The following residents of the ACT draw to the attention of the Assembly that Arts Funding needs to be directed to provide the best possible return on investment for ACT artists, organisations, and the community.
Recent announcements in Arts Project Funding highlight the need for funding and policy to be expanded and administered in consultation with arts practitioners so that it addresses the needs of the ACT Arts sector.
Your petitioners therefore request the Assembly to call on the Government to:
1. Honour its election commitment to increase annual Project Funding by $500K so that each year recurrent Project Funding is budgeted at a minimum of $1.25 million, commencing in the 2017-18 budget year.
2. Ensure that this increase in Project Funding be funded through an increase in the Arts Fund, and not taken from other parts of the Arts Fund.
3. Set up an Arts Ministerial Advisory Board by 1 September 2017, reporting directly to the Minister. This Board will be established to provide principled and transparent advice around arts funding and policy, and made up of arts practitioners nominated by the Arts community.
4. Ensure that the Minister works with the Arts community to create the best possible funding model for the Arts Fund that will best service ACT artists, organisations, and the community, for implementation in 2018 and going forward.
5. Increase the overall Arts Fund by a minimum of $1.25 million beginning in the 2017-18 budget.