The Childers Group 2026-2027 ACT Budget Submission

For thirteen years the Childers Group has been contributing to the development of the ACT budget through ACT Treasury’s budget consultation process.

The Childers Group welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the 2026-2027 ACT Government Budget development process.

The Childers Group is an independent arts forum established in 2011. Our advocacy is based on the principles of:

• independence;
• objectivity;
• valuing the arts; and
• pride in Australia’s national capital city and the surrounding region.

The Group has delivered yearly forums and advocates for the arts through MLA meetings with the three main political parties and in 2025 with the Independents.

We continue to hold a variety of meetings with stakeholders such as the Cultural Facilities Corporation , the Federal Government, A New Approach and Creative Australia.

Consequently, what follows is informed, considered, and situated in a national policy context.

Opening Statement:

The Childers Group would like to acknowledge the ongoing support from the Government in relation to the arts and creative industries in the ACT and Region. The commitments to the Kingston Arts Space, the new Lyric Theatre and the ongoing public works to the Arts Centres are welcomed.

However as mentioned in our recent submissions , the sector is still in a very difficult situation and as a result a greater response in terms of funding from government is needed to consolidate and grow the sector.

Arts Minister Michael Pettersson needs to meet these challenges across the sector by increasing funding in this Budget and budgets in the outgoing years.

The Childers Group supports the submission from the Belconnen Arts Centre on behalf of 24 arts organisations in the ACT.

• A brief summary of our submission.

The Childers Group acknowledges the Government’s ongoing support for the arts and creative industries.

Childers supports the Budget Request from the Belconnen Arts Centre submission.

A summary of their request :

• A 25% real and ongoing increase to Arts Organisation and Centre funding from 2026–27, including indexation. ​
• Arts Centre funding increases to commence on 1 January 2027, rather than 2028, to prevent further workforce decline. ​
• Adoption of the Community Sector indexation formula for arts funding: (WPI/Award × 0.8) + (CPI × 0.2).

The Funding challenges facing the sector are covered by the Belconnen submission and are supported by a detailed survey of the sector carried out in 2025.

• ACT arts worker salaries are 19% below the ACT median wage, with 79% earning below the median full-time wage (91% excluding Artistic/Executive Directors). ​
• Smaller and medium organisations have limited full-time roles, with staff often overworked and carrying broad responsibilities. ​
• Only 12% of organisations offer superannuation or salary packaging incentives, and half lack formal salary review processes. ​
• Over the past decade, artsACT funding indexation (28.6%) has lagged behind Award Wage and Superannuation increases (46.7%), creating a 14% real shortfall.

The ACT Government needs to move with urgency on its election promise of increasing the funding to arts organisations and arts centre by 25%.

\What more can the ACT Government do to improve community well-being in Canberra?

The Wellbeing Framework : Once again Where are the Arts???

We note that in relation to Arts and Culture, as of February 2026 there is still no data or comments in relation to the impact of arts and culture in the Framework. This must be addressed as a matter of priority.

Across the 12 Domains of the Framework the arts can play a significant role. We note that

Research done by the Canberra based arts, creativity and culture research think tank A New Approach (ANA) ( www.newapproach.org.au ) clearly shows :

“…when a considered effort is made to direct cultural and creative activities towards improving social cohesion , the impacts are significant including :

• building feelings of community belonging and trust, enhancing empathy and inclusion
• help in combating the growing issues of loneliness and isolation.
• increasing civic participation and making cities, suburbs and regions more liveable
• help individuals and communities recover from disasters and trauma”.

In relation to building a healthier Australia, ANA research has shown that :

• “engagement with arts and cultural activities reduces health risks particularly for mental health
• arts and cultural tools have also been successfully used to improve outcomes in terms of both prevention and treatment of physical illnesses and diseases.
• the arts can improve in-patient outcomes, can improve recovery from long term conditions, can reduce dementia risk and can improve elderly quality of life.”

 Our priority for the 2026-2027 Budget

Every Canberran should have access to the key arts organisations to inspire and engage them. Every Canberran artist should have a Centre and an arts organisation that will support them to grow and develop.

And every visitor to Canberra should be able to find the key Canberra arts organisation that invites them to share in the wonderful cultural life of our city. “Sure come for our National Institutions but stay a day or two longer to see the rich Canberra Arts Experience : galleries, theatre, dance, music, visual arts, writing and our wonderful Indigenous Story.”

PRIORITY : FUND THE ELECTION PROMISES

• A 25% real and ongoing increase to Arts Organisation and Centre funding from 2026–27, including indexation. ​
• Arts Centre funding increases to commence on 1 January 2027, rather than 2028, to prevent further workforce decline. ​
• Adoption of the Community Sector indexation formula for arts funding: (WPI/Award × 0.8) + (CPI × 0.2).

The Childers Group looks forward to engaging with government over our Budget Submission in the next few months.

Yours Sincerely

Michael White

Convenor for The Childers Group

8^th February 2026

Contact :   michael.white@iimetro.com.au

childersgroup@gmail.com

Web page : www.childersgroup.com.au

Review of Childers Group 2025

Just a quick post to fill you in on Childers Group activities for 2025. Once again, we have had a busy year meeting and advocating for the arts with our local politicians at the Assembly. We met with Labor, Greens, Independents and the Liberal opposition.

We had meetings with new ACT Assembly members, Caitlin Tough (Labor), Taimus Werner Gibbings (Labor), Thomas Emerson (Independent), and Fiona Carrick (Independent)

We had three meetings with the Arts Minister Michael Pettersson,  and with new Treasurer Chris Steel with whom we discussed our ACT budget submission for 2025/2026.

We also had good discussions with Jo Clay, Greens Arts Spokesperson and James Milligan, Liberal Arts spokesperson.

On the federal level we had meetings with our local MHR’s David Smith (Bean), Alicia Payne (Canberra) and Andrew Leigh (Fenner).

We met with Independent ACT Senator Pocock and his advisors.

We will continue our lobbying work with our local politicians in 2026.

FORUMS 2026 : We are hoping to organise forums over the next 12 months. If you have any particular ideas of any gatherings you would be particularly interested in then please let us know.

Is the impact of AI on the arts sector something that arts practioners are interested in??

childersgroup@gmail.com

Cheers Michael White Convenor The Childers Group

The Childers Group 2025-2026 Budget Submission

For twelve years the Childers Group has been contributing to the development of the ACT budget through ACT Treasury’s budget consultation process.

The Childers Group welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the 2025-2026 ACT Government Budget development process.

The Childers Group is an independent arts forum established in 2011. Our advocacy is based on the principles of:

• independence;
• objectivity;
• valuing the arts; and
• pride in Australia’s national capital city and the surrounding region.

The Group has delivered yearly forums and advocates for the arts through MLA meetings with the three main political parties and in 2025 with the Independents.

We continue to hold a variety of meetings with stakeholders such as the Cultural Facilities Corporation , the Federal Government, A New Approach and Creative Australia.

Consequently, what follows is informed, considered, and situated in a national policy context.

Opening Statement:

The Childers Group would like to acknowledge the ongoing support from the Government in relation to the arts and creative industries in the ACT and Region.

However as mentioned in our submission for 24-25, the sector is still at a crucial crossroad and a greater response in terms of funding from government is needed to consolidate and grow the sector.

New Arts Minister Michael Pettersson needs to meet these challenges across the sector by  increasing funding in this Budget and budgets in the outgoing years.

• A brief summary of our submission.

The Childers Group acknowledges the Government’s ongoing support for the arts and creative industries.

Canberra is one of the most liveable cities in the world. This achievement is due in part to the rich diversity of creative opportunity available to us to experience and participate in. Our city continues to grow quickly and we must be courageous and imaginative in ensuring these opportunities grow with us. As our city has grown the contribution from government to arts funding has not grown to match it. This is a serious misstep. Additionally we do not have a “local Council” function in our government structure (as distinct from the states) and as A New Approach ( National Arts and Culture think tank based in Canberra ) has noted through its research, that is where the greatest increase in funding for the arts has been seen over the past 10 years.

The current Arts “Statement of Ambition” has calls for Canberra to be the Arts Capital of Australia. It is a bold plan and it must be met with increased investment into the arts portfolio. This needs to be for our Arts Centres, our Arts Organisations, our Emerging Arts Organisations and our individual artists.

Research shows that increased investment brings measurable outcomes, not only for the artists and companies concerned but for society more widely. ( A New Approach  : https://newapproach.org.au/

Childers Group strongly supports the Government’s ongoing commitment to the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Cultural Arts Program.

With the adoption of the ACT Government’s Wellbeing Framework Childers Group believes that the arts can play a central role in bringing the framework into focus and can generate real measurable returns for the arts investment. We note that information on the role that arts and culture can play in the “Wellbeing Framework” has not been devekoped.

 What more can the ACT Government do to improve community well-being in Canberra?

The Wellbeing Framework : Where are the Arts???

We note that in relation to Arts and Culture as of May 2025 there is still no data or comments in relation to the impact of arts and culture in the Framework. This must be addressed as a matter of priority.

Across the 12 Domains of the Framework the arts can play a significant role. We note that

Research done by the Canberra based arts, creativity and culture research think tank A New Approach (ANA) ( www.newapproach.org.au ) clearly shows :

“…when a considered effort is made to direct cultural and creative activities towards improving social cohesion , the impacts are significant including :

• building feelings of community belonging and trust, enhancing empathy and inclusion
• help in combating the growing issues of loneliness and isolation.
• increasing civic participation and making cities, suburbs and regions more liveable
• help individuals and communities recover from disasters and trauma”.

In relation to building a healthier Australia, ANA research has shown that :

• “engagement with arts and cultural activities reduces health risks particularly for mental health
• arts and cultural tools have also been successfully used to improve outcomes in terms of both prevention and treatment of physical illnesses and diseases.
• the arts can improve in-patient outcomes, can improve recovery from long term conditions, can reduce dementia risk and can improve elderly quality of life.”

 Our priorities for the 2025-2026 Budget

Every Canberran should have access to the key arts organisations to inspire and engage them. Every Canberran artist should have a Centre and an arts organisation that will support them to grow and develop.

And every visitor to Canberra should be able to find the key Canberra arts organisation that invites them to share in the wonderful cultural life of our city. “Sure come for our National Institutions but stay a day or two longer to see the rich Canberra Arts Experience : galleries, theatre, dance, music, visual arts, writing and our wonderful Indigenous Story.”

PRIORITY ONE : FUND THE 2024 ELECTION PROMISES

We would expect to see that in this Budget that Government moves quickly to honour its election promises.

The Childers Group key priorities for this year’s budget would be :

• an immediate increase of 50% in 2025 to artsACT’s arts activity program. ($0-$5k and $5K-$50K program) This is the “engine room” of arts practice for individuals and small companies.

• bring forward the commitment to “increase funding for arts organisations and centres by 25% in the next term” of the Assembly to the current term beginning with some increase in this year’s budget and the rest over the next 4 years. Our organisations and centres urgently need this commitment to begin in 2025.

• continue with the government commitment to the Kingston Arts Precinct and the new Canberra Theatre

PRIORITY TWO : STRATEGIC GOVERNMENT OBJECTIVES AND DIRECTORATE LINKS

RECOMMENDATION 2

Childers Group recommends that the ACT Government establish links between Government Directorates to maximize Arts Development in the ACT and region.

Stronger links between arts organisations, practitioners (companies and individuals), Events Canberra and Visit Canberra has commenced and need to be continually pursued with some urgency.

Tourism and the Arts are a strong area for ongoing development.

In line with ACT Government strategic priorities of enhanced liveability and social inclusion, suburban renewal and health and education investment, the role of the arts in these areas should be recognised with the establishment of officer positions in ACT Government Directorates, including Education and Training, Health, Environment and Planning, JACS and Transport , at the Senior Officer Grade 3 level, to identify and implement strategies where arts activity can multiply existing value and enrich outcomes. In the first instance, this should be a 3-year initiative.

Establishing and consolidating existing links between artists, arts organisations and the stakeholders of each Directorate should be a key component of the work. For example, engagement in the arts throughout a child’s schooling, including early childhood, has immeasurable benefits which are now both quantifiable and proven in countries that have invested in strong arts programs within their schools.

The Childers Group looks forward to engaging with government over our Budget Submission in the next few months.

Yours Sincerely

Michael White

Convenor for The Childers Group

12^th May 2025

Contact :         0481063599

michael.white@iimetro.com.au

childersgroup@gmail.com

Web page : www.childersgroup.com.au

Just a quick post to fill you in on Childers Group activities for 2024. We have had a busy year meeting and advocating for the arts with our local politicians at the Assembly. We met with Labor, Greens and the Liberal opposition. We had meetings with the Minister Tara Cheyne and also submitted our ACT budget submission. We also organised a successful ACT Election Forum in October.

We have also met with Senator Pocock and his advisors.

Our plans for 2025 : We have already had a meeting with the new arts Minister Michael Pettersson. We will be seeking meetings with all the new MLA’s and the new leader of the Liberals, Leanne Castley and their shadow arts Minister James Milligan.

As it will be a federal election year in 2025 we are seeking meetings with our Federal members.

FORUMS : We are hoping to organise at least 3 forums over the next 12 months. If you have any particular ideas of any gatherings you would be particularly interested in then please let us know.
One issue that has arisen is new industrial relations laws that have come into operation over the past 12/18 months that will affect our sector. We would seek help from the Workplace Ombudsman for information on this. I attended a webinar in early December organised by Creative Australia and it was very interesting!! Possible issues : the use of fixed term contracts, conversion of casual employees to full/part time employees, employment of contractors (just because someone has an ABN does it mean that they are not employees?)

Any other possible forums or just get togethers you may be interested in, please let us know at our email address.

childersgroup@gmail.com

Cheers Michael White Convenor The Childers Group

Election 2024 : Arts Policies Summary

 ACT Greens Arts Policy

• Fund art, not just the buildings art goes in, by doubling the arts budget
• Pay artists fairly with multi-year contracts and track the fair Remuneration Principles
• Support First Nations art
• Create new artistic opportunities with a commissioning officer
• Make art accessible for all

ACT Greens Live Music Policy

• Get the settings right for our Civic and Gungahlin entertainment precincts by working with the community and the sector
• Create dedicated entertainment precincts for Belconnen, Molonglo, Woden, Tuggeranong and EPIC to ensure artists and residents can live in harmony
• Fix public liability insurance so it works for the sector
• Create an Industry Development Officer to help artists professionalise

https://greens.org.au/act/policies/arts

ACT Labor Arts Policy

• We will build a new, 2,000 seat lyric theatre and refurbish The Courtyard Studio, The Playhouse and the Canberra Theatre.
• We will continue to work on the new Kingston Arts Precinct, and increase funding for arts organisations and centres by 25% in the next term.
• We will also identify a fit-for-purpose space for our smaller craft communities.
• And we will provide additional support for CMAG to increase their collections.
• We will increase Government funding to local artists and arts projects by 50 per cent.
• We will commission two public artworks of significant women and/or non-binary figures.
• Labor will also commission work on our iconic bus shelters, and invest in murals across the city from Tuggeranong to Belconnen.
• We will work towards having Canberra recognised by UNESCO as an International City of Design

https://www.actlabor.org.au/media/qy2nr22o/act-labor-s-ambition-for-canberra-arts.pdf

Canberra Liberals Arts Policy

 Will be announced 15^th October.

Independents Arts Policy

A Flourishing Future for Canberra.

The Arts + Music = Tourism

Commitments from Kurrajong Candidates Sara Poguet & Ben Johnston

• The reopening of Telstra Tower with a premium food and beverage offering alongside an immersive interactive educational experience. Enhanced education tourism is a big opportunity for revenue growth.
• Boost Canberra’s night-time economy by expanding live music offerings and creating a thriving cultural scene.
• Commence Canberra’s night-time economy activation now by reducing liquor licence fees by 80%, providing free late night public transport and funding a nighttime festival to showcase what the Night Time Economy looks like in the new City Entertainment Precinct.
• The immediate implementation of a requirement for 5 noise complaints (all from different households) to be received before a formal process is considered. This is a policy recently adopted in NSW.
• The establishment of a Night time Economy Commissioner to drive the economic and cultural benefits of an enhanced nightlife.
• The establishment of a Canberra Arts Trail with a strategic and cohesive marketing campaign that aligned grassroots artistic events to Canberra’s established events program.
• Increased funding for grassroots arts organisations.
• A policy requiring a percentage of local productions and co-productions to be delivered at all government funded theatres to make our Arts facilities available and accessible to everyone.
• Increased funding for public school art facilities and staffing combined with the introduction of an “Artist in Residency” program to foster the arts as a viable career choice and valued profession.
• A “One percent for art policy”. One percent of the total budget of a development must be spent on the incorporation of local artists into the project. This policy will bring together a community of local artists that can collaborate with the developer to have a broad range of creative capabilities embedded into the building and landscape.

What we stand for 

• Valuing the arts and artists by creating sustainable ecosystems for art and music in all its forms.
• Using arts and culture as a key driver for tourism in the ACT.
• Improving arts facilities in ACT government schools.
• Weaving arts and beauty into the fabric of Canberra
• Ensuring the art of our multicultural and diverse community is equally and appropriately represented.

Why we need change

• The number of professional artists has been steadily declining in the ACT unable to make a living from their craft.
• The ACT is lagging behind in the development of a comprehensive Night Time Economy plan.
• Our built environment needs to be more visually appealing. There are too many new buildings that are purely functional.
• Our Arts facilities are severely under-utilised due to the current high venue charges and red tape.
• It is well documented that the arts are good for people’s mental health and wellbeing, whether through their own creative expression or through experiencing the creative work of and with others. The Arts strengthen and unite diverse communities and cultures.
• The current severe underfunding to school art facilities is resulting in an inability to offer a broad range of art classes.
• Too much of the arts funds are being invested into the facilities and not to the development of artists.
• Effective policy making to support artists requires an in-depth understanding  of the nature of professional artistic practice. A survey of individual  practising artists is the most practical way to obtain comprehensive and objective data on the conditions of professional artistic practice across all art forms.*

 The Childers Group 2024 Arts Election Forum

 Monday August 19th : 6pm-8.00pm

Belconnen Arts Centre Theatre 118 Emu Bank Belconnen

“What is the future for the Arts after the next ACT Election?”

The Childers Group has held an arts forum every election since 2016. Our last forum in 2020 was held via Zoom (Covid days) and it will be great to have this one in person. Special thanks to the Belconnen Arts Centre (and their wonderful staff for being our hosts.)

Childers will be inviting 3 members from the Assembly to speak to their arts policy : Minister Tara Cheyne, Opposition Arts Spokesperson Nicole Lawder and Greens spokesperson Jo Clay.

Moderator : Genevieve Jacobs

RSVP to : childersgroup@gmail.com

www.childersgroup.com.au

For the diary

New Date for the Childers Group 2024 Election Forum : Monday 19th August 6-8pm at Belco Arts Centre Theatre 118 Emu Bank Belconnen

The Childers Group Yearly Report for 2023

As the election year 2024 commences the Childers Group will continue its advocacy for the arts and culture in Canberra and the Region. The last few years have been extremely difficult for local artists however we are confident that the arts will once again flourish.

2023 activities

• We have had Assembly meetings over the year with the Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Arts Minister Tara Cheyne, Greens Arts Spokesperson Jo Clay, Liberal Arts spokesperson Nicole Lawder and Health Minister Rachel Stephen Smith

• Meetings with Minister Cheyne covered : briefing on the 2023-2024 budget outcome for the arts, discussion of the responses from the arts community to the Funding Outcomes of the Multi Year Round (2022), proposal for a Submission for the 2024-2025 Budget from the Arts Centres Group, discussion on the remuneration principles outlined in the Statement of Ambition ( how is it going to monitored and regulated)

• we attended regular monthly meetings of The Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum : https://www.tlforum.com.au/tourism-advisory-forum

• continued meeting with Kate Fielding, CEO of A New Approach ( national arts and culture think tank based here in Canberra) https://newapproach.org.au/

• lodged our Budget Submission with ACT Government for the 2024-2025 Budget ( Childers has been doing these submissions since 2013) : see link below

• https://www.budgetconsultation.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/2377015/11.-The-Childers-Group.pdf

• continued our partnership with the Cultural Facilities Corporation

• continued liaison with Music ACT

• Childers members have played an active role in the Canberra Artists Action Group (CAAG)

• Childers members have continued to play an active role in National arts advocacy

Steve Cassidy on the new Federal Arts and Cultural Policy : June 2023

(Follow the links to his very useful blog.)

Time to revive with renewed national cultural policy

‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. The previous policy, announced by the Gillard Labor Government in 2013, was a very good policy, even though it had its gaps, but its impact was cut short by what turned out to be a series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer they were in office. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives, including some that have never been included in a cultural policy before. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia’s cultural heritage’, Time to revive with renewed national cultural policy.

https://cassarticle.blogspot.com/2023/05/time-to-revive-with-renewed-national.html

The whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything

‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this second one is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia’s cultural heritage,’ The whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything.

https://cassarticle.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-whole-picture-arts-and-cultural.html

Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot in our national cultural institutions?

‘After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia’s cultural heritage, outlining how after decades of damage from the so-called efficiency dividend, Australia’s national cultural institutions, amongst our most important publically-owned assets, might just have been saved. The first article looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development’, Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot of our national cultural institutions?

https://cassarticle.blogspot.com/2023/05/who-we-are-and-where-we-come-from-end.html