EMBARGO: 8.15 P. m.
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, MR E. G. WHITLAM, M. P.,
AT THE OPENING OF THE 21ST SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL,
STATE THEATRE, SYDNEY, SUNDAY. 2 JUNE 1974
one of the most impressive aspects of the recent
election campaign was the public involvement and commitment of
men and women whose voices are not often heard in political affairs.
For me, there was no better, no more moving an example of this
than a meeting here in the Sydney Opera House only 5 days before
the people went to the polls.
On that day, about 20 men and women stood with me
before a capacity crowd in the Concert Hall and declared their
allegiance. My appreciation of their action was in no way diminished,
of course, by the fact that they declared their support for the
Government which I lead. Those men and women represented various
groups and occupations in our community. But, appropriately, in
Sydney's most striking symbol of cultural endeavour, the biggest
single group consisted of artists: novelists, poets, painters,
actors, producers and the like. I don.' t believe any of them will
feel belittled if I say they were led by bur only Nobel Prize
winner for literature, Patrick White.
These men and women did not talk simply about the
arts. Some stressed their belief in the need for Australia to
maintain a modern and independent stance in foreign policy. Some
stressed their concern about the environment and conservation
a concern which would have been particularly pertinent if stated
in this remarkably ornamented theatre. Some stressed a more
general concern about the type of society they wanted Australia to
be: Patrick White, for example, wanted to ensure the end of what
he described in a somewhat startling phrase as " the mental
constipation" of the past.
Nevertheless, a dominant concern for all of these
people was for the future of their own fields, for the future of
the arts in Australia. I don't think it is vain of me to say that they
believed that the present Australian government has done more for the
arts than any previous Australian government. I appreciated greatly
the willingness of those and other Australian artists to acknowledge
just what we have done. In politics, one doesn't always expect
such acknowledgements to be given. In this case, it was; and, if
I can be so bold, I believe that that recognition was justified.
Indeed through the Australian Council for the Arts alone, the
Australian government is providing $ 14 million for support to the
arts in Australia this financial year. In other words, our assistance
is twice that of 1972/ 73. Response to our new program has been
overwhelming. The Council for the Arts has received about 4,000
applications in the last year for assistance for various art forms
and has provided about 1,600 grants.,
One of the major objectives of our program has been to
help our artists in the pursuit of excellence. This pursuit would
not be possible if they did not have financial security. it is fair
to assume that already hundreds of Australians who would otherwise
be working in other fiplds or in other countries are now pursuing
professional careers in the arts in Australia for the first time.
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The continued security of our artists, however, must
always depend on community support. That i ' s why our program has
emphasised the need to encourage the spread of interest and
participation in the arts throughout our society. In turn, this can
only be aided by the achievement of another major objective; for
the arts to help provide an expression of a national identity.
I believe the aim of community support is already starting to be
achieved. In a small way, the meeting at the Opera House 3 weeks
ago demonstrated this. Not many years ago, one might have expected
a lot of Australians to be unimpressed by a statement of endorsement
by a group of artists. Now, I think, Australians generally have
become sufficiently proud of their . achievements to pay attention
to them. In no area has the need for Australians to have the
opportunity to pursue excellence, to encourage community support and
to express a national identity been greater than in the film industry.
Although it had a vigorous anxd promising beginning, it has languished
for years. Yet there is no question that we have had people of
talent who have craved the chance to restore the industry, to create
worthwhile Australian films and to reach an Australian audience.
We are determined to give them that chance.
The prospects for the film industry look very bright
at present. Last year, seven Australian feature films were produced.
Already in 1974 nine Australian feature films * are in production in
addition to one financed by American interests. A further 16 feature
film projects are being planned and six of them are expected to go
into production during the next 12 months. Not only has there been
a great improvement in the number of films being produced in the
last two years; there has also been a great improvement in the
public response to those films. There have been several notable
examples of films which have attracted large crowds to our main
city cinemas. The Australian Government is seeking to ensure this
recent trend will develop further. It is making financial assistance
for film making available through two government bodies the Film
and Television Board of the Australian Council for the Arts and the
Australian Film Development Corporation. Since its formation in
February last year, the Film and Television Board has made 407 grants
worth nearly $ 2 million. These grants were given to individual film
makers and to organisations, such as film co-operatives to help
establish cinemas and distribute independently produced Australian
films; to the National Film Theatre for nationwide screenings of
films of specialised interests; and to film festivals in Sydney,
Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The Board has established a number
of community access video centres in the western suburbs of Sydney
and Melbourne and has similar plans for Brisbane, Adelaide, Whyalla
and Fremantle. The Board also plans to provide a cinema in each
capital city to show Australian films and for use by non-commerical
film makers and organisations for screenings, workshops and seminars. / 3
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The other main arm of Government assistance, the
Film Development Corporation, has helped with the financing and
promotion of feature films. It has recently been involved, for
example, in the promotion and exhibition of " The Cars that Ate Paris"
at the Cannes Film Festival. The Film Development Corporation
will soon be replaced by the Australian Film Commission. This
follows the Government's acceptance of a number of major recommendations
by the Tariff Board which enquired last year into motion picture films
and television programs. Cabinet has agreed that the new Film
Commission should be able to provide up to half the budget for an
Australian film. And in addition, to provide a promotion subsidy
for such a film. The precise amount of money to be made available
to the Commission is still being considered but it can expect more
funds than have been available to the Film Development Corporation.
I realise that there is still pressure within the film
industry for a major change in the distribution and exhibition
system for films within Australia. The Tariff Board did make some
recommendations in this area. But Cabinet considered that the
Constitutional barriers to the implementation of these recommendations
were too great. Nevertheless we will continue to watch this area of
the industry carefully to ensure as much as we can that the films
released from Australia's New Wave receive adequate distribution
and exhibition. The Government of course doesn't seek to stifle
the showing of overseas films in Australia. On the contrary, it is
part of our statedpolicy for all the arts that Australians can see
important works from overseas. A large canvas which hangs in
another public building in this city is controversial testimony to
that desire. Similarly, we regard it as important that film makers
and filmgoers are able to see the range of films that is offered at
a festival such as this. As the Sydney Film Festival comes of age,
I am glad, as the Head of a Government which has provided support
for its activities, to declare it open.