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Australia's national arts and culture think tank

Measuring What Matters wellbeing framework

Arts and Culture: The case for inclusion in ‘measuring what matters’

Arts and culture is a fundamental part of living in a vibrant democracy like Australia. This submission outlines the rationale for measuring cultural participation in the development of a wellbeing and progress framework for measuring what matters.

Australians demonstrably value cultural participation. We have globally high rates of cultural attendance and direct creative participation is growing, especially among young people.

A growing body of research shows creative engagement has wide-ranging social benefits, from improving health and mitigating loneliness to forging social cohesion and helping to break down social inequities. Many Australians enjoy a rich cultural life but not always equally. There remain barriers for some associated primarily with access and relevance due to factors including geography, costs and social issues such as exposure, language barriers and physical access.

Annual collection of cultural attendance and participation data – already collected by the ABS on an ad-hoc basis – would improve understanding of how all Australians from cities, the suburbs and regional and remote communities are accessing and participating in arts and culture.

The Federal Government has acknowledged the importance of art and culture in contemporary Australia with its launch of a new National Cultural Policy. In a broader conversation about quality of life, arts and culture justify inclusion: they are part of a ‘good’ life and contribute to the things that matter – enrichment, belonging, meaning, prosperity, health and well-being.

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