The head of the industry peak body has resigned as the chamber faces funding uncertainty and is at risk of folding.
Chamber of Arts and Culture WA chief executive Tania Hudson has announced her resignation and will conclude in her role by mid-year.
This comes after the chamber board has been in debate about whether to wind-up the organisation due to a lack of funding certainty.
Anthony Hasluck, the chamber's chair, announced in a statement that a number of changes have recently occurred at the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA.
"We are currently having discussions around the board table and with key stakeholders, including the WA government, about whether we can identify a sustainable financial model for the chamber and how best to ensure the sector has a collective voice on key issues that affect us all," Mr Hasluck said.
Ms Hudson, who has served as CEO of the chamber since February 2024, appointed in December 2023, will continue to work with the board on options for a potentially "leaner, sustainable and more dynamic financial and operating model".
"Tania has done an excellent job of rebuilding the chamber, particularly by promoting the value and relevance of the arts and culture sector across a broad range of stakeholders," Mr Hasluck commented.
"She has worked hard to bring the sector together to address common issues, and the board thanks Tania for her dedication to the chamber during a challenging period."
In addition, the membership engagement manager role, taken by Virginia Pak Poy, was made redundant in April 2025. "I would like to express my appreciation to Virginia Pak Poy for her hard work and support over the past year," Mr Hasluck said.
The chamber was thrown a lifeline in 2023 when Arts Minister David Templeman announced the state government would provide $800,000 in funding for the following two years. However, that commitment runs out at the end of this year, and the state government hasn't allocated any further funding.
The chamber has now moved out of its city offices and is pausing its membership renewal processes and will not be taking on new members while it is resolving whether there is a potential sustainable operating model for the peak body, however current memberships will still be valid.
The chamber, the peak body for the arts, culture and creative industries in the state and its collective voice in discussions with government, was formed in 2010 with high-profile executive Sam Walsh as inaugural chair.
Mr Hasluck, who is the managing director and co-founder of Clarity Communications, joined the board as chair in mid-2024, replacing June Moorhouse.
The chamber's most recent annual report shows it had revenue of about $560,000 in FY24, but more than $460,000 had come from grants. It booked a surplus of $7,648 for the year.
In FY23, the chamber had about $638,000 in revenue (almost $500,000 from grants) and recorded a surplus of $45,609.
It had net assets of $106,827 at the end of FY24, most of which was in cash or cash equivalents.
"We are committed to keeping members and stakeholders abreast of developments," Mr Hasluck added. "We will be in touch with members in due course."
