After a hiatus of ten long
years Australia finally has a new national cultural policy that maps out
what the current Albanese Government plans to do in support of
Australian culture and creativity. The previous policy, announced by the
Gillard Labor Government in 2013, was a very good policy, even though
it had its gaps, but its impact was cut short by what turned out to be a
series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer
they were in office. At first glance the new policy appears to be an
arts policy, rather than a broader cultural policy, but on closer
scrutiny it is connected to far wider initiatives, including some that
have never been included in a cultural policy before. Part of a series of three articles that consider different aspects of the cultural policy, this first one looks at the policy generally and outlines some of the major components it will deliver. The second article is about the connection between the policy and broader social and economic features, such as the cultural economy and First Nations economic development. The third article looks at the boost to the national collecting institutions which collect and safeguard Australia's cultural heritage.
While
I was away in New Zealand in February and March this year I saw that on
30 January 2023 the Albanese Labor Government and its Minister for the
Arts, Tony Burke, had released ‘Revive’, its new National Cultural Policy.
According to the release material, it’s ‘a 5-year plan to renew and
revive Australia's arts, entertainment and cultural sector. It delivers
new momentum so that Australia's creative workers, organisations and
audiences continue to thrive and grow, and so that our arts, culture and
heritage are re-positioned as central to Australia's future.’ With the announcement of the 2023-24 Budget, which will help deliver the new policy, it's timely to consider it in more detail.
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| The new national cultural policy may not be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but it is important and it fills a ten-year gap since the last national cultural policy. It provides a vision and framework that maps out what the Albanese Government will do to support and foster arts, creativity and culture. |
‘It is of special interest to me since I was the director of the taskforce that co-ordinated the production of the last one under the previous Labor Government back in 2012. Even though it had its gaps, that was a very good policy, with its impact cut short by what turned out to be a series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer they were in office.’
As I noted at the time, it is of special interest to me since I was the director of the taskforce that co-ordinated the production of the last one under the previous Labor Government back in 2012. Even though it had its gaps, that was a very good policy, with its impact cut short by what turned out to be a series of Governments that managed to steadily become worse the longer they were in office.
I planned to publish a more detailed article about the new policy
as soon as I could digest it. I had been asked what I thought of it and
I replied that at times I was concerned that it would turn out to be
just another arts policy, but that Burke kept confounding me by talking
about crucial broader cultural issues like Australian content. Delving
deeper to produce this article has been fascinating. This article is
lengthy but the new policy is a big one, with many complex elements,
both within it and connected to it.
Time to be bold
It is important to consider the policy and its many strengths in the broader context of neo-liberalism. Both major parties, the National-Liberal Party Coalition (I’m reversing the party order to reflect what seems to be the changed balance of power) and Labor, operate their policies within a neo-liberal approach, even though to some degree there is a rediscovered recognition of the important role of government. This means that policy elements have to demonstrate a market failure in that area and there is a strong focus on discretionary philanthrophy, with artists and cultural organisation increasingly dependent on the personal and private whims of wealthy individuals and corporations. There is a focus on individuals, rather than society or community and competition is applauded as natural in a market-driven world of winners and losers. Government approaches to public policy emphasise the need to deregulate marketplaces and to privatise government services.
‘Now
is definitely the time to be bold. Even if the financial situation
means the new Government can't deliver as strongly in their first term
as is ideal, now is the time to lay the groundwork.’
Compensating
for this within Labor is the historical commitment
to protection of industrial rights and working conditions, not to
mention a more general focus on industry policy, which pushes against this
neo-liberal pressure. Moreover, in its National Platform, Labor stresses
that we are a society, not just an economy. Hopefully this awareness will carry through in its strategies in Government.
However,
even with these limitations in approach, now is definitely the time to
be bold. Even if the financial situation means the new Government can't
deliver as strongly in their first term as is ideal, now is the time to
lay the groundwork. They face huge issues which have to be addressed
now, yet they have a deeply unpopular Opposition and Opposition leader,
they have the first flush of a new government about them and people are
tired of the 'same old, same old' and are as ready as they will ever be
for some bold initiatives.
A Prime Minister who walks the talk
Another
important factor in potentially helping the policy make a major mark is
that it is being delivered when there is both an energetic Arts
Minister and a highly supportive Prime Minister who actually has a
genuine interest in arts, creativity and culture and walks the talk.
In
the area of interest to me – Australian creativity and culture – I am
very conscious that the Rudd Government didn't move as quickly as it
should have on developing and announcing the national cultural policy
and in the end it was introduced late in the piece by Prime Minister
Gillard and Arts Minister Crean and lasted effectively less than six
months. One thing you can say about Burke as Arts Minister is that he
doesn't muck around – he moved quickly on announcing this cultural
policy and on a whole range of linked measures essential to it.
The National Cultural Policy Advisory Group
It is interesting to look at the advisory group
established to help develop the new policy. The Minister's Policy
Advisory Group was appointed to provide sector-led expertise.
Thankfully, it’s not excessively based on artform representation, which
has long limited the effectiveness of arts and culture committees at
developing overarching strategic visions, though there is enough of such
direct presence still to concern me.
However, in providing
overarching strategic advice to inform the development of the National
Cultural Policy, the Policy Advisory Group reviewed advice from each of
the five expert Review Panels. The five Review Panels expanded the pool of
expertise considerably. All in all it represents a solid body of talent
and experience, but it has its limitations. There are important areas
of expertise not present and it does not quite calm my initial fear that
the policy is largely about art and not culture and more specifically
not about the cultural and creative economy.
The ideas and priorities in its advice to Government
are fascinating, though. There are many ideas that have been canvassed
over many decades and also some new exciting ideas that have not been a
central part of creative debate previously – let alone cultural policy.
Many of the recommendations are incorporated in the new policy, many are
not. It will be interesting to see if Burke and the Government as a
whole adopt any of the remainder as part of a longer-term workplan,
especially one that links arts and culture to broader issues across
Government. These range from the very specific (‘The 2003 UNESCO
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is
ratified’) to the earth-shaking (‘STEAM not STEM embedded within the
Australian Curriculum’). Some have already been acted upon
by the Government separately to the national cultural policy (‘Broader
Australian content quotas for streaming services’), though the pushback
by the companies is already underway.
A focus on infrastructure, especially organisational infrastructure
Given
its long-running commitment to the Australia Council for the Arts as
the main agency delivering its support for the arts, the reforms to this
body are understandable. Much of the substance of the new cultural
policy will be implemented through a reformed and rejeunvenated
Australia Council and much of the focus of the new policy is on the
Council, which has been renamed – a long overdue move – to Creative Australia. Yet the Australia Council has always played a limited role in support for
culture more broadly and the Labor focus on it as its main
cultural vehicle may have unexpected consequences that we will have to
watch for with care.
However I can’t stress too much how
crucial one component of the new policy is – the focus on cultural
infrastructure. In 2015 the second largest US philanthropic body
supporting arts, creativity 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, creativity and culture bodies.
‘Much
of the substance of the new cultural policy will be implemented through
a reformed and rejeunvenated Australia Council and much of the focus of
the new policy is on the Council. Yet the Australia Council plays a
limited role in support for culture more broadly and the Labor Party
focus on it as its main cultural vehicle may have unexpected
consequences that we will have to watch for with care.’
At the time 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’.
Strategic oversight and engagement
It
is planned that Creative Australia will provide greater strategic
oversight and engagement across the sector. As part of this, within
Creative Australia a dedicated First Nations-led Board will be formed.
‘This is critical to self-determination, supporting the telling of First
Nations histories and stories, and to strengthening the capacity of
First Nations creative workers.’
In another decisive move Creative Partnerships Australia, the main agency of the Australian Government that promotes philanthrophy and corporate partnerships with creative organisations, will be merged back into the Australia Council – where many of its services first originated.
Another important
organisational development springs from recognising creative sector workers as
‘vital contributors to our national culture and economy’, Revive will
establish a Centre for Arts and Entertainment Workplaces within Creative
Australia. It will provide advice on issues of pay, safety, codes of
conduct and welfare across the sector.
Just common sense
Some of the individual initiatives connected to the cultural policy are just common sense – extending the Lending Right schemes which compensate authors because libraries buy only a few copies of their works and then lend them to multiple readers, to include ebooks. At one stage I used to manage these programs so know their value well. They are schemes which have been supported for decades by both Liberal and Labor Governments, with one program introduced by the Whitlam Government and the other by the Howard Government.
Extending them was simply not a priority for the previous Government – like so many things. Of course, on social media the usual buffoons have been hammering Burke for supporting the Lending Right schemes at all – not realising that they are long-running bipartisan programs. There’s no accounting for the endless depths of human stupidity and ignorance.
‘Some
of the individual initiatives connected to the cultural policy are just
common sense – extending the Lending Right schemes which compensate
authors because libraries buy only a few copies of their works and then
lend them to multiple readers, to include ebooks….Extending them was
simply not a priority for the previous Government – like so many
things.’
Some other elements of the policy seem
less compelling. I personally think that poetry is an important and much
neglected form of creative writing – and one that could potentially
engage much more with a broad audience. However is creating a poet
laureate position really a bright idea? It seems somewhat archaic, like
when Tony Abbott awarded Prince Philip a knighthood. Nevertheless the
renewed support for writing is refreshing, part of the focus on creating
organisational infrastructure that I have mentioned elsewhere.
There
is also a reaffirmation of support for long-running arts and disability
strategies, with a promise to develop ‘an Arts and Disability
Associated Plan, under Australia's Disability Strategy 2021-31, to
support people with disability to access and participate fully in the
cultural and creative life of Australia.’
Arts funding – it's not just about the money
The funding for the cultural policy is outlined in the Portfolio Budget Statements for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. The Forward Estimates provide a better idea of the breakdown over the Budget years from 2023-24 through to 2026-27. In the dire economic situation the new Government has inherited, something much less than this would be understandable. The point is that if there is a strategic commitment to the importance of arts, creativity and culture, even without funding, funding will follow. Without a strategic commitment, funding will ebb away in a series of small cuts across the sector, whether it’s the Australia Council or the national cultural institutions.
'The Government promised significant levels of new funding to
support the cultural policy and it seems to have delivered it.'
The Government promised significant levels of new funding to
support the cultural policy and it seems to have delivered it. It’s always a
challenge in assessing the extent to which funding is ‘new money’ rather than
funding that is routinely allocated year after year, with some marginal growth
or minor extra initiatives tacked on – or even existing funding that has been reallocated.
It seems clear that to take up its new responsibilities the Australia Council
has received a significant funding increase and increased staffing levels. Prominent cultural commentator, Ben Eltham, has broken down some of the figures.
In line with the new policy the current Government continues to support a broad range of programs, many long-running and other developed during the span of the string of recent Coalition Governments. Other programs, which have been criticised for the hands-on role of the Minister in allocating grants, have been reallocated. There are also crucial initiatives in the Budget which are not directly related to funding and hence less obvious. In the second article in this three-part series about the new cultural policy I discuss the much broader and more complex role of Government in supporting creativity and culture far beyond direct funding.
‘In line with the new policy the current Government continues to support a broad range of programs, many long-running and other developed during the span of the string of recent Coalition Governments.’
One of these ways is the Location Offset, a long-running bi-partisan measure which provides refundable tax offsets (rebates) to overseas film, television and other related production companies which choose to produce their film or televison program in Australia, rather than in lower cost countries overseas. This helps build continuity and viability for the local fim industry, building expertise and retaining talent in Australia. In the Budget the Location Offset has been permanently increased to 30 per cent from July 1, with an additional $112.3 million. The decision has been warmly welcomed by the screen industry. Local industry publications have also applauded the news that ‘Ausfilm will also receive additional funding to continue to promote Australia as a screen production destination.’
They note that the Location Offset is the Government’s key lever to attract ‘footloose’ production to Australia under the Australian Screen Production Incentive (which also includes the Producer Offset and Post, Digital and Visual Effects Production Offset). ‘At 16.5 per cent, it has long been regarded as globally uncompetitive. Calls to raise the Location Offset to 30 per cent go back as far as 2013 when the Gillard Government was preparing its Creative Australia policy.’
There is also continuing
funding to Australia's
eight national arts training organisations, such as the Australian
Film, Television and Radio School and the National Institute of Dramatic Art,
to secure critical training courses and skills development and maintain
Australian trained in-demand performers and production specialists for
Australia's live performing arts and screen industry and the creative economy
more broadly.’ There has also been consolidation of funding for the ABC and
SBS, with five year funding terms locked in.
As I’ve said before, policy and the understanding that produces it, provides arts, creativity and culture with a stature that underpins funding. Otherwise the 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, creativity and culture to the stage where it is seen like public health or education and debated accordingly. This applies to a Labor Government just as much as it does to a Coalition Government.
‘Policy and the understanding that produces it, provides arts, creativity and culture with a stature that underpins funding. Otherwise the funding will always be ad hoc and insecure, piecemeal, project-based, intermittent and at the mercy of whim and fashion.’
The understanding of the issues that produces the
policy is crucial. Without that understanding and the commitment which
flows from it, a policy is merely empty words, not much more than vague
rhetoric about how arts, creativity and culture is ‘important’. Lots of
things are important – the question is how important? This is where
funding can be particularly relevant because a commitment of funding
shows that something is important. It just doesn’t show why it’s
important or how important it is.
Window of opportunity
Just
like the previous national cultural policy, this policy for a brief
period provides a window of opportunity for arts, creativity and
cultural issues to be considered on the main policy agenda where they
belong. This shouldn’t be a rare event, something that only happens once
every ten years or twenty years.
Instead arts, creativity and
culture should be permanently on the main agenda, an integral part of
the consideration of all major policy issues. Let’s hope the period of
the national cultural policy this time will be longer than the brief
life of the policy it replaces. Let’s also hope we see some impact in
other areas of Government concern beyond its immediate arts and culture
responsibilities and enhanced connections between this area and other
areas across Government. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
© Stephen Cassidy 2023
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.
‘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’, Cool little capital – the ambition to make Canberra Australia's creative city.
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.
‘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.
‘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.
‘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.
‘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.
Understanding the economy of the future - innovation and its place in the knowledge economy, creative economy, creative industries and cultural economy
‘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.
‘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?
‘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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