Pitch to Productivity Commission: Carving pathways for creative and critical thinking to meet tomorrow’s challenges in our economy and society

Our pitch to the Productivity Commission (PC) argues that Australia should leverage creative and cultural engagement’s capacity to positively influence the determinants of productivity.

In 2024 the PC called for policy ideas from the community to improve productivity across five key areas of the economy. ANA’s pitch focused on two of these: creating a dynamic and resilient economy; and building a more skilled and adaptable workforce.

Creative and critical thinking are essential skills that will equip Australia to tackle future challenges through the generation of diverse and innovative ideas. All Australians should have ongoing opportunities to develop these skills.

New evidence shows how arts and cultural activities can contribute to creative and critical thinking. For example, reading fiction helps develop the capacity for critical thought, and creative activities can contribute to increasing children’s cognitive capacity.

There are exciting opportunities to develop creative and critical thinking during childhood and in the workforce. These include:

• continuing to embed creative thinking in the national curriculum, as the OECD recommends
• tapping into creative and critical thinking skills to spread innovation beyond the creative industries, as can occur when other industries employ creative workers
• using Australia’s high levels of childhood participation in cultural activities to bolster creative and critical thinking, noting that 94% of Australian 5- to 14-year-olds participated in a cultural activity outside of school hours in 2021–22
• building pathways to translate strong creative and critical thinking at a teenage level into a more creative and productive workforce.

Ensuring our students have opportunities to develop creative and critical thinking skills – and maintain and grow them in adulthood – can help equip our nation for a productive and prosperous future.