DELAYS in approvals for 2012 Arts Victoria funding are setting alarm bells ringing in the arts sector.
“We are very concerned at the delays to date and trust future government processes will be executed in a more timely manner,‘’ Arts Industry Council (Victoria) executive director Jacqueline Grenfell said.
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2011 proved another big year for the Arts Industry Council Victoria, undertaking a number of successful campaigns as well as contributing to the development of policy and advocating on the behalf of the sector on several key issues.
The AICV campaigned successfully to “End Sunsets for the Arts” in the lead up to this year’s State budget announcement, ensuring continuation of key Arts Victoria funding programs including the Annual Operations program. Most recently, the AICV has written to the Premier requesting overdue funding outcomes from Arts Victoria programs be urgently announced.
In October, the AICV consulted with the sector and attended the World Summit on Arts and Culture to inform its submission on the National Cultural Policy discussion paper. Representatives of the AICV have attended meetings with Heidi Victoria MLA, Minister Simon Crean and Senator Kate Lundy, as well as staff from government departments, arts peak bodies and community organisations.
The AICV has contributed to the work of the federal arts body ArtsPeak, supporting its submissions to the National Cultural Policy and the Senate enquiry into the ABC. AICV also campaigned on local issues including the discontinuation of ABC’s Melbourne based program Art Nation.
Internally, the AICV has been engaged in a period of renewal with a new Board comprised of staff from Victoria’s peak bodies, as well as streamlining the staffing structure. The AICV Board will undertake strategic planning in January in preparation for an exciting 2012.
“DELAYS by the Premier and Arts Minister, Ted Baillieu, are causing a crisis in the state’s arts community because routine funding announcements are running six weeks late.
‘'It means it is really difficult for small-to-medium companies to plan ahead,’‘ says the director of Theatre Network Victoria, Nicole Beyer. ’‘Contracts can’t be signed with staff and venues for next year, which means people are going on holidays with no idea if they will have a job when they come back. It would be completely unacceptable in the commercial world.’'
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The Arts Industry Council Victoria has written to the Premier expressing concern over the apparent delay in the announcement of outcomes of several Arts Victoria funding streams and urges an immediate resolution of the issue.
AICV Executive Director, Jacqueline Grenfell, has written to the Premier expressing concern…to read more, please click below.
Thank you to all of those who contributed to the development of AICV’s submission to the National Cultural Policy consultation. The submission endorses the draft goals of the IFACCA World Summit on Arts and Culture recently held in Melbourne, and includes input from members at both the formal consultation and other mechanisms, as well as key policy positions of AICV including support for the small to medium sector.
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AICV, as a member of the national ArtsPeak coalition, has endorsed the ArtsPeak submission to the Office of the Arts' National Cultural Policy consultation 2011.
The ArtsPeak submission was developed primarily from a meeting held between ArtsPeak (including AICV representatives) and Minister Crean at Parliament House, Canberra August 2011, also attended by Senator Kate Lundy.
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Following concerns regarding the discontinuation of the ABC’s Melbourne based program Art Nation, AICV has lent its weight to ArtsPeak’s submission to the Senate Enquiry into the ABC.
AICV representatives have met with Federal Arts Minister Simon Crean in Canberra as members of an arts delegation being briefed on the development of the National Cultural Policy.
The hour long meeting, also attended by Senator Kate Lundy, included discussions around themes of “mainstreaming” the arts, the impact of technology, career pathways for artists and the positioning of Australia’s arts and culture in the international arena.
A number of challenges were identified going forward and three resourcing issues were raised by the delegation: the continuing impact of the efficiency dividend; the need to adequately fund tertiary arts education; and a proposal to introduce a 1% levy on the National Broadband Network to assist in funding content development.
The Minister spoke to the role of the arts in building social capacity, especially the role of the arts in Indigenous communities, while also emphasising the role of the arts in education and the economy. He spoke to the roll out of the National Broadband Network and reviews associated with the development of the National Cultural Policy including the Creative Industries Strategy, the Major Performing Arts Review and the Convergence Review.
As well as agreeing on common themes, peak bodies attending the meeting also plan to develop individual submissions to the National Cultural Policy Discussion Paper representing their respective sectors.
To read more about the National Cultural Policy Discussion Paper, please click here.
A new Board was appointed at AICV’s Annual General Meeting in May.
As per the AICV Constitution, the new Board comprises of members elected directly from the membership and appointed directly by the Board. The AICV is trialing a new Board composition constituted of representatives of peak arts bodies in Victoria with an external, independent Chair.
While there are approximately 18 peak bodies in Victoria, half are now represented by the current AICV Board, balancing representation of disciplines and demographics. The new approach was initiated to ensure the most effective representation of the arts sector possible, with each peak body representative bringing knowledge of their particular sector and respective members. Already, the new approach has proven valuable through the strengthening of networks and also providing links to federal peak bodies.
To read more about our Board members, please click here.
The End Sunsets for the Arts campaign has been a resounding success, with Tuesday’s Victorian state budget announcing $11.3 million for the small to medium arts sector including the continuation of “support for successful arts and cultural programs and initiatives that were facing the axe”.
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