Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I am so proud to lead a government that follows in the footsteps of every Labor government that has recognised and respected the centrality of culture and the arts to our quality of life. After just one year in government, with the Creative Australia Bill 2023 and the associated legislation, we are keeping another important promise. In the process, what we're doing here is resetting the government's relationship with the arts sector—a sector that was neglected under the previous government and sometimes, indeed, openly held in contempt. This $17 billion part of our economy was not considered worthy of their serious attention and certainly not their respect. But, of course, we can't reduce everything in life to dollar figures in the economy.

Quality of life relies upon cultural experience. It requires a lifting-up that the arts can sometimes give us in our lives, not only in giving us access to different perspectives but also in enriching the quality of life and the way that we engage with each other in our discussions, be it around the dinner table, at the local pub or in our community engagement. It is a way in which we can tell the Australian story, whether it be through the written story or the depiction of our landscapes, or whether it be through music, dance or other ways. I attended recently the commemoration of Qantas being such a long-lived airline. It was well overdue, of course. Their centenary was put off because of the pandemic. I saw a performance there of the Bangarra Dance Theatre that was uniquely Australian. The international visitors were uplifted. They were stunned by the quality of the dance—65,000 years in the making, but a modern depiction. That sort of work is, in my view, absolutely priceless.

A lot of hardworking Australians work in the arts sector. Not everyone in this sector is successful. So many do it because of the love that they have for it, not because of any pecuniary interest in it—indeed, far from it. But we need to make sure that they are valued. During the pandemic, very early on, of course, there was so little support. When it did come, it was very grudgingly given, even though people in that sector, by definition, couldn't work—not just the people who were performing, say, at the Enmore Theatre in my electorate, but also the people who work in areas such as lighting, stage management, producing and cleaning the theatres. Those people all found themselves being very much left behind because the very nature of the work is that it's casual in so many areas, with multiple employers as well. It took some time before there was any acknowledgement from the former government about the impact that was happening. This policy recognise that arts work is just that—work. It is employment as well—it's not just a hobby. It isn't just someone trying to make a difference as a hobby while they take a break from another job. It is real, meaningful, personal work that happens to make us wealthy in ways that extend far beyond the economic. It is the sort of wealth that enriches our spirit. As my friend the arts minister put it last week, the arts are:

a pipeline into our hearts, one that lets us see and celebrate and reflect on who we truly are and can be and one that lets the rest of the world see Australia and its inner self.

The arts tell us stories. The arts ask questions, sometimes uncomfortable for those of us in public life, but that is a good thing. In the arts, we feel joy and celebration. We deal with pain and we reflect on truths that aren't always easily told. The arts lift us, individually and collectively, and they strengthen the bones of our communities. What the arts add up to is a never-ending journey of discovery. That is how the arts can bring us together. It is how they create shared understanding and common purpose. Without ever seeking to iron out the differences that make our nation so vibrant, strong and attractive, we will always seek out the common ground between us because that will always be the most fertile place to plant our dreams.

On Monday of this week I had the great honour of giving a eulogy for John Olsen at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. I titled that 'A poet of the brush,' and indeed he was. I acknowledge that the arts minister and the shadow minister will both in attendance, as well as the New South Wales premier, at what was a joint memorial from the Australian and the New South Wales governments. It was an extraordinary gathering of people from across the arts sector to celebrate an incredible life. One of the things that John Olsen did was persuade us to see Australia with fresh eyes, to look at this great landscape of ours, with all its familiarity and extraordinary antiquity, and see it in a new light. He summed it up himself in the opening of a retrospective on a career that for most of us was already in its maturity by the time we were born, and I quote,

We've got the richness of emptiness which for some reason was known as the dead heart … That's a lie! That's not true! It is teeming with life. And this kind of thing is an exciting thing. To be an Australian artist is to be an explorer.

John Olsen is one of our greatest ever artists, and this was a celebration of his rich life and his contribution to lifting up all who have had the privilege of seeing his work, whether it be in an art gallery or, indeed, in his famous major artwork at the Sydney Opera House, for everyone who goes through that most magnificent of buildings—a piece of art as architecture, one that is revelling in its beauty. When I hosted President Obama just a month or so ago, we went for a walk around Government House and President Obama said, 'That is the world's best building.' And isn't it good that Australia can do that? It can aim high. That's what the arts can do. That's what Australian artists can do across the full spectrum of what the arts are, whether it is architecture, poetry, writing, music, culture, dance. It can be the best, and we can strive to really make a difference. It can be a way in which we reflect ourselves to the world.

Last Wednesday, when we hosted Prime Minister Modi at the Opera House as well, that depiction was shown to 1.4 billion people in India. That's good in and of itself—a source of pride and acknowledgement of the relationship between our two nations—but also an economic benefit from that as well. If a tiny, minuscule portion of the people who see that say, 'Yes, I'll go to Australia' rather than the alternatives then that's the best investment that you could ever possibly make.

That's why we needed to value the arts. When we announced with the minister the funding for the National Gallery to lift it up, I made the point that we have a piece of art there—Blue Poles, by Jackson Pollock—controversially purchased by Gough Whitlam, criticised at the time but a far better investment than any investment that's ever been made by a coalition government. It is worth $500 million, and yet we have buckets to collect water from a leaky roof in the building that houses it. We must do better. Under this government, we will do better. It makes sense.

Earlier this year, we announced Revive, our comprehensive policy to revitalise this beloved sector. It's structured around five interconnected pillars, with 'First Nations first' because we recognise and respect the crucial place of First Nations stories at the centre of Australia's arts and culture. There is 'a place for every story', which reflects the breadth of our stories and the contribution of Australians as the creators of culture. The 'centrality of the artist' supports the artist as worker and celebrates artists as creators. 'Strong cultural infrastructure' provides support across the spectrum of institutions that sustain our arts, our culture and our heritage. The fifth pillar, 'engaging the audience,' is to ensure our stories reach people at home but, importantly as well, abroad.

The establishment of Creative Australia is a reimagined and properly funded Australia Council that will encompass new functions, including Music Australia to support the Australian music industry and the Centre for Arts and Entertainment Workplaces, within Creative Australia, to provide advice on issues of pay, safety and welfare in the arts and culture sector. There's more to come, including Writers Australia, which will provide direct support to the literature sector from 2025, and the establishment of a poet laureate for Australia. There will be a dedicated First Nations governance body within Creative Australia to invest in, create and produce First Nations works and with priorities and funding decisions determined by First Nations leaders.

We have a great nation here in Australia. We have incredible stories to tell, songs to sing and pictures to create. This government will keep doing things to put the even greater Australia that we know is possible within our grasp, and that's what this legislation that's before us today is aimed at doing.

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