Labor wants inquiry into new arts fund

The federal opposition will attempt to initiate an inquiry into the government's decision to strip $105 million from the Australian Arts Council.

Labor will move to establish a Senate inquiry into what it says is the Abbott government's new arts slush fund.

The May budget stripped $105 million from the Arts Council and funnelled it into an excellence in arts program that will be run out of the department of Minister for Arts and Attorney-General George Brandis.

"We will force Senator Brandis to have the public consultation he has avoided so far," opposition arts spokesman Mark Dreyfus said on Tuesday.