The 2023-24 Victorian budget papers show a fall in planned spending across the Arts and Creative Industries portfolio in 2023-24 compared to the outcome funding in 2022-23.
The Creative Industries Access, Development and Innovation output saw funding fall from and expected outcome in 2022-23 of $65.9 million (target $55.3 million) to $35.2 million target in 2023-24.
The Creative Industries portfolio agencies output (which includes Arts Centre Melbourne, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Docklands Studios Melbourne, VicScreen, Geelong Arts Centre, Melbourne Recital Centre, Museums Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria, and the State Library Victoria) saw expected outcome funding of $493 million fall to $405.1 million target in 2023-24.
The Cultural Infrastructure and Facilities output saw a funding expected outcome in 2022-23 of $57.4 million (initial target $72 million) fall to $54 million target spending in 2023-24. The total expected outcome in 2022-23 across the three outputs was $616.3 million falling to $494.3 million expected in 2023-24. The total expected funding in 2023-24 is $122 million lower than the expected outcome for 2022-23 – a fall of 20%.
Of course, there is lumpiness in funding where lower targets “primarily reflect the funding profile of the Creative State Initiative” and “the funding profile for the Creative Infrastructure Program”. No doubt, the significant fall also reflects the Creative Industries Agencies Recovery Initiative fall off in funding. Recovery out of COVID has been slower than expected at many venues. For example, the Melbourne Recital Centre was still almost 40% below target visitation in 2022-23. Attendances at the State Library and the NGV are still significantly under target, with visitation still recovering from COVID.
Our Arts and Creative Industries play a critical economic, cultural and social role. We need them to fully build back to ensure we maximise economic and cultural outcomes, remembering Victoria’s lockdowns were longer and harder than anywhere else in Australia (and tragically the death rate was greater) and the sharp, indeed harsh, restrictions under Victoria’s public events framework eclipsed the impact in any other part of the country. Spending will fall and the Arts and Creative Industries are yet to get off the mat after COVID.