MEAA strongly supports the development of a national cultural policy and endorses the five pillars.
Government has a critical role in setting the tone and scope of our national cultural ambitions. Government must foster growing arts and media sectors and spruik their undoubted role in shaping our culture and economic future.
Notwithstanding the challenging economic environment in which this consultation is being undertaken, there ought to be an acknowledgment that federal government support for artistic and cultural endeavours has fallen by 17% over the thirteen years to 2020, with federal per capita cultural expenditure declining from $138.71 to $107.20. The pandemic has made the arts ecosystem more fragile still.
A new policy must strive to provide financial and policy certainty. Creative workers - whether in the arts or media sectors – require engagement and respect. A new cultural policy must acknowledge and address the vulnerability of the cultural workforce, many of whom earn less than the national minimum wage each year for their arts-related work.
