1370.0.00.002 - Measures of Australia's Progress - Aspirations for our Nation: A Conversation with Australians about Progress , 2011-12  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/05/2013   
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ARTS QUEENSLAND

‘When we are touched by beauty, moved by tragedy, stirred by music or disturbed by the new and strange, our impulse is to share those responses.’ – Arts Queensland submission

Arts Queensland supports arts and culture policy in Queensland. Their mission is to ‘build a strong arts and cultural sector that celebrates our unique identity and cultural heritage, drives a thriving, creative economy, develops the creative capital of Queensland communities and enriches the lives of all Queenslanders’.They support quality, participation and resilience in the arts and cultural sector, including developing creative places that contribute to liveable communities, and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture.

Their submission to the consultation drew on work undertaken by the Centre for Public Culture and Ideas at Griffith University on a national cultural indicators framework. This framework is a basis for measuring the contribution that arts and culture make to public good. This value is understood through three themes:

  • Economic development;
  • Cultural value; and
  • Engagement and social impact.
What they said...

The Arts Queensland submission emphasised valuing arts and culture and enhancing understandings of cultural diversity. They saw arts and culture as catalysts for economic growth, and important to personal and community well-being and social inclusion. They argued that the inclusion of arts and cultural indicators in MAP would ‘support an expanded, more inclusive vision of Australia’s progress’.

Valuing arts and culture – ‘[Australians] value arts and culture in their lives and in the lives of their children. But beyond this love of the arts is the contribution that the arts make to our culture... to Australia’s identity, to our society and our economy.’

Benefits of arts and culture – ‘Arts and cultural activity contribute to the economy, to community well-being and social inclusion, to Australia’s cultural heritage and identity, and to our confidence and standing in the world.

Creative capital – ‘We are only now beginning to recognise how this creative capital can promote innovation, economic development, social inclusion, and international cooperation.’

The role of the arts – ‘The arts show us what we are and what we might become. Arts experiences can inspire, transport, divert, discomfort and shock us.’

Diversity – ‘Artistic expression travels well, crossing cultures and territories, generations and time. Australian stories, images, music and dance have their sources in many cultures and traditions.’

‘The vitality of Australian creative work comes from the infusion of existing traditions with new energy and influences... Australian cultural identity embraces this diversity.’