We Chat To The Australian Arts Party

By Samuel Leighton-Dore

With the Federal Election coming ’round the bend like the rickety steam train from Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, Heaps Gay have been committed recently to exploring our options.

However few there might seem to be.

Because if you’re anything like us, you’re probably feeling a tad disillusioned with Australian politics at the moment. I mean, it really does feel like we’re being asked to choose between an out-of-touch millionaire who declares that parents should “shell out” to help their children buy into an impossible housing market, and a man who was recently likened to “a pile of wet cardboard boxes held together with tangled sticky tape”.

So yeah, you might be excused for pouring yourself a tall glass of wine at 4pm and Googling cheap flights to Canada. After all, quality maple syrup and Justin Trudeau. Sigh.

But that’s where the Australian Arts Party steps in. Founded in October 2013 by two Sydney-based artists, PJ Collins and Nicholas Gledhill, the Arts Party raised registration fees through a crowdfunding campaign and was finally registered by the Australian Electoral Committee in August of 2014. After relentless budget cuts culminating recently in the what’s already being billed as the darkest week in Australian arts history, they claim to be committed to encouraging a more “creative, cultural, educated, and prosperous life for every Australian.”

Sounds pretty good, yeah?

We caught up for a chat with contemporary art expert and new Arts Party candidate Barry Keldoulis – a man who is “passionate about expanding the audience for the contemporary arts and growing the engagement of Australians, contributing to our distinct culture for future generations to enjoy.”

When I speak to Keldoulis, he’s just dried off from a routine morning swim at Bondi Beach and is heading over to Cockatoo Island to catch the final weekend of the 20th Biennale of Sydney. Off-the-cuff and immediately friendly, he doesn’t sound much like a politician – which I count as a good thing.

“The party started out almost two years ago as a result of the fallout from the tirade on the Australian Council.” He says.

“The arts used the be a bipartisan thing, but George Brandis’ $32 million raid made it apparent that the arts are moving towards becoming a political football. It’s a nightmare. They’re all talking about jobs and growth, but we’ll actually be losing a lot of jobs in the art sector. It’ll be shrinking.”

“They’re pulling the rug out from beneath the community.”

When asked about how he fares his chances at actually being elected into parliament, Keldoulis laughs and admits it depends on the day. He wasn’t raised to be a self-promoter. However, there’s a broader picture in mind.

“Even if we don’t get elected, it’s about establishing the arts as a voting block. Finally the Greens have come out and taken some arts part policies on board. We’re a non-political political party, so we stand to get preferences from both sides of the political divide.” He says.

“There are lots of Liberal voters who are very supportive of the art, and there are lots of Labor voters who are supportive of the arts. The difficulty will be getting enough first preference votes.”

“The major parties scream bloody murder about not wanting the chaos of a minority government or hung parliament. But it just means that instead of swinging from one ideology to another, we’d have the chance to talk things through and form a good government that way.”

Curious as to where Keldoulis and the Arts Party stands on issues beyond the creative community, Barry is quick to point out that his campaign is very much grounded in representation for a growing number of people.

“It’s an interesting question because obviously if you are in parliament you have to speak on everything.” He says.

“I think I’ve got a fairly good idea of the way my community thinks and feels. In terms of the organisation of the party, we’re often going back to our members to hear how they feel. It’s about representing the wider creative community on a number of topics. With communiction the way it is, it’s not hard to have an open dialogue.”

And on marriage equality?

“It’s a no-brainer. We’re very strongly in favour.”

You can learn more about Barry on Facebook here.