The general public's ability to spend money on the arts is reduced by as much as the government spends on the arts. But why should artists have the privilege of being subsidised with funds taken under compulsion to produce arts that people don't want or are not willing to pay for?

It is as inevitable as it is deplorable that the arts should degenerate into the mediocre plaything of the politicians and bureaucrats who disburse the funding. Exactly the same thing happened under the socialist states of the 20th century. Why should we expect any different under the socialist states of the 21st?

Government funding of the arts should be abolished.

"So I would hand over all the civic arts centres to community elected Boards of Management, while insisting that operational funding from government remain the same..."

So you want taxpayers to foot the bill while removing any control that they have over the activities that they are paying for?

Sounds good to me. If you can get my employers to agree to the same arrangement then I'm all for it!

"70 per cent of Australins think the arts should be more in tune with Australia's multi cultural society". Rubbish. Most of the immigrants that come here wouldn't know what art was if it fell on their heads.