A division of the Liberal Party of Australia
OPPOSITION’S CAMPAIGN FOR LAURA FUNDS DRAWS BLOOD
24 June, 2009
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Getting money for the Laura Dance Festival has been like trying to get blood out of a stone, but a response today in the Senate suggests that the blood might flow shortly.
North Queensland based Liberal Senator Ian Macdonald who has been running a campaign to get funds for the Laura Dance Festival said that he was pleased with a response from the Arts Minister today that the Australia Council is working on providing Funding for the Festival for the current year.
“I have been pursuing the Rudd Government for funding since I learnt that for the first time for many years no funding had been made available by the Federal Government”.
“The Coalition Government had provided funding for the Festival for a number of years but requests this year had fallen on deaf ears.”
“In early May I wrote to the Minister asking why funds had not been available and received no response and last Friday, the day before the Festival I again contacted the Minister’s office and was promised an answer but still have no response.”
“I therefore raised the matter in Question Time in the Senate yesterday highlighting the hypocrisy of Labor Party members who attended the Festival proclaiming support for it but who failed to ensure that their Government had provided funding.”
“As a result of my question yesterday it has been confirmed in the Senate today that no funding whatsoever has been paid for the current year’s Festival.”
“However the Minister did indicate that the Australia Council was trying to facilitate payment.”
“It’s a disappointment to me that neither Mr Turnour nor Senator McLucas, both of whom claim to represent Far North Queensland, had been unable to assist me in my campaign to get funds for the Indigenous Dance Festival in Laura.”
“However I am delighted that, as a result of my campaign, there is some evidence that blood is trickling from the stone.”
“I hope in the interests of preserving Aboriginal culture through the Laura Indigenous Dance Festival, that that funding does materialize from the Federal Government.”