NATIONAL ARTS GATHERING CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE HALT TO NPEA
MEDIA RELEASE
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Dear supporter of the arts,
The May Federal Budget saw $105 million removed
from the Australia Council for the Arts. We are now asking for your support to
reverse this decision made by the Minister for the Arts, Senator George
Brandis.
This decision will have a profound effect on the future of
small to medium arts companies, independent artists, the community cultural
development sector and wider Australia, especially at the community and grass
roots level.
This decision was made without warning, and certainly not
following consultation, it jeopardises the 40 year consensus built around the
principle of independent, arms-length and peer based decision making when
allocating arts funding. The effect of this decision is divisive, pitching our
major arts companies who have their funding quarantined against the small to
medium and independent sector through the establishment of a new ministerially
overseen bureaucracy, the so called National Programme for Excellence in the
Arts, to which all can apply. In fact all of the arts and cultural organisations
and independent artists need each other in our highly inter connected
industry.
The impact of Senator George Brandis’s decision has been
immediate in that the Australia Council has had its discretionary funding
capacity cut by over a quarter and that major funding programs to which
Belconnen Arts Centre amongst many other arts and cultural organisations have
applied, have now, been stopped.
Please read the attached Media Release arising from a peak meeting at
Parliament House of arts organisations and independent artists from across
Australia.
We have a simple but vital request of you as a
supporter. We need you to write letters couched in your own words asking for the
Minister for the Arts decision to be reversed and why you think it is
essential. We recommend you keep it short and direct, we have been advised that
templates are to be avoided and for impact it is important that you post a hard
copy.
Please write and post your hard copy letters to the
following:
The Prime Minister the Hon. Tony Abbott, MP
The Minister
for Arts the Hon. George Brandis, Senator
The Minister Representing the
Minister for the Arts in the House of Representatives, the Hon. Julie Bishop
MP
Any further members of the Liberal National Party Coalition
Government
For a complete list of Senators and Members please click here
Address
your letters to
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
To follow
the campaign, see the Free the Arts Facebook page. You can also hear a radio interview with Fran Kelly and Jade Lillie (Footscray
Community Arts Centre).
I thank you for your important work and please
let me know by return e-mail what letters you have sent.
Kind
regards,
Daniel Ballantyne
CEO
Belconnen Arts
Centre
118 Emu Bank BELCONNEN ACT
PO Box 183 BELCONNEN ACT
2616
p. 02 6173 3302
m. 0407 289 604
w. belconnenartscentre.com.au
w. ccinclusion.com
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