2023-01-18
The Greens are calling for a long-term funding fix to sustain cultural institutions as part of the Albanese Government’s National Cultural Policy, which is due on 30 January.
The National Library, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Film and Sound Archives and the National Archives are all in danger of having to make staff and service cuts due to the funding crisis.
Greens Arts and Communications Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
"Our national cultural institutions have suffered almost a decade of neglect under previous Coalition governments.
“The Australian War Memorial expansion received massive government funding, yet cultural institutions like our national gallery, museum, library, archives, film and sound archives are all facing major staff and service cuts.
"Funding for the National Library’s online archive, the Trove, will run out in July, unless the Albanese Government delivers a sustainable funding plan.
“A National Cultural Policy is a welcome first step, but it must deliver more than a one-off sugar hit in the May Budget to guarantee the future of our national cultural institutions.
“For a tiny fraction of the stage 3 tax cuts Australia’s most important cultural institutions could be saved and funded for decades to come. The Government can’t cry poor while spending hundreds of billions of dollars on tax cuts for the most wealthy.”