Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

We do very clever things in arts and culture. There does seem to be an unhealthy sense of entitlement that taxpayers should fund things which people have a passion for doing. As I pointed out, the chairman, in one of his better moods, had a passion for football but he did not get taxpayer funding to pursue his aim to go on to become a champion and a very wealthy man because of his football career, but some of the artists think the taxpayers should be providing that funding all the time.

Time has escaped me, but I simply ask anyone who is interested in this to read the dissenting report, which accurately and, with evidence noted, points out just what a political farce this will inquiry was. I conclude by congratulating both Senator Brandis and Senator Fifield on their attempts to bring reform to arts funding. (Time expired)