Alive and kicking – childrens songs in first languages take culture into future

For many years I managed the Australian Government cultural program that supported the maintenance and revival of Indigenous languages – the languages unique to Australia. The community languages over-achievers I met in those years demonstrated that there has always been an inextricable connection between language and music and song. In the case of the many hundreds of community languages spoken in Australia before European settlement, this has always been true. There is a long history of music and song in First Nations cultures and communities and increasingly contemporary musicians have been performing and recording songs in First Nations languages. When music and song featuring First Nations languages is specifically by and for children, we start to see the face of the future. This is not a story only of relevance to First Nations communities. Why it is important to everyone is that it shows how focused community activity can be a major force for good and can underpin a broader, richer Australian culture.

Recording songs in First Nations languages has been an established practice for some time now. Who can forget hearing the words in one of the Yolngu languages in the ground-breaking song ‘Treaty for the first time? Whole albums by the great Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu were almost completely in language – Yolngu languages such as Gaalpu, Gumatj or Djambarrpuynu, a dialect related to Gumatj – with only a sprinkling of English.
 

Young Yolngu musicians practicing at Garma Festival, East Arnhem Land, 2008

 

Taken off
In recent years, though, it has really taken off, with many performers, such as Shellie Morris and the Borroloola Songwomen (featuring the Yanuwa, Garrawa, Mara and Guanji languages of the Borroloola region) releasing albums in their community language, part of a wider international trend. As a Sydney Morning Herald article points out other musicians to record songs in language include ARIA-nominated singer and songwriter Gumbaynggirr woman Emma Donovan, Emily Wurramara, Baker Boy, Budjerah, DRMNGNOW, Christine Anu and King Stingray, to name just a few. This has built on a long tradition of singing and music featuring First Nations languages.

First Nations performers have also taken and transformed songs originally written in English. Mitch Tambo’s performance of the much-loved unofficial national anthem ‘You’re the Voice’ in Gamilaraay at the Fire Fight Australia concert – alongside its original singer, Johnny Farnham, and Olivia Newton-John and Brian May of Queen no less – is a recent high profile example.

Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot in our national cultural institutions?

After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage, outlining how after decades of damage from the so-called efficiency dividend, these institutions, amongst our most important publically-owned assets, might just have been saved. The first article looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development.

Finally, after decades of neglect, this Government has seen fit to start to address the dire state of our national cultural institutions. These are the publically-owned institutions which belong to the Australia people and which play a crucial national role in supporting and preserving Australia’s culture and heritage. Yet over decades their work has been steadily and stealthily crippled by the operation of the ‘efficiency dividend’ the 1.25 per cent annual levy introduced in 1987 by the Hawke government and continued by Government under both major parties ever since.

This is an automatic bureaucratic mechanism which through its cumulative impact cuts support for the work of the organisations at the very time it needs to be expanded to service the growing needs of an expanding population and economy – it is about everything but efficiency. This was a crucial issue recognised by Arts Minister Crean at the time of the last national cultural policy. 

The National Film and Sound Archive, one of nine national collecting institutions which received a funding boost in the 2023-24 Budget as part of the delivery of the new national cultural policy.

Much of what is happening to these national organisations is also occurring at state level to state cultural institutions of national significance. The disappointing and badly thought through changes to the once-mighty Powerhouse Museum are a good example. These organisations are very different to Government departments, which have much more room to adjust to major cuts. They have very specific requirements to operate effectively, including a body of highly specialised expertise, with staff with long-established international and national professional networks to facilitate their roles.

The whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything

After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this second one is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage.

The new national cultural policy is big, but is it big enough to encompass all those parts of Australian society and economy that are connected to and influenced by creativity and culture? It is crucial for the success of the policy that it stretches far beyond the arts sector. Burke has stressed the broader remit of the policy. Before the policy was released he made a profound point – even if it should be obvious, but usually isn’t. Stressing the importance of the policy, he said: ‘This is not just an arts policy. Cultural policy, when you get it right, affects how you run your health policy. It affects how you run your veterans affairs policy, it affects your industrial relations policy, it affects how you conduct your trade and your foreign affairs.’ 

 Joining the cultural economy dots: wedding dress and underskirt worn by Miranda Tapsell in the film Top End Wedding, exhibited in the Piinpi touring exhibition at the National Museum of Australia (originally curated by Bendigo Art Gallery). The piece is a collaboration between print designer Bede Tungutalum, joint founder of Tiwi Design, designer Heather Wallace and costume maker Robyn Trott.

Missed opportunity
When Burke was Shadow Minister for Arts and also Multicultural Affairs I noted repeatedly that he was in the ideal position to connect the innovative power of cultural diversity to the Opposition’s promised new cultural policy. Unfortunately this new policy misses an important opportunity to highlight this crucial feature of contemporary Australian society and culture and its implications for economic resilience and innovation. However, in this Government Burke now has another role, that of Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and he is doing with that position exactly what I had hoped he would do with Multicultural Affairs – connect the dots, as Simon Crean used to say repeatedly.

Time to revive with renewed national cultural policy

After a hiatus of ten long years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of Australian culture and creativity. The previous policy, announced by the Gillard Labor Government in 2013, was a very good policy, even though it had its gaps, but its impact was cut short by what turned out to be a series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer they were in office. At first glance the new policy appears to be an arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives, including some that have never been included in a cultural policy before. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage.

While I was away in New Zealand in February and March this year I saw that on 30 January 2023 the Albanese Labor Government and its Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, had released ‘Revive’, its new National Cultural Policy. According to the release material, it’s ‘a 5-year plan to renew and revive Australia's arts, entertainment and cultural sector. It delivers new momentum so that Australia's creative workers, organisations and audiences continue to thrive and grow, and so that our arts, culture and heritage are re-positioned as central to Australia's future.’ With the announcement of the 2023-24 Budget, which will help deliver the new policy, it's timely to consider it in more detail.

The new national cultural policy may not be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but it is important and it fills a ten-year gap since the last national cultural policy. It provides a vision and framework that maps out what the Albanese Government will do to support and foster arts, creativity and culture.

 ‘It is of special interest to me since I was the director of the taskforce that co-ordinated the production of the last one under the previous Labor Government back in 2012. Even though it had its gaps, that was a very good policy, with its impact cut short by what turned out to be a series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer they were in office.’

As I noted at the time, it is of special interest to me since I was the director of the taskforce that co-ordinated the production of the last one under the previous Labor Government back in 2012. Even though it had its gaps, that was a very good policy, with its impact cut short by what turned out to be a series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer they were in office.

Too soon to tell - is the Powerhouse Museum saved and what happens next?

Over the years I have written several articles about the decline of the once mighty Powerhouse Museum, one of the gems of Sydney and an internationally renowned institution. It was steadily undermined by a State government more at ease with pork-barrelling the suburbs it had long neglected than fostering a great museum and major tourist attraction. Rather than extending and upgrading the museum into the Western suburbs, it seemed intent on establishing a de facto entertainment and functions centre in Parramatta. Now, with a new State Government, that all may have changed.

My next planned article was going to be about the recently announced new national cultural policy of the Albanese Labor Government, but with the Powerhouse issue raising its head again, I thought I’d publish something now. The article about the national cultural policy will follow soon.

The view of the Catalina flying boat from the mezzanine floor above - the former Members Lounge where I used to work from 1995 to 2000.

Hope of end to a debacle
Hopefully, with the election of the Minns Labor Government in NSW, there may be some hope of an end to this embarrassing debacle with the Museum, though there are no guarantees. What is clear is that whatever happens next is under close scrutiny. There is plenty of room to enhance the Powerhouse – however care needs to be taken not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It's also important not to lose a once in a lifetime opportunity – decoupled from the Parramatta option – to make the Powerhouse truly the great museum it could be. For example here has long been an ambition to turn the Museum around so it is no longer limited to an entrance from busy Harris Street in Ultimo and instead connects to Darling Harbour – despite all the limitations of that precinct.

I include extracts from a breaking update distributed on behalf of the broad alliance that has been battling for years to reverse this policy failure and halt the sad decline of the Museum.

Travelling light – a cultural journey through the Shaky Isles

I’ve been to Aotearoa New Zealand only twice before – once on a brief stop in Auckland on the way to Tahiti in 2014 and then on a longer trip around the North Island at the end of 2016. On the first trip my fellow traveller was in New Zealand because she wanted to visit Tahiti, whereas I was in Tahiti because I wanted to visit New Zealand. On the second visit in 2016, we had planned to continue on to the South Island – till it became clear this would be biting off more than we could chew. A driving journey on two islands was one island too many. Then, almost seven years later, including three years of global pandemic, ducking and weaving to avoid the virus, our 2016 trip was finally about to resume. New Zealand is close to Australia but for the last few years it has been far away. At times during our visit I had to stop and remind myself that we were really there.

From my experience as far as Aotearoa New Zealand is concerned, it seems Australians fall into two groups – those who have been there and want to go back and those who would like to go there. I’ve long had a sense of the significance of New Zealand for our region and our own country. New Zealand is much more connected to the Pacific than Australia. The fact the North island has been described as the largest Polynesian island in the Pacific is possibly part of the reason. It’s only an accident of history that the two islands that make up New Zealand are one country – conceivably they could just as easily have been two. How different that could have been.

Art wall in Britomart, the old transformed dockland area of Auckland.

I’ve said before that Australians used to joke that going to New Zealand was like travelling back to the 1950s. That might be true in some respects, but in other ways it’s like travelling to a country Australia might want to become sometime in the future.

Absent without leave - ocean crossing in an (almost) post-pandemic world

I’ve been a little out of touch with what’s been happening in the world of Australian creativity and culture because for all of February and early March this year I was visiting Aotearoa New Zealand, on a journey that originally started in November 2016 and was then resumed over six years later. While I was away the Labor Government announced its new National Cultural Policy and soon after I arrived back I received bad news of a loss from the tight group of friends and colleagues who had helped form my cultural world-view so many decades earlier – when we spoke the language of community, the language of culture and the language of changing the world for the better.

All at sea in a floating library
I started my trip in a floating library, that is on a Viking cruise from Sydney to Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Viking ships are full of quiet corners crammed with books, a welcome way to pass time at sea – when not in a Scandinavian spa and sauna and pool unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. The cruise was originally a river cruise from Amsterdam up the Rhine to Basel in 2020, before the world went to shit. It was meant to follow my first ever cruise – from London to the furthest point North in Norway, way above the Arctic Circle, then down to beautiful Bergen. As the global pandemic rolled on, this follow up voyage was postponed several times and finally converted to a cruise to New Zealand when Viking started to operate in Southern waters. It was certainly a superb way to travel to New Zealand.

 

From the time when everyone played in a garage band and was famous amongst a few people they knew for all of five minutes. Of course we wrote our own songs. In our day jobs we were even more serious.

In an inspired move on the way to Melbourne I had booked the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. I walked off the ship and headed into the city to see it. It was popular and packed and I wore my face mask throughout, but it was excellent and not-to-be-missed.