A new report has been released on cultural funding by government in 2015-16.

1 August 2017

The estimated total expenditure by the three tiers of government during this period was $5,841.2 million for cultural activities:

  • $2,289.8 million (39.2%) from the Australian Government
  • $1,973.1 million (33.8%) from state and territory governments
  • $1,578.3 million (27.0%) from local government.

The amount spent on cultural activities by all government averaged $243.97 per person in Australia.

The report measured 24 categories across the heritage and arts sectors. The categories included museums, libraries, arts education, archives, music, festivals and film production.

The Australian Government provided an estimated $2.3 billion during 2015-16, $1.8 billion of which was used to fund arts activities and $474 million for heritage activities.

The report was prepared by a consultant from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on behalf of the Meeting of Cultural Ministers.

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