ANA makes submissions and publishes short papers on topics of interest.

Drawing on our published research with middle Australians aged 18 to 75, we welcome the use of the phrase ‘arts and culture’ as inclusive and accessible, along with the inclusion of creative industries to form a connected, contemporary policy approach.

The current focus on arts and culture across Australian jurisdictions helps South Australia (SA) work more closely with governments and embed policy concerning arts, culture and creativity across portfolios. In addition, the Brisbane 2032 Games presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for SA to build cultural ties within and beyond Australia, attract cultural tourism and develop cultural exports.

The release of the National Cultural Policy ‘Revive’ provides a renewed opportunity for the NSW Government to work in concert with governments across Australia, and to consider how to embed policy concerning arts, culture and creativity across portfolios and into the future. We commend the use of the phrase ‘arts and culture’ as inclusive and accessible and welcome the inclusion of creative industries to form a connected, contemporary policy approach to this space.

The release of the National Cultural Policy ‘Revive’ provides a renewed opportunity for the WA Government to work in concert with governments across Australia. It also provides an opportunity to consider how to embed policy concerning arts, culture and creativity across portfolios and into the future.

Answers provided to questions taken on notice at the public hearing of 14 April 2023.

ANA CEO Kate Fielding was invited to provide evidence to the Senate Inquiry into the National Cultural Policy and explained what changes to cultural policy could help Australia maximise its creative potential and become a cultural powerhouse.

ANA’s research and analysis shows that Australians from every walk of life participate in and benefit from arts, culture and creativity. In focus groups right across the country, middle Australians aged 18 to 75 have identified wide-ranging positive outcomes for individuals and communities, including benefits to the economy, health, social cohesion and productivity. These views align with Australian and international research which demonstrates these benefits. Informed by these insights, ANA believes Australia can become a cultural powerhouse whose compelling creativity is locally loved, nationally valued and globally influential. The release of the new cultural policy is a meaningful step towards Australia fulfilling this creative promise.

In ANA's submission to the National Cultural Policy consultation, we focus on the development of the Policy and the five key elements for implementation that support Australia to become a cultural powerhouse whose compelling creativity is locally loved, nationally valued and globally influential.

This submission highlights the need to financially support a fuller range of cultural and creative industry workers, particularly those working on a casual and short-term basis, in any future Commonwealth Government responses to pandemics. ANA also suggests exploring opportunities to apply arts and culture to tackle mental and physical health issues arising from pandemics.

ANA welcomes the Blueprint Expert Reference Group's Issues Paper highlighting arts and culture as key activities for not-for-profits (NFPs). Our submission explores how governments and NFPs can contribute to shared outcomes, how governments can help NFPs be informed by evidence, and policy options to increase philanthropic giving in an arts and culture context.

Our submission makes several key points about ANZSCO and creative occupations, including that employment in creative occupations has grown faster than in the overall workforce, and that artificial intelligence may create new, but also disrupt existing, creative occupations.

This submission draws on our AI Analysis Paper, 'Friend, foe or frenemy', which shows Australians are already using AI throughout arts, culture and creativity, with real risks, opportunities and impacts. We also share our submission to the federal consultation on Supporting Safe and Responsible AI which sketches out steps to help Australia become a world leader in safe and responsible AI while securing its potential as a cultural powerhouse.

This submission draws on our focus group research showing that middle Australians take pride in Australian arts and culture. They view it as a natural avenue to grow interest in contemporary Australia and a critical way of demonstrating that we are a nation that embraces diversity.

This short submission provides reflections on three aspects of the Accord Interim Report: First Nations issues as an area for immediate action; equity and communities as areas for further consideration; and fostering international engagement as an area for further consideration, which ANA considers is particularly important in relation to cultural and creative courses.

This short submission focuses on question 2 in Chapter 2 of the consultation paper, drawing on our research into the evidence base connecting arts and culture to education outcomes. International and Australian research has found arts and culture-based education is beneficial in developing intellectual skills and enhancing educational impacts. Not only does it help future-proof Australia’s workforce, it also helps mitigate disadvantage.

ANA welcomes this opportunity to comment on the Exposure Draft Bill to enhance the powers of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). ANA’s research demonstrates freedom of expression is important to middle Australians, who consider it a democratic value. We recognise that striking the right balance between combating misinformation and the right to freedom of expression is a necessary and delicate exercise.

This submission to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources outlines a range of Australian arts, culture and creativity where artificial intelligence (AI) plays a role, and explains its impacts on Australians’ access to arts and cultural experiences. It also sketches out steps to help Australia become a world leader in safe and responsible AI while securing its potential as a cultural powerhouse.

ANA welcomes this opportunity to contribute to the proposed refresh of the methodological framework for estimating cultural and creative activity, as one of the actions in Revive – Australia’s National Cultural Policy. This submission is informed by engagement across ANA’s arts and culture networks, our research on the cultural and creative economy and our research about perceptions of arts and culture.

This submission is focused on the impact of philanthropy for the arts and cultural parts of the not-for-profit sector, and more broadly the impact of philanthropy for the cultural and creative industries. It asserts that strategic government investment in arts and culture leverages philanthropic support in this area, highlighting that fit-for-purpose government support for arts and culture through a variety of mechanisms can provide both motivation and accessibility for potential donors.

This submission provides insights from ANA's research and analysis program, drawing particular attention to attitudes amongst middle Australians towards arts, culture and creativity, including attitudes toward copyright. It also draws on forthcoming research into the financial inflows to cultural and creative industries to assist in placing copyright revenue into a larger context.

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.

In our submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts and Craft, ANA presented evidence that Australians value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and creative practices, view them as the foundation of national identity and expect them to be prioritised by governments, investors, policy and business leaders.

In her opening statement to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19, ANA’s CEO Kate Fielding demonstrated why the impact of COVID-19 on the arts, cultural and creative industries has affected not only these industries, but also every Australian.

In our pre-budget submission for 2024-25, ANA presents recommendations to help Australia capture a once-in-a-generation opportunity for interjurisdictional collaboration on arts and culture and international cultural relations.

In our pre-budget submission for 2023-24, ANA made recommendations for strategic investment to secure Australia's potential as a cultural powerhouse.

In our pre-budget submission for 2022-23, ANA made recommendations for strategic investment in Australian creativity and culture to drive social recovery and economic growth.

In our pre-budget submission for 2021-22, ANA made recommendations for using arts, culture and creativity to help keep our economy strong, people in jobs and Australians together.

In our pre-budget submission for 2020-21, ANA made recommendations for using arts, culture and creativity to help in bushfire and disaster recovery

In our submission to the Queensland Parliament Inquiry into Social Isolation and Loneliness, ANA presented evidence that arts, culture and creativity support improved mental and physical health outcomes, build community connection and reduce social isolation and made recommendations for both national and state-level solutions.

ANA’s CEO Kate Fielding and Chair Rupert Myer were invited to provide the final address to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Cultural and Creative Industries and Institutions, and called for a National Arts, Culture and Creativity Plan.

ANA’s responses to questions asked by the committee on February 19 2021. Questions were about the breakdown of sports funding across different levels of government, and about philanthropy and donations in arts and culture.

ANA’s CEO Kate Fielding and Chair Rupert Myer were invited to provide the opening address to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Cultural and Creative Industries and Institutions, and laid out an evidence base for understanding Australia’s cultural and creative industries.

ANA’s responses to questions asked by the committee on November 13 2020. Questions were about the instruments that track non-government revenue in the creative sector, including philanthropic spending, and issues around data gathering in arts and culture.

In ANA’s Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry, we made three key recommendations to the committee: 1) Champion a National Arts, Culture and Creativity Plan. 2) Initiate a Productivity Commission Inquiry into the role of creativity in 21st century industry development, jobs and innovation. 3) Develop a targeted industry package in the May 2021 federal budget to pilot and/or scale-up digitally rich, ‘anti-fragile’ business models, suitable for a with-Covid environment for the cultural and creative industries.

The time is ripe for a new relationship between Australia and the United Kingdom (UK). Australia has drawn from the UK’s civic institutions and a large part of our nation shares your family tree. But like any extended family we have unfinished business and a need for continual renewal of our understanding of each other. In this endeavour, arts and culture can play a powerful role.