We All Play A Part: Key Facts
It’s not too late to start lobbying your local candidates to commit to the arts.
You can use some of the Key Facts that we’ve pulled together as a starting point when talking to your candidates and then speak personally about your local scene. You’d be amazed at how unaware candidates can be about the arts...so a little information can go a long way.
KEY FACTS & FIGURES
1. Australians love the arts
A recent, landmark study commissioned by the Australia Council for the Arts found that:
Nine in ten Australians participate in the arts
Australians strongly believe that the arts are an important part of life and should receive public funding
To see the full report, fact sheets and summaries, go to The Australia Council website.
2. The arts drum up major tourist dollars
More than half of all international visitors to Australia participate in at least one cultural or heritage activity during their stay [i] - that’s 2.7 million visitors.
3. Children do better at school if they learn through the arts
Research shows that sustained involvement in music and theatre are highly correlated with success in mathematics and reading.[ii] The arts especially help kids from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds.[iii]
4. The Federal government only spends 1.5 cents on music and live performance per Australian, per year
Federal government investment in music and live performance is around $123 million pa or 0.04% of total government spending.[iv] This is equivalent to around 1.5 cents per Australian, per day, per year.
5. Live performance and music create jobs and contribute to the economy
The music and live performance sector creates about 30,500 jobs[v] and contributes over $1 billion to GDP[vi].
This is a return on investment for the Federal government of about 800%.
6. Artists earn less than half than other professional employees
Professional performing artists’ median income in 2007/08 was just $38,800. Their income has gone down since 2001, whilst in general, Australian employees have had increases.[vii] For example, professional employees in Australia experienced an increase in median income of 16 percent to $77,500 in 2007/08. Their median income is almost one and a half times as much as performing artists’.[viii]
7. 60 performances every day
On average, there were almost 60 performances every day of the year, taking place across Australia.
What you can do
You can write/contact your local MP, Arts Minister (Peter Garrett) and Shadow Minister for the Arts (Steven Ciobo), updating them about the value of the arts and particularly the performing arts.
Despite the rhetoric about fiscal restraint we need to be calling for additional funds for the arts. Some of the things you may want to emphasise are:
- more money for new Australian work, especially works of scale and complexity - thereby providing more jobs.
- more money for national touring, so more audiences can see high quality and innovative work.
- more money for international touring, which can assist in international diplomacy.
Visit the AMPAG website to find the contact details for your MP and Ministers.
[i] Tourism Research Australia. (2008). Snapshot: Cultural Heritage and Tourism Australia in 2008.
[ii] Fiske. Edward (ed). (1999). Champions of change: the impact of the arts on learning. The Arts Education Partnership: the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Government finance statistics Cat No. 5512.0 and Cultural Funding by government 4183.0. In 2007/08, total government arts funding was $1,788 million. Total government GFS expenses was $278,330 million.
[v] Centre for International Economics. (2009). Creative industries economic analysis final report. Prepared for Creative Industries Innovation Centre. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2006). Census of population and housing.
[vi]2007/08 industry gross product for “music and the performing arts,” based on IBISWorld reports. Centre for International Economics. (2009). Creative industries economic analysis final report. Prepared for Creative Industries Innovation Centre.
[vii] Throsby, David, “Income comparisons for performing artists and other selected occupational groups in 2007/08,” advance data received from Throsby et al. Sources include: Don’t give up your day job: an economic study of professional artists in Australia, Australia Council for the Arts, 2003; Do you really expect to get paid? An economic study of professional artists in Australia, Australia Council for the Arts, Sydney, 2020 (forthcoming); Employees' income data for 2000/01: ABS 6310.0 Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Memberships August 2000 and 2001. Employees' income data for 2007/08: ABS (2008), Employee Earnings and Hours 6306.0, August 2008. Numbers include full-time and part-time employees.
[viii] 1.41 times as much as performing artists: using Throsby 2007/08 data, ibid. Performing artists median income is 37% less than professional employees’ median income.
