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Riding the political roller coaster

Artists and arts organisations need to have the ear of government but getting too close to the Arts Minister of the day can cause a backlash when a new Pharoah arises.
16 Sep 2016 12:00
Richard Watts
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Effective arts leaders know that having the ear of government is beneficial, not only to their organisation specifically but the sector as a whole. But as the recent stoush between the Labor-led board of Darwin Festival and the then CLP Territory government illustrates, sometimes it’s best not to get too close to the political powers-that-be.

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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

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