It will be campaigning for a tripling of the budget for artists and small-to-medium sized arts organisations.

Formed in the wake of Attorney-General George Brandis’s disastrous tenure as Minister for the Arts, The Arts Party today released its policy platform in preparation for the 2016 Federal election. The party has outlined its stance on arts funding, education and industry support, as well as broader community issues such as public broadcasting, health care, disability support, marriage equality, climate change and immigration, with a particular emphasis on the current refugee crisis. The party’s policies are based on four guiding principles: advocating for the arts, supporting Australia’s creative industries, education access for everyone and improving the community.

Following the devastating cuts to the Australia Council announced last May in the 2015/16 Federal budget, the Arts Party has proposed a $124 million increase in funding to the Australia Council and has endorsed the continuation of current Arts Minister Mitch Fifield’s Catalyst program (which replaced the now defunct National Programme for Excellence in the Arts) – provided it is funded separately.

A statement issued by the Arts Party outlined its stance, saying: “We want the actual distributed budget for artists and small/medium sized...