So good looking, but like, just so annoying

When I arrived in Slovenia, I was enrolled as a student at the Akademija za Gledališče, Radio, Film in Televizio, I was provided with a card - an Izkacnica Gostujocega Studenta - a Visiting Student Card.

The benefits of this card, enrolled as a student at the Academy were two-fold. I benefited from all the conditions of a full-time enrolled student (as any other Slovenian would), and I would also enjoy the conditions associated with being a student of The Arts. And thats The Arts, with a capital T and a capital A.

As a plain old student with a card, I would receive coupons each worth around AU$2-4 which would entitle me to a three course meal in any restaurant ensuring that I ate properly and I would get free public transport.

As an Arts Student, I would receive free entry to any gallery, massively discounted tickets to the cinema and free entry to any theatre, opera or dance production.

There was a catch, though. You would show your arts student card to the front-of-house and they would let you in to stand on the sides of the stalls. Two minutes before the show was to begin you would get the signal and any student waiting was invited to fill any seat that was vacant in the theatre.

The Slovenian Government supports national theatres in every major centre of the country. I just logged into the Slovensko Narodno Gledališče Drama Ljubljana (Slovenian National Theatre Ljubljana) website to have a look at what sponsorship arrangements they have. None. And ticket prices in the best seats for any show in the mainstage theatre are €20,86 (AU$34) and for the small stage theatre €18,36 (AU$30). There is even a public holiday called Culture Day.

Back to Australia and I see an article in yesterday's Australian Financial Review profiling what the performing arts can expect in Tuesday's Federal Budget. The title of the article is 'Performers hold on for $39m boost'.

Immediately, I get excited. Maybe the Federal Government is starting to take notice and starting to get serious about the industry. The article by the ex-News Limited arts writer, Katrina Strickland starts:

Performing arts companies are expected to get a $39 million funding boost over the next four years in two packages the sector hopes will be announced in Tuesday's federal budget.
It is believed the major performing arts companies will be given an extra $20 million over four years, the result of an exhaustive review of the model on which their funding is based.
The small to medium-sized companies which sit beneath them are believed to be in line for an extra $19million, also to be spread over four years.

My mind goes through the maths. Click, click, click. So, $20 million divided by 4 equals $5 million per year. Divided by 28 companies equals... equals... equals... quick, get a calculator... $178,571 per company per year.

And the small to medium sized... $19 million, divided by 4 equals $4.75 million per year. Divided by... well how many small to medium performing arts companies are there? I know that there are at least forty dance companies nationwide and there are a total of 50 small to medium companies in Victoria alone. So, a coservative guess at maybe 150 companies nationally would equal $31,666 each per year.

It all looked so good when I started reading the article Katrina! You used words like 'boost' and 'exhaustive'. You made it sound positive!

But that's what arts funding is in Australia. It's just like that person in the pub you spot from twenty yards away, through your smoke filled eyes. The beautiful hair, the beautiful eyes, the beautiful face, the confident walk. You wander over and you strike up a conversation. But they can barely string a sentence together and they just gag. Their voice grates your nerves and you quickly find a way to leave the room.

If this country was serious about its cultural activities, its film, its art, its theatre, its writing, its music and its youth, there wouldn't be a constant dribble coming from the mouth of the Treasurer, year in and year out offering yet another band aid for the community.

To give you perspective, during the 2006/7 financial year alone, the Federal Government proudly spent $50 million "on measures to improve the retention and recruitment of Australian Defence Force Personnel."

If this country was serious, it would start to make a long-term investment in its artists, it would start making the arts financially accessible for all communities and start investing in youth cultural activities instead of trying to keep a few defence personnel from leaving their dead-end jobs.

If Katrina's article is true this announcement in Tuesday's Budget is a disgrace. Don't get swept away by the spin. No one should get excited about it. No one should be complacent about it and no one should treat it as good news. It isn't good news. It's more of the same and now its starting to not even look good.