News

Why funding only the majors means the arts won’t fly

The Federal Government has consistently reiterated its preferences for funding established arts organisations over the grassroots. But companies like the Flying Fruit Fly Circus would not exist if previous governments had taken this approach.

10 Oct 2014 12:00

Richard Watts

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Writing and Publishing

Image: The Flying Fruit Fly Circus, photo supplied

Since coming to power in September 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s Liberal-National Coalition has been outspoken in its preference for major companies and ‘the great classical works’, apparently forgetting that great works and great artists all have to start somewhere.

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Richard Watts

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts