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Achievement of Outcome
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Development of a rich and stimulating cultural sector for all Australians
Australia's unique history has given rise to a distinctive culture and sense of identity. Australia has ancient and diverse Indigenous cultures, languages and traditions in the visual and performing arts. Australians share and enjoy a wide variety of cultural expressions and are involved in an extensive range of arts activities around the country.
Australia's cultural sector is distinctive due to its vibrancy and innovation, in both traditional and contemporary arts performance and activity. Australians can experience performances ranging from those developed by our major national companies to those by smaller local companies and groups.
The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics research shows that, over a 12-month period, close to 13 million adult Australians (88 per cent of the adult population) attended a cultural venue or event. Further, in the 12 months to April 2004, close to three million Australians worked in cultural and related activities. 1
The Australian Government invests in the cultural sector by providing support to arts practitioners, companies and institutions and by supporting access to arts and cultural activities for Australians across the country. As well, significant reviews of different elements of the cultural sector in recent years have led to new and innovative policy directions and have attracted increased government investment.
The Department provides advice to the Australian Government on cultural policy issues and works closely with portfolio agencies and other government departments to develop and implement national cultural policies.
It directly manages Old Parliament House, the National Portrait Gallery and Artbank, all of which are part of the Department. It also provides support for the national cultural institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia and the National Library of Australia, the Australian Government film agencies and the Australia Council.Access and excellence in Australia's cultural activities and preservation and development of our collections
Efficient and effective administration of the cultural touring and regional arts programs is a key activity for the Department. The principal objective of the touring programs, which include the Contemporary Music Touring Program, Playing Australia, Visions of Australia and the Australian Film Commission's Big Screen, is to ensure that Australians, particularly those in regional and remote areas, have access to cultural experiences of a high standard. These programs also provide opportunities for smaller arts companies, including those from outside the major capitals, to tour interstate.
The regional arts programs, including the Regional Arts Fund, Festivals Australia and the new Festivals Australia Regional Residencies initiative, support cultural development in regional and remote areas.
Funding was provided through these touring and regional arts programs to major organisations such as Opera Australia, Circus Oz and the National Gallery of Australia and to smaller organisations such as Ellis Prater Productions for a tour of prominent Australian actor Bud Tingwell (see case study, page 28), Nabarlek, and the Orange Regional Gallery, making a wide range of arts programming available to audiences in all states and territories.
A review of the Contemporary Music Touring Program in 2005 found that the program had delivered significant touring opportunities and audience access to Australian music. As a result, the Australian Government committed a further $1 million over four years, beginning in 2006–07, to continue the program.
In addition, the Government announced funding of $1.5 million over three years in the 2005–06 Budget for the Festivals Australia Regional Residencies initiative, to be administered by the Department. The initiative funds artists-in-residence to help regional and remote communities to tell local or regional stories at a local festival of significant community celebration. Two funding rounds were held in 2005–06, with 38 grants awarded.
The Australian Government's Regional Arts Fund supports the arts in regional and remote areas. The Department is responsible for the program, which is delivered in partnership with state and territory regional arts organisations representing hundreds of local regional arts councils around Australia. The Regional Arts Fund supports the Creative Volunteering—No Limits program, which provides funding to increase the professional skills of volunteer workers in the arts and collections sector in regional and remote Australia.
As part of the No Limits program expansion, two new course modules were developed, on organisational governance and on working with people, with further modules under development.
The Department works closely with Regional Arts Australia to ensure the success of the Creative Volunteering program in each state and territory.
The Department works with the Australia Council for the Arts and state and territory arts funding agencies to support excellence and achievement in arts practice and activities. Some examples for 2005–06 are described below.
In response to a recommendation of the 2005 Orchestras Review, chaired by Mr James Strong AO, the Department conducted a comprehensive examination of the finances, governance and operational arrangements of Australia's two specialist opera and ballet orchestras, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra in Sydney and Orchestra Victoria in Melbourne (see case study, page 31).
The main role of these orchestras is to support the national opera and ballet companies for their Sydney and Melbourne performances. The Government agreed to provide additional funding of $10.6 million over four years to implement the findings of the examination and to ensure the ongoing sustainability of these specialist orchestras.
The long-term sustainability of the major performing arts companies was the focus of a funding review commenced by the Department and the Australia Council. The review will be finalised in late 2006.
The Department continued to work with the Australia Council on the implementation of the 2003 Visual Arts and Craft Strategy. This involved an agreement between the Australian Government and state and territory governments in response to the report of the Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Inquiry, conducted by Mr Rupert Myer AM, which resulted in a $39 million increase in funding for the sector.Case study
An audience with Charles 'Bud' Tingwell
Playing Australia helped a young production company, Ellis Prater Productions, to establish an audience base and build relationships with venues. The company was then able to develop a touring circuit and gain touring experience.
The new applicant was provided with more than $5000 to tour An Audience with Charles 'Bud' Tingwell to Tasmania in February and March 2006. There were four performances, in Burnie, Devonport and Hobart.
The production meant audiences could interact with one of Australia's icons of stage and screen, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell AM. Tingwell told anecdotes and recollections of his experiences on screen and behind the scenes, and gave a pilot's view of World War II.
The tour proved a great success, with Ellis Prater Productions complimenting Playing Australia program staff and thanking them for providing crucial knowledge and experience. They said in their funding acquittal report that the tour would not have been possible without support from Playing Australia.
Building on the success and experience of that first tour, Ellis Prater Productions submitted a further application under Round 27 of the program for a bigger tour of An Audience with Charles 'Bud' Tingwell in August and September 2006.
The production received funding of $37 063, this time taking the show to 14 venues in Western Australia (Thornlie, Broome, Kunnunurra, Wyndham), the Northern Territory (Darwin) and Queensland (Capella, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Charters Towers, Ayr, Proserpine, Townsville, Boonah and Ipswich).
The production's success demonstrates Playing Australia's role in supporting small performing arts producers in Australia and helping them grow.
Mark Collard and Bud Tingwell on the set of Ellis Prater Productions An Audience with Bud Tingwell.
In its third year, the strategy continued to provide significant support to individual visual artists and craft practitioners, and provided increased funding for more than 30 key organisations around the country.
The Department administers the Australian Government's investment in Australia's national elite arts training organisations. In 2005–06, the Department concluded a review of the Australian National Academy of Music and the Australian Youth Orchestra. The review assessed their performance and identified possible future directions for elite classical music performance training.
The Department is actively working with the two organisations to implement the review recommendations. The Australian Government announced in the 2006–07 Budget that it will provide additional funds of $1.9 million over four years, beginning in 2006–07, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Australian Youth Orchestra.
The Department has also been working closely with the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association to assist in its relocation to better premises.
Three Indigenous art and culture programs administered by the Department—the National Arts and Crafts Industry Support program, the Indigenous Culture Support program, and the Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records program—support the maintenance and development of strong Indigenous culture.
Strong culture is a key enabling element in Indigenous communities, helping to build self-esteem and identity for individuals, and resilience and capacity for communities, to address the pressing social, economic and health challenges that they are facing.
In 2005–06, $19.281 million in funding was provided to support Indigenous visual arts and crafts, culture and language activities through these programs, and the Department worked to enhance the effectiveness of the programs overall.
Shared responsibility agreements are agreements between the Australian Government and Indigenous communities or groups and other partners to provide a discretionary benefit in return for community obligations. Shared responsibility agreements that include a focus on Indigenous arts and culture represent a new cooperative way of supporting arts and culture activities in Indigenous communities and the Department is contributing to these shared responsibility agreements.
During the year, the Department completed a review of the National Collections Program through which the Australian Government supports joint government initiatives for the collections sector funded by the Australian Government and state and territory governments through the Cultural Ministers Council. The review's recommendation for maintaining program funding of $1.2 million over four years from 2006–07 to 2009–10 was accepted.
Funding was provided to support the Community Heritage Grants program, a joint initiative with the Australian Film Commission, the National Archives of Australia and the National Library of Australia. Fifty-five grants were awarded to community organisations and collecting institutions to preserve significant objects within their collections.
Assessments of the governance arrangements of the arts and sport agencies in the portfolio were completed in 2005–06 in line with recommendations arising from the Review of the Corporate Governance of Statutory Authorities and Office Holders by Mr John Uhrig AC. The review made a number of recommendations aimed at improving the quality of governance of Australian Government authorities. The recommendations arising from the assessments will begin to be implemented in 2006–07.Preservation of and access to Old Parliament House, the National Portrait Gallery and their respective collections
Old Parliament House is a museum of social and political history, located in a listed national heritage building. It is an important symbol of the development of Australian democracy and is a major attraction in the nation's capital city. It holds an important place in the hearts and minds of many Australians, especially those associated with the building during the long period when it housed the Australian Parliament.
Old Parliament House helps people to understand Australia's social and political history by interpreting the past and present and by exploring the future.
In the five years since it was opened, the National Portrait Gallery has established itself as a highly valued national collecting institution. It has developed a significant collection and a substantial reputation for the quality of its exhibitions. The gallery's vision is to increase the understanding of the Australian people—their identity, history, creativity and culture—through portraiture.
During 2005–06, planning continued for the gallery's new purpose-built, standalone building. On 7 December 2005, the winner of the architectural design competition for the new building was announced by the Prime Minister, John Howard. The architecture firm Johnson Pilton Walker was selected to design the $75.3 million building.
The Department continues to work closely with the Department of Finance and Administration, which manages the building project.
Old Parliament House and the National Portrait Gallery again extended their audience reach during the year through new in-house exhibitions and programs, travelling exhibitions and website access. While visits to the gallery's Commonwealth Place premises fell slightly following the outstanding success of its 2004–05 Kylie exhibition, there was a further 1.6 per cent increase on the record 2004–05 attendances at the main Old Parliament House site.
Visits to the Old Parliament House and National Portrait Gallery websites increased by 96 and 192 per cent respectively.
Of particular note in 2005–06 was the announcement in the 2006–07 Budget of $31.5 million over the next four years for the construction and operation of a Gallery of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. This will include the Australian Prime Ministers Centre.Case study
A year of change for Australia's major orchestras
The 2005–06 year has been an important one for Australia's orchestras and the Department has played a major role in implementing recommendations for change in this vibrant arts sector.
Recommendations from a 2005 Orchestras Review have provided the framework for discussions on the governance, accountability, and financial and risk management of Australia's orchestras.
A goal has been to introduce a corporate structure consistent with the majority of Australia's other major performing arts companies, into the state symphony orchestras, to build stronger, more independent and sustainable organisations.
The Orchestras Review was led by James Strong AO and involved an examination of Australia's six major symphony and two specialist opera and ballet orchestras. Professor Malcolm Gillies and Mr Peter Grant were also members of the review panel.
A New Era: the report of the Orchestras Review 2005 included a range of recommendations in relation to the governance, workplace flexibility and sustainability of the orchestras.
The Australian Government has responded to the recommendations of the review with additional funding of $25.4 million over four years.
One of the key reforms of the review was to establish the symphony orchestras, currently owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as independent private sector companies. It is anticipated that the symphony orchestras will be divested from the ABC and established as independent companies from 1 January 2007.
In 2005–06, the Department conducted a further examination of the opera and ballet orchestras. To implement the findings of this supplementary review, the Government
has agreed to provide additional funding of $10.6 million to build the strength and sustainability of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, and Orchestra Victoria.
Orchestra Victoria under the baton of Conductor Brad Cohen, Great Hall, NGV International. Photo by Dana Moran. Courtesy of Orchestra Victoria.
The gallery will deliver a comprehensive program of exhibitions, educational programs, research and scholarship initiatives, as well as outreach activities. It will tell the story of Australia's modern parliamentary democracy and will build on Old Parliament House's experience in translating political history and culture to a wide range of visitors.
Old Parliament House was added to the National Heritage List in 2005–06, a move which recognised it as one of the most significant heritage buildings in Australia.
The current five-year program of capital works for the conservation and restoration of the building continued in 2005–06. In the longer term, the building works will greatly improve access and enhance the visitor experience.
Collections held by the National Portrait Gallery and Old Parliament House continued to grow as a result of commissions, purchases and donations.