Cultural Policy in Australia needs to Support Artists and “Junior” Academics

By Ruth Skilbeck

 Damning figures just released into return on investment in higher education degrees in Australia, in terms of graduate incomes, shows that the return for graduates of Art and performing arts is still less than zero for most Art graduates who have to actually subsidise their careers as artists. “Junior” academic-writer-intellectuals (post-PhD) are in a similar position of having to produce research and write many publications before they are eligible for livable research grants- or full term employment.

“Artists’ work involves high hidden costs, including unremunerated research and development costs.”  Artist Careers: do you really expect to get paid? Australia Council of the Arts report.

One thing that seems to happen is that often once academics move into full time university positions they stop talking about these realities, as they do not want to say things that they fear may jeopardise their own positions. This is how power reproduces itself, and the marginalised workers (casual academics, part timers, those on time based contracts etc.) are never mentioned ...in the policy discussion and decisions. (The syndrome whereby "old Marxists" morph into neoliberal apologists or centrists- protecting their own interests).  So if those marginalised academics are also producing publications- which as an academic post PhD one has to do in order to have a chance of gaining a more permanent position or research grant (post doc - DECRA etc.)- this means that all the enormous amount of research and writing work that goes into this will be unpaid. In effect, if not primary intention, this is a way that the universities/government are able to extract an enormous amount of unpaid labour from "junior" academics (of all ages)- approx. 10 publications are needed before an academic is eligible to apply for a DECRA or other post doc research grant that will pay a livable salary. ("Junior" in academic terms refers to "age" after PhD graduation, so academics in their 50s can be thereby  considered junior).

This reflects the situation of artists in the community who also work unpaid whilst they are attempting to build up their careers and outputs as artists- to reach a stage where they may make some return from their art.

Yet at the same time, in Sydney, costs for all the basics, housing, food, utilities etc., continue to escalate. This is making it impossible for junior/casual academics, and artists to live here and continue to work as 'productively' and creatively as they could be. We need a cultural policy that addresses all of these issues, to strengthen the arts and cultural life in Australia and support all those who create culture and art.  A good start would be subsidies for accommodation and all other basics. Many universities are now investing huge amounts of money in building student accommodation that they are renting out to students at high prices. At the very least they should be offering genuinely subsidised and low cost housing to casual academics and part time staff- so that they can continue to afford to work at the universities? Many academics working in Sydney universities cannot even afford to live in Sydney and have to somehow fund ways of staying in Sydney whilst they teach. All casual/contract academics should be assisted by universities providing free or very lost cost accommodation for the teachers of the courses that after all bring in the bulk of the income for the universities.

©Copyright  Ruth Skilbeck

_{Artist careers.}

_{Do you really expect to get paid?}

_{An economic study of professional artists in Australia}

_{What’s your other job?}

_{A census analysis of arts employment in Australia}

_{http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/79072/Artist_career_research_summary.pdf.}

_{2009/2010 (research period).}

_{GradStats 2012}

_{http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/gca002770.}