Notes on the National Cultural Policy

Thoughts by Matthew Donlan

Two weeks ago I was at the Sydney Cinémathèque (not sponsored) to watch the Australian film Going Down. Directed by Haydn Keenan, Going Down was made on a budget no-greater than your bank account after a trip to the petrol station. It's raw and rough around the edges, at one point the soundie (with boom) is seen in the reflection of a full-length mirror, but it's beautiful.

What struck me though was how embedded the film was within the broader arts scene. It, and many films from the same era, contain artists (in the larger sense of the term) mingling with each other. Music from local bands fed into film scores, films fed into theatre performances, theatre engaged with painters, and so on and so on. But, in the years since, our artistic culture has not only weakened but siloed. Today we have Writing Australia, Music Australia, Screen Australia and (the more ambiguous) Creative Australia, each operating within their subfields without a holistic approach (except to support the father of them all, Tourism Australia).

The first National Cultural Policy, succinctly titled, Revive: A place for every story, a story for every place, was intended to provide this north star for the various agencies. The 116 pages make for the most riveting read (if riveting were defined as the ultimate sleeping pill with long-lasting, mind-numbing effects). And last month the Australian Government opened submissions for the next National Cultural Policy. I'd like to suggest the title On Life Support: We regret to inform you that your grant application was unsuccessful.

"So what ails the Australian arts sector?" I imagine you ask, setting you up as a pathetic fallacy so I can feel morally superior. Well are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin...

Music festivals continue to struggle for their existence. Writers' festivals continue to expand their list of banned topics and speakers. Humanities courses continue to face cuts across the tertiary sector. AI continues to challenge ideas of copyright, ownership and secure work. Musicians, artists, comedians and filmmakers continue to earn less money than they could working the McDonald's drive-thru. And broadcast television continues to homogenise into one big blob of content. By 2028 we'll all be watching one show called Who Do You Think Is My Kitchen Dancing with at First Sight: presented by Marc Fennell live from the African Jungle.

But don't worry everyone because I'm sure that the Honourable Tony Burke MP, Leader of the House, Minister for Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship, Cyber Security and the Arts is all on top of it.

"So how do we fix this?" I imagine you ask, this time redeeming you as a vital character which moves this piece forward. Well there isn't going to be one simple fix. More money always helps, but all these decisions and discussions about culture from the Government are lacking one thing. Passion. We cannot seriously talk about our arts and our creativity, via dry, multi-chaptered policy documents written by specially-selected corporatised panels in boardrooms. Without the real passion and care for the sector, outcomes will continue to stall for years, leading to piecemeal and far-too-late change.

But that's an unsatisfying end. So instead I'll put forward six ideas (some old and some new), mainly because they sound good but with very little thought given to their full implementation. Perhaps somewhere down the line I'll flesh these out more...

1. Bring back sub-genre quotas for Australian television

During the pandemic, the Australian Government relaxed the requirements on television broadcasters to produce a certain amount of dramas, documentaries and children's programmes. The effect of this was not only a void of local productions but also a dumbing down of what was broadcast on television. I say we not only bring these back, but add in comedy as another genre. A diverse television production ecosystem is vital to develop new voices in new modes and to ensure a more accurate representation of Australia.

While we're at it, can we put a cap on the number of hours of reality television which can be produced in a year? I don't want to see more than 10 hours a year of dating shows, cooking shows, home renovation shows, celebrity-only competition shows and the weird hybrids these have produced.

2. Trial an artist's basic income programme

Ireland recently made permanent their pilot programme to provide a basic income to artists, finding that the economic benefits were greater than the costs. A small trial, of perhaps 1'000 artists in Australia, would be a sign that the Government is willing to take some risks and try new ideas to support the sector. Let's put an end to the idea of a starving artist.

3. Ausify the curriculum

An interesting post recently came into my feed. It was 'Ausify your Algo,' a campaign to train your music algorithm to encourage more Australian music. It's a really great, well-designed resource and I encourage you to check it out. I think the film and television sector has a lot to learn from our peers in the music industry. While of course many artists are struggling, I do think that the Australian music scene has the best campaigns and marketing of all the arts.

But this concept of Ausifying can be extended beyond music, and I think one prime place to do that is in the curriculum. High school English, Drama, Visual Arts & History are just some of the places where a greater emphasis on Australian culture can be placed. Now that last sentence may sound a bit right-wingy conservative but I mean it in a more 'we need to know the full and ugly truth of this country in order to move forward together' way.

4. More Australian hold music

I recently called the Inner West Council and was placed on hold for a few minutes but instead of the usual classical piece, what played was a pseudo-Triple J experience. The hold music was local musicians, and each song was introduced with details on who they are. Can we please replicate this into every facet of the Australian government and major Australian businesses? Not only would it pay some royalties to the artists but imagine getting to say you heard the next great Australian band on Centrelink.

5. Let us see the things which Screen Australia funds

Screen Australia, in any given year, funds hundreds of projects. Some hit it big, some die on the festival circuit, some disappear on hard drives, and some move behind paywalls after being bought by streamers. This might sound controversial, but I'd quite like to watch the things Screen Australia funds. So I'm proposing a guaranteed pathway to distribution via some agreement with either ABC or SBS. If a project in this country gets agency funding, it guarantees it will be seen (for free) on either of the national broadcasters. Of course films can still be sold for first rights to streamers, and the international rights are always available too, but somewhere down the line it should move from behind the paywall.

6. Cheaper tickets for Australian films at festivals

One way to incentivise more Australians seeing more Australian films is by making it cheaper for them. Now it might be unfair to call for cheaper tickets in general cinemas as this would hit the revenue for the film, but festivals are a different beast. Not only could it help to sell out Australian screenings, but it could encourage a stronger marketing of local films which can often be overlooked at festival time.

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As I said there isn't one simple solution, and those above aren't the only possible solutions (maybe they're also not very good), but if we don't start thinking creatively about our creative arts then things will only get worse.

Pick of the Week
There's a new Australian film in cinemas next week called Alphabet Lane. I'll be doing a full review on it next week but there is a preview screening and Q+A at the Ritz this Monday night. Details are here.

New Releases - Thursday 16 April

• The Stranger (François Ozon)
• Fuze (David Mackenzie)
• Lee Cronin's The Mummy (Lee Cronin)