Arts funding: which party gives more?

Who spends more on the arts: Labor or Liberal? The answer might surprise you, writes Ben Eltham.
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So which party is better? Is it Labor, which has just poured more than $230 million into the sector through its Creative Australia policy? Or is the Coalition, who Arts spokesman George Brandis has long argued is a truer friend to the sector than Labor?

With neither the government nor the Opposition releasing election statements on the arts yet, it’s too early to tell what their approach will be. But we can look to history to judge each party’s track record. In particular, we can examine their record on arts funding. Which party was more generous with cultural support?

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Ben Eltham
About the Author
Ben Eltham is ArtsHub's industry columnist.