News

Is it over? How protest killed the NPEA

After six months of campaigning, the arts community has succeeded in getting George Brandis' National Program for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA) cancelled but the Australia Council is still more than $70 million out of pocket.

19 Nov 2015

Deborah Stone

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Writing and Publishing

Minister for the Arts, Senator Mitch Fifield has cancelled the National Program for Excellence in the Arts

A third of the $104.8 million over four years that was removed from the Australia Council to fund the NPEA will be returned. The Australia Council will get an additional $8 million a year.

The rest will go to fund a new program called Catalyst — Australian Arts and Culture Fund. Details of this fund have yet to be released but in a statement at midnight Minister for the Arts Senator Mitch Fifield said Catalyst would support innovative proposals from arts and cultural organisations, and was intended to work in concert with other government arts programs, including the Australia Council.