The survey shows that about one-third of all artists experienced some period of unemployment during
the period between 1996 and 2001, and that about half of those applied for unemployment relief.This
level of unemployment is disquieting, although the survey results clearly refute any suggestion that
substantial numbers of artists are living off unemployment benefits at any one time. Indeed, the majority
of artists deal with the problem of poor remuneration from creative work by taking one or more other
jobs; almost two-thirds of Australian professional artists have more than one job.Non-arts work is a very
important source of income for some artists, providing on average double the amount of income that can
be earned from creative practice for the same amount of time worked.
In their creative work,Australian artists have little employment or income security.The vast majority of
artists, 75 per cent, are freelance or self-employed. Of those working for other people, only 12 per cent are
permanent while the remaining 13 per cent are casuals. The ‘flexibility’ of their occupational status may be
appreciated, but it comes at a financial price. More than half of the artists surveyed indicate that they fear
their savings for the future (including superannuation and all other financial investments) will be
inadequate to meet their needs. Furthermore, some 40 per cent of artists live as single people,with or without dependants, and thus do not have a spouse’s or partner’s income on which to fall back.Given the
generally low incomes of the majority of artists, and the high percentage of single artists, the future of an
ageing artist population is of concern.
As found in previous surveys, the two most significant factors restricting artists in the pursuit of their
creative work remain the lack of work opportunities and the lack of return from creative practice.On
average,Australian artists are able to spend just 50 per cent of their time on creative work, having to spend
the rest of their time earning income from other sources to meet their basic needs.Only 15 per cent are
able to spend 100 per cent of their time on creative arts work, and just 12 per cent can spend 100 per cent
of their time on the type of creative work that they most desire to do. So, despite their talent and desire to
work, it would appear that the economic circumstances of their creative practice–the number and types of
jobs available, and the prevailing low value attached to their work–prevent a greater creative output from
Australia’s professional artists.
The broader implications of our work are much as they were at the conclusion of the earlier surveys in
this series.The disadvantage suffered by professional artists should be a matter of concern for all
Australians, since we all benefit as a community from the contribution that artists make to our cultural
life. Such concern can be translated into action through improved community awareness of the
importance of the arts, especially through the education sector and the media.
The situation can also be improved through cultural policies pursued by federal, state, and local
governments.All three tiers of government do provide substantial resources in support of the arts and
culture, but there is always scope for more targeted support or for innovative approaches through a variety
of fiscal and regulatory mechanisms.
Finally, there are many ways in which artists can help themselves, not only through improvement in
their own skills at managing their professional lives and promoting their work (the latter an avenue that
most artists recognise), but also through collective action in asserting their legal rights and professional
standing. In this regard, arts infrastructure organisations, unions, professional associations and service
organisations are particularly important.