Has national cultural policy revived the arts scene?

Has Australia's national cultural policy succeeded in bringing the arts sector roaring back to life post-COVID?

The federal government says it has delivered 75 of 85 promises from Revive, yet with consultation under way for its next iteration, many in the arts sector are unhappy.

"Australia's next national cultural strategy must confront a fundamental disconnect between rhetoric and reality," says one policy submission from the public.

In recent times, the sector has had Creative Australia's Venice Biennale controversy, the collapse of Adelaide Writers' Week, the defunding of key visual arts institutions, and the cancellation of a string of music festivals.

"We've had three years of dysfunction, scandal, corruption, one mess after another ... there's widespread disagreement and disgruntlement," art critic John McDonald said.

With the establishment of Creative Australia, reforms from the 2023 policy included starting specialist bodies for writing, music, arts workplaces and First Nations artists.

Labor also introduced tax offsets for digital gaming, and local content quotas for the likes of Netflix.

"We're calling on Australia's cultural sector to tell us how we can continue to build on the successes of Revive," Arts Minister Tony Burke said.

Five three-person expert panels have been appointed, one for each of five policy concepts, feeding into a nine-person advisory group.

A third of that advisory group is made up of Creative Australia staff, while of the two dozen advisors in total, several work for government bodies, and others receive significant government funding.

Amid the defunding of visual arts institutions, it appears only one person appointed specialises in visual arts, Sydney painter Holly Greenwood.

She has been contacted for comment through the Olsen Gallery.

McDonald believes the appointments do not bode well for a genuine analysis of whether Revive has actually succeeded.

"This is not responsible, it's not serious, and it's almost guaranteed to get a dud result," he said.

Of about 50 policy submissions from the public so far, many complain the sector is underfunded in general, while suggestions include a basic income for artists, and more funding for tertiary arts education.

However the sequel to Revive pans out, ultimately it's about the money.

Australia's arts sector is still recovering from COVID-19, with government funding at its lowest since 2017/18, according to the Australia Institute's Alice Grundy.

Of OECD nations, only five spend less on culture than Australia as a proportion of government spending, research from the think tank shows.

"The amount of funding that the federal government is putting towards the arts is really small, so while we may have seen some increases as part of this program, it's nowhere near the equivalent of other developed countries," Dr Grundy said.

"My concern is about the level of ambition that we're talking about in developing the next national cultural policy ... it's nowhere near ambitious enough," she said.

Consultation on the new policy closes on Friday.