2016-06-08
Greens Arts spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today released the Greens' plan to support artists to make a living and save for their retirement ahead of the National Arts Debate at the Wheeler Centre.
"Artists entertain, challenge and inspire us and are at the core of our cultural life, yet many artists can struggle to make a living," Mr Bandt said.
"Working as an artist often means working in casual or insecure work, making it difficult for artists to save or plan for their retirement."
"The Greens value the role artists play in our cultural life and believe that artists should be paid to reflect the value that they add to our society."
"A long-term, fulfilling career in the arts should be as valuable and as viable as a career in any other sector."
"The Greens will make it easier for artists who are providing benefits to the community to receive Centrelink payments to support them while they are in casual work or in between other paid work."
“Creative work with a public benefit should count towards Centrelink’s “mutual obligation” requirements.”
"For people working in the arts and earning low-incomes, it is near impossible to save or even consider planning for their retirement."
"The Greens will boost the superannuation of artists earning low incomes to help make sure a life spent contributing to the creative industries doesn't mean a retirement without a nest egg."
"Combined with our plan to restore the Liberal government's cuts and invest an additional $270.2 million into the arts, this plan will not only return the arts sector to its former glory, it will grow our creative industries and cultural life by supporting more people to get involved and create."
The Greens will:
- Allow artistic activities that provide community benefit to be eligible for Centrelink mutual obligation requirements at a cost of $51 million over four years;
- Implement a new low-income artist superannuation supplement worth an additional $500 per year for working artists who meet the eligibility criteria for the Low Income Superannuation Tax Offset (LISTO) announced in the 2016-17 Budget, costing $23 million over four years;
- Establish an arts sector-led taskforce to advise about the opportunities and risks posed by the digitisation of distribution and consumption of creative works to ensure the continued creation of local artistic content; and
- Support artists’ incomes by investing $20 million over four years into a fund so that organisations can pay artists fees for works that are publicly displayed, loaned to a non-selling exhibition or used on other occasions when art is shared with the public (this measure has been previously announced).
This policy follows the Greens' previously announced plan to reverse the Liberal government's cuts to the arts and invest an additional $270.2 million for a vibrant and independent Australian arts community. Read the plan here: www.greens.org.au/arts.
Media contact: Adam Pulford, 0429 109 054