"By its nature the work of an artist is pretty precarious and few artists are able to make a sustainable living from their art alone," says Bandt, the Greens member for Melbourne. Greens MP Adam Bandt. Credit:Arsineh Houspian. Recent union research into Australian performers' wellbeing found that more than 20 per cent of artists – even those working a second job to make ends meet – live below the poverty line. About 40 per cent of people surveyed for the 2015 Equity Foundation's Actors' Wellbeing study earned less than $10,000 annually from their acting work. Another 36 per cent of respondents reported a combined income from acting and non-acting sources of less than $30,000. Some are paid less than the minimum wage for their industry, or not paid at all, in an attempt to increase their profile and hone their craft.

"Most artists have to supplement it with other forms of work," says Bandt. "They're expected to be proficient in their field and always improving." Only the most successful artists or performers have any superannuation to retire on, he says. "The majority of artists – they've been living hand to mouth for most of their working lives. With rising housing costs, including city areas where artists would have lived, that's making it difficult as well." Centrelink counts activities that it deems will increase a person's employability when it assesses people's eligibility for benefits. "We are arguing that the test should be expanded to the kind of things artists are required to do to improve their craft," says Bandt.

"For example, putting on a performance for free, or sharing the work they've done as part of an exhibition." Artists would still be subject to Centrelink income tests to be eligible for the payments, he says. The Greens also propose increasing the amount of superannuation offset artists can qualify for from the current $500 for low income earners to $1000. "These two things are very modest impacts on the budget," says Bandt. "You're talking about a combined total of about $20 million a year. It's a drop in the ocean as far as the federal budget is concerned." The party also wants to make sure artists receive some form of payment if galleries exhibit their work.

"I was astonished ... when I found out that institutions would be exhibiting artists' work without paying them a fee," says Bandt. "The government needs to step in and help institutions pay artists a decent fee." Last week the Greens announced the major planks of their arts policy, which includes reversing the government's cuts to the sector (including more than $100 million cut from the Australia Council) and investing a further $270 million in the arts. Labor announced its policy on Saturday, which includes ​an additional $80 million to the Australia Council and $60 million to the ABC to produce local drama. The Coalition has yet to release details of its arts policy. Asked on ABC radio last week about the policy, Fifield said: "All I can say is, watch this space." The ArtsPeak National Arts Election Debate at the Wheeler Centre is booked out but the event can be viewed live at artspeak.net.au/debate from 1pm.