HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-06-25 Daily Xml
Contents
Xml

Department of the Premier and Cabinet, $469,788,000

Administered Items for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, $32,176,000


Membership:

Hon. J.A.W. Gardner substituted for Mr Teague.


Minister:

Hon. A. Michaels, Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Minister for Arts.


Departmental Advisers:

Mr W. Hunter, Chief Operating Officer, Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Ms B. Bates, Director, Creative Industries, Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Ms C. Hodgets, Director, Finance and Procurement, Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Mr B. Brine, Director, Statutory Engagement and Governance, Department of the Premier and Cabinet.


The CHAIR: At last we are on the arts portfolio and creative industries, with the Minister for Arts. I declare the proposed payments open for examination and call on the Minister for Arts to make a statement, if she wishes, and to introduce her advisers.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I will introduce my advisers, Chair. I have on my left Mr Wayne Hunter, Chief Operating Officer from DPC. On my right is Becc Bates, Director for Creative Industries at DPC, and behind me is Claire Hodgets and Billy Brine, also from DPC. I will not make an opening statement; I just want to acknowledge the tremendous effort of 30 years serving Arts SA from Jennifer Layther and wish her well, and also Alison Lloydd-Wright who was with us and who is now going on to much greener pastures in the private sector.

The CHAIR: Member for Morialta, you are the lead. Do you have an opening statement?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: No; I will go straight to questions if that is alright. Thank you, minister, and to the officers, thank you very much. I might go to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 30. The majority of the questions are from around this section and grants and subsidies, which covers a great many payments to a great many organisations. It is a budget line we will probably rely on a fair bit. Has the government reinstated funding yet for the APY Art Centre Collective? If the government plans to, will the government back pay the grant to the date when funding was suspended?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: With the APY Art Centre Collective we undertook, as you are aware, a review. We had an independent review panel undertake that work, which comprised Megan Krakouer, Anne Sibree and Cameron Costello. They did an extensive amount of work and collected a substantial amount of evidence. They formed the view that there was sufficient evidence to warrant referrals to ORIC and ACCC on certain governance matters and unconscionable conduct matters to ORIC and ACCC respectively. Those referrals have been made, and I understand those federal organisations are currently investigating the APY Art Centre Collective. Until we know the conclusion of those investigations, that funding will continue to be paused.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The minister has just said, 'Until we know the conclusion of those investigations'. Can the minister confirm what steps the state government or her office have made to engage with those organisations to discover at what point they will either take action or cease investigations?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am advised there are current investigations; I think we are aware that both ORIC and ACCC are currently investigating. They have sought evidence from the review panel of what they had collected in their investigations. I understand those investigations from those federal bodies are ongoing, and the department will continue to liaise to ensure we are kept up to date.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: What was the last occasion that the department engaged with either ORIC or the ACCC to ascertain a status update?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I understand there was a request from ORIC that came through; three or four weeks ago a request came through from ORIC for further information, which has been provided.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: And the ACCC?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am not aware of any interactions with the ACCC at the moment. If there are any, I can provide that on notice.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I refer you to the grant line. Again, the minister has said that there are two organisations conducting current investigations. Can I confirm: does the minister have any evidence or has the minister received any direct information from the ACCC to confirm that they are conducting any sort of investigation?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I have not received anything directly. I understand the review panel spoke to ACCC when they formed their view that a referral was warranted. I understand they have and I am not sure if the department itself has. The review panel found sufficient evidence to refer to ACCC and had communicated with the ACCC.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: We will stick with the ACCC for the moment because if neither the minister nor the department have received information from the ACCC confirming that they are conducting an investigation—that is, one of the two investigations that are preventing the government from providing funding back to the APY arts collective—will the minister undertake to engage with the ACCC as quickly as possible to discover if they are in fact conducting any investigation or not?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am advised that the department has been in contact with both agencies and, as far as the department is aware and has advised me, those investigations are still active. Of course, they are federal authorities. They have no obligation to necessarily report to us on their investigations, but the department has had communications with both agencies and, as far as we are aware, both of those investigations are still current.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Can I clarify: the minister said, in response to an earlier answer, that the department had engaged with ORIC three or four weeks ago but in that earlier answer was not aware of an engagement with the ACCC, so can I ask again when the department last had any engagement with the ACCC, or was it just the review panel when they made their initial referral to the ACCC that the minister has relied upon for her last answer?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am advised they have made contact with the department—I have not had contact with them—and we can take on notice the date of the last communication.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Can I confirm then that it is these two investigations, presumably resolving in a non-problematic way, that is the precondition that is to be met before the government will reinstate funding to the APY arts collective if they are to?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I will correct this if it is not correct, but I understand they were funded under the Arts Organisations Program, which would require an application for them to receive funding under that program.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Last year, when we discussed this either in estimates or in the chamber in question time—I cannot recall which—I got the distinct impression from the minister's previous answers that at that time the minister and the department had issued a legal letter to APY arts collective advising them that their funding would come to an end.

I am pretty sure the minister said at that time that that was a legal requirement so that, depending on the outcome of the review that was then in place, the department would have legal basis at that point to suspend funding. Do I gather from the minister's most recent answer that the current situation is that the state government has no ongoing funding relationship with the APY arts collective but that they would need to apply for any future government funding?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Obviously, the outcomes of the ACCC and ORIC reviews are critical in what then flows from this. Until the outcomes of those reviews are known, we are not in a position to reinstate any funding. We did terminate the funding agreement that was with the APY Art Centre Collective. I think it may have been, from recollection, an agreement that had a substantial notice period for us to terminate—something like six months, from my recollection—and so we did that at that time.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Can I ask then: has the department or the government retained funds so that should the outcomes of those ACCC and ORIC considerations be positive the department would be able to, in that circumstance, restore funding to the APY Art Centre Collective, or is the government ruling out any retrospective funding and would only consider potentially prospective funding?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: We would have to get advice on the situation with the termination of the agreement and what flows from that, and of course we still need to, as I said, wait for the results of the ORIC and the ACCC investigations.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Referring to the same budget line, obviously underneath all of this there is a group of artists who, as we have discussed previously, are of primary concern. Last year, I asked the minister whether she and the government would have a role in supporting these APY artists through what is a difficult time, to support them in fulfilling their commercial potential moving forward. The minister replied at that stage:

Once the panel is stood up, I will be guided by and work with them as to what departmental support we can provide particularly to those artists.

She went on to suggest that the art centres would continue with or without the collective and she concluded, saying:

We just need to make sure we have the right support for these people to help them through it.

In the year since, has any support been provided to these artists?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes. We continue to support our new artists through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy. There is a grant program that is part of that strategy, which channels more than $234,000, distributed to key Aboriginal-led groups—that was 2023-24—for specific projects and initiatives involving artists working on the APY lands, or for any new artists working elsewhere in the state.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Have any grants or other measures of support been provided to members of the APY Art Centre Collective's groups through that grants program the minister has just identified? If so, how many?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Sorry, are you asking about the members of APY Art Centre Collective?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Yes. I am wondering whether any of the artists who are most directly affected by the withdrawal of support and the cloud hanging over the APY collective have been the beneficiaries of the grant program that the minister identified related to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Strategy? The people, the individuals.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: No, we would have to take that on notice.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Thank you. Has the minister spoken with or met with any of the artists engaged with the APY collective whose reputations, livelihoods and careers are affected by this matter?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: The investigation into the APY Art Centre Collective undertaken by the independent review, now referred to ACCC and ORIC, is looking at the organisation and the leadership of the organisation. In terms of the artists, they should have no concern about their own reputation. I commend the artists who came forward and gave evidence on doing that. It was a difficult situation for everyone involved.

I would like to see the ACCC and ORIC investigations concluded as soon as possible, so that people can certainly move on. Until that time, we are faced with a situation of waiting for ORIC and ACCC to resolve their investigations. I certainly do support all of those artists who have faced challenges during a very difficult period.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I have one more question on this line. Given that one of the key features of the APY Art Centre Collective model was that a high proportion of the funding from sales of their work is returned to community, has the minister had or has the department offered any briefing on the ongoing impact to those communities of the reduced overall revenue from sales since the government withdrew its support from the collective?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am not aware of a reduction in sales so I cannot comment on that.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I am sure we will come back to that issue on another occasion, but I would like to move on. It is the same budget line, grants and subsidies, but a different topic. I have a few questions about the South Australian Museum. When will the Premier's review of the South Australian Museum be finalised?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: It is currently on foot. The panel is currently undertaking their work. I think the Premier stated in his estimates that we were hoping for a report around September and I concur with that. Of course, you are aware that the panel comprises not only Damien Walker, the Chief Executive of DPC, but also our Chief Scientist to South Australia, Professor Craig Simmons, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Museum, Dr Jim Thompson.

They are undertaking work now, engaging with various stakeholder groups and looking at the various issues we asked them to look at in terms of research functions and curatorial capabilities, repatriation and engagement with First Nations communities, collections management, contemporary approaches to displays, exhibitions and public access to the collection (including digitisation), contemporary approaches to how the Museum can provide education and knowledge sharing that is aligned to the curriculum and early learning framework, and the best possible delivery of public value to South Australians, ensuring the Museum is using its resources to deliver best outcomes for audiences. Obviously, that is a fairly extensive piece of work and we certainly look forward to the results of that review.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I thank the minister for the fairly comprehensive reply. I may have missed it, I apologise if I did, but was there an expected date by which the review is expected to be completed?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: As I said, the Premier indicated in his estimates that the panel were expected to provide some information by September.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: September, okay. Can the minister advise how many times that group has met?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: In terms of how often they have met, I will take that on notice. In terms of the stakeholders they have met and are meeting, through particularly this month and next month, obviously the board chair and the CEO. There will be meetings with representatives of the South Australian universities, representatives of a group colloquially known as the 'save the museum group'—I am sure there is a better name for it but that group. All South Australian Museum employees will have an opportunity to contribute to the review. There are independently facilitated forums through June and July, potentially. In terms of how many times the panel themselves have met, I am advised that, as at today, the panel has met a total of six times: three have been meetings between the panel and three have been meetings between the panel and stakeholder groups. .

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: When the review panel was appointed, the Premier and the minister issued a press release, maybe even had a press conference identifying that there was a pause on the restructure, which would be particularly relevant for the staff whose jobs were being restructured. Given that, as I understand it, one of the reasons for the restructure was related to cost and that the new structure was designed to have a somewhat less expensive model, is there a cost that has been identified of the maintenance of the current positions from what would have been, I think, a date in May or June until at least September? Is there a cost that has been identified that the Museum has been funded for as a result of this period of pause?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes, those costs are within their current operating budget. I do not have any further information on any specifics.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Has there been any supplementation sought or provided to the Museum for their 2023-24 operating budget?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am advised that through 2023-24 there might have been various supplementations, but nothing specific in relation to supplementing for the restructure.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Can I then ask you, and if you do not have the detail I am very happy for it to be on notice, if we could have the detail of any supplementation or approved deficits for the Museum over the last financial year?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: We can provide that information. It will obviously come out in their annual report, but we will take that on notice.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Staying on the same budget line, there was some controversy, in the sense that there were questions, over whether it would continue. I understand Dr Gaimster and the minister have confirmed that it is certainly the desire that it be continued, but I understand there were some hiccups in relation to the program of returning Aboriginal remains to country. Is that program on foot again? Is that program currently operating or is that still on pause while the staff matters are being sorted out?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: No, that program continues, and the proposed structure actually included an increase in the number of positions that are responsible for the care of the First Nations collections, which include ancestral remains and secret and sacred objects. The Museum has confirmed, and I certainly concur with this, that it has no intention of reducing its commitment or services for First Nations communities and stakeholders. The Museum is very much a caretaker for what is a culturally and globally significant collection of First Nations material and it intends to maintain those services and the accessibility of the family history unit and will continue to do so.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Are the people who have been doing that work still doing that work?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: There is no change because of any structural changes. I do not know day-to-day movements of various staff members, but it is business as usual.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I have just one more topic while we are on the Museum. In relation to the restructure project, I note that Dr Gaimster confirmed to the Budget and Finance Committee that DPC was providing a dedicated change management resource. In the house, I recently asked whether that was in the form of a dedicated change manager and at what cost. I got a response on notice from the minister recently. The minister said that under the service level agreement, there was the provision of strategic human resource industrial advice in relation to structural reviews, i.e. restructures. I think I have quoted the minister accurately there.

Can the minister articulate exactly what support was provided by DPC to the Museum for what has been described elsewhere by Dr Gaimster as a dedicated change management resource to support the restructure? I am wondering if it was a person on secondment, a grant or some other sort of provision? Did DPC pay for a third party to go and do some work with the Museum? In what way was that support provided?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: The service level agreement that DPC has with the Museum provides corporate support, so it includes, as you mentioned and as I think was in my answer to you, the provision of strategic human resources and industrial advice. There was no additional cost to the Museum for those services provided by DPC. I understand the Museum may have engaged contractors directly, which I can separately take on notice in terms of if that was in fact the case.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: In doing so—I appreciate the minister taking that on notice—again I draw to the minister's attention Dr Gaimster's evidence to the Budget and Finance Committee of the parliament in which he said, 'The department has supported us to appoint a dedicated change manager, yes.' I appreciate the minister has the information that she has, but the quote from Dr Gaimster does not quite reconcile. There may be an explanation, and I look forward to the minister, I assume, taking that broad question on notice.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I will ask Mr Hunter to elaborate, if he is able to.

Mr HUNTER: The department has provided a range of change management support in the form of resources to the South Australian Museum, so whilst it is not a dedicated change manager person under that corporate services agreement that the minister described, we have provided change management support to the Museum in the form of the corporate services that the department provides to the South Australian Museum. So it may have just been characterised in a different way, perhaps.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I thank you. I think it would be easier to picture if there was a person with expertise who was working on North Terrace at the Museum. That would be one thing. What you have just described as change management support in the form of resources or in the form of corporate services, does that mean there were some people on call within DPC available to the Museum if they had questions, or was it somebody who was leading a project for the restructure but sitting within DPC rather than sitting on North Terrace?

Mr HUNTER: The Department of the Premier and Cabinet provides people and culture support to the Museum under a service level agreement, so they are people embedded within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet who essentially provide that advice in relation to change management, industrial relations and those sorts of things to the South Australian Museum. They are not on secondment; they provide those services to them from the department.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I think the confusion here must arise from the fact that the Museum minutes record that they were seeking a dedicated change management support, and Dr Gaimster, when asked, said that they had received a dedicated change manager. He said 'to appoint a dedicated change manager'. There may be, again, some other explanation. The sort of support you have just described does not sound like that, but maybe was there one specific person in DPC HR who was specifically dedicated to helping them, or from your understanding was the DPC support that more broad—

The CHAIR: I will leave this up to the minister's discretion, but the questions should be directed to the minister. I will not allow a conversation between you and the public servants. Thanks.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Apologies.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Is there anything you are able to add to that?

Mr HUNTER: No. I think you have described it accurately in terms of there are a range of people within the department that provide change management services, and the change management services have been provided in that way rather than a dedicated person.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Thank you. I apologise: I did not mean to direct it to the officer. On the same budget line, page 30, grants and subsidies, but on a different topic, in relation to the Adelaide Festival did the Adelaide Festival overrun its budget last year? I have been advised it has been told the festival has to make significant savings for the next festival.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: For this financial year, if you are referring to the 2023-24 financial year, we still have five days left, so I do not think their financial statements would have been prepared yet. I am not able to answer that question at the moment.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Can I ask: has the minister received any advice or feedback? Notwithstanding there are five days left within which there may be some remarkable efficiencies that might yet be achieved, has the minister received any advice or feedback that the Adelaide Festival may be at risk of overrunning its 2023-24 budget and therefore having a corresponding challenge in meeting a reduced budget in 2024-25?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am advised that the department is not aware of any, and I am not aware of any advice coming through on their budget situation at the end of this financial year.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Let's hope it is just a rumour then. Has the Adelaide Festival reported a shortfall in sponsorship or the loss of any major donors ahead of the 2025 Adelaide Festival? If that is something that has come back to the minister or the department, are they giving consideration to making up such a shortfall from a significant multiyear sponsor?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I will take that on notice. I am aware that there may have been a couple of sponsors—I do not know the total figure—who may have had concerns with the Writers' Week program. It was not with this festival we have just had. I think it was the one before but I can take that on notice.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: We will move to a different line, if we go down three lines from grants and subsidies to the net cost of providing services. Did the minister attend the Cannes Film Festival this year?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I did.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Can the minister advise what other destinations she travelled to on this trip and what the purpose of the travel was?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I can. The 2½ days at the Cannes Film Festival was with programming run by the Adelaide Film Festival. We had an Adelaide Film Festival spotlight down at Cannes. We took 10 South Australian filmmakers to the market at Cannes, which was an amazing opportunity for those filmmakers. There was a screening of five works in production there. It is, I would say, the largest and most important film market in the world, and so to provide those filmmakers with that opportunity—I have spoken to one of them in recent days who was there who was very appreciative of the opportunity.

Of the five works in progress, one was Kangaroo Island, we had Timothy David there; there was Lesbian Space Princess, we had Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese there; Sandy Cameron presented Mockbuster. Ben Golotta presented The Iron Winter and Kelly Schilling presented With or Without You. There were also a number of workshops that were organised by Mat Kesting at the Adelaide Film Festival, with people from South by Southwest, the Cannes Film Festival. There was certainly a good deal of networking and learning provided to those filmmakers who were there. The other filmmakers there were Travis Akbar, Lisa Scott, Josh Trevorrow, Matt Vesely and Nara Wilson. Nara was the one I spoke to the other day.

There was the Cannes element, and there were four or five days in the United Kingdom, particularly at the Hay Festival in Wales where we had an Adelaide writers spotlight in the Hay Festival. Again, that was a fantastic opportunity to feature Adelaide Writers' Week in what is, I think, the most prestigious of literary festivals around the world. We had a focus on Adelaide Writers' Week which included a range of sessions within their writers week, including our own Pip Williams who had a session in there for The Dictionary of Lost Words. Of course, we have had the State Theatre production of that and I understand film rights have been acquired by another incredible South Australian producer, Lisa Scott, through her Highview Productions company as well.

Certainly that trip was well worth the spotlight internationally on the global stage for our Adelaide Writers' Week festival and our film festival, which I think really to me indicated how well known we are for our arts and cultural sector around the world. I think it is a good thing for us to know that we are held in in such high regard by some of these globally renowned festivals.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I appreciate the minister's detailed description of the trip. Can the minister advise whether, within that itinerary, there were speeches and public engagements where the minister had the opportunity to personally sell and spruik South Australia to the world or, indeed, give media interviews?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes. I had a media interview in London, and I spoke at an Adelaide Film Festival breakfast at Screen Australia, which has a base at the Cannes Film Festival. I was also able to introduce, on the stage, a panel that included former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who talked about his new book on Xi Jinping. I took that opportunity to encourage all those in the audience to come to Adelaide in March for our Writers' Week.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The mind boggles. Who travelled with the minister and what was the total cost of the trip?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Ms Becc Bates, who is sitting right next to me, and my chief, Joel Wemmer. We will proactively disclose those costs as soon as we are able to, within the period that is required.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Minister, are you able to advise what the private spend on film production was for the 2023-24 year, and what are you expecting for the 2024-25 year in South Australia?

The CHAIR: Are you referring to a particular budget line, member for Unley?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Yes, that is budget line—if you could help me there, John?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: It is on page 29, in the objectives. It is Creative Industries, and that goes specifically to film, noting that the DIIS Creative Industries portfolio has been MoG'd into this page. I think the Treasury papers are certainly—not identifying too many highlights, but under the net cost of providing services, which was the current line, it includes the operation of engagement with the film festival and the SA Film Corporation, I understand, certainly in terms of policy advice.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Can I get clarification from the member on what his question was?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: There is a 10 per cent rebate that is paid for South Australian productions to people who are producing films here, and there is a budgeted amount allocated for that. The question is: how much private sector investment did that fund generate for film production in South Australia in 2023-24, and what are you expecting it to generate in 2024-25?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: We do not have that information for 2023-24, given that the year has not finished yet, and I am not sure we have any budgeted figure for 2024-25 for what is leveraged privately, so I am not able to answer that question, I am afraid.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Usually there is an estimate provided in the budget papers for the current year. Do you not have an estimate?

The CHAIR: I think the minister has answered the question.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes. If you can point me to that.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: In the budget papers, for every other portfolio there is an estimate of what has been spent.

The CHAIR: You are asking how much private money has been leveraged on the back of some government spending, and the minister has indicated she does not have that.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Yes, because there is a consequence.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: May I—

The CHAIR: I think your colleague is trying to help you, member for Unley.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: It is relevant because there is a consequence of how much government made, and companies have private money. I find it extraordinary that the minister is not able to answer the question as to what the estimate is for the year for that allocation of the 10 per cent rebate that matches that private spend.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I do not have that information available to me.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I go to page 31, the performance and activity indicators. On the same point, previously in budget papers, before the machinery of government change, DIIS Creative Industries had performance indicators. They have not carried over into the new presentation under Arts SA. Previously DIIS had an indicator number of creative projects supported and a number of creative industry events, programs and seminars. Was it an oversight that they have not been carried over, or was it an active decision and will they be returned next year?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I will get Ms Bates to explain.

Ms BATES: While in the Department for Industry, Innovation and Science, all of those activity indicators were individual projects supported through the Music Development Office, whereas the reporting through Arts South Australia and DPC does not itemise all of those grants in their programs. To do that for one program, without doing it for all the programs, would not have been a true representation of that budget line. The activity indicators were specific to the St Paul's Creative Centre, which closed.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: St Paul's no longer existing has an impact. I make the point that on page 31 we have the number of paid seats and unpaid seats at Country Arts SA attendances. You get the sense that the department can create whatever indicators it wants, but maybe more important than that is the grants and subsidies line, which we have spent a lot of time on, so I will go back to it.

The grants and subsidies line of $135 million for the budget, the year ahead, the $133 million for the year last year, is basically the sum of the arts line from last year and the Creative Industries line from last year, albeit that I think Creative Industries was MoG'd on 1 October. So, the first couple of months of last year the Creative Industries expenditure would not be reflected here. I think it is reflected and represented in the DIIS line.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I think it has transferred over.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Okay. So that is basically the sum of DIIS Creative Industries plus Arts SA?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The grants and subsidies would be the budget line specifically the member for Unley was referencing before. I wonder whether, given that Creative Industries has previously captured the information in relation to the amount of subsidised work generating private funding and film—and I imagine there would be an expectation going forward that it would be the same—would the minister perhaps be able to take the member for Unley's question on notice on the basis of its being part of that budget line?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I can take it on notice and provide an answer if we are able to, absolutely, or any other information that might be useful to the member for Unley in terms of government investment, given that we do not have the private investment figures. It might not help the member, but for the SAFC-ABC partnership, which we funded $5.2 million originally—and there is an additional $7.2 million in this year's budget—in that first round of $5.2 million I am advised the fund injected an estimated $21.8 million into the state's economy across production, post production, digital, video and visual effects, the PDV. It supported 328 South Australian screen jobs across six ABC productions, completed or underway, in the state, and that was the first stage, the original $5.2 million. I do not know if that may assist the member.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I have a question on a new topic. Same budget line, grants and subsidies: State Opera is about to celebrate it is 50th year. Can the minister advise what plans, if any, the government has to support State Opera to celebrate its 50th year, noting that last year I think we had a bit of extra support for the Festival Centre. In fact, the government heralded its funding for the fire safety improvements to the Festival Centre, also being a celebration of its 50th year. Does the government have any plans to support State Opera in its 50th year and the programs that will be available in 2026?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes, the 50th year for State Opera is in 2026. I had a recent meeting with Mark Taylor and Ashley Miller, Chair of the State Opera, in the last couple of weeks discussing plans for their 50th so, yes, they will receive government support. They obviously have their operating grant. I am very pleased to announce the Arts Investment Fund as well, an extra roughly $5 million a year that will talk to our cultural policy that is coming out. I am sure that when State Opera comes to us with their plans in more concrete form we will be able to support them.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Can the minister advise whether funding from that Arts Investment Fund will be able to support State Opera to continue producing the three major productions per year it currently does? From what I have heard from at least one member of the State Opera board, the State Opera, under its current funding, may have to reduce from three productions to two, given cost escalations in recent years.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: We will continue to work with State Opera, and I engage with them quite closely. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to Candide, which I understand was an excellent production—it was whilst I was overseas—but we will certainly continue to engage with State Opera. The guidelines for the Arts Investment Fund are being worked through at the moment, so I await receiving a draft of those. However, we will certainly continue to engage with State Opera. They do excellent work and I fully support them, particularly going into their 50th year. It will be an exciting time.

They do excellent work, particularly in our regions as well. We recently had them out in the Limestone Coast at a number of schools with The Frog Prince. They do engage and work quite closely with getting regional tours out, and with Country Arts as well. The education department provided a grant for The Frog Prince performance down south in the Limestone Coast. They do excellent work.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I go to page 15, Investing expenditure summary. Tarrkarri, the Centre for First Nations Cultures—which we understand has been put on pause—identifies that in 2023-24 there is an estimated result suggesting that $20.7 million has been expended on that project. Is the minister able to advise what that $20 million was spent on?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am not, because that program sits with the Premier.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: In relation to Tarrkarri, are the investing and the operationals sitting with the Premier, and none with Arts?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: None with Arts.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: So the minister has not been involved in discussions with philanthropists or business or private partners over and above whatever the Premier has been doing?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: No, I have not.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Can I just clarify: the assistant director who was originally employed on the Tarrkarri project, is that position also under the Premier's responsibility or Arts SA?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: The Premier.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Do we know if that director's employment is continuing?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am not aware either way.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: On the same page is the Cultural Institution Collections Storage. I am relatively confident that still remains within Arts SA?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes, it does.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Excellent. Is the minister able to advise us of the most recent advice the minister has regarding completion dates and the facility being able to actually take and store the collections?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: The estimated completion date for the facility is in December 2025. I want to actually thank Mr Hunter, who has done a lot of work with the project steering committee to rescope. At the March meeting of the project steering committee, there was an agreement on endorsing the rescoped facility, which now allows the recommencement of the design changes and the project delivery.

DIT has negotiated a two-year extension on Netley Commercial Park with the facility to be completed in, as I said, December 2025, and the collections to be relocated to the new building by June 2026. But I am very pleased we have an on-budget solution to the cultural storage facility now.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: What is the cost of the extended rental of the existing location, and who is bearing that cost?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: As I understand, those cultural institutions that are storing their items at Netley Commercial Park will continue to pay rent over that period of time and come within their existing budget.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Is the minister able to advise whether that rental is at the same rate as it was up until 30 June (as in next week), which is when they were supposed to be out originally? We have a two-year extension. Is the two-year extension at the same rate that it has been or has there been the escalation in cost there that everyone else paying rent seems to have had?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: We can provide information. We would have to get that from the DIT as they negotiated the lease, but we can certainly take that on notice and provide that information to you.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The minister said that the project has been rescoped. Is there a difference in the amount of collections material and the volume of collections material from the original plans, or is the project being rescoped in different ways? Are the institutions able to still have all the stuff they expected to be in the new facility in the new facility or are they going to have to come to some other arrangement for some of their collection?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: The original design had collections from Netley Commercial Park, Netley 262, the North Terrace locations and the AGSA southern store. This revised design will cover the collections from Netley Commercial Park within the scope of the project.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: So what is the impact then on not being able to transfer the collections from the other sites, and which institutions use those rented facilities that they are going to still have to keep using now?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: The AGSA southern store is an AGSA-owned property, so that will continue, and I do not think there is much concern about that. In fact, I think the view is that it aids risk minimisation by having multiple storage facilities, so that situation is quite appropriate. Netley 262 contains collections from various cultural institutions and that will remain.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I think all of them have something there.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes, so that will remain.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I now move to page 29 and the highlights, particularly in relation to the Artists at Work Taskforce, to address working security. Has the minister met with this task force, how many people are on it and how often has it met?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I have. I went to what must have been their first or second meeting. I have met with them. I think there are 27 members of the task force. It was being chaired by Alison Lloydd-Wright, and I want to thank Nick Linke, who was a member of the task force and who has now been appointed as Chair for the remainder of the task force work. So there are 27 members and yes, I have met with them. What was your other question?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: How often has it met?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: It has had four meetings so far.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: When will it conclude its work?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: I am advised there are two more scheduled meetings. They will then work on their recommendations and provide that to me in due course, but I do not have a fixed date for that.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: It may just be an oversight, but I note that there is no target listed on page 29 in relation to delivering outcomes from the task force. The task force is now meeting. It will produce a report, but is the government preparing to deliver any practical outcomes from their work? Is there any budget to deliver on outcomes of the work of this task force?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes, we are going to, obviously, wait for those recommendations to come through before we can give consideration to them.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: When does the minister expect that she will respond to whatever recommendations are produced by this task force, noting that I asked a similar question two years ago and she was hoping that it would be by the end of the 2022-23 financial year?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes. As I said, we have the two additional meetings. They will work on their recommendations and provide that to me, and we will then consider those recommendations. I do not have a time frame, but certainly we are keen to see some practical outcomes from that task force.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I have some questions about indexation supplementation. It is on Budget Paper 1, page 4, or otherwise we can stay on page 30, grants and subsidies. How many arts organisations received supplementation for indexation funding last year, and are they all captured in the new policy for the years ahead?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Those ones that received a supplementation from DTF were the Adelaide Fringe, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Dance Theatre. They received supplementation from DTF.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Just those ones and not the others?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Not the others for the 2022-23 financial year. We were able to provide in this current financial year a bonus payment to effectively equate to that supplement that those other organisations were not eligible for.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Is it the government's position then that those arts not-for-profits will not be part of this group of social services providers that have received this ongoing benefit?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: We have the eligibility criteria that have been determined by DTF, which has limited the number of arts entities that are within scope to receive the supplement. Of course, they received the indexation of 2.5 per cent and that continues. Those guidelines and the eligibility criteria are within DTF. We will obviously consider any support we are able to fund that would assist those organisations in due course.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: In relation to the Arts Investment Fund, the minister said earlier that the guidelines were still being worked out. This is Budget Paper 5, page 56. Have there been any criteria established for this fund? Is it expected that there is going to be an application process? If so, when will funds be available for application?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: Yes, what we want to see from the Arts Investment Fund is targeted investment in strategic conditions across the arts, culture and creative industries sector. It is a substantial amount, I think, of about $5 million a year, so $780 this current financial year ending in five days' time and $4.8 million in 2024-25. That is indexed and ongoing, which is of great benefit to the arts, to get that new money. We will feed into the outcomes we would like to see from the cultural policy that is still being worked on at the moment.

What we do want to see are applications coming in that speak to what is coming through—I think I can say this—on the cultural policy which is the sector's and the public's desire to see arts for everyone, everywhere. So we want to be working on those guidelines to ensure that they are encouraging accessible artistic opportunities, potentially youth arts and other strategic investments that talk to the cultural policy and what we are trying to achieve with that. Those guidelines and the governance structure are being worked on at the moment by DPC. We are working on the basis it will be something like the Digital Investment Fund so that recommendations are made to me for a decision.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Page 29.

The CHAIR: Very quickly, member for Morialta and, if I could be so bold, very quickly answered, minister.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Thank you. Regarding the targets in relation to the arts, culture and creative sector policy, when is that work concluding and have any—and, if so, how many—stakeholders provided feedback to the minister with concerns about that policy?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS: In terms of numbers of engagements, we had a series of face-to-face and online workshops where there were a total of 238 people engaged. We went out with a YourSAy survey and received over 1,600 survey responses from that, and we also received 80 written submissions. The department is working through that at the moment. Later this year, we will be able to release the cultural policy.

The CHAIR: The allotted time has expired. I declare the examination of the proposed payments for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Administered Items for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet complete. I thank the minister. I thank the advisers. I understand you have somewhere important to be, but thank you for coming in. The committee stands adjourned until 9 o'clock tomorrow.


At 17:01 the committee adjourned to Wednesday 26 June 2024 at 09:00.


PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT