Key organisations in the arts industry are already voicing their disappointment with a 2018 Federal Budget that seems to offer little investment in an industry that has weathered cuts and policy instability over the last few years.

“This Budget is a big disappointment for live performance,” said the Chief Executive of Live Performance Australia Evelyn Richardson. “There’s nothing there in terms of new policy initiatives or investment to support the live performance industry’s growth and sustain the 34,000 jobs in metropolitan and regional areas supported by the industry.”

“The Government’s neglect of live performance in this Budget follows the upheaval of earlier Budgets including the Catalyst fiasco,” she said. “Post-Catalyst, the Minister for the Arts, Senator Fifield, indicated he wanted to work with industry to develop a more strategic approach to supporting live performance in Australia. That was almost two years ago, and as this Budget shows, the Government is yet to take up the opportunity to come up with any meaningful policy initiatives or plan for our industry or the creative industries more broadly.”

There is some good news for the visual arts, with The National Gallery of Australia, which will receive an extra $16.6 million for refurbishment, on top...