Commonwealth Support for the Arts


Through funding the arts the Commonwealth pursues the following objectives:

These aims are promoted through:

As artists gain access to new tools and media for creating art, existing art forms will expand and develop, and conventional boundaries between art forms will tend to blur. Projects which integrate the live arts with other technologies, such as video and film, are expected to become more commonplace in the near future.

performing arts

aboriginal and torres strait islander performing arts

The expression, development and preservation of unique indigenous art forms and cultural heritage is fundamental to the emergence of a contemporary Australian cultural identity.

Indigenous art forms must be protected and allowed to flourish. They need specific support from the Government, which cannot be provided through the existing national training institutions.

The National Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) was founded in Sydney in the early 1970s and has always been known as a creative and dynamic organisation. It consists of two components - the NAISDA College and the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) - and is primarily devoted to dance. NAISDA training has provided cultural protection as well as employment. Many graduates have found employment as professional dancers, arts administrators, and in the fields of general production and vocational training.

The performance arm, AIDT, became an active group in the late 1970s, and is now a professional dance ensemble, well-known in Australia and overseas, with a repertoire based on both traditional and contemporary dance styles.

NAISDA and AIDT have played a vital role in preserving and developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance and indigenous cultures in general. However, their undoubted success over 19 years has been hampered by inadequate resources and facilities which are inappropriate to their worth and jeopardise their companies' future.

One of the measures announced by the Prime Minister in Distinctly Australian was that the Government would `examine the possibility of raising the status of NAISDA as a national performing arts and training organisation'. This examination by an expert Committee is now complete and after consideration of the report, the Government accepts its finding of the need for such an organisation.

With the assistance of the Queensland Government, the Commonwealth will establish a national centre of training excellence for Australian indigenous performing arts. It will provide $14.45 million over four years to establish, in Brisbane, the Australian National Institute for Indigenous Performing Arts.

The Institute will be a national centre of youth training excellence of the same status as other Commonwealth portfolio agencies such as the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and the Australian Ballet School.

The NAISDA report recommended that the Institute be housed in purpose-built premises. However, given the substantial capital costs involved in that approach, the Institute will be housed in leased, refurbished premises. The Government notes the committee's recommendation that the new body be located in Sydney, but believes that its placement in Brisbane is appropriate, given that a number of NAISDA students and AIDT performers are from remote communities in Queensland and the Northern Territory. It is anticipated that more students from these areas will be drawn to the upgraded facilities and training opportunities. Placing the centre in Queensland conforms with the Government's policy of locating new national enterprises throughout the country in cooperative ventures with State and Territory Governments.

The Government shares the view of the expert committee that this initiative is a significant step in the reconciliation process, which includes the recognition of the importance of indigenous arts and cultural traditions to the whole of Australia. It is also timely in other ways. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are assuming increasing significance for Australia, in tourism and the projection of Australian culture overseas.

Surveys have found that nearly half of all international visitors to Australia are interested in seeing and learning about Australia's indigenous culture. Surveys have also found that the employment demand for performing artist graduates is greater than the supply.

Many existing performing arts training institutions throughout Australia succeed in attracting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enrolments and it is hoped this will continue. However, the Government believes the Institute will offer a special environment for indigenous Australians to engage in training that draws on their own cultural traditions and values.

The Institute will retain a strong focus on dance, which has been a key element of its program, but it will be extended to include training in drama, music, stage management and arts promotion. Joint arrangements with other institutions will be encouraged to assist in the broadened curriculum. Partnerships are envisaged with institutions such as NIDA, the AFTRS, the Queensland College of Art and arts academies within the post-secondary system.

The expanded program will be initiated over three to five years, following detailed discussions with appropriate organisations and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts community.

The Government recognises that there remains a degree of uncertainty about the indigenous culture funding responsibilities of Commonwealth agencies. The Minister for Communications and the Arts and the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs are addressing this matter, and will consult relevant organisations and individuals as part of that process.

access to the performing arts

The Commonwealth provides support for the performing arts to bring to all Australians high quality theatre, opera, music and dance through:

Playing Australia

Bringing the arts to Australians wherever they live is a major priority of this Government.

In 1992-93 Playing Australia, the national performing arts touring program, was established to give more Australians access to high quality performing arts, by enabling performing arts companies to tour a wide range of productions including those which could not be guaranteed to be commercially practicable. In less than two years Playing Australia has brought productions of world standard to audiences in Darwin, Broome, regional Tasmania, North Queensland and many other communities. Audiences in the capital cities have also been able to experience some of the dynamic work being created in regional areas.

Playing Australia is designed to encourage new levels of cooperation between performing arts companies in different States and Territories and regional areas, and to create new networks and partnerships for the future.

The Government believes that a decentralised approach to professional theatre has worked well in Australia. There is significant cooperation between the main State companies. A pilot scheme, supported by Playing Australia, has enabled the Confederation of State Theatres to present works from their own seasons as part of a subscription season in Perth, Canberra and Hobart.

This initiative has strong support from local presenters and State Governments and it is hoped that companies can extend these seasons to other cities in the future. It has the potential to lead to the development of a national network of theatre companies, embracing regional and local companies - a truly national theatre.

The Commonwealth will continue to commit $3 million each year towards the development of performing arts touring in Australia through this program.


playing australia

Playing Australia provides assistance to venues and presenters, such as arts councils, performing arts centres and performing arts companies to arrange for tours to areas where this might not otherwise have been commercially practicable.

The program has committed almost $5 million since January 1993 towards tours of theatre, dance, opera, circus, jazz, classical and contemporary music, performance art and puppetry which have included each State and Territory of Australia.

In the first round of funding alone, approximately 200,000 Australians from over 100 towns saw over 500 performances of high quality performing arts. Without Playing Australia the majority of these tours would never have occurred.

Festivals

Regional centres benefit strongly from a thriving cultural sector, in terms of employment and income generation, the encouragement of tourism and the potential for earnings from sale of local goods for regional economies. Cultural activity also acts as a stimulus to regional regeneration due to its ability to draw people to particular localities. The arts help establish a creative and productive environment.

Business and industry are attracted to strong, active communities, and the range of cultural activity available in a particular centre is a good measure of this. The arts provide greater opportunities to market what is individual about an area to business, industry and tourists.

The Government believes that festivals are an important way of bringing the arts, audiences and whole communities together. They give communities a creative focus, help celebrate achievements and forge community identity, and are of significant assistance in generating increased tourism. They provide invaluable opportunities for marketing the arts to broader audiences and a catalyst for touring throughout the country.

In recent years, established festivals such as the Bougainvillea Festival in Darwin have expanded to cover a more diverse range of creative activity, particularly for people from a non-English speaking background. Music festivals such as the Barossa Music Festival have made links with festivals at Huntingdon and Port Fairy.

The Government has extended cultural access in regional Australia through Playing Australia, its performing arts touring program and Visions of Australia, its exhibition touring program. A new complementary program, designed specifically to support regional festivals, will also be established by the Government. A priority of this program will be youth festivals.

The Government will provide funding for a new program called Festivals Australia, to be administered by Playing Australia, which will assist in bringing high quality arts activities to Australian regional festivals.

Musica Viva in Schools

Young people are already significant arts producers and consumers. It is important that during their education, in developing their imagination and creativity, they are exposed to the widest possible range of the arts, including a comprehensive program of music. The Musica Viva program, which was established in 1981, sponsors tours of live performance groups to primary and secondary schools. Musica Viva supplies schools with information and resource packages in advance of visits and maintains a continuing relationship with the schools and teachers involved. It is substantially more than a provider of one-off school concerts.

The program currently operates in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania, with assistance from the Commonwealth through the Australia Council, the States and private sponsorship. The program reached 300,000 young people in the last year and involved 25 musical performance groups.

Following the success of this program, which provides a fine example of the sort of funding cooperation that the Government believes necessary for the arts, it is appropriate that it be extended to those States which do not currently participate. By doing so, by 1998 it will reach 500,000 young people with performances from over 50 groups.

The Commonwealth will provide additional funding of $2 million to extend the current Musica Viva in Schools program to Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory.

Opera

Opera in Australia has never been more popular than it is today. Australian artists, directors and designers have achieved prominence in world terms. The video of Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme has been the fastest selling opera on video ever to be sold in this country. Following its successful telecast in the USA, a contract has been negotiated for its release there. The tour of Baz Luhrmann's Midsummer Night's Dream to the Edinburgh Festival this year was an outstanding success.

Recently, much has been done to make this art form, which it is fair to say has been thought by many to be elitist and inaccessible, available to many more Australians, especially through concerts and an extensive series of television and radio simulcasts. The partnerships established between the opera companies, the ABC and the private sector have contributed greatly to larger opera audiences.

One way in which access can be improved is by enabling The Australian Opera to perform more widely throughout Australia. Because of the substantial costs involved in this exercise, the Government believes that this can only be achieved by a cooperative venture between the The Australian Opera, other opera companies and the private sector. The Government will therefore provide assistance for a consortium which will be set up by The Australian Opera and the State opera companies. This will provide an additional production each year in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, plus up to 40 regional performances a year.

The Commonwealth will provide $850,000 per annum for increased touring to extend access to opera to Australians in all States and Territories.

The Commonwealth will also continue to support The Australian Opera's program of recordings and simulcasts and other ventures by which it extends its audience reach.

Following the recent review of the budget and operations of The Australian Opera the Government will provide additional funding of $300,000 per annum to enable it to fund arbitrated wage increases for singers.

The Government will provide additional base funding assistance to The Australian Opera.

music

Music has always formed an important part of Australians' lives, whether through listening to the radio, home entertainment, or a concert performance.

Many Australian artists have achieved international success, but most have had to go overseas after their initial training in order to build their careers. Australian singers have perhaps been the most recognised of these artists in their own country.

Among current successes, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra have also been fine ambassadors for Australian performance and Australian music.

For 50 years, Musica Viva Australia has been engaged in bringing high quality ensemble music to as many Australians as possible. It is now the largest chamber music presenter in the world and continues to bring many groups and soloists of world standing to halls and schools across Australia. It has fostered the highest standards in chamber music performance by Australians and made an invaluable contribution to strengthening our cultural presence overseas. As outlined above, the Government will be providing additional assistance to Musica Viva.

National Academy of Music

It is estimated that there are approximately 3,800 music students enrolled in higher education institutions throughout Australia.

Young Australian players are as talented as any in the world, as are our youth orchestras. However, a lack of comprehensive training and an indifferent career structure have proved major obstacles to achieving greater international standing. There has been some unwillingness by top international artists to travel to Australia and teach our most talented students.

The need for better training was identified in Distinctly Australian. Funding was consequently provided to the Australian Youth Orchestra to enable advanced training for our most talented young orchestral players. Assistance was also provided for young performers in more remote areas, and those in difficult financial circumstances.

The Government is now moving to the second stage of its plan to assist the development of music in Australia.

This involves the establishment, in conjunction with the Victorian Government, of a National Academy of Music - a complementary training institute to NIDA, the Ballet School, the AFTRS and the new Australian National Institute for Indigenous Performing Arts.

The Academy will be situated in Melbourne. It will develop highly gifted musicians to international standards and enable them to establish careers from an Australian base. The focus will be fine music, including contemporary and Australian works.

The proposal involves bringing outstanding students into contact with the most distinguished national and international performers and teachers at an age when they will most benefit from it. Training will cater for the principal spheres of Australian professional music activity, in particular solo performance. Benefits will flow through to symphony orchestras, opera and chamber music ensembles.

The Academy will draw on the administrative resources and facilities of the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of the Arts. It will establish professional linkages with a range of relevant organisations including State symphony orchestras, the ABC and the SBS. It will cater for up to 40 students at any one time, some of whom may be young school-age students of outstanding promise. Courses will vary in length according to student needs. The Academy will also attract fee-paying overseas students.

By providing more effective music training for outstandingly talented musical performers, the Academy will play a key role in raising the standard of Australia's orchestras, and other areas of music performance, to internationally competitive standards.

The Commonwealth, in a joint venture with the Victorian Government, will establish a National Academy of Music in Melbourne as a centre of training excellence for musicians of outstanding talent.

Orchestras

Another major step will be to augment the resources of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and to establish it as a separate organisation. This will provide greater opportunity for it to develop to world standard and set a new benchmark for orchestral performance in Australia.

The Government will transfer the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from the ABC to local control and provide significant additional funds for developing it to world standard.

The ABC's six symphony orchestras are the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide, West Australian and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Currently managed by the Concert Music division of the ABC, they are among Australia's major performing arts organisations.

The orchestras grew out of early radio broadcasting in the 1940s. Their creation early in that decade was an enlightened act at a time when there was virtually no performing arts infrastructure or funding. They have carved out a central role in Australia's cultural history.

However, the Government believes that centralised control has led to some inflexibility which has inhibited the full development of our leading orchestras. Many problems of centralised control were highlighted in the Tribe report in the mid-1980s - the Study into the Future of Orchestras in Australia - which, after extensive research, advocated the decentralisation of Australia's orchestral base. Some of the problems highlighted by the Tribe report have since been addressed by the ABC through empowering local management of orchestras and raising their profile through ABC marketing.

The world's finest orchestras all operate under local control, and are accountable first and foremost to their cities of residence. As the Tribe report pointed out, our aim should be `to provide Australia with orchestras of vitality, international achievement, distinct character, and passionate community support'.

The Government believes in principle that this is better achieved if the activities, responsibilities and accountability of an orchestra's live performances are seen as primarily local, distinct from performances broadcast to a national audience. Vigorous and loyal community support, increased State support and opening the door to greater private sponsorship are all crucial to an orchestra's success.

Centralised management has tended to be concerned with equalising standards and programming across the country, especially for broadcasting, recording and marketing purposes. While democratic in spirit, and important in terms of maintaining the viability of orchestras in States with lower populations, this can have a flattening effect on quality, style and enthusiasm. It is time for the Sydney orchestra to be given the opportunity and freedom to excel.

Existing funding for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra will be transferred from the ABC to the Australia Council and will be administered through the proposed Major Organisations Board of the Council. Following the transfer, the orchestra's funding will be guaranteed for five years in real terms.

Additional funding will also be set aside from 1995-96 to increase the number of players to the international standard of 110, increase salaries, provide funds for more international quality guest artists and allow for more touring and recording ventures.

This flagship orchestra will tour throughout Australia, become a major cultural export and strengthen its program of international recording.

The Government will consult closely with all affected parties, including the ABC, the orchestra and union representatives, to ensure that the transfer proceeds with minimum disruption to conditions of employment or the operations of the orchestra generally. A priority will be maintaining optimum access to ABC facilities and services.

It is intended that the present award conditions with orchestral musicians relating to broadcasting should be continued under any new administrative arrangements, and that the ABC, in the spirit of its Act, will continue to broadcast the orchestra's performance with comparable frequency.

As outlined above, a number of reports have recommended divestment of the ABC orchestras as the best way of fostering their natural development. However, the viability of some orchestras may be more difficult to secure in the medium to long term if their status changed at this point. While all the existing orchestras will remain as major elements of the national music infrastructure, they also must have the opportunity to develop further, if necessary outside the ABC. The Government has accordingly decided that the remaining ABC orchestras may put a case to the Government for divestment if they see fit.

The opera and ballet orchestras in Sydney and Melbourne also have an important role in Australian musical life through their support of the national opera and ballet companies.

The Commonwealth has considerably increased the resource base of these companies following the establishment of new management structures.

The increase in base grants provided by the Government will enable the orchestras to continue operations and meet the continued costs of arbitrated wage increases for musicians.

The Government will provide an increase of $700 000 per annum to the base grants of the opera and ballet orchestras, to enable the orchestras to continue operations and meet the costs of arbitrated wage increases for musicians.

Contemporary Music

During the 1980s, Australia built up a strong international presence in contemporary music despite our relatively small domestic market. Music publishing and recording, as well as some notable touring successes, helped Australia become the third largest supplier of new English repertoire to the international market. Some estimates put export earnings at about $206 million a year.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated in 1991 that contemporary music in all its forms was the most popular and accessible form of cultural activity. It was estimated that 28 per cent of the Australian population and 54 per cent of 18-24 year olds attended popular music performances in 1991.

In the past, the Commonwealth has supported this industry through a copyright system which assists the development of Australian product, and a broadcasting system which supports its dissemination.

The Government will increase copyright protection to ensure a continued basis for growth of the contemporary music industry.

In Distinctly Australian the Government undertook to examine the introduction of rental tights for recordings and to review parallel import rights.

In Distinctly Australian the Government undertook to examine the introduction of rental rights for recordings and to review parallel import rights.

As a result, in July 1994, Cabinet approved the introduction of rental rights for the owners of copyright in sound recording. At the same time, it approved the extension of `anti-bootleg' rights for performers. These reforms will be enacted by 1 January 1995 and become operative during that year.

To fight recording piracy the penalties in the Copyright Act will be increased to the same levels that apply to piracy of films. Piracy of music is as much a cultural abuse as it is an economic one. If piracy increases, it then follows that the development of further legitimate cultural products such as records and books is diminished.

The Government, in accepting the reccomendations of the Copyright Convergence Group, will target anomalies in the Copyright Act applying to sound recordings. These have adversely affected the returns that should have properly flowed to record producers and artists.

The Government will implement the recommendations of the Copyright Convergence Group to remove identified anomalies in the Copyright Act.

Australian contemporary music is a significant contributor to the Australian economy with a turnover of approximately $1.5 billion annually. The Commonwealth provides support for the industry at a level of approximately $1.5 million per annum. Commonwealth programs include AUSMUSIC and the Music Industry Advisory Council (MIAC), and the Government has also provided continuing support for the Big Backyard - a promotion for Australian contemporary music through distribution of CD recordings for radio stations internationally. Export projects receive support through Export Music Australia.

The Government recognises that the development of contemporary music to the level it currently enjoys is a result of the combined efforts of all participants - writers, musicians and performers, record companies, music publishers, promoters, managers and venue owners. Live venues have contributed substantially to this development, together with the recording industry. Commonwealth, State and Territory Government programs have also supplemented the industry's own efforts.

The Government believes, however, that there is room for improvement in the level of coordination between Federal, State and Territory support. As a first step in this direction, it is reviewing its own programs which are delivered through the Industry, Science and Technology portfolio.

This review was announced in the Government's Working Nation policy document, and will provide guidance as to the appropriate role of the Commonwealth Government in future development of the music industry.

The Government is reviewing its music industry assistance schemes delivered through the Industry, Science and Technology portfolio.

Following this review, the Minister for Communications and the Arts will, in conjunction with his State and Territory colleagues, convene a contemporary music summit. This will provide an opportunity for views to be expressed at a national level.

The Government recognises that there is current concern that the wave of successful Australian recordings is declining. Particular concern has been expressed that government cultural agency support has favoured other musical forms over contemporary music.

The summit will cover a range of music issues including proposals for schemes to support the further development of the contemporary music industry, copyright, technology, live venues, education and training and other issues. Coordination of current Commonwealth, State and Territory support mechanisms for contemporary music will also be explored.

The Government will convene a contemporary music summit.

literature

The Whitlam Government, elected in 1972, established the Literature Board of the Australia Council to provide support to writers and publishers. Since then, over 2000 grants have been awarded by the Board through programs of grants to individual writers.

During the last 20 years, too, there has been a deserved increase in critical recognition of Australian writers and their work. As a result, sales have increased substantially. Over 200 Australian novels were published in 1992 compared with 19 in 1972.

The emergence of Australian dramatists has been exceptional. Australian plays generally account now for about half of theatre companies' programming, and events such as the annual Australian National Playwrights Conference bring works by emerging playwrights to the attention of professional companies and directors.

The Australian publishing industry is vigorous and creative. Publishers provide the creative and coordinating link from the original creator to the marketplace and, in that sense, generate considerable direct income and employment.

Australian publishing has grown through a combination of activities by a varied range of independent and multinational publishers. Over the last 15 years in particular, the overall proportion of locally created and published material has increased. There has been a gradual growth in exports of these same works.

The total value of the Australian book industry in 1993 was estimated at $2 billion at retail value.

The Australian publishing industry has always worked at exporting intellectual property. The industry has recently targeted Asian markets as possible destinations for Australian books, particularly in the educational field.

The Government supports this focus of the publishing industry, and is working with the Australian Book Publishers Association on a research project that will give publishers information and advice on exploiting the characteristics of the different markets for books in Asia.

The Government is also providing funding to bring together independent publishers from around Australia to investigate synergies, competitive advantages and economies of scale they can achieve by `networking' on particular activities.

Around 30 publishers now participate in joint activities under Publish Australia Group Enterprises (PAGE). Export projects, consolidation of domestic marketing and distribution infrastructure have been identified as major goals. A catalogue featuring 90 titles from 27 publishers has been produced and will be used for domestic marketing purposes and international rights trading.

To date, members of the network have received funding and facilitation assistance from government, and administrative assistance from the Australian Book Publishers Association. Plans are under way to have all members of the network communicating on-line in the near future. It is envisaged that PAGE will be self-funding within five years.

Copyright

The trend to electronic publishing is gathering strength and challenging traditional product and market concepts. While technological change opens new opportunities for increased access to a wider range of cultural materials, it also presents significant challenges which could threaten the viability of Australia's writers and publishers. The Government recognises that it is likely that a major form of delivery of written material in the future may be in digital multi-media form.

Even now in Australia there are educational institutions which provide materials for students which have been scanned into digital form, stored in computers and then downloaded for readers. The convergence of technologies and digital broadband technology will allow material to be transmitted internationally and manipulated without authority or payment.

In the new technological and communications environment, it is no longer possible to adequately protect copyright owners or to facilitate the development of industries based around the exploitation of copyright material under the existing Act.

Multi-media is a new form of work and it was acknowledged at the recent Copyright Convergence Group seminar that, as a work in its own right, it is not protected under the Copyright Act.

This Statement sets out the Government's intention to examine protection of copyright in the new communications environment.

Book Lending Right

The Government has long held the view that Australian authors and publishers should be compensated for the loss of potential income represented by their books being borrowed free of charge.

The current Public Lending Right Scheme (PLR) was introduced in 1974 to compensate eligible creators and publishers for loss of royalties on sales of books when copies of their books are available in public libraries. PLR has distributed approximately $25 million to writers and publishers.

In Distinctly Australian an undertaking was given by the Government to examine the feasibility of introducing an Educational Lending Right (ELR).

The Government having considered this examination has come to the conclusion that it is logical to extend PLR to educational libraries. While PLR has compensated many Australian writers and publishers, a great number of books attract no compensation for library use because they are held in the libraries of education institutions.

Australian writers and publishers will now receive a fee for the use of their books in the libraries and textbook rooms of primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions. Not only will this measure compensate writers for use of creative materials, but it will also assist in the task of making available more Australian books for Australian students.

The Government will introduce Educational Lending Right in full as an extension of the existing PLR Scheme.

Dance

The high standards achieved by Australian dancers and dance companies, as reflected by their successes both at home and overseas, are underpinned by the Government's support for training and performance.

The Government provides substantial funding, through the Australia Council, for contemporary dance. This has enabled consolidation and sustained growth by a number of outstanding companies.

Playing Australia has enabled more Australians to experience outstanding dance performances and also encouraged groups in different States and Territories to work together to develop new productions.

The Australian Ballet School has contributed very substantially to Australia's fine international reputation in dance. Its graduates can be found as principals, soloists and artists in major companies throughout the world. The School works in close liaison with the Australian Ballet and, since its inception, has produced, on average,

95 per cent of the dancers for the Australian Ballet.

The Government is a strong supporter of the Australian Ballet - a national flagship company. It recognises that it has experienced some financial difficulties in recent times which have the potential to curtail its full program of activity. While there is great pleasure to be gained by many Australians from the performance of the `old favourites' from the Australian Ballet's traditional repertoire, the Government believes that, like all major companies involved in the arts, the Ballet can only survive if it is actively involved in the creative process.

The newly estabilshed Major Organisations Board of the Australia Council will consider the inclusion of the AustralianBallet for triennial funding. The Ballet has also sought support for additional new Australian work.

visual arts and crafts

The `visual arts' cover a spectrum of practice in a variety of forms and media including painting, sculpture, drawing, print making, photography, video, installation and performance art. The areas covered by the term `craft' include working with ceramics, fibre, textiles, leather, glass, wood, metal, jewellery etc.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that there are over 40,000 professional visual artists in Australia. A strong and increasingly viable aspect of the visual arts sector is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual arts and craft.

Many people would argue that the visual arts have helped more than any other to forge our national identity.

Australians have long had a fascination and connection with our natural landscape - an interest that has seen develop a robust visual arts tradition which encompasses all major arts/crafts genres.

The advent of new technologies is changing the creation, storage, distribution, transmission and application of copyright materials. Although in the past the only source of income for the majority of visual artists derived from the sale of original work, this may not continue to be the case. With greater facilities to reproduce visual images through digital technology, an increasing source of income may be fees collected from such reproduction.

The Commonwealth provides support for the visual arts through a number of avenues:


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