Limelight — May 2017

12 LIMELIGHT MAY 2017 http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au

OKEYNOTES

Inamajorartspolicyvolteface,FederalArts

Minister Mitch Fifield has announced that

theTurnbullGovernmentisscrappingthe

controversial Catalyst Fund and returning $

million in uncommitted funds to the Australia

Counciloverthenextfouryears.Thisincludes

the $32 million previously announced as to be

returned in late 2015. In addition, the Australia

Council will be given control of the $12 million

currently allocated as part of existing Catalyst

funding agreements and the $7.2 million

presentlysharedbetweentheMajorFestivals

InitiativeandtheAustralianWorldOrchestra.

"The Council welcomes this decision,

andweseeitasapositiveindicationofthe

Minister's confidence in Council and our

programmes and activities. In the long-term,

thenewfundingarrangementswillassistus

todeliverourstrategicgoalsmoreeffectively,

increase the coherence and responsiveness

of the national arts funding framework, and

News

Contentious Catalyst Fund scrapped

providegreaterclarityforthesector,"said

Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski.

Thechangeoffocusisalsointendedto

empower the Australia Council to address

specific recommendations from last year's

OperaReviewrelatedtoVictorianOpera

andOperaQueensland,aswellasfunding

sustainabilityforQueenslandBalletandthe

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. However,

asthereisnoextramoneyonthetable

thereisnospecificindicationastohowthe

Councilistoimplementthenumerousother

recommendationsoftheOperaReview,allof

which require an increase in overall funding.

In what many will see as a condemnation

ofthepolicydecisionsoftheAbbott

GovernmentunderformerArtsMinister

George Brandis, the statement said that it

will allow the Australia Council to “continue

to focus on supporting small to medium arts

organisations”, although that news may come

too late for many companies who have suffered

irreparablecutsoverthelasttwoyears.

SenatorBrandisoriginallysetupthe

National Program for Excellence in the Arts

backin2014,deprivingtheAustraliaCouncil

of $105 million and causing an outcry among

arts organisations. The Federal Opposition

brandedtheNPEAa“slushfund”andthere

were numerous criticisms that crucial monies

werebeingchannelledintoSenatorBrandis’s

pet projects. When Malcolm Turnbull sacked

Senator Brandis as Arts Minister in 2015, his

replacement, Senator Mitch Fifield set up the

Catalyst Fund as a halfway house, declaring

hisintentiontolistentotheconcernsofan

increasingly vocal arts sector.

The Department of Communications and

theArtsindicatedthatitintendstoretain

$2 million each year to provide alternative

avenuesfororganisationsthatdonotreceive

funding through the Australia Council.

IN A POLICY VOLTE FACE, MITCH FIFIELD RETURNS $61 MILLION TAKEN FROM THE AUSTRALIA COUNCIL

Mitch Fifield