Arts

 The Conversation -  The cost of living crisis undermines the right to participate in cultural life. Australia’s federal cultural policy, Revive, acknowledges and even celebratest "the entitlement of all Australians to have access to culture (a liberty […] enshrined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Australia is a signatory)." Currently, however, that right is threatened by the cost of living crisis. This crisis cuts in several directions, affecting the community’s capacity to access art, as well as artists’ and organisations’ capacity to make it.

The long and growing list of cancelled music festivals is only one example of how the cost of living crisis is taking a toll Australia’s arts and culture sector, affecting both creators and consumers. In most cases, these festivals have been cancelled as a result of the rising costs of delivering festivals, including production and travel costs, the risk of adverse weather events and other insurance costs that have been pushing prices into the realm of impossibility. Last year, data released by audience research company Patternmakers showed somewhat of a rebounding of audience numbers from COVID levels, which was promising. But it also revealed the stark effect cost of living pressures were having on audiences, the majority of whom identified finances as the biggest factor limiting their ticket purchasing.