Australia’s first official poet laureate to be appointed

Australia’s last poet laureate was about 200 years ago, in the form of a former convict who was paid by Lachlan Macquarie in cattle for his verse.

West Australian poet Caitlin Maling supports the creation of a poet laureate ‘if it’s accompanied by real change across the whole writing sector’. Picture: Stewart Allen

Australia is to get a poet laureate.

They won’t be the first: we actually had one, about 200 years ago, in the form of a former convict paid in cattle by Lachlan Macquarie for his verse.

This will, however, be the first official one, appointed on behalf of the federal government, and bringing us into line with Britain, the US, Canada and New Zealand, all of which have poet laureates.

The position will be filled on the recommendation of Creative Australia, the new name of the Australia Council.

It’s not clear how much the poet laureate will be paid, or the length of the term.

The creation of the role was announced at the launch of the government’s national cultural policy in Melbourne on Monday.

To celebrate, poet Sarah ­Holland-Batt, who must be among candidates for the role, read one of her poems, The Gift, from her collection The Jaguar, which is about the death of her father in an aged-care facility and was last year named The Australian’s Book of the Year.

Holland-Batt has long supported the creation of a poet laureate. In a personal submission ahead of the new cultural policy, she urged the government to establish and fund the position, saying it would “enhance the visibility of Australian poetry at home and abroad” and “recognise poetry’s pre­eminence as a literary art form and its role in public life.”

She suggested a three-year term, at $100,000 a year.

Last year’s winner of the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for poetry, Andy Jackson, has also supported creation of such a position, saying “Australia is out of step with the rest of the world in not having one”.

Caitlin Maling, a poet from Western Australia whose collection Fish Work was shortlisted for the same prize, said she supported the creation of the position “but only if it’s accompanied by real change across the whole writing sector.

“I’m excited about the prospect of real wages for arts workers, including writers.”

In their introduction to the cultural policy document, writers Christos Tsiolkas and Clare Wright said First Nations poets were producing “our best poems”.

Maling agreed, saying “Ali Cobby Eckermann, Charmaine Papertalk Green and Lionel ­Fogarty spring to mind” as candidates for poet laureate.

“I believe championing the best poetry being produced here is a way of championing the best of Australia, even if some of the best poetry, such as that of Evelyn ­Araluen, Omar Sakr or John ­Kinsella, does push back against the very idea of the nation state,” she said.

“Poetry – like all the arts – can challenge in unique ways that push us forward, with hope.”

In Britain, a poet laureate has traditionally been appointed by the monarch, and was expected to produce poetry for court.

In America, the poet laureate is appointed by the Library of Congress and is considered the “official poet” of the US, which also has a “youth poet laureate”.

The Australian poet laureate will be appointed by Creative Australia.