By Linda Morris
Copyright brisbanetimes
This weekend she will polish her soon-to-be published poetry collection, Ain’t No Hood Like Motherhood, then on Monday attend an interview with a government department for a permanent position that will cover rent and household bills.
“Each separate official process for funding has its inherent burden, plus the other paperwork that comes as a side effect of doing creative work,” says Sureshan. “Then, there is the mental load of being a parent and other circumstances, like I come from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. All these pressures add up to reduce the amount of space in my head for creativity. While the exceptional may be able to create something in a vacuum, most art needs space to breathe in order to come alive.”
Among 307 submissions made to Thursday’s landmark arts tax summit, to be held at the Sydney Opera House, there is near unanimous agreement the tax system is penalising and tying creatives like Sureshan in knots.
When Australians were locked down during the pandemic, they turned to the arts to keep them entertained and sane. But that didn’t save the billion dollar sector from its devastating effects. A cost of living crisis and stagnating government funding have been compounding hammer blows.
From sole traders to the Australian Ballet, creatives are struggling to maintain excellence, if not their heads above water, while balancing rising costs.
