News

1 March 2005

The Australia Council's latest Future Planning Model for CCD ('Proposed Model for Community Partnerships') was unanimously rejected by nineteen representatives of the nation's peak Community Arts bodies at a workshop held at the Australia Council in Sydney on 21 February.

The reasons for this were as follows:

• There was no clear rationale for treating the CCD and New Media Arts Boards differently to other art form boards in the restructure.

• The changes to the model were not based on:
  (a) a review of or research into the CCD sector, such as the Nugent and Myer reviews of the performing arts and visual arts/crafts sectors, from which flowed the changes to those sectors and
  (b) consultation with the sector.

• The model ostensibly took what is dedicated Community Cultural Development funding and spread it across a unit called 'Community Partnerships' (part of a division called 'Audience Development and Community Partnerships), that is only partially based on CCD, and largely based on the concept of 'arts IN the community' not arts BY the community. This effectively reduces the amount of dedicated funding to the CCD sector. The model does not increase it, as claimed by the Australia Council.

• The process for developing the models reflected a top down approach that does not have support from the CCD sector because it has not been developed by people who understand CCD. If it does not require the support of the CCD sector to function effectively, then who are the changes for?

• If the model reflects 'cost cutting' by the Oz Co, it does not achieve this and in the final analysis involves a greater cost than that of leaving things the way they are. If it is a process of 'cost shifting', then that fact needs to be made known so that state and local governments are aware of the impacts on them of a reduction in national ccd funding, particularly as local government has been identified as key stakeholders in the proposed 'Community Partnerships'.

On 24 February, the Australia Council published the Future Planning Models and a Rationale for Change on its website and has invited feedback from the field by 31 March. However, as the Taskforce is yet to respond to both the concerns raised at the 21 February workshop and the call for a moratorium to allow for adequate research and consultation to take place, Regional Arts NSW believes it is best to wait and contribute to a comprehensive response from the field once the Taskforce has announced what changes they will make as a result of the advice of the sector.

The Taskforce met again yesterday, 28 February.

CCD sector representatives who attended the Australia Council workshops in January and February are forming a national alliance to intervene in the process before any proposed changes are enshrined in the Australia Council's restructure. Members include:

• Arts Access, NSW
• The Arts Grants Board, NT
• Arts Nexus, QLD
• BIG hART, TAS
• CAN SA
• CAN WA
• The CCD Board, WA
• The CCD Board, VIC
• CCD NSW
• Community Development, VIC
• Country Arts WA
• Feral Arts, QLD
• Regional Arts NSW
• Regional Arts TAS
• Tuggeranong Arts Centre, ACT
• Young People and the Arts, SA
• Youth Arts Qld

The Australia Council's Rationale For Change is online here.

The Future Planning Models for CCD and New Media can be downloaded here.

Further developments will be announced by Regional Arts NSW as they occur.