australia council annual report 2011–12

7/31/2019 Australia Council Annual Report 201112

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1112

Australia CouncilAnnual Report


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As the primary unding body or the arts,since its inception the Australia Council hasplayed a central role in ensuring the vitalityand resilience o the Australian arts sector.Committed and knowledgeable sta, andengaged and passionate peer assessorshave, on behal o the community, seriouslyassumed their responsibilities to support

and nurture excellence among Australiaspractitioners and organisations. They havehelped to create an artistic environmentwhich has enriched Australias abric incountless ways.

Independent Review o the Australia Council, May 2012


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Our vision is to enrich our nationby supporting the practice andenjoyment o the arts.

Our mission is to supportthe creation, presentation

and appreciation odistinctive cultural works

by providing assistanceto Australian artists

and making their worksaccessible to the public.

We see the arts as a vital part oAustralias culture. All Australians

should experience the arts througheducation and in their communities.

We see an Australian culture thatis engaging with the arts in new andinspiring ways.

Australia Council employees

Photos: Karen Steains


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We see an Australiain which artists are

appreciated or how theytell our stories, able to

respond to the challengeso our time, and continually

nding new ways tocreate.

We see the arts as thebedrock o a creative economy.They are a key contributor toour nations prosperity.

We see a collaborative,creative and innovativeAustralian arts culturewhich is distinct,excellent andinfuential nationally andinternationally.


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Introduction 7

Introduction

Year at a glanc e 201112 8

Letter rom the Chair 9

The Australia Council respects Indigenous communities and cultures. Readers should be aware that this report may contain images or reerences to members o

the Indigenous community who have passed away.

Section 1: Year in review

Mission 12

The gover ning counc il 13

Message rom the CEO 16

Report rom the CEO

Year in review 18

Strategic priorities 25

Funding overview 28

1Section 2: Statement o outcome

Strategic plan 36

Results

Objectives 37

Deliverables 41

Government initiatives 42 2

Section 4: Financial review

Independent auditors report 64

Financial statements 66

Notes to nancial statements 72 4

Section 3: About the Australia Council

About the Austr alia Coun cil 48

Corporate governance 49

Artorm boards 51

Organisation 55

Accountabil ity 58

External review 59

Workplace 60

3Introduction

Image: Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal Opal Vapourcreative development rehearsals, Glasshouse, Port Macquarie, 2011. Photo: Paula van Beek

Compliance index 103


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Introduction 9

The Hon Simon Crean MP

Minister or Regional Australia

Regional Development and Local Government

Minister or the Arts

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600

1 September 2012

Dear Minister,

This 201112 a nnual repor t o the Austr alia Coun cil has be en approved

by the governing council on 30 August 2012.

Under Section 9 o the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies

Act 1997, the directors o the Australia Council are responsible or the

preparation and content o a report o operations in accordance withthe Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act Finance Ministers

Orders. The ollowing report o operations was adopted by resolution o

the Australia Council on 30 August 2012.

The Austral ia Counci ls $164.5 million o unding in 201112 made an

impressive contribution to the capacity o our artists to create and share

their work with Australians and the world. Indeed, over the past year

Australia Council unding supporte d the creati on o 7,656 n ew artworks

and the presentation, perormance, publication and exhibition o 5,137

artworks. All o this work makes a powerul impact on the vitality and

wellbeing o artists and communities across the country.

The past ye ar has see n strong addit ions to the Au stralia Co uncils

governing council. In 201112 we welcomed Lee-Ann Buckskin as

Chair o the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, Sophie

Cunningham as Chair o the Literature Board, and Stephen Armstrong

as Chair o the Theatre Board. I would also like to acknowledge

James Strongs (AO) hard work and commitment to the arts as Chair

o the Australia Council over the past six years. He has let behind an

ecient and dynamic organisation that is prepared to embrace the

opportunities o the coming year.

I am delighted to have been appointed Chair o the Australia Council at

such an important moment in the history o arts and culture in Australia,particularly as the Government proceeds with the development o the

National Cultural Policy and the outcomes o the review o the Australia

Council.

I look orward to working with you to ensure that we continue to invest in

artists and excellent art or all Australians.

Yours aithull y,

Rupert Myer AM

Chair, Australia Council

$164.5 milliontotal grant and project unding to artistsand arts organisations

13 millionattendances at Australia Councilsupported events

1,922Australia Council grants and projects

168organisations unded through KeyOrganisations multi-year grants andthe Major Perorming Arts Board

7,656new artistic works created withAustralia Council support

5,137new artistic works presented withAustralia Council support

1,011individual artists unded (directly and devolved)

Year ata glance201112

Letter romthe Chair


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0

Year in review201112

The grant helped me achieve a level oproessional practice in visual arts that wasimpossible beore. My grant year has beenmy most successul year o artistic practiceto date.

Dara Gill

2010 ArtStart and Jump Mentorship recipient

In a world that is increasinglyrisk-averse, our job as artistsis to embrace risk, dangerand adventure in our work;refecting the entire spectrumo human possibility romthe most vile to the most

hopeul.Marion Potts

Artistic Di rector, Malthou se Theatre Company

Image: Dara Gill,l Untitled (Survey with stones), 2011. Stones, rope, timber, c lipboards, paper. Survey rom Found Book. Dimensions Variable. Photo: Dara Gill


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132 Section 1: Year in review

Mission

Structure o theAustralia Council

The governingcouncil

The Australia Council is the Australian Governments

arts unding and advisory body. The Australia Councilsmission is to support the creation, presentation and

appreciation o distinctive cultural works by providingassistance to Australian artists and making t heir works

accessible to the public.

The Council plays a crucial role in supporting artists and arts

organisations to create and present their work, improve and develop

their skills, and tour and promote their work to wider audiences. It also

develops new audiences or the arts nationally and internationally, and

promotes an appreciation o the value o the arts to Australians.

The Councils national ocus refects the culture and creativity o both

regional and urban communities and honours its statutory obligationto ensure access to and participation in the arts by all Australians.

The Councils overarching guiding principle is the support o artistic

excellence through the arms length, peer review o grants to artists and

arts organisations. This is enabled by its artorm boards and panels,

whose members are made up o Australias leading arts practitioners.

The Oce o the Chie Executive Ocer, which includes Legal and

Compliance and Artsupport Australia as well as the Councils ve

divisions: Arts Funding, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts,

Arts Organisations, Arts Development and Corporate Resources

is outwardly ocused on strategic outcomes to support Australias

artists, strengthen Australias arts inrastructure and create an

environment in which the arts can fourish.

The governing body o the Australia Council is called

the council. Members o the council are appointed by theMinister or the Arts and are chosen or their experience,

passion and skill. They are non-executive directors andtogether, orm a group o artists, educators, business

managers, administrators and arts audience members.

The counc il members re present the community an d the vario us

artorms, and share a strong commitment to seeing the arts in Australia

thrive. They generously share their knowledge and expertise, and bring a

wide variety o perspectives to the Australia Council.

Council members as o 30 June 2012:

Mr James Strong AO

Chair (NSW)

Appointed Chair o the Australia Council or three years rom 1 July 2006

and re-appointed or an additional three years rom 1 July 2009. Member

o the Audit and Finance Committee; Chairman o Woolworths Limited and

Kathmandu Limited; Non-executive Director o Qantas Airways Limited;

Director o Story Bridge Adventure Climb Pty Ltd and the Australian

Grand Prix Corporation; Member o the Nomura Australia Advisory Board;

Chairman, Organising Committee or the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Mr John W. H. Denton

Deputy Chair (Vic)

Appointed Deputy Chair o the Australia Council or three years rom

1 July 2009; Chair o the Audit and Finance Committee; Chair o the

Appeals Committee; Chair o Australia or UNHCR (UN Reugee Agency);

Board member, Business Council o Australia, Arts Centre Foundation,

Asialink, Australasia Centre a nd Centre or Australian and New Zealan d

Studies (Georgetown University); Director, Large Law Firm Group Limited;

Board member, Commonwealth Business Council; Member, APEC

Business Advisory Council.

Ms Kathy KeeleChie Executive Ocer (NSW)

Appointed Chie Executi ve Ocer a nd member o t he Australi a Council

(ex ocio) or three years on 7 February 2007 and re-appointed or

a urther period to 6 February 2015; Chair o the Decisions Review

Committee and a non-voting member o the Audit and Finance

Committee; Member o the Australia International Cultural Council;

Director, International Federation o Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies.

StrengtheningAustralian a rtsorganisations

ArtsOrganisations

FundingAustralian

artistsArts

Funding

BuildingAustraliasarts sector

ArtsDevelopment

Keepingculture strong

Aboriginal andTorres StraitIslander Arts

Oce o theChie Executive

CorporateResources


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Proessor Ted Snell AM, Cit WA

Chair, Visual Arts Board (WA)

Appointed to the Australia Council as Chair o t he Visual Arts Board

or three years rom 27 December 2006. Re-appointed or a urther

three years on 5 February 2010. Proessor Snell is the Director,

Cultural Precinct, University o Western Australia; Perth art revieweror The Australian newspaper; Chair, University o Western Australia

Publishing.

Mr Stephen Armstrong

Chair, Theatre Board (Vic)

Appoi nted t o the Austr alia Counc il a s Cha ir o the Theat re B oard or

three years on 16 August 2011. Mr Armstrong replaces Ms Rosalba Clemente

whose term ended on 25 March 2011. Mr Armstrong is an independent

producer and consultant, board director or Chunky Move, Trustee or the

Victorian Actors Benev olent Trust and a philanthropic program manager

or the Myer Foundation.

Ms Lee-Ann Buckskin

Chair, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board (SA)

Appointed to the Australia Council as Chair o t he Aborigina l and

Torres Strait Isla nder Arts Bo ard or three years on 16 May 2012.

Ms Buckskin replaces Dr Mark Bin Bakar whose term ended on29 April 2012. Ms Buckskin works or Carclew Youth Arts in South

Australia and is a membe r o the So uth Australi an Museums

Aboriginal Advisory Committ ee.

Ms Sophie Cunningham

Chair, Literature Board (Vic)

Appointed to the Australia Council as Chair o the Literature Board or three

years on 16 May 2012. Ms Cunningham replaces Proessor Dennis Haskell

who resigned on 9 December 2011. Ms Cunningham is a board member

o The Stella Prize, Mentor o JUMP and Course Director or the Faber

Academy.

Ms Louise Herron

Chair, Major Perorming Arts Board (NSW)

Appointed to the Australia Council as Chair o t he Major Pe rorming Ar ts

Board and a member o the council or three years rom 16 June 2011.

Ms Herron replaced Mr Rick Allert who resigned on 16 June 2011.

Ms Herron is an Executive Director, Ironbark Corporate Advisory and atrustee o Sydney Grammar School.

Dr Matthew Hindson AM

Chair, Music Board (NSW)

Appointed to the Australia Council as Chair o t he Music Boa rd or

three years rom 27 March 2009, and reappointed or a urther three

year term to 26 March 2015. Dr Hindson is a renowned composer and

Chair, Composition and Music Technology Unit, Sydney Conservatorium

o Music; Music Curator, Campbelltown Arts Centre; Composer in

residence or 2012 at Australian National Academy o Music, and has a

commission in 2012 with Musica Viva.

Mr Kenneth Lloyd AM

Community interest representative (SA)

Appointed to the Australia Council as a community interest representative

and a member o the council or three years rom 16 June 2011; member

o the Audit and Finance Committee. Mr Lloyd has held senior positions in

the Department or the Arts and Cultural Development (now Arts SA), the

Art Gallery o South Australia and Country Arts SA. He held the position

o Chie Executive Ocer, Country Arts SA, rom 19932010 and in 1996

was appointed to the honorary position o National Secretary, Regional Arts

Australia. He is a board member o The Carrick Hill Trust.

Ms Samantha Mostyn

Community interest representative (NSW)

Appointed to the Australia Council as a community interest

representative and a member o the council or three years rom

16 June 2010. Ms Mostyn is Commissioner; Australian Football League,Commissioner o the National Mental Health Commission, Director

o Citigroup Pty Ltd; Director, Australian Volunteers International and

Sydney Theatre Company; Member, AFL SportsReady; Director,

Transurban Group; Independent non -executive director, Virgi n Blue

Holdings Ltd; and Deputy Chair o Diversity Council o Australia.

Ms Chrissy Sharp

Chair, Dance Board (Vic)

Appointed to the Australia Council as Chair o t he Dance B oard or thre e

years rom 19 October 2009. Ms Sharp was the Inaugural Director o the

Wheeler Centre or Books, Writing and Ideas, Melbourne.


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The 201112 nancial year was a momentous one or the

Australia Council on many ronts. It was marked by a review,the end o the term o our Chair James Strong AO and the

launch o the Creative Australia Artists Grants program,one o the most signicant grants programs in many years.

Alongside th ese signic ant events , the Austra lia Counci l maintai ned

its ocus on investing in excellent art across the country and providing

all Australians with the opportunity to enjoy and participate in the arts.

More than 13 million Australians attended arts events supported by the

Council. Eorts to promote the arts to communities were given a boost

by the announcement o Georey Rush as Australian o the Year, the

rst actor in many years to be awarded this prestigious title. Given his

longstanding and deep commitment to Australian theatre and lm, this

was a very pleasing choice.

Artistic excellen ce was ore most in the Cou ncils mind or the

announcement o the Creative Australia Artists Program in August 2011.

In the ensuing months, a series o ground-breaking unding

opportunities were announced and awarded through the Literature

Board, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, and the

Inter-Arts Oce. The highlight o the program was the announcement

o the recipients o the inaugural Creative Australia Fellowships in May

2012. A total o 11 exceptional artists ve established and six early-

career artists have been given the precious git o time and space to

develop their arts practice and undertake ambitious projects.

During the reporting period, the Council hosted a number o major

events or the arts and culture sector. The most signicant was the

5th World Summit o Arts and Culture held in Melbourne (36 October

2011), which the Council co-hosted with the International Federation

o Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA). The Summit, which

was guided by the theme Creative Intersections, brought together

government and cultural leaders rom more than 80 countries to explore

how artists can give a voice to diverse communities and concerns

through collaborations with experts rom a range o non-arts disciplines.

The Summit wa s a great su ccess, os tering many new partne rships and

urthering the development o arts and cultural policy internationally.In December 2011, the Minister or the Arts, the Hon Simon Crean MP,

announced a review o the Council, led by Angus James and Gabrielle

Trainor. The review, conducted within the context o the development

o the National Cultural Policy, culminated in the release o a report in

May 2012, which included 18 recommendations or reorm. The Council

is poised to implement appropriate reorms in 201213 pending the

outcomes o the National Cultural Policy.

The period o the revi ew coinci ded with the end o James Strongs (AO)

second term as Chair. James guided the Council through an eventul

six years with his distinct, down-to-earth approach to leadership. He

ensured the governing council always measured its decisions by the

degree it assisted Australian artists to make art or Australia and or

audiences around the world.

Message romthe CEO

Looking to 201213, the Australia Council is in experienced hands with

the appointments o Rupert Myer AM as Chair and Robyn Archer AO

as Deputy Chair. These appointments provide a powerul combination

o business skills and contemporary arts practice, which will guide the

Council through the next critical phase.

The Counci ls ability to reac h the arts sector an d the broader

community is strengthened by the expertise o each member o the

governing council and the members o the respective artorm boards

and committees. Many o these members are artists themselves, and

are committed to the wellbeing o their peers and their arts practice.

Throughout the past year th ey have be en strong adv ocates or the role

o the Council, potential reorm, and the importance o creativity in our

society.

I thank each o the governing council members and particularlyacknowledge the leadership o James Strong AO or his six years as

Chair o the Australia Council. I would also like to acknowledge the

Minister or the Arts, the Hon Simon Crean MP, or his continuing

engagement with, and commitment to the arts in this country.

Kathy Keele

CEO, Australia Council

In 2011, the Australian

Government announced

its intention to review the

purpose and governance

arrangements o the

Australia Council and the

appropriateness o its

legislation. The Council

welcomed the opportunity

to refect on the impact o

the Council in nurturing

a robust and vibrant arts

sector over the past 37years and to propose

reorms that ensure the

ongoing relevance o

the Council in the 21st

century.


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Year in review

Arts Fundi ng

The Australia Councils commitment to supporting artists and their art

throughout Australia is demonstrated by the grants awarded to artists and

arts organisations through the artorm boards, committees and panels

o the Arts Funding division. Core to the work o the division is arms

length, peer assessment o applications or grants to support the creation

o new work, the presentation and promotion o work, and proessional

development opportunities such as residencies and ellowships.

In addition to assessing and awarding grants to artists and arts

organisations, the divisions artorm boards and committees developed

specic initiatives based on their respective sector plans. These plans

provide a road map or priorities, directions and initiatives and were

reviewed and revised during the reporting period.The divisi ons boards, committees and panels w orked togethe r to oer

a number o cross-artorm grants and initiatives in 201112.

Theatre, Da nce and In ter-Arts collabo rated on Mobil e States, a n initiat ive

to increase presentation opportunities, awareness and appreciation o

contemporary perormance practice. Collaboration across all artorms

has led to the launch o the Australia Council Creative Australia

Fellowships which encourage and support early career and established

artists to develop interdisciplinary and innovative work.

The Inter-Arts Oce launc hed its Creat ive Devel opment New Art

initiative. Seven artists and groups were unded through this program,

which supports the creation o ambitious, new, experimental art. The

successul projects include artists exploring new ecological practices,

community and architectural partnerships, game art, augmented-reality

and site-specic art. Collaborations between all artorms boards, the

Community Partnerships Committee and the Inter-Arts Oce have led to

an increase o jointly-unded initiatives.

The Music Board conclu ded Soundclash , an initi ative whi ch supported

the development o innovative, risk-taking contemporary popular music,

by unding musically successul experimentation across genres such as

rock, hip hop, pop, and electronic dance music. The board supported

40 artists during this our-year initiative. The board also undertook a

sector-wide consultation on music recording to advise the government

on current issues and options relating to the role o government in

supporting music recording.

The Visua l Arts Boar d conducted a review o the Key Orga nisations

portolio which resulted in two new organisations being supported

with triennial unding: West Space in Melbourne, an artist-run initiative,

exhibiting artists and collectives working on inter-disciplinary projects;

and 4A Centre or Contemporary Asian Art in Sydney which supports

visual arts representing excellent and innovative contemporary Asian

and Australian culture.

The Theatre Board invest ed in two in itiatives aimed at bui lding

theatre-making capacity in the Northern Territory. Six diverse and

exciting Northern Territory works, including Indigenous, visual theatre,

new texts and an opera, were unded through Theatres New Territory

Fund and the NT+1 initiative. The board also partnered with the Major

Perorming Arts Board to promote greater engagement with culturally

and linguistically diverse artists through the In the Mix initiative.

To provide artists wi th supportive structures to create, pre sent and

tour theatre and dance work, the Dance and Theatre Boards partnered

with Arts SA to extend the Managing and Producing Services (MAPS)

program, the successul joint initiative with Arts New South Wales,

Arts Queen sland, Arts V ictoria and Western Australias Departme nt

o Culture and the Arts. As a result, audiences intrastate, nationally

and internationally have been able to see a greater variety o work by

Australia n theatre a nd dance grou ps.

In response to the increasing popularity o multimedia-enabled smart

tablets as a platorm or the digital distribution o literature and other

orms o writing, the Literature Boards Digital Publishing initiative

supported our established literary magazines to create dynamic tablet

editions and specialised e-books.Australian Boo k Review (ABR),

Grith REVIEW, Meanjin and Overland received unding to create

interactive tablet editions o their magazine and specialised e-books.

Following a review o its multi-year unded organisations in 2011, the

Dance Board welcomed three new companies as Key Organisations,

Emerging: BalletLab, KAGE and Shaun Parker & Company. All are

making a signicant impact to the contemporary dance scene nationally

and internationally.

In September 2011, the Community Partnerships Committee awarded

two awards the Ros Bower and the Kirk Robson. The Ros Bower

Award was prese nted to Kharen Harper or her outstan ding lie-l ong

contribution to community arts and cultural development. The Kirk

Robson Award was awarded to Shakthi Sivanathan or his achievements

as a young Australian artist, working with some o Australias most

marginalised communities to produce art about social issues.

The Arts Funding division also manages the ollowing AustralianGovernment initiatives: Artists in Residence, ArtStart, Creative Community

Partnerships, Opportunities or Young and Emerging Artists, and the

Creative Australia Artists Grants (see page 43 or more details on these

initiatives in 201112).

To maximise the e ectivenes s o its gra nts programs a nd processes,

the Council undertook a Client Satisaction Survey in 2011 which

assisted the division to review its online grants processes and improve

online support provided to grant applicants.

Seven artists and groups

were unded through the

Creative Development New

Art initiative, which supports

the creation o ambitious,

new, experimental art.

The successul projects

include artists exploring

new ecological practices,

community and architectural

partnerships, game art,

augmented-reality and

site-specic art.

Report romthe CEO

Core to the work o the

Arts Funding division

is arms length, peerassessment o applications

or grants to support the

creation o new work,

the presentation and

promotion o work, and

proessional development

opportunities such

as residencies and

ellowships.


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Arts Orga nisations

In 201112, Arts Organisations oversaw unding to 168 triennially-unded

key organisations and major perorming arts (MPA) companies. The

division supported the sector in the important areas o nancial viability,

artistic vibrancy and good governance, providing a range o services to

assist these companies in improving capacity and sustainability. Services

included business planning assistance, management and leadership

training, and the provision o a range o orums and resources in the areas

o marketing, digital innovation and organisational governance.

During 201112, the companies unded by Arts Organisations

demonstrated an extensive reach into the Australian community, with

some 3 million attendances at perormances, 0.6 million attendances

at schools and education programs and 4.6 million attendances at

exhibitions.

In August 2011, the ederal and state governments agreed to a new

unding ramework to underpin and enhance the MPA companies. The

new ramework aligns with ederal and state government aspirations or

the companies, in terms o increased access and audience numbers,

artistic excellence, nurturing young talent, diversication o income

sources and excellence in governance.

In April 2012, Arts Organisations implemented a new internal structure

to better service all the arts organisations supported by the Australia

Council. Program managers within the division manage a portolio o

companies, comprising small to major, ensuring a transer o knowledge

between each sector in terms o artistic programming, nancial

management and governance. This will lead to improved capacity

building and skills development in the sector.

Throughout 2011 12, arts org anisations supported by the Council

continued to create dynamic, accessible and artistically-vibrant work

such as:

NEW11, the Australian Centre or Contemporary Arts (ACCA) annual

commissions exhibition, oered 10 artists rom around Australia the

opportunity to make something new and have it exhibited.

The State Opera o South Australia (SOSA) staged its stunning

co-production o Jake Heggies Moby Dick, with partners the DallasOpera, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera and Calgary Opera, to

great acclaim. The opera was conducted by Timothy Sexton, the newly

appointed Chie Executive and Artistic Director o SOSA.

The Sydney Theatre Company built upon its already strong

international reputation with triumphant perormances in Europe and

the USA by strong casts led by Co-Artistic Director, Cate Blanchett, in

adaptations o Chekhovs Uncle Vanya, directed by Tams Ascher and

Strausss Gross und Klein, directed by Benedict Andrews.

Gross und Kleins Paris season sold out soon ater opening night.

During the visit, Cate was awarded the prestigious Chevalier de lOrdre

des Arts et des Lettres, one o Frances highest cultural honours.

The Australian Ballet commenced celebrations or its 50th anniversary,

with both retrospective and new work being celebrated on stage.

Through the c ourse o i ts history, the Ba llet has s old over 12 million

tickets to its perormances, employed over 550 dancers, unded

237 new commissions, amassed a repertoire o 389 ballets by 144

choreographers and toured to 37 countries.

Aboriginal and Torres Strai t Islande r Arts

In 201112, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts ( ATSIA) division

ocused on increasing the canon o Indigenous artistic and creative works.

ATSIA Board members met with culture bosses and custodians in meetings in

Fitzroy Crossing (Western Australia), Mount Loty Station (Northern Territory),

Cairns (Queensland) and Adelaide (South Australia) to highlight the role

cultural bosses and custodians play in ensuring cultural knowledge inorms

the artistic and cultural expression o songs, dances and paintings.The ACCELERATE Indige nous Cultura l Leaders hip program in

partnership with the British Council saw eight successul participants

attend the United Kingdom program throughout which 34 arts and

cultural institutions provided mentoring and advice.

Leading visual artist Reko Rennie was unded to exhibit at the Scope

Art Fair in New York City, 2012 and the National Indige nous Arts

Inrastructure Program continued to build capacity and leadership in

Indigenous arts. Both the Black Arm Band and Ilbijerri Theatre were

invited to participate in the London 2012 Olympic Arts Festival.

The ATSIA board holds a nnual nati onal worksho ps to increa se the

capacity o Indigenous arts organisations to respond to environmental

infuences and challenges. In 2012 these workshops ocused on the

use o social media and digital communication tools and the importance

o governance. The board also dedicated unds to support Indigenous

artists participation in the International Symposium on Electronic Art in

2013 ($30,000) and increase engagement in the digital environment.

The National Indigenous Ar ts Awards were pre sented on 27 May 2012

at the Sydney Opera House. Musician Warren H. Williams received the

prestigious Red Ochre Award or his outstanding lietime achievement

in the arts. The inaugural $20,000 Dreaming Award or artists aged

1826 years was awarded to Nakkiah Lui, to develop a major theatrework on Indigenous youths engagement with the law, with mentorship

by Belvoir St Theatre and Indigenous theatre practitioner, Andrea James.

Fellowships were awarded to distinguished new-media artist Jenny Fraser

to undertake midden, a major experimental media arts creative

project remix; and Gurrumul Yunupingu, to create multi-sensory artistic

installations presenting the worlds oldest living culture using the

latest technology.

During 2011, the

companies unded

through Arts Organisations

demonstrated an extensive

reach into the Australian

community, with some

3 million attendances at

perormances, 0.6 million

attendances at schools

and education programs

and 4.6 million attendances

at exhibitions.

In 201112, the Sydney

Theatre Company built

upon its already strong

international reputation

with triumphant

perormances in Europe

and the USA.

Report romthe CEO(continued)


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Corporate Resources

Corporate Resources continued to provide services and inormation

to both the organisation and external stakeholders in an ecient,

timely and positive manner. A key project or the division in 2012 was

the introduction o a new nance system to streamline transactional

processes and provide more fexible and timely reporting.

A number o system improve ments were un dertaken o llowing e edback

rom the Councils client survey, including modiying the online system

or grant applications to simpliy the uploading o applicants supporting

material. Various projects ocusing on integrating systems to assist

the management o inormation and day-to-day operations were also

undertaken.

The Human Re sources tea m continued to rene the Councils learni ng

and development Skill Up! Program to ensure sta members are bettertrained and inormed, with regard to the skills and inormation they need

to do their jobs.

The ve pil lars o S kill Up! a re:

Step Up Business skills

Shape Up Systems skills (GMS, TRIM, Felix)

Spark Up Project management and evaluation skills

Geek Up Digital and social media skills

Roll Up Arts and culture inormation and updates.

A new three -year Ente rprise Agre ement was ne gotiated wi th sta and

union representatives.

Risk management initiatives included recovery testing o technology

systems, reviewing and testing business continuity plans and raud

control policy and procedures. The division also embedded debt

recovery action or grants that remain unacquitted and led a review

o work, health and saety policy and procedures, holding training

sessions or all sta, to improve awareness and understanding o their

obligations.

Strategic Priorities

Strategic Priorities 201112

The Austra lia Counci ls artorm sector plans under pin the deve lopment o

the Councils Strategic Priorities, which in 201112, addressed gaps and

issues commonly experienced across the arts sector.

The our Strategic Pr iorities or 201112 we re: Innovat ive Practi ce,

Realising the Potential o Broadband or the Arts, Diversied Models or

Support, and Cultural Leadership.

Innovative Practice

This strat egic prior ity was dev eloped to inc rease the Councils

investment in new orms o artistic expression and presentation

platorms, as well as support artists in the research and development

o their practice at various stages o their careers. It continues to be

addressed principally through the Creative Australia Artists program,made possible through the Governments 2010 election commitment o

$10 million to individual artists over a ve-year period.

This program, launched in August 2011, incorporate s a number o unique

unding programs, all aimed at supporting innovative arts practice.

In May 2012 the Creative Australia Fellowships were awarded to 11 artists.

The ve established artists (ea ch awarded $100,000 over one year) were:

Guy Ben-Ary (WA), Mic Gruchy (NSW), Antony Hamilton (Vic),

Cat Jones (NSW) and Gaelle Mellis (SA). The six early-career artists

(each awarded $60,000 over two years) were: Lauren Brincat (NSW),

Micheala Gleave (NSW), Matthew Prest (NSW), Lee Serle (Vic),

Annabel Smith (WA) and Gian Slater (V ic).

Additional opportunities delivered through the Creative Australia Artists

program were: Book2 an initiative or writers to complete that all-too-

dicult second book; the New Art Creative Development initiative or artists

to create 12 large-scale artworks over a ve-year period; and 21st Century

Stories, designed or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ar tists to create

and present 10 new works about the way society has transormed in the

rst decade o the 21st century.

Realising the Potential o Broadband or the Arts

High speed broadband is transorming the way art is produced,

distributed and experienced. Realising the Potential o Broadband or the

Arts, which builds on the ormer Arts Content in the Digital Era strategic

priority, was established to assist the sector to understand and learn

the enormous possibilities oered by this technology. In 201112, many

exciting programs have been launched as a result o this strategic priority,

including the Geeks in Residence program, the Broadband Arts Initiative

and the Hive Production Fund.

The National Broadband Network (NBN) Geeks in Resi dence program

placed two geeks in Armidale and Brunswick the rst two NBN rollout

areas to act as consultants to the local arts communities. The program

delivered 20 digital capacity-building workshops in these areas over a

two-month period, with over 130 participants attending. The program

concluded with a showcase in Armidale in December 2011.

The Australia Council

ocused on our Strategic

Priorities in 201112:

Innovative Practice,

Realising the Potential

o Broadband or the

Arts, Diversied Models

or Support and Cultural

Leadership.

The Creative Australia

Artists program, launched

in 2011, will see $10

million dollars awarded

to individual artists over

a ve-year period.

A highlight o the programwas the announcement

o the recipients o

the inaugural Creative

Australi a Fellowships

in May 2012. Eleven

exceptional artists have

been given the precious

git o time and space to

develop their arts practice

and undertake ambitious

projects.



15/55


The Broadban d Arts Initia tive, ann ounced in De cember 2011, supports

arts projects that utilise next generation high-capacity broadband.

There was an overwhe lming respons e to this in itiative, with over 5 00

enquiries and 119 proposals received. Four successul projects were

awarded in May 2012.

The Hive P roduction Fund, supported by th e Australi a Council, ABC TV,

Screen Australia and the Adelaide Film Festival, invests in the creation o

one-o, ambitious collaborations with artists and lmmakers, with bold

and imaginative cross-platorm ideas and strategies. Three innovative

productions, selected in November 2011, will have their world premieres

at the 2013 Adelaide Film Festival and later air on ABC platorms.

Diversied Models or Support

Support or artists comes in many orms: nancial, mentoring, new

models, partnerships and collaborations, as well as delivery methodssuch as touring. This strategic priority aims to improve and expand

these support structures or artists and arts organisations.

A ocus or 201112 was to st rengthen Austr alias touring n etwork

which is diused across many stakeholders: ederal, state and local

unding authorities, peak bodies, presenters, venues and companies.

The Austra lia Counci l commission ed the crea tion o a Na tional Touring

Framework, released in June 2012, to create improved touring networks

or artists and arts organisations. The Council will continue to work on

this ramework with the sector in 201213.

New in early 2012, was the establishment o the Independent Producers

initiative. This program aims to increase the proessional capacity

o emerging independent producers, oering them more support to

manage practical issues such as: building market knowledge more

eciently, managing the expectations o artists, general industry

standards and approaches to advocacy.

With the rise o crowdunding globally, the Council, led by its

philanthropic arm Artsupport Australia, embarked on a national strategy

to build the arts sectors competence and condence in crowdunding

as an eective tool or increasing private giving to arts and culture in

Australia . In the rs t o a three -pronged approac h, Artsupport Au stralias

state managers provided mentoring or a number o projects, utilisingcrowdunding. The success rate or this pilot was 100 percent. To

supplement what was learnt through the pilot, the Queensland University

o Technology was commissioned to undertake research investigating

motivations and barriers to crowdunding in Australia. In the second hal

o 2012 this research, along with practical tips and case studies, will

be shared with the sector via a national crowdunding roadshow across

nine locations in Australia.

Cultural Leadership

In the 201011 nancial year, the Australia Council identied the need

to develop existing leaders in the arts sector and to invite the countrys

uture arts leaders. Cultural leadership continued as a strategic priority

or the Council in 201112, with a ocus on capacity building and

research.

For the second consecutive year the Council oered the Emerging

Leaders Development Program to provide mentoring and coaching or

mid-career arts managers. This orms part o the Councils commitment

to supporting individuals who have the talent and ability to become the

senior arts leaders o tomorrow. The Council also oered training or

the arts sectors more established leaders to deepen their knowledge

and skills through initiatives such as the Arts Executive Leadership and

Executive Mentoring programs.

To address the lack o opportuniti es and susta inable ca reer pathwa ys

or women in creative leadership, the Theatre Board partnered with

the Major Perorming Arts Board and the Research and Strategic

Analysis unit to support a suite o initiati ves. Key el ements inc lude the

Women in Theatre report (Lally & Miller, 2012), the Creating Pathways

reporting tool or Major Perorming Arts theatre companies and a series

o industry orums or women directors and playwrights.


With the rise o

crowdunding globally,

the Australia Council, led

by its philanthropic arm,

Artsupport Australia,

embarked on a national

strategy to build the arts

sectors competenceand condence in

crowdunding as

an eective tool or

increasing private giving

to arts and culture in

Australi a.

Through its artorm

sector plans and strategic

priorities, the Australia

Council has targeted its

support to the arts sector

as a whole and continues

to consider ways to

innovate. The Council will

also continue to reduce

costs through greater

eciencies to provide

maximum unding to

artists.


16/55


The Australia Council invested over $164.5 million in

artists and arts organisations across the nation in201112, compared to $163.8 million in the previous

nancial year.

The Counci l supported the ull spectr um o arts activity during 201112,

rom small grants to individual artists, to multi-million dollar unding to

major perorming arts organisations.

The Counci ls $164.5 million i nvestment en abled arti sts to create 7,656

new works in 201112 and to present, perorm, publish or exhibit 5,137

new works. There were more than 13 million attendances at Australia

Council unded events throughout 201112.

This $164.5 mi llion in vestment al so unded 1,922 grants and pro jects.

O this, $97.3 million went to major perorming arts companies, over$27.5 million to board grants and over $16.1 million to government

initiatives (see Figure 1).

O the 1,922 grants and projects provided by the Council in 201112,

903 grants were given to individual artists and 1,019 grants were given

to organisations (gures or individual artists include artists working

together as groups, outside o ormal structures). These grants were

awarded ollowing the review o the 6,004 applications received. There

was an increase o 315 applications on the previous nancial year

(see Figure 4), which refects interest in the new Creative Australia

Fellowships initiative and an increase in the numbers o applications

received by the Community Partnerships Commitee and Music Board.

The $164.5 mi llion inv estment inc orporated $51. 2 million or the nati ons

orchestras; $21.6 million or opera; $10.8 million or other music artists

and organisations; $15.7 million or visual artists and organisations;

$23.4 million or theatre companies and artists; $16.8 million or dance

artists and companies; $5.9 million or writers, publishers and literary

organisations; $13.1 million or multi-artorm artists and organisations;

and $4 million in miscellaneous unding, including sector building and

audience development initiatives and programs (see Figure 2).

The Australia Councils total unding or 201112 also included:

$8.4 million or international activities by Australian artists and arts

organisations

$7.6 million or arts and cultural activities with a predominantly

Indigenous ocus

$12 million or arts and cultural activities with a predominantly regional

ocus.

Fundingoverview

Figure 1: Grant and program unding

million

s$

200

150

100

50

200809

Total unding

Key organisations

Major perorming arts

Government initiatives

Board grants

Council initiatives

200910 201011 201112


17/55


Figure 2: Total unding by artorm 201112 Figure 3: Total unding by state and territory 201112

Orchestras

$51.2 mill ion WA$11.6 mill ion

Qld

$15.5 million

NSW

$58.2 mill ion

$1.6 million

$39.2 million

$7.8 million

National

$7.5 million

NT

$2.6 million

SA

$14.2 million

Opera

$21.6 mill ion

Other musical genres

$12.8 mill ion

Visual Arts

$15.7 mill ion

Theatre

$23.4 million

Dance

$16.8 mill ion

$164.5million

Literature

$5.9 million

Cross-artorm

$13.1 million

General

$4 mil lion

Cross Artorm$

Dance$

Literature$

Music$

Theatre$

Visual Arts$

General*$

Total$

NSW 3,413,421 5,371,723 1,734,287 33,834,333 7,733,221 4,892,352 1,249,574 58,228,911

Vic 2,551,462 7,161,228 1,532,738 16,845,975 7,909,667 2,770,114 408,000 39,179,184

QLD 1,313,394 1,207,827 421,770 8,642,388 2,158,921 1,413,850 354,046 15,512,196

SA 1,564,494 831,979 307,995 8,057,657 1,843,097 1,347,061 277,626 14,229,909

WA 883,283 759,388 571,734 7,237,426 1,044,082 954,477 176,250 11,626,640

Tas 301,546 202,657 251,000 5,991,593 484,283 413,773 115,000 7,759,852

NT 381,478 323,955 289,520 510,916 374,385 557,510 187,000 2,624,764

ACT 55,000 255,534 100,000 130,700 112,064 475,426 471,250 1,599,974

Nat 1,943,748 337,754 246,520 3,108,401 619,914 643,695 619,227 7,519,259

Overseas 693,030 387,735 421,609 1,204,719 1,099,583 2,265,752 157,753 6,230,180

Total 13,100,856 16,839,780 5,877,172 85,564,108 23,379,217 15,734,009 4,015,726 164,510,869

NB: Table includes rounding to the nearest dollar.* Non-specic artorm sector support such as strategic planning and market and audience development.

Tas

ACT

Vic


18/55


Figure

5:Totalfundingby

division/boa

rd

201112*

NSW

Vic

Qld

SA

WA

Tas

NT

ACT

NationalOverseas

Total

ArtsDevelopment

No. $

34

1,376,945

11

801,561

6

99,825

5

351,000

2

135,044

0 0

1

40,000

0 0

37

1,537,832

192

1,953,275

288

6,295,482

ArtsFunding

No. $

60

928,221

80

832,862

20

214,586

4

80,000

5

110,000

6

58,040

0 0

4

40,000

15

887,277

36

434,040

230

3,585,026

ArtsOrganisations

No. $

17

497,560

10

249,000

5

134,000

5

118,000

6

43,250

2

15,000

1

5,000

1

2,900

1

13,485

2

186,000

50

1,264,195

AboriginalandTorres

StraitIslanderArts

No. $

18

480,073

9

140,638

7

132,533

17

116,282

6

157,701

1

20,000

6

205,181

1

25,044

7

244,878

5

301,640

77

1,823,970

CommunityPartnerships

No. $

30

1,851,696

36

1,860,277

17

1,335,781

11

846,495

10

636,467

5

324,796

9

438,850

3

60,000

7

536,760

5

47,777

133

7,938,899

Dance

No. $

13

596,173

19

409,341

3

89,531

6

159,842

9

314,049

1

75,000

0 0

0 0

1

50,000

3

53,844

55

1,747,780

Inter-ArtsOfce

No. $

14

326,668

13

308,253

3

49,842

4

218,219

1

33,636

4

61,750

0 0

0 0

3

54,118

4

66,400

46

1,118,886

KeyOrganisations***

No. $

36

8,809,847

35

5,471,718

19

2,637,473

18

2,759,860

11

1,638,715

5

811,544

8

1,095,914

6

984,501

9

1,021,372

3

230,000

150

25,460,944

Literature

No. $

40

935,906

46

1,082,772

11

297,000

8

197,000

12

318,000

7

251,000

4

140,000

3

100,000

12

244,120

39

287,243

182

3,853,041

MajorPerormingArts

No. $

45

39,338,090

17

25,354,616

19

9,332,706

5

8,260,734

10

7,772,486

2

5,931,093

1

203,934

1

100,700

7

1,865,693

4

100,866

111

98,260,918

Music

No. $

53

932,064

44

804,785

18

416,648

9

162,827

6

101,535

2

30,500

1

50,000

1

30,000

14

334,985

62

768,596

210

3,631,940

Theatre

No. $

33

1,186,575

39

1,133,817

13

524,546

12

607,115

7

200,824

2

75,429

15

350,885

2

112,064

5

181,664

10

254,998

138

4,627,917

VisualArts

No. $

46

969,093

36

729,544

14

247,725

15

352,535

8

164,933

6

105,700

6

95,000

7

144,765

34

547,075

80

1,545,501

252

4,901,871

Totalgrantsandprograms

439

395

155

119

93

43

52

29

152

445

1,922

Total$

58,228,911

39,179,184

15,512,196

14,229,909

11,626,640

7,759,852

2,624,764

1,599,974

7,519,259

6,230,180

164,510,869

NB:Tableincludesroundingtothenearestdollar.

*FundingbydivisionincludesgovernmentandCouncilinitiativeallocationsdeliveredbyeachdivision.

**Numberograntsandprojects.

***Fundingromartormboards,ATSIA,CommunityPartnershipsandInter-Arts.

****IncludesotherundingprovidedbyKeyOrganisations,suchascompanydevelopment,inadditiontocoregrants.

Figure 4: Total applications, grants and projects

200809

200910

201011

201112

2008-09 200910 201011 201112

Grant and project applications 4,216 4,700 5,689 6,004

Grants and projects approved includes: 1,846 1,873 1,897 1,922

Grants and projects to organisations 1,294 1,121 1,085 1,019

Grants and projects to individuals (including artists

working together as groups outside o ormal structures)552 752 812 903

Grants to individual artists devolved through

organisations/companies93 143 105 108

Grants and project applications

Grants and projects to organisations

Grants and projects to individuals

Grants to individuals artists devolved through organisations/companies

2000 4000 6000 8000

*Increase relates to Creative Australia Fellowship applications and increases in applications to Music and Community Partnerships.

***

****


19/55

4

Statemento outcome

Through my ArtStart program I havegained the opportunity to nd, research andnetwork with companies and dance artistswhose work I am particularly interested inand which resonates with my own practice.It allowed me reedom to invest in my work,learn rom other peoples artistic practice,update my marketing material and support

antastic networking opportunities.Helen Duncan

2011 ArtStart recipient

Being a recipient o a writinggrant rom the AustraliaCouncil brings about itsown kudos. It has inspiredin me a new condence and

approach to how I see myselwithin the arts scene. Anacknowledgement which Inever quite expected.

Michelle St Anne

2011 New Work Emerging grant recipient or Writing or Perormance

Image: Helen Duncan. Photo: Jeremy Phillips


20/55

6 Section 2: Statement of outcome 37

The Australia Councils strategic direction is based on

one outcome: the creation, presentation and appreciationo distinctive cultural works by providing assistance to

Australian artists and making their works accessible tothe public.

The strate gic directi on o the Au stralia Co uncil is guided by its Strategic

Plan 20102012, which is continually monitored in response to artorm

sector needs and aligned to the broad principle o maintaining an

Australia n arts sec tor that is artistica lly vibr ant, innova tive, dive rse

and accessible.

The Counci l continue s to support the creation o new works,

proessional development and cultural exchange (ellowships and

residencies), artorm awards, mentoring opportunities, organisational

investment, business planning advice and other industry investments.

It also unds individual artists and organisations to present, exhibit,

publish, distribute and promote Australian works.

The Counci l plays an important rol e in helpi ng more Austr alians en gage

with the arts. It continues to invest signicantly in community-based

arts, community cultural development programs, audience development

initiatives, arts marketing and promotional programs and analysis o the

arts sector.

Objectives

Objective 1

Invest in the development and production o excellent Australian

artistic work.

Objective 2

Assist the pr esentation o artisti cally vi brant works, nationall y and

internationally.

Objective 3

Promote access to, participation in and appreciation o the arts by

Australia ns.

Objective 4Assist the de velopment o Australia n arts in rastructur e.

Objective 5

Provide policy development, research and advisory services to promote

the arts.

Strategic plan Results:objectives

Objective 1

Invest in the development and production o excellent Australian

artistic work

The Austra lia Counci l invests in artisti c production a nd the deve lopment

o artistic practice by providing grants and other orms o nancial

support to individual artists and arts organisations. This support

enables them to create new work and pursue proessional development

opportunities through residencies, mentorships and ellowships.

The Counci l also ce lebrates e xcellenc e with awa rds that recog nise

outstanding achievement or artistic potential. Throughout 201112,

7,656 new artistic works were created with the Councils support.

In 201112, the Australia Council received 6,004 grant and project

applications which resulted in:

1,019 grants to arts organisations

903 grants to individual artists including:

57 artist residencies

33 ellowships

108 grants to individual artists which were devolved through

organisations/companies.

Notable examples o the Councils investment in the development and

production o excellent Australian artistic work in 201112 included:

The Creativ e Australi a Book2 Gran ts a huge hit in the literature

sector were awarded to Anna Krien, Nam Le and Favel Parrett to

assist them to work on the oten notoriously elusive second book.

Support rom the Music Board or composer Elena Kats-Chernin to

create a new work incorporating 30 pianos and 60 pianists, to be

perormed at the 2012 Soundstream Adelaide New Music Festival.

A partnersh ip between th e Inter-Arts Oce , Music, Th eatre and

Visual Ar ts boards led t o the inaug ural Indige nous Experi mental Art

Fund (IEAF), which will invest in contemporary Indigenous media,

interdisciplinary and hybrid-art practitioners over the next three years.

In 201112, with the

Australia Councils

support, artists presented,

perormed, published or

exhibited 5,137 new works.


21/55


Objective 2

Assist the presentat ion o art istically vibrant wo rks, nati onally

and internationally

The Austra lia Counci l runs progr ams to incre ase resourc es,

opportunities and audiences or Australian art by unding the

presentation, exhibition, publication, distribution and/or promotion o

Australia n works in a range o artorms a nd practic e areas.

In 201112, the Council supported the:

presentation o 1,026 Australian works by Key Organisations

presentation o 260 Australian works by the major perorming arts

companies, including 103 new Australian works

presentation o work by Australian artists in 65 countries.

The Counci l supports Austr alias presence at major e vents on the

international cultural calendar and international touring. Highlights in

201112 included:

An unprecede nted represen tation o ei ght Austral ian artis ts at

dOCUMENTA (13), the prestigious visual arts exhibition, held every

ve years in Kassel, Germany.

Back to Back Theatre with Theatre Board investment, toured its

critically acclaimed play, Ganesh Versus the Third Reich, across the

UK, Europe and the USA.

Three disti nct group exhi bitions prole d the work o Australia s

leading media artists as part o the 16th International Symposium

on Electronic Art (14th21st September 2011) Exhibition Program in

Istanbul, Turkey. A total o 14 artists exhibited works across diverse

practices such as virtual art, robotics and media arts.

The Austra lia Counci ls support or presen ting artist ically v ibrant works

spans the nation, rom cities to remote areas. Highlights or 201112

included:

The State Ope ra o South Australia staged its st unning

co-production o Jake Heggies Moby Dick, with partners the Dallas

Opera, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera and Calgary Opera,

to great acclaim.

SOUNDCIRCUS ound a home in outback NSW with Music Board

support, which saw the installation o site-specic sound art works in

distinctive locations such as Mutawintji, Sturt National Parks, a sheep

station, the Dog Fence, and the Moomba gaselds.

In 201112, the Australia

Council supported

artists and companies to

engage in international

market development

opportunities across

32 countries, generatingover $11 million in

sales and over 3,500

new relationships and

connections.

Results:objectives(continued)

Objective 3

Promote access to, participation in and appreciation o the arts

by Australians

The Austral ia Counci l runs progra ms to increa se nationa l and

international audiences and markets or Australian arts, supports a

diverse range o arts and cultural activities in communities and utilises

the arts to build stronger communities.

Each year the Council supports the presence o Australian artists and

arts organisations at a changing array o one-o, biennial and triennial

projects which contribute to increased access to, participation in,

and appreciation o the arts in Australian communities. In 201112,

there were more than 13 million attendances at Australia Council

supported events.

Organisations unded by the Council are deeply involved in schools

across the nation, both in regard to the education curriculum and also

in building childrens lielong appreciation o the arts. In addition to their

regular perormances and exhibitions, these organisations recorded

more than 600,000 attendances at schools and education programs

during the reporting period.

Further notable examples o audience development included investment

in the Queensland Music Festival, to bring together musicians and

people rom regional communities, stretching rom Charleville to Far

North Queensland, to create music and tell their stories; and Get

Reading! which promoted books and reading across the country through

an extensive nationwide media campaign, and or the rst time, included

a year-round author-reading program.

In 201112, the Council promoted the value o the arts to the

community through regular publications, including its sector-news

platorm,Artery, which is now available in online, mobile and tablet

ormats; the biannual Indigenous arts publication,Arts Yarn Up, and a

new Council-wide monthly e-newsletter.

In 201112, 1.33 million

Australi ans living in

regional areas attended a

perormance, workshop

or exhibition presented

by the Australia Councils

168 multi-year unded

arts organisations and

1.28 million children

participated in schools

programs presented by

these organisations.


22/55


Objective 4

Assist the developm ent o Aust ralias arts inrastru cture

The Australia Council provides grants to artists, arts proessionals,

and organisations to develop and maintain a sustainable and vibrant

arts inrastructure through collaborations, partnerships and proessional

development opportunities.

Notable examples o the Councils commitment to developing arts

inrastructure in 201112 included:

Supporting the Residential Editorial Program, an intensive skills

development workshop to support mid-career editors to become

more adept at assisting writers to publish their best possible book.

The Dance and Theatre Boards partne ring with Arts SA to crea te

a South Australian chapter o the highly successul Managing andProducing Services (MAPS or Artists) initiative, bolstering production

and audience development support or artists in South Australia.

The Emergi ng Leaders Development Program, whic h provides

mentoring or up-and-coming arts leaders, was held or a second

year in 2012 ollowing its success in 2011.


Councils 168 multi-year

unded organisations

employed 16,382 artists

(3,080 ull-time equivalents).

Results:objectives(continued)

Objective 5

Provide policy development, research and advisory services to

promote the arts

The Austra lia Counci l plays a national l eadership role in un dertaking

and commissioning robust research and analysis to inorm strategic

planning, monitoring, evaluation and advocacy work by the Council

and the arts sector.

The Resea rch and Stra tegic Anal ysis (RSA) teams priorities or

201112 were:

conduct and communicate practical and infuential research

optimise engagement and sharing o knowledge

build an evaluative culture.

In 201112, an example o the Councils delivery o research and policy

development was the organisations work on the community relevance o

the arts, and the delivery o the Measuring Cultural Value orum. This orum

investigated how research can contribute to more sophisticated public unding

decisions or arts and culture, and eatured a keynote address rom Hasan

Bakkshi, Director o Creative Industries at Nesta (UK), an independent charity

with a mission to help people and organisations bring great ideas to lie.

Through its Artsupport Austr alia ini tiative, the Council provides advi sory

services on philanthropy and giving. In 201112, Artsupport Australia

worked closely with the cultural, corporate and philanthropic sectors

to increase cultural giving to artists and arts organisations, acilitating

over $17 million in philanthropic income rom donations and oundation

grants. This was achieved through mentoring and brokering programs

undertaken by its director and six state and territory managers.


Council acilitated over

$17 mill ion or artists

and organisations across

the country through its

philanthropic initiative,

Artsupport Australia.

Results:deliverables

The Australia Councils deliverables are to:

provide opportunities or Australian artists to create and present

a body o distinctive cultural works characterised by the pursuit

o excellence

invest in initiatives that promote understanding, enjoyment and

appreciation o the arts by Australian people.

Figure 6: The Australia Councils perormance against its

deliverables

200809 200910 201011 201112

Total unding $ 168.1m 164.5m 163.8m 164.5m

Grants and projects No. 1,846 1,873 1,897 1,922

Organisations unded:Key organisations

$ 20.8m 21.2m 22.1m 21.4m

Organisations unded:Major perorming arts

$ 94.1m 94.9m 96.5m 97.3m

Grants to organisatio ns No. 1,294 1,121 1,085 1,019

Grants to individual artists(unded directly)

No. 552 752 812 903

Grants to individualartists devolved throughorganisations/companies

No. 93 143 105 108

Countries presented in No. 70 58 66 65

Grants supporting Australianartists internationally

$ 7.3m 6.3m 7.2m 8.4m

Grants supporting Australianartists internationally

No. 397 362 418 578

Figure 7: Key perormance indicators, demonstrating the

perormance o the program in achieving its objectives and

contributing to the Australia Councils outcomes*

2008-09 200910 201011 201112

Number o new works created 5,526 6,911 7,541 7,656

Number o new worksexhibited, perormed andpublished

5,414 8,728 6,989 5,137

*Variations refect major national and international one-o and recurrent exhibitions and estivals.

Figure 8: Attendance numbers at Australia Council supported events*

2008- 09 200910 201011 201112

Project grants 3,229,380 3,982,933 6,478,701 4,793,609

Key organ isat ions 6,409,200 7,176,409 6,922,075 5,305,438

Major perorming arts 3,376,063 2,939,639 3,057,757 2,939,011

Total 13,014,643 14,098,981 16,458,533 13,038,058

*Figures refect new works created and presented within the reporting period.


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Results:governmentinitiatives

In 201112, the Australia Council managed a number o

Australian Government init iatives, the majori ty o whichwere unded through its appropriation.

Artists in Residenc e (AIR)

The Artists in Residence (AIR) initiative is managed by the Austral ia

Councils Community Partnerships section. AIR aims to expose Australian

students to the benets o creative practice by creating opportunities or

artists and teachers to work together on developing eective teaching

methods and practices or the arts. In 2012, AIR provided $1.3 million to

proessional artists, enabling them to broaden their experience and share

their skills while providing Australian school and university students with

greater exposure to creative practice. Since 2009, over 200 residencies

have taken place in schools across the country.

AIR is now a n ongoing Aus tralian G overnment initiativ e and the Cou ncil

will continue its partnerships with state and territory governments

to deliver more residencies in 201213. This will include working

strategically with pre-service teacher training institutions to develop

meaningul proessional development opportunities or artists and

teachers during residencies, and soliciting new proposals rom

jurisdic tions as to th e implementa tion and dri vers o AI R or the n ext

three years.

ArtStart

ArtStart prov ides small business star t-up grants to artists o all

disciplines who have recently graduated rom tertiary or TAFE studies.

Each ArtStart grant provides up to $10,000 or services, equipment,

resources and activities that will assist graduates to build an income-

generating career in the arts practice they have studied. ArtStart has

proved to be a valuable strategic intervention during what is oten a

challenging transition period or early-career artists, with recipients citing

increased condence, business, artistic and nancial skills as gains rom

their ArtStart year. Also evident are the new networks, markets, career

opportunities, sponsorships and grants that recipients have leveraged

as a result. To date, ArtStart has distributed $6 million to 621 recent

graduates. ArtStart is currently unded by the Australian Government or

a period o our years (200910 to 201213).

Canberra and Darwin Symphony Orchestras

The Austral ia Counci l oversee s Australia n Govern ment grants t o the

Canberra and Darwin Symphony Orchestras and provides urther

assistance to both organisations through the provision o consultancy

and capacity-building programs to strengthen their management

capabilities.

ArtStart has proved to

be a valuable strategic

intervention during what

is oten a challenging

transition period or

early-career artists, with

recipients citing increased

condence, business,

artistic and nancialskills as gains rom their

ArtStart year. To date,

ArtStart has distr ibuted

$6 million to 621 recent

graduates.

Creative Australia Artist Grants

Creative Australia Artist Grants is a $10 million ve-year initiative

(20112015) that provides unding to artists or the creation and

presentation o new Australian works o art. This program commenced

in 2011, with Creative Australia New Work grants oered through the

Inter-Arts Oce, the Literature Board and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Arts Board. In 2012, the Australia Council also announced the

rst round o Creative Australia Fellowships or established artists and or

early-career artists to the value o $100,000 and $60,000 respectively.

In the rst year o this initiative the Council distributed $900,000 to:

a Major Festivals Initiative or a new work Development Site

seven artists or New Art projects

three writers or Book2 grants

eight 21st Century Stories grants

11 established and early-career artists or Creative Australia Fellowships.

Creative Communities

In 201112, the Creative Communities Partnerships initiative provided

$2.7 million to large-scale projects benetting communities.

Managed by the Councils Community Partnerships section, this initiative

builds quality arts programs that give individual community members the

opportunity to directly participate in all aspects o art-making across all

artorms. It also develops community-based partnerships with long-term

outcomes and stimulates innovation in the use o the arts to enhance

community wellbeing.

In 201112 the Australia Council approved an additional ve proposals

amounting to $1.8 million with some commitments extending into uture

scal years.

Get Reading!

This $1.6 mi llion ini tiative e ncourages Australia ns to discove r the joy o

reading. Independent research company AMR Interactive ound one-in-

ve readers (21 percent) was aware o the Get Reading! campaign with a

third o all readers (33 percent) aware o Get Readings main campaign:

50 Books You Cant Put Down. These results were higher than those

o the 2010 campaign. However, overall book sales refect the broaderdiculties acing the book sector. Nielsen Bookscan reported an

increase o 115 percent in the volume o Get Reading! titles compared

to the preceding ve weeks, despite a 38 percent decrease in total sales

volume as compared to 2010.

In 201112 the Creative

Communities Partnership

initiative provided

$2.7 mil lion to large

scale projects beneting

communities.


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Major Festivals Initiative (MFI)

The Ma jor Fe stival s Initi ative (MFI) supports the co mmission ing,

development and showcasing o new Australian perorming arts

productions o scale or presentation at Australias major international

arts estivals. Members include the Adelaide Festival o Arts, Brisbane

Festival, Darwin Festival, Melbourne Festival, Perth International Arts

Festival, Sydney Festival and Ten Days on the Island (Tasmania). In

201112, the $750,000 per annum und supported Chunky Move and

Victo rian O perasAssembly, Force Majeures Never Did Me Any Harm,

Arena Theatre Companys House o Dreaming and Black Lung Theatre

and Whaling Fir ms Savages. The initiative also supported the irst o

three Development Sites (via an additional $500,000 commitment over

ive years through Creative Australia) in Melbourne. Development Sites

provide a orum to proile new work-in-progress to MFI members and

other potential presenters and partners.

Melba Foundation

In 2004, the Melba Foundation received a grant o $5 million over ve

years rom the Australian Government to develop and disseminate

high-quality Australian music recordings, nationally and internationally.

In 2009 the Government announced the continuation o its support o

the Melba Foundation with a grant o $2.25 million or a three-year xed

term rom 200910 to 201112, at a reduced amount each year, in order

to sustain the organisation while it builds income rom non-government

sources, and in recognition o the oundations contribution to the

vibrancy and sustainability o the Australian music industry.

Opportunities or Young and Emerging Artists

In 201112, the Opportunities or Young and Emerging Artists (OYEA)

initiative provided just over $1.7 million through nine programs that

combine opportunities or development and presentation o new

work, sector development, development o proessional skills and

engagement o young artists and audiences. Through these programs

young and emerging artists have developed and presented new works

that range rom experimental installations, new plays, dance works,

visual art exhibitions and music compositions. They have also directed

perormances, created graphic novels, crat and design works, recorded

CDs and established websites and blogs. They have reached audiences

o tens o thousands o Australians, urthered their creative careers andmade new connections.

Results:governmentinitiatives(continued)

Visual Arts and Cr at Strat egy

The Visua l Arts and Crat Strate gy (VACS) was de veloped as a joint

initiative o all Australian governments in response to the2002 Report

o the Contemporary Visual Arts and Crat Inquiry (The Myer Report,

2002). Since its implementation in 200304, the VACS has signicantly

increased the vitality and sustainability o Australias contemporary

visual arts sector. The Australian Government contributes hal o the

total unding or the VACS, with state and territory governments

providing the balance.

In 201112, the VACS delivered its ninth year o unding to the

contemporary visual arts and crat sector.

VACS Stage I (December 2003 June 2007) provided $39 million over

our years.

VACS Stage II (200708 to 201011) was a $49.4 million our-year jointstrategy delivered by the ederal, state and territory governments. The

VACS unding ocused on our key areas: support or inrastru cture,

expanding the market, support or individual artists and support or

Indigenous arts and crat.

VACS Stage III (2011 12 to 201415) i s a $55.3 mil lion join t

ederal, state and territory government unding package. It supports

contemporary visual arts and crat organisations across Australia,

providing assistance to individual artists, artist-run initiatives

and projects.

In 201112, the Australia Council administered $5.3 million o the VACS

unding, including $1 million in direct grants to individual artists. The

remaining unds were delivered to key organisations, artist-run initiatives

and projects. Highlights or 201112 included:

The 18th Bie nnale o SydneysAll our Relati ons showcase o more

than 220 works by over 100 Australian and international artists at

major venues across Sydney.

Perth Institute o Contemporary Arts Hatched, Various Artists,

National Graduate Show (21 April10 June 2012) presented,

or the 21st time, an annual survey o the best o Australias art

school graduates.

Support or the upcoming 7th Asia Pacic Triennial o ContemporaryArt presente d by the Quee nsland Art G allery ( 8 December 2012

14 April 2013), which will eature new and recent work by over

140 artists rom 25 countries across the region.

Through the Opportunities

or Young and Emerging

Artists ( OYEA) init iative,

artists have developed

and presented new works

including experimental

installations, new plays,

dance works, visual arts

exhibitions and music

compositions. They have

reached audiences o

tens o thousands o

Australi ans, ur thered

their creative careers andmade new connections.

Since its implementation

in 200304, the Visual Arts

and Crat Strategy has

signicantly increased the

vitality and sustainability

o Australias contemporary

visual arts sector.


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6

Its a great achievement to receive thisaward. I hope it helps make it easier or theyounger people rom the bush to ollow inmy ootsteps.

Warren H Williams

2012 Recipient o the Red Ochre Award, or outstanding, lielong contributions to

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts at h ome and a broad

My belie is that somethingantastic will come rom this some antastic new works,shows and perormanceswill emerge rom thesecollaborations. For mywork to be recognised as avaluable contribution to thelives o the people is about

the best eeling you can have.The ellowship will allow methe luxury o exploring mycreative interests. Havingmore creation time is the keyvalue.

Antony Ham ilton

Recipient o a 2012 Creative Australia Fellowship or an

established artistImage: Warren H Williams. Photo: Karen Steains

About theAustralia Council


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8 49Section 3: About the Australia Council

The Australia Council is the Australian Governments arts

unding and advisory body. The Council is accountable tothe Australian Parliament and to the Government through

the Minister or Regional Australia, Regional Developmentand Local Government and Minister or the Arts, the

Hon Simon Crean MP.

Formed as an interim council in 1973, the Australia Council was given

statutory authority status by the Australia Council Act 1975. It replaced

an earlier non-statutory body called the Australian Council or the

Arts, whic h had been e stablished a s a divisi on o the Pr ime Ministe rs

Department in 1968.

The Australia Council subsumed other arts-related Australian Government

unctions, such as the Commonwealth Literary Fund and the CommonwealthArt Advisory Board. It was granted considerably expanded unctions and

greater independence rom the government than its predecessors.

The work o the Australia Council is guided by two undamental principles:

The arms length pr inciple , enshrine d in the Australia Counci l Act

1975, which provides that Ministers may not direct the Council with

respect to the provision o grants.

The peer assessment principle, whereby decisions on grants are made

by artists, individuals closely associated with the arts, and community

representatives who are peers o those being assessed. Grants are

oered to artists and arts organisations whose proposals, in competition

with those o other applicants, and within budgetary constraints,

demonstrate the highest degree o artistic merit and innovation.

The uncti ons o the Australia Council are to:

Formulate and carry out policies designed to:

promote excellence in the arts

provide and encourage the provision o opportunities or persons

to practise the arts

promote the appreciation, understanding and enjoyment o the arts

promote the general application o the arts in the community

oster the expression o a national identity by means o the arts

uphold and promote the right o persons to reedom in the practise

o the arts

promote the knowledge and appreciation o Australian arts by

persons in other countries

promote incentives or, and recognition o, achievement in the

practice o the arts

encourage the support o the arts by the states, local governing

bodies and other persons and organisations.

Furnish advice to the Government o the Commonwealth, either o its

own motion or upon request made to it by the Minister, on matters

connected with the promotion o the arts or otherwise relating to the

perormance o its unctions.

Do anything incidental or conducive to the perormance o any o the

oregoing unctions.

The governing body o the Australia Council is the

council. The primary role o the governing council isthe achievement o the agencys policy and strategic

objectives. To ull this role, the council is responsible orthe overall corporate governance o the agency, including

implementing its strategic direction, establishing andmonitoring the achievement o managements goals and

ensuring the integrity o internal control and managementinormation systems. It is also responsible or approving

and monitoring nancial and other reporting.

In accordance with theAustralia Council Act 1975, the council has

between 10 and 14 members, not including the Australia Council Chie

Executive Ocer (CEO) who is a member o the council (ex ocio). Terms o

appointment or members o the council are generally three years. Members

are eligible or re-appointment. Appointments cannot be or more than

six continuous years. Members are appointed with a view to achieving a

balance o relevant expertise in the arts, business, management, public

policy, corporate governance and administration, appropriate to regional,

gender, multicultural and Indigenous community participation in the arts.

All new me mbers o the council a re provided w ith an indu ction program

where they receive a copy o the Australia Councils Governance

Manual and the General Guidance or Directors o Statutory Authorities

publication, provided by the Oce or the Arts in the Department o

Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport.

The manual contains a section tha t outlines appropriate e thical

standards with regard to, amongst other things, directors obligations,

condentiality and disclosure o the Councils business, conficts o

australia council annual report 2011–12

Documents