Federal Election Campaign: Promoting and safeguarding racial equity in the arts

Federal Election Campaign:

Promoting and safeguarding racial equity in the arts

The Australian Federal Election will be held on May 21st, and Diversity Arts Australia advocates for racial equity to be central to a National Cultural Plan. We have been meeting with 15 other national arts peak bodies to demonstrate our unity in advocating for the arts in the lead up to the election, and to encourage our members and supporters to vote with the arts and racial equity in mind.

Our collective arts and culture campaign emphasises that art and culture are EVERYWHERE and ESSENTIAL, and that Australians should USE THEIR VOTE and consider which parties and candidates support art and culture. Australian artists produce work that inspires and influences, from the stage to your screens and headphones, and they are a central part of the economy. But we also know that many racialised artists and creative workers have been systemically excluded from the sector, including First Nations people, migrants, refugees and people from underrepresented culturally diverse backgrounds. Our recent Lost Work 2.0 report surveyed almost 200 artists and creative workers, and demonstrated that the sector is at risk of becoming even more inequitable. First Nations creatives and creatives of colour are not being properly supported, compensated, employed, and their wellbeing is thus being threatened. Australian arts and culture cannot afford to lose a generation of underrepresented artists.

And so we ask you to use your vote in the upcoming election for the party or candidate that supports art, culture and equity. Let’s rebuild the arts and creative sectors to be inclusive and safe for marginalised artists.

We call for

• An industry led Anti-Racism Strategy
• Equity-tested public arts funding 
• Meaningful diversity standards in the arts, screen, and creative sectors
• Creative recovery support for culturally diverse artists
• Equitable employment of culturally diverse creatives

We need a National Cultural Plan centred on equity and inclusion. When you vote in this upcoming Federal election, think about which party and/or candidate supports arts equity.

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