Melba Recordings

Part 1:  What the arts need to do in 'an era of retail politics' 
"We live in an age of domination by retailing. This is the era of retail politics; and people think very much in the short term and [when] an idea comes up, and it’s not dealt with by whether it is right, or if it is powerful, or whether it is significant. It really is: ‘Will it sell… Is it easy to sell?’"

Part 2: Considering the importance of government support to classical music and opera:
“The cost of putting on a great production of any great work will never be achieved by ticket sales alone…. Government, historically, has been the great provider of support….The government is better placed than anyone to set long-term objectives and be able to have that long-term commitment, and to be able to say: we think these issues are really important.”

Part 3: Supporting continuing government funding for Melba Recordings:
“Certainly, having been a minister myself, I would take the opportunity to support, to recognise the significance of what Melba was doing and to assist them to achieve the goals they’ve set out. Melba’s been extraordinarily ambitious… and they’ve seized opportunities – the Adelaide Ring of 2004 the classic example – of where the ABC… didn’t take up the option to record. Melba did. And at outstanding quality. And won international awards and gained international recognition and praise that really drew attention to what Australia was doing.…. That’s a tremendously important, significant part of telling the national story."

Part 4: The importance of Australia's cultural reputation:
“We do have an international reputation. But we’ve got to be seen, I think, as a nation which nurtures and values and promotes and encourages and preserves the best that we are capable of doing.”