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Support participation and engagement in arts and cultural experiences

Arts and cultural experiences create a sense of cohesion and belonging.

Generating and sharing stories, images, and events that reflect our diverse communities and who we are as Western Australians is vital to nurturing strong social connections central to successful economic recovery. 

Increased participation in arts, culture and creativity improves education outcomes for children and has proven health benefits. 

Western Australians value the health, education, and well-being they gain from participating in the arts. 

However, the ability to access arts programs and their proven benefits is impacted by distance from the Perth Metro area, lack of cultural planning within local governments, the discontinuation of arts programs in schools, and no dedicated arts and health strategy.

ACCESS to arts and culture MATTERS to the success of our community.

 

Our research shows that over $155 million is spent annually on arts and culture by local governments – with significant and broad-ranging community benefits. 

With almost 30% of government investment in the arts coming from local councils, it would be of huge benefit if this was strategic in accessible, responsive, and relevant programs to communities.

We propose partnership between the WA state government and the Local Government sector based around must mandated Local Government Cultural Plans. This would facilitate smart investment by both parties in clear outcomes for our communities.

We propose partnership between the WA state government and the Local Government sector based around must mandated Local Government Cultural Plans. This would facilitate smart investment by both parties in clear outcomes for our communities.

The outer metropolitan areas (incl. Wanneroo, Joondalup, Swan, Mundaring, Kalamunda, Gosnells, Cockburn, Armadale, Kwinana, Rockingham, and Serpentine-Jarrahdale) make up the largest segment of the WA population. These communities are also the most culturally diverse and have substantial numbers of Aboriginal residents.

Local governments have become increasingly active in grass roots arts and cultural activity. But, there is a noticeable lack of collaboration between state and local governments in servicing the cultural needs of these communities.

Access and participation in these areas should focus on both hard infrastructure (like community hubs) and soft infrastructure (community groups, youth networks and other programs dedicated to arts and cultural experiences).

At a time of economic and social stress, a key role for arts and culture is to ensure communities have a sense of agency and social cohesion.

Building on the collaborative success between state and local governments with the Outer Metro Fund, we call for a $2 million investment over 4 years to continue this Fund.

This will enhance participation and engagement in arts and cultural programs from outer metro audiences, including Indigenous and culturally diverse communities. 

The lack of coordinated planning and delivery of Royalties for Regions funding is a missed opportunity for recovery and growth.

Current programs favour an approach of delivering art to the regions, rather than investing in regional arts. From a regional perspective, these programs appear fragmented and lack a cohesive vision.

We propose more support to a bottom up approach that strengthens capacity of artists at a regional level and empowers communities to build their own responses to the challenges they face.

The coordination and direct delivery of Royalties for Regions funding must be the responsibility of the Department of Culture and the Arts.

This funding must focus on programs that support regional employment and the creation and touring of regional artworks.

The disestablishment of the Department of Education's ArtsEdge program saw the loss of a leading arts education program in Australia.

This is despite 95% of those Western Australians surveyed agreeing it is important for school children to have access to arts and culture as part of their education.

There is a need to review the current curriculum and introduce best practice models into a new partnership between the arts and education sectors. Boosting skills in communication, collaboration, and creative thinking brings holistic benefits to children’s development and learning. 

Voucher schemes for arts activities issued to schools or parents, like the New South Wales Creative Kids program, have proven highly effective at increasing youth participation.

Re-establish a collaborative interdepartmental program to support access to arts activities in schools.

A $2 million investment over 4 years will help bring global best practice to our education sector and construct transformational arts education for students.

International and national research shows the positive impact of arts health programs - particularly in the area of mental health.

There is no program that uses this research, within Western Australia. A pilot project would help understand how we might design a program that benefits our community in this critical area.

Western Australia has a world-leading health sector - this is a great opportunity to add other tools to our community health approach.

Support an arts health pilot program.

A $1 million investment over 4 years will establish pathways for artists qualified to work in health programs and deliver physical and mental health outcomes for Western Australians.