NAVA discussions with the New Federal Government

Abridged from the NAVA newsletter
In early March Tamara Winikoff met with the Arts Minister Peter Garrett and his adviser Andrew Palfreyman to discuss a number of arts policy issues.
●Innovation Inquiry and the desire of the arts sector to be recognised as integral within both the innovation and creative industries agendas.
●proposed new Innovation and Creative industries Centre, fostering artists' professional development and cross disciplinary collaboration, supporting their innovative R & D activity, linking them with industry and facilitating their networking and exposure nationally and internationally.
●the difficulty being experienced by smaller organisations in being able to afford to keep up with the pace of technological change. A recommendation that a study be conducted to assess options for assistance.
●progress the introduction of a Resale Royalty regime in Australia. NAVA has been a long-term campaigner for this right for artists.
●National Review of Visual Education and the Visual Education Roundtable, a representative group convened by NAVA which has formed around the effort to see visual education well taught in schools as an integrated part of the curriculum K - 10.
●Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct and the associated Standards and Ethical Trade Strategies documents.
●some other issues which NAVA hopes to take up at a later date:
sedition law, ways to further stimulate artists' income generation including Labor's ArtStart social security policies, artists fees, various areas of tax policy, copyright reform in relation to public sculpture and setting a long term sustainable funding benchmark for this sector.
* NAVA's Innovation Inquiry submission will require help from NAVA's members within the next three weeks. If you believe either you or someone you know about is breaking new ground, undertaking what could be described as R & D, or
working across disciplines in new ways, or pioneering new territory in setting up an enterprise, or working in non-traditional fields, please send us a brief description for inclusion in NAVA's submission to merrilee@visualarts.net.au.

The full report from NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts) can be read in their most recent email newsletter sent out to members. NAVA news can also be read online at www.visualarts.net.au.