Backing councils will help Australia’s arts and cultural sector to ‘flourish’

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has told a Federal Parliamentary inquiry that directly funding local government investment in the arts would help grow Australia’s $112 billion creative and cultural economy.

In a submission to a House of Representative inquiry into Australia’s creative and cultural industries and institutions, ALGA said recognising councils as arts organisations (thereby making them eligible to apply for all government grants programs) would also help ensure a flourishing creative sector.

The submission noted that although the creative industries contribute $112 billion to the national economy (or 6.4% of GDP), the sector saw its federal funding decline by 19% over the past decade.

By contrast, local government investment in culture and heritage had risen by 11% to $1.5 billion during the same time.

The submission noted that the extent and range of local government support for culture and heritage encompasses:

• Local galleries and performing arts centres;
• Libraries;
• Museums and historical societies;
• Festivals and events;
• Place activation strategies; and
• Individual local artists and artist studios as well as arts organisations.

The submission advised that local governments provide 46% of funding to the 406 public galleries and museums partly or wholly subsidised by public money, while state governments provide 13%, the Australia Council 1% and the Federal Government less than 1%.

Given local government’s share of cultural investment has risen to fill the gap created by Commonwealth parsimony, ALGA's submissions said direct funding will “enable co-design of tailored programs at the local level and efficient delivery of integrated strategies that can have long-term and sustainable impacts."

ALGA said that properly calculating the value of investment in cultural services would help the sector expand, and concluded that “measuring the social and economic benefits generated by local government arts investment should be a focus of research undertaken by the Australia Council for the Arts.”

ALGA’s submission was based on its recently released Arts and Culture Policy Position statement, which details how councils have a strong track record in delivering of strategic cultural and creative programs by expert personnel.

It advises “council-owned arts and culture venues are often the only ones in regional and rural towns and so are highly valued. Yet remote and regional councils need further resources to support the provision of cultural services.

“Here, adequately funded arts programs could play a far greater role in addressing local population drift to urban centres and in building community resilience.

“Local Government plays a vital role in the burgeoning creative and visitor economies, investing and delivering capital investment and ongoing arts and culture programs in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia.”

Several councils and state local government associations contributed facts, figures, and case studies for the submission.

Click here to view the submission. 

Images: Post COVID lockdown concert at The Events Centre, Caloundra (top, courtesy of The Events Centre, Caloundra) and the Maitland Repetory Theatre (below).