Peter McGauran (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

The government’s credentials in the visual arts sector are strong, especially following the Myer inquiry and the increased funding across the board—and I would acknowledge the role that NAVA, the National Association of Visual Arts, played in that several years ago. So the government is not looking to penny-pinch on support for the arts broadly, as evidenced by the massive investment in the arts budgets now.

As to the particulars of the allocation to ABAF of $1.1 million, I cannot say without further advice. You have to be a little careful in the arts, I suppose, as in any area of government administration. A grant for a set period of time can often achieve its objective, and the fact that a government has approved it once should not be a guarantee that it continues in perpetuity, particularly if there are other priorities or pressing needs that that money could then address. I do not know the particulars of the need for the $1.1 million to ABAF for the private sector involvement with the visual arts. It may have done its job or it may be partly completed and need continuation in one form or another, but I do not think it should be a God-given right for any constituency that a time-limited program continues for ever more.

See this speech in context