Mona and Tasmanian arts sector secure federal cultural investment record

The Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) and Tasmania's broader arts and cultural sector have secured the highest per capita federal arts investment of any state or territory under the Creative Australia cultural policy framework, with $42 million in Commonwealth funding directed to Tasmanian arts organisations, events, and institutions over the policy's four-year implementation period.

The investment includes a Major Performing Arts grant to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Tasmanian Theatre Company, an ongoing commitment to the Dark Mofo and MONA FOMA festivals through the national Major Festivals Initiative, and a new Regional Arts Fund stream specifically for outer-regional and remote Tasmanian communities where geographic isolation limits access to arts and cultural participation.

Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke said Tasmania's cultural footprint — particularly the global reach of Mona as a destination that had generated more than $1 billion in tourism-related economic activity since opening in 2011 — justified exceptional investment in the arts ecosystem that surrounded and supported the main institution. "Mona gets the headlines, but the TSO, Dark Mofo, and the independent arts community around them are what make Tasmania a genuine global arts destination," he said.

Mona founder David Walsh, who funded the museum from personal resources, welcomed the government's investment in the surrounding arts ecosystem while noting that Mona itself did not seek or accept government funding. Walsh said the public investment in events and organisations created a cultural richness that benefited Mona by making Hobart a more compelling arts city. "A rising tide lifts all boats," he said in a rare public comment on arts funding policy.

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