ALP candidate welcomes arts gants
ALP candidate for Ballina Melanie Doriean has welcomed a major boost to arts funding in the area, with the awarding of $232,000 in NSW Government Cultural Grants to local groups.
“The Cultural Grants Program is part of the Iemma Government’s commitment of $29 million in 2007 to support the arts in communities throughout NSW,” Ms Doriean said.
“The program funds endeavours in music, theatre, dance, literature, museums, history and the visual arts and crafts.”
Ms Doriean said the NSW Government’s extensive consultation in developing the State Plan showed that communities highly value their local artistic and cultural organisations.
“In our increasingly busy lives it is important that people have opportunities to enjoy what they have worked for.
“The Government can support this by fostering cultural and artistic endeavours at a grass roots level as well as through our major internationally pre-eminent cultural institutions.”
Ms Doriean congratulated the Ballina-based organisations who received funding in the 2007 Cultural Grants Program.
The grants include:
$25,000 towards Stage 1 of construction for the new Ballina Arts and Crafts Centre
$55,000 to the Northern Rivers Writers’ Centre, based in Byron Bay, towards its running costs and 2007 literary program
$15,000 to Spaghetti Circus to develop a new work which explores what Australians really think about sport
$12,000 to Adult and Community Education Mullumbimby towards artists’ fees for its annual concert series
$85,000 per annum for three years to Arts Northern Rivers for a Regional Arts Development Officer (RADO) to support and co-ordinate the work of local artists and a further $40,000 to develop a regional plan for the 21 museums of the Northern Rivers Region
“The NSW Government is investing in the arts with great social and economic results,” Ms Doriean said.
Ms Doriean said Peter Debnam remains a risky choice for NSW particularly for the NSW Arts Community.
“The NSW Opposition shows no interest in the arts and has no arts policy. Despite their growing list of unfunded promises there remains no mention of the arts,” she said.
