When most Australians are asked to think about poetry, the names that jump to mind are those learned in school.
Banjo Patterson and Gwen Harwood, Les Murray and Oodgeroo Noonuccal and other names plucked from the past, belonging to poets who are almost all certainly dead.
Now, the federal government has resolved to revive poetry in the Australian consciousness, with the country set to appoint its first-ever official poet laureate.
Dating back to the Middle Ages, when poets would be subsidised by monarchs with money and wine, poet laureates have served to produce great works and promote poetry as an art form.
The Albanese government has budgeted $19.3 million dollars to establish Writers Australia, a new body charged with the task of establishing the nation’s first national poet laureate from 2025.
It is unknown whether this funding will include an Australian equivalent for the wine stipend.
And crucially, it’s unknown exactly when and from where Australia’s poet laureate will actually be established.
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Links:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
