The Childers Group

Preamble: the ACT Government, through artsACT, is currently reviewing its ‘Arts Policy Framework’. The Childers Group has written to the ACT Minister for the Arts, Joy Burch MLA, asking about the scope of the review, the consultation process, and the timing, as this information is not currently available on artsACT’s website. There has been some […]

30 June 2014 Joy Burch MLA Minister for the Arts ACT Government via email: burch@act.gov.au Dear Ms Burch, The Childers Group writes to express very real concern about recent changes to the eligibility requirements for the 2014 ACT Book of the Year award, as reported in the press and as confirmed by artsACT. The surprising […]

The following is the Childers Group’s response to the arts component of ACT Budget 2014-2015. It follows the structure required by ACT Treasury. Our submission resulted in an invitation to present to the 2014 Estimates hearing, which we accepted and put forward our views on 13 June; the Childers Group was one of only two […]

The Childers Group expresses serious concern about the 2014-2015 federal budget and its impact on the development, sustainability and vitality of the arts in the ACT region. The Group calls on the ACT Government to assure artists and arts organisations that there will be no funding cuts to artsACT’s funding programs as a consequence of […]

If you write a book, or choreograph a dance, or compose a song, or produce a play or film, and no one reviews it, could it be that you never created it in the first place? In a way that’s what was discussed at this year’s Childers Group forum.  Focussing on the Role of the […]

The Childers Group’s next forum, to be held at noon on Friday 18 October at the Gorman House Arts Centre in Canberra, will focus on the role of the arts critic.  To get the conversation started, Australian artist Kim Anderson provides a personal account of why a vibrant culture of arts criticism is so important. […]

On Tuesday 4 June 2013 the ACT Government released its budget for 2013-2014.  Here is the Childers Group’s response to the arts component. In the Childers Group’s budget submission dated 25 February 2013, a number of priority areas were identified, based on feedback provided through our two well-attended public forums and the various formal and […]

29 April 2013 Libbie Christie Acting Chief Executive Officer Australia Council for the Arts PO Box 788 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 cc: ACT Minister for the Arts, ACT Cultural Council, artsACT Dear Ms Christie, WRITING AUSTRALIA I am writing to express the Childers Group’s concern at what we understand to be the Australia Council for […]

We all do it: watch the television or listen to the radio or scroll through our Facebook and Twitter feeds waiting for news of a politician who has spoken in an informed, energised and convincing manner about the value of the arts to Australian society.  Of course, it does happen – for example, in April […]