Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Creative Australia Bill 2023 and the Creative Australia (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2023 are part of a series of bills that will support the implementation of Australia's national cultural policy, Revive. It's a policy we are deeply proud of, and it will start turning around a decade of neglect. Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place is a comprehensive suite of policies designed to empower our talented artists and our organisations to thrive, to grow and to feel empowered, unlocking new opportunities for artists to reach different audiences to tell their stories in their own compelling ways.

We believe Revive will bring the drive and direction that we need and a vision back into a $17 billion art industry in this country. There has been a lost decade of federal policy drift, funding neglect and just a shameful neglect of the cultural beating heart of this country. The arts and culture sector deserves—

Point of order: I sat and listened painfully to Senator Henderson, and I would suggest she does the same. The policy is supported by $286 million in dedicated funding over four years. It will support the revival of respect and investment in this critical industry. The four interconnecting pillars of this policy are the framework to build and to grow upon. Pillar 1 is First Nations first; pillar 2 is a place for every story; pillar 3 is centrality of the artist; pillar 4 is strong cultural infrastructure; and pillar 5 is engaging the audience. They work together to give us the framework to build, to improve, to respect and to grow. Revive recognises the important role of culture and arts in developing our national identity, enabling reconciliation and healing, promoting social cohesion and encouraging economic growth.

At the centre of Revive is the establishment of Creative Australia, which will be facilitated by the passage of this legislation. Under this legislation, Creative Australia will be the government's new principal arts investment and advisory body—not just public servants, as has been suggested. Creative Australia will expand on and modernise the work of the Australia Council. The additional funding of over $200 million over four years will restore significant swathes of money cut by the previous government. Creative Australia will strengthen the capacity of the Australia Council and provide for a greater strategic oversight and engagement across the sector to ensure that funding decisions continue to be made on the basis of artistic merit, at arm's length from the government, which we believe is the appropriate way to do it.

It will also include the establishment of the independent bodies and funds for First Nations arts and culture, contemporary music and writers as well as a centre for artists and entertainment workers. Later this year the subsequent bills will introduce and formally establish Music Australia and the centre for arts with it. These bodies will be critical to bringing forward this vision for a stronger arts sector, and that is critical. The Albanese Labor government is committed to improving the quality of Commonwealth investment in the arts sector and to strengthening access to support for artists and art organisations. A properly resourced Creative Australia is key to delivering on these commitments.

In February the Senate referred the inquiry into the National Cultural Policy to the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee. We have had a hearing and had a range of submissions which have, so far, overwhelmingly supported the intent and the plan moving forward from the cultural policy. I want to thank all the organisations that have submitted to the inquiry, and the organisations who came along and engaged with the committee over this policy. As I say, they were overwhelmingly supportive of Revive as a policy, noting that the National Cultural Policy is a welcome first in developing contemporary and sustainable approaches to supporting Australia's arts, entertainment and cultural sectors. We heard significantly of those who had lost funding or had funding cut; that's all laid out in the evidence that was put to that inquiry.

I want to thank the national cultural institutes for their work and the evidence they provided. We were proud to announce in April that the National Library would receive a further $33 million in funding over four years, with Trove to be separately provided $9.2 million. Trove is such a critical resource, such a loved and valued resource, and it was left desperately underfunded due to the neglect of the former coalition government. Without this funding injection, Trove would not have been able to continue. I want to thank Trove for their commitment and the important work they do. I also want to acknowledge the impressive work of my dear friend and colleague Senator White in supporting the National Library and advocating for that important institution.

We also announced a significant amount of funding, $535.5 million, to nine key collecting institutions over four years—institutions that had also been significantly neglected, like the National Library, the National Gallery, the National Museum of Australia and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. To ensure they can keep going, doing their significant work, we have to invest in them. I know that is important to a vast number of people in this chamber, and I thank each and every one of them for their advocacy on this issue.

Throughout the hearings we also heard from a range of live performance and music sector artists who are continuing to suffer following the COVID-19 pandemic and the decimation to their incomes and their livelihoods through the inability to perform live through that time. There were shutdowns, disruptions and supply chain issues, and extreme weather events were another factor—along with last-minute ticket sales, which have changed the shape of being able to project what income might be and how you break even on some of those gigs and festivals. We acknowledge the struggles of the sector and the struggles they have gone through in the last few years since the beginning of the pandemic. We are confident that the establishment of the Music Australia Council to sit within Creative Australia is going to make a difference to the planning, to the cohesion, to the opportunities that are there for those people.

The Albanese government is so proud of Australian culture. I am so proud of Australian culture. The beating heart of who we are and how we express ourselves as a country is inspiring. The National Cultural Policy is going to mark a new future, a new opportunity for us moving forwards to build that trust back, to build the opportunities and to make a fundamental difference to our arts and cultural sector in this country. I commend the bill to the Senate.