The bar on 'nice-to-haves' must be lifted

'm a big fan of creative expression. I'm a huge fan of effective prioritisation, return on investment and the sound use of public funds. These grants, and many more, were awarded during COVID and more recently. These grants were awarded when the HCC is under considerable financial pressure.

$15,000 for dance music and film that 'responds to the Hobart rivulet' $4968 for an experimental project $5182 to 'workshop' a threatre work $15,000 for art supplies $5000 for DJ-ing lessons $9734 for poems in buses $15,000 for audio walking tour

In times of plenty, the threshold for nice-to-haves can be lowered. My view is that now, when unemployment, housing and other costs are already high, we need to minimise the burden on ratepayers. We need to ensure that we are getting getting a strong return on investment for all ratepayer funds handed out. I have nothing at all against the grant recipients, but I find awarding these and similar grants questionable, especially now.