Canberra's arts sector - which overlaps significantly with the national cultural institutions - could well have been bracing itself to be gently but definitely overlooked in this year's budget.
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Last year, after all, was the bonanza, with Anthony Albanese's Labor government hitting all the rights notes when it came to all things culture.
There was the new National Cultural Policy, announced in January last year.
And then came many millions doled out to the ailing national cultural institutions, which had been starved of funding for the decade of Coalition rule.
But this year, another welcome surprise to all those who care about arts and culture: a welcome shot in the arm for Canberra beloved and chronically underfunded symphony orchestra.
Despite the fact it's always been made up of musicians of the highest calibre, with one of the country's most diverse programs, the CSO has been overlooked repeatedly when it comes to federal funding.
It's become almost a standing joke - the little orchestra that could - and it certainly has continued to forge ahead, being the first to appoint a female chief conductor and artistic director (with a female chief executive and female concertmaster).
It's also the largest employer in the ACT arts sector.
For a semi-professional outfit, it more than punches above its weight in the national landscape.
This significant funding shows more than a token nod to the arts; rather, it's a commitment to the arts more broadly, and a recognition of the role they play in the healthy community. Artists - musicians, painters, dancers, writers and all the rest - will always continue to create, and will be motivated by more than money.
But they shouldn't have to live day by day, year by year, with no real certainly for the future.
As the ongoing efficiency dividend applied to national cultural institutions has borne out, arts organisations are very proficient at tightening their belts if it means they can keep creating.
But this should never have been the status quo.
There are positive signs the Albanese government agrees, and is moving to put the arts on equal footing with other life essentials.
The arts should never be viewed as a luxury, an optional extra to the necessities of a good life.
The Canberra Symphony Orchestra is a vital part of Canberra's creative ecosystem, and has been for 75 years.
Long may it be enabled to continue, and with proper funding at last.
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