Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

It seemed to be the way in which the arts community took it. I will stay on track, Mr Deputy President. The reality is on arts funding, people were justifiably outraged by the cuts to the Australia Council and to the arts budget in the Abbott government's 2015-16 budget. This was on the back of cuts to the arts in the 2014-15 budget, including in my home state of South Australia. As I said, people famously will recall that $104.7 million was cut from the independent Australia Council by Senator Brandis and transferred to his own department. This is the infamous Brandis slush fund—I did not say 'Senator Brandis slush fund', because it is described as the 'infamous Brandis slush fund.' I suppose it is a direct quote.

I would again assert in here that the decision by Senator Brandis and this government to take direct control of arts funding contradicted the principles which were set in place decades ago by the Whitlam government to protect artistic freedom in Australia by keeping arts funding decisions at arm's length from the government of the day. The attacks on the independence of arts funding and the reversion of control to the central decision-making process occurred under the people who most profess to be exponents of individual freedom and freedom of speech. That is the extraordinary thing. The Labor Party thinks that there should be separation from the government of the day in the funding of the arts by giving it to an independent body, but the Liberal Party wants to make sure that it is made by politicians. It wants the decision about artistic expression, about who funds that and how that is funded, to be made by politicians.

One also recalls that Senator Brandis sought to—I think it was in 2013 or it might have been in 2014—amend the Australia Council Act to make funding decisions subject to ministerial direction. He was defeated in time, and that time he found a way to achieve it through the slush fund that I have described.

Senator Brandis interjecting—

Senator Brandis says that I am not correct. If you answer the question, then we can debate the answer at some point. You can talk about arts fund. We are very happy. You could stay here for the taking note, because I suspect that people might want to talk about arts if you want to. In any event, the reality is that we have seen a government that has sought to reduce the grant-making facility of the Australia Council, that has created a slush fund and that has imposed cuts on the sector. And it is now refusing to answer questions, although I know Senator Fifield will provide it soon now that I have raised it again. He has thus far been refusing to answer questions in relation to this.

As a result of the government's decisions, the Australia Council was forced to announce that it would not proceed with the next round of arts funding grants that it scrapped—various programs and suspended funding for some organisations. A number of the programs which were affected were targeting small to medium-sized arts companies and young artists. I regret to say that, when it comes to the arts portfolio, the politically-motivated decisions by Senator Brandis and this government have diminished Australia's creative and cultural life.

We know that this is the same modus operandi as we see from Liberals across the country. One might recall the Newman government took an even harsher approach, a similar political approach, when it was in power, and this most recent attack by the government on the Australia Council comes on top of significant cuts to the arts in last year's budget. It is unsurprising that people are concerned, and it is important that Senator Fifield be clear with the Senate both about the MYEFO measure, but also about the cuts since 2013.

We calculated you have about $100 million worth of cuts in the 2014 budget, including $37 million from the national cultural institutions: $25 million from Screen Australia and a further cut of around $13.2 million from the Australia Council, Screen Australia and the Ministry for the Arts in the 2015 budget, and then of course just under $105 million ripped from the Australia Council to fund Senator Brandis's slush fund. After three years in power, you would have to say that this government has one of the worst track records when it comes to arts policy and arts funding of any modern Australian government, and it is time for Senator Fifield to come clean with the Senate about the extent of the cuts.