Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Reynolds for her deep and genuine interest in the arts in regional areas. We have spent some time together talking to groups in the west. It is quite fortuitous that Senator Reynolds asked this question today, as applications for the latest funding round for the Visions of Australia program have opened. This is one of a number of programs which are designed to increase opportunities for audiences, particularly in regional and remote Australia, to enjoy different forms of arts—recognising that the arts are not something that are solely the preserve of the cities, that the arts are alive and well in regional and rural Australia.

Visions of Australia is administered by my department and it provides funding for exhibitions of Australian arts and culture to tour other venues, with a focus on the regions and remote Australia. An example is that recently this program funded the National Motor Museum in South Australia to support the tour of their Bush Mechanics exhibition. This is based on the popular TV show of the same name and focuses on the role of the car in Aboriginal life in Central Australia. The Visions funding will support this exhibition to tour to new places, including two very remote communities in Central Australia. The program also encourages partnerships across the collections sector, mentoring and skills transfer. The Tamworth Regional Gallery, for example, is receiving funding to tour an exhibition showcasing the work of contemporary textile artists from each state and territory. This is a great example of a regional community developing a nationally significant exhibition that will then go on to tour other communities who might not otherwise have had that opportunity.