Federal Labor commits to saving the Victorian College of the Arts
Cath Bowtell,Julia Gillard,Simon Crean
posted Monday, 9 August 2010
Today Federal Labor pledged to restore the funding the Coalition cut in 2005 to the VCA if re-elected. This would ensure that the college can continue to deliver high quality practice based teaching.
This funding commitment builds on the recent sensible move by the University of Melbourne, to suspend the introduction of the Melbourne Model for the VCA.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said there had been a lot of community concern that the VCA’s role as the lynchpin of Victoria’s artistic community is protected.
“Thanks to the strong advocacy of Cath Bowtell, Simon Crean and I have been convinced of the need for Federal Government to step in and provide the funding needed to secure the future of the VCA,” Ms Gillard said.
Cath Bowtell said: “Melbourne has a fantastic artistic community – and it is the graduates of the VCA sustain our theatre, fill our galleries and play at our gigs.
“I am proud that as a Labor candidate, I have been able to help negotiate an outcome that will ensure that the VCA continues to help sustain Melbourne’s artistic community.”
The VCA will receive an additional $5.1million in 2012, rising over time through indexation.
This level of funding is the quantum required to match the pre 2005 funding rates cut by the Coalition and will provide the VCA with the funding needed for a sustainable future.
A condition of this funding will be that the University of Melbourne maintain the VCA’s current funding beyond 2011. This will ensure the resourcing provided by Federal Labor above and beyond the amount currently provided.
In addition, the Victorian Government has pledged to provide $3 million in funding and to work with the VCA on options to assist them with their future capital needs.
This will provide $2 million to establish a Foundation Trust for the VCA and $1 million for equipment and faculty renewal.
Federal Labor will also matching the funding provided to the Foundation Trust with a further $2 million, bringing total seed funding to $4 million.
This means over the three years from 2012, total additional funding provided to the VCA will be more than $20 million.
This comes on top of the additional $15 million in funding the VCA and the University of Melbourne will receive in the three years from 2012 as a result of Labor’s new, higher, indexation rate for all university grants.
Minister for Education Simon Crean said Labor had a fantastic record of supporting our higher education institutions.
“This investment in the VCA demonstrates our continued commitment. Over the period 2008-09 to 2011-12 we are providing $36 billion for university teaching and learning – one third more than the Coalition – and more than $9.6 billion in research – two thirds more than the Coalition,” Simon Crean said.
“I am also pleased that the Victorian Government, and Arts Minister Peter Batchelor in particular, has stepped up to the plate and is making a contribution to delivering additional support to the VCA.”
Funding for this project will be fully offset over the forward estimates, consistent with the Gillard Labor Government’s commitment to return the budget to surplus in three years.
Tags: art, arts, college, education, Melbourne, Victoria, Victorian