this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2026
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[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 1 points 19 hours ago

No-one who’d seen Ricketts Lane would ever accuse Australia of being artless.

[–] Gorgritch_umie_killa@aussie.zone 1 points 20 hours ago

Non-market based solutions. If the economic market doesn't value creative industries its unfortunate, but the creativity will and should carry on.

Of course, ot does mean, there is a lack of incentives to coordinate resources. But this can be overcome with community groups and formal and informal partnerships.

It won't replace 'like-for-like' the creative outputs that can be achieved through an economic incentive structure. But the creative outputs can be just as engaging.

[–] SaneMartigan@aussie.zone 16 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

It's too expensive to be an artist in this country. Used to be able to work a few shifts somewhere to earn enough for food, rent, art and a drink from time to time. Now a full time job barely pays enough to rent a shoebox. The soul crushing boot of neolibralism strikes again.

[–] makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's too expensive to do anything in this country. Took my daughter and wife to Breaky the other day. A meal each. A drink each. $120

FFS It's insanity.

A Breaky for 3 should maybe be $60 or so.

[–] SaneMartigan@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I get that it's not all on the store but I can buy a dozen eggs and a loaf of bread for $10, making 6-12 breakfasts. Sure they're not as fancy as a cafe but it's $10+minimal effort vs $150. Getting to the cafe is more effort than cooking the breakfast, cos I live in the dull outer suburbs.

[–] FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 3 points 1 day ago

You’re not factoring your rent/mortgage into that cost though, like stores have to, nor are you having to pay a minimum of what - 3-4 staff at all times a fair wage.

It’s not the cost of the food that is making everything expensive, it’s the cost of everything around the food - power to cook it and light the place, wages, lease, insurance, etc.

[–] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 5 points 2 days ago

Yeah the only people who can afford it now are wealthy kids, trust fund kids.

There was once a time our decent social services underwrote the development of performing arts but that’s squeezed out now by housing and life costs.

It’s pretty obvious why it’s dying; the same reasons birth rates are falling. The major parties aren’t hearing it though.

[–] shirro@aussie.zone 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Being a starving artist living on the safety net is more difficult with cost of living increases.

Lots of music came from countries like England, Sweden, Australia which were reasonably wealthy and had some minimum level of social welfare. We lost affordable tertiary education and it is one less place for people to meet and form bands or experiment.

Young people looking at creative careers are seeing management everywhere turn to AI slop and looking elsewhere. Everyone is hoping to find work that can't be outsourced, can't be automated, has fair labour practices, won't put them in massive student debt and will still be around in 20 years. The choices seem to be narrowing.

[–] FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Just one thing - student debt in Australia generally isn’t a problem like it is overseas. HECS/HELP repayments are a tiny percentage of your wage, and only kick in after you’re earning above a certain amount. Student debt would affect artists the least because the likely wouldn’t have to even repay it until they’re not struggling.

[–] Gorgritch_umie_killa@aussie.zone 1 points 20 hours ago

Its the one thing i think the Albanese gov really wasted money on, that rebate. There are so many other important needs all those funds could have been directed towards.

If they still wanted a positive change to the hecs/help debt scheme they could've increased the rate the repayments kick in back to pre-Abbott levels. Accounting for cost of living increases, it mightn't even be a controversial policy.

I speak as a beneficiary of the rebate. Surely the policy wasn't that popular with hecs/help debt holders that it drove votes.

[–] No1@aussie.zone 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

"Peasants do not deserve idle time, and art is only for the rich that can afford it."