Dear Sir/Madam,

The arts in Tasmania will be devastated by the Federal Government cuts to the Australia Council.

My name is Frances Butler and I have worked in the cultural sector for over twenty years. I am a former employee of the Australia Council, Arts Law Centre of Australia, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, The Performance Space and the Fifth Australian Sculpture Triennial. I have been the NSW Chair and National Board Member for the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA). I am a keen audience member for theatre, music, visual arts and intermedia. I have been or am a member of the Australian Theatre for Young People, Huon Valley Society Orchestra, Swansong Choir and QTas Choir. I am the Cultural Programs Officer for the City of Hobart and an independent writer and producer.

As a member of the Tasmanian cultural sector I am deeply concerned about the impact of the Commonwealth Government’s budget decisions in 2014 and 2015. I believe the ‘surprise’ cut to the Australia Council budget will be the most singularly damaging event for the arts in Australia for decades.

As Tasmania has only one Major Performing Arts Group (the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra), the majority of our arts organisations are in the Small-Medium sector and will therefore suffer devastating and irreversible excision of many jobs, programs and opportunities – particularly mentoring. Recovery from this will be lengthy and difficult, if and when it becomes possible to recover.

I am deeply concerned about the potential drain of talent away from the State, particularly from the emerging talent pool following this devastation. When there is little opportunity for support and mentoring of our emerging artists and no jobs, they will leave for greener pastures – i.e. Melbourne or Sydney. This could have a generational impact not unlike war.

Cultural industries in Tasmania are healthy and I believe that Tasmania has more cultural participation per capita than any other state. This affords an atmosphere of courage and daring to be innovative and undertake risky collaborative projects. I have witnessed Tasmania attract an exciting and diverse range of artists and, simultaneously the successful incubation and retention of local producers. The benefits of this show in the vigour of the arts and the attractiveness of the State for visitors. This in turn provides opportunities for independent producers like myself to undertake risky and innovative collaborations with artists from differing media; I believe this will now end.

The Federal Government’s super-contraction of Australia Council funding will result in less innovation, risk and ultimately ‘creative’ output. Systematic shrinkage of funding commonly results in decreased support for or inclination to undertake risky art unless the ‘risk’ is modified (read: compromised) in some way by taking ‘safer’ options in choosing whom one works with or what one proposes to do. This leads down the path to mediocrity not excellence. Creativity is risky. There appears to be little if any room for new collaborations from ‘unknown’ artists in the new National Programme for Excellence in the Arts and the compromising of any project by minimising ‘risk’ in order to obtain support will be the result of manifest political influence.

Tasmania does not have large corporation head offices and few philanthropists. The private sector organisations that do support the arts are at capacity. State and local government support for the arts is unlikely to increase to fill the gap that will be created by the Australia Council cuts so ‘bailout’ of our small to medium organisations under threat is unlikely.

The peer system of funding through the Australia Council is the best option for the continuing health of the arts in Australia. Direct ministerial intervention in funding the arts is unwise and dangerous to the idea of fair and viable cultural support. I strongly support the Australia Council as the preferred model of arts funding. I strongly support the process of evaluating applications through peer assessment by people who are experts in their field, at arms length from the government and political influence.

Thank you for providing the opportunity to express my views.

Yours sincerely, Frances Butler, BFA, MArtAdmin