The Latest Breaking News from Australia Council

A new national cultural policy is an opportunity for a radical rethinking of the importance of culture in Australia

As the cut-off for the government’s consultation on a National Cultural Policy (NCP) approaches, thousands in the sector are putting the finishing touches to their three-page submissions. These are directed around “five pillars” drawn from Creative Australia, the national cultural policy announced in the last months of the Gillard regime,…

The Conversation · Aug 18, 2022

Award-winning Dessaix goes cold on Russia

Eminent author Robert Dessaix, this week recognised with an Australia Council award, feels deeply embarrassed by his lifelong love of all things Russian.

AAP · Aug 10, 2022

How novelist Frank Moorhouse's high thread-count writing challenged and changed Australia

Over his unique career as a novelist, essayist and tender custodian of this nation's unmentionables drawer, Frank Moorhouse was drawn ineluctably to things that others avoided, writes Annabel Crabb.

ABC News · Jul 13, 2022

Labor pledges to get creative industries ‘back on track quickly’ as it announces arts policy

Opposition wants to boost Australian content on streaming services but overall policy is light on funding commitments

The Guardian - AU · May 16, 2022

Venice Biennale 2022: Marco Fusinato takes over Australia Pavilion with 200 days of guitar performance and spectacle

Marco Fusinato's installation DESASTRES at the Venice Biennale has been described as "powerful [and] hypnotic" and one of the best national pavilions at the prestigious contemporary art exhibition.

ABC News · May 15, 2022

Friday essay: writing poems across oceans, cultures and emails – John Kinsella on creative collaboration

My maternal grandfather was an artist who was a sign-writer. On commission, and under the eye of the public, he painted the giant Queen Elizabeth for the 1954 ‘Royal Visit’ and the giant Captain Cook (with map of ‘New Holland’) for the 200th ‘celebrations’. These lines, read on their own,…

The Conversation · May 5, 2022

Australia should have a universal basic income for artists. Here's what that could look like

While artists struggle to get noticed in the Australian political arena, particularly in the lead up to an election, other nations take their artists more seriously – even seeing them as critical to a successful and vibrant community.

The Conversation · May 2, 2022

The show must go on: How Australia’s performing arts sector has survived two years of COVID

After two years of cancellations and billions of dollars lost, we take stock of the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on Australia’s performing arts and the challenges ahead.

ABC News · Apr 4, 2022

Australian writing and publishing faces 'grinding austerity' as funding continues to decline

It was a grim federal budget for arts and culture on Tuesday night.

The Conversation · Apr 3, 2022

Why arts and culture appear to be the big losers in this budget

While one more A$20 million round of the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund was announced as part of the 2022-23 budget to support reactivating the arts and entertainment sector post-Covid-19 lockdowns, this scheme is coming to an end.

The Conversation · Mar 31, 2022