Making your voice heard
How can I make my voice heard politically, and make a difference? This is a question often asked of Ausdance, whose work includes informing and lobbying politicians on behalf of its members.
While at Ausdance we undertake these activities throughout the year, there are ways you can also have a voice, especially at election time.
In 2022 artists are still particularly affected with job losses, little casual employment and fewer opportunities for creative development. With the Australia Council severely under-funded and a lack of clear arts and cultural policy at federal level, there has been little capacity to respond to what is a newly-emerging arts landscape.
To build and sustain communities that are vibrant, where people can lead quality lives and where bodies and minds are healthy, we need a viable and sustainable dance industry. People’s physical, social, cultural, emotional, mental, economical and creative health need to be nurtured. Dance enables this.
As an essential element of human communication, movement and culture, dance uses the human body as its vessel. This is the power of dance – to positively affect human society and wellbeing, to quantify the value of humanity.
The value of dance
So, how do we value dance? Why should it be supported? Do we value humanity? Why would you support that?
Take the time to share these questions (and your ideas) with your local Members of Parliament and Senators, and emphasise the importance of investing in an arts-led recovery by empowering artists to fully participate in the way forward.
The Conversation recently published an important opinion piece, noting the need for a national Ministry for Culture. Think tank A New Approach has published its research in a series of insight papers, also providing useful evidence for advocacy. Ausdance will be campaigning with key messaging that dance is ESSENTIAL and EVERYWHERE.
Taking action
Here is a guide for action in the coming weeks:
First of all, which Party has an Arts policy? Find out if they stand for the Arts:
- Find your Federal electorate and local federal member, or search for your State/Territory government members. If you are not sure which electorate you live in, you can search by suburb or town.
- Once you find your electorate, the names of your local members will appear, listing the political parties which they represent, with contact details and the number of votes (and percentages) by which the seat was won at the last election. It may well be a ‘marginal’ seat, i.e. needing less than a 4% swing to change hands.
- Make an appointment to visit your MPs and Senators (both federal and state/territory, not forgetting shadow Ministers), and discuss details of their party’s arts policy. Check their websites for maiden speeches to find out their priorities and interests so you can prepare your pitch.
- If you're unable to visit in person, write a letter drawing attention to the situation in the arts, but if you can, going with a group of artists would be even more effective, as long as you have planned what you want to say.
- Try to contribute positively to policy development by making particular reference to dance issues and pointing out any concerns you might have as an artist. In other words, tell the story about how you survive as an artist, but be clear about the issues you want addressed.
- Follow up with a letter thanking the MP pr Senator for his/her time, and summarising your discussions in writing.
- Ensure that your MP understands that artists vote and that your concerns about Arts policy will also be expressed to other candidates campaigning for the seat at the next election. Remember that your vote always counts, particularly in marginal seats.
- Suggest to all MPs in your electorate that they raise arts (and dance) issues at their Party meetings to ensure that your voice is heard.
- Continue to check Arts policies and keep up the pressure for change by speaking to all the candidates in your electorate, especially now.
- Make sure your colleagues and friends make personal contact with their local MPs to discuss arts issues. Regional artists, for instance, will have particular concerns, as might mid-career artists or those working in isolated communities. Funding affects all artists one way or another, and backbench MPs don’t always hear about the difficulties except from the voters who bother to contact them.
- Don’t forget State and Territory Senate candidates. The smaller parties such as the Independents and Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate (i.e. new legislation or changes to existing legislation will need their support to become law). These candidates need to understand that the content of their Arts policies will be crucial to gaining your vote.
- Make sure all your MPs are on your invitation lists, and maintain positive personal connections with them, and their advisors.
- And finally, give positive feedback if you detect changes of attitude in your MP or Senate candidate or, better still, changes of Arts policy direction!
If you are not a member of Ausdance already, join now to make sure your voice can be added to the other 1,500 members across Australia. Contact your local Ausdance office, or email Ausdance National.