In the wake of this year’s devastating impacts on Australia’s cultural life and creative industries, what’s the most important role for the Australian Government to play?

The Parliamentary Inquiry into Australia’s Creative and Cultural Industries and Institutions closed for submissions on 22 October, and thousands of us have contributed formal documents or survey responses. Last Friday the Standing Committee on Communications & the Arts held its first day of hearings, and there’s a second scheduled for the week after next.

The Committee heard from a diverse range of artists and industry leaders who’ve made submissions to the Inquiry, and a number of recurrent issues stood out: the need for a national strategy; the greater coordination that can only come from that comprehensive approach; and to get us there, the need to improve MPs’ understanding of both creative practice and the creative industries. Because while there were a lot of helpful questions that ensured plenty of useful accounts for Hansard, there were also some telling questions indicating just how much good work is yet to be done in building constructive relationships with our parliamentarians.

Consistent in every presentation was the urgent need for a policy, a plan, a statement: a commitment from the Australian Government to outline public value, integrate relevant portfolio areas, and set out strategies that promote a flourishing industry for a nation confident in its own culture…

>>> Read on in Arts Hub
>>> Read back on the live tweeting that formed the basis of my piece
>>> Read my twitter thread of the second day of hearings