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

I just want to make the point, to correct the misleading assertion in the question, that there has been a reduction in arts funding. There has been no reduction in arts funding whatsoever. But 13 per cent of the funding that was available through the Australia Council is now being channelled through the National Program for Excellence in the Arts.

Time is on the wing, so I will come directly to your question, Senator Collins. I have as a matter of fact not an hour ago met with representatives of AMPAG, the Australia Major Performing Arts Group, which represent the 28 most significant performing arts organisations in the country—and I was joined at that meeting by my colleague the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, because we now have a foreign minister who also takes an interest in the arts—and I cannot tell you how enthusiastic they were about the National Program for Excellence in the Arts.