Artists’ Question Time sets national agenda on Arts Day on the Hill

With the Prime Minister having cancelled this year’s early August sitting of Parliament, Arts Day on the Hill on Wednesday 12 August moves online, with artists presenting national priority issues to the Prime Minister and local MPs at 2:00-3:00pm AEST, the time usually reserved for Question Time using hashtag #ArtsDayontheHill.

“Parliament may be cancelled, but we’ve been developing online options for civic engagement all year,” said NAVA Executive Director Esther Anatolitis. “Within the first month of the pandemic, our weekly Advocacy Program began building our skills and our ideas, while artists and organisations have been adapting to online presentation all year – at great personal and financial cost.

“On 12 August, we’ll hear all about their vision for Australia’s future on Arts Day on the Hill.”

Arts Day on the Hill is Australia’s national day of advocacy focusing on the arts.

Initiated by the National Association for the Visual Arts and presented with dozens of partner organisations across all artforms, this year’s Arts Day on the Hill is a collaboration between the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand, Arts Access Australia, Arts Industry Council of South Australia, AsiaLink Arts, Australian Libraries & Information Association, Australian Museums & Galleries Association, Critical Stages, Diversity Arts Australia, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Guildhouse, Museum of Australian Democracy, Theatre Works and Writers SA. 

“The strong collegiality across all artforms that we’ve seen this year has been so important,” said Esther, “with over 130 organisations coming together multiple times to present national priority issues to the Prime Minister and his colleagues, all state arts ministers, and all lord mayors. 

“Together, we’ve achieved substantial impact, with capital cities and state and territory governments presenting targeted packages to drive industry recovery at this critical time. The federal government has also made a good start. 

“However, there’s still a long way to go – and today, artists outline their vision for Australia’s future. Follow #ArtsDayontheHill today and you’ll find out more – with a special focus at 2:00-3:00pm AEST, the time usually reserved for our local members to ask questions of one another and of key ministers at the daily Question Time during parliamentary sittings.

“With every economic and social argument pointing straight in the direction of an arts-led recovery for the entire nation, let’s listen closely to what Australia’s artists have to say.”