Kiama and Shellharbour Council Budget Cuts

Our region’s creative funding is under threat. We need your voice

Both Kiama and Shellharbour Councils have proposed cuts to arts and cultural services in their 2026/27 budgets. The decisions aren’t final yet. Public submissions are open, and they matter.

South Coast Arts exists because councils, communities, and creatives invest in each other. When that investment is pulled back, real people and real projects are affected. We want to be transparent with you about what’s happening…and ask for your help.

Shellharbour

Significant cut with serious flow-on effects

Shellharbour Council has proposed cutting its funding to South Coast Arts entirely. This is the only arts-specific cut in their budget, and it hits hard.

On its own, the cut represents 15% of our overall budget. But the impact doesn’t stop there. Because our Council funding is used to leverage matched grants from Create NSW, losing Shellharbour’s contribution also means losing an additional $92,600 in state government funding that would otherwise come to this region. That’s money that funds local projects, supports local artists, and builds a local creative economy.

Some of what we delivered in Shellharbour in 2025:

LOL Comedy Workshops for young people at Blackbutt Youth Centre
Hit Factory, a multicultural music residency at Albion Park
Creative Gathering at the Shellharbour Airport, including the inaugural exhibition by Anna Glynn

The ongoing ripple effects of those three projects alone include new original multicultural music being created and shared, an increase in live music performance and festival attendance, further comedy performances being funded in Shellharbour, and the activation of an important community space.

All of this was made possible through a genuine working relationship with Shellharbour Council’s Cultural Development staff. Cutting this funding line doesn’t just affect South Coast Arts, it removes infrastructure that the whole community benefits from.

This is now being reported publicly:

Illawarra Mercury (article)

ABC Illawarra (Facebook post)

What you can do right now

Council have public submission processes open. A submission doesn’t need to be long or formal, a genuine, personal account of why the arts matter to you and your community is exactly what councillors need to hear.

Make a submission to Shellharbour Council

Or, write directly to Shellharbour Councillors

You can also contact councillors directly. A short, personal email, telling them what the arts mean to you, or sharing a specific experience with a South Coast Arts program, can make a real difference.

Kiama

Cuts to arts, culture, and community

Kiama Council’s proposed cuts go further. While the reduction to South Coast Arts’ funding is relatively modest in dollar terms, the broader package of proposed cuts to community and cultural services, including cultural development staff and delivery funding, is damning.

These aren’t line items on a spreadsheet. They’re the roles and resources that connect people to their community. Losing them has lasting consequences for the region’s social fabric, wellbeing, and creative life.

Some of what we delivered in Kiama in 2025:

Partnership support for the Creative Business Summit, including funding accessible tickets for 10 creatives
A written submission to Kiama Council in support of Fillmore’s development application, advocating for the venue’s continued operation as a live music venue
Engagement with the Kiama Aboriginal Reference Group and support for Council’s Aboriginal Project Officer
Funding for the Creativity for Everyone project, monthly welcoming sessions for people of all ages and abilities to connect, create, and share in a low-pressure creative community
Ongoing support and partnership with Council Cultural Development Officer

Who this affects

In 2025, South Coast Arts engaged with over 600 creatives across our region. Among those we worked with:

6% were First Nations artists
11% were young people under 25
6% were people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities
3% were people with disability

We also provided 36 one-on-one sessions with individual creative practitioners across the region. This is regional creative infrastructure, and it serves people who often have few other options.

What you can do right now

Kiama Council have public submission processes open. A submission doesn’t need to be long or formal, a genuine, personal account of why the arts matter to you and your community is exactly what councillors need to hear.

Make a submission to Kiama Council

Or, write directly to Kiama Councillors

South Coast Arts belongs to this community. So does the decision about whether to fund it.

Submissions are the community’s opportunity to speak directly to elected representatives about what they value, and what they want protected. We know many of you have experienced our programs firsthand, or have seen the difference they make to creatives across the region.

If you’ve got questions or want help with a submission, get in touch with us. We’re still here.
Thank you for standing with us.

You can contact Councillors directly.
A short, personal email, can make a real difference.

Shellharbour Councillors

Kellie Marsh: [email protected]

Mitch Ellis: [email protected]

John Davey: [email protected]

Moira Hamilton: [email protected]

Lou Stefanovski: [email protected]

Craig Ridding: [email protected]

Rob Petreski: [email protected]

Kane Murphy: [email protected]

Chris Homer: [email protected]