Writing NSW is set to lose its ongoing state government funding at the end of this year, as part of a decision to grant just 5% of long-term arts funding to literature.
Writing NSW is the main organisation for the literature sector in our state, supporting thousands of writers each year through its courses, events, opportunities to network with industry, prizes and fellowships, and independent information and advice. It is also one of the largest employers of writers in the country, providing paid work to around 300 writers each year.
It is devastating to see the state’s main support organisation for writers and the literature sector de-funded in the middle of a global pandemic, at a time when organisations across the arts are already stretched to breaking point.
I call on Don Hawin MLC, Minister for the Arts and the NSW Liberal-National Government to immediately restore ongoing funding to Save Writing NSW.