Peter Garrett Online Forum

I'm going to ignore most of this because I really don't have enough time or inclination to go through point by point, but really my first and only big reaction was to these: "Science is, in fact, one of the most irrelevant of all human activities - very few people do it, and very many ages have gone by without it being done." Um, ok. So the vaccine for H1N1 just popped out of the air? Or the fact that we just shot a rocket at the moon to see if there was ice? These are not recent scientific activities? They were not done by humans, but monkeys (yes, a joke to be made there, but not relevant to my point)? I honestly don't know how you can think no one does science anymore, or that it's irrelevant. In which case, on behalf of scientists, can you return your: car, stereo, pen, paper, computer, internet, or pretty much anything you've ever used that was invented? Funny, I may appear liberal, but in fact my convictions range from conservative on many points, and liberal in others. I agree with church and state separation, but that doesn't mean I can't have nuanced views on a range of other 'lefty' ideas. It's naive to think that politics is a 'left' or 'right' issue, when there are many many issues, some of which may come in the middle, to the left, to the far right, and anywhere in between. "Strip all funds from the theatres, and then let's see how professional your professionals really are. " They'd be just as pro as they are now. But take away funding from most companies and we have chaos. La Mama recently lost their funding and thanks to a huge public outpouring, was saved. This is a national icon, not just a state one. But if it were say, The Store Room (in Melb) or another less icon-ish venue, no one would have given a damn, because there's no culture of assistance at all. La Mama is also one of the few places for new directors, playwrights and actors to actually see their work produced (slightly different at The Store Room, but it is also one of those venues that offers the same opportunities. But no one would bother saving it because no one cares outside of the theatrical world; La Mama at least has the history behind it to be of 'interest' to Melbournians). Most of us can't afford the pro theatre. Furthermore, strip all funds from the COMMUNITY theatres, and see how the community reacts. You can see how Perth people are reacting to one of their groups losing their venue and how they are desperate to find another place. I think where we disagree is that you seem to think art can and should only come from the hardships of the artist. I'm saying that art can't exist without some form of financial support that can't always come from the artist. Can great art come from a homeless person? Can important art come from them? Can professional art come from them? I'm also not saying that it should be given to a government, but that to get rid of funding altogether with no function of replacement, or atmosphere of responsible public philanthropy, in this country, would kill 99% of art going on in this country. This is also speaking as someone who recently came back from an AGM for the Aussie puppetry organisation, and can see how little support there is even from those within the arts (and here I'm referring to VCA and the cutting of the puppetry course). Artists themselves are struggling to organise support, and unless you have a better system up your sleeve, I say let's try and improve the one we've got. (On a side note, do you know anything of the resale royalties for visual artists? Because much of what I'm saying here goes towards that too: government also implements and oversees laws which affect artists. Resale royalties go towards every artist - actor, writer, playwright, designer - BUT visual artists recently. The introduction of this law allows many artists, including Indigenous ones, to actually get more money, meaning more power over their own work. This isn't just about funding, which is why it's important for artists to WORK WITH the government, because otherwise, you're right, they can screw us without us watching) Goddess Shadow Puppet on sale at Puppets in Melbourne