This was supposed to be a 'wellbeing budget' – so why does it feel like the arts have been overlooked?

By Jo Caust, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow (Hon), School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne

The first Labor federal budget has come down, but the arts are almost nowhere to be seen.

According to Arts Minister Tony Burke, the government is waiting for its new cultural policy, to be delivered later this year.

Only then will we know if the government is going to take any real action to address the disastrous issues in the arts sector.

Given the emphasis in the budget on addressing issues around “

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