• We are a positive, centrist, collaborative party, inspired by the arts.
• We believe every party has both great and terrible ideas – we will support and work with all others to get the best ideas on the table.
• We promote creative, scientific and evidence based ideas for improving the future.
• We have no ideology to justify our positions, rather we have principles from which our policies and positions flow.
• We remain the only political party in the world, to be born from the arts and arts thinking.

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How did it start and what have you done?

Like many great ideas, it started over a few beers in the pub.  You can read about it here. None of us had political backgrounds but realised something was missing from our democracy. It was a voice for the Arts – for Arts thinking and feeling. A voice that put people and all our potential first on the agenda. Since then..

• We crowdfunded to begin and the party was registered on 6th August 2014.
• We crowdfunded again to stand 21 candidates for the 2016 Federal Election.
• Our senate candidates received over 1.5 million preference votes between 1-6, ranking us 26th out of 56 parties in the first preference senate results.
• All 7 lower house candidates came 4th in their seats, after Labor, Liberal and the Greens (in varying orders).
• Well over 10% of all Australians voted for us between 1-6 for the senate.

Why have you done all this?

Because each of us need to be the change we want to see. So we created a movement that everyone who agreed with our purpose could be a part of. It turned out to be a timely decision.

In the last 4 years, we’ve witnessed the systematic defunding, and destabilisation of this country’s cultural and heritage sectors.

Small-medium size community orgs, museums, galleries, libraries and performance venues have been the worst hit.

Opportunities for the next generation of writers, actors, performers, technicians and creatives of all descriptions have been massively reduced. Access to and for Australian audiences has been slashed. Australian stories matter, Australian talent materials, Australian audiences matter. 

Rebuilding Arts access is central to our purpose. We believe Arts thinking can also offer a new perspective on any issue that affects us as a country and it’s sorely needed right now.

Did you know?

• Australia’s creative industries contribute more than $90 billion to our economy annually in turnover, added more than $45 billion to GDP and generated annual exports of $3.2 billion. *
• In 2011 there were more than 600,000 people working in the creative industries in Australia and over 120,000 creative businesses. Creative Industries employ 3.5% of the Australian workforce. Additionally there are many volunteers who go unaccounted for.*
• In 2009, 11 million people visited an art gallery. To give that number context, it’s more people than went to the AFL and NRL combined.
• As an industry, the Arts employs more people than mining does.
• 85% of Australians believe art enriches their lives.*

• 95% of Australians were involved with the arts in the last 12 months (covering visual arts and crafts, music, theatre, dance and literature, community and Indigenous arts)*
• 89% of Australians believe art is an important part of education.*
• 2012 The Live Performance Industry (which covers music, musical theatre, opera and dance) generated revenues of over $2.5bn in Australia. Total profits and wages (for performing and support staff) amounted to $1.53bn, while also employing thousands of Australians.
• Australia’s 2015-16 budget was worth over $450bn. 2% of that goes on military spending. 0.001% goes on Arts Funding.

We believe every Australian has the right to enjoy and participate in the Arts, in all of its forms.

We believe every Australian should have access to lifelong, affordable, quality education.

We believe culture, creativity and people thrive in happy, resilient communities.

We believe every Australian should be given the opportunity to be the best version of themselves they can be.

Aren’t these all the reasons we pay our taxes?