“The arts are our intellectual and cultural lifeblood,” says Anne Maria Nicholson, former ABC National Arts Reporter. But the decline in the ABC's funding risks bleak outcomes for Australia’s cultural landscape.
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Whether ballet, theatre, TV, or new music - the arts are key to expressing Australian identity. We rely on the ABC to produce original Australian content.
Yet, ABC Arts programming is at an all time low.
Having lost more than $750 million in funding between 2013 and 2022, the ABC now produces 40% less Australian content than it did a decade ago.
Australian stories are struggling to be heard.
The ABC’s Arts reporting team no longer exists. National arts coverage rarely occurs. But when it does, it is often from reporters who lack expertise.
We spoke with former ABC National Arts Reporter, Anne Maria Nicholson, on the issue.
“Would you think - if you were covering Canberra, or you were covering sport - that you just grab someone out of the newsroom to do it on the day?,” she asked. “No - it's all about knowledge, contacts, who to call, and being able to see when there is news.”
Anne Maria says that the ABC needs designated arts coverage.
“As a reporter, my aim was always to bring arts into the mainstream so that people who might not have even thought about the arts are exposed to creative and intellectual life. If the ABC doesn't do this, who's going to do it?”
ABC Arts reporting is “a long way short of what it used to be,” said Anne Maria. “The arts are just an afterthought now.”
“I believe it reflects the decline of the arts generally, with funding across the board.”
Despite the grim financial outlook for Australian artists, the costs of Australian arts degrees have skyrocketed in recent years.
“Young people are being discouraged from considering the arts as a future area of employment,” said Anne Maria. “You get a whole lot of young people who think, well, this isn’t an option.”
The loss of talent has been building for years – Australian artists moving overseas for better opportunities is almost a rite of passage.
The ABC must provide opportunities by producing more original Australian content.
Alongside the decline in ABC Arts programming, the rise of international streaming platforms like Netflix and Spotify adds another layer of pressure.
Last November, the federal government confirmed that it would not introduce local content quotas for streaming platforms this parliamentary term. There were concerns that the proposed model could violate provisions of the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement.
The quotas, a central plank of Labor’s Arts policy, aimed to bolster Australian production.
With the policy on hold, it's essential that the government increase funding to the ABC to produce Australian content and fill the gap.
“If the ABC is not commissioning content that is distinctive and definitionally different and ambitious for Australian audiences and for Australia, it's not doing its job properly,” ABC Chair Kim Williams argued last year.
Without original Australian content, our vibrant Australian culture will suffer.
Williams has championed stronger arts programming. But without additional funding it's a tough - perhaps impossible - fight.
“The message, it seems, is that the arts are frivolous and unimportant and don't matter,” said Anne Maria. “It's neglecting the Australian experience, the Australian voice and stories.”
Sarah Morley
ABC Friends Editor (e-news)