UPDATE 17/12/2013
Well we've done it! We're organising our party registration paperwork right now and expect to submit it later this month. We're getting ready for 2014! :-)
Missed out on the founding membership drive? Don't worry! Memberships are available ongoing on our website - please follow this link:
http://www.theartsparty.org/tap/join-the-arts-party-3-year-membership/
Hello!
Welcome to our Indiegogo campaign to create a new political party in Australia. You are now only a couple of clicks away from becoming a founding member! :-)
But first some..
Background
Australia is a prosperous, stable and
progressive country. We have a healthy political system that also supports a
growing number of smaller parties beyond the big two of Labor and Liberal. As we've seen in the last couple of elections, even the smallest parties can have a powerful influence - just look at the current senate.
It’s easy to see what parties are already
registered. We’ve got sex, science, shooters, fishers, animal justice, bullet
train, drug law, Clive Palmer, smokers, Wikileaks, voluntary euthanasia and
plenty more but… you guessed it, there is no party that focuses on promoting and encouraging Australian art and creativity.
This has to change! We MUST reprioritise arts and creativity in our national political agenda. Art, design, culture and creativity are not optional extras in our lives - they literally define us as we see ourselves, and the environments we live in.
The future of Australia will depend far more on the quality of our ideas than the size of our mines.
What We Need
We need a minimum of 500 Australian founding members to register this party. At $20 a membership*, that translates to $10,000 which is our tipping point target. Currently (12th November) we've reached 72% with 27 days left - many people are being far more generous than just giving $20, so we're clearly going to hit the campaign target before we have 500 members. That's great, and proves we're going to get registered, but ultimately we need YOU, because the sooner we get 500 members, the sooner we can register as a Federal Australian Political Party.
Of course every state and territory in Australia also has a parliament or legislature and for us to have maximum effect we need to register in each of those as well. You can see the numbers we need for each one of those in the perks on the right. As soon as we have enough for each state/territory registration, we will be registering.
There are about 14.7 million Australians
currently registered to vote. The absolute maximum number of founding members
possible for the Arts Party is only 3750.
Be one of them!
Paying in US Dollars Is Not Ideal..
Annoyingly, Indiegogo began accepting Australian dollars about one week after the start of this campaign, but refuse to let us now change the campaign currency. On the plus side, the current exchange is very close - USD$20.00 = AUS$20.69 today.
We will provide an ongoing membership system on our website www.theartsparty.org after this campaign ends, but to be sure of getting a founding member gold card, and to help us make a difference as soon as possible, please join the party right here, right now.
What All Founding Members Get
As a founding member of the party you will get:
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To be part of a new movement supporting something you really care about.
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3 years membership for $20, which will be the annual membership price after this campaign.
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A snazzy gold (only available now) 'Founding Member' membership card for as long as you are a member.
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Be the first to contribute to our policy making through our internal voting system, referendums and the party forums.
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Have the opportunity to be state organisers or even actual candidates (we need you!), as we register around the country.
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Access to a wealth of free and discounted products and services we'll be building for our members,
to help develop creative thinking, artistic
skills, communication skills - basically we're building a self-improvement toolkit
that all our members can make good use of.
- Have bragging rights forever more when the Arts Party makes a positive difference to our communities - to be able to say 'I made that happen!'
What Are Your Policies?
While our policies will grow and mature once we have a membership to consult with, we have defined founding principles on our website, which are a very good indicator of our future policy direction. Here's a few key ones:
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Funding - This
is a big one for us, and it is something that
we will be very vocal about. We want to see more money available for more
Australians to create, perform and entertain other Australians. How about an Arts Lottery?
We also want Australians to have more of a say in what gets funded too. What about the opportunity for example, for Australians who love cinema, to watch the trailers and vote on what film projects they think are the most deserving of their tax grants next year?
- Accessibility - Art and creativity is not something you should have to travel 2 hours and spend $200 for a ticket to witness, particularly when its your tax money that's being spent for it to exist. Without the audience there's no point. Not only should there be more Australian film, theatre, dance, opera, performance and exhibitions, they must also be far more accessible, via travelling companies and venues to perform in.
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Education - We believe personal and creative development should be a lifelong undertaking. Australians should have access to the best teaching facilities possible because our minds are our greatest natural resource. Creative thinking is a skill that can be learned and honed through our entire lives, to help all of us realise our potential. The Arts Party will work untiringly to unlock that potential, so we as a country, can use it to propel Australia’s industries and economy into the next century and beyond.
Who is this for?
There are two key groups we are focussed on:
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Artists and Creators.
Writers, painters, musicians, actors, directors,
producers, fashion designers, graphic designers, programmers, film makers,
games designers, thinkers, venues, photographers, composers, retouchers,
editors…. This is just the beginning of the list. If you are somebody who has creative ideas that you turn into a reality, who contributes as part of a team to a creative work, or who hungers to
engage, entertain and move people, then we care about your interests.
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Audiences and Communities. The people who enjoy and appreciate art and creativity. Artistic expression and appreciation should be an affordable, accessible, and valuable part of all our lives. The Sydney Opera House, for example, is a wonderful home for Australian expression that deserves support, but we also want more done to promote local experiences, in your suburb and your community.
At the end of the day, though, The Arts Party is for everyone. Our platform will be a broad, all-inclusive one, focussing on solutions not creating more problems. The culture and influence of the arts can and should inform our approach to economics, social policy and any other area of political debate in Australia.
Who Set This Up?
There is a founding committee, now working tirelessly to bring about this new Arts Party. You can find out more about them on the committee page of our website.
Of course, by joining you're setting this up and telling you friends you have, you're just as important as any member of the committee.
I Want To Know More!
Artistic expression brings people together, stirs shared emotions and builds communities. It should be for everyone. It also makes a lot of money for this country.
The Arts Party will be a pro-industry, pro-education and pro-training platform. A platform that will work for every Australian, to encourage and promote our amazing creativity.
We've already set up a launch website where you can find out plenty more:
Other Ways You Can Help
Perhaps you want to join but simply can't afford to spend $20 on joining us. That's a real shame and it makes us sad too. But you can still help by getting the word out to everyone you know that thinks arts and creativity matter. Here's a whole bunch of channels the help us get the word out:
- Visit our Facebook page and like it!
- Follow us on Twitter or follow our campaign hashtag
- Use the fantastic Indiegogo tools to promote this page!
I Love It But I'm Not Australian!
Yes it happens, we can't all live in the lucky country ;-) But we do have another category for a special few. Perhaps you're thinking your own country needs an Arts Party. We will be happy to help you with with our advice and learning experiences getting things going here and you can still receive the benefits of all other members, such as cards and access to the development toolkit.
And that’s all there is to it. Time to choose your Membership flavour on the right. The numbers of each option are based on the number of registered members each state/territories to found a new party. --->
