Creative Opportunity: Regional Identity through the Arts
Labor’s approach to a National Cultural Policy is based on the principles of creativity, participation and access and unlike the Howard Government, Labor is proud of our diverse culture and unique Australian identity.
The community cohesion created from local and regional cultural events and activities is an essential part of a modern society. Creative artistic and cultural expression allows us to reflect on ourselves and challenge each other with new ideas.
Labor will strengthen the arts in the regions with two new programs – Regional Arts Network and Celebrating Australia.
Regional Arts Network
A Federal Labor Government will provide $18.2 million over 3 years to fund the Regional Arts Network with two components:
Regional Community Arts Fund
Labor will establish a new Regional Community Arts Fund with a dedicated focus on building arts capacity in the regions, particularly in disadvantaged centres. Labor will provide targeted support for existing volunteer efforts to ensure that local arts initiatives get the backing they need.
Labor will allocate $12.2 million over 3 years to this initiative.
Regional Cultural Strategies
In regional centres arts councils, local councils, educational institutions and Creative Cultural Development Boards all play a role in engaging their communities in arts and cultural activities.
Labor will allocate $6 million over 3 years to support the development of Regional Cultural Strategies in regional centres across Australia.
Celebrating Australia
A Federal Labor Government will invest $23.4 million over 3 years in a new program – Celebrating Australia – to expand access by rural, regional and remote Australians to the best performing arts, contemporary music and festivals.
Celebrating Australia will bring together existing touring initiatives and create a new one – Community Cultural Celebrations – in order to provide better access to all regions of Australia and to ensure a diverse mix of Australian art and culture reaches the regions.
Celebrating Australia has four components:
Playing Australia
Playing Australia brings artists to new audiences in capital cities as well as regional centres with priority given to touring in rural, regional and remote Australia.
Labor will allocate $18 million over 3 years to this initiative.
Australian Contemporary Music Touring Program
Labor will allocate $900,000 over 3 years to maintain and expand the Australian Contemporary Music Touring Program. This will support touring opportunities in rural, regional and remote Australia by musicians, and increase audience access to live Australian contemporary music.
Festivals Australia
Festivals Australia is a Commonwealth Government cultural grant program, which provides assistance to regional and community festivals for the presentation of quality cultural activities.
Labor will allocate $3 million over 3 years to this program.
Community Cultural Celebrations
Labor’s Community Cultural Celebrations initiative will address the existing gap in cultural assistance for smaller community festivals and celebrations.
These events bring communities together and benefit regions in many ways, from building community pride and confidence, to bringing economic returns through attracting visitors to the regions. This initiative will give support for communities to develop and present their cultural celebrations and to support artistic involvement in these events.
Labor will invest $1.5 million over 3 years in this initiative.
A regional focus for our national cultural institutions
Labor’s Strengthening our national cultural institutions policy builds on the initiatives above by ensuring each national cultural institution will have a Charter of Operations that commits the institution to cultivating regional participation and access to programs in the regions.
Creative Opportunity: Strengthening our national cultural institutions
Labor’s National Cultural Policy is based on the principles of creativity, participation and access and unlike the Howard Government, Labor is proud of our cultural diversity and unique Australian identity.
Museums, libraries, galleries and archives are integral to ensure the safekeeping and celebration of Australia’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. Through our National Cultural Policy, Labor will strengthen our national cultural institutions.
These institutions are the custodians of our cultural heritage and deserve better than their treatment under the Howard Government. Labor believes that the best way to protect our national institutions is to ensure they can exist without the political interference that they endured under the Howard Government.
Labor has already released a policy to ensure the independence of the ABC Board, and will now do the same for other national cultural institutions.
A Federal Labor Government will protect our national institutions from political interference.
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Labor will legislate to make the National Film and Sound Archive (ScreenSound) a statutory authority, following the de-merger of this institution from the Australian Film Commission. |
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Labor will ensure that the pattern of political appointments to the councils of Australia’s national cultural institutions is brought to a halt. Labor will implement a proper shortlist selection process overseen by an independent panel. |
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Labor will provide $2.5 million a year to establish a National Museum Commission (NMC) by amending the National Museum of Australia Act, providing a legislative umbrella for existing and other federal museums that may be created. The Commission will be governed by a Board, consisting in part of representatives of each of the national cultural institutions. The NMC will ensure more effective co-ordination of national museum resources, initiating the first effective program of support for regional museums, and ensuring greater collaboration in research programs and exhibition development. |
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The management of Old Parliament House will be transferred to the National Museum of Australia (NMA). |
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The National Portrait Gallery will retain an independent advisory board but responsibility for operational management will be transferred to the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). The NGA will also be required, in concert with the Bundanon Trust, to undertake a review of Bundanon’s business planning, staffing structure and public programming in order to increase public and educational use and access. |
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Each institution will have a Charter of Operations that guarantees the operational integrity of the institution, and identifies its national responsibilities. Charters will ensure that our national institutions cultivate regional participation and access to programs in the regions. |
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Labor will review the funding of our national institutions to ensure they can meet their Charter obligations. |
A National Museum Commission
Labor will establish the National Museum Commission by amending the National Museum of Australia Act, providing a legislative umbrella for any existing or other federal museums that may be created.
The NMC will:
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Provide an operational and policy context for the operations of federally funded museums. |
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Develop a Charter of Operations for federal museums and have responsibility for creating and ensuring the delivery of effective regional access and participation programs. |
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Ensure that our national institutions cultivate regional participation and access to programs. |
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Coordinate the formulation of a National Collections Policy. |
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Strengthen cooperation between cultural and educational institutions. |
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Ensure that federal and state museums access funding for travelling exhibitions through collaborative projects led by regional or community museums. |
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Assume responsibility for a number of administered items, including the Australian Museums On-Line (AMOL) program, delivering increased regional and community access. |
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Ensure that the Art Indemnity Australia program is accessible to all federal museums and galleries, as well as to state museums and galleries meeting appropriate criteria. |
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Oversee the transfer of management of Old Parliament House to the National Museum. Any operational savings made will be reinvested in the NMC and regional programs. |
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Responsibility for the Return of Indigenous Cultural Property program will be transferred to the National Museum. |
The NMC will be funded by:
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Reallocating funding for the Chair of the NMA Council (the Chair of the NMC will also be Chair of the NMA Council). |
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Reallocating funding currently used to service the National Collection Advisory Forum. |
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Abolishing the position of Special Advisor, Sport and Art within DCITA. |
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Reallocating cost savings from the transfer of the operations of Old Parliament House to the NMA. |
Funding for the NMC’s access and participation programs will be provided by the current Visions of Australia program and the reallocation of the current Collections Sector Support budget to the NMC.
This will provide $2.5 million a year for NMC to commence a range of regional support services, including travelling exhibitions and addressing pressing issues of access, training and collection support.
Contact: Adina Cirson – (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295
