Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's my pleasure to speak on the Creative Australia Bill 2023 today, if not a little daunting to see the author of it in the House with us. Being creative is definitely good for the soul and it's fundamental to the way we as human beings work, live and start to thrive. We all know, as the member for Lalor discussed, that it is good therapy to create and express yourself, and we need places where we can do that. The former member for Werriwa, Gough Whitlam, was a great supporter of the arts. He said:

A society in which the arts flourish is a society in which every human value can flourish.

That's why, since 1975, the Australia Council has been the Commonwealth arts investment and advisory body. It was Whitlam who decided that Blue Poles was a good investment. Better still, it was the picture on his Christmas card that year, for every person he sent a Christmas card to—and from the Prime Minister, in the days before emails, that was a significant number. And Australians got to enjoy the good and precipitous decision to get Blue Poles. I remember the discussion at the time about how much it cost, but it is now invaluable to our community and it's something the National Gallery has on display all the time, for everybody to look at. That's just how wonderful arts are for our community.

This bill will restore and modernise the Australia Council, which, unfortunately—like so much in our economy over the past 10 years—has been undervalued and destroyed by previous governments. The new name will be Creative Australia. The bill will strengthen the capacity of the Australia Council and provide greater strategic oversight and engagement across the sector, ensuring that funding decisions continue to be made on the basis of artistic merit and at arm's length from government. It's not about whether or not I like the ballet or whether or not I like hip-hop; it's the fact that everyone in Australia will have a voice and all their artistic endeavours will be part of it.

In the electorate of Werriwa I have a fantastic arts facility, Casula Powerhouse. They put on so many different exhibitions and so many different plays. But, more importantly, they are a community arts facility that support my community and people that come from migrant backgrounds.

I have had the pleasure on so many occasions of going and seeing young people from Miller Technology High School who have come to Australia from the worst of circumstances, from refugee backgrounds, from places like Afghanistan and Iraq, where they had to leave under the cover of darkness and leave everything at home. There is a program at Miller Technology High School which helps them talk about that. It helps them address the trauma and the disconnect they have from the Australian society that they are now living in. All of a sudden, they know they are safe. There are no bullets or other things. But it is really hard, particularly for younger children, to be able to process that. These performances and discussions and the teachers that support them through that just makes so much difference to their lives. It also gives them an insight into what education can be and just how wonderful that is. So we need arts for every part of the community.

This bill will also include the establishment of independent bodies, funds for First Nations arts and culture, contemporary music and writers, as well as a Centre for Arts and Entertainment Workplaces. The implementation of the Australia Council reforms under the national cultural policy will be staged to allow for necessary consultation. This is something that this government is really invested in—that people get a chance to say what they want. Instead of talking at people, we will be listening and implementing. A number of these elements will require implementation from 1 July 2023. These are covered in this bill and will be the first tranche.

The bill provides for the Australia Council to operate under the name 'Creative Australia', and additional functions in this bill will also enable the Australia Council to commence work for the Centre for Arts and Entertainment Workplaces and Music Australia from 1 July. The Centre for Arts and Entertainment Workplaces will work with artists, industries and employers to raise and maintain safety standards for all art forms and ensure matters are referred to relevant authorities as appropriate. It's important that everyone has a safe workplace. These workplaces are no different, even though they are creative ones. Music Australia will support the Australian music industry to grow, including through strategic initiatives and industry partnerships, research, training, skills development and export promotion. A follow-up bill will be introduced later this year to establish these critical bodies. Ongoing consultation with the sector will inform this legislation.

The bill provides authority for the Australia Council to deliver Creative Partnerships Australia, including the ability to attract public and private support for the arts and undertake research on public and private investment for the arts. This increased access to private sector funding for the arts will maximise the impact of public investment and support a sustainable arts centre. The transfer of Creative Partnerships will leverage the Australia Council's expertise and bring together arts philanthropy and arts funding with one entity to create synergies between public and private partnerships as well as government and philanthropic investment. That is really important. The arts are for the whole of our community, and all of our community should be part of that.

This bill allows the Australia Council to assume responsibility for the Australian Cultural Fund from 1 July, including for all donations made prior to the transfer. The Australian Cultural Fund is an important mechanism used by Creative Partnerships Australia to deliver its objectives to grow the culture of giving to arts and culture, bringing donors, businesses, artists and organisations together. It's really important that these creative people, be they musicians, artists or whatever, get paid properly for their work so that it actually can be what they do, rather than having to sustain themselves with several other jobs.

Through this legislation, the Australia Council will assume responsibility for assisting Australian artists and arts organisations to attract and maintain support from donors and businesses, diversifying their sources of revenue, and encourage and celebrate innovation and excellence in giving to, and partnerships with, the arts and cultural sector. Under the bill, Creative Partnerships Australia Ltd will cease to exist and will be taken to be deregistered under the Corporations Act 2001 at the time of transition. The bill also includes transitional elements to support a smooth transfer of functions and ensure the continuity of business between Creative Partnerships Australia and the Australia Council.

I again thank the member for Watson for all he has done for our creative partnerships. I've seen firsthand in my electorate what a difference it makes when you fund everybody, from the community grassroots level to the big picture. I commend the bill to the House.

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