News

Urgent financial investment in the arts would ease four-year funding fallout

After the shock of Friday's announcement, arts leaders have called for greater investment in the arts in order to secure the sector's future.

7 Apr 2020

Richard Watts

Writing and Publishing

Restless Dance Theatre are one of 49 organisations to be transitioned out of the Australia Council’s four-year funding program. Pictured: Andrew Pandos in Restless Dance Theatre’s Intimate Space. Photo credit: Shane Reid.

Friday’s announcement by the Australia Council for the Arts that 49 organisations are to be transitioned out of the four-year funding program has been met with widespread shock and concern.

Read: Sector in shock as Australia Council 4-year funding announced

While recognising that the Australia Council has done the best it can in a bad situation, Shadow Minister for the Arts the Hon. Tony Burke MP described the results of the four-year funding program as ‘devastating for the arts sector, at the time when it is already suffering due to the coronavirus crisis’.

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Richard Watts

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