Arts policy in the ACT has been more miss than hit, even though intentions have been good and there have been some worthwhile achievements. Unfortunately often the achievements don’t seem to have sprung from an overall vision of a consolidated strategic policy, which has meant that their full value hasn’t been harnessed. There has been a history of consultation stalling and not producing fruitful results. However, the ambition is currently there and building on some of the previous work, there may finally be a policy that focuses support for the arts and links it to the broader landscape of culture and creativity - if only all the interlinked components can be recognised and implemented.
The history of arts policy – let alone any sort of broader policy about culture or creativity – has been an uneven one in the ACT. There’s been a succession of Arts Ministers, the last two of whom – Dr Chris Bourke and Gordon Ramsay – each made valuable contributions in their own way. Chris Bourke in particular established a long-running history of support by the ACT Government for ground-breaking DESIGN Canberra. Gordon Ramsay hinted at a vision by the ACT Government for a broader view of creativity and culture linked to creative industries just before the 2020 ACT election in which he lost his seat. Before them there was also an earlier consultation process to develop a new arts policy in 2015, which didn’t produce much in the way of new useful outcomes.
I would have been happier if it had devoted more space to locating the arts in the broader landscape of culture and the even broader one of creativity. Instead it tends to talk mainly about the arts and add the words ‘and culture and creativity’ every time ‘the arts’ are mentioned. However, I don’t want to be negative – an arts policy that actually gives a nod towards culture and creativity is a great step forward.
Broader elements essential for success
The reality is that the policy that starts relatively narrowly with arts, rather than culture or creativity, manages to go on to link it to some of the broader issues which are essential for a successful arts policy – the dynamic centrality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, social inclusion, education. In many ways the ACT Government is ideally suited to incorporate these broader social and economic matters – I can’t imagine the previous national Coalition Government having the capability or vision to do the same.
A capital of design
What is pleasing is that the ACT policy recognises the importance of badging the ACT as a design capital, whether through listing as one of network of UNESCO Creative Cities or through practical action to mark such a status. This acknowledges the extensive work over the last nine years by Craft ACT through its initiative DESIGN Canberra to lay the groundwork for such a move.
While a welcome step, it would be a pity if the opportunity for UNESCO listing was not pursued by taking a path that might initially look cheaper and simpler. The UNESCO network offers much more serious avenues for building international links with international heavy hitters than what – if not implemented thoroughly – could easily turn out to be a superficial badging exercise.
Making it so
The policy draws on a range of currents in the ACT. The relatively new Ministers Cultural Council has been working on ideas and local independent arts voice, the Childers Group, of which I was previously a member, has held several forums to discuss many of the issues.
A parallel research project was also undertaken as a joint project between the ACT Government and the University of Canberra to scope creative industries in the ACT. The project was designed ‘to define the creative industries in the context of the ACT, analyse and map the extensive sector, review best practices from abroad, identify our competitive advantages, and quantify the benefits of the creative industries including its direct economic value.’ It is relevant here that Tara Cheyne is both Minister for the Arts and Assistant Minister for Economic Development.
Interestingly in many ways DESIGN Canberra is a pointer to how such a broader policy could evolve. With it’s focus on linking the arts end of the creative spectrum to the more commercial industry end with design and architecture, it shows how an arts policy and a creative industry policy could be intertwined in a policy for the creative economy. DESIGN Canberra has grown as a practical and highly successful phenomenon over the last nine years (with one year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic) and is a real world example of what can be achieved in knitting together these disparate ends of the creative economy.
What Government does best
However, there are a number of crucial elements for any policy supporting creativity and culture (and the arts) to be effective, at whatever level of Government and in whatever locality. The first is recognising that far beyond the issue of funding to support creative activity, artists and organisations is the overall framework that links up many different areas of Government and focuses spending. Government support for arts and culture extends far more broadly than funding – and in fact much of this support, such as regulation and legislative frameworks, is far more important than funding.
Government involvement at various levels includes a direct role in the arts and culture sector through its own agencies, such as the national and state cultural institutions, its place in education and training subsidies and through its own arts training bodies, accreditation frameworks and curriculum, through tax incentives or deductions, schemes like the lending right programs that compensate authors for the use of their publications in public libraries, frameworks for intellectual property rights and payments, local content regulations, and the setting of standards and protocols that govern such things as Internet content. This doesn’t even include the myriad of other ways in which Government agencies which are not mainly concerned with arts and culture, intersect with the arts and culture sphere.
Whole-of-Government challenge and solution
When governments commit funding to support a specific promising sector such as creative industries, that expenditure is likely to have far more impact if other areas of government activity are refocused in parallel to maximise the effectiveness of that commitment. Given the breadth of the creative industries, a whole-of-government approach is most appropriate and almost every agency will have relevance to the sector – education for training and skills development, finance for facilitating financial expertise, urban planning for encouraging the application of good design practice to create liveable spaces in cities and suburbs, health for supporting good design in health facilities and creative activities aimed at more effective rehabilitation and recovery.
Thinking by Government (and industry and society) about creative industries and the creative economy has advanced considerably over the last decade or so – even though there are still ongoing debates about the whole area. The different approaches are like different COVID-19 vaccines – all are far better than nothing at all, even though the level of effectiveness of each may vary widely. Strategies in each locality each have their distinctive strengths and weaknesses, but all of them are likely to make a significant contribution to both economic and cultural development in their particular locality.
It is crucial to maintain a consistently broad approach. The weakness in many creative industry strategies is that while they recognise the breadth of the creative industries and creative economy, they don’t always reflect that breadth of focus in developing initiatives in their implementation plans. All too often the tried and true forms of support developed over many decades to foster the subsidised arts and culture sector are merely extended slightly more widely.
Where localities have effectively developed forms of support for creative industries, rather than merely arts and culture, they have tended to focus not only on the use of grant funding, the traditional means by which arts and culture has usually been supported by Government, but on a broader range of measures through their non-arts agencies. These have included training – building on their central role in education, assistance with more effective organisational structures, networking and liaison and facilitating international partnerships.
The clean and clever economy of the future – creativity, creative industries and the creative and cultural economy
In any discussion of creative industries, it’s very important not to lose sight of the distinctive features of this sector – creativity and industry. In the end many strategies are actually arts and cultural strategies and not industry strategies at all. If a creative industry strategy is to be more than one built around government-subsidised organisations, it has to include a comprehensive range of initiatives which involve Government facilitating greater involvement by the commercial sector.
This is not to say that support for creative industries can be understood without reference to the complex link between creativity, creative industries, the creative economy and the cultural economy. Any effective government strategy has to seriously address the role of government in facilitating greater contact between the cultural sector and the commercial sector as well as contributing in ways that only government can to commercial development, such as facilitating better links between business and the tertiary sector and fostering complex innovation systems. At a national level a good example is intellectual property reform or refining the digital and online framework through such things as standards and protocols and more effective regulation. At State and Territory and Local Government level, reform of regulations affecting live performances, especially music – such as noise regulation – has been important.
The history of arts policy – let alone any sort of broader policy about culture or creativity – has been an uneven one in the ACT. There’s been a succession of Arts Ministers, the last two of whom – Dr Chris Bourke and Gordon Ramsay – each made valuable contributions in their own way. Chris Bourke in particular established a long-running history of support by the ACT Government for ground-breaking DESIGN Canberra. Gordon Ramsay hinted at a vision by the ACT Government for a broader view of creativity and culture linked to creative industries just before the 2020 ACT election in which he lost his seat. Before them there was also an earlier consultation process to develop a new arts policy in 2015, which didn’t produce much in the way of new useful outcomes.
 |
| Craft ACT stall at DESIGN Canberra, it's major public initiative |
Now Tara Cheyne, an energetic Arts Minister with strategic vision, has overseen the launch of a new, considerably improved policy, ‘Canberra: Australia’s Arts Capital – Arts, Culture and Creative Policy 2022–2026’. This means we currently have a national process underway to produce a
National Cultural Policy to succeed the 2013 Creative Australia policy
and complementing that at local level a recently-announced ACT arts
policy. How the two policies might intersect will be an interesting
question. It seems an ideal opportunity to revisit some of the critical
elements that help ensure the success or otherwise of any policy aiming to
foster creativity, culture or the arts.
Hitting the right notes
Overall the new policy hits the right notes and links the right elements. It encompasses the broader issues that matter – social inclusion, creative industries and innovation, and above all recognises that without acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander culture we are going nowhere very fast. All of that I’d expect from a Government that while it sings from a similar neo-liberal song sheet as all modern Australian Governments, Liberal or Labor, actually values the role of Government and thinks community is as important as business.
Overall the new policy hits the right notes and links the right elements. It encompasses the broader issues that matter – social inclusion, creative industries and innovation, and above all recognises that without acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander culture we are going nowhere very fast. All of that I’d expect from a Government that while it sings from a similar neo-liberal song sheet as all modern Australian Governments, Liberal or Labor, actually values the role of Government and thinks community is as important as business.
‘I
would have been happier if it had devoted more space to locating the
arts in the broader landscape of culture and the even broader one of
creativity….However, I don’t want to be negative – an arts policy that
actually gives a nod towards culture and creativity is a great step
forward.’
I would have been happier if it had devoted more space to locating the arts in the broader landscape of culture and the even broader one of creativity. Instead it tends to talk mainly about the arts and add the words ‘and culture and creativity’ every time ‘the arts’ are mentioned. However, I don’t want to be negative – an arts policy that actually gives a nod towards culture and creativity is a great step forward.
Broader elements essential for success
The reality is that the policy that starts relatively narrowly with arts, rather than culture or creativity, manages to go on to link it to some of the broader issues which are essential for a successful arts policy – the dynamic centrality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, social inclusion, education. In many ways the ACT Government is ideally suited to incorporate these broader social and economic matters – I can’t imagine the previous national Coalition Government having the capability or vision to do the same.
A capital of design
What is pleasing is that the ACT policy recognises the importance of badging the ACT as a design capital, whether through listing as one of network of UNESCO Creative Cities or through practical action to mark such a status. This acknowledges the extensive work over the last nine years by Craft ACT through its initiative DESIGN Canberra to lay the groundwork for such a move.
‘While
a welcome step, it would be a pity if the opportunity for UNESCO
listing was not pursued by taking a path that might initially look
cheaper and simpler. The UNESCO network offers much more serious avenues
for building international links with international heavy hitters than
what could easily turn out to be a superficial badging exercise.’
While a welcome step, it would be a pity if the opportunity for UNESCO listing was not pursued by taking a path that might initially look cheaper and simpler. The UNESCO network offers much more serious avenues for building international links with international heavy hitters than what – if not implemented thoroughly – could easily turn out to be a superficial badging exercise.
Making it so
The policy draws on a range of currents in the ACT. The relatively new Ministers Cultural Council has been working on ideas and local independent arts voice, the Childers Group, of which I was previously a member, has held several forums to discuss many of the issues.
A parallel research project was also undertaken as a joint project between the ACT Government and the University of Canberra to scope creative industries in the ACT. The project was designed ‘to define the creative industries in the context of the ACT, analyse and map the extensive sector, review best practices from abroad, identify our competitive advantages, and quantify the benefits of the creative industries including its direct economic value.’ It is relevant here that Tara Cheyne is both Minister for the Arts and Assistant Minister for Economic Development.
‘Interestingly
in many ways DESIGN Canberra is a pointer to how such a broader policy
could evolve. With it’s focus on linking the arts end of the creative
spectrum to the more commercial industry end with design and
architecture, it shows how an arts policy and a creative industry policy
could be intertwined in a policy for the creative economy.’
Interestingly in many ways DESIGN Canberra is a pointer to how such a broader policy could evolve. With it’s focus on linking the arts end of the creative spectrum to the more commercial industry end with design and architecture, it shows how an arts policy and a creative industry policy could be intertwined in a policy for the creative economy. DESIGN Canberra has grown as a practical and highly successful phenomenon over the last nine years (with one year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic) and is a real world example of what can be achieved in knitting together these disparate ends of the creative economy.
What Government does best
However, there are a number of crucial elements for any policy supporting creativity and culture (and the arts) to be effective, at whatever level of Government and in whatever locality. The first is recognising that far beyond the issue of funding to support creative activity, artists and organisations is the overall framework that links up many different areas of Government and focuses spending. Government support for arts and culture extends far more broadly than funding – and in fact much of this support, such as regulation and legislative frameworks, is far more important than funding.
‘Government
support for arts and culture extends far more broadly than funding –
and in fact much of this support, such as regulation and legislative
frameworks, is far more important than funding.’
Government involvement at various levels includes a direct role in the arts and culture sector through its own agencies, such as the national and state cultural institutions, its place in education and training subsidies and through its own arts training bodies, accreditation frameworks and curriculum, through tax incentives or deductions, schemes like the lending right programs that compensate authors for the use of their publications in public libraries, frameworks for intellectual property rights and payments, local content regulations, and the setting of standards and protocols that govern such things as Internet content. This doesn’t even include the myriad of other ways in which Government agencies which are not mainly concerned with arts and culture, intersect with the arts and culture sphere.
Whole-of-Government challenge and solution
When governments commit funding to support a specific promising sector such as creative industries, that expenditure is likely to have far more impact if other areas of government activity are refocused in parallel to maximise the effectiveness of that commitment. Given the breadth of the creative industries, a whole-of-government approach is most appropriate and almost every agency will have relevance to the sector – education for training and skills development, finance for facilitating financial expertise, urban planning for encouraging the application of good design practice to create liveable spaces in cities and suburbs, health for supporting good design in health facilities and creative activities aimed at more effective rehabilitation and recovery.
‘The
weakness in many creative industry strategies is that while they
recognise the breadth of the creative industries and creative economy,
they don’t always reflect that breadth of focus in developing
initiatives in their implementation plans. All too often the tried and
true forms of support developed over many decades to foster the
subsidised arts and culture sector are merely extended slightly more
widely.’
Thinking by Government (and industry and society) about creative industries and the creative economy has advanced considerably over the last decade or so – even though there are still ongoing debates about the whole area. The different approaches are like different COVID-19 vaccines – all are far better than nothing at all, even though the level of effectiveness of each may vary widely. Strategies in each locality each have their distinctive strengths and weaknesses, but all of them are likely to make a significant contribution to both economic and cultural development in their particular locality.
It is crucial to maintain a consistently broad approach. The weakness in many creative industry strategies is that while they recognise the breadth of the creative industries and creative economy, they don’t always reflect that breadth of focus in developing initiatives in their implementation plans. All too often the tried and true forms of support developed over many decades to foster the subsidised arts and culture sector are merely extended slightly more widely.
Where localities have effectively developed forms of support for creative industries, rather than merely arts and culture, they have tended to focus not only on the use of grant funding, the traditional means by which arts and culture has usually been supported by Government, but on a broader range of measures through their non-arts agencies. These have included training – building on their central role in education, assistance with more effective organisational structures, networking and liaison and facilitating international partnerships.
The clean and clever economy of the future – creativity, creative industries and the creative and cultural economy
In any discussion of creative industries, it’s very important not to lose sight of the distinctive features of this sector – creativity and industry. In the end many strategies are actually arts and cultural strategies and not industry strategies at all. If a creative industry strategy is to be more than one built around government-subsidised organisations, it has to include a comprehensive range of initiatives which involve Government facilitating greater involvement by the commercial sector.
'Where localities have
effectively developed forms of support for creative industries, rather
than merely arts and culture, they have tended to focus not only on the
use of grant funding, the traditional means by which arts and culture
has usually been supported by Government, but on a broader range of
measures through their non-arts agencies.'
This is not to say that support for creative industries can be understood without reference to the complex link between creativity, creative industries, the creative economy and the cultural economy. Any effective government strategy has to seriously address the role of government in facilitating greater contact between the cultural sector and the commercial sector as well as contributing in ways that only government can to commercial development, such as facilitating better links between business and the tertiary sector and fostering complex innovation systems. At a national level a good example is intellectual property reform or refining the digital and online framework through such things as standards and protocols and more effective regulation. At State and Territory and Local Government level, reform of regulations affecting live performances, especially music – such as noise regulation – has been important.
The economy of the future - how knowledge economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy are related
Knowledge economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy
Increasingly the new industries in the knowledge economy of the future are both clever and clean. They are mainly service industries, based on intellectual inquiry and research and exhibiting both innovative services or products and sometimes also new and innovative ways of doing business. At their heart are the developing creative industries with their links to our cultural landscape, based on the power of creativity. They are a critical part of Australia’s future, both at national and local level, in most cases centred on small business and closely linked to the profile of Australia as a clever country, both domestically and internationally.
Where the cultural economy (and to a lesser degree, creative industries) differ completely from other knowledge economy sectors is that, because they are based on content, they draw on, intersect with and contribute to Australia’s national and local culture and are a central part of projecting Australia’s story to ourselves and to the world – they help channel those who write the stories, paint the pictures and dance the dances that tell our story. In that sense they have a strategic importance that other sectors of the knowledge economy do not. As part of Australia's culture sector and the cultural economy that derives from it, they share the critical function of managing the meaning of Australia and what being Australian means, which distinguishes this sector from other parts of the knowledge economy.
Artists, the arts and culture sector and the cultural economy
The cultural economy is underpinned by the arts and culture sector and the artists and arts and cultural organisations, mainly small, that make it up and create the content which often feeds into and inspires other sectors of the creative economy.
The cultural sector (including the arts sector and much of the heritage sector) can't be reduced to economics. In fact, the cultural economy may well be one of the less important aspects of the cultural sector and its role. However, the reality is that the cultural sector does have an associated cultural economy, which is an important part of the creative economy and overlaps with creative industries.
Creativity, culture and everyday life
Both economic relevance and a sense of being embedded with community are complementary aspects of contemporary creativity and culture that make it so strong a force. It links up both the economic role of culture and creativity and their community role of building resilience, well-being, social inclusion and liveable cities. What they have in common is that both spring from the reality that culture and creativity are integral to everyday life and the essential activities that make it up.
If we start from a dynamic view of culture, we start to think about cultural diversity not as a static aggregate of many diverse cultures, but as the constantly evolving interaction between those cultures. Once we start with the reality of everyday life, then the abstract entities ‘the economy’, ‘society’ and ‘community’ are the set of ways people interact through working, living and expressing their culture. Recognising the central role of creativity involves seeing the full, rich, interconnected, dynamic picture of everyday life. It’s not simply about economics and society, it about something much more fundamental – making a living and belonging somewhere.
The main downside for those working in the creative economy is that though these industries may sometimes – but not often – pay relatively well, they, like most arts and culture jobs as well, tend to be short-term, project-based and, as with most small business environments, precarious and subject to the vagaries of international markets. The global COVID-19 pandemic has underlined this in a dramatic way.
Innovation is applied creativity and cultural diversity fosters innovation
The concept of innovation is important in this context. It helps place creativity firmly at the centre of economic and social development in the new knowledge economy which represents the future of Australia. All too often, creativity is confused with innovation. A number of writers about innovation have made the point that innovation and creativity are different. In their view, innovation involves taking a creative idea and commercialising it.
If we look more broadly, we see that innovation may not necessarily involve only commercialising ideas. Instead the core feature is application—innovation is applied creativity. Cultural diversity fosters innovation because innovation occurs where cultures intersect and differing world-views come into contact and fixed ideas and old ways of doing things are challenged.
In the ACT policy I would have liked to have seen more focus on the link between cultural diversity and innovation, but no policy to date has recognised that. This is an area of challenge for all cultural policies. It was one of the few weaknesses in Creative Australia, the short-lived National Cultural Policy of the Gillard Labor Government. Now that Labor is back in office and Arts Minister Tony Burke, with the backing of Prime Minister Albanese, intends to revisit Creative Australia, this will be an opportunity to be grasped or lost. Given Burke was previously Shadow Minister for both Arts and Citizenship and Multicultural Australia, he should be ideally placed to finally incorporate this key component in cultural policy.
Addressing central social challenges
The focus of the cultural economy (and to some degree creative industries) on content has other implications. Creativity, culture and creative industries also show promise in helping address central social challenges Australia faces. In attempting to address the major issue of Indigenous disadvantage, to take just one example, it is critical to recognise that one of the most important economic resources possessed by First Nations communities is their culture.
Creative firms are already developing which draw on that cultural content. Through the intellectual property that translates it into a form that can generate income in a contemporary economy, that culture is pivotal to jobs and to income. It may not be mining but they mine a far richer seam – authentic and rich content that has already been recognised internationally for its high value, just like our iron and coal.
It's not all about funding – but funding will always be crucial
Having said that, funding is always going to be an important role of Government – unless we want Australia’s culture to be dominated by commercial activity, which will almost always mean by global giants, as is currently happening with major music festivals. Turning our attention specifically to Government funding, there are three important issues to bear in mind.
Firstly the real risk to creativity and culture is not funding cuts but slow, gradual attrition and neglect. At both national and local level this is a quadruple whammy due to lack of indexation, the cumulative effect of various forms of ‘efficiency dividend’, the trend towards project funding rather than operational funding and funding support falling behind the rate of expansion of the population and the economy.
Secondly, across all levels of Government there has been a strong tendency for cultural funding increasingly to become project funding, ignoring the need for regular comprehensive cultural infrastructure support (and by that I don’t mean physical infrastructure, but support for hands on deck to make things happen). Increasingly governments have withdrawn from longer term operational support for the arts in preference for short term, one-off project funding.
This creeping trend makes it ever harder for organisations to find the long term operational funding which small arts and cultural organisations need to keep their doors open so they can deliver base level front line services. Sponsorship is all well and good – and cultural organisations are getting better and better at obtaining this – but sponsors are unlikely to want to fund core staffing roles. Government funding provides the core support that enables organisations to build a broader economic base.
Many years ago the second largest US philanthropic body supporting arts and culture, the Ford Foundation, had a strategic rethink and decided to recognise the importance of operational funding to community organisations by changing its guidelines to prioritise such funding. At the time, the Foundation announced a major overhaul of the support it provided to community organisations, including arts and culture bodies.
This was a really interesting development. It moved its focus to building social infrastructure through support for operating expenses. Coupled with greater flexibility about what could be funded, this refocus made the fund much more effective. At the time the Foundation reviewed it practices and consulted widely with the non-profit sector. A common comment was that the sector felt it was being ‘project-supported to death’.
Thirdly, no policy can survive if it does not acknowledge that as the economy and population grow, cultural funding has to keep pace if cultural organisations are going to be able to keep up with the expanding demand as a result of this growth. Stagnation in funding support – or even cuts – to arts and cultural support, while relatively small each year, has a cumulative effect far greater than at first appears and, in the long run, will undermine the effectiveness of arts and culture support at all levels. Where the real disastrous impact of this will hit home is when we also factor in the impact of population growth. If anything, there needs to be an expansion of arts and cultural funding to service the growth.
Human-sized cities
There is a lot to be said for a small human-sized city like Canberra. It is many things in one – the national capital, with all the international linkages that implies, a regional centre and a satellite city to the biggest city in Australia. With some broader components to supplement the new arts policy and a sound implementation plan, this latest policy – the best to date – could achieve some welcome and long-lasting results.
Increasingly the new industries in the knowledge economy of the future are both clever and clean. They are mainly service industries, based on intellectual inquiry and research and exhibiting both innovative services or products and sometimes also new and innovative ways of doing business. At their heart are the developing creative industries with their links to our cultural landscape, based on the power of creativity. They are a critical part of Australia’s future, both at national and local level, in most cases centred on small business and closely linked to the profile of Australia as a clever country, both domestically and internationally.
‘Where
the cultural economy (and to a lesser degree, creative industries)
differ completely from other knowledge economy sectors is that, because
they are based on content, they draw on, intersect with and contribute
to Australia’s national and local culture and are a central part of
projecting Australia’s story to ourselves and to the world.’
Where the cultural economy (and to a lesser degree, creative industries) differ completely from other knowledge economy sectors is that, because they are based on content, they draw on, intersect with and contribute to Australia’s national and local culture and are a central part of projecting Australia’s story to ourselves and to the world – they help channel those who write the stories, paint the pictures and dance the dances that tell our story. In that sense they have a strategic importance that other sectors of the knowledge economy do not. As part of Australia's culture sector and the cultural economy that derives from it, they share the critical function of managing the meaning of Australia and what being Australian means, which distinguishes this sector from other parts of the knowledge economy.
Artists, the arts and culture sector and the cultural economy
The cultural economy is underpinned by the arts and culture sector and the artists and arts and cultural organisations, mainly small, that make it up and create the content which often feeds into and inspires other sectors of the creative economy.
‘The
cultural sector can't be reduced to economics. In fact, the cultural
economy may well be one of the less important aspects of the cultural
sector and its role. However, the reality is that the cultural sector
does have an associated cultural economy, which is an important part of
the creative economy.’
The cultural sector (including the arts sector and much of the heritage sector) can't be reduced to economics. In fact, the cultural economy may well be one of the less important aspects of the cultural sector and its role. However, the reality is that the cultural sector does have an associated cultural economy, which is an important part of the creative economy and overlaps with creative industries.
Creativity, culture and everyday life
Both economic relevance and a sense of being embedded with community are complementary aspects of contemporary creativity and culture that make it so strong a force. It links up both the economic role of culture and creativity and their community role of building resilience, well-being, social inclusion and liveable cities. What they have in common is that both spring from the reality that culture and creativity are integral to everyday life and the essential activities that make it up.
If we start from a dynamic view of culture, we start to think about cultural diversity not as a static aggregate of many diverse cultures, but as the constantly evolving interaction between those cultures. Once we start with the reality of everyday life, then the abstract entities ‘the economy’, ‘society’ and ‘community’ are the set of ways people interact through working, living and expressing their culture. Recognising the central role of creativity involves seeing the full, rich, interconnected, dynamic picture of everyday life. It’s not simply about economics and society, it about something much more fundamental – making a living and belonging somewhere.
‘Both economic relevance and a sense of being embedded with community
are complementary aspects of contemporary creativity and culture.…What
they have in common is that both spring from the reality that culture
and creativity are integral to everyday life and the essential
activities that make it up.’
The main downside for those working in the creative economy is that though these industries may sometimes – but not often – pay relatively well, they, like most arts and culture jobs as well, tend to be short-term, project-based and, as with most small business environments, precarious and subject to the vagaries of international markets. The global COVID-19 pandemic has underlined this in a dramatic way.
Innovation is applied creativity and cultural diversity fosters innovation
The concept of innovation is important in this context. It helps place creativity firmly at the centre of economic and social development in the new knowledge economy which represents the future of Australia. All too often, creativity is confused with innovation. A number of writers about innovation have made the point that innovation and creativity are different. In their view, innovation involves taking a creative idea and commercialising it.
If we look more broadly, we see that innovation may not necessarily involve only commercialising ideas. Instead the core feature is application—innovation is applied creativity. Cultural diversity fosters innovation because innovation occurs where cultures intersect and differing world-views come into contact and fixed ideas and old ways of doing things are challenged.
‘I
would have liked to have seen more focus on the link between cultural
diversity and innovation, but no policy to date has recognised that.
This is an area of challenge for all cultural policies. It was one of
the few weaknesses in Creative Australia, the short-lived National
Cultural Policy of the Gillard Labor Government.’
In the ACT policy I would have liked to have seen more focus on the link between cultural diversity and innovation, but no policy to date has recognised that. This is an area of challenge for all cultural policies. It was one of the few weaknesses in Creative Australia, the short-lived National Cultural Policy of the Gillard Labor Government. Now that Labor is back in office and Arts Minister Tony Burke, with the backing of Prime Minister Albanese, intends to revisit Creative Australia, this will be an opportunity to be grasped or lost. Given Burke was previously Shadow Minister for both Arts and Citizenship and Multicultural Australia, he should be ideally placed to finally incorporate this key component in cultural policy.
Addressing central social challenges
The focus of the cultural economy (and to some degree creative industries) on content has other implications. Creativity, culture and creative industries also show promise in helping address central social challenges Australia faces. In attempting to address the major issue of Indigenous disadvantage, to take just one example, it is critical to recognise that one of the most important economic resources possessed by First Nations communities is their culture.
‘Creativity,
culture and creative industries also show promise in helping address
central social challenges Australia faces….one of the most important
economic resources possessed by First Nations communities is their
culture.’
Creative firms are already developing which draw on that cultural content. Through the intellectual property that translates it into a form that can generate income in a contemporary economy, that culture is pivotal to jobs and to income. It may not be mining but they mine a far richer seam – authentic and rich content that has already been recognised internationally for its high value, just like our iron and coal.
It's not all about funding – but funding will always be crucial
Having said that, funding is always going to be an important role of Government – unless we want Australia’s culture to be dominated by commercial activity, which will almost always mean by global giants, as is currently happening with major music festivals. Turning our attention specifically to Government funding, there are three important issues to bear in mind.
‘No
policy can survive if it does not acknowledge that as the economy and
population grow, cultural funding has to keep pace if cultural
organisations are going to be able to keep up with the expanding demand
as a result of this growth.’
Firstly the real risk to creativity and culture is not funding cuts but slow, gradual attrition and neglect. At both national and local level this is a quadruple whammy due to lack of indexation, the cumulative effect of various forms of ‘efficiency dividend’, the trend towards project funding rather than operational funding and funding support falling behind the rate of expansion of the population and the economy.
Secondly, across all levels of Government there has been a strong tendency for cultural funding increasingly to become project funding, ignoring the need for regular comprehensive cultural infrastructure support (and by that I don’t mean physical infrastructure, but support for hands on deck to make things happen). Increasingly governments have withdrawn from longer term operational support for the arts in preference for short term, one-off project funding.
This creeping trend makes it ever harder for organisations to find the long term operational funding which small arts and cultural organisations need to keep their doors open so they can deliver base level front line services. Sponsorship is all well and good – and cultural organisations are getting better and better at obtaining this – but sponsors are unlikely to want to fund core staffing roles. Government funding provides the core support that enables organisations to build a broader economic base.
‘Sponsorship
is all well and good – and cultural organisations are getting better
and better at obtaining this – but sponsors are unlikely to want to fund
core staffing roles. Government funding provides the core support that
enables organisations to build a broader economic base.’
Many years ago the second largest US philanthropic body supporting arts and culture, the Ford Foundation, had a strategic rethink and decided to recognise the importance of operational funding to community organisations by changing its guidelines to prioritise such funding. At the time, the Foundation announced a major overhaul of the support it provided to community organisations, including arts and culture bodies.
This was a really interesting development. It moved its focus to building social infrastructure through support for operating expenses. Coupled with greater flexibility about what could be funded, this refocus made the fund much more effective. At the time the Foundation reviewed it practices and consulted widely with the non-profit sector. A common comment was that the sector felt it was being ‘project-supported to death’.
‘There
is a lot to be said for a small human-sized city like Canberra. It is
many things in one – the national capital, with all the international
linkages that implies, a regional centre and a satellite city to the
biggest city in Australia. With some broader components to supplement
the new policy and a sound implementation plan, this latest policy – the
best to date – could achieve some welcome and long-lasting results.’
Thirdly, no policy can survive if it does not acknowledge that as the economy and population grow, cultural funding has to keep pace if cultural organisations are going to be able to keep up with the expanding demand as a result of this growth. Stagnation in funding support – or even cuts – to arts and cultural support, while relatively small each year, has a cumulative effect far greater than at first appears and, in the long run, will undermine the effectiveness of arts and culture support at all levels. Where the real disastrous impact of this will hit home is when we also factor in the impact of population growth. If anything, there needs to be an expansion of arts and cultural funding to service the growth.
Human-sized cities
There is a lot to be said for a small human-sized city like Canberra. It is many things in one – the national capital, with all the international linkages that implies, a regional centre and a satellite city to the biggest city in Australia. With some broader components to supplement the new arts policy and a sound implementation plan, this latest policy – the best to date – could achieve some welcome and long-lasting results.
See also
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’, Time to revive with renewed national cultural policy.
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 whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything.
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 third 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, Australia’s national cultural 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’, Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot of our national cultural institutions?
Designs on the future – how Australia’s designed city has global plans
‘In many ways design is a central part of the vocabulary of our time and integrally related to so many powerful social and economic forces – creative industries, popular culture, the digital transformation of society. Design is often misunderstood or overlooked and it's universal vocabulary and pervasive nature is not widely understood, especially by government. In a rapidly changing world, there is a constant tussle between the local and the national (not to mention the international). This all comes together in the vision for the future that is Design Canberra, a celebration of all things design, with preparations well underway for a month long festival this year. The ultimate vision of Craft ACT for Canberra is to add another major annual event to Floriade, Enlighten and the Multicultural Festival, filling a gap between them and complementing them all’, Designs on the future – how Australia’s designed city has global plans.
‘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’, Time to revive with renewed national cultural policy.
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 whole picture – an arts and cultural policy for everyone and everything.
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 third 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, Australia’s national cultural 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’, Who we are and where we come from – end to the rot of our national cultural institutions?
Second bite of the cherry - revisiting a national cultural policy
‘When the last national cultural policy was being finalised in 2012, more than 43% of the Australian population or at least one of their parents were born overseas. Now, as its successor is being developed after a cultural policy vacuum of more than nine years, that figure has been superseded, with over half the population or at least one of their parents born overseas. This makes a strong focus on the dynamic promise of our cultural diversity essential for any successful policy. Unfortunately, the main shortcoming of the previous policy was that it didn’t make this focus as strong as it needed to be, which was a pity because the policy was otherwise very good and comprehensive’, Second bite of the cherry - revisiting a national cultural policy.
‘When the last national cultural policy was being finalised in 2012, more than 43% of the Australian population or at least one of their parents were born overseas. Now, as its successor is being developed after a cultural policy vacuum of more than nine years, that figure has been superseded, with over half the population or at least one of their parents born overseas. This makes a strong focus on the dynamic promise of our cultural diversity essential for any successful policy. Unfortunately, the main shortcoming of the previous policy was that it didn’t make this focus as strong as it needed to be, which was a pity because the policy was otherwise very good and comprehensive’, Second bite of the cherry - revisiting a national cultural policy.
An everyday life worth living – indefinite articles for a clean, clever and creative future
‘My blog “indefinite article” is irreverent writing about contemporary Australian society, popular culture, the creative economy and the digital and online world – life in the trenches and on the beaches of the information age. Over the last ten years I have published 166 articles about creativity and culture on the blog. This is a list of all the articles I have published there, broken down into categories, with a brief summary of each article. They range from the national cultural landscape to popular culture, from artists and arts organisations to cultural institutions, cultural policy and arts funding, the cultural economy and creative industries, First Nations culture, cultural diversity, cities and regions, Australia society, government, Canberra and international issues – the whole range of contemporary Australian creativity and culture’, An everyday life worth living – indefinite articles for a clean, clever and creative future.
‘My blog “indefinite article” is irreverent writing about contemporary Australian society, popular culture, the creative economy and the digital and online world – life in the trenches and on the beaches of the information age. Over the last ten years I have published 166 articles about creativity and culture on the blog. This is a list of all the articles I have published there, broken down into categories, with a brief summary of each article. They range from the national cultural landscape to popular culture, from artists and arts organisations to cultural institutions, cultural policy and arts funding, the cultural economy and creative industries, First Nations culture, cultural diversity, cities and regions, Australia society, government, Canberra and international issues – the whole range of contemporary Australian creativity and culture’, An everyday life worth living – indefinite articles for a clean, clever and creative future.
Beyond a joke – surviving troubled times
‘We live in troubled times – but then can anyone ever say that they lived in times that weren’t troubled? For most of my life Australia has suffered mediocre politicians and politics – with the odd brief exceptions – and it seems our current times are no different. Australia has never really managed to realise its potential. As a nation it seems to be two different countries going in opposite directions – one into the future and the other into the past. It looks as though we’ll be mired in this latest stretch of mediocrity for some time and the only consolation will be creativity, gardening and humour’, Beyond a joke – surviving troubled times.
‘indefinite article’ on Facebook – short arts updates and commentary
‘Short
arts updates and irreverent cultural commentary about contemporary
Australian society, popular culture, the creative economy and the
digital and online world – life in the trenches and on the beaches of
the information age’, 'indefinite article' on Facebook.‘We live in troubled times – but then can anyone ever say that they lived in times that weren’t troubled? For most of my life Australia has suffered mediocre politicians and politics – with the odd brief exceptions – and it seems our current times are no different. Australia has never really managed to realise its potential. As a nation it seems to be two different countries going in opposite directions – one into the future and the other into the past. It looks as though we’ll be mired in this latest stretch of mediocrity for some time and the only consolation will be creativity, gardening and humour’, Beyond a joke – surviving troubled times.
‘indefinite article’ on Facebook – short arts updates and commentary
‘In many ways design is a central part of the vocabulary of our time and integrally related to so many powerful social and economic forces – creative industries, popular culture, the digital transformation of society. Design is often misunderstood or overlooked and it's universal vocabulary and pervasive nature is not widely understood, especially by government. In a rapidly changing world, there is a constant tussle between the local and the national (not to mention the international). This all comes together in the vision for the future that is Design Canberra, a celebration of all things design, with preparations well underway for a month long festival this year. The ultimate vision of Craft ACT for Canberra is to add another major annual event to Floriade, Enlighten and the Multicultural Festival, filling a gap between them and complementing them all’, Designs on the future – how Australia’s designed city has global plans.
Revhead heaven – travelling together into the mobile future
‘Cars are at the heart of everyday Australian life. Even if they don’t interest you all that much, or even if you mainly use public transport, you probably also use a car regularly. The Sunday drive, the regional road tour, the daily commute are all as Australian as burnt toast and peeling sunburn. The annual Summernats road extravaganza in Australia’s national capital celebrates this mobile culture. With some imagination, it could be even more – celebrating a central, while challenging, part of contemporary Australian popular culture’, Revhead heaven – travelling together into the mobile future.
‘Cars are at the heart of everyday Australian life. Even if they don’t interest you all that much, or even if you mainly use public transport, you probably also use a car regularly. The Sunday drive, the regional road tour, the daily commute are all as Australian as burnt toast and peeling sunburn. The annual Summernats road extravaganza in Australia’s national capital celebrates this mobile culture. With some imagination, it could be even more – celebrating a central, while challenging, part of contemporary Australian popular culture’, Revhead heaven – travelling together into the mobile future.
National and local - putting arts and culture upfront
‘Arts and cultural policy is an important way out spelling out why and how arts and culture are important to both Australia as a whole and to specific states and regions. Developing arts and cultural policy for the ACT is unique because it is both the capital of the nation – hosting most of our national cultural institutions and a strong international diplomatic presence – and at the same time, an important regional centre’, National and local - putting arts and culture upfront.
In praise of the Berra
‘When I first moved to Canberra, almost as an accidental intersection of geography and employment after the Sydney Olympics, I used to say “if you had lived in Sydney and one day you woke up and discovered you were in Canberra, you would think you had died.” Then I changed my mind. It took ten years but it was inevitable. Berrans are a hardy bunch – they can withstand the hot winds of summer and of Australia’s Parliament, the chill flurries from the Snowy Mountains and the chilling news of budget cuts. The Berra is half-way between everywhere’, In praise of the Berra.
‘Arts and cultural policy is an important way out spelling out why and how arts and culture are important to both Australia as a whole and to specific states and regions. Developing arts and cultural policy for the ACT is unique because it is both the capital of the nation – hosting most of our national cultural institutions and a strong international diplomatic presence – and at the same time, an important regional centre’, National and local - putting arts and culture upfront.
In praise of the Berra
‘When I first moved to Canberra, almost as an accidental intersection of geography and employment after the Sydney Olympics, I used to say “if you had lived in Sydney and one day you woke up and discovered you were in Canberra, you would think you had died.” Then I changed my mind. It took ten years but it was inevitable. Berrans are a hardy bunch – they can withstand the hot winds of summer and of Australia’s Parliament, the chill flurries from the Snowy Mountains and the chilling news of budget cuts. The Berra is half-way between everywhere’, In praise of the Berra.
National Cultural Policy rises from dead to boost Australian arts, culture and creativity
‘The arts and culture sector has spent far too many years pressing the case for why Australian culture is crucial to Australia’s future, without seeming to shift the public policy landscape to any great degree. Perhaps a proposed fresh approach focusing on cultural rights may offer some hope of a breakthrough. What makes this approach so important and so potentially productive is that it starts with broad principles, linked to fundamental issues, such as human rights, which makes it a perfect foundation for the development of sound and well-thought out policies – something that currently we sadly lack’, Changing the landscape of the future – a new focus on cultural rights.
What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture
‘With arts and cultural support increasingly under pressure, arts and cultural organisations and artists are trying to find ways in their own localities to respond and to help build a popular understanding of the broader social and economic benefits of arts and culture. Much work has been done in Australia and internationally to understand, assess and communicate the broad value of arts and culture. The challenge is to share and to apply what already exists – and to take it further’, What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture.
Putting culture on the main agenda – the power of policy
‘With the ongoing malaise due to the absence of national arts and cultural policy in Australia, it's worth reminding ourselves what beneficial impact good policy can have. To understand the power of policy to make an impact in the world, it’s worthwhile contrasting two recent major Australian Government cultural policies – the National Cultural Policy and the National Indigenous Languages Policy. This helps illuminate how cultural policy can promote the long view, innovation, breadth and leadership. Both policies showed that more important than funding or specific initiatives was the overall strategic vision and the way in which it attempted to place culture not just on the main agenda, but somewhere near the centre of the main agenda’, Putting culture on the main agenda – the power of policy.
Arts, culture and a map of the future – the limits of arts policy
‘In the arts, from a virtual policy-free zone, we’ve now got policies – not as many as we could have hoped, but enough to be going on with. Some of them might even get implemented. Importantly, the others will help to frame the debate and offer ideas for the future. Those parties that have arts policies offer good solid and productive proposals which, if implemented, would lead to definite improvement for Australia’s arts and culture. However, that’s just the starting point’, Arts, culture and a map of the future – the limits of arts policy.
Election mode for Australian arts and culture – a policy-free zone?
‘A policy and the understanding of issues that leads to its adoption, provides arts and culture with a stature that underpins funding by providing a rationale for support. Otherwise funding will always be ad hoc and insecure, piecemeal, project-based, intermittent and at the mercy of whim and fashion. We have to get arts and culture to the stage where it is seen like public health or education and debated accordingly’, Election mode for Australian arts and culture – a policy-free zone?
‘Arts’ policy and culture – let's not reinvent the wheel
‘Faced with the increasing prospect that it could become the next Australian Government, the Labor Party is reviewing its ‘arts’ policy. Whatever happens and whoever it happens to, considered and strategic discussion of arts and culture policy is critical to Australia's future.’ ‘Arts’ policy and culture – let's not reinvent the wheel.
‘Creative Nation’ – Keating's cultural legacy
‘Developing ‘Creative Australia’, the second Australian National Cultural Policy, required such focus that little was said about the first one, Keating’s ‘Creative Nation’. ‘Creative Nation’ acknowledged two distinct and very different strengths in Australian culture. The first was the contemporary diversity of Australia. The second was the economic significance of the arts and culture sector, including the creative industries. This reflected the reality of how Australia had changed in half a century. However it also reflects a different way of looking, beyond the narrow view of ‘the arts’ as a gently civilising influence on the surface of a frontier society’, ‘Creative Nation’ – Keating's cultural legacy.
‘A
change in national Government means that much of the daily work of
Government in keeping the country running continues as before, eased
along by the continuity provided by the public service. However, there
can also be drastic changes of direction and fresh starts and old and
tested ideas reinvigorated. One area where this will certainly be the
case is with Government support for Australian arts, culture and
creativity, with consultation to update the policies in Creative
Australia, the previous National Cultural Policy, getting underway
without delay’, National Cultural Policy rises from the dead to boost Australian arts, culture and creativity.
Labor election victory means renewed approach for Australian arts and culture support
‘Almost a decade of Coalition Government has ended, with a complex and ground-breaking result. During that long period the substantial and detailed work to develop a national cultural policy under the Rudd and then Gillard Labor Governments was sidelined. A strategic, comprehensive, long-term approach to support by national Government for Australian culture and creativity in its broadest sense was largely absent. Now we are likely to see a return – finally – to some of the central principles that underpinned ‘Creative Australia’, the blueprint that represented the Labor Government response to Australia’s creative sector’, Labor election victory means renewed approach for Australian arts and culture support.
‘Almost a decade of Coalition Government has ended, with a complex and ground-breaking result. During that long period the substantial and detailed work to develop a national cultural policy under the Rudd and then Gillard Labor Governments was sidelined. A strategic, comprehensive, long-term approach to support by national Government for Australian culture and creativity in its broadest sense was largely absent. Now we are likely to see a return – finally – to some of the central principles that underpinned ‘Creative Australia’, the blueprint that represented the Labor Government response to Australia’s creative sector’, Labor election victory means renewed approach for Australian arts and culture support.
Why Australia still needs a cultural policy – third time lucky?
‘It’s no longer the pre-election campaign we had to have. It’s become the election campaign we can’t avoid. We are spiralling inexorably towards election day and Ministers and members have been plummeting from the heights of the Coalition Government like crew abandoning a burning Zeppelin. We may wake on 19 May to find we have a national Labor Government. With Labor pledging to implement an updated version of the short-lived ‘Creative Australia’, its national cultural policy, first promised by the Rudd Government, it’s a good time to reconsider its importance’, Why Australia still needs a cultural policy – third time lucky?
‘It’s no longer the pre-election campaign we had to have. It’s become the election campaign we can’t avoid. We are spiralling inexorably towards election day and Ministers and members have been plummeting from the heights of the Coalition Government like crew abandoning a burning Zeppelin. We may wake on 19 May to find we have a national Labor Government. With Labor pledging to implement an updated version of the short-lived ‘Creative Australia’, its national cultural policy, first promised by the Rudd Government, it’s a good time to reconsider its importance’, Why Australia still needs a cultural policy – third time lucky?
Why cultural diversity is central to Australia’s future promise – a refocused Labor arts policy?
‘Can
Australia successfully navigate the treacherous and confusing times in
which we live? Understanding the crucial importance of our cultural
diversity to our cultural, social and economic future will be essential.
Applying that in the policies and practices that shape our future at
all levels across Australia can ensure we have a bright, productive and
interesting 21st Century. An important part of this are the political
parties, major and minor, that are increasingly negotiating the
compromises that shape our world. The recent launch by the Labor Party
of a new group, Labor for the Arts, could be an important development.
Combining as it does a focus from an earlier time on both arts and
multiculturalism, it could potentially open the way for some innovative
and forward-thinking policy’, Understanding why cultural diversity is central to Australia’s future promise – a refocused Labor arts policy?
‘The arts and culture sector has spent far too many years pressing the case for why Australian culture is crucial to Australia’s future, without seeming to shift the public policy landscape to any great degree. Perhaps a proposed fresh approach focusing on cultural rights may offer some hope of a breakthrough. What makes this approach so important and so potentially productive is that it starts with broad principles, linked to fundamental issues, such as human rights, which makes it a perfect foundation for the development of sound and well-thought out policies – something that currently we sadly lack’, Changing the landscape of the future – a new focus on cultural rights.
What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture
‘With arts and cultural support increasingly under pressure, arts and cultural organisations and artists are trying to find ways in their own localities to respond and to help build a popular understanding of the broader social and economic benefits of arts and culture. Much work has been done in Australia and internationally to understand, assess and communicate the broad value of arts and culture. The challenge is to share and to apply what already exists – and to take it further’, What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture.
Putting culture on the main agenda – the power of policy
‘With the ongoing malaise due to the absence of national arts and cultural policy in Australia, it's worth reminding ourselves what beneficial impact good policy can have. To understand the power of policy to make an impact in the world, it’s worthwhile contrasting two recent major Australian Government cultural policies – the National Cultural Policy and the National Indigenous Languages Policy. This helps illuminate how cultural policy can promote the long view, innovation, breadth and leadership. Both policies showed that more important than funding or specific initiatives was the overall strategic vision and the way in which it attempted to place culture not just on the main agenda, but somewhere near the centre of the main agenda’, Putting culture on the main agenda – the power of policy.
Flight of the wild geese – Australia’s place in the world of global talent
‘As the global pandemic has unfolded, I have been struck by how out of touch a large number of Australians are with Australia’s place in the world. Before the pandemic many Australians had become used to travelling overseas regularly – and spending large amounts of money while there – but we seem to think that our interaction with the global world is all about discretionary leisure travel. In contrast, increasingly many Australians were travelling – and living – overseas because their jobs required it. Whether working for multinational companies that have branches in Australia or Australian companies trying to break into global markets, Australian talent often needs to be somewhere else than here to make the most of opportunities for Australia. Not only technology, but even more importantly, talent, will be crucial to the economy of the future’, Flight of the wild geese – Australia’s place in the world of global talent.
‘As the global pandemic has unfolded, I have been struck by how out of touch a large number of Australians are with Australia’s place in the world. Before the pandemic many Australians had become used to travelling overseas regularly – and spending large amounts of money while there – but we seem to think that our interaction with the global world is all about discretionary leisure travel. In contrast, increasingly many Australians were travelling – and living – overseas because their jobs required it. Whether working for multinational companies that have branches in Australia or Australian companies trying to break into global markets, Australian talent often needs to be somewhere else than here to make the most of opportunities for Australia. Not only technology, but even more importantly, talent, will be crucial to the economy of the future’, Flight of the wild geese – Australia’s place in the world of global talent.
Cut
to the bone – the accelerating decline of our major cultural
institutions and its impact on Australia’s national heritage and economy
‘I always thought that long after all else has gone, after government has pruned and prioritised and slashed and bashed arts and cultural support, the national cultural institutions would still remain. They are one of the largest single items of Australian Government cultural funding and one of the longest supported and they would be likely to be the last to go, even with the most miserly and mean-spirited and short sighted of governments. However, in a finale to a series of cumulative cuts over recent years, they have seen their capabilities to carry out their essential core roles eroded beyond repair. The long term impact of these cumulative changes will be major and unexpected, magnifying over time as each small change reinforces the others. The likelihood is that this will lead to irreversible damage to the contemporary culture and cultural heritage of the nation at a crucial crossroads in its history’, Cut to the bone – the accelerating decline of our major cultural institutions and its impact on Australia’s national heritage and economy.
‘I always thought that long after all else has gone, after government has pruned and prioritised and slashed and bashed arts and cultural support, the national cultural institutions would still remain. They are one of the largest single items of Australian Government cultural funding and one of the longest supported and they would be likely to be the last to go, even with the most miserly and mean-spirited and short sighted of governments. However, in a finale to a series of cumulative cuts over recent years, they have seen their capabilities to carry out their essential core roles eroded beyond repair. The long term impact of these cumulative changes will be major and unexpected, magnifying over time as each small change reinforces the others. The likelihood is that this will lead to irreversible damage to the contemporary culture and cultural heritage of the nation at a crucial crossroads in its history’, Cut to the bone – the accelerating decline of our major cultural institutions and its impact on Australia’s national heritage and economy.
Crossing boundaries – the unlimited landscape of creativity
‘When I was visiting Paris last year, there was one thing I wanted to do before I returned home – visit the renowned French bakery that had trained a Melbourne woman who had abandoned the high stakes of Formula One racing to become a top croissant maker. She had decided that being an engineer in the world of elite car racing was not for her, but rather that her future lay in the malleable universe of pastry. Crossing boundaries of many kinds and traversing the borders of differing countries and cultures, she built a radically different future to the one she first envisaged’, Crossing boundaries – the unlimited landscape of creativity.
‘When I was visiting Paris last year, there was one thing I wanted to do before I returned home – visit the renowned French bakery that had trained a Melbourne woman who had abandoned the high stakes of Formula One racing to become a top croissant maker. She had decided that being an engineer in the world of elite car racing was not for her, but rather that her future lay in the malleable universe of pastry. Crossing boundaries of many kinds and traversing the borders of differing countries and cultures, she built a radically different future to the one she first envisaged’, Crossing boundaries – the unlimited landscape of creativity.
Contemporary Indigenous fashion – where community culture and economics meet
‘The
recent exhibition 'Piinpi', about contemporary Indigenous fashion, has a
significance for Australian culture that is yet to be fully revealed.
The themes covered by the exhibition are important because they
demonstrate the intersection of the culture of First Nations communities
with creative industries and the cultural economy. In attempting to
address the major issue of Indigenous disadvantage, for example, it is
critical to recognise that one of the most important economic resources
possessed by First Nations communities is their culture. Through the
intellectual property that translates it into a form that can generate
income in a contemporary economy, that culture is pivotal to jobs and to
income. It may not be mining but it mines a far richer seam – authentic
and rich content that has already been recognised internationally for
its high value, just like our iron and coal. At a time when First
Nations communities are talking increasingly about gaining greater
control over their economic life, this is highly relevant’, Contemporary Indigenous fashion – where community culture and economics meet.
Understanding the economy of the future - innovation and its place in the knowledge economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy
‘When
we start to think about the economy of the future – and the clean and
clever jobs that make it up – we encounter a confusing array of ideas
and terms. Innovation, the knowledge economy, the creative economy,
creative industries and the cultural economy are all used, often
interchangeably. Over the years my own thinking about them has changed
and I thought it would be useful to try to clarify how they are all
related’, Understanding
the economy of the future – innovation and its place in the knowledge
economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy. Understanding the economy of the future - innovation and its place in the knowledge economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy
Broader and deeper - the creativity and culture of everyday life
‘The Impact and Enterprise post-graduate course at the University of Canberra course is unique in Australia in placing creative industries and the creative and cultural economy in the broader landscape of the wider impacts of creativity and culture - both economic and social. It starts from the premise that what the broader social and economic roles of creativity and culture have in common is that a focus on the economic role of creativity and culture is similar to the focus on its community role – both spring from recognition that creativity and culture are integral to everyday life and the essential activities that make it up. In March 2021, as the course entered its third year, I gave a talk to the students about where it came from,’ Broader and deeper - the creativity and culture of everyday life.
‘The Impact and Enterprise post-graduate course at the University of Canberra course is unique in Australia in placing creative industries and the creative and cultural economy in the broader landscape of the wider impacts of creativity and culture - both economic and social. It starts from the premise that what the broader social and economic roles of creativity and culture have in common is that a focus on the economic role of creativity and culture is similar to the focus on its community role – both spring from recognition that creativity and culture are integral to everyday life and the essential activities that make it up. In March 2021, as the course entered its third year, I gave a talk to the students about where it came from,’ Broader and deeper - the creativity and culture of everyday life.
Music makes the world go round – the bright promise of our export future
‘After ABBA, in an unexpected break from its traditional way of building national wealth from natural resources, Sweden managed to discover a new source of income. It was not as you would expect coal or oil. Rather than oil what it had discovered was song royalties, part of a fundamental change in the nature of modern economies which transformed them from relying solely on natural resources, transport and manufacturing to make creative content a new form of resource mining. Examples like theirs point to potentially major opportunities for the Australian music industry to become a net exporter of music,’ Music makes the world go round – the bright promise of our export future.
‘After ABBA, in an unexpected break from its traditional way of building national wealth from natural resources, Sweden managed to discover a new source of income. It was not as you would expect coal or oil. Rather than oil what it had discovered was song royalties, part of a fundamental change in the nature of modern economies which transformed them from relying solely on natural resources, transport and manufacturing to make creative content a new form of resource mining. Examples like theirs point to potentially major opportunities for the Australian music industry to become a net exporter of music,’ Music makes the world go round – the bright promise of our export future.
‘In the arts, from a virtual policy-free zone, we’ve now got policies – not as many as we could have hoped, but enough to be going on with. Some of them might even get implemented. Importantly, the others will help to frame the debate and offer ideas for the future. Those parties that have arts policies offer good solid and productive proposals which, if implemented, would lead to definite improvement for Australia’s arts and culture. However, that’s just the starting point’, Arts, culture and a map of the future – the limits of arts policy.
Election mode for Australian arts and culture – a policy-free zone?
‘A policy and the understanding of issues that leads to its adoption, provides arts and culture with a stature that underpins funding by providing a rationale for support. Otherwise funding will always be ad hoc and insecure, piecemeal, project-based, intermittent and at the mercy of whim and fashion. We have to get arts and culture to the stage where it is seen like public health or education and debated accordingly’, Election mode for Australian arts and culture – a policy-free zone?
Arts funding – it’s not all about the money
‘National Arts Minister, Mitch Fifield, has said that being a strong advocate for the arts doesn’t mean delivering government funding and that an arts Minister or a government shouldn’t be judged just on the quantum of money the government puts in. This sidesteps the Government’s very real problems that it has muddied the waters of existing arts funding, cutting many worthwhile organisations loose with no reason, that rather than delivering arts funding, it has reduced it significantly, and that it has no coherent strategy or policy to guide its arts decisions or direction. The real issue is that a national framework, strategy or policy for arts and culture support underpins and provides a rationale for arts funding – and is far more important’, Arts funding – it’s not all about the money.
National arts policy – excelling in the mediocrity stakes
‘I am not too concerned who manages national arts funding. Both the Australia Council and the Ministry for the Arts have long managed numerous funding programs. I am more concerned about what is funded. The fact that the national pool of arts funding available to support the operational costs of smaller arts and cultural organisations has shrunk substantially is a deep concern. Watch as Australia’s arts and culture sector reels over the next five years from this exceptionally bad policy decision – and expect the early warning signs much sooner. Well- known and respected figures in the arts and culture sector have been expressing this concern sharply’, National arts policy – excelling in the mediocrity stakes.
Out from the shadows – the other Arts Minister
‘I ventured out through the dark wilds of the Australian National University to hear the Opposition Spokesperson on the Arts, Mark Dreyfus, share his view of what a contemporary arts and culture policy might look like. It was a timely moment, given the turmoil stirred up by recent changes to national arts funding arrangements and the #freethearts response from small arts and cultural organisations and artists. Luckily, as he himself noted, he has a very recent model to work with. The National Cultural Policy is little more than two years old,’ Out from the shadows – the other Arts Minister.
‘National Arts Minister, Mitch Fifield, has said that being a strong advocate for the arts doesn’t mean delivering government funding and that an arts Minister or a government shouldn’t be judged just on the quantum of money the government puts in. This sidesteps the Government’s very real problems that it has muddied the waters of existing arts funding, cutting many worthwhile organisations loose with no reason, that rather than delivering arts funding, it has reduced it significantly, and that it has no coherent strategy or policy to guide its arts decisions or direction. The real issue is that a national framework, strategy or policy for arts and culture support underpins and provides a rationale for arts funding – and is far more important’, Arts funding – it’s not all about the money.
National arts policy – excelling in the mediocrity stakes
‘I am not too concerned who manages national arts funding. Both the Australia Council and the Ministry for the Arts have long managed numerous funding programs. I am more concerned about what is funded. The fact that the national pool of arts funding available to support the operational costs of smaller arts and cultural organisations has shrunk substantially is a deep concern. Watch as Australia’s arts and culture sector reels over the next five years from this exceptionally bad policy decision – and expect the early warning signs much sooner. Well- known and respected figures in the arts and culture sector have been expressing this concern sharply’, National arts policy – excelling in the mediocrity stakes.
Out from the shadows – the other Arts Minister
‘I ventured out through the dark wilds of the Australian National University to hear the Opposition Spokesperson on the Arts, Mark Dreyfus, share his view of what a contemporary arts and culture policy might look like. It was a timely moment, given the turmoil stirred up by recent changes to national arts funding arrangements and the #freethearts response from small arts and cultural organisations and artists. Luckily, as he himself noted, he has a very recent model to work with. The National Cultural Policy is little more than two years old,’ Out from the shadows – the other Arts Minister.
‘Arts’ policy and culture – let's not reinvent the wheel
‘Faced with the increasing prospect that it could become the next Australian Government, the Labor Party is reviewing its ‘arts’ policy. Whatever happens and whoever it happens to, considered and strategic discussion of arts and culture policy is critical to Australia's future.’ ‘Arts’ policy and culture – let's not reinvent the wheel.
‘Developing ‘Creative Australia’, the second Australian National Cultural Policy, required such focus that little was said about the first one, Keating’s ‘Creative Nation’. ‘Creative Nation’ acknowledged two distinct and very different strengths in Australian culture. The first was the contemporary diversity of Australia. The second was the economic significance of the arts and culture sector, including the creative industries. This reflected the reality of how Australia had changed in half a century. However it also reflects a different way of looking, beyond the narrow view of ‘the arts’ as a gently civilising influence on the surface of a frontier society’, ‘Creative Nation’ – Keating's cultural legacy.
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