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CULTURE AND SPORT COMPENDIUMS



The next issues of both the Culture and Sport Compendiums will be released in October 2010.


Arts and Culture Compendium

The next issue of the Arts and Culture Compendium, officially known as Arts and Culture in Australia: A Statistical Overview (cat. no. 4172.0) will be released on 19 October 2010.

The 2010 issue includes updated data on arts and heritage in Australia from various statistical collections including Cultural Funding by Government, Australia, 2008-09 (cat. no. 4183.0) and International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia, June 2010 (cat. no. 5368.0), as well as non-ABS data such as Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG) and Tourism Research Australia data.

Key findings include:

• Private sector funding towards arts and cultural organisations was up 4% to $212m in 2008-09 (from $204m in 2007-08), according to a survey conducted by the Australian Business Arts Foundation.
• The value of production activity for Australian and Co-production feature films increased significantly in 2008-09 to $358m, well above the $170m spent in 2007-08. This was largely due to two high-budget local titles. More information can be found at www.screenaustralia.gov.au.
• Industry performance indicators showed that the largest dollar-value increase in total income between 2007-08 and 2008-09 was in the printing (including the reproduction of recorded material) industry, which saw a $252m (3%) increase. The largest percentage increase was seen in library and other information services, which increased 20% ($65m) over the same period.
• International Trade data showed that during 2009-10, imports of cultural goods to Australia decreased by 25% to $2,436.6m (from $3,259.9 in 2008-09). The largest decrease was seen in the radio and television receivers and apparatus for sound or video recording or reproduction category, which decreased by 35% to $1,003.1m (from $1,549.5m in 2008-09). Large decreases were also seen in the audio and video media category (26% decrease to $197.4m) and the exposed photographic and cinematographic media and artistic works category (23% decrease to $132.0m).

• children’s participation in selected organised cultural activities, including playing a musical instrument, dancing, and singing, and
• museums (excluding arts museums), including social history museums and historic properties and sites.

• According to Museums, Australia, 2007-08 (cat. no. 8560.0), there were 1,276 museum locations in Australia at the end of June 2008, comprising 768 social history museums, 425 historic properties and sites and 83 other museums.
• There were 17.8 million admissions to museums in 2007-08, of which 7.6 million (or 43%) were paid admissions.
• According to Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events, 2005-06 (cat. no. 4114.0), 3.6 million Australian adults (aged 15 years and over) had visited a museum at least once, and according to Children's Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities, April 2009 (cat. no. 4901.0), over 1.1 million children (aged 5-14 years) had visited a museum or art gallery outside of school hours in the 12 months prior to interview.
• According to Tourism Research Australia, international cultural and heritage visitors made up 51% of all international visitors to Australia in 2009, with the most popular cultural and heritage activities being visiting historical or heritage buildings (62%) and visiting museums or art galleries (57%).