NiTRO + Creative Matters

Perspectives on creative arts in higher education

Catalyst funding returned to Australia Council

After vociferous objection by the arts community, Federal Arts Minister Mitch Fifield announced that the Catalyst funding program, established by former Arts Minister George Brandis, would be abolished and $80.2m returned to the Australia Council over the next four years. The Catalyst program removed almost 15% of the Australia Council’s budget and resulted in loss of funding to more than 60 small to medium sized arts organisations. The department will retain $2 million per year to support organisations not funded by the Australia Council and will continue to administer the Visions of Australia and Festivals Australia initiatives.

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Other recent news

Risky Business…

Our next Creative Matters edition on RISK will include a special section of your responses to the following questions:  1. How does the

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Other related news

Risky Business…

Our next Creative Matters edition on RISK will include a special section of your responses to the following questions: 1. How does the increasing bureaucratisation and brand-safeguarding against risk in the neo-liberalised university curtail creative and intellectual experimentation, and what strategies might creative practitioners in academia employ to resist this institutional anxiety? 2. What role can artistic and […]

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“New research lays bare the harsh realities facing artists and arts workers”

Marnie Badham in The Conversation “Our four-year study reveals workers are abandoning the visual art sector, largely because of unstable employment, below-average salaries and a lack of support. We present findings from the largest academic surveys of artists and arts workers to-date – the first conducted in 2022 (more than 700 respondents) and the second […]

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Assistant Professor in Creative Practice (Research and Education)

Location: Birmingham Salary: £46,735 to £55,755 Grade 8 Hours: Full Time Contract Type: Permanent Closes: 27th April 2025 As part of strategic growth and investment in the area of digital media and communications, the School seeks to recruit an Assistant Professor in Creative Practice from 1st September 2025. The post holder will contribute to teaching and […]

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Update: NCGP review

The ARC held an online consultation today on the Second Policy Review Discussion Paper on the National Competitive Grants Program for discipline Peak Bodies and Learned Academies. The DDCA was pleased to attend and represent the interests of its creative arts members. The ARC is clear in their desire to collaborate with the Peak Bodies […]

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DDCA response to the National Competitive Grants Program Policy Review

The Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA), Australia’s peak body for tertiary creative arts education and research, congratulates the Australian Research Council for the responsive changes proposed to the National Competitive Grants Program (Discussion Paper, February 2025). The implications of the changes for researchers in the creative arts are broadly positive. […]

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DDCA response to Creative Australia’s Venice Biennale decision

The Australian Council of Deans and Directors of Creative Arts (DDCA), Australia’s peak body for tertiary creative arts education and research, urges Creative Australia to reconsider its decision to rescind the presentation of Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino’s work in the 2026 Venice Biennale Australian pavilion. This decision to override a rigorous and internationally peer-reviewed process […]

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