Show Your Support for the Arts
this Federal Election

The arts make the western suburbs a great place to live, work and visit.

Decades of underfunding and poor policy mean that many artists struggle to achieve financial security and creative organisations have seen funding steadily decrease. Over the last two years, COVID19 has further damaged a sector that relies on audiences to exist. 

The arts sector is a vital employer locally, a sizable contributor to our economy, essential to building healthy communities, and a key component to our education system. 

Arts West is a collective of independent artists and much-loved creative organisations in Melbourne’s west fighting for sustainable public investment in arts and culture.

The arts must be prioritised this Federal election.

Add your name to the letter below to urge election candidates in Melbourne’s western suburbs to support the local arts sector this Federal election.

Sign the Letter

Dear Election Candidates in Melbourne’s Western Suburbs,

The arts make our growing western suburbs a great place to live, work and visit. As a sector, the arts is a vital employer locally, a sizable contributor to our economy, essential to building healthy communities, and a key component to our education system.

However, decades of underfunding and poor policy from successive Federal Governments mean that – locally and nationally – many artists struggle to achieve financial security and creative organisations have seen funding steadily decrease. Over the last two years, COVID19 has further damaged a sector that relies on audiences to exist.

As a candidate in this year’s Federal election you can support the arts sector to be a stronger driving force for public good in Melbourne’s western suburbs by committing to:

  • Investing in Arts Infrastructure: address the aged not-fit-for-purpose infrastructure that houses the western suburb’s independents and small-to-medium creative organisations with essential upgrades.

  • Establishing a National Arts and Culture Plan (similar to Sport 2030): Such a plan has broad sector-wide support and was a key recommendation in the Federal Government’s 2021 Inquiry into the pandemic’s impact upon Cultural and Creative Industries and Institutions. A National Arts and Culture Plan should dovetail with state and territory government plans and be developed with leadership from the Australia Council for the Arts and in consultation with the wider arts and cultural industries. 

  • Reinstating a Federal Department for the Arts: “Arts” was removed from the title of the relevant federal department in 2020. Visibility of the arts is vital in ensuring this vital sector has a voice in cross-department policy development, continuing Australia’s legacy internationally for visionary arts and cultural investment. Amending the department’s title to include the Arts was another key recommendation from the 2021 Federal Inquiry. These recommendations represented bi-partisan commitments.

  • Protecting Australia Council for the Arts: The Australia Council, the government’s arts funding and advisory body, has experienced consistent budget cuts over recent years (most disastrously in 2015 by previous Liberal Arts Minister George Brandis) and ongoing austerity measures. These have resulted in a lack of investment in Australia’s growing creative industries and insufficient funding to keep up with inflation. By chipping away at the Australia Council, we are also chipping away at Australia Council’s peer assessment funding processing, which ensures due process in the fair allocation of tax payer money. 

Arts West is a collective of independent artists and much-loved organisations in Melbourne’s west fighting for sustainable public investment in arts and culture. We hope that you will join us and the signatories to this letter in prioritising the local arts sector this election.

Sincerely,

Arts West and Signatories

444 signatures received - Add yours below

BANNER IMAGE: Bluestone Sessions 2022, Footscray Community Arts. Photo by Gianna Rizzo.