Arts, Recreation and Entertainment:
Ongoing initiatives
Australian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is the Australian Government body that manages, develops and invests in sport at all levels in Australia at the direction of the Coalition Government. Through the Commission, the Australian Government works closely with a range of national sporting organisations, state and local governments, schools and community organisations to ensure sport is well run and accessible so that everyone can participate and enjoy the benefits. It also works with these organisations and through the Australian Institute of Sport and state and territory institutes and academies of sport, to develop sporting excellence at the elite level.
The Active After-school Communities programme
The $90 million Active After-school Communities programme commenced in 2005 and has been expanded to $125 million over four years from 2007-08. It served 1,500 primary schools and after school care centres by the end of 2005 and by the end of 2007 is expected to be available at more than 3,000 sites. The programme enables around 150,000 young Australians to get involved in sport and develop essential motor-skills. It has been an important part of the Coalition's Building a Healthy Active Australia package announced on 29 July 2004 to tackle childhood obesity. The programme helps young Australians develop a balanced approach to nutrition and promotes healthy habits for life.
Indigenous Sport Programme
The Australian Sports Commission's Indigenous Sport Programme delivers sport-specific participation and development programmes and funding support directly to Indigenous people and communities. The programme offers an integrated development pathway that links existing sport development structures and assists Indigenous coaches, managers, trainers, athletes and officials. The Commission has in place effective, collaborative partnerships with state/territory departments of sport and recreation, other sport delivery agencies and 16 national sporting organisations.
Collections Australia Network
In 2007-08 the Australian Government will contribute $240,000 to Collections Australia Network (CAN) with state and territory governments contributing a further $160,000.
CAN, formerly Australian Museums and Galleries On-line, is a website that provides access to cultural heritage held in museums, galleries, libraries and archives all over Australia. The website is aimed at improving online services for small to medium and regional collecting organisations enabling them to expand into the online environment in a more effective manner. The site also allows participating institutions to remotely upload, add, delete and modify their webpages, news items, exhibitions, events and collections.
Big Screen Touring Film Festival
The Australian Government has provided additional funding of $6.9 million over three years from 2005-06 to the Australian Film Commission's screen culture initiatives with Big Screen being a component of this. This funding was part of the 2004 election commitments and the Australian Government announced in the 2007-08 Budget that these commitments will be continued.
Big Screen is a touring film festival showcasing new and iconic Australian films in regional Australia. Big Screen is a major part of the Australian Film Commission's screen culture programme, which provides opportunities for Australian audiences to access screen content throughout Australia, with a particular focus on regional Australia.
Since its inception Big Screen has attracted audiences in regional Australia totalling in excess of 129,000 people. Under the increased funding the average number of venues visited each year has increased from 18 to 38.
Regional Digital Screen Network
The Australian Government has provided additional funding of $6.9 million over three years from 2005-06 to the Australian Film Commission's screen culture initiatives with the Regional Digital Screen Network (RDSN) being a component of this. This funding was part of the 2004 election commitments and the Australian Government announced in the 2007-08 Budget that these commitments will be continued.
Eight cinema venues in regional Australia have been equipped with a digital cinema system, enabling them to screen films in a digital format, and providing access to Australian content that might not otherwise be seen by regional audiences.
Content provision commenced on 18 February 2007, with Sony Tropfest being beamed for the first time into the eight centres via satellite hook-up. Since then, Australian films shown to regional audiences through the RDSN include Razzle Dazzle, Suburban Mayhem, Like Minds, Bra Boys and Two Hands.
Playing Australia
The Australian Government is providing $6 million in 2007-08 for Playing Australia, which is the Australian Government's national performing arts touring programme. It is designed to assist the touring of performing arts across state and territory boundaries where this is currently not commercially viable and there is a demonstrated public demand. A principal objective is to support tours to regional and remote Australia.
Contemporary Music Touring Programme
The Australian Government is providing $250,000 in 2007-08 for the Contemporary Music Touring Programme to assist individual Australian musicians and groups to tour Australia. It provides access to a diversity of musical genres and reaches regional and rural audiences through touring. It also provides opportunities for emerging artists to gain performance experience and broader exposure.
Festivals Australia and Festivals Australia Regional Residencies
The Australian Government will provide around $1 million for the Festivals Australia programme and $500,000 for Festivals Australia Regional Residencies in 2007-08.
Festivals Australia is an Australian Government grant programme designed to assist the presentation of new arts and cultural activities at Australian regional and community festivals. The emphasis is on supporting projects which add to the quality and diversity of the arts and cultural programming of festivals.
The Festivals Australia Regional Residencies initiative enables regional communities to employ artists in residence. The role of the artists is to assist community members to explore local themes or tell their own stories in a culturally relevant way, and to present the artistic works in a festival or significant community celebration.
Regional Arts Fund including Creative Volunteering — No Limits
The Australian Government is providing a total of $16.1 million over 4 years from 2004-05 through the Regional Arts Fund. The programme supports sustainable cultural development in regional, remote and isolated communities across Australia, with an emphasis on building partnerships and networks and facilitating skills and professional development for regional communities and regionally-based artists. Programme administration is devolved to the regional arts organisation in each state and through the territory governments' arts departments.
Creative Volunteering — No Limits, the national arts and museums regional volunteer skills initiative, has been continued as an element of the Regional Arts Fund. Creative Volunteering provides accredited training to upgrade the skills of volunteers working in the arts and collections sectors, particularly in regional and remote areas. Currently eight training modules are available.
Visual Arts and Craft Strategy
The Australian Government will provide $24.7 million over four years from 2007-08 to continue the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, which supports the development of a strong and dynamic contemporary visual arts and craft sector. Ongoing funding will assist artists to produce more new work, allow galleries to develop and extend their public exhibition programmes, support a broader range of Indigenous visual arts centres, support the presentation of visual arts events and the production of publications to help build the market for artists, and enable contemporary art exhibitions to tour across Australia.
The Australian Government funding is expected to be matched by state and territory government funding and, with their contribution, the total value of the initiative will be $49.5 million over four years.
Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme
The Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS) is a maritime heritage assistance programme that provides funding support to not-for-profit organisations caring for Australia's maritime heritage. It provides financial assistance of up to $5,000 for projects and internships that will enhance the collection management, conservation and presentation of Australia's maritime heritage. Since commencing in 1996, the MMAPSS has funded more than 140 projects across Australia.
Travelling exhibitions
Australian National Maritime Museum
The objective of the Australian National Maritime Museum's (ANMM) travelling exhibition programme is to increase the awareness and profile of the ANMM and its collection to regional and remote areas in Australia. The ANMM's Sail Away travelling exhibition programme commenced in 2005 with three exhibitions that will travel to more than 30 venues in the next three years from the Eden Killer Whale Museum, NSW to the Bundaberg Arts Centre, Queensland.
The River – Life on the Murray-Darling is also an ANMM travelling exhibition that has been developed and toured with Visions of Australia funding. This collaborative production is currently exhibited at the Morgan Museum, South Australia and will travel to regional museums along the Murray-Darling River. The national collection displayed in the exhibition is from museums, historical societies and regional communities, and the ANMM.
National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia's (NMA) Travelling Exhibition Programme provides Australians with access to the NMA's collections and public programmes.
During 2007-08 the following exhibitions and programmes will travel to regional venues: Ned Kelly: Fact and Fiction; In Search of the Birdsville Track; The Dora Fay Davenport Show; and Possum Skin Cloak education programme. Students from regional schools are invited to participate in the NMA's Talk Back Classroom programme.
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia's (NGA) Travelling Exhibitions Programme provides access to works of art in the National Collection through a diverse range of exhibitions in regional, remote and metropolitan Australia.
From the programme's inception in February 1988 to March 2007, more than 7 million people have visited 105 exhibitions at 508 locations in every state and territory in Australia, as well as 16 international locations. In addition, three suitcase exhibitions have been to approximately 526 schools and community groups in remote and regional Australia.
National Archives
The Australian Government continues to support the National Archives to conduct touring exhibitions in regional areas. The National Archives conducts regional tours to raise awareness of the collection and to educate the public on how they can access this resource. Touring exhibitions deliver the National Archives collection to regional Australia in an accessible format.
National Archives exhibitions have been well received in regional Australia since the programmes started in 1993, with 15 exhibitions attracting over 2.2 million people in every state and territory. There are three exhibitions currently touring – It's A Dog's Life: Animals in the Public Service, Just Add Water: Schemes and Dreams for a Sunburnt Country, and Summers Past: Golden Days in the Sun 1950-1970.
Bundanon Trust
The Australian Government will provide financial support to the Bundanon Trust of approximately $1.5 million per annum for four years from 2007-08. This funding will enable the Trust to continue to manage the historic properties and art collection donated to the nation by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd, and to develop programmes and facilities to create the 'living arts centre' envisaged by Arthur Boyd. The Bundanon Trust properties are situated on the Shoalhaven River near Nowra in New South Wales.
Indigenous Culture
The Australian Government will provide $21.6 million in 2007-08 for the Indigenous Culture programme. This includes the following initiatives:
Maintenance of Indigenous Language and Records Programme
The Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records Programme supports the revival and maintenance of Indigenous languages as living systems of knowledge shared by communities and passed down from generation to generation. The programme supports a national network of language centres, most of which are located in regional, rural or remote Australia. The programme also provides funding to community based language activities targeting endangered languages.
Indigenous culture support
The Indigenous Culture Support Programme funds activities that maintain the depth and diversity of cultural practice within Indigenous communities. It promotes Indigenous cultures as dynamic and integral elements of Australian culture and identity and aims to foster, maintain and preserve regional and local Indigenous arts and cultures and support community participation in the process of cultural transmission.
National Arts and Crafts Industry Support Programme
The National Arts and Crafts Industry Support programme (NACIS) supports the growth and development of the Indigenous visual arts and crafts sector. The programme's objectives are to assist Indigenous art centres, many of which are located in remote and regional areas, to become stronger and to build a more sustainable Indigenous visual arts industry.
Indigenous visual arts special initiative
The Australian Government is providing $4 million over four years from 2004-05 to 2007-08, including $1 million in 2007-08, to train young and emerging Indigenous artists and art centre workers, to upgrade facilities, and to fund specific marketing initiatives. This funding complements the core operational support provided through the NACIS programme.
Visions of Australia
In 2007-08 the Australian Government will contribute $2 million to the Visions of Australia touring exhibitions programme. Visions of Australia is a national touring exhibition funding programme which assists eligible organisations with the development and touring of exhibitions of Australian cultural material throughout Australia. It provides assistance to incorporated not-for-profit Australian organisations or public collecting institutions to assist with exhibition touring costs and for exhibition project development costs. The programme aims to make cultural material accessible to Australians, particularly in regional and remote communities as well as those in metropolitan venues.
Indigenous Sport and Recreation Programme
The Indigenous Sport and Recreation Programme (ISRP) supports community participation in sport and physical recreation activities throughout all of Australia, recognising that these activities contribute to improving the health and physical well-being of Indigenous Australians and have the potential to address Indigenous disadvantage and contribute to the broader social benefits.