Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I recently arrived in Canberra early enough on a Sunday to attend the National Gallery of Australia. It does have a very magnificent collection. I especially went to see the Century of Quilts collection, which is magnificent, showing not only European quilts but Indigenous quilting and fabric art. I also visited the major exhibition by the Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira. I was interested to learn through Senate estimates that I am not the only one to be drawn to this exhibition. Apparently, visits to the National Gallery have surged by 24 per cent since public attention was drawn to one of the portraits by Mr Namatjira.

The other item I was interested in looking at again was Jackson Pollock's magnum opus, Blue Poles. This piece of art needs no introduction in this place. It stands the test of time and will continue to attract visitors for centuries to come. It was of course purchased by a former member for Werriwa. It was Gough Whitlam's approval in 1973 for the extraordinary sum of $1.3 million—extraordinarily cheap, as it turns out, because, while it is difficult to value pieces of art, it's now estimated to be worth around $500 million. Who said Gough didn't have a good eye for art or investment?

Labor has always had the back of the arts community in Australia. From the halcyon days of Gough and Don Dunstan to now, Labor and the arts community have always gone hand in hand. In July last year, I had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable discussion with Australia's Special Envoy for the Arts, the member for Macquarie, who, thankfully, is joining us in the chamber today. The venue was the wonderful Casula Powerhouse, and there were many representatives present from our local Werriwa arts community. The roundtable's objective was to directly feed into the matter that is before the House today—that is, to implement Labor's national cultural policy, Revive. So I'm delighted to be here today, speaking to this important piece on national policy, knowing that what comes before us has been widely canvassed and discussed and that my own arts community in Werriwa had the opportunity for input. I really thank the special envoy for that.

This bill establishes two bodies within Creative Australia: First Nations Arts and Writing Australia. The Albanese government recognises and respects the vital place First Nations stories have at the centre of Australia's art and culture. The bill will establish a First Nations board to oversee the work of First Nations Arts. The board will consist of 10 members, and all will be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders. Uniquely, the board will have autonomy over the allocation of funds for investment in First Nations art. In addition, the First Nations Board will promote best practice in First Nations cultural protocols in the arts, provide financial assistance to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts practice, advise the Australia Council board on the responsibility of First Nations arts and report performance to the Australia Council board.

In addition to First Nations Art and the First Nations Board, this bill also creates Writing Australia. Writing Australia will commence on 1 July 2025 and will be a new body to support and promote the Australian literature sector. Like First Nations Arts, Writing Australia will be supported by the Writing Australia Council and will consist of a chair and eight other members. Writing Australia will have a wide brief. It will be there to support authors, illustrators and publishers to create new works, but it also will have the role of increasing national and international markets, developing national industry initiatives and investing in a network of key organisations. Writing Australia has been specifically designed to reach into the commercial sectors where traditional grant funding models have limited success. It will become a policy engine for the sector.

In the year since Revive was launched, this government has achieved so much in the policy area of the arts. We reversed the previous government's funding cuts, established Creative Australia, established Creative Workplaces and established Music Australia, Sharing the National Collection and so much more. After the difficult years of the pandemic, coupled with the funding cuts of the previous government, Revive is indeed appropriately titled, because Labor and the Albanese government are reviving the arts sector. Finally we have a government that listens to this sector, tries to understand the challenges and then acts to address those challenges.

This bill further implements the Revive policy document and, in doing so, offers the arts community—in particular our First Nations people—and writing communities a place at the table, front and centre, where they belong. I referred earlier to the halcyon days of the 1970s, and they were, but here is a thought: perhaps through the implementation of Revive the best days of our arts community lie just around the corner. That is a suggestion for which I can hear the spirit of Gough saying, 'Here, here!' I commend the bill to the House.

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