Guidelines confirm no money for individuals or screen projects in Senator Brandis’ NPEA.

The Ministry for the Arts has released the first details of the guidelines to be used by the National Program for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA). For almost two months, since the Federal Budget announcement in May, speculation and anxiety over what organisations will be hardest hit by the newly established fund has divided the Australian arts sector. In addition to objections over the stripping of almost $105 million from the Australia Council to establish the NPEA, suspicions that organisations from the small to medium sized arts sector and individual artists will be financially devastated by the funding reforms have provoked petitions and protests across the country.

However, one of the most contentious concerns about the NPEA is that it would ignore the impartial, peer assessment process of the Australia Council, favouring instead the pet projects of Senator George Brandis, the Minister for the Arts. The new draft guidelines say the NPEA will use “assessors” appointed by the Arts Ministry, who will be listed in a Register of Independent Assessors comprising sector and community representatives. The Ministry for the Arts will accept expressions of interest from...