Creative arts students from regional and remote Australia can get access to a bit of extra support from next year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The federal government is putting in nearly $1 million to provide $18,000 to 50 undergraduate creative arts students from regional and remote areas to assist with course fees, purchasing study materials, accommodation and living expenses.
Education Minister Dan Tehan said the scholarships would provide support for students to undertake internships, to increase their work experience and to engage with the creative arts industry while they studied.
"These scholarships support our government's plan to lift the education attainment for students in regional Australia and strengthen the relationship between students and industry to drive workforce participation and productivity," Mr Tehan said.
"The work experience element in the scholarships will help students build networks, connect with employers and transition to employment in the sector after their degree. Financial support with the costs of travel, accommodation and textbooks will help Australians from regional and rural areas to achieve their ambition of obtaining a higher education degree."
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher said the cultural and creative arts sector supported more than 600,000 Australians and contributed $115 billion to the economy.
"Our scholarships will provide more opportunities, particularly for Indigenous students, to study towards a career in Australia's vibrant creative arts industry," Mr Fletcher said.
READ MORE:
"The scholarship program builds on the Morrison government's $250 million package announced on June 25, 2020, and the $27 million support package dedicated to Indigenous visual arts centres, regional arts and the live music and performance industry announced on April 9, 2020."
Regional Arts Australia told a recent parliamentary inquiry into the pandemic's impact on regional Australia that a growing regional creative sector was integrating with tourism, agricultural, health, education and technology, and with support creative industries could lead to wider social, economic and community recovery.
Regional and rural areas have also long been a source of inspiration for Australia's creative industries, a tradition carried on in a new generation of university students.
Disapol Savetsila, a graduate of creative writing at University of Woolongong, found the genesis of his Sydney Theatre Company work Australian Graffiti in the experiences of his growing up in Bathurst.
"I tried to tap into my experiences growing up in a rural town in a restaurant family. I was trying to tell that story of the conflict between the Thai and Australian cultures," he says. "But it's also the experiences of my parents' generation and my family."