FUNDING FOR CULTURE ON THE UP
Government funding for cultural activities continued to grow in 1998-99. Compared with the previous financial year, total funding for cultural activities by Commonwealth, State, Territory and local governments increased by 6% to $3,721 million. State and Territory governments provided 46% of all government cultural funding in 1998-99 and also increased their contribution by 16% compared with the previous financial year. The Commonwealth contribution rose by 0.6% for the same period while the local government share fell by 3%.
Libraries and archives were the biggest recipients, receiving $756.2 million with nearly 55% coming from local government. Other large recipients of funds included National parks and wildlife services ($709.1 million) and Radio and television broadcasting ($685.4 million).
These details, and more (including a five-year time series), are available in Cultural Funding in Australia- Three Tiers of Government 1998-1999 which was released in October 2000 by the Cultural Ministers Council Statistics Working Group (CMC SWG). Copies can be obtained from the CMC SWG Secretariat at the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, telephone: (02) 6271 1051.
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