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Dear Colin Brooks: defunded Victorian arts organisations address Creative Industries Minister

Four of the eight organisations abruptly defunded by Creative Victoria share their message for Creative Industries Minister Colin Brooks.

4 Mar 2026 9:54

Richard Watts

All Arts

Janice Gobey, Writers Victoria’s Chair. Image: David Patston.

Last week, ArtsHub reported on the concerns of several Victorian arts organisations that had lost their four year organisational funding – without notice or warning – in the latest round of Creative Victoria’s Creative Enterprises Program.

Here, the defunded arts organisations directly address Victoria’s Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Brooks MP, about their current predicament.

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Richard Watts

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's former National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts