PRIVATE sector support for the arts in Western Australia increased 13 per cent during the 2008 financial year, falling short of the 18 per cent jump experienced nationally, a survey has found.
PRIVATE sector support for the arts in Western Australia increased 13 per cent during the 2008 financial year, falling short of the 18 per cent jump experienced nationally, a survey has found.
According to the Australia Business Arts Foundation's second annual Survey of Private Sector Support for the Arts, private support for the arts in WA, comprising donations and business sponsorships, rose to $18.1 million in FY2008.
This 13 per cent increase, from $16 million the previous year, puts WA in fourth place on the state rankings.
Meanwhile, private donations to the arts not including business sponsorships rose from $3.2 million to $4.9 million, an increase of more than 53 per cent.
AbaF WA director Henry Boston said wwresources companies in WA continued to do the heavy lifting in terms of private sector support for the arts, and suggested contractors that work with the major resource companies would benefit by developing partnerships with the arts.
"Companies such as Woodside, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto continue to lend their support, as does Wesfarmers, but they're one of the more diverse companies with fingers in many pies," Mr Boston said.
"These figures demonstrate a resilience in private support of the arts, although it should be noted that the survey took place prior to October 2008.
"The change in financial climate has been a bit of a litmus test for what AbaF has been recommending to arts organisations and that is the need to develop long-term partnering relationships.
"There are a number of organisations that have three-year partnerships and one would hope that by the end of that three years the market would've settled down."
Private donations accounted for 27 per cent of total arts funding in WA in 2007-08 compared to 20 per cent in 2006-07, but this figure still remains relatively low in national terms.
Less than $1 of every $20 donated to the arts in Australia comes from WA.
However, of all the states, WA attracts the greatest proportion of total private funding from sponsorships ($13.2 million). Nationally, total donations and sponsorships grew 18 per cent from $171 million to $202 million, with New South Wales and Victoria taking out first and second spots.
Private support increased across all states and territories, most significantly in Queensland, where it rose 80 per cent from $10.4 million to $18.7 million thanks largely to a considerable increase in donations to the Queensland Art Gallery.
Collectively, art galleries, the performing arts and arts festivals received 76 per cent of all corporate and private support for the arts in Australia.
AbaF's survey incorporates financial data from 276 arts organisations across the country.