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.
