A comprehensive and fully-costed national arts policy was launched by the Australian Greens on Friday 28 February, just hours before the official opening of the 2025 Adelaide Festival.
The policy, which has been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office, will inject billions of dollars into the arts and includes a capital works fund, an artists-in-residence program and investment in telling Australian stories.
While announcing the policy, Greens Senator and arts spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young told ArtsHub‘s Richard Watts OAM – the only dedicated arts journalist present at the announcement – that she believes Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette AM “misled” Tuesday’s Senate Estimates hearing and that he should resign.
She has also called for the entire Board of Creative Australia to be spilled.
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Launching the policy
Formally launching the Greens’ arts policy outside the Adelaide Fringe hub Gluttony, South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, whose portfolios include arts and communications, explained that the policy launch comes after a challenging few weeks for the Australian arts sector, “including the turmoil inside Creative Australia and the sacking of Australia’s chosen Venice Biennale artistic team”.
Read: Creative Australia back-pedals on 2026 Venice Biennale selection in response to ‘divisive debate’
She continued: “What this shows is that Australian artists need a strong voice in Canberra. They have a strong voice in Canberra standing up for artists, and that’s the Greens. It’s why our policy, announced today, is fundamental to looking after the arts, for protecting Australia’s creativity and investing in the power of creativity for future generations.
“The creative sector is in turmoil right now with too many creatives struggling to make ends meet, venues facing closure and festivals cancelled. The ongoing scandal at Creative Australia is a reminder that freedom of artistic expression must be defended with vigilance.
“The Greens plan will ensure more artists are paid, more venues stay open and more audiences enjoy world-class work. Artists need funding for their work, freedom of artistic expression and protection from political interference,” she said.
What the Greens’ art policy contains
At today’s media call, Hanson-Young addressed some of the key aspects of the new Federal Arts Policy, calling the $2 billion investment in the arts the Greens “a good thing”.
“Investment in Australian storytelling for a screen and film is important. We put together a project for a $50 million fund because we know that the [Albanese] Government’s broken promise on regulating the streaming companies hasn’t come to fruition. That’s why the Greens have put on the table a $50 million fund to protect and support Australian screens,” she said.
“We want to make sure that artists are paid for when they do their live gigs, a minimum wage for the those who do our live gigs as comedians or musicians.
“We also know that investing in the future generations and the future of creativity in this country means investing in the value of art, and that’s why we want to put an artist in residence in every school and library across the country, because every child deserves the opportunity to experience art, to be exposed to art and to understand that creativity has such a power for unlocking innovation, regardless of whether you want to be a painter, a dancer or an engineer. The power of creativity unlocks innovation, and we have to invest in it. We have to invest in it for the next generation.
“So we’re very proud of this policy today, and I say as a South Australian, how proud I am.”
Referring to the presence of the Greens’ candidate for the Federal seat of Adelaide, Mat Monti, and Katie McCusker, the Greens candidate for Sturt, Hanson-Young added, “And I know my fellow candidates behind me, we’re so proud of living in the city that supports [Adelaide Fringe], the largest arts festival in the country, right here in Adelaide, right now.
“It brings our city to life. It brings creativity to the fore, and proves that it’s not just about entertainment and uplifting the community. It’s about an economic boom as well,” Hanson-Young explained.
Key policy points
The Australian Greens’ $2 billion policy’s key platforms are detailed below in full, as per this morning’s media release:
Arts Capital Works Fund for live venues: Australia has lost more than 1300 live music venues and stages since the pandemic, with the live performance sector calling for new investment. The Arts Capital Works Fund will deliver $300 million in an arts capital works fund to support the creation of performing arts venues and rebuild of the arts ecosystem around the country.
Pay artists properly for the work they do: Artists are often not paid for the work they do, with many having to pick up other work and having less time to create. The Greens will pay artists properly by delivering a Living Wage for Artists pilot program for up to 10,000 established or emerging artists for a full calendar year, giving artists financial stability that will allow them to focus on producing their art and not worry about paying their bills.
Artist in Residence program: Putting an artist in residence at every school and library in the country will provide meaningful employment particularly for new and emerging artists, while allowing greater opportunity for young people and the community to engage with the arts.
Artists and authors would support schools or local councils to create community art projects in local areas, whether that is street art, theatre or music productions, local exhibitions and local stories.
This project is focused on job creation, community development and building an enhanced appreciation for creative industries.
Musicians minimum performance fee: To provide stability for musicians, the Greens will legislate a minimum performance fee of $250 for artists performing at publicly funded events. This fee reflects industry standards for payment as determined by industry bodies, and supports the call from key stakeholder, including Musicians Australia and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance for the Government to uphold the same standards.
Protect artistic freedom: Freedom of artistic expression is not only a noble concept, but it’s a legal obligation for Creative Australia. The sacking scandal and handling of Australia’s Venice Biennale entrant has devastated Australia’s arts community and brought the organisation into disrepute.
Spilling the Board and resignations
In addition to today’s arts policy announcement, the Australian Greens are also calling for:
- the CEO of Creative Australia to be sacked
- the Board of Creative Australia to be spilled, and
- a comprehensive review of Creative Australia following the Venice Biennale sacking scandal and the subsequent threat to artistic freedom of expression.
Addressing these final points, Hanson-Young told ArtsHub:“The role of the Chair and the CEO at Creative Australia is untenable. The Chair needs to resign, the CEO needs to go and the Board needs to be spilled. Their performance at the Senate Estimates hearing [on Tuesday night] was atrocious. They exposed their absolute lack of understanding of due process, of basic governance and of giving the artists involved the opportunity for a right of reply.
“I also believe that we now know that Creative Australia’s CEO misled the Senate Estimates hearing in relation to at least one area, and that was the timing of when the final termination email was sent to the artist. That is a very, very serious matter. For the CEO of Creative Australia to come into the Senate Estimates, to answer a question that I asked, and not give a truthful answer is contempt of the Senate, and I’ll be asking today for the CEO to correct the record,” the Senator continues.
“He said that letter went off at 4.30pm; it didn’t. It went off at 6pm. Why did he not tell the Committee the truth, and what was he hiding? And if he’s not telling the truth over this bit, what else is he not being upfront with the Australian people or the Australian Parliament about?”
When asked by ArtsHub if spilling the Board of Creative Australia so soon before a Federal Election – which many political pundits are expecting to be called for April – Hanson-Young replied: “I think what we’ve seen over the last few days is such turmoil – the rushed decision, a decision made in haste, without all of the information, without the governance, without the due diligence – that [it] has plunged the integrity of Creative Australia into crisis. And the only way to restore confidence and integrity now is to spill the Board and for the CEO to go.”
A Creative Australia spokesperson told ArtsHub late this afternoon, “Adrian [Collette] would not have spoken with an intention to mislead [the Senate],” and that his comments will be updated in Hansard, the report of the proceedings of the Australian Parliament and its committees, which includes the Senate, House of Representatives, the Federation Chamber and all Parliamentary committees.
This article was updated after publication, at 9:28am on Tuesday 4 March, to include the Instagram video of Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
