Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Arts, Senator Brandis. Can the minister confirm that in this year's budget he has taken over $100 million away from the independent Australia Council to fund his own personal arts slush fund?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much indeed, Senator Gallagher, for being so generous as to ask me that question, because it does give me the opportunity to speak of one of the great new arts initiatives which this government is introducing with this budget, the National Program for Excellence in the Arts, which will invest $107 million over four years to widen access to arts funding.

Senator Gallacher, it should be pointed out, to put this in context, that for the second consecutive year there has been no significant reduction in arts funding overall.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I'm sorry, Senator Cormann. In fact, there has been no reduction in arts funding of any substance this year. But what we have done is we have broadened access to arts funding so that individuals, organisations, arts practitioners who were unable to get funding through the Australia Council will now be able to get funding.

I can tell you that in the last 24 hours, Senator Gallacher, the reaction in the sector has been extremely enthusiastic. Let me refer you to some of the reactions, Senator Gallacher. Li Cunxin, the much respected Artistic Director of the Queensland Ballet, said: 'What a brilliant initiative. My sincere congratulations and well done.' Jonathan Mills, the internationally renowned Australian festival director, said: 'I applaud this initiative and the minister is to be congratulated for supporting the festival sector.' Rob Brookman, the CEO of the State Theatre Company of South Australia, said: 'I have no doubt that this will see fantastic results.'

So what this does, Senator Gallacher, is it broadens access. The Australia Council will still be the principal arts funding body in Australia. It will be responsible for about 88 per cent of arts funding. But nobody thinks that monopolies are a good idea. This gives opportunities to people who did not have them before.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. How much less funding will the National Gallery, the National Museum and the National Portrait Gallery receive as a result of this year's budget?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallacher, with respect, if you are going to ask these questions, you have got to get across the detail. None of those organisations are funded through the Australia Council at all. The national collecting institutions are funded from elsewhere within the arts budget. The answer to your question is zero.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Why is the government providing tax breaks for museums to purchase luxury cars but cutting funding to the national cultural institutions?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are not cutting funding to the national cultural institutions. The national collecting institutions, which you referred to in your first supplementary question—and I assume that is what you are referring to in your second supplementary question—are not affected by this initiative whatsoever and there is no reduction in funding to the national collecting institutions in this budget. What the government is seeking to do is to engage more philanthropic giving so that the taxpayer funds, in partnership with generous Australian benefactors and philanthropists, arts programs including acquisitions by the national collecting institutions of the kind that you referred to.

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.