If every arts outfit that didn’t turn a profit were to shut up shop it would be a cultural desert out there.

The bad news this month has been the announcement that the ABC intends to close all of its retail outlets as soon as it can wriggle out of its current leases. Mark Scott rather lamely went on Radio National to lament the fact that his stores are no longer profitable and, thanks to federal government funding cuts, are not worth subsidising – therefore they have to go. Of course, if you live in a big city you can get your ABC products from what remaining decent independent book and record stores are still standing, but what about customers who live further afield, or who lack the technology or the inclination of the digital natives? Just what part of “national service provider” doesn’t Mark Scott get? 

It’s an all too familiar story. If every arts outfit that didn’t turn a profit were to shut up shop it would be a cultural desert out there. There’s a perception that too many arts centres nowadays see performance as secondary to tourism and bar profits. The typical solution is to let the classical music curator go or to cut the dance programme. It’s the same with mainstream media. If they don’t get enough clicks on arts stories, the answer seems to be layoff the relevant journos and generate more copy about the next series of Game of Thrones. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as keen as the next man to know if the Khaleesi will ever sit on the Iron Throne, but that doesn’t mean we should ditch our classical music writers in order to focus on the latest bare-breasted action in Westeros.

It’s usually precisely because things aren’t profitable that they are worth subsidising. That is as true for ABC Shops as it is for Classic FM programming, rural transport systems and remote Indigenous communities. Just because a bean counter lacks vision or a sense of commitment to their lifelong patrons doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make a fuss. But it’s not doom and gloom everywhere. In Queensland, the state government of Annastacia Palaszczuk seems to get the arts to the tune of a remarkable $172 million. It’s amazing what a bit of cultural foresight, excellent lobbying and leadership can achieve.