Australia Council
Australia Council
Section 1: Entity overview and resources
1.1 Strategic direction statement
The Australia Council (the Council) is the Australian Government’s principal arts funding and advisory body. The Council’s purpose is to champion and invest in Australian arts. The Council has a national leadership role in supporting and building Australia’s arts ecology by fostering excellence in the arts and increasing national and international engagement with Australian art and artists.
The Council focuses on one outcome in fulfilling its purpose: supporting Australian artists and arts organisations to create and present excellent art that is accessed by audiences across Australia and abroad.
The Council achieves this by:
• providing grants to support the arts practice of artists and arts organisations
• delivering targeted programmes to raise the profile and build the capacity of Australian artists, and develop markets and audiences for the arts, in Australia and abroad
• undertaking strategic research and analysis to build the evidence base for the arts
• advocating for Australian arts.
Structural reform
Since the commencement of the Australia Council Act 2013 on 1 July 2013, the Council has undertaken significant organisational reform.
Strategic plan
On 18 August 2014, the Council released a five-year strategic plan outlining four goals to achieve a vision of Australia as a culturally ambitious nation. The goals are informed by the functions outlined in the Australia Council Act 2013. The strategic plan will be implemented through the Council’s corporate plan, which is approved by the Minister for the Arts.
New peer assessment structure and art-form expertise
The Australia Council Act 2013 updated the Council’s functions, powers and governance model. This enabled the Council to develop a new peer assessment structure, which was implemented in May 2014 and will continue in 2015–16. The new peer assessment structure allows for the engagement of peers to form panels specifically for each grant assessment round, providing greater diversity and breadth of peer representation, and supporting the use of panels that can more effectively respond to multidisciplinary and hybrid art-form applications. The Council currently has a pool of 650 peers who can be drawn on to form assessment panels. Approved by the Council Board, this pool is made up of artists, arts professionals and industry experts from across Australia who have self-nominated to be peers. After a recommendation is made by a peer panel, it is put to the Council’s management and Board for final decision. The applicants are then notified, and the Council publishes the list of successful applicants and the names of the peers on its website.
In 2014 the Council’s Board appointed Chairs of Arts Practice and three strategy panels to provide strategic advice and share arts sector knowledge to inform the Council’s work on particular areas of arts practice and trends in the arts sector more broadly. The Chairs of Arts Practice and the strategy panels help the Council to maintain direct engagement and dialogue with the arts sector.
New grants model
The Council’s new grants model commenced in January 2015. The new grants model is more flexible and streamlined to enable a diverse range of artists and arts organisations to apply for grants more easily. The new grants model has been developed in line with the recommendations of the 2012 review of the Australia Council and feedback from the arts sector.
The Council has actively engaged with the arts sector during the roll-out of the new grants model and will continue to work with artists and arts organisations to raise awareness about opportunities available through its grant programmes. The new grants model is designed to adapt to changes within the arts sector and be more responsive to new, experimental or multidisciplinary forms of artistic practice.
2015–16 Budget
In the 2015–16 Budget, the government is redirecting $110.0m over four years from the Australia Council to the Ministry for the Arts in the AttorneyGeneral’s Department. This funding will establish a National Programme for Excellence in the Arts, transfer the Visions of Australia and Festivals Australia programmes and the Major Festivals Initiative to the Ministry for the Arts, and provide for the continuation of Creative Partnerships Australia’s matched funding programme for a further three years.
This new arrangement will deliver on a number of government priorities including leveraging private sector support, supporting endowments for arts organisations, supporting international touring, and providing national access to high-quality arts and cultural experiences for Australian audiences.
The 2015–16 Budget also provides efficiencies from the Australia Council of $7.3m over four years. These savings will be met through reduced funding to the ArtStart, Capacity Building and Artists in Residence programmes.
1.2 Entity resource statement
Table 1.1 shows the total resources from all sources.
Table 1.1: Entity resource statement—Budget estimates for 2015–16 as at Budget May 2015
Source / Actual available appropriation2014–15
$’000 / Estimate of prior year amounts available in 2015–16 $’000 / Proposed at Budget 2015–16 $’000 / Total estimate 2015–16 $’000
Opening balance/reserves at bank / 18,738 / 18,183 / – / 18,183
REVENUE FROM GOVERNMENT
Ordinary annual services(a)
Outcome 1 / 211,764 / – / 184,526 / 184,526
Total ordinary annual services / 211,764 / – / 184,526 / 184,526
Total annual appropriations / 211,764 / – / 184,526 / 184,526
Payments from related entities(b)
Amounts from the portfolio department / 645 / – / 650 / 650
Total / 645 / – / 650 / 650
Total funds from government / 231,147 / 18,183 / 185,176 / 203,359
FUNDS FROM OTHER SOURCES
Interest / 1,300 / – / 1,300 / 1,300
Other / 3,005 / – / 871 / 871
Total / 4,305 / – / 2,171 / 2,171
Total net resourcing for entity / 254,190 / 36,366 / 187,347 / 223,713
All figures are GST exclusive.
The Council is not directly appropriated as it is a corporate Commonwealth entity. Appropriations are made to the Attorney-General’s Department which are then paid to the Council and are considered ‘departmental’ for all purposes.
(a) Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2015–16.
(b) Funding provided by a government entity that is not specified in the annual Appropriation Bills as a payment to the corporate entity.
1.3 Budget measures
Budget measures announced since the 2014–15 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) relating to the Council are detailed in Budget Paper No.2 and are summarised in Part1 of Table1.2. MYEFO measures and other measures not previously reported in a portfolio statement are summarised in Part2.
Table 1.2: Entity 2015–16 Budget measures
Part 1: Measures announced since the 2014–15 MYEFO
Programme / 2014–15 $’000 / 2015–16 $’000 / 2016–17 $’000 / 2017–18 $’000 / 2018–19 $’000Expense measures
Arts and Cultural Programmes—efficiencies / 1.1
Departmental expenses / – / (1,811) / (1,805) / (1,827) / (1,827)
National Programme for Excellence in the Arts—establishment / 1.1
Departmental expenses / – / (27,738) / (27,651) / (28,015) / (26,578)
Total expense measures / – / (29,549) / (29,456) / (29,842) / (28,405)
Prepared on a Government Finance Statistics (fiscal) basis.
Part 2: MYEFO measures and other measures not previously reported in a portfolio statement
Programme / 2014–15 $’000 / 2015–16 $’000 / 2016–17 $’000 / 2017–18 $’000 / 2018–19 $’000Measures
Establishment of the Book Council of Australia / 1.1
Departmental expenses / – / (2,000) / (2,000) / (2,000) / –
Total / – / (2,000) / (2,000) / (2,000) / –
Prepared on a Government Finance Statistics (fiscal) basis.
Section 2: Outcomes and planned performance
2.1 Outcomes and performance information
Government outcomes are the intended results, impacts or consequences of actions by the government on the Australian community. Commonwealth programmes are the primary vehicle by which government entities achieve the intended results of their outcome statements. Entities are required to identify the programmes that contribute to government outcomes over the budget and forward years.
The Council’s outcome is described below together with its related programme, specifying the performance indicators and targets used to assess and monitor the performance of the Council in achieving government outcomes. The Council has updated its outcome statement to align with its new strategic and corporate plans referred to in section 1.1.
Outcome 1: Supporting Australian artists and arts organisations to create and present excellent art that is accessed by audiences across Australia and abroadOutcome 1 strategy
The Council’s delivery of Outcome 1 will be directed by the goals outlined in its Strategic Plan 2014 to 2019: A Culturally Ambitious Nation.
• Goal one: Australian arts are without borders
• Goal two: Australia is known for its great art and artists
• Goal three: The arts enrich daily life for all
• Goal four: Australians cherish Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures.
These goals are intersecting, aspirational statements that set the direction for the work of the Council over the next five years. The support that the Council delivers to artists, arts organisations and the arts sector as a whole will contribute to the achievement of these goals.
Outcome 1 expense statement
Table 2.1 provides an overview of the total expenses for Outcome 1, by programme.
Table 2.1: Budgeted expenses for Outcome 1
Programme 1.1: To champion and invest in Australian arts
Revenue from government
Ordinary annual services (Appropriation Bill No. 1) / 211,764 / 184,526
Payment from related entities / 645 / 650
Revenues from other independent sources / 2,819 / 2,171
Total expenses for Outcome 1 / 215,228 / 187,347
2014–15 / 2015–16
Average staffing level (number)(a) / 127 / 117
(a) The decrease in 2015–16 is due to the National Programme for Excellence in the Arts—establishment budget measure.
Contributions to Outcome 1
Programme 1.1: To champion and invest in Australian artsProgramme 1.1 objective
Australian arts are without borders
• Australian artists are enabled to discover and develop across borders.
• Global audiences are captivated by diverse and excellent Australian work.
• The profile and influence of Australian arts internationally is strengthened.
Australia is known for its great art and artists
• Australian arts organisations lead in innovation, risk-taking and experimentation.
• Australia is well known for diverse, excellent artistic practice.
The arts enrich daily life for all
• Australian civic life is enriched through the arts.
• Australian audiences are captivated by artistic experiences.
• More Australians have access to and engage with the arts.
• Artists and arts organisations extend their reach in targeted regions.
Australians cherish Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures
• More Australians experience Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures.
• Investment supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander works of artistic excellence.
• Younger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people practise and experience their culture.
• Australians understand and respect the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders and master artists in arts and culture.
Programme 1.1 expenses
2014–15 Estimated actual $’000 / 2015–16 Budget $’000 / 2016–17 Forward estimate $’000 / 2017–18 Forward estimate $’000 / 2018–19 Forward estimate $’000
Annual departmental expenses
Departmental item / 215,228 / 187,347 / 187,084 / 189,409 / 196,959
Total programme expenses / 215,228 / 187,347 / 187,084 / 189,409 / 196,959
Programme 1.1 deliverables
The key programme deliverables include:
• implementation of the Council’s new streamlined and responsive grants model that supports Australian artists and arts organisations to create and present excellent work and develop their arts practice in Australia and abroad
• transition to six-year funding for arts organisations to allow for longer term planning to achieve artistic vision and provide stability to the artists they employ. This programme will align funding arrangements for small to medium arts organisations across all areas of arts practice and regions of Australia
• administering and building capacity within the National Framework for Support of the Major Performing Arts Sector to enable companies in the sector to create and present excellent artistic works and build the performing arts sector through the development of artists and audiences
• administering Visual Arts and Craft Strategy funding in support of a strong and dynamic Australian visual arts and craft sector
• implementation of a strategy to increase the artistic, financial and cultural return on the Australian Government’s investment in international arts engagement
• building a network of arts managers and partners to broker collaborations, strengthen strategic relationships and support market and audience development in priority areas overseas
• delivery of projects in partnership with state, territory and local governments that provide greater access to high-quality artistic experiences to help more Australians engage with the arts wherever they live
• implementation of the Significant Works initiative to enable the development of multi-art-form works of scale by significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and arts organisations
• research activities that deliver analysis and information to increase understanding, knowledge-sharing and advocacy for the arts sector.
Programme 1.1 key performance indicators
Key performance indicators / 2014–15 Estimated actual / 2015–16 Budget / 2016–17 Forward estimate / 2017–18 Forward estimate / 2018–19 Forward estimate
Visitor interactions
Total number of attendance at Council-supported arts activities (in millions) / 15.5 / 15.5 / 15.5 / 15.5 / 15.5
Total number of visits to the Council’s website (in millions) / 0.73 / 0.78 / 0.78 / 0.78 / 0.78
Support for culturally diverse projects and events
Number of projects/events funded / 300 / 300 / 300 / 300 / 300
Total funding provided ($m) / 11.5 / 11.5 / 11.5 / 11.5 / 11.5
Support for new Australian artwork
Number of new Australian artwork projects supported / 7,000 / 7,000 / 7,000 / 7,000 / 7,000
Total funding for new Australian artwork projects ($m) / 7.5 / 7.5 / 7.5 / 7.5 / 7.5
Total funding for research and development projects ($m) / 1.5 / 1.5 / 1.5 / 1.5 / 1.5
Expenditure mix
Expenditure on programmes/projects
(as a % of total expenditure) / 88.4% / 91.1% / 91.3% / 91.4% / 91.5%
Expenditure on capital items
(as a % of total expenditure) / 2.9% / 0.4% / 0.3% / 0.3% / 0.3%
Expenditure on other labour costs
(as a % of total expenditure) / 5.3% / 5.3% / 5.3% / 5.2% / 5.2%
Other expenses (as a % of total expenditure) / 3.4% / 3.2% / 3.1% / 3.1% / 3.0%
Council-specific indicators
Number of artistic works exhibited, performed, published / 6,400 / 6,400 / 6,400 / 6,400 / 6,400
Number of initiatives that strengthen ties with other countries / 30 / 30 / 30 / 30 / 30
Number of grants and projects / 2,200 / 2,200 / 2,200 / 2,200 / 2,200
Number of individual artists funded / 900 / 800 / 800 / 800 / 800
Number of organisations funded / 1,100 / 1,100 / 1,100 / 1,100 / 1,100
Number of countries presented in / 60 / 60 / 60 / 60 / 60
Number of grants supporting Australian artists internationally / 450 / 450 / 450 / 450 / 450
Section 3: Explanatory tables and budgeted financial statements
Section 3 presents explanatory tables and budgeted financial statements that provide a comprehensive snapshot of entity finances for the 2015–16 budget year. It explains how budget plans are incorporated into the financial statements and provides further details of the reconciliation between appropriations and programme expenses and government Indigenous expenditure.