‘A calculated insult’: Industry reacts to government axing Department of Communications and the Arts
Late last week, Scott Morrison’s federal government announced it would be abolishing the Department of Communications and the Arts in a bid to create more “efficiency”. Communications will now be housed along with Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, while the ‘Arts’ doesn’t appear to have a departmental home. Mumbrella’s editor Vivienne Kelly speaks to – well, attempts to speak to – industry leaders to figure out what it all means.
Beyond people catching public transport and using infrastructure to attend key moments in our cities’ and regions’ arts and cultural offerings, few people could immediately digest why the Department of Communications and the Arts will now sit alongside Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development.
Sure, infrastructure and communications tools like the NBN – should it do what it’s supposed to – could help the regions develop into business, cultural and population hubs. But with the ‘Arts’ no longer being named in a Federal government department, chatter seemed to be that this important societal backbone would be lost in a sea of “super departments” and a government obsessed by jobs and growth.
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new structure will drive greater collaboration on important policy challenges.
Anyone who is surprised by this hasn’t been watching this Government. They tell us what they are every single day – you just have to look.
Undermining of the arts, narrowing creative thought, controlling culture – and then funnelling influence and advice away from the public service – is all about entrenching power in to donor & self interest led Ministries – all very predictable moves for this Government.
There are very real reasons Australia was recently ranked as a ‘narrowing democracy’.
Every Australian should be alarmed. This is serious #resist
As if we need to encourage any of that wanky arts B-S. Future generations will look back with pride with the inspired creativity behind all those lovely Meriton Apartments, brand-inspired cooking reality shows, and cool-as Christian rock that we are fortunate enough to be entertained by.
What a time to be alive.
Few are referencing the outcry when Arts was lumped in with Communications in 1994 under Minister Michael Lee of the Keating Government.
The world didn’t end then, but the world has changed and, sadly, the Morrison Government has little to lose by caring little for the Arts.
The creative industry is perceived as being anti-coalition, and as supporting many issues to which the coalition is ideologically and pig-headedly opposed.
Even if it had not symbolically snubbed the Arts with this move (we’ll see what the practical implications are in time), the LNP would never have won the hearts of the sector ahead of the next election, so the LNP has nothing to lose. The real battle is keeping the boomers, miners, farmers and donors on side. It’s where the Arts community should perhaps take their battle.
“it is the blow to the morale of all the people in all these sectors (many of them women)”
So it’s worse because they’re women? Where’s the equality there?
Fantastic way to miss the entire damn point and make it about your own little gender war, John.
Maybe the ‘arts’ community needs to wake up to itself and realise that public taxes do NOT need to be spent on them. Wanna do something ‘artistic’ then go do it. No one is stopping you. Go for it and I sincerely wish you every success. But why exactly do you require an entire ‘ministry’ of bureaucrats? And what the hell did the ministry for the arts do anyway??? And why are people working in advertising and PR complaining? Is the gov going to stop wanting to make silly unnecessary political ads disguised as public service announcements? Are they going to need to stop selling more BS spin? I doubt it..
Hi Ron. You seem stressed. Maybe you should turn on the radio and listen to your favourite music. Oops sorry, no music because the arts don’t pay for themselves. Never mind, turn on the TV and watch a movie. Damn, that’s right. No movies anymore because the arts can’t pay for themselves. Oh well, better just go for a walk. But what a droll, grey landscape it now is that there’s no architecture, graphic design or public artworks to beautify the environment. Life sure is bland now. But at least we didn’t have to pay any tax.
By your logic Ron:
I don’t like sports, so why are we spending public taxes on it?
I don’t use roads, so why should I be taxed?
I pay for private health, so why should I pay tax for public health?
I don’t have kids at school so public taxes shouldn’t go to state schools!
My house isn’t on fire so why should my taxes pay for a fire department.
Just because you don’t like or need something doesn’t mean others don’t.
Get over yourselves.
Ads ain’t art.
… for those with short memories (or who weren’t around) – nothing new here; it was DoTaC (Department of Transport and Communications) under the Bob Hawke restructure.
We are one of the most over governed and over taxed people on earth, any synergies we can create that also reduces the cost of government is a win in my book. The total ‘victim’ behaviour reflected in the comments in this article are precisely why we make rubbish movies in this country and struggle to be a creative force on the global map. Go forth and create! You don’t need 10,000 public servants running behind you to do it..
Yeah, the arts contributes 117 BILLION a year not 11.7 Billion. Great to see even an article defending the arts underestimates the contribution by 90%.
“cultural and creative activity contributed $111.7 billion to Australia’s economy in 2016-17” – The Bureau of Communications and Arts Research (of the Government)
Perplexing as to why you would ask media, Advertising and PR people their opinion on this. They’re so far removed from the ground roots arts communities that will ultimately be the most impacted by this decision.
Vivienne, please do correct – the arts is a $111.7 billion industry. It is massive, it employs around 250,000 people. And growing. It drives tourism, international reputation, is good for wellbeing, creates social bonds, and 98%+ of all Australians participate in the arts in some way. More people attend arts than sports.
Mining is a $148 billion industry that employs around 132,000 people – and shrinking. Automation is rife and it will shed jobs like crazy over the next decade. The rest of the mining industry drawbacks are well known – the main one being how it is holding politicians and the nation to ransom to protect it from market forces. The RBA has noted repeatedly that mining is on the wane.
It absolutely does my head in the way politicians ignore a golden goose like arts, recreation and entertainment industries.
Arts source:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-11/australian-government-arts-policy-arts-funding-dirty-word/11784596?fbclid=IwAR2rUFxOZ_BOcpw3ig7crzkS0a7_-Cp7RcLgBtMvtJ09QfPa2Gd-K-kOHV0
Mining sources:
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1718/Quick_Guides/EmployIndustry
https://www.statista.com/topics/4671/mining-industry-in-australia/
https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2019/sep/the-changing-global-market-for-australian-coal.html
Hi Elle,
This typo was amended.
Thanks,
Vivienne – Mumbrella
If you Google “ Scott Morrison work history “ you might get some insight into why he’s happy to see the marketing communications industry go under a bus.