Departing conductor Sydney Symphony music director Edo de Waart tells Australians their priorities are wrong. “A soccer match, a rugby match or cricket is way more important than the arts. Perhaps it is in your genes. In Europe . . . the British orchestras are paid worst of all. I think that has become normal here, too. You need someone like Paul Keating who will make the statement that the country is not only measured by how fast you can run 100 metres but also whether you have singers and theatre and movies that can be on the international stage.”