The Claim
“Made $110 million of broad-sweeping cuts to the Arts. The only organisation to receive more funding ($1 million more) is coincidentally chaired by the daughter of Rupert Murdoch.”
Original Sources Provided
✅ FACTUAL VERIFICATION
The $110 million figure is conflated and inaccurate. The Coalition government's 2014-15 budget made arts funding cuts of $87.1 million over four years, not $110 million [1]. The cuts primarily affected the Australia Council, Screen Australia, and arts programs administered by the Attorney-General's Department [2].
The $110 million figure appears to conflate two separate budget measures:
- The 2014 cuts: $87.1 million over four years from the Australia Council, Screen Australia, and related programs [3]
- The 2015 measure: $110 million redirected from the Australia Council to create the National Programme for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA), a new fund administered directly by the Minister [4]
The Australian Ballet did receive additional funding. A July 2014 Sydney Morning Herald article confirms The Australian Ballet received "a $1 million boost from the Abbott government which will be put towards student boarding accommodation" [5]. This was at the same time as the Australia Council faced cuts of over $28 million [5].
Sarah Murdoch's role is confirmed. In 2014, Sarah Murdoch (wife of Lachlan Murdoch, daughter-in-law of Rupert Murdoch) was indeed the deputy chair of The Australian Ballet board [5]. She had served on the board for eight years at that point [5].
Missing Context
The claim omits important budgetary context. The 2014 cuts were part of a broader austerity budget following the Global Financial Crisis, with cuts across multiple government departments - not unique to the arts [6]. The $87.1 million figure represented reductions to "uncommitted funding" rather than cuts to existing programs in many cases [7].
The $1 million was specifically targeted. The Australian Ballet's $1 million increase was earmarked specifically for "student boarding accommodation" for aspiring ballet dancers [5], not for general operational funding. The Australian Ballet itself noted it receives only 16% of its revenue from government funding, relying primarily on philanthropic pledges [5].
The 2015 NPEA funding redirection was controversial but different from cuts. The $110 million redirected in 2015 (not 2014) was moved from the Australia Council to create a new minister-administered fund, not eliminated entirely [4]. This was criticized as undermining "arms-length" arts funding principles but did not represent a net reduction in arts funding [4].
Source Credibility Assessment
The Australian (original source) is a News Corp publication owned by the Murdoch family, making it potentially conflicted when reporting on Murdoch family interests. However, the article itself reported on the cuts negatively (describing them as "devastating"), suggesting the publication did not simply provide favorable coverage [8].
SMH (key verification source) is a mainstream Fairfax publication with no demonstrated conflict of interest in this case [5].
Parliamentary committee records are authoritative government sources documenting the actual budget figures [1][2].
Labor Comparison
Did Labor make similar arts funding decisions?
Labor's record on arts funding is mixed. The Keating Labor government established "Creative Nation" in 1994, Australia's first national cultural policy, which significantly increased arts funding [9]. The Rudd/Gillard Labor government also established "Creative Australia" in 2013 [9].
However, Labor also made difficult arts funding decisions. The 2013 Labor government introduced efficiency dividends and budget measures that reduced arts funding in some areas [10]. According to the Abbott government's 2014 budget papers, the cuts were partly justified by returning to "historical levels" of funding that existed under previous Labor governments [1].
The Labor government elected in 2022 introduced a new national cultural policy "Revive" with $286 million in funding over four years [11], suggesting Labor currently positions itself as more supportive of the arts than the Coalition.
Comparative assessment: While Labor has historically championed arts policy (Creative Nation, Creative Australia), both parties have made cuts to arts funding when facing budget pressures. The Coalition's 2014-15 cuts were more significant in dollar terms than most Labor-era reductions, though the comparison is complicated by inflation and different budgetary contexts.
Balanced Perspective
The claim contains several factual issues that undermine its credibility:
The $110 million figure is inaccurate for 2014. The actual cuts were $87.1 million over four years [1]. The $110 million figure refers to a separate 2015 funding redirection [4].
The Murdoch connection is established but overstated. Sarah Murdoch was indeed deputy chair (not chair, as implied) of The Australian Ballet board in 2014 [5]. The $1 million was specifically for student accommodation, not general operational funding [5].
The claim presents correlation as causation. While The Australian Ballet received $1 million more while other arts organizations faced cuts, there is no documented evidence this was specifically to benefit the Murdoch-connected organization. Major performing arts companies often have different funding arrangements than small-to-medium organizations that were more affected by Australia Council cuts.
Legitimate criticisms of the Coalition's approach:
- The cuts did disproportionately affect smaller arts organizations dependent on Australia Council funding [6]
- The 2015 redirection of $110 million to a minister-controlled fund was widely criticized by the arts sector as politicizing funding decisions [4]
- The concurrent funding boost to an organization with Murdoch family connections, while making broad cuts, creates an appearance of favoritism that warranted scrutiny
Counterbalancing context:
- The Australian Ballet is one of Australia's flagship arts organizations and receives bipartisan support
- The $1 million increase was a small fraction of The Australian Ballet's overall budget (which is primarily privately funded) [5]
- Arts funding decisions often reflect complex policy trade-offs rather than simple favoritism
PARTIALLY TRUE
5.0
out of 10
The claim accurately identifies that the Coalition made significant arts funding cuts in 2014-15 and that The Australian Ballet (where Sarah Murdoch was deputy chair) received $1 million additional funding. However, the $110 million figure is incorrect - the 2014 cuts were $87.1 million over four years. The claim also implies the $1 million was directly to benefit the Murdoch-connected organization without establishing this causation. The Murdoch connection is real but presented in a way that suggests impropriety without proving it.
Final Score
5.0
OUT OF 10
PARTIALLY TRUE
The claim accurately identifies that the Coalition made significant arts funding cuts in 2014-15 and that The Australian Ballet (where Sarah Murdoch was deputy chair) received $1 million additional funding. However, the $110 million figure is incorrect - the 2014 cuts were $87.1 million over four years. The claim also implies the $1 million was directly to benefit the Murdoch-connected organization without establishing this causation. The Murdoch connection is real but presented in a way that suggests impropriety without proving it.
📚 SOURCES & CITATIONS (12)
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1
aph.gov.au
Chapter 1 Introduction and background Referral and conduct of the inquiry 1.1 On 16 June 2015 the Senate referred the following matter to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee (the committee) for inquiry and rep
Aph Gov -
2
camd.org.au
The following summary of Australian Federal Budget measures with potential implications for museums was provided to members attending the recent CAMD General Meeting in Launceston and is reproduced here for other members and interested staff: Arts and Culture Savings of $87.1m over four years by reducing ‘uncommitted funding’ to arts programs administered by the Attorney-General’s Department, […]
CAMD -
3
theguardian.com
Australia Council and Screen Australia among those bodies hit, but Australian Ballet School receives $1m grant
the Guardian -
4
theconversation.com
With this budget, this government has sent a clear message that it does not trust the Australia Council to do its bidding – and that it will now pursue its own funding agenda for the arts.
The Conversation -
5
smh.com.au
While her husband Lachlan pushes ahead to expand his media empire, Sarah Murdoch is keen to expand Australia’s interest in ballet.
The Sydney Morning Herald -
6
wsws.org
Social welfare, health care, education and aged care have all been targeted for savage cutbacks.
World Socialist Web Site -
7
theconversation.com
Even before the announcement of the 2014 budget by Australian Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey tonight, there were “budget bad news” leaks flying around in the media. So what do we know now? The as-yet-unspecified…
The Conversation -
8
theaustralian.com.au
Theaustralian Com
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9
minister.infrastructure.gov.au
Minister Infrastructure Gov
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10
abc.net.au
The latest policy reversal on schools funding has come from the federal Labor Party - the driver of the multi-billion-dollar Gonski plan - which is now refusing to back legislation it introduced to slash university funding by $2.3 billion.
Abc Net -
11
abc.net.au
Financial support for artists, local content quotas for streaming platforms and AI regulation are on the agenda this election.
Abc Net -
12
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Rating Scale Methodology
1-3: FALSE
Factually incorrect or malicious fabrication.
4-6: PARTIAL
Some truth but context is missing or skewed.
7-9: MOSTLY TRUE
Minor technicalities or phrasing issues.
10: ACCURATE
Perfectly verified and contextually fair.
Methodology: Ratings are determined through cross-referencing official government records, independent fact-checking organizations, and primary source documents.