Local, State and Territory Governments have significantly increased their share of government spending on cultural activities over the past few years, according to new figures released last December by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. In 1995/96, Local Government accounted for 19 per cent of total government spending on cultural activities. This rose to 21 per cent in 2002/2003.
State or Territory Governments’ share rose from 38 to 45 per cent over the same period, while the Australian Government’s share fell from 45 per cent to 38 per cent.
Total spending in 1995/96 was $3.2 billion, rising to $4.9 billion in 2002/03.
In addition, new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal that more Australians are visiting libraries. At the end of June 2000, there were 505 Local Government library organisations and eight national and state library organisations operating in Australia.
Local Government libraries operated from 1,510 locations, while the national and state libraries organisations operated 26 locations. In 2000, there were 9,592 staff employed in Local Government libraries, with 2,248 employed in national and state libraries.
