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Last week, the Australian government released Equity: the Arts and Disability Associated Plan to address barriers for artists, arts workers and audiences with disability.
Equity is a four-year plan to drive change in the arts, establishing and funding an advisory body of people with disability from diverse backgrounds and arts practices across Australia, to shape the implementation and monitor progress of the plan.
Equity will be delivered by the Office for the Arts and Creative Australia, in consultation with Screen Australia, with funding of $8.1 million for initiatives, including:
- an Arts and Screen Employment Pathways Pilot Program
- extending and expanding the reach of the current Creative Australia Arts and Disability Initiatives
- accessibility activities at live music venues and music festivals through the 2024-25 Revive Live program
- arts and disability services
- continued funding to the annual National Arts and Disability Awards and Arts and Disability Fellowship
- a National Arts and Disability Forum and Gathering
- a National Arts and Disability Code of Practice or appropriate guidelines
- First Nations arts and disability needs and projects, to be delivered by Creative Australia’s First Nations Board.
Powerd Media’s Emma Myers spoke with Special Envoy for the Arts, Susan Templeman, about the upcoming changes.
“What we know is that the participation of people as audiences is lower for people with disability. Although they are more highly represented when it comes to making art and being creators,” Templeman says.
According to Templeman, attendance of people living with disability to arts related events is only 58%, compared to 70% of people without disability.
People with disability are particularly underrepresented in music festival attendance.
“One of the initiatives is a 1. 2 million dollar fund for accessibility at live music venues and music festivals…That'll be administered by the Office of the Arts, and it builds on what we're already doing with live music.”
Templeman say while the plan won't fix everything in one go, the money behind the plan promises to deliver tangible improvements.
“This is about building on what we've got and really expanding with a comprehensive plan that will be developed with people with disability as opposed to developed for them.”
The timing of the rollout will be announced by Creative Australia and the Office of the Arts in due course.