A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR AUSTRALIAN CULTURE
In consultation with artists, arts workers and the public, the Federal Government has formulated a National Cultural Policy to support and safeguard a diverse, vibrant and sustainable arts sector, including ensuring that work is paid fairly. Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, outlines the government’s vision.
Let’s start here. A National Cultural Policy, if you get it right, is about the status and role of the arts and cultural sector within government and therefore within Australia. Cultural policy is also about more than the arts sector. As well as connecting people, culture connects many government portfolios. It impacts health, education, skills and training, tourism, trade and cultural diplomacy.
My first priority as Minister for the Arts has been to work with Australian artists and arts workers across all parts of the creative sector to develop a new National Cultural Policy for the country. My hope is for the sector to be as fearless in delivering on the ambitions of this policy as you were in contributing to its development.
Since we began consultations in July 2022, more than 800 people have attended 16 town halls across the country. We received more than 1,200 written submissions from artists, arts workers, organisations and members of the public, and MEAA members should be particularly recognised for your insight during this process.
The range of stakeholders, much like the MEAA’s membership, is broad. There are people working in TV, radio, theatre and film, as well as artists, writers, musicians, actors, dancers, technicians, curators and all the individuals and organisations supporting the creation of art, plus the audiences that engage every day. The arts sector includes live music venues, performance and exhibition spaces − big and small − and our cultural and collecting institutions. It includes First Nations art, language and culture.
For many years, the cultural sector has faced funding uncertainty. The gig economy, and relatively low wages has meant many talented artists and performers could not make ends meet on their creative endeavours alone. This is not good enough. We want to live in a country where young people strive for a creative career − where long-term sustainable career pathways in the arts are the norm. A country where arts and cultural training is fostered through school, because we know that creativity develops critical thinking and bolsters academic outcomes.
Cultural sector workers have also been hit hard by the COVID lockdowns. As we emerge from the pandemic, we face another challenge: worker shortages. As events and festivals return, organisers say they are struggling to find the crews and the workforces needed to run them. These concerns were voiced at the arts-specific roundtables I hosted in the lead-up to the Jobs and Skills Summit in September.
The challenges are big, but so too are the opportunities of a new National Cultural Policy, which can ensure the sector is strong and resilient for the decade ahead and beyond. It will celebrate the role of performers and artists as the creators of culture and support them as workers. These two roles are complementary. Approaching the task as both the Minister for the Arts and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the policy will consider skills and jobs. Because the value of artistic, creative and cultural work should be recognised and paid fairly.
FIVE GUIDING PILLARS
Developing this policy quickly is a bold ambition but we did not start from scratch. Creative Australia, the policy launched by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2013, gave us five guiding pillars.
First Nations first is where we must begin for cultural policy. It recognises and respects the crucial place of First Nations stories at the centre of our arts and culture. This pillar will cover such important issues as preserving First Nations languages and the cultural theft of fake art which is a real threat to income.
A place for every story allows us to reflect on the importance of representation across our stories and the contribution of all Australians as the creators of culture. It is important that Australians see themselves through the arts.
Our third pillar, the centrality of the artist, will support the artist both as a worker and as creator. The policy is a unique opportunity to look at remuneration, work conditions, and what charting a career path in the arts can deliver.
Strong institutions will support the broad range of institutions that sustain our arts and culture, including independent, philanthropic, commercially run and government-funded enterprises.
And finally, reaching and engaging the audience to ensure our stories are accessible to audiences both at home and abroad. Streaming services, for example, are helping to connect Australian storytellers with growing audiences. To ensure we keep seeing quality, home-grown stories on our screens, we are committed to working with stakeholders on Australian content requirements for streaming services.
CREATING THE FUTURE TOGETHER
|The five pillars provide a solid foundation to build a thriving cultural infrastructure. Submissions have been reviewed by five expert panels, made up of leaders from across the Australian arts sector, including a representative from MEAA, who worked to identify key issues and themes. This has been complemented by the work of a policy advisory group which I appointed to provide overarching strategic perspectives.
The National Cultural Policy is a significant nation-building cultural investment. We are not wasting a minute to bring culture back to the centre of our shared vision for Australia and to recognise the economic and social contribution of our creative workers. If we get this right, the policy will transform and safeguard a diverse, vibrant and sustainable arts, entertainment and cultural sector now and into the future.
TONY BURKE MP IS THE FEDERAL MEMBER FOR WATSON, MINISTER FOR THE ARTS, MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, AND LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
