Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Smith. I think all colleagues would recognise that Indigenous arts and languages support the wellbeing of Indigenous people, make a contribution to our national economy and promote Australia to international audiences, which is why we continue to invest in the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support and the Indigenous Languages and Arts programs.

At the last election we committed to an additional investment to support the development and use of innovative digital solutions to record and teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Through these programs, we support the operation of 22 Indigenous language centres delivering activities that assist in the revival and maintenance of Indigenous languages, and more than 80 remote Indigenous art centres that are at the heart of our world-renowned Indigenous visual arts movement.

The Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program supports a professional, strong and ethical Indigenous visual arts industry, with strong participation by, and employment for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indigenous art centres provide the infrastructure and relationships that allow artists to create new art, generate income, develop professional skills and connect to the commercial art market. The government has also significantly removed red tape for funding recipients in recent years, and organisations funded by the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program provide professional opportunities for more than 8,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and around 350 Indigenous arts workers. This is an important part of the arts portfolio, and I'm sure all colleagues would agree that this is a good, important and appropriate way for the Commonwealth to support it.