Evaluation of the New Australian Government National Cultural Policy: Revive

The Australian Government released its landmark national cultural policy, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place, on January 30, 2023, after years of cuts to arts and creative industries funding. With a projected investment of A$199 million, Revive has structured its development objectives around pillars including First Nations First, aimed at renewing and revitalizing the arts, entertainment and cultural sectors in Australia.

The 5 pillars of Australia’s new national cultural policy

The revitalization of a decade-old national cultural policy is a useful beginning. The essence of cultural policy as one of the public policies, in short, is what the government chooses to do or not to do. The contextualization of culture and the arts in Australia has been controversial, and it is also one of the few governments that does not have a cultural department, but artists and intellectuals have pursued an active cultural policy. This update of the cultural policy of the Labor Party may mean that the government is starting to do it in the cultural field. Meanwhile, the cultural policy focuses on the voice of indigenous cultures, and the government seeks to define culture as a real public good by empowering artists and the public through measures such as legislation, indigenous membership, and public consultation. Cultural creativity enhances social cohesion and supports health, education and the economy of the future, which is essential for the continued development of cultural policy in Australia.

Turning to economic value, in the wake of the triple blows of bushfires, COVID-19 and recession in Australia, the government has explored opportunities to boost economic growth across a range of sectors, with the cultural sector being one of the neglected core growth drivers.

This policy proposes reforms regarding the salaries and workplaces of artists, while investing in commercially viable projects such as music festivals, literary fields, and film festivals, which also breaks down the distinction between high art and folk art.

However, it is worth exploring whether this revitalization of cultural policy also signals a return to “instrumentalism” in Australian cultural policy. Instrumentalism in cultural policy is seen as a top-down imposition, and specific government measures may ignore the intrinsic value of culture itself for the sake of immediate economic gain, which needs to be robustly assessed and reviewed.

Though this policy focuses on indigenous cultures, it lacks attention and support for emerging cultures. In the delivery of actions and funding programs, a lack of promotion of emerging culture can be found, such as the support of technicians and platforms for short videos, VR culture, etc., which is not conducive to the export and development of culture.

Sustained development of cultural policy also requires bipartisan support. Creative Australia was launched in 2013, but was terminated after only six months of implementation. The current cultural policy has been proposed by the Labour Party, and while the funding that has been invested brings a sense of certainty, it would undoubtedly be a disappointment to cultural workers and the industry if further changes in political parties were to affect the policy.