Author: Esther Anatolitis

Last night’s federal budget documents offered stark insights into our nation’s culture by setting out Australia’s political priorities in financial terms. In the absence of a written policy, how do these political decisions reveal the unwritten values that frame our cultural life? asks arts industry advocate Esther Anatolitis. Surprisingly, identifying those values is much easier than

At yesterday’s Budget Night fundraiser in Canberra, Coalition ministers took it in turns to take to the mic and offer their quips and insights on the state of the nation from their point of view. It’s a great way for industry leaders from across our key sectors to get to know who’s who – and

Local government elections aren’t normally of national significance. When it’s a capital city mayoral election, however, all of Australia takes notice. Lord Mayors lead programs, budgets and square kilometres that encompass their state’s major public spaces, galleries, museums, festivals and performing arts centres, as well as the sites of their major events. Artists of national

The arts and the political world exist largely in isolation from one another in Australia. Artists and politicians don’t tend to meet regularly, or respond to one another’s work, or rely on each other’s perspective, or call on one another’s advice. Why is that? Yes, both are incredibly busy and incredibly determined. Both can get