MARK DREYFUS MP

Arts Minister Mitch Fifield has today announced further changes to arts funding policy, partially redesigning the Liberal Government's ministerial arts slush fund.

A Shorten Labor Government will set justice targets to help Close the Gap on incarceration rates in Australia and increase community safety.

Labor congratulates the Hon Susan Ryan AO on her reappointment as Australia's Disability Discrimination Commissioner.

The Liberal Government has now left the position of Sex Discrimination Commissioner vacant for more than two months.

Labor congratulates Rosslyn Munro on her appointment as chair of the board of the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC).

A Shorten Labor Government will establish a National Redress Scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

The arts community breathed a collective sigh of relief when Senator George Brandis was sacked as Arts Minister in September. It is increasingly apparent that this sense of relief was premature.

Less than a week after a range of Liberal backbenchers declared their support in the Senate for a Bill to water down the hate speech protection in section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, Turnbull Government frontbencher, Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has revealed her own support for weakening the Act.

Malcolm Turnbull faces a serious split in his own party as a number of Liberal Senators bucked the party line to back a Bill to water down section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, a proposal supposedly abandoned by the Coalition Government last year.

The death of Andrew Sayers at only 58 has taken from us an artist of great talent and insight into the Australian landscape and the Australian character.