Federal funding for regional arts

FIVE million dollars has been put towards helping regional arts industries across Australia get back on their feet in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, visited the Bendigo Art Gallery last week to announce the money for the Federal Government’s Regional Arts Fund Cultural Tourism Accelerator program.

“[The Bendigo Art Gallery] is a great example of the kind of activity that we want to encourage and stimulate with this Cultural Tourism Accelerator,” he said.

“While we’ve necessarily had a focus at key points on helping people survive through a period when they weren’t doing work in the arts and cultural sector, what we really want to do is see people able to get back to work in a gallery like this.”

The program includes four funding categories ranging from $2500 to $15,000 and is targeted at supporting regional artists, workers and organisations promote their offerings and increase visitation.

“We know that around Australia, people are itching to get back into their cars and get out all around their states and see as much of the attractions of their states and our country as possible,” Mr Fletcher said.

“What we also know is that cultural tourism is a significant economic generator and people who are travelling in regional Australia, if they’re travelling for cultural reasons, will often stay longer than if they were travelling for other reasons.

“When people travel, they’re not only buying a ticket for an exhibition but very importantly they’ll be eating at a restaurant, cafe or pub, staying overnight [and] buying petrol at the local servo.”

The program was developed by Regional Arts Australia, who will oversee the grants process, and executive director Ros Abercrombie said the arts industry had a critical role to play in helping regional areas recover socially and economically.

“We’ll be looking for nimble, innovative approaches that accelerate visitation over the coming six to nine months as we transition from the impacts of COVID-19,” she said.