Australian Federal Arts Minister Richard Alston, who has been criticized in the past for his preoccupation with the communications industries, is set to “become an unlikely hero when he announces a massive increase in arts funding next week.” After a nationwide performing arts report found many Australian arts companies to be burdened by debt, Alston is “proposing that funding to Australia’s 31 major performing arts companies be increased by about $67 million over four years.” – The Age (Melbourne)