Sign the open letter for a Visual Arts Award to be included in the new National Cultural Policy
Later this year, the Federal Government is launching a new National Cultural Policy. A founding principle of the new policy framework is recognising artists as workers.
Currently, many visual artists and arts workers are underpaid, with little opportunity to negotiate their fees and wages.
When visual artists and arts workers ask to be paid for their work, and paid decently, it is because the people behind the artworks and experiences that audiences across Australia love, deserve to be compensated for their time and labour. It is time to recognise artists as workers.
That’s why NAVA is amping up the pressure to ensure a legislated Award for the visual arts, craft and design sector is included in the new policy.
We need your help to ensure Arts Minister Tony Burke honours his commitment to support artists as workers and celebrate their role as the creators of culture.
As part of the new National Cultural Policy, we’re calling on the Federal Government to:
Establish an Award for the visual arts, craft and design sector that mandates the adequate payment of artists and arts workers for their work and includes standard entitlements as recognised under the national workplace relations system.
Extend the small claims jurisdiction in the Fair Work Division of the Court to assist artists to resolve disputes without recourse to costly legal proceedings.
Introduce or trial a basic income scheme for artists and arts workers to address the financial instability caused by intermittent, periodic and project-based nature of working in the arts.
Ensure Centrelink recognises the professional work of artists and arts workers as employment-seeking activities.
Amend the Superannuation Guarantee Act to include visual artists, craft and design practitioners.
Increase funding through both the Australia Council for the Arts and the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS) program for artists, galleries and organisations.