AWG Responds to Review of Australia Council

18 May, 2012

This week a Review of the Australia Council was released, recommending a number of reforms to the Australian Government’s arts funding agency.

The Australian Writers’ Guild is very pleased with the recommendations of the Review and delighted to see that many of these recommendations address issues and suggestions highlighted in our official submission to the Review on behalf of our members.

Our response to the key conclusions and recommendations can be found below:

Purpose

That ‘excellence’ needs to be better defined and outcomes linked to strategic priorities.

The AWG supports the Review’s recommendation for a new definition of ‘excellence’ because it supports a uniquely Australian perspective. 

We also agree with an enhanced research and advocacy role for the Council. We recommend that this role be expanded to include the promotion of Australian art, particularly theatre productions, in the international market.

Relationship with other arts agencies

The Australia Council as part of a complex and broad network and duplication and linkages within that network.

The AWG supports the idea of a joint audit between the Australia Council and Office for the Arts to implement the new access versus excellence filter to current programs. If the Council starts to link with other Australian Government Arts Portfolio Agencies, to engage more directly with the national Arts Training Organisations and implement new programs such as a ‘mentor bank’, we would expect the same level of accountability and transparency as the other reforms.  

We agree with the Review that there is a need “to clarify the place of the touring programs more generally” and its recommendation of a “filter of Access versus Excellence be applied, with touring programs supporting Excellence being moved to the Council”. 

We strongly believe that regardless of which government agency implements this policy, the policy itself needs to be re-examined. Funding for touring programs from Playing Australia and the Major Performing Arts theatres (funded in turn by the Australia Council), have severely cut into regional theatres’ funding.  The Review states that: “Excellence in artistic practice and performance can be achieved equally across all forms of practice, whether in community arts or on the main stage of the Opera House.  The AWG would like to see not only regional theatre being given the funds directly in order to be able to produce theatre of excellence but also give regional communities access to such locally produced theatre.

Funding requirement 

Recommending additional Government funding to cover a number of current funding pressures and changes to Australia Council’s purpose.

The AWG supports additional funding to the Council for a Screen Australia-style research and reporting on the industry. 

We also support opening the Major Performing Arts (MPA) funding to regular competitive bidding – but would add that the awarding of MPA funding be based on need as well as excellence. 

We do not believe more funding needs to be made available for training arts managers and ‘leaders’ – this money is better spent in support of advocacy and mid-career artists.  Any increase in funding must be accompanied by clear and transparent disbursement procedures.

Governance and Administration 

Recommendations for new governance structure, model for grant allocation and operational structure.

The AWG supports the new proposed structure and governance model for the Council. This support is again provided that is accompanied by rigorous adherence to clear and transparent funding procedures and that relevant executives take responsibility for Council decisions – much of the responsibility for decisions is now bureaucratically pushed down to the art form boards.

Enabling Legislation

The development of an entirely new Act for the Council, based on the templates provided by the enabling legislation for the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and Screen Australia

The AWG believes the legislation referred to would provide excellent models for the Council.

Further Comments

The AWG does note that many of the responses to the survey wanted more support for the community arts sector.  We feel this input is not well reflected in the conclusions and recommendations.

We hope the proposed, new definition of excellence will result in the re-invigorating of the mid-tier and regional theatre sector with funding for commissioning playwrights and producing new Australia work.  This sector once provided the theatre industry with a proving ground for theatre creatives as well as access to new theatre work in regional Australia.  With so few new Australian plays being presented on main stages, it is time to reinvest in this key area.