Ms Anna Walsh:

The model, as the Senator said, does not necessarily have to be torn apart but it is characterised by being different for every arts centre in every part of the country. The ratios of funding from the local authority, the Arts Council or from box office income differ for each arts centre. It could be argued that is a good thing in that it is a reflection of the arts centre's role and position in its community but it is not a good thing when it comes to long-term financial planning and planning for the programme, the work with artists and the work within that community. What we would call for is not an amendment to the Arts Act of 2003 but an interpretation of it that makes local authority funding for arts centre mandatory rather than discretionary as it is currently, and to combine that with service level agreements that run for three to five years with longer term multi-annual funding agreements from their other main funder, the Arts Council. That combination, we believe, would provide a much more long-term considered and strategic platform for all the work arts centres do both with the artists in their communities and with those communities that want to participate and engage in whatever art form or practice they want to do ranging from musical societies to amateur performances to professional productions that go on to be performed at the festivals and events that Mr. McGowan spoke about.