'A massive backwards step culturally': Australia will no longer have a federal department dedicated to the arts

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Scott Morrison has announced the arts department will be rolled into a department that will also oversee roads and rail.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a public service overhaul, cutting the number of departments from 18 to 14 from next February.

Under the changes, the current Department of Communications and the Arts will be rolled into a new entity that will be called the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.It remains to be seen how the arts will fit into this new department and how arts funding and resources will be affected.The executive director of the National Association of the Visual Arts Esther Anatolitis told SBS News she was"gobsmacked" at the decision.

"Deliberate choices have been made [here] - value choices, ideological choices. Someone has made the choice to devalue a $111.7 billion [a year] industry," she said. "We would expect government at the highest level to reflect what makes us who we are and where we see our future as Australians. That makes this step of removing the name of the arts ministry a massive backwards step culturally for Australia.

Because when I think of Arts, I think of transport, city and regional development, infrastructure and communications.Australia without the arts is just a blank sheet - is this really your vision for the nation? Arts funding should be increased not cut, ALL the studies prove the benefits to us all, economically, sociallly, and physically. Honestly, where is your head at?

 

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RufusDuSol Hopefully the roads will incorporate plenty of accommodating space for the grey nomads forced to sleep on the side of the road due to $176 a night for a powered tent/caravan site on the coast near the beach away from bush fire smoke. Meanwhile..... AusPol

RufusDuSol Ok I will do it. Melinda Laidlaw For Prime Minister of Australia. Authorised by M. Laidlaw, Arts Party of Australia, Canberra. 😁

RufusDuSol The new artwork on the road and airport entering Canberra Australian Capital Territory (+ 2020 Reconciliation Action Plan): Welcome to N̶g̶u̶n̶n̶a̶w̶a̶l̶ Scott Morrison Country

Is this to encourage more graffiti on trains? 🤔

Nothing artistic about this fraud.

Budakesz, Budakesz ott lakom e'n, csina'ljuk a tejet, tehe'n meg e'n, tehe'nnek la'ba ko'zt van egy kebel, melyet a tej ve'gett ra'ngatni kell..=Budakesz, Budakesz, that's where I live, making milk with Riska and me,...Schramli Music MMX

PetraAu very interesting - i guess noone would complain if they knew that crooked politicians have been using 'the arts' to pilfer and money launder your taxpayers dollars that would otherwise be used for important infrastructure. As this is a middle finger to the thieving globalists

That face - art?

Dreadful to down grade the Arts to be a subsidiary of infrastructure, just ridiculous!

RufusDuSol Counterpoint: USA? Seeing as you are based there.

RufusDuSol I’m absolutely devastated that this will diminish its relevance and the govt will disengage further with the arts, with our entire existence in my family.

It’s time to flush this Govt 💩🐒

RufusDuSol Welp does this mean home and away and neighbours will get worse

Unfortunately this is the gov’t the people of Australia voted in - shaking my head in disbelief...

Opportunity missed. A great chance to get rid of that Dept. Wasted. Put money where it can make a difference.

So my take on this is we (artists) should all become graffitists...

Great news. Very few industries have the patronage of a government department.

UTOPIA the show sadly a true reflection of this government

This govt. is damaging Australia in just about any way that can be imagined. They need to go asap.

If scomo can't make a buck he doesn't give a fuck

What the hell? Just when other countries are investing in the importance of arts in health and wellbeing

VendulkaMusic Wow. This is truly novel, not in a good way...

So what? I do not like my money going to the ABC and SBS. You are a waste just like having a separate department for the arts

Oh so, so sad.😥 The next generation is screwed at this rate. Even if they manage to make it through a painful school experience, the only jobs will be something around business, etc. Completely lacking personal expression 😥😥😥😥

W.T.F?

All the art in Government collections, it should out down, and have just naked walks, perhaps, in that moment, ScottMorrisonMP will notice that art, is important!

FilmCriticsCirc from the sublime to the gor-blimey! as the saying goes...

I think l theat sentence should simply read “The Arts Department will be rolled.” Concise and accurate.

😳

Makes no sense whatsoever.

Maybe the PM has likes the show Utopia and wants it to be real life. Rob Sitch for Minister for Arts, Road and Rail Infrastructure ?

Like graffiti on trains and bridges?

So wait - does that meat train graffiti is now covered under the arts portfolio and not police or transport 🤔

The denial of beauty as everything has to fit within the dry model of economic rationalism. So outdated but so sad today to see that again. 😢😱

Winston Churchill refused to cut Arts funding even at the height of WWII It shows just how far-right this government is when they make Winston fucking Churchill look like a Liberal.

Good

well this makes sense.... wtf

Can we expect to see our infrastructure become a bit more conceptual and experimental? Was the Sydney light rail project actually a production of Waiting For Godot?

He’s got the boomer vote guaranteed.

He's obviously impressed by the large scale art along our freeways.. makes sense... 🙄

haydenperno for your ref :(

So Melbourne, Geelong and Benigo are on the UN top list of creative cities. Great accolades for all those creative's living in Victoria. So let's dismantle the Commonwealth support for the Arts that should do the trick! 😡

Good grief

No environment, education or arts dept.. He is slowly strangling all dissenting voices. Aus will soon be little-USA just like Scomo is little-Trump

A song keeps playing in my head now.......'We're On A Highway To Hell' repeat, repeat, repeat..........

White hot rage is what is needed here

So the arts have been rail-roaded.

Goody,does that mean TISM will get their freeway?

Finally...better signage!

LesStonehouse “And won’t that get all the lefties into a lather! Teeheehee!”

Arts sacrificed to the god of NeoLiberal austerity again. LNPfail. ScottMorrisonMP degrading our culture one step at a time.

This was number 62 on the IPA Wishlist for the incoming Abbott government

We are now the déplorables

Either the roads will be beautiful or the paints will have pot holes .... it can go either way ScottMorrisonMP seriously mate? Is that what we vote for?

To those kids who excel in the arts over core academic subjects, what message are they hearing Don’t we have a youth suicide issue? My god, has the Morrison government lost its mind? And to think i gave them my vote. MistakeMade.

Tough times require tough measures... essential services are priority.

MichaelKilgari2 Hopefully the ABC gets the axe as well!

Backwards Australia drops the Arts...

Ministry Of The Arty Trains

Philistine 😒

I understood what this means is less executive public servants. Still federal government funding of the and arts with most the bureaucracy in tact. Bob Hawke looked for efficiency in the public service by combing them.

What a lame idea!

No wonder he’s smirking!

Luddite

He’s clearly a Thomas The Tank Engine fan.

Oh what a Muppet!

When you have a government that espouses fear in order to control, it is just too risky to encourage and nurture creativity. What next? I dare not think about it!!

The sum of his intellect is a sack of coal.

because he's an outright cretin

good they may do a better job

Wow! A radical new art movement started right here in Australia... what shall we call it? a. Road Art’? b. ‘We’ll Get You Moving Art’? c. ‘Express Art’?

Was a money tank anyway

He has no redeeming features at all

SBS Truly unbelievable. Govt of the lowest possible denominator.

They play songs on trains what more do artists want? /s

These hard core religious nutters always attack anyone or thing that encourages creative thinking and open minded collaboration. It is the historical basis of these religions. And they wonder why religious participation is waning.

This is some crazy times. The imbeciles in power are really up to some serious destruction.

Noooooooooooo! epicfail

Here’s hoping that in the dystopian future Australia of exploitative manual labour and cans of dog food for dinner the economy will be so broken that there will be nothing left to skim off the top and these parasites might be starved out of existence.

Such an obvious blend

Makes sense. I like environment and agriculture as well, simplifies things for Angus

I’m finding it harder and harder to tell if Morrison is stupid or evil. The evidence supports both possibilities.

It’s all about that sweet, sweet surplus

Excellent news.....been wasting Tax Payers money on Trivial Shit far too long......

Hell no!!!

Makes no sense. In a politician’s mind “I’ve an idea! The Arts use road and rail to move around. I’m sure Mad Max: Fury Road couldn’t have been made without roads and rail.” C’mon this is a joke. What’s happening to our cultural values? politicalselfinterest

what? throw this man into the sea

That smug look gives me the irits

Painting lines on the road is kind of art right?

What's the problem? We'll all benefit from more artistic road signs & we can have unemployed thespians perform for us when stuck in road works. What's not to like?

Good

What a complete flog 🤦🏻‍♂️

What the...? 🤷‍♂️

Why don’t you stop thinking about stupid insignificant things like that and do something constructive like sending in the army boys to help the volunteer fire fighters after all we are paying their wages

Good

Because of course

Message for ScoMo

The arts with road and rail. Sounds like the Road Runner.

Surely even a lot of people who voted for him are coming to see how WRONG all of this is

I personally have always wanted a more art focused highway when I am driving to keep me stimulated.

Straight out of utopia

Can't wait for Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications - The Musical auspol

Was health rolled into the finance department? After all the feds don't look after one hospital do they? They just finance the states as far as I'm aware with some inevitable duplication.

The arts have been railroaded - literally!

He’s a Cronulla supporter! Say no more.

whichcuntvotedforhim

Excellent best move yet.

Give me strenght, has he any idea 🤬🤬🤬

Cool. Now the hippies can do murals when stuck to the road.

What the hell?

If it’s so worth while it can pay for itself, funding is a word entitled elites use instead saying “we want your money” hopefully SBS gets shut down too, its used by date ran out in 1999

Start buying up graffiti, the market’s about to explode

In a world that is increasingly recognising creativity and the arts as essential to good mental health and healing - this. GregHuntMP please please help us. creativearts performingarts music songwriters designers creator dancers actors

Australia is under attack from the Government it voted for. The arts and our wonderful emerging culture is but one more victim of this grotesque regime . How bad does it have to get before we say enough ? auspol philistines

Good news for comedians who have burnt bridges and are looking for fed funding

I wonder if there'll be an ad on Gumtree tomrrow ; ' Surplus bureaucrats available , free to good home , fully housetrained ' ? ScoMo ScoMoFo ScoMoCull auspol shaunmicallef

Australia seems to be taking its cues from US and UK and electing utter dumbasses to positions of power, where hey can do the most damage

Good. The yarts are shite.

Mandatory helmets for ballet dancers!

Ever wonder why Canberra never votes LNP? Ever wonder why SBS and ABC has a left wing bias? This is why.

the 'arts' doesnt need a goverment department, it needs government to get the hell out of the way.

That's a good fit.

NonSense

Good move go ScoMo

All the tree swing lefties will be having a temper tantrum now! Even though 99% of them wouldn’t have even known there was an arts department to start with 😂

Good. Lets get rid of wasteful spending.

So much for ‘culcha’!

This government is stupid and wants the rest of us to be too.

Get rid of this clown VoteThemOut

Mr Morrison are we really that tight for money?

Just showing his contempt for the arts. Though I’m sure Tina’s job is safe.

nicplowman Make art regardless

🙄😡And I thought Ag and Environment was a deplorable decision. Just thank FAARRRK Joyce isn't still there! Not that those other two thick heads are any better. Wilful stupidity.

Roads, Rail, and the arts? Really? I've got a bad feeling about this. Art in all its forms is too important to Australia. We can do better than this

Just in case anyone was in doubt of his appalling ignorance.

Sell Blue Poles, Put up a parking lot.

What is it with Smirkmo? He does know he isn't remotely funny.

Good, shrink government to bare bones and cut taxes. Let the commies move to New Zealand.

This is an Age of Road Art and Rail Art !!! What is the necessity of Fine Arts ? Political Art is the Best Art -- !!! Thank You .

Well have to wear our underpants over out trousers now He has seriously lost the plot. It would be funny except this our government. ScottMorrisonMP Get help.

I think it’s clear now. This administration is completely out of its depth.

dyLABs Get rid of all the arts. What has art & culture ever done for anyone? It's not like it's ever enriched anyone or any society. Unlike years of continued fucking economic fucking growth.

Gergyl Ask him that last time he went to an Australian art gallery of any type when not on official business. Or the last time he went to the theatre in an unofficial capacity.

Cultural Revolution?

Does this mean we use our myki cards to get into the NGV? artsrailroaded ScottMorrisonMP

Well when you look at the ridiculous sculptures by the sides of our freeways, you can see there’s a strong link between the two these days.

Good. 👍

To be fair, he probably got the idea from graffiti artists

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. sackscomo

Just make sure you remind people who thank for this obtuse individual all these people that voted liberal auspol ScottMorrisonMP

DirectorCallan watching the anglosphere committing suicide must be at least kind of fun for all the people whose cultures we murdered

The PM is a fool ,what has ROADS GOT TO DO WITH ARTS ?

Save money... great idea.

Finally the joint (Canberra) is getting a touch up. Well overdue.

It is only art

Oh! I get it. The Arts are rolling stock, hence the being ‘rolled’ into the road and rail department. Thing is we’ll still produce art. ScottMorrisonMP have you seen the stats about how much income the Arts generate? More than all sports combined. You ludite.

Art is a form of self expression and enables commentary on society. Clearly things this govt is aiming to bury. Not quiet enough.

This man is a total threat to Australia and the people who voted for him must be either gullible or the same self- serving types. OutWithMorrison

Sounds like a plan.

Roads and the Arts. Makes total sense 🙄 Ah well there ends government support for the Arts 😢 Good to see he found something else to wreck

Dafuque?

The sooner he gets taken up to heaven the better

So the Arts will quite literally be 'RailRoaded' then? Is this a failed adman's idea of a joke? Or is this just more of the PM's psychopathology for us to endure . OK I get it, fucking psycho!

What a peasant

One intelligent pronouncement needs to be met with another, ' ya muppet'

ScottMorrisonMP You'd better expect a lot more graffiti on trains, buses, depots & stations. A stupid move by an ignorant govt. LNPfail auspol arts

ABCTV ‘s Utopia just got another 7 seasons of content

A country is defined by its arts and culture, sure, beer and footy is all part of our culture, but that’s at the lowest rung of the ladder surely?

The synergies are blatantly obvious, transport and the arts. It took a genius like scottmorrisonmp to spot this. FMD! Australia has gone down the toilet.

Good

WELL, THERE GOES OUR REPUTATION ON THE ART WORLD. 😡👎

Do you guys think Scott Morrison would throw his kids art in the Bin?

invisiblearts

Makes enormous sense considering most of the graffiti is on trains and train stations. Auspol ScottMorrisonMP

I thought that was a joke when I read it

New department theme song will be Train whistle blowing

Good

Remember this at every election. Local, state and federal. They are dumbing down our nation.auspol

LaTrioli Our PM is an 'artisan' artist. According to him all roads and rails are leading to (not Rome) but to arts, ha,ha. It will be a long, transcontinental road and the tickets will be very expensive.

BridgetOFlynn The dudes lost it 😬 🤪😵😜🙃

Authoritarians and fascists love going after the arts

You should have said in the headline that the new dept down not have “art” in its name

Was looking to see TheShovel or chaser

The new arts sub-dept will be dedicated to BBQs, beers and blokes.

Pig Morrison! Not my prime minister! Never will be. Hypocrite!

Narrow sighted and absolutely a kick in the groin to every artist in every category in Australia as removing the very word ARTS makes it invisible. Never was never will be my Prime Mnister

What a crushing blow to our arts community...

Roads & Rail With Arts. THAT MAKES SENSE

Conservatives cannot tolerate the idea of ANY money not going to the HUGE CORPORATES

Of course not, all the deparments he’s dismantling are so he can firstly change policy to his donors wishes and secondly make Australians conform to his world view as a religious zealot.

Who made up the proposed folding of departments at the Federal Level? There needs to be some explanation for these moves. Who are these Faceless Policy Makers?

Atta boy ScottMorrisonMP Resign

KEEP CALM AND CLAP HAPPILY

I'm quite sure that this will soon go south like many of the 'innovative' ideas they have produced in the past. One day, those who truly know what to do will be allowed to solve these issues.

workingdogprod - I foresee another season(s) of UtopiaABC ⬆️

At least our roads and rail will be artistic.!

How predictable and fitting from a govt. of greed-driven Philistines.

LNP : artless and heartless.

The LNP are an artless lot. Seriously.

This is great. I’ll be able to go to work with my wife now

liarfromtheshire LNPfail

So all artists must become troubadours Buy your train ticket now. My head is in my hands, I am aghast. what a total bumbling puddingy recreantly craven servilist

SBS Is he taking the piss or what?

Wait for the 'we can't fund ABC & SBS as they take money away from building roads'

He’d know a lot about the philistines.

Scomo succumbs to a bit of nostalgia for the old days laying tags on some rolling stock in the yards at night

Wo! Seriously going backwards Australia

So scomo announcing a 200 million grant from the arts department could in fact go to a controversial mine rail project? Yeah, sounds like a dodgy amalgamation to me. So someone with infrastructure experience is going to oversee arts funding? Vice versa? What a dumb move by him!

That’s one fine looking nation.

Imagine a group like the Knitting Nannas applying for a grant to purchase wool to knit beanies for refugees only to be told that it’s all ready been hot tarred and dropped into pot holes on some backward unused road.

The Sydney Dance Road-Tarmacking Company could do with some extra funding. Their performance road-building work has not been recognised, enough. Building highways in tutus & tights is inspirational for the nation. arts

People could always subsidise their own arts including through arts societies and associations. Wouldn't that be weird. Its actually not an essential public service. People can't buy housing yet they pay taxes to help others be artsy. It's probably something to think about.

There is no end to this destruction

One step closer to a fascist state

I can see the logic in this. After all our trains & roads are a bit boring. Looking forward to seeing our trains covered in awesome murals and our roads lined with amazing artworks while the theatres, galleries, concert halls etc & the artists all disappear

What would you expect from an NRL water boy?

Arts?. Love it it, fund it, support it but, a whole Federal Department dedicated to it?. Seems like waste to me.

Odd

How do we get rid of this guy effective immediately? scummorrison

WTF?!?!

PetraAu Just when we think this government has done as much damage to Australia as they possibly could, we now suffer this nonsense of 'super departments'.

The arts should be protected from party political bullshit. Where is the opposition? Does the nation's Art have a voice? Will Scomo be burning books next?arts auspoI ScoMo

Heading back to the dark Ages where power dominate the people

Consume, be silent, die.

This is what stupidity looks like in the age of Trump, Putin, Johnson, Hanson and Morrison. Congratulations, Australia, you are in great company!

Shameful act

Beer swilling is his culture.

So, ScottMorrisonMP ... Australian culture. Where the bloody hell is it? Oh, yeah. Squished somewhere between trains and the NBN. How good are the arts? Not good enough to warrant their own department, apparently. unbelievable

SBS Maybe if the Arts Department added more religious themed iconology they'd find their funding returned. It would be a Christmas Miracle!

However... If you have a go, you’ll get a go.

So I guess free expression is getting railed? auspol

Cannot wait to see the stop-go people performing swan lake while waiting for the road to clear.

Jo_Bond That makes no sense what so ever. Maybe roll military and health together too. just random. schools and sports.

Hahahahahahahaha I love the photo they've chosen for this article. SBS proves that satire is alive and well in our brave new arts-less world. Satire photojournalism jerksincharge

The phillistines have taken over the asylum.

Excellent

HkarterKarter Taken a leaf out of theAbbott songbook

PetraAu A very Trump like decision, that is, stupid.

IDIOT!!

DXPetti Roads, Rail, Art.... one of these things is not like the others, but Scomo doesn't give a damn

AustralisTerry In a long list of things that are wrong with this government this might be missed. It is a sure sign of totalitarian behaviour that will have a much bigger long term effect than just a merger to save money. Art is the heart of a country.

So the graffiti stays on the trains (urban art). I am looking forward to enjoying a production of Murder on the Orient Express on the CountryLink All Stops sloth-coach. I just hope the musicians can help the national railway with keeping time.

Where was this in his election campaign?

Super-departments don't increase efficiency.

FFS

Disgraceful. Is 'cultural sabotage' too strong?

SBS Wow

This is a time bomb for whatever incoming govt has the courage to reverse these brain dead decisions. The Libs will howl about the expense of re-establishing govt depts.

As President John F. Kennedy once said: ‘This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor...There is a connection, hard to explain logically but easy to feel, between achievement in public life and progress in the arts.’ Take a cue, ScottMorrisonMP. 🤦🏻‍♂️

For the purpose of streamlining, the Environment and health ministries have now been rolled into the white goods division.

AustralisTerry Except for the portfolio of The Art Of Lying. That still exists with many ministers in charge of it, especially the Not My PM.

Australia has a very large federally funded Department for the Arts. Centrelink.

Sco Mo has caught the Trumps, a new disease which destroys someone's ability to reason and apply logic. Arts with roads and rail WTF!!

Wtf?

the mind boggles at the stupidity - but who was it who said the arts are dangerous?...as indeed they sould be.

We need to spend more on the Arts Everyone listen to Naomi Wolf realize on live radio that the historical thesis of the book she's there to promote is based on her misunderstanding a legal term

Idiotic to say the least

SBS Jo Mo has caught the Trump, a new disease which destroys someone's ability to reason and apply logic. Arts with roads and rail WTF!!

The man is a genius. Truck drivers in tutus singing Nessun dorma, semis taking a shortcut via the Opera House promenade and funding for theatre companies based on how much bitumen they can lay during interval.

ScottMorrisonMP is becoming more fascist & vile by the day. Burning books (other than bibles?) will no doubt be next. Education, arts & culture (oh & compassion BTW) play an invaluable role in the fabric of a healthy society & good leaders know this. He’s not one of them

SBS About to become a cultural backwater like in the 50's and 60's when they were great auspol

Scott Morrison is insane. Arts is worth billions and employs hundreds of thousands. His brain is broken & he’s taking Australia down with him.....

PetraAu Apparent Morrison will announce a new federal department to oversea the building of an Ark ... 🤔 YaThinkN

It’s unlikely he’s ever had any contact with the arts in his entire life

So what. Machinery of government changes happen all the time. Have a look through Administrative Arrangements Orders going back to the 1970s and see where the arts portfolio has lives.

So now engineers are now artists that sounds wright after the cladding fiasco now they will be able tell what is art safe and what is fire safe I know this doesn’t make sense but either does these moronic bastards in power

What an utter disgrace! This government is determined to lower us all to their level. LNPDisgrace

MinhKular And that's the economy and climate change sorted. How good is that?

Fake news surely...

PetraAu No coal.....or fracking in the arts. So it's obviously no good for anything

SBS Dunno about anyone else, but I’m just about ready to take my contempt for this government to the streets. auspol

SBS Overseeing roads and rail has always been an art!

People are gonna fliiiiip :)

A money earner lumped in with a money drainer department. Go figure? What will we be left with culturally - a gospel choir singing religious dirges? makemorrisonhistory at the next election.

am I reading this right did I just forget how to read or is this real life

This is getting a bit Oliver Cromwell.

PetraAu room left after his sacking from Qld Tourism. The PM will provide a couple of mobiles and a chair 'how good is that'?

mmmhotbreakfast Is this for real?

If a can paraphrase Morrison, not him the other one, does this mean “keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the artistic wheel” Jimmorrison TheDoors RoadHouseBlues

FU ScoMo! Are you just getting stupid & stupider?!?!

PetraAu Makes sense. Don’t forget he’s doing this for us. Sure.

Roads, infrastructure and art, yep, I can see how that will work.

His favourite Australian artist is Arthur Streeton. comedygold yourewelcome auspol art

I think next time the Government changes we should take inspiration from Scott’s rationalisation of things. We could start by importing Finland’’s education system.

What a joke

LaTrioli He should burn in hell

What?!!! This is disturbing

Symptomatic of a government that has lost its spiritual mojo (if it ever had one).

If I learnt anything from 1984 it's that to control the people and get rid of independent thought, you must first get rid of the arts... Then education. Watch out. Big Brother if coming. auspol edutwitter

ScottMorrisonMP no class, really is a beer swelling bogan that thinks attending a pretend Christian Church will get him by. Artists will survive but not with any help from this Govt.

Perhaps more appropriate to put arts with Treasurery - support the Artful Dodger!

Great thing about art is you can sell it, no funding required.

We can rid of most of the public service. Inefficient and too expensive.

wonder if Nicole & Keith have any regrets about attending the Morrisson/Trump dinner now that was a joke auspol

The Arts will now compete with Roads and Rail for attention within the Morrison Government. auspol

This government is destroying all our values- Keating lived the Arts and did so much for ut😞

Would have to do a better job than Brandis.

He’s planning to have a mobile vagina museum 🤣🤣🤣

Well The bogans are really at the door now

What I wish I could say here, in response to this.... could get me bumped off Twitter.

He really is a complete ignoramus.

A ministry for Religioua Instruction can't be too far away

Hillsong made him do it !

It gets worse every day.

What an absolute pelican

APadeau Who cares

We are on the way to the abyss.

Thank liberal voters for this

Fuckhead.

He's probably just getting rid of anyone that would challenge his dodgy deals.

Bogans all!

Is he for real? Arts, roads and rails ? What a weird combination!!!! Why not get Centrelink or the Taxation Dept. to do it? Ridiculous !!! 🤣🤣🤣

InspectorClous7 WTF this Govt is dried up and SO outdated.... topple topple topple. The Arts 🎭 need it’s own place and to be championed you drongo Morrison and Co. 😢😱🎭

PetraAu

But please piss and moan about AngusGate theres a reason your attention was diverted

LouiseBeaston He discounts the arts, denies natural justice, refuses oversight & transparency, & ignores science. What does that leave him with? Superstitious religious beliefs & self righteousness. Welcome to the Dark Ages of the Morrison regime.

The inland rail will be called the Brett Whitely

I thought this was the betoota for a minute

I honestly can't think of a single way in which I've ever benefited from the existence of a Department of the Arts. Anybody?

o.O

LaTrioli 'Having fewer departments will allow us to bust bureaucratic congestion' ... great sound bite; but complete nonsense in practice!

LaTrioli Otherwise known as the department for anything that doesn't fit somewhere else

God I hate him even more, didn’t think that was possible

Unbelievably stupid and short sighted.

For all his elitism ScottMorrisonMP is a cast iron philistine whose only recreational interests are watching other people work up a sweat and drinking beer.

Haha - what an absolute tosser.

A sad development.

Richard_D_Boyle At last a government that encourages street art and graffiti! auspol

Wow artistic roads🤔

LaTrioli Its a miracle? or Not ?

Great mooove ScoMo - nothing like tarring (& feathering) The Arts! BloodyDisgrace Philistine Bring back MechanicsInstitutes for when we educate the masses, we won’t tolerate ignorant populists & instead, with well-rounded People’s we’ll vote a true Statesman in! AusPol

History shows religion has alway been scared by sciences and the arts. Makes sense for that our MP ScottMorrisonMP would follow this history. Artists speak their mind and lead change. Something Scott will try to squash

Our Accidental PM is also an idiot. If he’s not lying, he’s creating a bigger mess than he fixes. May god help us all!

Has Sport got to share it’s portfolio with anyone? Seriously, they are trying to find savings through cuts, not innovation! Look what they’ve done to R and D!!!

😥😥😥😥😥😥

That’s a good decision PM the two areas have a lot in common!!!!!!!!

I thought I couldn’t be more disappointed. I was wrong

So much common sense this govt.. let us prey for a new one

Wtf?!?!?

What is it with the LNP and potatoes..?

Makes sense. Because the artists who aren't making enough money to afford to buy and run a car to drive to their gigs are taking the train. Same same, I say. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Maybe they should just sweep whats left of it under the carpet and pretend it was never a thing.

PetraAu Graffiti?

VictimsOfNoah you know what to do

If ever a face needed a shoe

Failing PM

LaTrioli Slash wages. Make surplus. Brag about it. Then hire mates as consultants because it will all fall apart due to lack of effective staffing. Wages bill much larger but mates happy and repaid for favours rendered. Sound familiar?

Touch of ‘the Yarts’ with the Morrisons.

Fuckwit

Scott McCann in the new production of Hamlet.

Yep - for this ‘government’ infrastructure is an art form 😳😡

It's like shaunmicallef is writing the news for real now!

Good

Arts, Rail & Road or ARR. Where everyday is

I want to say something glib, but this is truly infuriating. It has to be a fucking joke... Hasn't it?

Richard_D_Boyle No need for him and all his cronies to go to the opera or a theatre or a concert or an art gallery or the bloody football on us taxpayers then. Stuff em all

what bullshit

then they came for the artists.......

Ohhhh I get it, our roads and rail are a colossal joke, and comedy is a performing art, JUST throwing it out there..religion and child abuse are more closely linked... not that he knows anything about that........................

I can see the synergies.

However, a new ministry will be established to oversee an enlarged Cheese Board with the Minister to have full senior cabinet member status. howgoodischeese RoadsAndTheYarts auspol

Seems legit....

They have taken all dangerously 'progressive' things such as education, climate, environment and arts and bundled them into super ministries at cross-purposes so you will not need to worry about those things ever again. They govt sure won't. auspol

Wot ?

LaTrioli When the arts are all you’ve known, this is a great way to make you feel worthless. The whole world wants to enjoy your talents, but expect you to do it all on your own. Actually, that’s okay - I always have!

This is an absolute joke. How can he truly justify this? Merging completely different sectors won’t ease a bureaucratic congestion, it will just make it worse. The Arts & Communications sector deserves so much more- I didn’t even realise a PM could just cut & paste deptartments

... because roads and rail have always been intrinsically artful.

BillBillshaw The old pull them out of a hat management trick. He is sharp this one isn't he.

Giving it to us up the arts is ScoMo 😨! Scorched earth policy in play!

I guess on some planet that makes sense... actually that's a No, anywhere!

Wtf 😂😂😂

What the serious f

Train journeys will now have an intermission and popcorn for sale... Cant wait for my trip to Sydney with a chectop

Bogans don’t do art ScottMorrisonMP

Predicting a big Christmas for Scalextric cars and Hornby train sets this year! auspol MikeCarlton01

Bad call ScottMorrisonMP. BAD… CALL!!

😳😳😳

Is that because the money is needed to pay ScottyCam9 for his newly created position ScottMorrisonMP The well paid, looking after the well paid. Put the money back into TAFE funding, not bloody Scott Cam.

Now he's just fucking with us.

Whattt!?!

The government gets an F ARTS

First Medevac now this. And they think Trump is bad.

LaTrioli His dad was a police chief, an amateur actor and theatre director, and a churchman. Clearly Scott's upbringing has something to do with this decision.

Prime Minister, I would call this the beginning of the end, cultural genocide and the total disregard and dismissal of the arts community😐

Richard_D_Boyle The budget has a blowout scomo JoshFrydenberg

You are vile ScottMorrisonMP

Richard_D_Boyle Corp/Govt is being wound down in the Global Debt Facility.

LaTrioli Da fuq

So, I wrote this article for theage today as a wake-up call for the arts. Revision required. Consider us now at DEFCON 1.

Makes sense...how good is the 🎪

Combined different departments = salad department?

AngryGranny1 Maybe they could put up up some artistic road signs that show the way to The Lodge? Then we could all go and share our artistic expressions with the PM.

I never thought we'd have a worse PM than Abbott but we've hit a new low already.

Go sharkies

Just roll it into Dutton's dept like everything else

Sounds reasonable to me

Bogan philistine. Who’s surprised?!

Next they’ll be burning books ...

karenricks SM: “ I see great creative synergies for the art community to embrace railcar graffiti in the same way Melbourne alleyways have”

Let’s just get it over with and call it The Ministry of Truth. orwellian

It's a miracle he didn't scrap it altogether 😮 ScoMoFo Arts Philistine

Yes of course, I see the correlation of roads, trains and the arts. Another ideological twist from PM...

Disgraceful

In fascist regimes, arts are the first to go

So, tied to the railway tracks, then?

Well arts has been completely taken over by the left and will pass anything of as art. They have completely ruined the castles in France for a bit of government funding.

Because they go together so well.... Just when you thought you'd seen every example of incompetent, dimwitted thinking from Morrison & Co, they pull something even worse out of their bag of tricks.

Artful roads & bridges? Who could complain?

Sco Mo 👎.

OtherSociology On my memory there has not been a freestanding Dept of the Arts since the 1980s. Right now part of the Department of Communications and the Arts - I would guess relative size of each is proportionate to letters in each of those words.

OK Here's proof. Morrison is a philistine of the first degree! He is the one who needs the civilising influence of the Arts!

The narrowing of the Australian mind. It shouldn’t surprise.

This is all the 'art' Morrison needs.

Well we are just another brick in the wall.

Speechless, can we have an election now please?

Art for arts sake, money for gods sake

Is this the Betoota Advocate? BetootaAdvocate

Scummo, you cease to amaze me !!

This is what happens when the idiots take control. 🤦‍♀️

WHAT IS GOING ON

One more item ticked off the list on the road to fascism in Australia.

This is what the liberals do

Tolls for the arts. ‘Stralya

?Am I laughing or am I crying

Can we stop voting these assholes into power. Please.

Here comes the wave of leftist tears in 3...2...1...

I for one welcome creative industry being under the purview of this guy:

I can't believe that this is not a headline from The Betoota Advocate. What a hysterically terrible mistake this government is making.

What a fucking joke. Can’t wait to get a new PM, ScottMorrisonMP is a complete wanker

ScottMorrisonMP genius move ScoMo while your at it axe Sport Indigenous and Women portfolios and introduce 2 new ones Coal and USA because we need to stay on Donald's good side it's a full time job.

An absolute dummy but hey it what Australia voted for😂😂😂😂

ScottMorrisonMP Resign

Arts & transport bundled together, b'coz according to Morrison, this will better serve the needs of Australians... What a load of f'ing cobras 🐍🐍🐍😒

WTF is going on

Philistine as well as a Climate denier!

I have wondered about the paradox of conservatives not actually wanting to conserve. WTF is happening. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤕

LaTrioli Typical a government that does not value the arts! Not a surprise at all!!

And hundreds of millions will be spent on consultants.

That does not make sense.

fridaygirl13 Roads will be designed by BA graduates instead of engineers

Will this new Department include the railside graffiti within the Archibald Prize?

Qld_Mythbuster How backwards is Morrison?

History is now on a high road.

Good. When pathetic Arts Administrators start giving our top Literary Awards to illegal immigrants on Manus Island, it's time to cut them back.

FFS 🃏📉

No pretence any more. They might as well fly the swastika.

Great news hah hah hah

So to be clear, Australia now has no, stand alone, Department of Education, Department of the Environment and Department of the Arts. Says it all really.

That photo says it all

I never thought the Siloart trail art works on rail sidings would be a government agency.

Superpowers include shouting, demonising welfare recipients, and cutting services

Lol, thought they were already on their own timeframe, roads will be an aberation altogether now.

This is NOT good news for the arts.

Bravo 👏👏👏

AdlingtonBrett 😳

He has no artistic sensibility, he is shallow and self serving. The kind of man I would avoid like the plague at a party.. truly awful

F'wit

Enough words, time for action. auspol

No money baby, no money.....

This Government is destroying fucking EVERYTHING 😢

Yet other countries who invest heavily in the Arts are leaps and bounds ahead of Australia in creativity, technology and innovation... Hmmm...

LaTrioli Department of transporting bodies and souls

What a fool

This man is trash.

Australia is a cluster fail.

Ridiculous.

A ridiculous distraction from ineptitude

Get rid of him NOW! What a disgrace. nfi worstpmever getoutScottMorrison ScottMorrisonMP

What. The. Hell?!

So that means roads and rail are getting funding cuts?

Well done Australia, well done.

Thank you to all the liberal voters.....our country is totally fucked.

Government railroads the arts yet again thelittleadmanthatcouldnt

When the federal cabinet starts to look like a bunch of oddballs (or is it pinballs?) for sure they are in trouble. All of a sudden they leak sure-fire winners like 'smaller-footprint' government. Look for others as they start to man/woman the lifeboats.

If he rolls the NRL into Transport I’ll know he’s fair dinkum

oh dear - this guy is off his rocker

SurprisedOwl So they have the the Roads scholarship for arts?

What do you expect when you voted in a bunch approaching senility who still thinks this is the 1990’s

Cant make this up. Roads, rail, and the arts...

It's like they're daring the people to mass-protest and drag them out of office... But that's unlikely, the Liberals have been running a relentless propaganda campaign, it's subtle, it's obvious, and it keeps division over arbitrary things, where there was few divisions before.

LaTrioli Obvious Morrison only relationship with the arts is gravity on the overpass of a motorway

who's idea was that? you wanted a career in the arts yourself ScottMorrisonMP...support the arts cause without the art the earth is really just eh!

LaTrioli FM

Wish he could be rolled into a department. For smirky fools.

How are these naught heads still in government? Seriously Australia look what we have done. We are the naught heads

An activity held back and used at the appropriate time to appease the conservatives and reconfirm their faith in what might be a government in decline. Used at the same time distract media exposure from unpopular policies and ministerial indiscretions. We are bigger than that.

Wait. Does this affect Scott Cam? Is he arts? Is he overseeing roads careers? Does he still have a $450k government job? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO SCOTT?

In the third year of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln ordered work to go ahead on the completion of the dome of the Capitol. When critics protested the diversion of labor and money from the prosecution of the war, Lincoln said, 'If people see the capitol going on,...

That makes sense 🤦🏻‍♀️

ChrisHonnery

We are on the priority queue for going to hell

We haven't had a Science Minister for years

devalara44 Not surprising. Make the trains run on time!

Philistinism

Great news. Art is not a necessity, it's a personal choice. Its not something that should be funded by forcibly taking peoples money. If you value it you fund it.

Sure. Why not. FuckingIdiots auspol

This is a 100 billion dollar industry ScottMorrisonMP cares so little about, that he wants it combined with Infrastructure, Transportation, Roads and Regional Development. This is another stupid idea from the ministry of stupid ideas.

The one man band does it again. Toot. Toot. Boom. Crash. Will go down as the worst PM in our history. And yes I include Abbott in that.

Morrison coming up with this idea...

🤯🤬

The troglodytes in this government are breathtaking.

daveyk317 Oh please

Because that makes complete sense

Big announcement to detract from his failed leadership through the bushfiresNSW Any useful policies afoot ScottMorrisonMP to see us through this national disaster? Who needs culture when we have ROADS to get us from home to, oh work, and back again.

Madness

LaTrioli Hello NZ 🛳 ImOut

He probably thought it wasn't fair to be shit in math, science and literature and good at art.

Shocking government 😢😡

It’s been done before - it was part of Communications which merged with Transport about 25 years ago...so it’s not new.

He sounds like sue sylvester in glee trying to get rid of the glee club

Might make it easier to take shows on the road?

All forms of creativity, ingenuity and imagination are verboten.

Hold still there slomo, this wont hurt a bit

Arts and road and rail ... what .. the .. fuck

Art is culture and history. Why do you want to destroy the good in this Country. You must have a lot of darkness in your life Sir!

Number 11 rears its head again.

The bullshit artistry of Roads and rail, especially here in NSW

LaTrioli Sideshow

Does this mean Tina Arena loses her Govt funded job?

the roads and rail will stil be very shit, but the press releases will literally be works of art

Scott Morrison is a fkn cornball.

Makes perfect sense 🙄

What?

LaTrioli Ministry of Philistinism

His smirk says it all

LaTrioli

kerrynwoods have you seen this? FFS 😐

What kind of 'artist' gets paid by the government lol

He is taking us back to the pre-Whitlam era. No Medicare was the pre-Whitlam era. What will be his next announcement I wonder?

VegemiteFan

Soulless dweeb.

How good is Australia?

LaTrioli Gosh that's a good fit! 🙄

LaTrioli As he is a troglodyte auspol

He’s absolutely fucked in the head.

Because obviously ... 🤯

LaTrioli what a dropkick he is

No art in the Shire for a man full of artifice.

That makes sense.......... to a politician.

LaTrioli Good move.

Conservative seem only to want to destroy, never create. No wonder they don't value the arts

Non issue

Morrison has done more to discourage religion than Pell

BariJ See, we have our own f*ckstick. 😕

So I guess that means at least 4 less ministers But all new stationery etc etc

Morrison can roll his head into his arse.

At first, I read that and thought it was satire. Joke is on us, I guess. 😔

The man is a true comedic genius.

What a great idea! If the latest Roadshow is a flop, you can run the cst out of town on a Rail...

We’re going to have pictures on our roads 😉😂

Makes sense actually, as graffiti can be considered an art form and there are many artworks already displayed in the transport network.

Coz, you know, that makes sense... right ScottMorrisonMP 😏

how artistic

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