Campaigns

NAVA advocates for First Nations self-determination, stronger rights and better working conditions for First Nations artists and arts workers.

NAVA calls for:

• Increased, long-term investment in First Nations visual arts, craft and design, including expanded Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS) funding for art centres, First Nations-led organisations and artists in urban, regional and remote communities.
• First Nations leadership and decision-making in arts policy, funding, governance and cultural institutions, with greater First Nations authority over cultural and policy decisions.
• Better pay and working conditions for First Nations artists and arts workers, including appropriate artist fees, employment conditions, payment for cultural advice and recognition of cultural responsibilities.
• Protection of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) through dedicated legislation recognising First Nations cultural rights, including protections against theft of cultural knowledge and expressions in AI systems and fake Indigenous art.
• Respect for First Nations cultural protocols in commissioning, collecting, exhibiting, interpreting and reproducing artworks, including recognition of culture, community-specific protocols and decision-making processes.

NAVA's advocacy draws on the knowledge and experience of First Nations artists, arts workers and organisations, and the good practice recommendations in NAVA's Code.

NAVA is calling for artists' consent, attribution and remuneration when copyright-protected work is used to train artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Australia's ambitions for AI development should not come at the expense of artists' rights. NAVA opposes changes to copyright law that would allow AI companies to use creative work without permission.

NAVA is also calling for the protection of artists' moral rights and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP).

Write to your MP. NAVA has prepared a letter template to help artists speak up about AI and copyright.

NAVA has advocated for tax reform for artists for more than 30 years. Artists often have low and irregular incomes, earn money from other jobs, and receive one-off grants, prizes or commissions. A single payment can push an artist into a higher tax bracket, trigger HECS/HELP repayments or GST registration, while a grant may be treated as income even when the money is spent delivering the funded project.

NAVA is calling for:

• Tax exemptions for arts prizes, fellowships and grants to ensure artists receive the full value of financial support for creative work.
• Changes to non-commercial loss rules so professional artists can offset legitimate business losses against other income.
• Better access to income averaging for artists whose earnings fluctuate significantly between years, including clearer information and changes to the treatment of HELP repayments.
• Tax deductions for residencies that recognise travel, accommodation and other expenses associated with developing new work.
• Changes to capital gains tax that consider the consequences for artists and the Australian art market.
• Improved tax arrangements for artists, sole traders and small arts organisations including simpler GST arrangements and streamlined Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) processes.

Write to your MP. NAVA has prepared a letter template to help artists call for tax reforms that better recognise professional arts practice, irregular incomes and the costs of making art.

Artists and arts workers should be paid for their work, receive legal entitlements and have access to appropriate income support. Through Recognise Art as Work, NAVA calls for minimum payment standards, stronger employment protections and better working conditions across the visual arts, craft and design sector.

NAVA has played a leading role in the Fair Work Commission's review of the Amusement, Events and Recreation Award. In August 2026, the Commission proposed changes to explicitly recognise visual arts work in the federal modern award system, including arts-specific duties, workplaces and classifications.

NAVA continues to seek improvements to the proposed Award changes, including recognition of visual arts organisations without permanent venues, appropriate classification of skilled and specialised work, and stronger minimum employment conditions.

NAVA also calls for better superannuation entitlements and income support arrangements that recognise the working conditions of self-employed artists, freelancers and contractors. In 2023, NAVA successfully secured recognition of professional arts activities under Workforce Australia's mutual obligation requirements.

Endorsed by the Federal Government in Revive, NAVA's Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design set Payment Standards for the sector which provide benchmarks and practical guidance on fees, wages and working conditions.

NAVA advocates for access to quality visual arts education in schools, tertiary institutions and professional development throughout artists' careers.

As a member of the National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE), NAVA calls for all students to have access to Visual Arts as a distinct subject in the Australian Curriculum, greater investment in arts education, and better training and professional development for teachers.

NAVA also calls for stronger tertiary and vocational education, including affordable creative arts courses, paid training opportunities and clearer pathways into professional arts practice.

Through representation on Service and Creative Skills Australia's Arts Strategic Workforce Advisory Group, NAVA contributes to national workforce planning, including identifying skills shortages, improving training and qualifications, and addressing barriers to employment and career progression.

NAVA also delivers professional development programs and resources to help artists and arts workers understand their rights, participate in NAVA's advocacy and put the good practice recommendations in NAVA's Code into practice.

Artists must be able to create, exhibit and discuss work without media and political interference or restrictions on artistic expression. NAVA advocates for freedom of expression and the rights of artists and arts organisations to present work that engages with political, cultural and social issues.

NAVA also provides guidance on the responsibilities of galleries, museums and other organisations when responding to complaints, controversy or pressure to remove artworks.

NAVA calls for stronger national data collection and research to better understand the working conditions, incomes and contributions of artists and arts workers, and inform government policy and investment.

NAVA advocates for:

• A comprehensive national review of the visual arts, craft and design sector, the first since the 2002 Myer Inquiry, to provide an evidence base for future policy and investment.
• Improved data collection through the Australian Census and other national surveys, including better recognition of artists who combine creative practice with other paid work and whose primary occupation may not be recorded as an artist.
• Regular, publicly accessible research into artists' incomes, employment, working conditions and career pathways, including data on First Nations artists, gender, disability and regional differences.
• Greater investment in independent research and partnerships to identify gaps in knowledge and track changes across the sector.

NAVA works with researchers and arts organisations to strengthen the evidence available to governments and the sector. This includes supporting research into artists' working conditions and career sustainability, gender representation in the visual arts and improving national arts data.

NAVA also conducts research with Members and the wider visual arts community. The 2026 Member Survey received 740 responses, providing evidence about artists' working conditions, financial circumstances, professional pathways as well as hopes and concerns for the future.

Visual arts, craft and design contribute to the public good through education, critical thinking, wellbeing, social connection and opportunities to engage with different ideas and perspectives. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and craft play an important role in maintaining connections to Country, sharing knowledge across generations and supporting self-determination. Artists, galleries, museums and public art also contribute to public discussion, cultural understanding and economic activity.

NAVA calls for increased and long-term public investment in the visual arts, craft and design sector across federal, state, territory and local governments.

This includes funding for individual artists, small-to-medium (S2M) organisations, artist-run initiatives (ARI), regional arts activity, First Nations-led arts organisations and public institutions.

NAVA contributes to government budget processes, parliamentary inquiries and arts policy consultations to make the case for investment that supports artists' practices, improves working conditions and provides greater public access to the visual arts.

NAVA publishes updates on campaigns, government consultations, submissions and other advocacy activities.