Regional Arts

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Regional Arts
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Speakers - Torbay Mr Richard; Souris Mr George
Business - Questions Without Notice, QWN

REGIONAL ARTS
Page: 7360
Mr RICHARD TORBAY: I address my question to the Minister for the Arts. When will he announce next year's funding for the arts?

Mr GEORGE SOURIS: I thank the member for Northern Tablelands for his question. Any opportunity to talk about this Government's commitment to the arts is welcome.

Mr John Robertson: And brief.

Mr GEORGE SOURIS: It will not be brief. The Government offers a wide program of cultural support that encompasses a large range of arts funding programs to assist arts companies and artists to create and deliver great artistic product for the people of New South Wales. A broad range of cultural grant programs is offered and they include cultural funding programs, creation and presentation of artistic work, ConnectEd education arts, strategic industry development for the arts, capital infrastructure for facilities, screen audience development, quick response grants, fellowships scholarships and awards, regional conservatoriums of music and performing arts touring throughout New South Wales.

The successful applicants under these programs are announced at various times during the year. Applications close towards the middle of the year and are then assessed. Many of them are due to be announced very soon, as they have been in previous years including last year. I have already announced grant programs for cultural activity in 2012: the Regional Conservatoriums of Music Fund, totalling $718,000 and the Performing Arts Touring Grants, totalling $792,000. Regional New South Wales is well and truly at the forefront with this Government. Both programs almost exclusively fund artistic activity in regional New South Wales.

Funding was very recently announced and the funds were granted from the Regional Conservatoriums of Music Fund to the following locations: Tamworth, Dubbo, Bangalow, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Deniliquin, Hay, Hillston, Barham, Mathoura, Tocumwal, Darlington Point, Balranald, Conargo, Young, Orange, Griffith, Bathurst and—as the member for Northern Tablelands will be pleased to hear—Armidale. Funds have been granted from the Performing Arts Touring Program for performances in a number of towns. The performers are still in the process of completing their touring itinerary. I invite any members who represent the towns that I will mention to contact my staff, who will provide preliminary information on the name of the performances and a range of dates on which the company will be touring in particular locations.

The towns are: Wollongong, Dubbo, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Taree, Tamworth, Cessnock, Queanbeyan, Gosford, Newcastle, Narrabri—nobody misses out—Nowra, Milton, Mittagong, Wollondilly, Orange, Bathurst, Gunnedah, Lismore, Goulbourn, Forbes, the Shoalhaven, Byron Bay, Bellingen, Manning, Forster, Griffith and, of course, Armidale. I thank the member for Northern Tablelands for providing me with an opportunity to illustrate the length and breadth of the New South Wales arts program, and the great benefits it will bring to the people of New South Wales. It will provide regional New South Wales with considerable tourism product, a way in which to develop communities and attract visitors, and it will provide a basis that will enable performing arts in regional areas to thrive and prosper.