ACT Delivers 25 Per Cent Funding Boost for Arts Organisations. More than $8 million boost for Canberra arts as government backs venues and live entertainment.
The ACT Government has delivered on its election promise to increase funding for Canberra’s arts sector, with the 2026-27 Budget providing a 25 per cent boost for arts organisations.
At the centre of the package is more than $8 million in ongoing funding to support local artists, arts organisations and creative businesses across the territory. The aim is to give the sector greater certainty so organisations can plan ahead, invest in their work and create new opportunities.
Importantly, this isn’t a one-off cash injection. The funding has been built into the government’s ongoing budget, adding to the ACT’s existing investment of more than $9 million a year in arts organisations and arts centres.
Arts Minister Michael Pettersson said the increase was a direct response to what the sector had been calling for.
“This big uplift in funding is what artists asked for and what we promised at the election. This budget delivers.”
The budget also includes significant investment in Canberra’s major entertainment and event venues.
Upgrades are planned for GIO Stadium, EPIC and the Canberra Theatre Centre, while the proposed 2,000-seat lyric theatre is another step closer to becoming reality. The venue is expected to open in 2028 as part of a larger entertainment precinct that will include the new National Convention and Entertainment Centre.
The government says its broader investment in tourism, events and live entertainment is designed to help grow Canberra’s visitor economy by up to $1 billion by 2030.
The funding boost comes at an important time for the city’s live music sector. Evidence submitted to the Legislative Assembly’s inquiry into Canberra’s night-time economy highlights the challenges many venues are facing, with more than six nightclubs and live music venues reportedly closing over the past five years.
Venue operators have also pointed to the high cost of doing business, including annual liquor licence fees of almost $37,000 for a late-trading venue with a capacity of 350 people. Industry groups say those fees are more than double those in Victoria and around ten times higher than comparable fees in Queensland.
While the extra funding for arts organisations has been widely welcomed, concerns remain about the pressures facing commercial live music venues.
The ALMBC will be paying close attention to the recommendations that come out of the night-time economy inquiry.
