Arts Funding Round Closing Tomorrow

For all those talented Canberrans out there, the latest round of arts funding from artsACT closes tomorrow. That includes program, project & community arts funding, ACT Creative Arts Fellowships, the ACT Poetry Prize and the ACT Book of the Year Award.The Key Arts Organisation funding doesn’t close until the 19th June.

Further info is available from the artsACT site.

Responding to queries

I recently received a couple of queries from a Canberra Times journalist, asking my views on civil unions, public art funding and the arboretum. Here’s my response:

Civil Unions

I absolutely support the inherent equality within the Civil Unions legislation. I don’t believe we should discriminate on the basis of sexual preference. People in same sex relationships should have the same legal rights as heterosexual couples and I therefore fully support Civil Unions in the ACT.

Public Art Funding

Government has a responsibility to provide not only fundamental services such as health, education, housing and transport, but to also support the nurturing and awareness of art and culture. The funding of public art is one way of achieving this, and by taking art to places where people travel, shop, gather or live, I believe we are enhancing the “civility” of our city.

There will always be people who dislike a particular artwork, or even the concept of spending any funds on public art. But if we responsibly fund public art, I believe we are on the whole enhancing Canberrans’ quality of life.

Arboretum

As I campaign around Canberra, so many people say to me: “Please work to preserve our green spaces; our bush capital. Make sure we don’t become like any other concrete city”. I believe the arboretum helps fulfil this wish.

As with Lake Burley Griffin, our children will not say: “Why did they spend money on that?” They will say: “Thank goodness they had the foresight to create something that makes Canberra an even better place to live”.

An independent National Film and Sound Archive

As someone who has been involved with and witnessed changes to the National Film and Sound Archive since 1999, I’m very pleased to see the Federal Government has introduced legislation into Parliament to re-establish the Archive as a statutory authority, and to provide arrangements for the transition of agreed functions, staff, assets and liabilities.

The ability for the Archive to once again make its own independent decisions will be welcome news to those passionate supporters of the national institution that has gone through a number of structural changes over the past few years including integration with the Australian Film Commission in 2003-2004.

The staff of the Archive deserve recognition for their steadfast and resolute delivery of the very best services in preserving and exhibiting Australia’s audiovisual culture under at times trying conditions. They are a multi-talented and creative bunch who have an international reputation for expertise in the areas of preservation and management of the huge archive of items.