Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

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Gary Harding
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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Gary Harding » Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:59 am

Thanks Bob, I know Maureen's question and I just needed to think on it overnight. A slight delay, for which I apologise to Maureen for.

I only became aware of this Inquiry through a tip from a friend at the last moment... so no ABPA submission. They closed on 17th July.

General ABPA support is nice, even if only a one line comment.

Positive ideas are good too, I cannot think of everything..... no shortage of brain-power at ABPA to help strengthen the case.

Maureen, thank you for your great support (as always)....
I thought that (with your permission) should the need arise I might refer to TAT magazine as an example of how things can be done in the world of Poetry.. (Modern and Traditional) without much money, and with volunteers who have a devotion to their branch of the Arts. One does not need an office in Melbourne, a permanent staff and an annual "budget" of $300,000 to produce an excellent on-line magazine.. fortnighly!.. and to promote poetry in all forms. If I need to do it I would like your permission to use TAT as a positive example of what can be done promotionally without putting a hand in the taxpayer's pocket.

Yes, that is the list Bob. There is streaming audio.

The only part I enjoyed of the Melb Inquiry was when reference was made to George reading "ballads" in estimates. The speaker made some derogatory aside about it and his audience of syncophants sniggered and some apparently were so indignant at George's taste (and support) in poetry that they sent him their "modern" books. What he used them for is anybody's guess.

That passing incident proved beyond doubt the contempt with which bush poetry is treated in the halls of poetry power. The so-called experts and peers.. who control the money flow.

The whole Inquiry is about a power struggle. People-power through George, and The Club who have had it all their own way in the past.

With 2260 submissions it has been pointed out to me that my chances of getting an invitation are very slim. Only about 8 to 10 speak at each session. Fair enough. I would tend to spoil the party and would likely be by-passed.
One thing the speakers did was speak eloquently, most of the time. When you are part of a baying mob, with every hand for you, it makes it easier to speak. In my case it would be the opposite... if one speaks up for George, it is not a great way to make friends of the audience or the Senators either I guess. It can put a dampener on the party.

Everyone there has an Agenda. I would be no exception, except I would also like to get Glenn Lazarus' autograph.

.. as I say... thoughts and ideas are appreciated. It all helps!

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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Neville Briggs » Wed Aug 12, 2015 8:39 am

Gary Harding wrote:for which I apologise to Maureen for.
Gaz ! don't come out with lines like that near the literati or they'll have apoplexy.
Neville
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Maureen K Clifford
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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Wed Aug 12, 2015 9:16 am

By all means Gary you can mention the mag - not just one magazine but over 40 now - all completely free to interested readers and all produced by a dedicated team of volunteers who are passionate about their own field of expertise and in the case of TAT Poetry and doubtless some of the others - an international readership and contributor base.
Check out The Scribbly Bark Poets blog site here -
http://scribblybarkpoetry.blogspot.com.au/


I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.

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Gary Harding
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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Gary Harding » Wed Aug 12, 2015 9:56 am

Thanks Maureen. Actually I had not considered all the other TAT areas!!! Great... and that NOW makes the argument even stronger!

One of the suggestions in my original Bush Poetry Proposals is to support organisations like TAT that are dedicated to the Arts for its own sake.

Noble contributors and volunteers. Just a few dollars to pay for the paper and coffee and website perhaps...to ensure in a small way that it all keeps happening. No fuss, just oil in the machinery. No $40,000 "grants" to individual "poets". None of that nonsense any more.

That is project-based modest funding of excellence. TAT is perfect for that.

A lot of money in the past has gone to individuals and this is proposed to be wound back. The argument presumably being that project-based grants have definite aims and are more measureable and controllable. It does not always follow that giving money to someone will benefit the public who after all are paying the bill. That person has a great time doing their thing in arts at public expense... but where in the end is the public benefit? Many of the submission authors are overseas and are shouting back "thanks for the money guys. It helped a lot. All these Europeans love my work... and I won't forget to mention that I came from Australia". Australia funds them, and here the successful ones are all overseas giving the benefit to other countries. Poor mug taxpayer again.

The more I go into this, the more I can see where George is coming from.

At first I was blinded by the rudeness of not having my January proposals even acknowledged. All is forgiven.

I reckon that January stuff of mine was the catalyst for the whole Arts re-think and NPEA!! They can hate me now, instead of George.

..there go my cheap tickets to the theatre.

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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Gary Harding » Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:06 pm

Yes Bob, submissions are all in the same vein.

In all fairness, if I had been getting good Arts money and some suited-politician comes along and says "sorry...no more party time mate!".. then like everyone I would likely be screaming the place down too. So it is all understandable. I am in truth probably at heart just as selfish as any of them. Nothing special.

Opposition senators will come out saying George is terrible, ruining Australia's culture, interfering... they are chasing the arts vote. It is their job. It is all pre-scripted. They could write their findings even before the first Inquiry. Probably have.

The idea of "let's swamp them with submissions" is pretty dumb though. Counter-productive. Instead of being hysterical, if they had presented a calm and reasoned approach with a few decent people, then the chance of getting public sympathy would be far better. Nobody likes mobs shouting down opposition. It is still somehow un-Australian.. I think.

I suspect that George has gone through each fund-disbursement and thrown up his hands in horror. The submissions so far reveal little of benefit to the taxpayer... only individuals. There is some vague line between what should be a hobby and a profession. Lots of talent around but few in Arts make a profession of their talent. It is life.

My own (as yet unpublished) submission takes a completely different approach to it all. Not claiming that it is "right" particularly.... just a different way of looking at it. The problem in Arts is it is all subjective... your opinion versus my opinion versus his opinion. And there is never a totally right answer or even some compromise.

Nobody has even considered the possibility that arts has been Overfunded in the past and some bunny now has to be the bad guy and pull it back into line.

In theory it should be a matter of directing taxpayer dollars where the public get the most benefit. THAT is not an agenda that pleases many obviously. Not one submission to date ventures to ask “What do the public who are paying the bill want in arts...?” Not one! That reflects the real Aussie “arts culture”, if you study it.
What submissions say will have little effect, and they are mostly wasting their own time. The public probably don’t even know the Inquiry exists, much less care...

So... George will do his thing regardless. Fair enough.

Those who who send submissions are no doubt considered as well-meaning but misguided ... at best.. by people who call the shots in the end. The public, in truth, will not care two hoots.

Some bunny has to challenge them so that they cannot say “unaninmous”. If someone else does it, great! I can go back to lawn-mowing. More productive!

Ah well.... there might be something for Bush Poetry in the end.... hopefully. But it will never happen unless someone gets off their backside and makes a noise.

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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Neville Briggs » Wed Aug 12, 2015 8:21 pm

I just wondered Garry how one might present, as you say, a calm and reasoned approach, if in the Arts it is all subjective.

If it is all subjective, why should anyone listen to you more than anyone else. Surely in subjectivism the victory belongs to the big battalions. :roll:
Neville
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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Gary Harding » Wed Aug 12, 2015 9:29 pm

Interesting points Neville,

If you read the submissions, many of them use very emotive terms, go off on all sorts of tangents and predict dire outcomes. There is a lot of waffle.... lots of buzz-words and buzz-expressions.... and it is hard to sort out what is being said. The reasoning would be clearer if that did not happen, and in such numbers too...
If the grants pool to individual artists through the Australia Council is less, then it raises the bar, and some who might have got some funding before now will not.... or even have to pay for themselves, heaven forbid!! If the selection system is as good and arms length as is claimed then the Best will always get through. Deservedly. Chasing excellence for the sake of the nation, is what it will be all about now.

You are right... but if I present they will listen, if only because I am the only one to press the opposite tack, and talk about chasing excellence in poetry through balladry... for a change. It might break the monotony, if nothing else.

As far as changing anyone's opinion of NPEA???? not a hope in the world !! Waste of time trying.... but does that mean that one meekly surrenders? Nevertheless it will raise the profile of Bush Poetry.

In this case of diversity of opinions (subjectivity).. victory does not belong to the big battalions. It belongs to the guys who control the money. Which in this case is George and his buddies. Game over really...

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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Neville Briggs » Thu Aug 13, 2015 7:54 am

Gary Harding wrote:In this case of diversity of opinions (subjectivity).. victory does not belong to the big battalions. It belongs to the guys who control the money
The guys who control the money are the big battalions.

Gary Harding wrote:chasing excellence in poetry through balladry...
How do you establish excellence in poetry if it is just your subjective opinion. Excellence has to be an objective standard because the concept of excellence implies a standard. Excellence just doesn't mean, something I really like, it means something much greater than the mere standard level.

So what is the standard in poetry from which we measure excellence or substandard. You need the right answer because George Brandis's decisions depend on this very point.
Neville
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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Neville Briggs » Thu Aug 13, 2015 8:36 pm

matt wrote:Would the stakes be as high if it was not about money
I'll lay odds on it Matt. :lol:
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Re: Senate Inquiry into Proposed Arts Changes.

Post by Gary Harding » Fri Aug 14, 2015 6:25 am

Yes exactly guys!!

.. in this inquiry, Arts demonstrates that it is all about money, self-interest and less about finding out what the public wants and providing it. Noses in the trough.

Has anyone done market research to find out what sort of poetry the public would like to spend their money on?? They are paying the bill after all.. and are the client.

George has certainly kicked over a cosy wasps nest and is sticking around to watch the result. (I use flyspray on them then run like heck!).

True... Arts is largely (but not all) about opinion.. subjective..... how one sees it. In the eye of the beholder. That includes bush poetry too I guess. However, mostly that should be the eye of the paying-public.. not of a few who want to control and dictate what is quality, and what isn't. Power.

Yes no doubt there are some blokes somewhere who reckon pregnant panty-poems are where it is at.. and may even have the odd pair in their bottom drawer. There is a youtube video of some guy trying to tell George that "elephant's excreta on a canvas representing breasts" is art becacause "art is all in the eye of the beholder." There are so many excellent artists out there that in order to draw attention to yourself, you try the old shock-horror-controversy scene. The media go for it. Rudeness-titillation. pssst.. wanna see a dirty painting. That "controversy" scene in place of talent has been going for years and is mostly played out. The artist raises their profile and gets noticed, the media get something to write about, the public enjoy controversy and a bit of naughtiness, art gets to keep in the news. Better still, if courageous decent people voice their objection.. because then you you can mock them as wowsers.. and fan the flames of contoversy further.
Nobody actually loses except Australian "culture". Yep, the problem comes when you try and sell it as Australian Culture on the world's stage, and get laughed at.

You want Real Culture?? go to Europe. Incredible.

Same in poetry. Thousands of free verse poets, obviously. Anyone can be one of those. So how do you get noticed? other than wearing thongs that do not match.
Vulgarity of course!! Controversy. But that is free verse, and if vulgarity is applauded then it is making a statement about the quality and culture of itself.

Excellence in poetry. Bush/Traditional poetry I CAN comment on because I understand it... not the other stuff.

Excellence?

Just because something is not easily measureable does not mean that you do not try, or one steps back from it. You run competitions to try and encourage people to write, and write well. Thus you need "judges". Yes, different judges, different results often... but you cannot run away from it. You need judges. And who selects judges. Why.. experts of course!! experts! the arts world is full of them! So who selects these "experts" other than other experts...and if they are experts, why are they not doing judging themselves?? A circular argument?

I would only say that bush poetry does not need vulgarity, crudity, foul language to impress. Free verse can revel in the gutter but bush poetry, as demonstrated by Lawson and Paterson, is an exalted use of the English language No law to stop people doing it, but if I find it creeping in, then I challenge it and come down hard on it.. as should be well known.

Real Excellence in bush poetry..? I will say that in my humble and perhaps insignificant opinion there are examples of that in a number of older traditional poets. Lawson particularly. I could rattle off names... but if you truly want to know about poetic excellence, study their work. Excellence... by example. Not excellence by judge or so-called expert.

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