The arts and night-time economy will get a boost in the 2024-25 NSW Budget with $1.66 billion allocated to support free museum entry, events and festivals, and a wide range of arts and cultural institutions, ensuring NSW remains an attractive and lively place.
The funding will support jobs across the creative, tourism, and night-time sectors.
During a cost-of-living crisis where many people are doing it tough, this investment will help to develop vibrant communities as we build more affordable homes across the State.
This is part of the Minns Labor Government’s commitment to revamp the night-time economy and creative industries, building better communities that improve the lives of people in NSW.
Plans for Sustainable Creative Communities
The 2024-25 Budget invests in creative people and enterprises, including:
- Destination NSW: $324.5 million to deliver the events calendar across metro and regional NSW, including Vivid Sydney, SXSW Sydney, Mundi Mundi Bash, Parkes Elvis Festival, and a range of sporting events, and drive the refreshed Visitor Economy Strategy 2030.
- Arts and Cultural Funding Program: $73 million to support grassroots and community arts organisations.
- Screen and Digital Games: $35 million for the Made in NSW Fund, as well as ongoing investment to provide certainty for the Post-Production and Visual Effects rebate scheme.
- Night-Time Economy: $26.9 million to support the development of vibrant, safe, and diverse night-time precincts across the State and the delivery of the refreshed NSW 24-Hour Economy Strategy.
- Music: $18.5 million for Sound NSW to deliver programs that drive audience and international market development, strengthen the live music industry, and champion NSW artists.
Reform
- From 1 July 2024, the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport will formally come into effect. The new Department will provide a renewed focus to grow the creative industries in NSW, and enable more people to pursue careers in arts, culture, entertainment, and experience tourism.
- A new Visitor Economy Strategy for Destination NSW will prioritise the development of a ‘Foundation events’ category, recognising and supporting the role that key events play, such as New Year’s Eve, Sydney Festival, Lunar New Year, NRL Grand Final, Sydney Film Festival, and Sydney Fringe, play in the events calendar of the State.
- The NSW Government will deliver further reforms to support venues, event organisers, and councils as part of its ‘Vibrancy’ agenda, including legislating to make it easier to host events and festivals, and streamlining planning processes that are restricting cultural activity.
- The NSW Government will reform the Arts and Cultural Funding Program to deliver a simpler, fairer, and faster model for arts funding that will drive long-term growth and sustainability for the sector.
Cultural Institutions Supporting Creative Communities
NSW’s key cultural institutions continue to be valued and supported with an investment of $585.6 million to ensure their sustainable futures, as crucial parts of the State’s cultural infrastructure and sites of excellence. This includes:
- Art Gallery of NSW: A total expense budget of $114.39 million, including $8.8 million of new funding to cover non-discretionary costs and ensure the Art Gallery remains free to enter for families and individuals and continues to be a free place of learning for our school children across NSW.
- Qtopia: $10.5 million capital investment in 2024-25 for the completed delivery of Sydney’s first Centre for Queer History and Culture. This will bring the total funding to $11.2 million for the Fund Qtopia election commitment.
- Australian Museum’s Spirit House: $2.5 million investment in the biodiversity library which preserves more than 1.3 million unique artefacts. This will support the preservation of nationally significant cultural objects.
