As anxieties continue to run high within the Australian arts community following the contentious announcement of a major restructuring of arts funding in last week’s Federal Budget, Minister for the Arts George Brandis has attempted to ease fears in an interview with Michael Cathcart on ABC Radio National, this morning.

In the interview Senator Brandis was keen emphasise that this year’s budget included no significant cuts to arts funding compared to last year’s budget, which he described as “a tough year” for the arts. Senator Brandis described the significant reforms to arts funding, which will see $104.8 million dollars redirected from the Australia Council over four years to fund the Arts Ministry administered National Programme for Excellence in the Arts, as being “about access” and instituting a more “contestable” funding system.

“The refrain I have most frequently heard from arts companies and arts practitioners, particularly smaller ones, particularly outside Sydney and Melbourne, is that they don’t feel they get a fair hearing from the Australia Council,” Senator Brandis said. “I want to give all applicants a fair go.” Although he said that the new National Programme for Excellence in the Arts would “not be a court of appeal for the Australia...