An important change is coming to the arts sector that could improve the working conditions of those in this vital industry. In a historic move, the Fair Work commission could officially recognise the arts under an award.
A provisional decision on 14 August could see the Amusement, Events and Recreation Award 2020 renamed as the Amusement, Recreation, Events and Arts Award (AREA) 2020 – including "arts" and explicitly recognising this sector for the first time.
The change would mean greater clarity on working conditions for arts workers, including things like minimum pay, working hours and legal safety nets. It also includes a provisional view to add arts-specific duties and visual arts workplaces into the classification structure. This allows for recognition of the knowledge and expertise that comes through cultural and broader experience, not just that obtained through formal training.
The provisional decision has come after more than three years of advocacy from the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), the industry body seeking to improve working conditions in the visual arts.
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NAVA Executive Director, Penelope Benton said of the decision: “For decades, the visual arts sector has been trying to address the confusion and inconsistency that comes from fitting arts work into awards that weren't designed for it. These problems were identified in the Myer Inquiry more than 20 years ago and NAVA's advocacy for fair pay and conditions goes back even further.
“Having the arts named in a federal modern award, with visual arts workers and workplaces more clearly recognised, is a significant achievement. It gives arts workers and employers greater clarity about minimum pay and conditions, and provides a stronger legal safety net for people working across the sector.”
NAVA put forward a number of submissions to the Fair Work Commission, one of which was a joint submission with the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) and the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA).
Should the provisional decision be formalised, this could be one of the most significant moves for the arts industry in decades, making the space more equitable, allowing a greater range of voices to pursue the arts as a viable career.
“While these changes would provide an enforceable minimum safety net of pay and conditions, minimum Award rates remain too low for much of the skilled and specialised work undertaken across our sector. NAVA will continue to advocate for higher wages and better conditions, and maintain the Payment Standards in the Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design as the industry standard," Benton said.
NAVA is now working through the draft decision and will responds to the provisional change by 4 September.
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