Update on the National Cultural Policy

14 December 2011

Following on from Arts Access Victoria’s submission to the National Cultural Policy in October, below please find an update from Sally Basser, First Assistant Secretary, Office for the Arts:

Earlier this year I attended the 5th World Summit on Arts and Culture, co-hosted by the Australia Council for the Arts and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA). The Summit was held in Melbourne from 3 to 6 October and attracted close to 500 delegates from 74 countries.

The theme of the Summit, Creative Intersections, was a great topic for discussion on the role of government policy in linking the arts to other areas of society such as health and well-being, education, social inclusion and digital technologies.

These discussions were particularly timely given the work being to develop Australia’s first National Cultural Policy in two decades.

The consultation period for the National Cultural Policy discussion paper recently closed, with hundreds of submissions and a good response to the online survey.

There was a wide range of responses from the arts sector but many submissions were also received from other areas including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, local government, multicultural groups, health and wellbeing bodies, regional and community organisations, and education and research bodies.

All of this feedback will be invaluable as we head into the next stage of the process – developing Australia’s National Cultural Policy.

Public submissions are being made available for viewing at culture.arts.gov.au.

Sally Basser
First Assistant Secretary
Office for the Arts

To view AAV’s submission to government and our recommendations, please click on the link below -

National Cultural Policy discussion paper – AAV Submission (doc)

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