Defunding the sector’s R&D arm sounds a warning note for the future
With the stroke of a pen, the Australia Council has defunded the theatre companies who collectively serve as the sector's research & development arm, arts leaders say.
21 Apr 2020
Jo Pickup
Writing and Publishing
A scene from Australian Theatre for Young People’s 2016 production of Sara West’s The Trolleys. Photo credit: Tracey Schramm.
The outcomes of the Australia Council’s latest four-year funding program have sent ripples of dismay through large swathes of this country’s arts sector. Almost 50 small-to-medium arts organisations who previously received four-year funding will lose that support from 2022 (after a year of reduced transitional funding in 2021).
The results of such major government funding decisions are often controversial, as large portions of government money are re-directed with the capacity to re-shape the arts landscape.
ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for WA arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at WAAPA.
