Brandis announced as Arts Minister

Senator George Brandis has been appointed as Australia’s new Minister for the Arts – but will he have time for the job?
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Prime Minister elect Tony Abbott today announced his first Federal Parliamentary Cabinet, with Senator George Brandis QC appointed – as expected – to the position of Minister for the Arts.

Brandis has also been given the demanding role of Attorney-General, as well as being Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, and Vice-President of the Executive Council – leaving some in the sector to wonder how much time he will have for his arts portfolio.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's 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 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts