Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

[Gary Harding]

A Senate Inquiry has been called to examine the Impact of the 2014 and 2015 Commonwealth Budget decisions on the Arts.

I have respectfully provided a submission to the Senate Inquiry that runs to 9 pages. (It is one of 2260 other Senate submissions). It mostly relates to Poetry/bush poetry.

Some of these submissions can be seen at

http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Bus ... ubmissions

.. where they are uploaded progressively in .pdf.

Some of it is extremely funny stuff although I do not think it was intentionally so.
144 uploaded and only 2116 to go. All (so far) are against Senator Brandis, but then they have not come to mine yet.

At the current rate I calculate that the Inquiry, which must certainly consider each and every submission, will be delayed by about a year, more than enough time to implement all the changes anyway. So all the Arts smarties that figured they would be clever and swamp the Committee with submissions, have actually messed themselves up, much to the delight of the arts bureaucrats no doubt.... who are getting their own back very neatly by simply not rushing! (7 uploaded so far this week!) Good on the public servants. Score one for them!

The Senate Committee can invite certain people as witnesses. Sane ones are preferred... but in this case the choices may be limited.

Insanity, which is unpretentious.. is better than material that pretends to be serious but is actually nonsense. All submissions I have read to date fall in one of those two categories.
.. as I posted a while ago, my work early this year was just the curtain raiser to the Main Event... and that will be in Canberra... one day.... whether I am there to see it or not is in the lap of the Gods.

It is certainly all good fun.... and aimed at furthering Bush and Traditional Poetry on a large scale, among other objectives, all of which I feel are very noble.

[Heather]

I'm wondering what the "Main event" is . A truck load of bush poetry books on the steps of Parliament House perhaps? Could be a good market for those magnets.

[Gary Harding]

yes ... it is an interesting story to follow.
Although I was opposed to Sen George Brandis originally because no acknowledgement had been received to my correspondence, I have reversed that view and think he is on-side with bush poetry. Lawson and Paterson.
The muddy waters slowly become clearer.
He seems to reflect views and values of the vast majority of Australians, and not a select few. That is his job after all. Hence his unpopularity amongst arties.
He is up against a massive system of entrenched mutual back-scratching and mates. The Club.. as I have called them before. And the tentacles of this I suspect also reach into his own department with some public servants. The whole rotten lot. Those who want to bypass the people and totally control Arts.. to dictate what is de rigueur in arts to the peasants... in poetry too. Absolute power.
And most importantly where the vast amounts of Arts money disappear. Experts. Peers.
... you can see huge numbers of people ganging up on him. He has a big job ahead. I hate bullying like that.
They are flooding the system with objections and submissions. Shouting him down.
Vested interests, noses in the trough.. and the usual self-serving dupes too.
So we shall see.... my personal fight is only small part of the whole, but still significant. If I can win... and I certainly will win!.... then a new dawn will emerge for Bush Poetry. For those who want it that is, and can respond to it.
2260 to 1 make the odds even as far as I am concerned.
For those who care not a jot past their own writing etc well so be it too. You certainly do not have to come along for the ride. Otherwise work out how Bush Poetry can be promoted and enjoyed more by people of all ages. Funds will become available, and that includes for small publications of (good quality) bush poetry.
It seems that Public Hearings will be held in each capital city. Like anyone, there is a chance I may be invited to assist the Senate Inquiry as a witness. Should I be fortunate to do so, then that is when the Main Event unfolds... THAT is party time.

[warooa]

sounds so exciting - I can hear the voice-over man the odds were over 2000 to 1 . . . . just one man against The Club . . . can he win? . . . will his insanity remain unpretentious? . . . let the Main event begin

[Gary Harding]

Actually the odds are not that bad. Presuming all 2260 submissions are against George then it is only 2259 to 1, which is certainly not as bad as 2260 to 1, thankfully!!

Did you know that of the seven Arts people to appear on the currency, three were bush/traditional poets... Lawson, Paterson, and Dame Mary Gilmore (whose biggest influence was Lawson). That is 43%, which suggests that 43% of the total Arts budget should go to bush poetry! How many millions would you like? How about a lovely Government New Poetry Writers Grant of $40,000 for all ABPA members... for starters. No questions asked, as per normal practice.

Warooa, what about that bush poetry research trip to the Greek Islands you have been dreaming of, with a nice taxpayer funded blonde Research Assistant?? No problems. Promoting Australian Culture.

George is into heritage stuff he says.... so it is a fair bet he likes Lawson and Paterson. He certainly prefers it to listening to Estimates. But what is more important, the population at large actually much prefer "The Man From Snowy River" to poems about pregnant women examining their panties for a discharge. Contrary to what well-paid Experts try and tell people.

It is all a mass of vested interests that over the years has got out of control, especially in poetry. Naturally money goes to the core of the whole rotten business.

The thing about a Senate Inquiry is that they accept Opinion. Plus you are actually covered by parliamentary privilege too. If you are a credible witness say, then your opinion carries a proportionate amount of weight. If you are in the Arts scene, as I have been in poetry for decades, then in your own field you have credibility too.

Please appreciate that I have spent countless very intense days in January, May and July preparing correspondence that has as its objective the raising of the profile of Bush Poetry. Now is the unique opportunity to do it. Unlike each and every person making a submission to date, I am doing it for the love of my craft. There is nothing in it for me personally.
It is a very personal fight, with no ABPA involvement.. but the outcome will certainly flow through to all lovers of Bush Poetry in some way. You can choose to get right behind it, denigrate it, or make fun of it... whatever. The objective is a better deal for Bush Poetry, rather than the no deal at all which is the present sorry situation.

I can be a very good advocate when the cause is noble.

[Neville Briggs]

Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson and Dame Mary Gilmore are not depicted on the currency because they took the stage at parliamentary events, but because they wrote enduring poetry.

[Heather]

"only 2259 to 1" I like your positivity Gary.

Does Marty get a helicopter ride to the Greek Islands?

[Neville Briggs]

The Greeks had some good poets, I believe they even had a bush poet by the name of Bouzouki Parthenon.

[Gary Harding]

Actually I say the odds are even only because the ghosts of Henry and Banjo are there fighting with me... but that is our secret. The great leveller.
Glenn Lazarus is chairman of this senate committee. That is an enormous plus for a whole lot of reasons. Check out his bio! Unreal. Would like to get his autograph.. even if that is the only result. Could be worth a few dollars.... One can always TRY.
A free helicopter ride to the Greek Islands for Marty? Yes he does Heather, and most importantly you do too.... !! You might even be able to BUY an island for yourself the way things are going over there. So pack your bathers, or not.. depending on how you like to sunbath and the ABPA is off on its annual Conference/Symposium to Greece...
An Australia Council New Writers $40,000 Poetry Grant should just about cover it.

[Gary Harding]

Yes Matt, I agree about the Greeks.

"Beware of Greeks bearing Debt" as they say now.

Q. What's a Greek urn?
A. A lot less than he is paid.

Australia's literary direction is being changed. Could it end up being in the hands of George, Glenn and myself??? Nothing is impossible, only improbable...
If so, what better outcome for Bush Poetry. The ABPA could even rule the world if we play our cards right! At least we are not a self-interested lot!!.. or are we??