David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Arts, culture and history are vital parts of our national identity. Safeguarding these for future generations is a key responsibility of any national government. This morning, I rise to speak in favour of the motion moved by the member for Macquarie and Special Envoy for the Arts. What a champion she is for the arts! I have been a proud advocate for our national cultural institutions for as long as I've been involved in public life. I'm pleased to be part of a government that recognises the need to ensure that these institutions who care for our arts and history are supported and celebrated.

Across this country, there are thousands of diverse cultural organisations that make an immense positive contribution to our local, state and national story. As the member for Bean, co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Capital Region, and co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums—or GLAM—I am particularly proud to work with the cultural and historical organisations at both local and national levels, particularly those that have their home in our nation's capital and region. These institutions tell the stories of Australia from local heritage places such as Lanyon Homestead to establishments of national significance like the Museum of Australian Democracy and the National Gallery. Preserving and conserving our national heritage is a key priority of this government, and forms a central part of Revive, our new national cultural policy.

Last week, I had the privilege of receiving a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Film and Sound Archive on the grounds of the Australian National University. The National Film and Sound Archive records our audiovisual history, from the first radio broadcast to episodes of Home and Away and striking national moments like the 2008 National Apology to the Stolen Generations. With constantly changing technology and rapidly decaying film and video archives, the archivists and technicians at NFSA are in a race against time to preserve these aspects of our national story. These challenges require diverse and precise skills and instruments. For that, they're in greater need than ever of national support.

Canberra was one of the largest victims of the former government's policy neglect when it came to the arts. For nine years, coalition arts ministers sat idle as crucial maintenance spending was spent on slush funds, and vital programs faced funding cliffs. An example of this was the National Library's Trove platform, which provides digital access to cultural collections throughout the country. For those living in regional and remote areas, it's particularly valuable. But under the previous government's plans, funding for this service is going to run out on 30 June this year. Thanks to the Albanese government's intervention, that funding was extended. After a decade of underfunding and neglect by the former government, this year's budget allocated over $535 million over the next four years to ensure ongoing and stable funding of the nine national collecting institutions, including the NFSA.

As the Prime Minister has said, these are special places, and we should be proud of them. They preserve, protect, and celebrate Australia's stories and history. This government is committed to preserving, protecting, and celebrating them.

Not only does a well-funded creative and cultural industry bring so much to our lives as Australians, it's also fundamental to a strong national economy. Arts and cultural events organisations and institutions drive tourism, employment and economic development from our regions to our bigger cities.

Revive, the new cultural policy championed by this government, will channel funding to support the $17 billion industry to rebound after a decade of coalition funding cuts and the devastation of the COVID pandemic. This policy will cover all aspects of our national cultural assets from creative arts to history and archiving. I would like to acknowledge the dedicated public servants, independent artists and musicians whose tireless and ongoing work and advocacy is so essential to enriching our lives and preserving our national history.

I thank the member for Macquarie for this motion, and the tireless work she has done to restore and grow the arts and regional arts sector that was left devastated by the COVID pandemic and nine years of Liberal-National government. I invite all in this House to come to the capital showcase this Wednesday, which will be an opportunity to match the providores of this region with the extraordinary national cultural institutions which will be on show for all to see.

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