Titanic Inc. appoints Arts advisory panel

The Prime Minister’s 2020 Creative Australia was a weekend party which produced confusion, quite a lot of hot air, and a huge hangover. Arts Minister Peter Garrett is looking for help to get out of the mess – or to offer up others to blame when the Government does take action.

The Australian learned yesterday that Garrett has invited 10 members of the 2020 Creative Australia group to join a Creative Australia advisory panel. They include [Julianne] Schultz, Sydney businessman David Gonski, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia Council chairman James Strong and arts commentator Marcus Westbury. The group will work with Garrett on developing some of the summit’s more ambitious ideas. More subtly, it will provide the minister with those important conversations that remind people in power of culture’s value. No doubt he will be listening.

Listening? He heard them singing “Gimme, gimme, gimme” back in April. All Australia heard them. And now the Creatives, who have posted their wish lists and hung their stockings, are waiting for the arrival of Father Christmas.