The life of an artist is often marked by financial instability, precarious work, and unpaid labour. Many creative professionals juggle part‑time jobs or abandon their artistic careers entirely just to make ends meet. Now, the Irish government has taken a bold step — introducing a dedicated basic income scheme for artists. The question is whether a similar model could work in Australia. Here's what we know.
What exactly is the scheme?
Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) provides selected artists with a regular weekly payment to allow them to focus more fully on their creative work. After piloting the scheme from 2022 to 2025, the Irish government recently made it permanent.
The BIA project will see eligible artists paid €325 (around $545 AUD) per week by the Irish government. It's designed to sustain the careers of artists in a range of careers, from actors to makeup artists, allowing them to devote more time to their work, continue their training, and attend things like auditions, that don't pay.
Ireland's Culture Minister Patrick O'Donovan said, "The pilot research has consistently demonstrated both the positive impact it has had on those in receipt of it and how difficult it is to work as an artist in Ireland given the income precarity prevalent in the sector."
Who is eligible?
In order to access the scheme, artists will need to apply. Applications open in May, and around 2000 artists will be selected. From there, they will receive the weekly payment for three years. After that time, they'll need to reapply again.
Detailed elligibility guidelines are yet to be revealed, but we know that they'll need to:
- Be a resident in Ireland when applying
- Be a professional artist with a professional creative practice
- and have a creative practice which is primarily based in Ireland
Why this matters
Artists play a vital role in shaping culture, community, and economies, yet they often receive limited financial support. The Basic Income for the Arts is explicitly designed to allow artists to focus on their creative work without the constant pressure of financial insecurity. By providing a guaranteed income, the scheme reduces stress, supports career longevity, and enables artists to invest in training, materials, and projects that might otherwise be impossible. Early evidence from Ireland shows that recipients spend more time creating, participate more fully in their disciplines, and contribute more broadly to cultural life — outcomes that benefit society as a whole.
What’s the situation in Australia?
In Australia, there is currently no nationwide basic income scheme for artists, and support for creatives is primarily delivered through project-based grants, short-term funding, or allocations to arts organisations rather than guaranteed income streams. That's despite the Australian arts and creative industry being worth an estimated $112 billion.
We've seen the impact of this firsthand, with festivals cancelled, venues closing, and artists struggling to supplement their earnings with part-time or unrelated work.
While elements of similar proposals have surfaced — including calls from the Australian Greens for a national artists’ living wage — these initiatives have not been implemented at scale. As a result, many talented creatives face the same precarious conditions that Ireland’s BIA aims to address, leaving the Australian sector highly vulnerable.
