NSW Gov’t Will Gather Creative Industries For ‘Landmark’ Art of Tax Reform Summit

Three things, we are often told, are guaranteed in life. The New South Wales government will explore one of those, with a landmark Art of Tax Reform Summit.

The Sydney Opera House is the setting of the inaugural summit on September 26th, which will produce recommendations for the next National Cultural Policy, due to be presented in 2028.

According to a statement from the Minns government, the day-long program will bring together economics and tax policy experts as well as artists, donors, venue operators and other participants in the arts and culture fields, the goal of which is to unlock opportunities to improve taxation for Australia’s creative industries.

The summit will address the industry’s many hurdles through tax reform, and propose creative ways of helping the industry flourish. Some of those ideas already on the table include:

• Live Performance Australia’s Live Theatre Tax Offset, which would prioritise investment in new work over the fixed costs of running a theatre.
• Tax rebates for live music – a proposal by the music rights management organisation APRA AMCOS intended to support venues.
• A review of prize money tax settings proposed by the National Association for the Visual Arts, addressing the fact that winners of government funded arts prizes must pay tax on that prize money.

APRA AMCOS has welcomed the development, describing it as a “pivotal moment” for Australia's creative space and a “crucial opportunity to address the live music sector's ongoing crisis.”

The summit “represents a key moment for Australia's creative industries. I applaud the initiative of the NSW and Victorian Governments to bring together policy architects and creators who understand that cultural activity is a cornerstone of the nation's economic and social infrastructure," comments APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston.

"For music, the summit offers us the chance to look at ways we can transform how we support artists and venues that form the backbone of our cultural ecosystem," he continues.

A live music tax offset, which Ormston has vocally supported in recent years, “would be a strategic investment in an industry that is worth $9 billion to the economy. Support for live music venues and touring artists through targeted tax measures wouldn't just help inject sustainability for individual businesses, it would help revitalise town centres, cities and suburbs and supporting thousands of jobs that depend on a thriving music ecosystem.”

After tabling investment of nearly $1.4 billion for the arts and creative industries in last month’s Budget, the NSW Labor Government is now calling for submissions for the Summit.

The federal government is approaching the halfway point of its five-year National Cultural Policy, Revive, and is keen to determine the focus for future policies, guided by input from industry professionals and creatives.

Submissions are open until Sunday 10 August 2025 and can be made by visiting haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/cultural-tax-reform.