NiTRO + Creative Matters

Perspectives on creative arts in higher education

Why Arts Matter: Australia Council 2018 report released

The Australia Council has released its annual report which this year includes case studies to demonstrate the impact of the Council’s work in wellbeing, social cohesion, Australia’s international reputation, and the future of work. Key statistics that the Council uses to report its progress for 2017-18 include:

  • Support for the creation of over 10,000 new artworks with an audience reach of nearly 23 million

  • Direct support for 762 individual artists and 609 organisations 

  • More than 46,000 arts activities created by, with or for children and young people

  • Support for 600+ arts leaders through the Australia Council’s capacity building programs

  • 63% of grants awarded to female artists.

The full report is available at: http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/workspace/uploads/files/australia-council-annual-repor-5bd8e5e63c2c6.pdf

Other recent news

Other related news

Funding conversation continues…

Jenny Sinclair writing for Research Professional News… “Researchers call for longer project and fellowship grants” “The academy’s Early and Mid-Career Researcher Forum made its own submission, saying it has concerns about “whether the proposed scheme will provide sustainable career pathways”. The forum said the plan fails to distinguish between new PhD holders, later-stage researchers and […]

Read more +
2025 DDCA Awards Launched

The Australian Council of the Deans and Directors of Creative Arts is delighted to open submissions for our 2025 Awards! The DDCA Awards are designed to acknowledge and celebrate contributions to creative arts, elevate and share best practice, and encourage and promote the next generation of creative arts leaders in research and education.  Winners will […]

Read more +
DDCA Board Member Samantha Bennett wins ACGR award

Professor Samantha Bennett wins the 2025 Australian Council of Graduate Research Award for Excellence in Graduate Research Leadership A significant part of Samantha’s work is around broadening the PhD format to recognise creative practice research in HDR. Read more @ ANU…

Read more +
The National Advocates for Arts Education

The National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) is a network of peak national professional arts and arts education associations who represent arts educators across Australia. NAAE’s advocacy activity has included the Creative Arts and Arts Education: A National Tertiary Snapshot (2018–2025): a list of Creative Arts and Arts Education courses, majors and units that have […]

Read more +
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 […]

Read more +
“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 […]

Read more +

In the spirit of reconciliation, the DDCA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Copyright 2025 – DDCA