Former Liberal arts minister and glass house inhabiter throws stone at Labor for lacklustre arts funding

Tony Bourke [sic] has finally announced some COVID support for the arts sector — many months too late.

That’s former arts minister Paul Fletcher earlier this week, lamenting the “many months” of inaction on the arts sector from Labor (as well as misspelling Tony Burke’s name). Which is kind of a great slam on a government that could reasonably argue it hasn’t really been in power for many months.

Because if you go back any further than four months, you get into Fletcher’s stewardship of the sector, such as it was. Fletcher’s statement criticises the government for failing to release $20 million from the Coalition’s Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) fund, which was put in place in 2020 and designed to help the struggling sector get through the audience pandemic. In case you need reminding, that’s the same fund that critics argued left big chunks of the sector behind while giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to LEGO.

It also adhered to the Morrison government’s love of rort-ready funds, by cutting out Australia Council — which operates at arm’s length from the government and has a peer-review process — and giving Fletcher total ministerial oversight over the use of the money (the same mechanics that powered the sports rorts saga and others). It also produced eyebrow-raising grants such as the $620,000 granted to a Western Australian couple with no experience to run weekly music events in the small town of Manjimup.

What are your thoughts on the Coalition’s handling of the arts sector? Let us know by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.