Why funding only the majors means the arts won’t fly

The Federal Government has consistently reiterated its preferences for funding established arts organisations over the grassroots. But companies like the Flying Fruit Fly Circus would not exist if previous governments had taken this approach.
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Image: The Flying Fruit Fly Circus, photo supplied

Since coming to power in September 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s Liberal-National Coalition has been outspoken in its preference for major companies and ‘the great classical works’, apparently forgetting that great works and great artists all have to start somewhere.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts