/ LPA’s COVID support campaign, the National Campaign for the Arts •AFA •TNA •PAC •Ausdance Australia services arts Aust international •MEAA AMCOS •LEIF •CDN •VAPAC NSW, •Music •AIRA •Regional arts festivals •PPCA in Ireland and the Canadian Arts Coalition were all led by a constituted •Arts ind •CACWA •Stage Vic, Qld, NSW, •Folk fed arts NSW, •Multicultural council Vic •Live music Qld WA, SA VIC, NSW Vic, WA arts Vic peak body – rather than an informal alliance – that crossed all artforms, •Aust live office ACT, NT •Country •BlakDance music bus •AAM •Q music arts SA •Arts access and that had resources dedicated to advocacy. council •AMPAL •Circuit west•Accessible arts •Arts 8 •InCite arts •Diversity Arts Advocacy Services / Proportion of resources spent on advocacy 8.1.2 Historic disunity focus programs focus
Unfortunately, advocates for the performing arts are not always so Notes: Based on latest available annual reports. Where nancials not available, assumed FTE united. Chris Puplick noted from his ministerial perspective how are 2/3 of total employees, with employee costs of $100,000/FTE. Advocacy as a proportion of advocates for environmental, sports and social welfare causes were total activity is a rough estimate, based on website presence. usually peak organisations and their leaders. By contrast, advocates on Source: Organisation annual reports. arts policy issues were usually individuals, not formally representing a peak body.229 As shown in Figure 8.1 there are at least ten active networks that do not Arts advocacy bodies have proliferated – one for each artform, and have independent resources (such as the Confederation of Australian often for di erent segments within them, as shown in Figure 8.2 on state theatre Companies (CAST)). About ten incorporated organisations the next page.230 There are around 70 active performing arts advocacy have resources and are focused on advocacy, although they often provide organisations and most made a submission to a recent Parliamentary some non-advocacy services to members. LPA is larger than all the other inquiry. organisations in this category put together. About 20 organisations have funds, and engage in some advocacy, but a much greater proportion of their activities are servicing members such as venues, dance and contem- 229. Puplick (2008, pp. 30, 35–36). 230. See also the survey of advocacy bodies in Mills (2020, pp. 100–127) and Eltham porary music producers and artists. There are dozens of organisations (2016, p. 38). that conduct some advocacy, but their primary focus is delivering arts
58 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Figure 8.2: There are around 70 active performing arts advocacy organisations and most made a submission to a recent Parliamentary inquiry Signicant performing arts advocacy organisations and networks National Education Personnel Permanent Temporary Live Recording producers Rights - cross Arts 8 Media Arts & Ent. All’ce venues venues producers Aust Recording holders artform Musicians Union Performing Conf Aust Int Live Entertainment Industry Assoc APRA - by value Live Ent. Ind. Alliance Arts Arts Festivals Industry Alliance AMCOS chain Aust Prod Design Guild Connections Aust Festivals Aust Independent PPCA Assoc CrewCare Record Labels Assoc Assoc of Artist Managers Live Performance Aust National Theatre Circus Dance Music - by artform Theatre Network Theatre Network Ausdance Music Aust Aust Aust (Circus & Physical Think Tank Live music office Sounds Australia Theatre C’ttee) Dance Assembly classical contemp jazz folk - by value Confederation Aust State Symphony Aust Live Music Aust Jazz chain Theatres Services Int Business Council Think Tank Aust Directors Guild - by value Aust R’table of Vocal, Instr & Music Ed Orgs Aust Perf Arts Teachers chain Aust Music Publishers Association National – identity First Nations Performing Arts BlakDance National ATSI Music Office Arts Access Aust Diversity Arts Aust Sub-national – geography Regional Arts Aust Cultural Development Network (local councils) State NSW Vic Qld SA WA Other - cross art form Theatre N’w NSW Arts Ind Council Vic Stage Qld Arts Industry WA Ch Arts & Music NSW Multicultural Arts Vic Council SA Culture - art form Folk Fed NSW Music Vic QMusic musicsa Circuit West Music NT WA Music ACT Music Sub-State Reg’l Arts NSW Reg’l Arts Vic Reg’l Arts Serv. NW Country Arts Reg’l Arts WA - cross artform Arts mid N Coast Arts West Alliance QMusic SA
Note: Organisations that submitted to the House of Representatives inquiry into Australia’s creative and cultural industries and institutions shown in dark green, others in light green. Does not include organisations focused on production or service delivery, state branches of national organisations, government agencies, and local government. Unlikely to be comprehensive. Some organisations shown (such as Arts Access Australia) have a brief broader than the performing arts. Source: HoR (2021), Report analysis.
59 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Figure 8.3: Over 20 organisations actively advocate for the visual arts Signicant visual arts and museums advocacy organisations National GLAM peak International Council of Museums (Aust chapter) - by culture Visual art Museums Libraries type National Association for the Visual Arts Australian Library and Information Association
National Aust Museums and Galleries Assoc National and State Libraries Australia - institutions National Public Galleries Alliance Council of Aust Museum - by institution Contemporary Arts Organisations Aust Directors type University Art Museums Aust Aust Craft & Design Centres Aboriginal Art Assoc of Aust Desart More specialised groups not shown for museums and libraries Agency Projects National - personnel - artists Women’s Art Register Artists in the black - curators/academics Art Association of ANZ Sub-national – geography Regional Arts Aust State NSW Vic Qld SA WA Other - institutions Regional & Public Public Galleries Public Galleries Regional Galleries Galleries NSW Assoc Vic Qld Assoc SA
- artists Artisan Guildhouse
Notes: Organisations that submitted to the House of Representatives inquiry into Australia’s creative and cultural industries and institutions shown in dark green, others in light green. Does not include state branches of national organisations, government agencies, and local government. Does not show many museums and library organisations. Unlikely to be comprehensive. Source: HoR (2021), Report analysis.
60 Performing arts advocacy in Australia programs to regions, with annual turnover of around $25 million per The lack of unity amongst arts organisations is not surprising. Because year. About 10 organisations focus on particular groups, including CALD, government typically provides a large proportion of their income, they rst nations, disability and diversity. They are funded primarily to deliver are hard-wired to compete for government attention. Governments often programs and services, but this often also provides some resources for show little appetite to increase overall funding for the performing arts. In advocacy. this world the bigger prize is to get a bigger share, rather than to grow the pie. Artforms compete (opera versus theatre); bigger institutions Unions and copyright agencies both have very substantial turnover, compete with the small to medium companies; and large companies but the vast majority of their resources are focused on providing these in the same sector compete. Competitive rather than cooperative services. But their size means that spending even a very small proportion instincts are reinforced because major arts organisations are usually also on advocacy is large in the scheme of arts advocacy. APRA AMCOS, for competing for similar audiences and donors. example, has employee costs of over $65 million a year. These environmental factors are reinforced by some aspects of the The lack of unity makes advocacy much less e ective. It leads to a culture of the arts themselves. Creativity is about doing something multiplicity of incoherent and unprioritised messages and requests. di erent – conformists seldom make great artists. Governments are reluctant to negotiate if there is no identiable group that can commit at least most of the sector to a compromise. So it is not entirely surprising that the performing arts sector, in the The fragmentation of advocacy bodies creates other problems. A large words of one senior arts gure interviewed for this discussion paper, number of performing arts organisations lack e cient scale. Advocacy “ghts itself like Monty Python’s Peoples’ Liberation Front of Judea”, is better when an organisation is big enough that its representatives are holding “tenderly nursed grudges”, and struggling to agree on even basic meeting with politicians and other stakeholders, and appearing in the forms of cooperation such as the membership of working groups. media so regularly that they require little introduction and can instead focus on the issue of the day. A comparison with think tank advocacy 8.1.4 The potential of more collaboration suggests that this requires at least 8 employees, and possibly more. Nevertheless, more collaboration between performing arts organisations Lack of scale can also waste resources because every organisation needs is possible. Performing artists can certainly work together when they try. a board, governance and sta . There is also a risk that the employees of Live performance requires exquisite coordination, both through rehearsal small organisations with a limited brief will generate activity to justify and performance, of those on and o -stage. It is hard to think of any their existence, even if it has limited value for their members. other human endeavour that requires such split-second synchronisation of such a huge range of complex individual human actions. 8.1.3 Inherent obstacles to cooperation in the performing arts Other industries with interests that seem as varied as those in the The fragmentation of advocacy bodies is not unique to the performing performing arts do better. A corporate wheat cropper has very di erent arts – other artforms are similarly fragmented, as illustrated by an interests to those of a sole-trader bee keeper. But the National Farmers analysis of the visual arts sector (Figure 8.3 on the previous page). Federation provides a united front for both, and recently articulated an
61 Performing arts advocacy in Australia industry-wide strategy, with a foreword from both minister and shadow investment in a lm studio and incentive fund, funding towards an minister.231 aboriginal arts centre, and pilot funding for arts in education.
There are many other peak bodies that successfully provide clear This kind of peak body does risk shutting out marginal voices. Every advocacy despite a widely varied membership. The Australian Council dollar spent resourcing a peak body is a dollar less for more focused or- of Social Services represents a diversity of social welfare recipients and ganisations. But if all of the resulting organisations lack scale, then none organisations. The Australian Confederation of Sport represents both of them are likely to a ect the outcomes much. The fragmented approach professionals and amateurs, players and organisers, across the entire of the last two decades has not delivered strong outcomes for arts and range of sports. culture. A better structure would be a strong peak body that takes care to ensure that the interests of diverse voices are accommodated. Inevitably As these examples illustrate, a clearly identied peak body can co-exist it will be supplemented by specialist organisations that advocate on more with a wide variety of more specialised bodies. But there needs to be specialist issues, where they have su cient scale to be e ective. broad support that the peak body speaks for the sector as a whole. Good long-term politics rarely arises from spontaneous collectives, or This can be supplemented by networks – regular meetings of those waiting for total unanimity, and a peak body can be e ective even if a with common interests – that meet regularly to exchange information. few prominent organisations aren’t fully behind it, provided that it has But such networks are only likely to play a big advocacy role if they broad support from the vast bulk of the sector. An e ective peak body have dedicated resources. A network should only transition to being an also cannot wait for consensus amongst its members on every issue: organisation with dedicated resources if it is clear that the advantages the practicalities of advocacy mean that it needs delegated authority of increased advocacy for a focused interest outweigh the costs of to choose its targets and messages. E ective advocacy usually requires fragmentation, bearing in mind that arts and culture only have limited focus on a limited set of asks, and a peak body needs the discipline and resources for advocacy of any kind. processes to set priorities and stick to them, even though some members will inevitably be disappointed that “their” issue isn’t on the list this time. 8.2 Live Performance Australia’s potential as the peak body for The power of collective action requires members to at least align their the performing arts advocacy with the identied priorities so that progress can be made. At present there is no clearly identied peak body that represents the performing arts in Australia (Figure 8.2 on page 59). ArtsPeak might For example the West Australian Chamber of Arts and Culture in its have served this role, but it did not include many representatives of annual pre-budget submission sets out a broader strategic framework, commercial organisations, it never had its own resources, and is no within which it identies just 5 or 6 key actions.232 This discipline has longer active.233 contributed to the Western Australia government adopting a number of these actions over time, including a cultural infrastructure plan, One practical strategy would be to get behind an existing body. Live Performance Australia is a plausible candidate. It already represents
231. National Farmers Federation (2018). 233. Watts (2017b). For a list of ArtsPeak members when it was active in 2015, see 232. See for example CACWAPrebudget2019 ArtsPeak (2015, p. 9).
62 Performing arts advocacy in Australia producers, venues and festivals of the performing arts. With membership performing arts company that is not one of the 30 National Partnership that spans the public and commercial sectors, it already embodies Organisations.234 the common cause between them that is needed for a more coherent This governance re ects LPA’s constitution, which essentially allocates argument, more voter support, and more political credibility. It already votes proportionate to membership fees paid. As large organisations pay dedicates more employee resources to advocacy than any other advocacy much more, they dominate elections to its Executive Council. group (Figure 8.1 on page 58). A simple one-member-one-vote model is unlikely to work either: it LPA’s prole as an advocate for the entire sector increased markedly would probably lead to an organisation dominated by small companies in 2020 as COVID created clear common goals for both public and that does not e ectively represent large commercial and public produc- commercial sectors, and government dealt with them through combined ers. initiatives such as RISE funding. It is not a big step for it to become the For LPA to represent the sector, it would need to adopt a hybrid gov- peak body strongly supported across the performing arts. ernance model, allocating votes both to membership dollars and to each member, aiming to deliver an Executive Council that represents There are inevitably tensions in the membership of a peak body as their performing arts organisations, large and small, commercial and not for interests pull in di erent directions. If LPA is perceived as focused only prot. The West Australian Chamber of Arts and Culture has a hybrid on the interests of big commercial producers, or the interests of large governance model that e ectively ensures governance representation public companies, it will lack the broad industry support essential to a from a variety of backgrounds for exactly this reason. As an industrial peak body. Instead it would need to focus on a portfolio of issues that relations registered organisation, changing LPA’s governance rules would cover o the main interests of each sector, as well as those key issues that not be a quick process, but the hurdles do not seem insuperable. a ect most of them such as venue laws and ticketing codes. Although many of the public performing arts companies are members While LPA does not represent those involved in recorded music, or of LPA, their representative bodies (such as Theatre Network Australia) artists, it could do so – although this might imply a changed name to are not. To become a true peak body, LPA’s membership would also need “Performance Australia”. LPA already represents about 30 independent to expand to include the major peak organisations for each artform such cinemas. as Theatre Network Australia, Symphony Services Australia, Ausdance, and the Australian Live Music Business Councils. It is possible that over LPA’s structure would need to be modied for it to represent the time these art-form organisations could become chapters of LPA itself. small to medium public performing arts companies. While many of The structure of other industry advocacy bodies suggests that this kind them are already members, they often value it mostly for its industrial of chapter structure could be desirable but is not essential. relations services, and do not see it as their representative advocate. As a true peak body, LPA would also need to promote a diversity of LPA’s 18-strong Executive Council, which ultimately sets its advocacy interests in the performing arts, alongside groups such as Diversity priorities, includes people from large commercial producers and a number of public organisations. But only one of them works for a public 234. LPA (2019b, p. 39).
63 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Arts Australia, Arts Access Australia, First Nations Performing Arts, and 8.3 A peak body formed as a performing arts alliance Regional Arts Australia. An alternative to LPA would be to create a new performing arts alliance A related question is how to represent the views of the large number of between a number of existing organisations. independent artists, who are often self employed, moving from project to For example, dedicated resources could be added to the informal fed- project, often self-generated. eration of 10 performing arts peak bodies.237 This network has become more active over the past two years, meeting informally once per month, LPA might leave industrial negotiations to others so that it could aiming to align key messages and budget submissions. embrace a broader membership of arts employees and contractors. But this would be an unusual structure: for most industries, the peak bodies But to be an e ective advocate, this new peak body would need dedicated are composed of and funded by employers, as they tend to have deeper resources of its own. These resources need to be substantial - critical pockets than employees and audiences. And employees and audiences mass probably requires in the order of 6 to 8 employees. Finding the are also usually harder to organise as members. money for this will be di cult in an industry that has limited resources available to spend on advocacy. And the remit of this new peak body Funding from government is unlikely to be a sustainable alternative. would substantially overlap with Live Performance Australia and APRA Advocacy is usually about changing government policy, and govern- AMCOS. ment is usually happy with the status quo. If government provides substantial funding to an advocacy body, there is a substantial risk of Of course, the sector may identify other ways to create a more unied self-censorship, if not direct government pressure to desist from a cause advocacy body, but it too will have to nd substantial resources, and that government nds di cult. Outside of the arts, avoiding advocacy is ensure broad buy-in across the performing arts. increasingly an express condition of government funding.235 8.4 A peak body for arts and culture Australia Council funding would also be unreliable. There is a long history of Australia Council funding being withdrawn from advocacy LPA, or an alternative performing arts alliance, would not be a peak body groups which then folded, including Arts Action Australia, the National for arts and culture analogous to the Canadian Arts Coalition, the UK’s Campaign for the Arts in Australia, and the Key Producers Network. Creative Industries Federation, Americans for the Arts, and the State- More recently the Australia Council has defunded the National Asso- based Arts Industry Councils of Victoria and South Australia, and the ciation for the Visual Arts, Regional Arts Australia, Music Australia, West Australian Chamber of Arts and Culture. 236 and Ausdance. This partly re ects the di culty of an advocacy There is a lot to be said for creating such an umbrella body that might organisation seeking funding from the Australia Council in competition encompass performing arts, visual arts, screen, writing and libraries, with its own members. 237. Its members are Live Performance Australia, First Nations Performing Arts, APRA AMCOS, Symphony Services International; Theatre Network Australia, AusDance, 235. Mills (2020, p. 119). BlakDance, Performing Arts Connections Australia, Regional Arts Australia, and 236. Ibid. (pp. 107, 186, 265). Diversity Arts Australia.
64 Performing arts advocacy in Australia and museums. Its core agenda would be to promote a shift in Australia’s make public statements at odds with current government policy. The o cial culture, and government support for arts and culture. As this principle of allocating grants at arm’s length from the minister does not discussion paper has shown, these are key agendas. There are also imply arm’s length policy positions.240 overlapping issues: for example, screen and performing arts have As a government body, the Australia Council has always had limited adopted mirror codes on sexual harassment that deal with the particular scope to disagree publicly with government policy. The conventional issues raised in acting workplaces. limits may have become tighter over the past few decades, as the But an invigorated peak performing arts body probably needs to come conventions about public statements by public servants in other parts of rst: if the performing arts cannot get themselves together, it is hard to government have also tightened. Indeed, a senior government executive see how a broader umbrella body could unite the sector. has told Council members that public disagreement with government policy in their personal capacity is inconsistent with remaining part of And a strong peak body for the performing arts would still be necessary, the Council,241 even though Council members are appointed pursuant to if nothing else because Australia’s industrial award system creates statute and there may well be no power to terminate an appointment on very di erent issues for the performing arts and other parts of arts and this basis.242 culture. A separate body would probably also be needed because of the federal division of responsibilities in which State, Territory and local But this appears to have become the accepted limit to the Australia governments are directly responsible for most of Australia’s galleries Council’s public advocacy. For example, it took no public position over and museums, with relatively little nancial or policy input from the the diversion of its funds to the Catalyst Fund. And while it documented Commonwealth. the e ects of COVID on the arts, it never advocated publicly for specic forms of additional government support in press releases, editorials, or 8.5 Government bodies and advocacy submissions to a Parliamentary inquiry.243 Doing so would probably have impaired its ability to promote these outcomes behind closed doors with There is a long history of those in the arts seeing the Australia Council, other parts of government. and state government arts bodies, as advocates for the sector.238 This perception may have been reinforced by the now disbanded Arts Board Even where policy discussions are expressly part of the Council’s role, it structure of the Australia Council. Artists dominated each of the Arts is tempered by the ever-present threat of reduced funding. This threat Boards, and they articulated policy that was often then ratied by the is not theoretical: many have suggested that the funding of another Council.239 Commonwealth agency, the Auditor-General, has been reduced in deliberate retribution for holding the government to account about The Australia Council can make substantial contributions, through controversies such as the “sports rorts” a air.244 the data it collects, the reports it issues, the statements of its leading personnel, and its private representations to government. But it can only 240. Cf Eltham (2016, pp. 36–37). pursue some kinds of advocacy. In particular, it has very little scope to 241. Mills (2020, p. 96). 242. Australia Council Act 2013 (Cwth), s.22. 238. Eltham (2016, pp. 36–37); and Mills (2020, pp. 96, 106, 265). 243. ACA and BYP Group (2020); ACA (2020f); Collette (2020a); and Collette (2020b). 239. Mills (2020, p. 96). 244. Whyte (2020); and Gri ths and Wood (2020).
65 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Nevertheless, the Australia Council’s role in providing data, reports and materials that help others to advocate publicly should not be under-estimated. Other similar organisations such as Creative NZ have even expressly framed some of their materials as an “advocacy toolkit”.245
8.6 Think tanks Think tanks (such as A New Approach) and academic centres (such as QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre) can help in advocacy by improv- ing the evidence base, and presenting it in a way that is persuasive to the public and decision-makers. But their role in advocacy is circumscribed: a think tank needs to tread a ne line between advocating better policy, and being seen as a “player” that favours any particular interest group. Government don’t negotiate the detail of policy changes with a think tank because a think tank doesn’t represent a constituency, and gov- ernments can’t ask it to agree to compromises which are the essence of constructive politics.
245. Creative NZ (2021).
66 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
9 Approach to government
Performing arts advocacy needs a better ground game. No industry gets performance, an election campaign without a lot of prior preparation a free pass from politicians. Industries that are often perceived as getting is rarely e ective advocacy. The successful campaigns in Ireland and preferential access are usually those that have put in sustained e ort. Canada took over a decade to generate a signicant change in outcome Highly regulated industries for whom government policies matter more (Box 7 on page 57). APRA AMCOS and the Live Music O ce worked on tend to spend more on lobbyists, conduct more meetings with senior regulation of live music venues for 7 years before there was signicant ministers, and donate more than would be expected given the size of change in NSW (Box 8 on the following page). their industry.246 Of course, there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of events, The perception amongst politicians, their advisors, public servants, and such as elections, changes in Minister, and external shocks – like a the industry itself is that arts and culture advocacy has been relatively pandemic. They can open a window of opportunity, which can close all ad hoc, uncoordinated and unsophisticated.247 Advocacy is more likely too quickly.249 For example, the establishment of the national Film and to succeed if it builds long-term relationships and outcomes rather Sound Archive, and the resale royalty scheme for visual artists were both than reacting to an emerging crisis. It should be broad-based across all precipitated by the 2007 federal election.250 But in both cases success built three levels of government, across public service and ministers, across on extensive advocacy over an extended period.251 In arts and culture, government in power and opposition, and across responsible ministers as in other policy areas, “government can only go through the window and back-benchers. It should use the best messenger and message for the because the evidence has already been assembled.”252 individual decision-maker, while ensuring there is a consistent ask and rationale across all stakeholders. And there is nothing wrong with responding to unforeseen circum- stances such as the transfer of funds from the Australia Council to Catalyst (Box 5 on page 51), or the problems – and opportunities – of 9.1 Strategic, not just tactical approach
E ective advocacy requires a long-term and sustained approach. Many 249. Daley et al. (2020, pp. 29–30). arts and culture campaigns are launched just before an election.248 They 250. Puplick (2008, p. 21). are unlikely to succeed unless they build on extensive advocacy already 251. When the Australian Film Commission proposed to shut the historic lm archive in 2003, the Archive Forum was created, its members made numerous submissions in place. Just as panic practice is rarely e ective preparation for a good to the Australian Film Commission, and had the matter raised regularly in Senate Estimates and parliamentary questions: Puplick (ibid., pp. 49–50). A resale royalty 246. Wood and Gri ths (2018, pp. 17–20). had been proposed by the Australian Copyright Council in a draft report for the 247. This was an all but unanimous view in consultations for this discussion paper, Australia Council in 1988, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission particularly strongly held by those with experience in government advocacy for in 1999, and the Myer Report into contemporary visual arts and craft in 2002, was other industries. considered in a discussion paper issued by the Howard Government in 2004, and 248. E.g. the Western Australia Vote Arts campaign (Box 2 on page 35), and the recent was evaluated in an Access Economics report in 2004: Gardiner-Garden (2009, #ArtsMatters campaign launched by the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA in the pp. 40–41, 49–50, 63–64). lead up to the 2021 Western Australia State election: ArtsHub (2021). 252. Daley et al. (2020, p. 27).
67 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Box 8: Overhauling live music regulation in NSW
NSW stringently regulated live music through overlapping liquor These forces led the NSW Government to set up a night-time economy licensing, local planning, building code, environmental noise, and roundtable, and night-time economy taskforce, ultimately publishing a road use laws. The challenges for live music increased with night-time night-time economy strategy. lock-out laws. The problems became worse when the NSW Government introduced regulations to require “high risk” festivals to pay for the In 2020, the NSW Government introduced legislation to implement some presence of additional emergency services in response to deaths from of the regulatory changes that owed from these strategies. The upper drug overdoses at music festivals. house introduced very substantial amendments, ultimately accepted by the government, that amounted to much more comprehensive regulatory Contemporary music became increasingly organised to push for change. reform. A government MP commented she had “never seen anything like The Live Music O ce was established in 2013, e ectively an industry this in 17 years in the Parliament”. The unusual process was facilitated think tank, with seed funding from the Commonwealth Government, by the large number of inquiries in previous years which meant that MPs and ongoing funding from APRA AMCOS. It commissioned a research were unusually familiar with the issues. paper in 2014 to value the economic, social and cultural contribution of live music. The Capital City Lord Mayors commissioned a report into COVID, and its challenges for live music, helped create the environment the Australian night time economy, which identied it was growing for a “bonre of live music rules”. But such comprehensive reform would substantially faster in Victoria than NSW. Prominent festival organisers not have happened without the groundwork of the previous eight years. created a new association, the Australian Festivals Association (AFA). The in uence of APRA AMCOS and the Live Music O ce over the Pubs and other entertainment venues supported the push for change. legislation was explicitly acknowledged at the end of the parliamentary APRA AMCOS, the Live Music O ce, and LPA all helped to mobilise debate. public support, and AFA and Music NSW organised a large “Don’t kill The NSW legislation is now being promoted as a template for other live music” rally in Hyde Park in 2019. Music festival regulation became a States – and internationally. The success of the long-term advocacy was live issue during the 2019 NSW State election campaign. underlined when the NSW Government provided a $24 million package The upper house of the NSW Parliament became actively involved. It to help live music venues recover from COVID. held three inquiries over three years into the industry, and gained further Source: Carter (2015), NSW Legislative Council Planning and Environment Committee insights through broader inquiries into management of the pandemic, (2018), NSW Legislative Council Regulation Committee (2019), NSW Parliament Joint Select and management of grant programs. Committee (2018), Shapiro (2020), Burke (2020b) and Berejiklian (2021).
68 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
COVID (Box 1 on page 15 and Box 8 on the previous page). But these For example, when COVID hit, Darren Rudd, with a decade of experience responses will be more likely to succeed if they can build on prior as the head of corporate a airs for NBN and Tata Consultancy Services, advocacy establishing the importance of arts and culture, and the case became the CEO of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents. He for government support. organised a campaign that included meetings of travel agents with their local member around the country.255 It ultimately delivered government 9.2 A strong external evidence base support of $128 million,256 about $4,500 per employee (Figure 2.12 on page 17). The Pharmacy Guild is also famous for its ability to coordinate A powerful evidence base helps build long-term advocacy. A New its members to each lobby their local MP, and nancial planners and real Approach has certainly helped, as has the work of the Australia Council. estate agents run campaigns of this type too.257 A variety of academics have also contributed. Government reviews tend to be particularly powerful. Historically Some arts advocates are heading in this direction. The Australia Council they have been the strongest in uences increasing Commonwealth made its arts participation survey data available by electorate, which 258 Government funding.253 By convention, the government is obliged to provides data points for others to lobby their local federal member. respond to a review it has commissioned. The Nugent review of the Theatre Network Australia has a current pilot to identify a local Major Performing Arts Groups, the Nugent Opera Review, and the Strong champion in each of 15 strategic electorates. It is training them, and Symphony Orchestra Review all t the pattern – indeed the reviewed will coordinate their messaging to get each MP to identify key arts 259 organisations tended to get increased funding even when that wasn’t the and culture assets and opportunities in their electorate. The Sydney recommendation of the review. Theatre Company is providing a tailored report to local MPs about the school programs and regional touring that the STC has conducted in 9.3 Using all the access points their electorate, and following up with those MPs who engage. The West Australian Chamber of Arts and Culture encouraged individuals to E ective advocacy uses all the access points to government: not just the contact their local member ahead of the WA election with a form letter.260 responsible minister, but their advisers, departments, other powerful ministers and backbenchers. E ective advocacy groups such as the 255. One example is documented in a speech by Julian Leeser, the member for Berowra Property Council of Australia lobby at scale: its NSW Division wrote 55 in the outer northern suburbs of Sydney: Hansard, Commonwealth House of submissions and conducted 230 meetings with government ministers and Representatives, 9 November 2020, p.9138. their o ces in a single year.254 256. Birmingham (2020). 257. For example, the majority of Members of the House of Representatives who spoke Backbenchers are perhaps the most neglected targets, because this sort in debate over the Future of Financial Advice reforms referred to issues raised by individual nancial planners who were their constituents: Perrett, Jones, Van of advocacy is time-consuming. It tends to be most e ective when each Manen, Hansard, Commonwealth House of Representatives, 19 March 2012, p.3309, local member is contacted by someone from their electorate with the 3311, 3319; Gambaro, Fletcher, Christensen, Morrison, Hansard, Commonwealth same message that is delivered to every other backbencher. House of Representatives, 21 March 2012, p.3853-3854, 3859, 3861, 3875. 258. ACA (2021). 253. MacNeill et al. (2013); and Puplick (2008, p. 25). 259. personal communication from Theatre Network Australia 254. Gurran and Phibbs (2016). 260. Chamber of Arts & Culture WA (2021).
69 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
But these e orts are sporadic, and fall well short of a coordinated, broad signicant funding increases have followed a major independent review campaign targeted at every local member, conducted through local con- rather than a change in government.263 stituents, who go personally to see their local member, with a common While individual advocacy is important, the surest guarantee of bipar- ask, such as the campaign conducted by the Australian Federation of tisan support in the long run is to win public hearts and minds. A clear Travel Agents. Such coordination is much harder without a clearly public consensus will reliably drive bipartisanship. For example, while identied and properly resourced national peak body to coordinate the LNP was philosophically never keen on Medicare, public opinion campaigns. ultimately drove bipartisan support.264 Local member campaigns for arts and culture have also tended to focus on Commonwealth MPs – the Australia Council data, for example, is 9.4 Long-term relationships only available at the federal level. But State and local backbenchers Good advocacy builds long-term relationships. Many people stay in should be targeted as well: they are often more accessible, and State government a long time, and one of the advantages of using all the access Governments provide 35% of all arts funding, and local governments points is that today’s opposition back-bencher may ultimately be a senior another 26%.261 minister. Arts and culture organisations are well-accustomed to building E ective advocacy also needs to be directed to try to gain the support of long-term relationships with philanthropists and sponsors; the same is all parties. Arts and culture policy is only sustainable if it is bipartisan. required with politicians. It isn’t always so. Creative Australia collapsed because the signicant These long-term relationships mean that advocacy requires compromise funding increase it provided was not supported by the LNP, and over and exchange. It is often better long-term advocacy to publicly applaud a 40% of the additional funding it provided was reversed in the rst Abbott new program that confers signicant benets, rather than picking holes budget, a year after the policy had been launched.262 in its defects. If governments think that the performing arts sector will The history of Creative Australia may lie behind the common belief that criticise every new policy initiative, then next time they may be more left wing parties are more sympathetic towards the arts. History suggests inclined to do nothing, in order to avoid attracting unwelcome attention. this belief is mistaken: over the long term the level of government sup- port has varied irrespective of the party in power. Left wing governments 9.5 Targeted coordinated messengers have often taken an instrumentalist view of arts and culture, focused on While a recognised and supported peak body will improve advocacy, it their role in improving educational, health, disadvantage, and economic then needs to select the individual messengers most likely to in uence outcomes, but less interested in their direct impact on audiences Most the target on any given issue. Advocacy directed towards the govern- ment in power typically needs respected political operatives whom the government sees as friends. Like theatre, politics is all about casting. In 261. A New Approach (2019, p. 18). 262. Creative Australia provided $157 million in new funding over the 3 years 2014-15 to 2016-17, and the rst Abbott budget reversed $67 million of these decisions: 263. MacNeill et al. (2013). Treasury (2013) and Treasury (2014), Budget Paper 2. 264. Duckett and Nemet (2019, pp. 13–20).
70 Performing arts advocacy in Australia many other industries this casting is institutionalised as advocacy groups arts and culture is that inevitably some of those involved will be e ective hire former members of parliament and ministerial advisers.265 advocates with their local MP. Ideally this advocacy is coordinated so that each local member receives a very similar message. Board members can help with advocacy for any industry. But while the boards of a few performing arts companies are dominated by senior Messengers can also be e ective if they come from other powerful business gures, who are inherently well-connected to senior levels of industries making common cause, such as tourism, or pubs and clubs. politics, others are less so.266 Of course, former board members can also It is possible that the performing arts could have done even better in be useful messengers. COVID if they had forged a stronger alliance with the hospitality sector that was experiencing many of the same kinds of issues. Artists can also be important advocates. They often have high prole with the community, and the pulling-power of celebrity – even for politicians. Advocacy for an arts COVID support package probably 9.6 Tailored messages beneted because one of the key messengers, Mark Vincent, had sung While some arguments are more likely than others to succeed (chapter 5 at the funeral of the Prime Minister’s father When well-chosen artists on page 25), the best message in the circumstances is the one most likely open doors, they will only be helpful if they are “on message” – which to appeal to the individual recipient. For example, the e ects of COVID usually requires selection, coordination and preparation by an advocacy on “backstage tradies” appear to have been a crucial concern for Prime body. Because they are seldom experts in policy or advocacy, artists Minister Morrison.267 Other Prime Ministers might have found other may be most e ective when they work alongside professional policy arguments more important, but this was clearly the right message in the advocates from peak bodies to deliver the messages. Sports stars often circumstances. have a similarly high prole to celebrity artists. When they open doors for sports advocacy, sports stars are usually accompanied by sports For many Members of Parliament, tangible experiences and personal administrators. conversations will be particularly powerful. As a result, interactions with local schools and community groups may well be more fertile Advocacy to local Members of Parliament usually works best if the than attending a mainstage performance. Getting Prime Minister John messenger is a community leader in their electorate. The Pharmacy Howard to watch ex-juvenile o enders perform their brick-throwing Guild is powerful partly because the local pharmacist is invariably a performance art, or even better involving Premier Bob Carr as an extra trusted community gure who will at least get a hearing from their local in a lm made by disadvantaged youth in regional NSW, resulted in member. One of the reasons for making common cause with community substantial multi-year commitments for their producer, Big hART.268
265. Wood and Gri ths (2018, pp. 22–24). 266. For example 9 out of 12 directors of the Australian Ballet are directors or senior tier 9.7 Levels of government executives of top 100 Australian corporates. But the Sydney Symphony Orchestra The message and the ask may vary for di erent levels of government. has only 4 out of 12; Opera Australian 3 out of 11, and smaller companies even fewer. This pattern has not change materially: for example, only 3 out of 13 directors of the Australian Opera (as it then was) had corporate backgrounds in 267. See footnote 131 1986. 268. Rankin (2014).
71 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Asks vary, if nothing else, because di erent levels of government have But again, these di erences in approaches are questions of degree, and di erent responsibilities: local governments lead more often in support- they can shift over time. For example, the Commonwealth has started to ing community organisations; State and Territory governments lead intervene in the economy more often over the last decade. more often in contemporary music, with large galleries and museums, A peak body can cover both Commonwealth and State issues, despite in supporting venues, and with festivals; and the Commonwealth these nuances in approach, and LPA has done so. There is value in a Government leads more often with larger public performing arts single body conducting advocacy with multiple State governments organisations. These responsibilities result as much from history as from because the issues (such as the regulation of live music) are often similar. constitutional allocations of power. In practice, responsibilities often overlap, and many arts and culture initiatives are supported by all three But a peak body such as LPA is unlikely to do the heavy lifting with 537 levels of government. di erent local councils. Instead advocacy at the local government level primarily depends on local groups. This doesn’t appear to be a problem: While the most persuasive argument can often depend on the personal existing advocacy arrangements have resulted in local governments views of the decision maker, di erent levels of government tend to have signicantly increasing their nancial support for arts and culture over slightly di erent philosophical approaches to government generally, and the last decade, and by more than other levels of government.269 therefore arts and culture.
Because they are closer to the grass roots, local governments tend to see more clearly the direct impacts of arts and culture on happiness, understanding and togetherness across the community. They have more visibility of community arts groups and their work. They may also be more motivated by civic pride, regional tourism, and regional development.
States and Territories tend to see more clearly the role of government in the life-cycle of industry development. While the Commonwealth largely dismantled its involvement in industry development through the 1980s and 1990s, States and Territories did so less. Consequently States and Territories tend to be quicker to see the value of government interven- tion to promote venue development, to nurture new organisations and artists early in their career, and to market across the sector, including through arts festivals.
The Commonwealth is predisposed to focus more on tertiary education, and national identity. 269. A New Approach (2019, p. 5).
72 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
10 Policy implications
This discussion paper is focused on advocacy rather than identifying This implies policy that focuses more on “externalities” rather than pro- particular policy outcomes. But the implications of the recommended moting excellence in the performance of a canon of historic masterpieces advocacy strategy should be understood. The advocacy approach in a particular set of artforms. logically leads to more emphasis on particularly policy interventions. In policy terms, “externalities” occur when people benet even though This chapter focuses on the policy shifts that may be implied if advocacy they don’t pay. Education is a classic example: an employer who educates focuses more on the direct impact of arts and culture on peoples’ an employee usually doesn’t capture all of the benets – future employ- well-being, and makes common cause with commercial and community ers benet as well, and there is no way to make them pay. Without public sectors. These policy interventions are outlined, rather than investigated provision, the arts and culture workforce is likely to have less education in detail. A number of the policy shifts that the performing arts might than would be ideal given the direct benets it will provide in the long advocate are also discussed in Chapter 7 on page 47. term to audiences. Consequently, around the world, governments play a substantial role in paying for education. 10.1 Reframing arts and culture Externalities abound in the performing arts. There are lots of benets Advocacy is likely to be more e ective if it is framed as “arts and that people create, but can’t capture simply by charging for tickets culture”, rather than just “the arts” (Section 5.2.2 on page 27). One to their show. The most obvious externality is training, and it is no consequence might be a “minister for culture” rather than a “minister for coincidence that the Commonwealth provides the bulk of the funding the arts” – a shift that occurred in the United Kingdom in 1997 with the for university performing arts courses and the Arts8 organisations that appointment of a Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. This provide elite performance arts training. Government support for the kind of portfolio is likely to lead to more alignment between performing symphony orchestras is also important to training across the music and visual arts, lm, broadcasting, museums, libraries and sport. world: many symphony orchestra musicians provide private lessons to more junior players,270 but without the regular employment of a 10.2 Focus on externalities symphony orchestra it is unlikely that so many senior high-quality musicians would be retained in Australia. Advocacy focused on the direct impact of arts and culture, and that makes common cause with commercial and community sectors, is Similarly, the major theatre companies provide education and training. inherently agnostic about artform. If 3 in 5 performances that people In 2019, the Melbourne Theatre Company, for example, provided school choose to attend are comedy, music theatre and contemporary music, workshops for over 300 school students, professional development for then these artforms are making a big di erence to the happiness, over 100 school drama teachers, and professional development for 12 271 understanding and togetherness that the performing arts can provide. women in theatre. The Sydney Dance Company provides a full-time Making common cause with these (generally) commercial sectors will 270. See footnote 192. tend to lead to policy outcomes that support them as well. 271. MTC (2019, pp. 45, 50).
73 Performing arts advocacy in Australia elite training program for 26 aspiring professional dancers, as well infrastructure can bring a community together, creating public benets as a variety of school student programs.272 To some extent the opera beyond the well-being of those who are there at the time. companies are also training organisations. The externality, however, Governments can support industry development that individual is smaller: they train relatively few people,273 and they capture more industry participants are unlikely to fund. For example, the Victorian of the training benet themselves because opera singing is relatively Government’s Music Works program funded support for emerging specialised, and there are relatively few alternative employers. artists, professional development, development of venues, and industry These externalities often ow between the public and commercial prole building.275 Supporting emerging artists can be particularly sectors. Those trained by public institutions often subsequently work important to developing a strong industry as they often add vitality as actors, musicians, and backstage in musicals and contemporary music. and new artistic approaches. But like research and development in other The trumpet player backing a contemporary music band may well have industries, they often need support, because existing players often benet been trained by the principal trumpet from a symphony orchestra; from their innovations even when they haven’t paid for them directly. the dancer in a contemporary music performance may well have been Festivals can serve industry development in a number of ways, and State trained by the Sydney Dance Company. The talent pool sloshes around governments often support them accordingly. Festivals often nance as many in the performing arts move between public and commercial production development, and provide prole for emerging artists. And productions throughout their working life. they can create common branding and awareness that attract audiences Most public arts companies also have extensive school education more e ciently than marketing for each individual production. programs. These range from performances to school students, to school Governments have always supported the development of local content workshops, the creation of school materials, and teacher professional because of its importance to national identity and social cohesion development. But unless the materials are available electronically, the (Section 5.3 on page 29). Those developing new work overseas may tell reach of these is inherently limited: there are around 300 schools in universal stories that engage Australians, but they are unlikely to tell 274 Australia for each National Partnership Organisation. specically Australian stories. Developing new work is almost always The performing arts often rely on government to support infrastructure more expensive than restaging established works. And a smaller country that is used by many producers. The problem can be that no-one is like Australia lacks e ciencies of scale in developing local stories. This prepared to take the risk building new or upgraded infrastructure which so even in a global market: it is usually harder to export artistic work will only earn its keep if lots of performers in fact use it. By building one from a small country like Australia than from a larger country: Keating: stage, government can often attract audiences to the stage next door. And the musical was always unlikely to sell in the United States, whereas Hamilton is likely to sell in Australia. Consequently governments have always supported the development of new Australian work. What counts 272. Sydney Dance Company (2019, p. 38). as “new Australian work” is a question of degree: a new staging can tell 273. In 2019, Opera Australia provided a week’s intensive training for 4 school-age singers, and funds a 2 year training program for 3 young artists each year: Opera stories inspired by its Australian context even if the underlying work was Australia (2019, pp. 17, 21). 274. Section 6.2.4 on page 44. 275. Live Music O ce Victoria (2021).
74 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
rst written overseas. The greater the local creative input, the stronger to measure that an organisation receiving a block grant is in fact making the case for supporting its development. Of course, direct funding is not a di erence to the externalities identied. the only lever for government: it can also impose quotas on broadcast and internet channels (Section 7.6 on page 52). 10.3 Audience outcomes Government support can also improve the valuable community and so- The advocacy approach suggested implies that governments should cial connections that arts and culture can foster (section 5.3 on page 29). care about both the number of people reached, and how much their Professional organisations and their personnel can train community performing arts experience changes their happiness, understanding and groups to do better – beneting both creators and audiences. Higher togetherness. quality community arts and culture is often more fun for both creators and audiences, encouraging more to be involved, and more valuable This implies a renewed focus on access. If mainstage productions are community and social connections. The public arts sector creates a struggling to grow audiences, then it may be appropriate to increase reservoir of those qualied to help, reducing the costs to community the resources available for formats that are proving more accessible. It groups of identifying expertise. Government promotion of community is plausible that mass outdoor performances are attracting audiences not arts and culture can encourage the involvement of those who would not only because they are often free or lower cost, but because an outdoor have been motivated to set up the activity by themselves. The additional setting is less intimidating for new audiences. Concerns about COVID social capital this activity generates can have far-reaching impacts on have already increased investment in facilities for outdoor presentation governance well beyond the immediate participants.276 and the number of outdoor performances; these habits may well persist after the pandemic has passed. These externalities all a ect the volume and quality of performance in Australia, and the direct benets to happiness, understanding and Some performances are better than others – because they make us more togetherness that they bring. happy, understanding or together. This insight lies behind the historic focus on “excellence”. But no artform has a monopoly on excellence. The performing arts can also a ect economic outcomes that benet Commercial productions of musicals and contemporary music often people other than the producer. Well-directed government support have extremely high production values. It is hard to argue that the lion’s for the performing arts can a ect employment, regional development, share of government funding should go to a relatively small number of exports, and tourism (Section 5.5.3 on page 33). established companies in a limited set of artforms on the basis that they While government can support specic activities to address each of these are “excellent” (and by inference, the alternatives are not). externalities, it is often better to support organisations that address a This kind of thinking has been close to the surface of much arts policy number of them in an integrated way. There are benets in both running in Australia. For example, in 1976, the Industries Assistance Commission an integrated organisation, and in reducing the costs of application, suggested that Federal government performing arts support should be assessment, and administration of support. Of course, it is still important focused on education, innovation and dissemination. The Fraser Govern- 276. Participation in community choirs was the key marker for better governance in Italy ment rejected these recommendations, and instead announced it would identied in the classic study Putnam (2000). maintain existing funding patterns, particularly to the Opera, Ballet and
75 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Drama Companies, because these arrangements were consistent with about the potential of arts and culture to improve social cohesion is likely the objective of “the promotion of excellence in the arts”, which “is of to lead to broader outcomes. primary importance”.277 The tendency to equate “excellence” with the major public performing arts groups has persisted.278 In some ways this would bring the wheel full-circle. When most of Australia’s major performing arts institutions were set up in the 1970s, Some of Australia’s arts policy advocates still view “excellence” as tied they re ected the ethnic diversity of Australia. Classical music, opera to the classical western European canon. More acknowledge a wider and dance had even stronger traditions in continental Europe than in body of creative output but remain focused on western cultural tradition. the United Kingdom. Government support for them partly re ected the A little under half of those surveyed in 2015 thought that excellence substantial number of migrants from continental Europe at the time 279 depends on the genre and its cultural tradition. (Figure 5.3 on page 31). The Commonwealth Government’s approach to the performing arts appears to be shifting away from historic denitions of “excellence” to 10.4 Community outcomes a broader approach. It only supported the performing arts specically through COVID in response to an industry wide approach. And the Advocacy more focused on the links between public and community arts funding distribution was similarly broad (Figure 6.1 on page 42). also implies more policy focus on community arts. Australia’s performing arts organisations can try to resist this shift, but Governments already support community performing arts. Local they would be ghting against logic, broader political developments, and governments tend to be more involved particularly through supporting recent policy history. The historic rhetoric and focus on “excellence” rehearsal and performance venues. The Commonwealth’s involvement has led to lost audience share, Commonwealth government support, and has tended to vary in line with policy trends around its involvement in public voice. Increasing focus on the rhetoric of “excellence” is unlikely local activity more generally (Section 6.2.3 on page 43). Although one to improve these outcomes. of the functions of the Australia Council under its Act is to “promote community participation in the arts”,280 its programs for doing so are Today, National Partnership Organisations present relatively few works relatively small. from outside the classical western European canon, and this tends to be re ected in the ethnic background of their audiences. While governments Large performing arts organisations often support community perform- are increasingly supporting festivals such as Asia TOPA and the Sangam ing arts although the links are seldom visible. Anecdotally, the interac- festival focused on South Asia performing arts, they do not provide tions between symphony orchestra players and a variety of community substantial support for ongoing performance organisations focused on orchestras are extensive, as are interactions between the Australian Ballet the traditions from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the birthplace of and a range of community dance classes (Section 6.2.4 on page 44). But half of the migrants living in Australia today. An advocacy approach the links tend to be informal, and not publicly documented.
277. Gardiner-Garden (1994, pp. 12–15). 278. Mills (2020, pp. 19–21). 279. Ibid. (pp. 83–84). 280. Australia Council Act 2013, s.9(1)(bd)
76 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
The advocacy approach suggested implies that funding might be more After a decade of pilots and experimental frameworks, a decisive choice explicitly tied to these community links, which also implies more to adopt an approach that is “good enough” would be much better than discipline in measuring and documenting these outcomes. the continued inability to measure the most important contribution of the performing arts to well-being. 10.5 Shift in evaluation Data on community arts groups is also sparse. Few public arts organi- More focus on the direct impact of performance on well-being implies sations methodically collect data on their intersections with community more focus on measuring it. Whereas economic outcomes (such as arts. This would need to improve if the ow-on e ects on the community employment) are relatively easy to measure, the direct impacts of arts sector are part of the rationale for supporting the public sector. and culture on audiences are harder. Data on attendance could be better, particularly for smaller and local council venues (Section 7.9 on page 55). Ideally this data would be collected regularly, as part of broader data collection such as State local government grants commissions. The core questions of the Culture Counts survey are a reasonable rst approximation for measuring impact on individual audience members (Section 7.9 on page 55). No doubt there are potential issues because this approach is quantitative rather than open-ended, prone to bias in the background of the interviewers, requires the retention of trained sta , could lead to overly crude decisions based on simplistic metrics, organisations may try to use the data selectively when the results aren’t good, and (at least initially) they may simply ignore poor outcomes.281 But these issues are a classic example of the perfect being the enemy of the good, and the failure to adopt any system leaves arts and culture vulnerable when the only other available measure is ticket sales. The Australia Council, for example, measures attendances, and new Australian works, but not the impact on audiences.282 Victoria currently measures cultural impact by attendance, festivals, brand ranking and awards.283 The impact on audiences remains invisible.
281. Gilmore et al. (2017); and Glow and Johanson (2020, pp. 185–187). 282. ACA (2020g) Annual performance statements: Summary of results. 283. Creative Victoria (2019).
77 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
11 Coda
There has been little change in the advocacy, policy, and institutions of the performing arts in Australia over 30 years, despite big changes in artforms, community tastes, social interactions, and ethnic composition. More of the same advocacy is likely to lead to more of the same out- comes. Arts and culture will continue to be an important part of peoples’ personal lives, largely unrecognised in Australia’s public image. They will continue to lose share of Commonwealth government spending. Traditional artforms will continue to lose share of audiences to other forms. Opportunities for arts and culture to contribute to well-being, social cohesion, and a range of other valuable outcomes will go begging. COVID has been hard on the performing arts. But it has also given the world permission to change. Australia’s performing arts have an opportunity to work through the implications of this discussion paper, improve their advocacy, change their future, and change the future of the country.
78 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Bibliography
A New Approach (2019). The Big Picture : Public Expenditure on Artistic , Cultural and (2019b). Participation in selected cultural activities, Australia. https: Creative Activity. A New Approach. https://www.humanities.org.au/wp- //www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/participation- content/uploads/2020/06/ANA-InsightReportOne-FullReport_V0.1.pdf. selected-cultural-activities/latest-release#data-download. (2020). 2020-21 Pre-budget Submission. https: (2019c). Government nance statistics, Annual. //treasury.gov.au/sites/default/les/2020-09/115786_A_NEW_APPROACH.pdf. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/government/government-nance- statistics-annual/latest-release#data-download. AAP (2021). “Actress strips at Cesar Awards to protest against France’s COVID-19 strategy”. Sydney Morning Herald. (2020a). National, state and territory population. https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/actress-strips-at-cesar-awards-to- https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and- protest-against-france-s-covid-19-strategy-20210313-p57ahu.html. territory-population/jun-2020#data-download. ABC News (2020). “Boxing Day Test to get 30,000-strong crowd after health authorities (2020b). Labour Force, Australia, Detailed. approve increased MCG patron limit”. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-10/boxing-day-test-cricket-mcg-crowd- (2020c). Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product. increased-to-30000-a-day/12971580. (2020d). Characteristics of employment, Australia. ABS (1997). Australian Social Trends 1997. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-work- https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/4102.01997?OpenDo hours/characteristics-employment-australia/latest-release#data-download. cument#Publications. (2021). Weekly payroll jobs and wages in Australia. (2010). “Spectator attendance at sporting events”. https: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-work-hours/weekly- //www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Lookup/4174.0Main+Features12009- payroll-jobs-and-wages-australia/latest-release#data-download. 10?OpenDocument. ACA (2014). Arts in daily life: Australian participation in the Arts. Australia Council for (2015). Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Australia. the Arts. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and- https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/les/research/arts-in- communities/participation-sport-and-physical-recreation-australia/latest- daily-life-australian-5432524d0f2f0.pdf. release#participation-in-sport-and-physical-recreation. (2015). Arts Nation: an overview of Australian arts. Australia Council for the (2016). Census, Basic Community Prole. Arts. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/arts-nation-an-overview- of-australian-arts/. (2018). Cultural Funding by Government. https://www.arts.gov.au/mcm/cultural-data-online/government-cultural- (2018). International Arts Tourism: Connecting cultures. Australia Council for the funding-and-participation. Arts. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/les/arts-and- tourism-report-pdf-5bf1f3c5079ac.pdf. (2019a). Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events, Australia. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/attendance- (2019). Creativity connects us: Corporate Plan 2019-2023. Australia Council for selected-cultural-venues-and-events-australia/latest-release. the Arts. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/les/australia-council- corporate-pl-5d68738684ece.pdf.
79 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
ACA (2020a). Creating our future: Results of the national arts participation survey. AFL (2019). 2019 Annual report. Australian Football League. Australia Council for the Arts. https: https://resources.afl.com.au/a /document/2020/03/18/925fd047-a9b6-4f7d- //www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Creating- 8046-138a56ba36f4/2019-AFL-Annual-Report.pdf. Our-Future-Results-of-the-National-Arts-Participation-Survey-PDF.pdf. AFTA (2020). 2020-21 Pre-budget submission. Australian Federation of Travel Agents. (2020b). Creating our future: results of the national arts participation survey data https://www.afta.com.au/uploads/905/afta-20-20-21-pre-budget-submission- tables. Australia Council for the Arts. nal.pdf. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/creating-our-future. ALGA (2020). Arts and culture policy position. Australian Local Government Association. (2020c). List of the Major Performing Arts companies. https://www.mav.asn.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/26213/ALGA-Arts-and- https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/programs-and-resources/list-of-the- Culture-Position-Statement-28-9-2020.pdf. major-performing-arts-companies/. APRA AMCOS (2020a). Australia’s music industry puts out an SOS in open letter to (2020d). Australia Council announces four year funding 2021-24. Australia government. Council for the Arts. https://www.apraamcos.com.au/about-us/news-and-events/australias-music- https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/news/media-centre/media- industry-puts-out-an-sos-in-open-letter-to-government. releases/australia-council-announces-four-year-funding-2021-24/. (2020b). Submission to inquiry into Australia’s creative and cultural industries (2020e). Cultivating Creativity: A study of the Sydney Opera House’s Creative and institutions: Australia - a music nation and the path to become a music Leadership in Learning program in schools. Australia Council for the Arts. industry powerhouse. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/wp- https://assets.apraamcos.com.au/images/PDFs/About/apra-amcos-creative- content/uploads/2020/10/Cultivating-Creativity-Report.pdf. industries-submission-nal.pdf. (2020f). Submission to Select Committee on COVID-19 inquiry into the Australian APRA AMCOS and EY (2016). Investment initiative to cultivate the Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. contemporary music industry. Ernst and Young. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/les/submission- https://cdn.treasury.gov.au/uploads/sites/1/2019/02/360985-APRA-AMCOS-et- australia-council-f-5ef0273b69e99.pdf. al-Supporting-Documents.pdf. (2020g). Annual Report 2019-20. Australia Council for the Arts. Aristotle (1991). On rhetoric: a theory of civic discourse. Trans. by G. Kennedy. OUP. https://www.transparency.gov.au/annual-reports/australia-council/reporting- year/2019-20. Art Gallery of New South Wales (2019). Annual report 2018-19. AGNSW_2019_annual_report. (2021). Electorate Proles. Australia Council for the Arts. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/electorate-profiles/. Artforum (2021). “French arts institutions pen open letter pleading to be allowed to reopen”. Artforum. https://www.artforum.com/news/french-arts-institutions- ACA and BYP Group (2020). Responses to COVID-19 from arts agencies around the world: pen-open-letter-pleading-to-be-allowed-to-reopen-84961. Recovery and emergency support. Australia Council for the Arts and BYP Group. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/les/300620-recovery- Arts Council England (2019). Annual report and accounts 2019. digital-and-em-5efe9c0b8c6e8.pdf. https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download- le/Arts%20Council%20annual%20report%202018%202019.pdf. AEGIS (2005). Social impacts of participation in the arts and cultural activities: stage two report. Australian expert group in industry studies. https://www.stategrowth.ta (2020). Let’s create: Strategy 2020-2030. s.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/160833/Social_Impacts_of_the_Arts.pdf. https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication/our-strategy-2020-2030.
80 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
ArtsHub (2021). “ArtsMatters campaign launched in lead-up to WA election”. ArtsHub. BCG (2018). Melbourne as a Global Cultural Destination. Creative Victoria. https://www.artshub.com.au/news-article/news/public-policy/performing-arts- https://creative.vic.gov.au/research/reports/melbourne-as-a-global-cultural- editor/artsmatters-campaign-launched-in-lead-up-to-wa-election-261951. destination. ArtsPeak (2015). Submission to inquiry into the impact of the 2014 and 2015 Commonwealth Bell Shakespeare (2019). Annual Report 2019. Budget decisions on the Arts. https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BELL0050_ https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_an 2019_ANNUAL_REPORT_FA_SINGLE_PAGES.pdf. d_Constitutional_A airs/Arts_Funding/Submissions. Berejiklian, G. (2021). NSW pumps-up the volume with package to support accommodation ATO (2020). Taxation Statistics 2018-19. live music and events. https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/nsw-pumps-up-volume-package-to- Aufderheide, P. (2017). “Copyright’s missing voices”. Inside Story. support-accommodation-live-music-and-events?fbclid=IwAR0jlhhV4DcR- https://insidestory.org.au/copyrights-missing-voices/. VBzt6kH0D5exFSjgIjDkJBS5aHLWT8mQ6tXgb9qY_AlkQY. Austadiums (2020). Australian stadiums and sport. https://www.austadiums.com. Birmingham, S. (2020). Travel agents COVID-19 payment. Australia, T. (2021). Home page. https://www.australia.com/en. https://www.trademinister.gov.au/minister/simon-birmingham/media- release/travel-agents-covid-19-payment. Australian Ballet (2019). Annual Report 2019. https://d1v4qgaxdde3j9.cloudfront.net/blog/ dancing_in_small_spaces_/2019_Annual_Report.pdf. Black, J. (2020). “Howard battlers look to be leaning Labor’s way once more”. The Australian. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/howard-battlers- Bailey, J. (2020). “8 arguments to include in your Parliamentary Inquiry into the Arts look-to-be-leaning-labors-way-once-more/news- submission”. ArtsHub. https://www.artshub.com.au/news-article/opinions-and- story/6fede3c75bb0be69056f95c67bc01c63. analysis/covid-19/dr-jackie-bailey/8-arguments-to-include-in-your- parliamentary-inquiry-into-the-arts-submission-261048. Boland, M. (2010). “Apart from the photo ops, arts barely register”. The Australian. Bakhshi et al. (2015). Bakhshi, H., Fujiwara, D., Lawton, R., Mourato, S. and Dolan, P. Brix, S. (2021). “Rachael Maza on the scarcity of First Nations performing arts Measuring economic value in cultural institutions. companies”. ArtsHub. https://performing.artshub.com.au/news- https://ahrc.ukri.org/documents/project-reports-and- article/news/performing-arts/sabine-brix/rachael-maza-on-the-scarcity-of- reviews/measuringeconomicvalue/. rst-nations-performing-arts-companies-262249. Baroni, N. (2020). “Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl Just Announced A Stack Of Brown, J. (2014). Anzac’s long shadow : the cost of our national obsession. Redback. 2021 Shows”. Musicfeeds. https://musicfeeds.com.au/features/melbournes- Brown, K. (2020). “France Will Begin Reopening Cultural Institutions, While Germany sidney-myer-music-bowl-live_at_the/. Considers Extending Its Lockdown”. Artnet news. Barrett, L. (2001). The Prime Minister’s Christmas card: Blue poles and cultural politics in https://news.artnet.com/art-world/lockdown-france-germany-uk-1926531. the Whitlam era. Power Publications. Browne, B. (2020). Art vs Dismal science: The economics of Australia’s creative arts sector. BCAR (2020). Characteristics of employment and business activity in cultural and creative The Australia Institute. https://australiainstitute.org.au/wp- sectors. Bureau of Communications and Arts Research. content/uploads/2020/12/P901-Art-vs-Dismal-Science-WEB.pdf. https://www.communications.gov.au/publications/characteristics-employment- Buccafusco, C. and Heald, P. J. (2013). “Do Bad Things Happen When Works Fall into the and-business-activity-cultural-and-creative-sectors-fact-sheet. Public Domain?: Empirical Tests of Copyright Term Extension, 28 . (2013)”. Berkeley Journal of law and technology 28.
81 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Burke, K. (2020a). “‘My heart breaks’: Guy Sebastian pushes Scott Morrison for answers Catalyse (2020). 2020 Arts and Culture Monitor Survey. Department of local government over delayed arts funding”. The Guardian. sport and cultural industries WA. https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/docs/default- https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/oct/22/my-heart-breaks-guy- source/culture-and-the-arts/research-hub/public-value/culture-counts- sebastian-pushes-scott-morrison-for-answers-over-delayed-arts-funding. evaluation-snapshot-culture-and-the-arts-2016-19.pdf?sfvrsn=c1a349c3_1. (2020b). “‘The changes really are monumental’: live music industry celebrates Cauldwell-French, E. and Lydford, A. (2019). Publicly-funded culture and the creative huge overhaul of NSW laws”. The Guardian. industries. Creative Industries Federation and Arts Council England. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/nov/18/the-changes-really-are- https://www.creativeindustriesfederation.com/sites/default/files/2019- monumental-live-music-industry-celebrates-huge-overhaul-of-nsw-laws. 05/Public%20Investment,%20Public%20Gain%20-%20Creative%20Industries%20F ederation%20and%20Arts%20Council%20England.pdf. (2021). “‘Ridiculous’ secrecy: confusion surrounds fate of $7m arts bailout money in $50m NSW government scheme”. The Guardian. Caust, J. (2020). “The year everything got cancelled: how the arts in Australia su ered https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jan/13/ridiculous-secrecy-7m-arts- (but survived) in 2020”. The Conversation. bailout-money-formally-unaccounted-for-in-50m-nsw-government-scheme. https://theconversation.com/the-year-everything-got-cancelled-how-the-arts- in-australia-su ered-but-survived-in-2020-152180. CACWA (2017). Mapping Arts and Cultural Funding in Regional Western Australia. Chamber of Arts and Culture WA and Country Arts WA. CDN (2018). Local government cultural data: A report on the national data collection trial, https://www.cacwa.org.au/documents/item/675. 2014-2018. Cultural Development Network. https://culturaldevelopment.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/FINAL- Cameron, S. and Mcallister, I. (2019). The 2019 Australian federal election: Results from the DataCollectionProject_REPORT-1.pdf. Australian Election Study. https://australianelectionstudy.org/wp-content/uploads/The-2019-Australian- Challenor, J. (2019). “Saturday’s NSW election no easy run for music, and a quick guide to Federal-Election-Results-from-the-Australian-Election-Study.pdf. party promises”. The music network. https://themusicnetwork.com/op-ed-nsw- election-guide-party-promises-policy/. Canadian Arts Coalition (2013a). Arts 308: Training. https://web.archive.org/web/20140117053700/http: Chamber of Arts & Culture WA (2021). Contact Your Local Member. //www.canadianartscoalition.com/archives/1238. https://www.artsmatters.org.au/contact_your_local_mp. (2013b). Arts Facts: Arts 308. https://web.archive.org/web/20140327212758/http: Chivers, C. (2019). “Election 2019: the result wasn’t the only surprise”. Grattan Blog. //www.canadianartscoalition.com/en/wp- https://blog.grattan.edu.au/2019/06/election-2019-the-result-wasnt-the-only- content/uploads/2013/10/Did_You_Know_EN.pdf. surprise/. (2021). Homepage. https://www.canadianartscoalition.com. Cogo-Fawcett, R. (2003). Relationships between subsidised and commercial theatre. Arts Council England. Canadian Heritage (2020). News release: Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160204124123/http: and Sport Organizations: next steps to support the industry impacted by the global //www.artscouncil.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/browse-advice-and- COVID-19 pandemic. guidance/relationships-between-commercial-and-subsidised-theatre. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2020/05/emergency- support-fund-for-cultural-heritage-and-sport-organizations-next-steps-to- Collette, A. (2020a). “A communique from our CEO”. Australia Council for the Arts. support-the-industry-impacted-by-the-global-covid-19-pandemic.html. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/news/media-centre/media-releases/a- communique-from-our-ceo-2/. Carter, D. (2015). The economic and cultural value of live music in Australia 2014. Live Music O ce. https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-les/2015-08/apo-nid61719.pdf.
82 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Collette, A. (2020b). “Arts crucial to sound rebound from coronavirus”. The Australian. Crossick, G. and Kaszynska, P. (2016). Understanding the value of arts & culture: The https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/arts-crucial-to-sound- AHRC Cultural Value Project. https: rebound-from-coronavirus/news-story/97df082f51cc99c2dafadaf733a6e1c5. //ahrc.ukri.org/documents/publications/cultural-value-project-nal-report/. Collins, A. (2020). “Sydney wins rights to stage Broadway musical Hamilton after Premier Cultural Attractions of Australia (2019). Harnessing one of Australia’s fastest-growing intervenes”. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-22/broadway-hit-hamilton- tourism segments. https://culturalattractionsofaustralia.com/about/. musical-comes-to-sydney/11138618. Cultural Ministers (2019a). National Performing Arts Partnership Framework. Collits, P. (2015). “Regional policy in post-war Australia: much ado about nothing?” Rural https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/les/national- and Regional Futures. Ed. by A. Hogan and M. Young. Routledge, pp. 19–37. performing-arts-partn-5da0051daa41c.pdf. Connolly, M. and Krueger, A. (2005). “Rockonomics: the economics of popular music”. (2019b). Communique. https://www.arts.gov.au/mcm/meeting-summaries. NBER Working papers (11282). https://www.nber.org/papers/w11282. Culture Counts (2020). Evaluation snapshot: Culture and the arts 2016. Department of local Coombs, H. C. (1970). “The economics of the performing arts”. Economic Papers E1 (35), government sport and cultural industries WA. pp. 32–46. https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/culture-and-the- arts/research-hub/public-value/culture-counts-evaluation-snapshot-culture- Country Arts WA (2013). Country Arts WA Annual Report 2013. and-the-arts-2016-19.pdf?sfvrsn=c1a349c3_1. https://regionalartswa.org.au/about/annual-reports/. Cunningham, S. and McCutcheon, M. (2018). The Creative Economy in Australia: Cultural Create NSW (2020). $50 million COVID-19 Rescue and Restart package announced for NSW production, creative services and income. QUT Digital Media Research Centre. arts and cultural sector. https://research.qut.edu.au/creativehotspots/wp- https://www.create.nsw.gov.au/news-and-publications/news/covid-19-rescue- content/uploads/sites/258/2019/10/Factsheet-2-Employment-by-sector-V5.pdf. and-restart-package-announced-for-nsw-arts-and-cultural-sector/. Cunningham et al. (2020). Cunningham, S., McCutcheon, M., Hearn, G. and Ryan, M. D. Creative NZ (2019). Statement of intent: 2019-2029. “‘Demand’ for culture and ‘allied’ industries: policy insights from multi-site https://www.creativenz.govt.nz/assets/paperclip/publication_documents/docu creative economy research”. International Journal of Cultural Policy. ments/728/original/soi_web_final.pdf?1564003819. Cuthbertson, D. (2016). “Federal Election 2016: Nationals vow $10m for new Shepparton (2021). Advocacy toolkit. Art Museum amid battle with Liberals”. Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.creativenz.govt.nz/development-and-resources/advocacy-toolkit. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/federal-election-2016- Creative Victoria (n.d.). Creative State: Victoria’s rst creative industries strategy 2016-2020. nationals-vow-10m-for-new-shepparton-art-museum-amid-battle-with- https://creative.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_le/0005/110948/creativestate- liberals-20160615-gpjkvk.html. 4.pdf. Daley, J. (2012). “Critiquing government regional development policies”. A Greater (2019). Creative impact framework: Cultural impact. https: Australia: Population, policies and governance. Ed. by J. Pincus and G. Hugo. //creative.vic.gov.au/research/creative-impact-framework/cultural-impact. CEDA, pp. 212–223. https: //www.ceda.com.au/CEDA/media/ResearchCatalogueDocuments/PDFs/15337- (2021). Latest grants to protect Vic music. populationreport2012final.pdf. Latest%20grants%20to%20protect%20Vic%20music. Daley et al. (2017). Daley, J., Wood, D. and Chivers, C. Regional patterns of Australia’s Creigh-Tyte, S. and Gallimore, J. (2000). “The UK National Lottery and the Arts: economy and population. Grattan Institute. Re ections on the Lottery’s impact and development”. International Journal of https://grattan.edu.au/report/regional-patterns-of-australias-economy-and- Arts Management 3 (1), pp. 19–31. population/.
83 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Daley et al. (2019). Daley, J., Duckett, S., Goss, P., Norton, A., Terrill, M., Wood, D., DITRDC (2020). RISE Fund grant recipients - batch one summary of projects. Department of Wood, T. and Coates, B. Commonwealth Orange Book 2019: Policy priorities for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. the federal government. Grattan Institute. https://www.arts.gov.au/documents/rise-fund-grant-recipients-batch-one- https://grattan.edu.au/report/commonwealth-orange-book-2019/. summary-projects. Daley et al. (2020). Daley, J., Williams, R. and Matthews, B. Prioritising a government’s DLGSC WA (2019). Social impacts of culture and the arts WA. Department of local agenda. Grattan Institute. government sport and cultural industries WA. https://grattan.edu.au/report/prioritising-a-governments-agenda/. https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/culture-and-the- arts/research-hub/public-value/social-impact-of-culture-and-the-arts- Dawson, A. (2017). “Australians are watching 670 million hours of sport per week, wa.pdf?sfvrsn=7599f3fe_2. according to nbn”. Mumbrella. https://mumbrella.com.au/australians-watching- 60-million-hours-sport-per-week-according-nbn-437979. Duckett, S. and Nemet, K. (2019). The history and purposes of private health insurance. Grattan Institute. Deloitte (2020). Everybody gets it: The economic and social benets of commercial television https://grattan.edu.au/report/the-history-of-private-health-insurance/. in Australia. https://www.freetv.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Free-TV- Industry-Report-Everybody-Gets-It-20-July-2020.pdf. Eltham, B. (2016). “When the goalposts move”. Platform Papers (48). Department of Communications & the Arts (Australia) (1994). Creative Nation: Episkopos, M. (2020). “South Korea’s Top Export: How K-Pop Rose to Conquer the Commonwealth Cultural Policy. World”. The National Interest. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/korea- https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20031203235148/http: watch/south-koreas-top-export-how-k-pop-rose-conquer-world-163707. //www.nla.gov.au/creative.nation/contents.html. Essential Research (2016). Party best at looking after the economy. Essential Vision. Department of Finance Canada (2016). Budget 2016: Growing the middle class. https://essentialvision.com.au/party-best-at-looking-after-the-economy-3. https://www.budget.gc.ca/2016/docs/plan/toc-tdm-en.html. Fairley, G. (2015). “Vote Arts lobby delivers regional arts funding boost”. ArtsHub. DESE (2021). uCube - Higher education statistics. Department of Education Skills and https://www.artshub.com.au/news-article/news/grants-and-funding/gina- Employment. http://highereducationstatistics.education.gov.au. fairley/vote-arts-lobby-delivers-regional-arts-funding-boost-248348. Destination NSW (2019a). Annual Report 2018-19. Festival, P. (2015). Perth International Arts Festival 2015: The report. https://www.destinationnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Destination- https://issuu.com/perth_festival/docs/br003_festival_review_2015_lr. NSW-Annual-Report-2018-2019.pdf. Fielding et al. (2019). Fielding, K., Glisic, I. and Trembath, J.-L. Transformative: impacts of (2019b). Vivid Sydney 2019 breaks all records for visitation. culture and creativity. A New Approach. https://www.destinationnsw.com.au/news-and-media/media-releases/vivid- https://www.humanities.org.au/new-approach/report2/. sydney-2019-breaks-all-records-for-visitation. Fielding, K. and Trembath, J.-L. (2020). A view from middle Australia: perceptions of arts, DiCola, P. (2013). “Money from Music: Survey Evidence on Musicians’ Revenue and culture and creativity. A New Approach. https://www.humanities.org.au/wp- Lessons About Copyright Incentives”. Northwestern University School of Law, content/uploads/2020/05/ANA-InsightReportThree-FullReport.pdf. Law and economics series 13-01. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2199058. Fisher, N. and Talvé, A. (2011). The role of the arts in rebuilding community: An evaluation of Arts Victoria’s and Regional Art Victoria’s bushre initiatives. Creative Victoria. https://creative.vic.gov.au/research/reports/archived-reports/the-role- of-the-arts-in-rebuilding-community.
84 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Fletcher, P. (2020a). Targeted Support for Indigenous Arts, Regional Arts and respected Gradvall, J. and Akerstrom, L. A. (2017). Swedish pop exports: Sweden – one of the leading charity Support Act. pop-music nations today. Swedish Institute. https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/fletcher/media-release/targeted-support- https://sharingsweden.se/materials/swedish-pop-exports-sweden-one-of-the- indigenous-arts-regional-arts-and-respected-charity-support-act. leading-pop-music-nations-today/. (2020b). New $400 million incentive to boost jobs for screen industry. Gri ths, K. and Wood, D. (2020). “Con icted cuts at the Audit O ce”. Inside Story. https://www.paul etcher.com.au/media-releases/media-release-new-400- https://insidestory.org.au/con icted-cuts-at-the-audit-ofce/. million-incentive-to-boost-jobs-for-screen-industry. Gurran, N. and Phibbs, P. (2016). “How the Property Council is shaping the debate (2021). Why do we fund the arts? https://www.paul etcher.com.au/portfolio- around negative gearing, taxes”. The Conversation. speeches/sydney-institute-address-why-do-we-fund-the-arts. https://theconversation.com/how-the-property-council-is-shaping-the-debate- around-negative-gearing-taxes-61006. Fletcher, P. and Frydenberg, J. (2021). An extra $135 million to help Australia’s creative sector rise. https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/fletcher/media-release/extra- Hickley, C. (2021). “Germany doubles pandemic aid for arts with an extra €1 billion 135-million-help-australias-creative-sector-rise. funding”. The Art Newspaper. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/germany-doubles-pandemic-aid-for- Flew, T. (2019). “Creative industries: between cultural economics and cultural studies”. A arts-with-an-extra-eur1-billion-funding. research agenda for creative industries. Ed. by S. Cunningham and T. Flew. Edgar Research Agendas. Holden, J. (2007). Publicly-funded culture and the creative industries. Demos. https://www. demos.co.uk/les/Publicly_Funded_Culture_and_the_Creative_Industries.pdf. Florida, R. (2002). The rise of the creative class. Basic Books. Hong, E. (2014). The birth of Korean cool: how one nation is conquering the world through Ford, A. (2021). “Light and shade”. Inside Story. pop culture. Picador. https://insidestory.org.au/light-and-shade/. HoR (2021). Inquiry. Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts House of Forss, K. (2003). Tuning in: What’s Behind the Growth in Swedish Music Exports? Representatives. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees https://www.musicinaustralia.org.au/what-s-behind-the-growth-in-swedish- /House/Communications/Arts. music-exports/. IMF (2020). Fiscal monitor: Policies for the recovery. Gardiner-Garden, J. (1994). “Arts policy in Australia: A history of Commonwealth https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/FM/Issues/2020/09/30/october-2020- involvement in the arts”. Parliamentary Research Service Background Papers (5). scal-monitor#Full%20Report%20and%20Executive%20Summary. https://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/bp/1994-95/94bp05.pdf. Ireland Government (2020). Department supports areas among hardest hit by COVID-19. (2009). Commonwealth arts policy and administration. Parliamentary Library. https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/ed46a-2020-department-supports-areas- https://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/bn/2008-09/artspolicy.pdf. among-hardest-hit-by-covid-19/. Gilmore et al. (2017). Gilmore, A., Glow, H. and Johanson, K. “Accounting for quality: arts Johansson, O. (2010). “Beyond ABBA: The Globalization of Swedish Popular Music”. evaluation, public value and the case of ‘culture counts’”. Cultural Trends 26 (4). FOCUS on Geography 53 (4). http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30104916/johanson-accountingforquality- 2017.pdf. Kelly, P. (2008). The End of Certainty: Power, politics & business in Australia. Allen & Unwin. Glow, H. and Johanson, K. (2020). “Gaming the data: the evaluation of arts activities and the tensions for public policy”. The Australian Art Field: Practices, Policies, Institutions. Ed. by T. Bennett, D. Stevenson, F. Myers and T. Winiko . Routledge, pp. 183–194.
85 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Kelly, J. (2015). “Craig Emerson: ALP lost nerve on parallel book imports”. The Australian. LPA (2016). Investment support for the live performance industry: Tax incentive proposal. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/craig-emerson-alp-lost- Live Performance Australia. nerve-on-parallel-book-imports/news- https://liveperformance.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/LPA-Factsheet- story/b6c287e09bb498a1d47b3e7847d47cbc. Investment-Support-for-Live-Performance-Industry.pdf. J.-F. Kelly et al. (2012). Kelly, J.-F., Breadon, P., Davis, C., Hunter, A., Mares, P., (2019a). Live Performance Industry in Australia: 2018 ticket attendance and Mullerworth, D. and Weidmann, B. Social Cities. Grattan Institute. revenue report. Live Performance Australia. https://grattan.edu.au/report/social-cities/. https://liveperformance.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Live- Performance-Industry-in-Australia-2018-FINAL.pdf. KPMG (2018). The Value of community sport infrastructure. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_le/0009/677970/KPMG_Value (2019b). Annual report 2019-2020. https://liveperformance.com.au/wp- _of_Community_Sport_Infrastructure_final.pdf. content/uploads/2020/11/FINAL-LPA-ANNUAL-REPORT-2019-2020.pdf. Lawton et al. (N.d.). Lawton, R., Fujiwara, D., Arber, M., Radosevic, D., Lagarde, A., Lucas, C. and Sakkai, P. (2020). “State to start on NGV Contemporary as part of $1.4b O’Donovan, P., Davies, J. and Bakhshi, H. Regional galleries and theatres benet package for Southbank ‘arts spine’”. The Age. transfer. Arts Council England. https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/state-splashes-490m-on-ngv- https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download- contemporary-as-part-of-1-4b-package-for-southbank-arts-spine-20201124- le/Arts%20Council%20England%20-%20Regional%20Galleries%20and%20Theat p56hii.html. res%20Benefit%20Transfer%20Report.pdf. Macdonnell, J. (1992). Arts, Minister: Government policy and the arts. Currency Press. Leigh, A. (2010). Disconnected. New South. MacNeill et al. (2013). MacNeill, K., Lye, J. and Cauleld, P. “Politics, reviews and support Leng, A. and Lemahieu, H. (2021). Covid performance index: Deconstructing pandemic for the arts: An analysis of government expenditures on the arts in Australia responses. Lowy Institute. from 1967 to 2009”. Australian Review of Public A airs 12 (1), pp. 1–19. https://interactives.lowyinstitute.org/features/covid-performance/. Malthouse Theatre (2019). Annual Report 2019. https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/me Letts, R. (2015). “Australia Council cuts: is the devil in these details?” Daily review. dia/fk4cbuvj/mh26_annualreport_2019_fa_singles.pdf. https://dailyreview.com.au/australia-council-cuts-is-the-devil-in-these-details/. Matthey, J. (2021). “David Pocock shares damning photos of Scott Morrison”. Lewis, P. (2010). “The ght for the kitchen table”. The Drum, 9 November. news.com.au. https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/wallabies-great-david- https://essentialvision.com.au/the-ght-for-the-kitchen-table. pocock-shares-incriminating-photos-of-scott-morrison/news- story/2ad1f2938747bdc08fe7955cbf484679. Lillie, J. (2015). “The future of arts advocacy”. https://visualarts.net.au/news-opinion/2015/future-arts-advocacy/. McIntyre, P. (2017). “Simple path to happiness”. Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/sydney-culture-essays-show-simple- Litzenberger, S. (2013). “Canadian Arts Coalition’s Arts Day on the Hill”. The path-to-happiness-with-stcs-patrick-mcintyre-20170418-gvmmtt.html. dancecurrent. https://www.thedancecurrent.com/feature/canadian-arts- coalitions-arts-day-hill. McIver, D. (2020). “Victorian Racing Minister backs down on plan to allow owners, connections to attend Manikato Stakes and Cox Plate meetings”. ABC News. Live Music O ce Victoria (2021). Live Music Strategy. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-20/racing-minister-reverses-decision- https://livemusico ce.com.au/policy/vic/live-music-strategies/. allow-owners-attend-cox-plate/12789464. Lotterywest (2021). Lotterywest COVID-19 Relief Fund grant rounds. https://www.lotterywest.wa.gov.au/assets/grants/documents/GrantsCOVID19S portsResilientOrgsEventCancellations.pdf.
86 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Megalogenis, G. (2020). George Megalogenis in conversation with Dr Wendy Were. Morrison, S. (2020a). $250 million JobMaker plan to restart Australia’s creative economy. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/programs-and-resources/In- https://www.pm.gov.au/media/250-million-jobmaker-plan-restart-australias- Conversation-with-the-Australia-Council-Session-1/. creative-economy. Mertens, G. (2019). “Orchestras, radio ensembles and opera choruses”. Musical life in (2020b). ’HomeBuilder’ program to drive economic activity across the residential Germany. Ed. by G. M. I. Centre. Deutscher Musikrat, pp. 188–217. construction sector. https://www.pm.gov.au/media/homebuilder-program-drive- economic-activity-across-residential-construction-sector. Meyrick, J. (2020). “Like the care economy, arts and culture are an opportunity missed in the 2020-21 budget”. The Conversation. MTC (2019). Annual Report 2019. Melbourne Theatre Company. https://theconversation.com/like-the-care-economy-arts-and-culture-are-an- https://res.cloudinary.com/mtc- opportunity-missed-in-the-2020-21-budget-147558. 2018/image/upload/v1591053005/MTC_2019_Annual_Report.pdf. Midena, K. and Doherty, P. (2020). “Australian War Memorial proposed development of Museums & Galleries Queensland and Public Galleries Association of Victoria (2020). Anzac Hall slammed as ’wasteful’ ’arrogant’ and ’objectionable’”. ABC News. Australian public galleries snapshot. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-15/australian-war-memorial- http://www.magsq.com.au/cms/page.asp?ID=10613. development-criticised-inquiry/12456226. Music Australia (2016). National contemporary music plan. Mileham, M. (2021). “Measuring the Social Impact of Museums: Call for Study Sites”. https://musicaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/National- American Alliance of Museums. https://www.aam-us.org/2021/02/02/measuring- Contemporary-Music-Plan-Sept-2016-nal.pdf. the-social-impact-of-museums-call-for-study-sites/. (2017). The state of music education in Australia and a path to achieving Miller, N. (2018). “$100m Monash Centre on track to miss visitor target by many universal music education. thousands”. The Age. https://musicaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Report-The-Status- https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/100m-monash-centre-on-track-to- of-Music-Education-in-Australia-The-Future-Path.pdf. miss-visitor-target-by-many-thousands-20181204-p50k2z.html. Music Trust (2017). Some interesting music education research outcomes. Miller, N. and Cooper, N. (2020). “Songs of praise for arts rescue – but this is just the https://musictrust.com.au/music-education/research/some-interesting-music- overture”. Sydney Morning Herald. education-research-outcomes/. https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/songs-of-praise-for-arts-rescue-but- this-is-just-the-overture-20200625-p5562j.html. Musica Viva (2019). Annual Report 2019. https://musicaviva.com.au/media/ler_public/fd/77/fd7788b5-ea03-452f-80d9- Mills, D. (2020). “Dancing with the bear: the politics of Australian national cultural fbfcaaf1ae39/mva_annualreport2019__final.pdf. policy”. University of Sydney. National Farmers Federation (2018). 2030 Roadmap: Australian agriculture’s plan for a 100 Milne, C. (2008). So what just happened with the National Academy of Music? https: Billion industry. https://nff.org.au/wp- //greensmps.org.au/articles/so-what-just-happened-national-academy-music. content/uploads/2020/02/NFF_Roadmap_2030_FINAL.pdf. Moore, G. (2015). Culture Counts wrap-up. Neal, M. and Kelly, L. (2020). Songlines: the power and the promise. Thames & Hudson. https://www.arts.qld.gov.au/aq-blog/5078-culture-counts-wrap-up. Noonan, P. (2003). “Just the facts”. Wall Street Journal. Morris, L. (2020). “Carriageworks set to be saved as lease and funding guaranteed”. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122427176645145291. Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/carriageworks-saved-as- Norton et al. (2018). Norton, A., Cherastidtham, I. and Mackey, W. Mapping Australian lease-and-funding-guaranteed-20200710-p55b1m.html. higher education 2018. Grattan Institute. https://grattan.edu.au/report/mapping-australian-higher-education-2018/.
87 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Norton et al. (2019). Norton, A., Cherastidtham, I. and Mackey, W. Risks and rewards: Oh, I. and Lee, H.-J. (2013). “K-pop in Korea: How the Pop Music Industry is Changing a when is vocational education a good alternative to higher education? Grattan Post-Developmental Society”. Cross-currents: East Asian History and Culture Institute. https://grattan.edu.au/report/risks-and-rewards-when-is-vocational- Review (9). https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/sites/default/les/e- education-a-good-alternative-to-higher-education/. journal/articles/oh_lee_0.pdf. NSW Legislative Council Planning and Environment Committee (2018). The music and Opera Australia (2019). Annual report 2019. arts economy in New South Wales. https://cdn.opera.org.au/2020/04/29144615/opera-australia-2019-annual-report- https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry- 1.pdf?_ga=2.191233706.1492885565.1612419743-232449875.1612419743. details.aspx?pk=2471#tab-reportsandgovernmentresponses. Opera Queensland (2019). Annual report 2019. NSW Legislative Council Regulation Committee (2019). Inquiry into Liquor Amendment https://www.oq.com.au/about-opera-queensland/annual-reports/. (Music Festivals) Regulation 2019 and Gaming and Liquor Administration Amendment (Music Festivals) Regulation 2019. Parc, J. and Kim, S. D. (2020). “The Digital Transformation of the Korean Music Industry https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry- and the Global Emergence of K-Pop”. Sustainability 12. details.aspx?pk=2521#tab-reportsandgovernmentresponses. PC (2009). Restrictions on the parallel importation of books. Productivity Commission. NSW Parliament Joint Select Committee (2018). Sydney’s night time economy. https: https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/books. //www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/listofcommittees/Pages/committee- (2017). Transitioning Regional Economies. Productivity Commission. details.aspx?pk=260#tab-reportsandgovernmentresponses. https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/transitioning-regions/report. Nugent et al. (1999). Nugent, H., Chaney, M., Gonski, D. and Walter, C. Major performing Pearson, N. (2014). “The Australian’s 50th Anniversary”. Cape York Partnership, 15 July. arts inquiry: Securing the Future, Final Report. Commonwealth Department of https://capeyorkpartnership.org.au/speeches/noel-pearson-the-australians- Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. 50th-anniversary/. https://www.arts.gov.au/publications/securing-future-nal-report-major- performing-arts-inquiry-1999. Petrocik, J. R. (1996). “Issue Ownership in Presidential Elections, with a 1980 Case Study”. American Journal of Political Science 40.3, pp. 825–850. Nugent et al. (2015). Nugent, H., Fagg, K., McKinnon, A. and Oxenbould, M. National opera review: Discussion paper. Commonwealth Minister for the Arts. Piketty, T. (2019). Capital and ideology. Harvard University Press. https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-les/2015-09/apo-nid57569.pdf. Puplick, C. (2008). “Getting heard: Achieving an e ective arts advocacy”. Platform Papers NZ Government (2020a). Government invests in New Zealand’s cultural recovery. (18). https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-invests-new- Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. zealand%E2%80%99s-cultural-recovery. Simon & Schuster. (2020b). Support for arts and music sector recovery. PWC (2020). The Australian entertainment and media outlook 2020-2024. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/support-arts-and-music-sector-recovery. https://www.pwc.com.au/industry/entertainment-and-media-trends- O’Connor, J. (2020). Art as industry. analysis/outlook.html. https://wakeinalarm.blog/2020/06/20/art-as-industry/. Queensland Government (2020). Queensland’s economic recovery plan. OECD (2020). Culture shock: COVID-19 and the cultural and creative sectors. https: https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/government-actions/our-economic-recovery- //read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=135_135961-nenh9f2w7a&title=Culture- strategy#_stage-two. shock-COVID-19-and-the-cultural-and-creative-sectors. Rankin, S. (2014). “Soggy biscuit: Invisible lives – or the emperor’s new social work?” Gri th Review (44), pp. 11–32.
88 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Ross, M. and Aedy, R. (2019). “Why the Pharmacy Guild is the most powerful lobby group Sunderland et al. (2018). Sunderland, N., Lewandowski, N., Bendrups, D. and you’ve never heard of”. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06- Bartleet, B.-L. Music, Health and Wellbeing: Exploring Music for Health Equity 20/pharmacy-guild-lobby-wields-great-political-power/11217028. and Social Justice. Palgrave Macmillan. Rowse, T. (1985). Arguing the arts: the funding of the arts in Australia. Penguin Books. Sydney Dance Company (2019). Annual Report 2019. https://www.sydneydancecompany.com/about-us/annual-report/. SBS (2021). “Scott Morrison cancels plans to attend Cronulla Sharks NRL game amid coronavirus fears”. SBS News. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/scott-morrison- The Impossible Project (2020). Archive. https://theimpossibleproject.com.au/nal-archive. cancels-plans-to-attend-cronulla-sharks-nrl-game-amid-coronavirus-fears. Theatre Network Australia (2021). Who we are. https://www.tna.org.au/who-we-are/. Schultz, J. (2014). “Cultural Solutions”. Gri th Review (44). ThinkTV (2020). TV usage H1, 2020. https://thinktv.com.au/wp- Sculpture by the sea (2020). What is sculpture by the sea? content/uploads/2020/11/Fast-Facts_TimeSpent_H12020.pdf.pdf. https://sculpturebythesea.com/about/. Throsby, D. and Petetskaya, K. (2017). Making art work: an economic study of professional Seares et al. (2005). Seares, M., Pascoe, R., Leong, S., MacCallum, J., Mackinlay, E., artists in Australia. Australia Council for the Arts. Marsh, K., Smith, B., Church, T. and Winterton, A. National review of school https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/les/making-art- music education: Augmenting the diminished. Australian Government, work-throsby-report-5a05106d0bb69.pdf. Department of Education, Science and Training. https://researchrepository.mur doch.edu.au/id/eprint/9459/1/music_review_reportFINAL.pdf. Treasury (2013). Budget 2013-14. https://archive.budget.gov.au/2013-14/index.htm. Shapiro, S. (2020). “How Australia’s Bonre Of Live Music Rules Could Save The Industry (2014). Budget 2014-15. https://archive.budget.gov.au/2014-15/index.htm. From The Pandemic”. Forbes. (2019). Budget 2019-20. https://budget.gov.au/2019-20/content/bp2/index.htm. https://www.forbes.com/sites/shainshapiro/2020/12/07/how-australias-bonfire- of-live-music-rules-could-save-the-industry-from-the- (2020a). Budget 2020-21. https://budget.gov.au/2020-21/content/bp1/index.htm. pandemic/?sh=a7de3b53306dl. (2020b). Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2020-21. South Australia Department of Premier and Cabinet (2020). Arts recovery fund. https://budget.gov.au/2020-21/content/myefo/index.htm. https://www.dpc.sa.gov.au/responsibilities/arts-and-culture/covid-fund. Trembath, J.-L. and Fielding, K. (2020a). Behind the scenes: drivers of arts and cultural Sport Australia (2018). Sport 2030. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/nationalsportplan/home. policy settings in Australia and beyond. A New Approach. https://www.humanities.org.au/new-approach/report4/. SSO (2019). 2019 Impact report. Sydney Symphony Orchestra. https://www.sydneysymphony.com/about-us/who-we-are/impact-reports. (2020b). Australia’s cultural and creative economy: a 21st century guide. https://www.humanities.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ANA- J. Strong et al. (2005). Strong, J., Gillies, M. and Grant, P. A new era: orchestras review InsightReportFive-FullReport.pdf. report 2005. https://www.agsm.edu.au/bobm/teaching/SSO/strongreport.pdf. TSO (2019). Annual Report 2019. Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Strong, C. and Cannizzo, F. (2020). Understanding challenges to the Victorian music https://www.tso.com.au/wp- industry during COVID-19. RMIT. content/uploads/2020/05/TSO_AnnualReport_2019_FINAL.pdf. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b88e39855b02ce9bc082fcf/t/6025f 440368a713f9ba08f6a/1613100101425/Understanding+Challenges+to+the+Vict (2020). Online classroom resources: free education resources for teachers. orian+Music+Industry+During+COVID-19+-+Research.pdf. Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. https://www.tso.com.au/online-classroom-resources/.
89 Performing arts advocacy in Australia
Turner, B. (2020). “It’s not about ’we’re special’: why it’s crunch time for the arts sector”. Westwood, M. (2021). “Singing for their supper”. The Australian. Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/follow-the- https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/it-s-not-about-we-re-special-why-it- money-lyndon-terracinis-survival-plan-for-opera-australia/news- s-crunch-time-for-the-arts-sector-20200907-p55t6c.html. story/9c832b9b6349cd5ee8a6130f733a5e2a. UK Government (2020). £1.57 billion investment to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, White Night Melbourne (2021). A new festival for Melbourne. arts and heritage institutions. https://whitenight.com.au/melbourne/. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/157-billion-investment-to-protect- britains-world-class-cultural-arts-and-heritage-institutions. Whitlam, G. (1985). The Whitlam Government 1972-1975. Viking. Vella et al. (2019). Vella, R., Chen, S., Homan, S., Redhead, T. and Millgate, M. Born global: Whyte, S. (2020). “’This is revenge for sports rorts’: Australian National Audit O ce Australian music exports. funding cut”. Canberra Times. https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/born-global. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6958154/this-is-revenge-for-sports- rorts-audit-ofce-funding-cut/. Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance (2020). Budget 2020-21. https://www.budget.vic.gov.au/budget-papers. Wol , S. (2019). 19 –20 –21: Re-thinking Success in times of change. Visit Victoria (2019). Annual Report 2018-2019. Wood et al. (2018). Wood, D., Daley, J. and Chivers, C. A crisis of trust: The rise of protest https://assets-corporate.visitvictoria.com/documents/Visit-Victoria-Annual- politics in Australia. Grattan Institute. Report-2018-19.pdf. https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-crisis-of-trust/. WA Government (2020). Recovery package to support culture and arts in WA. Wood, D. and Gri ths, K. (2018). Who’s in the room? Access and in uence in Australian https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/recovery-package- politics. Grattan Institute. https://grattan.edu.au/report/whos-in-the-room/. support-culture-and-arts-wa. World Tourism Organization (2018). Tourism and culture synergies. Walgrave et al. (2009). Walgrave, S., Lefevere, J. and Nuytemans, M. “Issue Ownership https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284418978. Stability and Change: How Political Parties Claim and Maintain Issues Through Zenith Media (2020). Online video viewing to reach 100 minutes a day in 2021. Media Appearances”. Political Communication 26.2, pp. 153–172. https://www.zenithmedia.com.au/online-video-viewing-reach-100-minutes- Walker, B. and Con Walker, B. (2019). “Exploding the myth of the Coalition as a sound day-2021-2/. economic manager”. Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May. https://www.smh.com.au/federal-election-2019/exploding-the-myth-of-the- coalition-as-a-sound-economic-manager-20190509-p51lk2.html. Watts, R. (2017a). “Catalyst funds returned to Australia Council”. ArtsHub. https://www.artshub.com.au/news-article/news/grants-and-funding/richard- watts/catalyst-funds-returned-to-australia-council-253389. (2017b). “ArtsPeak executive put advocacy work on hold”. ArtsHub. https://www.artshub.com.au/news-article/news/public-policy/richard- watts/artspeak-executive-put-advocacy-work-on-hold-254688.
90