Real money and real jobs for artists with disability

The #RealMoneyRealJobs campaign, launched today by Arts Access Australia, calls for increased funding to support artists with disability, and increased employment rates in all government-funded arts and cultural organisations.

“In 2008, the disability pay gap for artists was just 9%. That has now widened to 42%,” said Arts Access Australia CEO Meagan Shand. “This is a critical issue that is only getting worse. It is past time for the government to act.”

Research shows that artists with disability are more likely to be unemployed than artist without disability and are likely to spend longer in unemployment. And when they do find employment, they can expect to earn less than half the income for their creative work.

“Professional artists are one of the lowest paid professions in Australia. Add disability to the mix, and you are living just above the poverty line,” said Ms Shand. “To fix this double disadvantage, artists with disability are calling for real money and real jobs.”

“We know Australian’s value art for the diverse perspectives, experience and insight it brings to their lives. But in order for art to provide this, we must protect and value diverse voices.”

The full election scorecard for the campaign is available here: Election Score Card 2019 (doc, 44KB)

People wishing to take part in the campaign can write a letter to the government via our accessible online platform.

The public is also invited to take part in the Arts and Disability Pre-Election Forum on 26 February 2019. The national Q&A forum will provide an inclusive space for MPs and candidates to present their policy action on accessibility in the arts to the public. The forum is free and will take place in Fremantle, Western Australia, from 10am AWST and will be live-streamed across Australia. 

Contact

Yvette Tulloch

Communications Manager, Arts Access Australia

Email: media@artsaccessaustralia.org