What’s a new National Cultural Policy for?

Do we need a National Cultural policy? Well yes – “Currently the Australian Government spends more than $740 million per annum directly on arts activity through the Office for the Arts and related portfolio agencies” (National Cultural Policy Discussion Paper 2011) under broad groupings of culture, Arts and Creative Industries. At the very least there should be an articulated vision and a coherent set of strategies driving that investment. There is no way any other area of the economy would be willing to see Government interference in its market without a rationale for doing so. An articulate policy should also provide a sense that that something will actually be achieved as a result of that expenditure.