As an award-winning author-turned-university-lecturer, I am all for nurturing the arts and developing creativity. But good writing needs well-crafted sentences and I am appalled to discover how little even postgraduate students know of the simple rules of grammar. Clauses lacking a verb are strung together with commas, words like 'their' and 'they're' are casually equated, and spelling is so abysmal as to impede meaning. Bad enough when fruiterers talk about smelly Spanish lawyers (ripe advocado's), but these are students of journalism and creative writing, for whom clear language should be a tool of trade.

Hello all.
Towards a creative Australia? We already are! But can the world see it? Here’s four initiatives that might help;

1) FUNDING FOR AUSTRALIAN PROJECTS CREATED OVERSEAS

o Let’s finance Australian independent documentaries filmed overseas, eg films about human rights and other serious international issues on the world stage – these films make an important mark overseas, but too often these topics are ineligible for funding from Australian media and arts bodies because they’re not filmed on Australian shores or about Australia itself.

Australia is part of a changing world, where an international focus is paramount. To forge a successful career most of our artists need to exhibit and create in the international arena as well. If we want Australia to reach the forefront of the world creative stage, our art and our artists should have a global vision, and a global outlook in the themes we give life to. Lets assist that in our funding focus too.

To give a very topical example; I recently filmed an independent Australian documentary undercover in Zimbabwe about the serious brutality of Robert Mugabe’s regime, at great risk to my own safety as I would have landed in prison or in hospital if my endeavours had been discovered. The doc was filmed from the hip and funded purely from my hip pocket too, because as far as I’m aware there is little finance available from the ABC, SBS or funding bodies for Oz docos that aren’t filmed in and about Australia.

The only thing ‘Australian’ about some of my films is that I have an Australian passport - They are about topics far further afield. But nonetheless because I (as producer) am Australian my films are proudly classed as Australian productions, and are representative of the Australian film industry at countless film festivals overseas.

For decades the focus of funding has been ‘Australian made’, and rightly so– but why has that been limited to projects made purely on Australian shores? Let’s fund more work filmed, painted, recorded or written by Australians overseas – it’s a fantastic way to broaden our horizons and experience, to represent our industry to the world, gain respect and interest in Australian projects, contribute to global debates and network with our peers overseas well.


2) MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION FOR 'INDIE' PROJECTS;

o finance and sponsorship to help indie artists pay for film-festival entry fees and distribution costs, and for attending international film festivals where they are ambassadors of our Australian industry

o An arts marketing/ distribution centre, assisting our ‘indie’ projects

Let's help get Australian projects out to the world, and Australian artists out there on the world stage. So many Australian independent artists pay for all project costs out of their own pocket... only to have projects gather dust unnoticed on their bookshelf, because they were too broke to then market their project to the world. Independent writers, musicians and filmmakers are experienced at writing, making music and films - not at marketing and distribution. We need to get our independent masterpieces out to the world – not just to YouTube. So why not create a marketing/distribution body, with a savvy team of marketing specialists, to help projects along?

3) CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR THE EXPERIENCED, NOT JUST 'FIRST TIMERS'

Let’s reward and recognise the careers of those unsung heroes of our creative industries- the filmmakers, artists, musicians and writers who’ve put in the hard yards for a decade or few, not just the ‘new kid on the block’. I know of a celebrated cinematographer struggling to support a wife and family and forced to consider a career change –after 20 years of experience and awards he can’t get work because he’s over 40 and no longer a ‘first timer’ or ‘young filmmaker’. Too often attention is only ever on the revolving door of ‘new talent’. ‘One hit wonders’ win the funding- while the real backbone of our creative industries are crippled.

4) UN-TAPPING THE RESOURCE OF ARTISTS ON WELFARE

(THE ELEPHANT IN THIS SUMMIT ROOM)

o Industry specific Job-search and career development courses for trained musicians, filmmakers, painters and poets ‘on the dole’ – eg courses on managing your finances, marketing your portfolio, self- distribution, integrating your skills into additional career paths.

o A co-op style job-search centre where artists can network with other artists – producers can meet directors, who can meet musicians and visual artists. This could inspire new projects and new companies.

o ‘Work for the dole’ options within the arts industries; instead of making artists join the ‘green corp’, why not let them join a ‘Creative Corp’? it would help the community and the artist; why not have the choice to work for a local arts centre or festival, teach or talking about your art in extra-curriculur local school programs, or put in some manpower to an arts advertising/marketing/distribution foundation, helping to release information about new Australian music, films and art to festivals and the media.

If we’re going to talk about creating a more creative nation, this is the ‘elephant in the room’ that needs to be addressed. Everyone knows the stupefying statistics of unemployment amongst trained actors, painters, filmmakers… and that many of our most talented creators struggle to survive below the poverty line on the ‘dole’. Too often the system fails for creative people – they’re shuffled into applying for jobs that often conflict with their creativity or creative personality, and too often when their new bosses find they are a round peg in a square hole they’re unemployed and back onto benefits again. It’s a vicious cycle, and a waste of the experience they offer to the Australian arts industries. Lets rework the system to help support artists on welfare benefits into sustainable careers – and to tap into that vast network of talent too.

Its time for our world class creators to steal the world stage. So lets stomp that elephant out of the room, finance international projects and international marketing, and get on with the job.

Wendy Dent

Independent film writer/producer/director

wendydentfilms@gmail.com

http://www.wendydent.com

GRAFFITI

Perhaps this subject has been covered by someone else. It is important.

The commonest type of graffiti are performed by persons using spray cans.

One assumes that these persons have not paid for their spray cans, but have stolen them. Such is the nature of graffiti writers, one would assume.

My submission is that legislation be introduced making it compulsory for sellers of spray cans to remove the cans from public display, and require persons who want to buy them to provide identification particulars which are recorded for future reference.

I acknowledge that there are many other ways to create graffiti, but this would inhibit a major and common means.