The Victorian Legislative Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee has exposed the neglect of Victoria's arts and creative industries by both federal and state Labor governments, along with a shocking Sydney-centric bias.
Liberal and Nationals committee members issued a minority report, which highlighted that the federal Labor Government's Revive policy is 'fundamentally flawed,' demonstrating a clear failure to adequately support Victoria and its diverse cultural landscape.' The report also calls for a transparent breakdown of funding by state and territory.
Separately, the majority report, supported by Labor committee members, also acknowledges that regional Victoria is not receiving its fair share of Commonwealth arts funding; a rare admission that reinforces concerns raised by the Liberals and Nationals.
Despite the then federal Minister's claim in a December 2024 media release that a new SBS Production Hub in Western Sydney was an initiative of the SBS board and management, senior officials told the inquiry in March that it was a decision of the Albanese Labor Government; a shocking betrayal of Victoria.
Most of the committee called on the Allan Labor Government to advocate for a physical presence of the SBS in a multicultural location like Broadmeadows or Dandenong, however, this was opposed by Labor Members of the Committee.
This favouring of Sydney over Victoria was also laid bare by the breakdown of staff by state at the ABC, which shows that while a massive 56 per cent of the ABC's staff reside in NSW, less than a fifth, or 18.6 per cent live here in Victoria.
The Liberals and Nationals also called for the state government to lobby for the return of the Victorian 7:30 Report, so that the issues facing our state receive the coverage they deserve by our national broadcaster. This was agreed to by most of the Committee but opposed by Labor MPs who clearly don't want that sort of scrutiny.
Shadow Minister for the Arts and Creative Industries, Evan Mulholland, said: "This report was a scathing indictment of the state of arts funding in Victoria thanks to a decade of neglect by Labor at a state level, and a federal Labor Government which has made snubbing our arts sector an artform in itself.
"Victoria is the arts and culture capital of Australia, and these sectors contribute over $40 billion to our economy, but they are being neglected by Labor at both a state and federal level.
"It is shocking that despite Victoria being the fastest growing state and Melbourne on track to be bigger than Sydney, that the ABC only have less than one in five of their staff here in Victoria.
"How can the ABC possibly be the national broadcaster when over half their staff live in NSW"Read the report here
