2013 was a great year for the arts. No one was expecting another like it in 2014, but the dismantling of Creative Australia has been swift and painful. Having waited 30 years for a national cultural policy to have the vision tantalisingly given then abruptly taken away has caused widespread disappointment.
Of course the sector is not alone in struggling with reductions in government funding. As the big spenders of health and education continue to battle the budget initiatives designed to reduce government spending and increase user-pays, the arts reflects a zeitgeist that makes little space for creativity. The difficulties of government funding were aggravated by pitched battles over private funding – though compensated by some generous philanthropic gifts.
