Scott Morrison abolishes Department of Communications and Arts as part of public service restructure
The Morrison government has abolished the Department of Communications and the Arts as part of public service restructure, rolling it into a new super department called the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
The shake-up, approved by the Governor General this morning and taking effect on 1 February 2020, sees the number of government departments reduced from 18 to 14 to deliver ‘efficiency’.
Mrdak has been secretary of the department since 2017
“Australians should be able to access simple and reliable services, designed around their needs. Having fewer departments will allow us to bust bureaucratic congestion, improve decision-making and ultimately deliver better services for the Australian people,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
“The new structure will drive greater collaboration on important policy challenges. For example, better integrating the Government’s education and skills agenda and ensuring Australians living in regional areas can access the infrastructure and services they need.”
Arts ceases to exist. Name, portfolio, Federal Govt focus – gone. That stuff your kids do and love? The music, the television, the theatre, the performance, the books, the films? That $111 BILLION dollar industry and all those jobs? Not the Federal Government’s concern. #auspol a https://t.co/gjwQABTAq5
— Virginia Trioli (@LaTrioli) December 5, 2019
As a result of the restructure, five Secretaries will no longer have a job when the changes take effect on 1 February, including the secretary of the Department of Communications, Mike Mrdak. Simon Atkinson will be the Secretary of the new consolidated department.
“Each of these senior officials has served their country with dedication, commitment and a deep sense of public service over many years, and their advice, achievements and leadership have been valued by governments past and present,” Prime Minister Morrison said.
The Australian Financial Review reports that Mrdak, who has led the department since 2017, was only told of the changes yesterday and claims there was no consultation.
Prime Minister Morrison has confirmed that there will be no reduction in the number of Ministers, while the union for the arts industry, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), said its members “will not take this lying down”.
“The absence of the word ‘Arts’ from the new department’s title says it all,” Paul Murphy, MEAA’s chief executive, said.
“This government’s disdain for the arts has reached a new low. It did not release an arts policy at this year’s federal election, and its attitude has been cut, cut, cut.
“The only explanation we have been given for the abolition of the Arts Department is a wishy-washy statement about reducing government waste. If there are efficiencies to be gained, then there is now no better opportunity than to redirect those savings directly into arts communities and reverse the years of neglect and erosion of funding.”
A spokesperson for the minister for communications, cyber safety and the arts, Paul Fletcher, said that “there is no change to the Morrison Government’s strong commitment to the Arts”, nor a change to the role and funding of the likes of the Australia Council and Screen Australia.
“The dedicated and committed officials working on arts policy will move across from the former Department to the new Department and they continue to have the same responsibilities and the same resources,” the spokesperson said.
“They will continue to be accountable to the Commonwealth Minister for the Arts Paul Fletcher – there has been no change to his Ministerial title or responsibilities and arts policy continues to be the responsibility of a Cabinet Minister.”
Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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Simon Atkinson is the ex-chief of staff to Matthias Cormann and has nowhere near the experience or competency of the people who have built their careers within these departments. This is part of the further LNP politicisation of government departments, stacking them with their own hand-picked yes men, and contributes to a general trend of Liberal governments ignoring expert advice and due process, in favour of myopic ideology.
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Wow, just wow.
A PM who clearly understands nothing about how connection and communication drives the fabric of a nation.
A sad day for all communities in Australia
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Art: trains ‘n roads ‘n sh#t
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Well who needs the arts when you have coal and church?
How good’s being a massive c***?
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As they arts have now been binned by this governement, all liberal voters should now be banned from all arts events and activities unless its a Murdoch owned. No dancing, no music, no galleries, no films. Sorry, not for you lib voters. You will be asked at the door.
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Many public servants – gone. Ministries – gone. Ministers – Same.
Talk about self serving politicians. I reckon the Ministerial position, associated salary and perks also need to be gone as well. How can they close down ministries yet keep the same number of ministers? Wow. The hypocrisy is undeniable. If Albanese doesn’t jump on this he is crazy. He should be calling for the Ministerial position to also be made redundant. Return 4 of his ministers to the back bench.
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… ah, so the people who actually pay to consume art should be banned leaving only the spongers crying for more government funds to prop them up? Good one John …
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It’s time to stop talking and start breaking things.
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“The arts are essential to any complete national life. The State owes it to itself to sustain and encourage them….Ill fares the race which fails to salute the arts with the reverence and delight which are their due.”
Winston Churchill, 1938.
Absolute funting philistines; troglodytes who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
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Between the Medivac bill being repealed, abolishing Arts & rolling Comms into infrastructure and transport (can someone please explain the relationship?!?), this has been a very dark week for Australia. Sadly, I’m sure there is more to come.
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Somehow, this philistine government keeps finding new ways to be nasty and shortsighted.
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Seriously, this rabble has NFI.
Why not roll all the departments into one and call it The Department of Worshiping at the Feet of a Federal Surplus?
(By the way, do people realise a surplus means that the government took more taxes our of your pocket than it spent on vital services for you as Australian citizens – you get less than what you pay for).
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This is not about efficiency, it is about control.
Fewer departments means less room for dissent.
Ideology is easier to enforce.
Don’t be fooled by the dumb fat dad schtick, The Great Morrison Dream is one department, one party, one state. Or: Australia as a Pentecostal China.
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A real Philistine government would have merged arts with sport (and thrown in say tourism, the territories and the environment for good measure).
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Abolishing the Department of Communications and the Arts has come with no surprise to me at all.The position of Minister for Justice was also abolished and that Minister quit politics. The Minister for Communications position was held by the former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull before he became PM. He quit politics. After Mr Turnbull became PM he made his then supporter Senator Mitch Fifield Minister for Communications. He has now quit politics.
Australia Post comes under the jurisdiction of Minister for Communications. All the alleged documented corruption and cover ups that are ongoing in Australia Post from June 2006 are known to numerous politicians. Each one has failed to act to hold Australia Post to account. Please read the following link and numerous images with explanation to understand the seriousness. Time has come to investigate why this Department is abolished and why the Arts does not become part of the new department.
http://chng.it/4hmgw2TG
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What is going on?
The following two Minister for Communications quit politics.
1. Mr Turnbull quit politics
2. Mr Mitch Fifield quit politics
3. The former Shadow Minister for Communication’s portfolio got changed long ago by Mr Shorten. He is Mr Jason Clare.
All these politicians had Australia Post under their direct portfolio responsibility. Is their alleged protection provided to Australia Post has played any part in this move of abolition?
Australia Post is involved in the documented corruption and cover ups from June 2006. To know more please just type “Petition Vasant Wagh” in Google.
The truth will always come out is my view.
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I had to write a song about this! It seems like this “reorganization” falls under the same blanket idea that arts are a hobby and don’t make money/aren’t worth investment. Even on the surface it seems to further complicate management and organization of departments.
The truth is, I’m not even a resident here in Australia yet, so I am looking at this from the outside. I’ve applied for PR, and would love to live here as an artist from the US. I don’t know how this will play out for the arts, but we can imagine that history repeats. The societies that minimize/eliminate/defund/de-prioritize arts fail. Those that elevate it succeed. I’d love to share the song with you (not to spam, but to see what you think): https://www.facebook.com/thisisbot/videos/981892635499418/
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LMAO so you really think liberals are the only ones who pay taxes in Australia? Talk about ignorance.
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