arts funding
(Image: Getty/Evgeny Sergeev)

It was the kind of budget designed to give everyone a win big enough to forget the government’s struggles over the past few months. But while Treasurer Josh Frydenberg drove a truckload of cash into the living rooms of middle Australia, plenty of sectors and agencies traditionally left behind by the Coalition remained big losers.

As usual, an arts sector hammered by two years of pandemic-induced lockdowns, venue closures and economic uncertainty received little. The one silver lining was a $38.3 million package over the next two years. That included $20 million to extend the government’s Restart Investment to Support and Expand (RISE) initiative, which aims to give the arts sector a boost. There was also $9.3 million for the National Museum, and $9 million to support independent cinemas.

That’s where the good news ended for the arts sector. Buried in the portfolio budget papers were deep cuts. The winding-up of RISE means that funding for arts and cultural development will fall from $159 million in 2021-22 to just $2 million a year over the forward estimates. Screen Australia’s funding will also be reduced dramatically, from $39 million at the last budget to an estimated $11 million annually over the forward estimates. Support for regional arts was $18 million in 2021-22; it’s projected to sit at $7 million a year over the next four years. Film and television spending falls from $195 million in 2021-22 to around $150 million.

Also buried is a cut to the budget of the Australian Human Rights Commission. The agency, which is already predicted to lose one in three jobs despite dealing with a record number of complaints, loses significant funding, falling from $32.6 million in 2021-22 to $20.2 million in 2025-26. The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s funding will fall from $48.8 million in 2021-22 to $41.9 million in 2025-26.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Meteorology, much criticised recently for its forecasting of extreme weather events, will see its total resourcing decline from $786 million in 2021-22 to $739 million in 2022-23. 

Despite the generosity of the government’s budget, there are a few losers in there. Just don’t expect to hear much about them.