We are campaigning for decent arts funding in Oz

Don't Kill Australian Culture: Fund the Arts

After a quarter century of neglect, the Australian arts sector is in critical condition and in dire need of decent government funding.

Australian culture is something that is impossible to imagine without the arts: it's how we define ourselves. What would Australian culture be without Nolan's Ned Kelly series, AC/DC, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Tim Winton, Rennie Ellis, Albert Namitjira, Paul Kelly, Muriel's Wedding, or a thousand other pieces of Australian art and culture.

But right now the Australian arts sector is being left to wither on the vine. It's not just COVID, it's things like having Australian content quotas, funding for local arts performances, and art education. We want to see more Australian content on our screens, speakers, walls, pages, and stages.

We want arts funding not just because the arts is the third largest employer in Australia, not just because it gives one of the best returns on investment - employing 9 people for every $1mn spent - not just because it contributes $14.9bn to GDP every year, but because it's what defines us as Australians and makes us unique, not a cultural outpost for surplus American culture.

Australia is its own country and needs its own expression, culture, and identity. We are running a thorough campaign to restore arts funding to its rightful place. Please help us by donating.