Make your submission: National Cultural Policy

The Federal Government are working on a new National Cultural Policy, which will launch later this year. The policy will act as a roadmap for the creative arts, entertainment and cultural sectors from now into the future.

Now, they invite us to have our say and make recommendations to shape our arts and cultural sectors.

Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) will continue advocating for and advancing racial equity in these sectors. We will provide a template you can use to help make having your say as easy as possible.

About the Policy

The starting point for the National Cultural Policy is the Creative Australia policy launched in 2013 by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The policy centres around five pillars:

1. First Nations: recognising and respecting the crucial place of these stories at the centre of our arts and culture. 
2. A place for every story: reflecting the diversity of our stories and the contribution of all Australians as the creators of culture.
3. The centrality of the artist: supporting the artist as worker and celebrating their role as the creators of culture.
4. Strong institutions: providing support across the spectrum of institutions that sustain our arts and culture.
5. Reaching the audience: ensuring our stories reach the right people at home and abroad.

Have your say

Now is an important moment for organisations, artists, creative workers and others to have their voices heard. So, will you work with us to advocate for cultural and racial equity in the creative sectors? We hope to see as many submissions as possible focused on cultural and linguistic diversity and an equitable and accessible arts & creative sector. 

Our strategy

“As the Hon Tony Burke MP seeks to introduce a national arts policy, DARTS hopes to contribute to a plan that will help rebuild and sustain the sector. The policy should be based on a First Nations First principle, with diversity (among First Nations and multicultural Australia) integral and central to all tenets,” says Lena Nahlous CEO, Diversity Arts Australia.

“This means introducing Diversity Standards across all areas: leadership, employment practices, programming and storytelling. Funding and support must be equity-tested for artists and creative workers from First Nations communities, refugee backgrounds, migrants, disabled people, and people from lower socioeconomic and marginalised groups. Our research has shown Australia’s arts, screen and cultural sectors exclude these people, with the pandemic exposing how they face racism, structural exclusions and financial instability. These voices must be heard, and this submission is a vital start.”

We are committed to ensuring our sector reflects the diversity of the national population. Our submission will make recommendations for equity-tested public funding, pathways to employment, retention and leadership for culturally diverse people, and targeted support for community-led initiatives and programming. 

Coming together

DARTS are leading a joint submission to the National Cultural Policy with artists and organisations, including members of our Creative Cultural Diversity Network (CCDN). This submission’s primary call to action is to increase the sector’s cultural and racial equity. 

Contact us if you are an organisation that is interested in adding your name to this submission.

How to submit 

Diversity Arts Australia would also like to support YOU to make a submission to advance racial equity in the arts! Short, sharp submissions are key to this process. 

We are heading for a period of national belt-tightening, so making a case for the social, cultural and economic benefits of what underrepresented artists and organisations do is crucial.

We will soon provide a template here for you to use and adapt as needed. Watch this space!

A New Approach has also developed this analysis paper to support stakeholders in preparing to support the development of a national cultural policy.