The art of lobbying

Government relations expert Neil Pharaoh says the arts sector needs to improve its messaging when lobbying politicians, and offers some pointers for arguments you can make.

‘The arts sector has a lot of opportunity to improve in relation to how it communicates and engages – not just with MPs, but with ministers, the public service and the government more generally,’ according to government relations expert Neil Pharaoh.

A marketing and communications consultant working across the not-for-profit, private and government sectors, Pharaoh believes the arts sector must do a better job of telling its own story to decision-makers at a local, state and federal government level.

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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