THE decision by the Premier, Nathan Rees, to appoint himself Arts Minister is a rare piece of good news for a sector that had deteriorated under Morris Iemma, a politician with an apparent allergy to arts and culture.

In taking on the portfolio, Rees - who will be assisted by the new Fair Trading Minister, Virginia Judge - is following in the footsteps of Bob Carr and Neville Wran, two champions of the arts.

Rees does not have Carr's bookish air - few politicians do - but he is a literature graduate who lists Paradise Lost as his favourite poem and Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner as his favourite book. (He also likes the guitarist Carlos Santana, but no one is perfect.)

As Arts Minister, Rees will bring the sector's needs and issues directly to cabinet. And in Judge he has a lieutenant who "really wants to make a difference", as the head of one large arts body put it yesterday.

Iemma made it clear from the first day of his premiership that he had no interest in the arts - and he remained true to his word.

When he spoke of his "simple tastes" - footy and family - he was trying to differentiate himself from Carr.

But in a stroke he gave credence to the dull, out-of-date dictum that says the arts are for elites and you either like the Sydney Swans or Swan Lake .

His lack of interest was compounded by an arts minister, Frank Sartor, who always seemed more interested in urban planning than urban performance. He presided over a department, Arts NSW, whose funding delays caused havoc among the state's smaller performing arts companies.

"I love Sydney, but I feel like I'm bleeding here," a choreographer told the Herald in August. "There comes a point where you have to ask, 'What's the use of staying?' "

No one expects the arts sector to be transformed overnight. But Rees's decision to take the reins is a welcome first act.