Is Sandilands’ stand against hate sincere?
Also: Ballet’s financial stumble reveals broader concerns about arts funding.
A few people may have choked on their cereal this morning when they read that Kyle Sandilands is one of 13 prominent poster people for the #StandUpToHate campaign sponsored by 7West Media, ARN and News Corp Australia.
Why? Because he’s said a lot of hateful things in the past. I won’t repeat them, but there is a list here.
A cynic would say that Sandilands’ participation in the campaign is a ploy by ARN, owners of the KIIS radio network, to rehabilitate his tarnished reputation. Especially since this comes soon after reports of enormous loss of advertisers that has shareholders worried that the Kyle and Jackie O Show could bring the network down.
Of course, everyone is entitled to reinvent themselves and it may be the case that Sandilands has turned over a new leaf.
I’d like to take him at his word. But I’d also like to hear him publicly apologise for the hateful things he’s said and done in the past and make amends, where possible, with those he has hurt. And pledge to go forward in a whole new way.
It’s very hard to argue with the idea of taking a stand against hate in all its forms, and in that respect I wish this campaign great success.
As for Sandilands, it’s worth asking the question: Can he survive without hate? It’s argued here by ad man Todd Sampson, that Sandilands succeeds (in Sydney, at least) because “we all need somebody to hate, and for Kyle the hate business is booming and ridiculously lucrative”.
Not-so-merry dance
The Brisbane performing arts scene is in turmoil. It’s been revealed in the past week that Queensland Ballet is struggling financially, and that a review at QUT recommends dropping its degree course in dance.
According to an AAP report, the review “also calls for a shake-up of QUT’s acting training to focus on screen and digital performance, with limited live acting development”.
The arts community has been abuzz online, with many showing concern for the future of dance and other performing arts in Brisbane.
The situation at Queensland Ballet came as a shock to those who assumed the company was in good health after many years of acclaim under globally acclaimed former artistic Li Cuxin.
That veneer slipped in July last year with the departure of Li’s replacement, Leanne Benjamin, after less than six months in the role. A statement noted that her artistic vision “is not immediately possible within the funding constraints faced by the company”.
Her replacement, Ivan Gil-Ortega, faced a stark new reality when he arrived in February.
As Phil Brown, the InReview Queensland editor, notes:
The company recorded a $1.57 million deficit in 2023 and hasn’t published its 2024 annual report, but we can guess it won’t be good news.
The lack of increased federal funding doesn’t help and that is a bit of a scandal in itself, but in the end the company only has itself to blame for the situation it has got itself into.
But QB and QUT are not alone in facing challenges.
Queensland Theatre made headlines for all the wrong reasons mid-last year when it pulled a production of the play POTUS, directed by Lee Lewis, the former artistic director whose departure was also mired in mystery.
The official reason was cast illness, but rumours continue to swirl that something else was at play. Audiences left disappointed by the debacle, and many in the arts community were appalled that the company — which employs a lot of people — didn’t have the resources for the play to go on. A lot of questions still have not been answered.
This has ramifications outside of the industry because the arts cost a lot of money — much of it from the public purse.
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There are some in politics, and the broader community, who see little or no value in government funding for the arts. Pragmatists reckon there are few votes to be won by parties promising to push money in that direction.
There is an expectation among many decision makers that the arts should “pay their own way”.
Having said that, governments of all hues have injected money into the arts, including funding companies and building venues. The very expensive new theatre at QPAC is testament to that.
If you’re not a fan of the arts, you may be wondering why it is funded. If some people want to see opera, theatre or dance, surely it’s up to them to pay for it. Why can’t producers risk their own money? Might that not improve the quality of the shows — or, at least, broaden their appeal?
Well, there are many people who feel the same way about sport, and yet it gets a huge slice of all our taxes whether we like it or not. Existing sports and venues are subsidised in various ways, and the cost of the 2032 Olympics is already of the charts.
Having said that, no individual or organisation is owed a living by the state. We have to need a conversation about what kind of cultural life we want to have and how that can be best achieved. And then we need a plan to ensure the people of Brisbane and Queensland get the best possible bang for their buck.
That’s for the long term. Right now, what’s the relatively new State Government going to do about the ballet?
Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek has said: “Queensland Ballet is going through a period of restructuring their business and they are continuing to consult with staff as part of this process. The company is a respected Queensland brand and I am monitoring this situation closely.”
Which suggests to me that there won’t be a big injection of cash to save the day for the QB, but it also won’t be allowed to go completely down the gurgler. Not wonderful news for those artists, technicians, support and admin staff who face redundancy, but better than the alternative of closing the company down.
This should serve as a wake-up call to all funded arts companies that they need to need to pay close attention to the way they cut their cloth.
While they have a responsibility to promote and advance their artforms, and tell our stories on stage, they also have an imperative to produce work with broad commercial appeal, so they are not exclusively and endlessly reliant on the public purse.
Taxpayers have the right to demand efficiencies, and audiences have a right to expect that they will see bespoke performances of the highest possible quality.
Sandilands is an absolute disgrace! Remove him from everything. Leopards don’t change their spots.
How does Sandilands get onto that panel?
Re the arts, as the saying goes… “go woke, go broke”. Continually producing shows from a particular political stance that are not the views of the mainstream theatre-goer, will eventually lead to empty seats.
Every sector is struggling at present, (except the vices, or if you happen to be a vacuous influencer), so no surprise the arts sector is down.
The thinning out of the Silent and Boomer generations will be devastating for the arts sector also.
Another perspective is that the rise of wealthy tradespeople in Australia will see a shift of money to those things that are of interest to them… which will probably not be so much in the arts.