Successive Coalition governments have supported development of the arts and cultural activities. Coalition governments founded most of Australia’s national cultural institutions including the Australia Council, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library of Australia, National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Film Australia, the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Artbank and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).

All Australians reap the benefits of our cultural industries, which include film, television, radio, live theatre and dance, literature, libraries, museums and galleries. The cultural sector employs 250,000 people, is worth more than $19 billion a year and will continue to grow as a major export earner.

The Coalition will provide:

During 13 years in government, Labor broke its promises to the arts community and failed to recognise that everyone should be able to access cultural activities and material.

In 13 years of government, Labor:

For Art’s Sake, the policy that the Coalition took to the last election, sought to redress the elitist, big-city bias which characterised the Keating government’s approach to the arts. For Art’s Sake introduced measures to increase access to the arts for all Australians and to assist new artists.

The Australia Council is the Government’s premier arts funding and advisory body. Its national focus enables it to formulate strategic approaches to managing and funding programs, and its strong national leadership role enables it to forge partnerships with state, territory and local governments, the private sector and arts organisations.

The Coalition will encourage the Council to continue audience development and marketing, meeting the challenge of new technologies, and developing export markets for Australian arts and artists.

All Funds of the Council now support key arts organisations on a multi-year basis to deliver development programs and services and project funding. The Major Organisations Fund provides large performing arts companies with triennial funding, as well as advice and assistance to strengthen their financial position.

The Fund has raised the profile of regional artists, leveraged state and territory governments’ financial contribution to regional arts and developed important links with local government.

The program provides emerging artists with greater opportunities for public exposure and career development.

The Fund increases exposure for new Australian works on the national and international stage, particularly before the 2000 Olympics and Centenary of Federation in 2001.

The Australia Council will assume responsibility for:

LOUD was Australia’s first national media festival of youth culture and the arts and occurred in January 1998. It showed the creativity of Australians aged 12 to 25 using television, radio, print media, advertising and the internet.

LOUD generated significant new Australian content, employment for young Australian artists, and attracted record corporate sector support for highly innovative work.

The Coalition plans a sequel to LOUD - LOUDER - for January 2000. Other countries have expressed interest in being involved. This is injecting youth culture into the 2000 celebrations and showcasing emerging artists.

The Cultural Development Program supports major national organisations such as Opera Australia and the Opera Conference, Symphony Australia, the Australia Foundation for Culture and the Humanities, the National Australia Day Council, the Public Lending Right scheme and the national training institutions.

Through the Cultural Development Program, the Coalition Government will continue to provide funding at current levels to the national training institutions including the Australian Ballet School, NIDA, the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association and the Australian National Academy of Music.

This will promote collaboration between cultural organisations for instance, between the Australian National Academy of Music and Youth Music Australia, and assist the Australia Foundation for Culture and the Humanities to increase private sector support for cultural projects.

The Coalition will assist and strengthen the Australian contemporary music industry.

Federal Parliament passed the Coalition’s legislation removing the restrictions on the parallel importation of sound recordings. This will result in greater choice and cheaper CDs.

The Coalition has announced its $10 million Contemporary Music Development Package to ensure the ongoing development of the contemporary music sector. These measures will benefit creators, particularly new artists, small cutting-edge record companies, and Australian music fans. It also will exploit the export potential of Australian contemporary music. The initiatives are:

The Coalition supports the current regulations for a specified minimum level of Australian music content. The Coalition also believes there is scope to specify a standard for new Australian music and will ask the Australian Broadcasting Authority to examine the issue as a matter of priority.

The Coalition will improve access to cultural activities and our national collections, particularly for regional and rural audiences.

Improvements in transport and communications make it possible to bring cultural activities in various forms to rural and regional communities with assistance from the Coalition.

ArtsInfo provides information on assistance programs across all levels of government and the private sector. Australia’s Cultural Network puts Australian culture on the internet and includes the Australian Museums On Line site.

Playing Australia and Visions of Australia have funded performances and exhibitions to tour Australia, including some of the most remote parts of the country.

Festivals Australia and Visions of Australia (which had no funding allocated beyond 1998-99) will be maintained at the current level of funding. Playing Australia funding will remain at $4 million a year, including continuation of the $1 million a year additional funding injected in the Coalition’s first term for intrastate touring.

The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 regulates the export of significant objects of Australia’s cultural and natural heritage including artworks, industrial or scientific objects, fossils, books and objects of historical significance. Recently, several export permits have been refused, ensuring that cherished items stay in Australia. These items included cricket memorabilia relating to the turn-of-the-century cricket champion Victor Trumper, and the Victoria Cross medals group awarded to E T Towner MC during World War I.

When the Act was introduced in 1986, it was to be backed by a fund which national, state, territory or regional collecting institutions could use to acquire items that would otherwise be exported. Labor never allocated funding.

The fund will enable the government to assist collecting institutions acquire items of significance to Australia’s cultural heritage.

The Coalition has established the National Council for the Centenary of Federation, to co-ordinate celebrations to mark the centenary of the Commonwealth of Australia in 2001. The council is working closely with the Centenary of Federation Committees in each state and territory.

The Coalition created the $1 billion Federation Fund, to enable major projects to be undertaken. Over $300 million has been committed to major cultural projects; a further $70.4 million has been allocated to the Federation Cultural and Heritage Projects (FCHP) program for medium-sized capital works between $500,000 and $5 million; and an additional $29.6 million has been allocated to the Federation Community Projects (FCP) program for local projects.

The $70.4 million FCHP program has allowed communities around Australia to apply for funding for cultural facilities, heritage restoration and conservation, and heritage collections.

Nearly $30 million ($200,000 per electorate) has been allocated to the FCP program. Local committees will recommend which projects should be funded in their region.

The Coalition will continue to foster emerging film-makers and support quality film and television products.

Our audiovisual production is estimated to be worth $1.3 billion with independent production activity accounting for $463 million (35 per cent) and in-house production by television stations providing a further $863 million (65 per cent).

The Coalition commissioned the first comprehensive review of commonwealth assistance to the film and television production industry. This review confirmed a continuing need for government assistance.

In response to the report, the Coalition confirmed forward funding for film agencies, decided to pilot an alternative method of attracting private investment into the industry and instigated several smaller reviews to ensure more efficient use of federal government investment in areas such as marketing, screen culture and research.

The Coalition Government is introducing a two year pilot Film Licensed Investment Company (FLIC) scheme to provide a vehicle for investment in Australian films. Under the scheme, up to $40 million of concessional capital will be raised for qualifying Australian films.

The Coalition is committed to the Australian film and television industry and the role of the Australian content standard.

The Coalition is concerned about the possible ramifications of the recent High Court decision in the case of Project Blue sky. The Coalition is confident that after thorough consultation the Australian Broadcasting Authority can revise the standard to strike the appropriate balance between the complex cultural and trade issues involved.

The Coalition will ensure artists’ rights are recognised and that a balance is struck between ownership of intellectual property and public access.

The Coalition is committed to creating a balanced, workable and modern intellectual property regime. It has introduced two new Copyright Amendment Acts strengthening the rights of creators, particularly visual artists and photographers, and ensuring consumers have a wider choice of CDs at lower prices.

The Coalition is committed to the re-introduction of moral rights legislation. This will be the subject of further consultation with artists.

The Coalition will introduce workable performers’ copyright legislation and has issued a discussion paper for comment.

Draft legislation dealing with copyright and the digital environment will be available soon for comment. The amendments will make Australia one of the first countries to meet new international standards on copyright and the internet.