In July 2005, the Australia Council will implement changes to their organisation that were announced in December 2004. The Australian arts community has been vocal in their feedback to this restructure, and has demanded input into the process. Craft Australia has dedicated a great deal of time to this issue and has been active in representing the interests of the contemporary craft and design sector as a member of Arts Peak, a lobby group of peak arts bodies representing the breadth of the Australian arts industry. The following material brings together information about the restructure and how you will be affected by this change.

Australia Council changes for the future
The governing body of the Australia Council has approved major changes to the Council's structures and processes designed to meet the growing challenges of the arts in Australia.

Meeting in Hobart, the Council signed-off on what the Council CEO Ms Jennifer Bott described as one of the most significant shifts in the Council's approach to arts funding in its 30-year history. She said the reorganisation would help to drive the innovation and excellence needed to maintain the vital role of the arts in Australian life. Full Australia Council media release

Letter to Australia Council from ArtsPeak

Australia Council future planning - information
The Australia Council has provided a links page on their website for all statements, news articles and speeches they have released over the past weeks in regard to the Australia Council's reorganisation. Visit the Australia Council links page for an overview.

Australia Council future planning - consultation
The Australia Council is inviting sector leaders to meet with the Council's future planning taskforce on 21 February, 2005 to discuss models for Community Partnerships (CP) and New Media (NM) within the new organisational restructure. The Council is keen for a national and diverse arts respresentation at the workshops.

Full media release outlining timeline of key dates