Arts Issues (original) (raw)

Important - CISC needs your help!

Dear Colleagues

The Creative Industries Skills Council, your voice between Government and the training sector, is under threat and we need your help!

Our primary funding source, the Department of Employment and Training, has indicated that, as of 1 July, new funding models will be applied to ITABs and Skills Councils. The Department appears to be favouring a reallocation of funds away from the CISC to other organisations of between 45,000and45,000 and 45,000and97,000.

The effects of this on our organisation and our sectors engagement with training, would be quite significant.

What we have asked for is not to receive any increased funding, but to retain our current (2003-04) funding allocation. We base our position on the fact that we have fully complied with DET's requirements to restructure, only to now potentially suffer as a consequence of working closely with the Department to create CISC from three former ITABs.

CISC's Board and Four Industry Standing Committees have met and totally reject DETs position as the basis for any funding reallocation. We now ask you as members, industry colleagues and supporters to do at least one of four things to help to get our point across.

This will take only a minute of your time to do, but it will really, really help our case...Most importantly, we need to let DET know of our position by next Friday (21May) in order to help mount our case to overturn this direction. Do it now, and its done - please dont put it off...

One: Open the attached word document copied below, read it and, if you agree, copy it into a new email message, add you name and send it to these two addresses (The Premier and Minister Barton's Offices):

Hon Tom Barton, MP
Member for Waterford
Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations
6th Floor, Neville Bonner Building, 75 William Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
GPO Box 69, Brisbane QLD 4001 CDE M20
E-mail: etir@ministerial.qld.gov.au

AND

Hon Peter Beattie, MP
Member for Brisbane Central
Premier and Minister for Trade
15th Floor, Executive Building
100 George Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
PO Box 185, Brisbane Albert Street QLD 4002
CDE M31
E-mail: Premiers@ministerial.qld.gov.au

The more emails we send, the stronger the message received. It costs you no time, no stamp and will get there in time.

Two: As above, but add your details and/or other points you may care to make to the word document and attach it to an email and send it to the Minister/Premier. (We can provide additional dot points if you want more detail).

Three: Print the letter out, sign and send it by mail or fax: The contact details are above.

Four: Send/Forward this to your colleagues, members, business partners, and other industry supporters and ask them to do the same.

If you no nothing else, please do steps one and four. If you do nothing, we lose another voice for our sectors and industries...

Call or return email me if you need any more information-were happy to provide this.

I thank all of you in advance who take the 60 seconds to send the email on and out. It is through people like you that sometimes we can make a difference.

Kind regards and thanks again for your support.

Paul Jenkins
Executive Officer
Creative Industries Skills Council Inc
Web: www.cisc.com.au

please note if you would like the original email forwarded on the you email me at email address for artsissues

The Honourable Peter Beattie MP The Honourable Tom Barton MP
Premier Minister for Employment & Training
Brisbane.Central@parliament.qld.gov.au Waterford@parliament.qld.gov.au

Dear Sir

I write to express support for the retention of current funding levels to the Creative Industries Skills Council.

The Department of Employment and Training is currently reconsidering funding arrangements with ITABs and as a result intends to reduce funding to the Creative Industries Skills Council for 2004-05. The proposed funding models financially disadvantage the organisation in ways that are neither fair nor equitable to the Creative Industries Skills Council.

The Creative Industries Skills Council is a key link between the vocational education and training sector, government and industry. Without an effective representative voice, the creative industries will be disadvantaged and underrepresented.

The Council is not asking the Government for any increased funding: It is asking only to retain current resourcing levels in order to do its job effectively, as it has already complied with the requirements of Government in amalgamating and creating a viable organisation from three previously under resourced ITABs.

Any decision to reduce funding to the Council after it has complied fully with government requirements cannot be supported by a Government interested in developing Queensland as the smart state. I ask that you ensure that the Creative Industries Skills Council continues to receive its current funding levels in recognition of its success in meeting government requirements and industry needs.

Yours sincerely