We need to remind ourselves that there was once a time when there were no Keynesian socialist bureaucracies determining ‘cultural policy’ on a national and state basis. For nearly 60 years, bodies such as the Australia Council have been busy framing policy and allocating taxpayer funds ‘at arm’s length’. From whom, you might ask: at arm’s length from the democratically elected government of the day? There is an irritating belief that nothing happened culturally in this country until Whitlam created the Australia Council.