‘Post’-pandemic, the arts sector is both exhausted and animated by a new sense of perspective that leaves many unwilling to put up with these former practices or the way things ‘have always been done’. This includes a new interrogation of the unseen labour of arts funding processes: the expectations on applicants and the pressure on advisors and peers.

After nearly a decade without a national policy, and a Federal election in sight, the cultural sector is suddenly awash with plans to make a plan. These complex and occasionally contradictory reports speak to the tantalising possibility of a new national cultural policy, but are not yet policies themselves.

The new report on arts governance highlights a number of themes. The marvellous things our organisations achieve are made possible by small teams of dedicated, passionate (underpaid) arts workers – most of them women. Their already-stretched resources are being asked to stretch further. Our sector is overly dependent on the support of volunteers, who are often ill equipped to provide the support we really need. And the people who have traditionally filled those volunteer roles are becoming less inclined to do so over time.

'Simultaneously thriving and tenuous, Australia’s literary ecosystem is the ultimate alignment of ‘unmet need’ and ‘unfunded excellence’ ... We are all gaps and all excellence. We are all hole and no plot.'

There’s a thrill when someone wants to publish a writer’s work, even if they don’t have a budget to pay for it. And writing for free in order to build a profile and portfolio can be particularly useful when someone is just starting out. But when experienced, published and professional writers are still being asked to donate their work long after their apprenticeship is over, it’s time for our sector (which makes its living out of words) to have a long, hard look at how we’re looking after those who make them.