News

Urgent financial investment in the arts would ease four-year funding fallout

After the shock of Friday's announcement, arts leaders have called for greater investment in the arts in order to secure the sector's future.

7 Apr 2020 12:00

Richard Watts

Writing and Publishing

Restless Dance Theatre are one of 49 organisations to be transitioned out of the Australia Council’s four-year funding program. Pictured: Andrew Pandos in Restless Dance Theatre’s Intimate Space. Photo credit: Shane Reid.

Friday’s announcement by the Australia Council for the Arts that 49 organisations are to be transitioned out of the four-year funding program has been met with widespread shock and concern.

Read: Sector in shock as Australia Council 4-year funding announced

While recognising that the Australia Council has done the best it can in a bad situation, Shadow Minister for the Arts the Hon. Tony Burke MP described the results of the four-year funding program as ‘devastating for the arts sector, at the time when it is already suffering due to the coronavirus crisis’.

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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