A pox on both their houses
CONTEXT IS ALL. How did we get here from there? Amid the general detritus of the national vomitorium, aka the post-election landscape, this election campaign has thrown up two particularly scary bits of information: first of all, Labor’s carelessly trumpeted $10m for the arts across Australia is the same figure that Prime Minister Gillard was happy to kick in for the development of just one sporting facility.
Secondly, arts companies have been told by a senior Abbott staffer to stop sending him invitations to opening nights: he’s not interested and won’t be attending any time soon. It’s official – despite lingering Blanchett-fuelled doubt – that despite occasional hiccups of interest, the arts in Australia are irrelevant and anathema to the two major parties.
It all went hideously wrong with the hubristic if well meant royal variety show for PJ Keating, “Arts For Labor” at the State Theatre in Sydney. That was back in the last century. With the ALP’s subsequent trashing at the federal election after that joyous evening, overnight The Yarts were revealed as neither necessary nor even useful to electoral fortunes. And, that was that.
Moving through the dark times of the Howard years and the decline continued. Jeanette Howard was occasionally spotted at the ballet, provided there were lots of tutus on display and nothing contemporary or interesting. Hyacinth aside, just about the only Coalition pollies who have been willing to enter a theatre for pleasure were, and remain, Bronwyn Bishop; and despite his election, elevation, de-elevation and various personal-political dramas, Malcolm Turnbull.
The tragic persistent after effect of Arts For Labor has been the apparently indelible label “elitist” No matter that both sides of politics throw truckloads of taxpayer dollars at elite sports and sportspeople, somehow the concept of elite arts is electoral and social poison. And in recent times, that has only been compounded by the down to earth yet fatal Armani-elegance of the Blessed Cate. No matter that she gets about in jeans and reading specs most of the time; when the cameras are flashing, here or overseas, she looks umelite. The irony is that in reality Cate and Andrew Upton are the least elite and possibly most socially and environmentally progressive public arts people currently pushing the barrow; but Armani and the 20-20 summit suggest otherwise.
So where do we go from here? One good thing is that there’s no argument about the direction: we can’t get any further down without digging, so up is the only option. And, despite continuing – and well-placed - pessimism, there might just be a window of opportunity to open. But it’s going to take a paradigm shift in thinking and approach
In November 2009 The Greens committed their arts policy to paper and to their website. Christine Milne is the party’s arts spokesperson and that alone speaks volumes: not an also-ran, not an afterthought, not a joke, but a serious and high-profile parliamentarian. And the preamble to the policy is actually headed Principles - a word that’s pretty much disappeared from the vocabulary of the other two major parties.
These are the principles:
1. Creative artistic expression and cultural experience are fundamental aspects of social wellbeing.
2. Access to diverse, innovative artistic and cultural experiences should be available to all Australians.
3. Australian artistic expression and culture should be protected and promoted.
4. Creative artists play an essential role in Australian social life and should be fostered and supported.
5. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and artistic work express unique cultures ad heritage which must be supported, respected and appropriately protected through legislation, policy and funding priorities.
6. Cultural heritage must be protected and preserved.
7. National libraries and collecting institutions are essential to our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world, and must be maintained and developed as the repositories of cultural heritage.
8. Specialist artistic education and training programs provide a unique learning environment for aspiring artists and should be promoted.
The cynical and world-weary will mutter “easy to say, but ” and that’s where we all come in. Between now and July 2011 when the Greens will become of vital importance to us all in the Senate, there is a unique chance to promote real democracy and real progress for the arts – the engine room of the Australian psyche. If we don’t grab the opportunity and work for change, together, then the disdain for the arts community of the Coalition and Labor will have been proved well-placed; and irrelevance will be a given for the foreseeable future.
It’s time, men and women of arty Australia. In fact it’s past time. greens.org.au
