Continuing to revive Australia’s arts and culture sector

The Albanese Labor Government is continuing its revival of Australia’s arts and culture sector, with new legislation to establish First Nations Arts and Writing Australia introduced to Parliament today.

The two new bodies will deliver support and investment for First Nations artists and Australian writers, illustrators, and publishers delivering on commitments in Revive, Australia’s national cultural policy.

The Creative Australia (Implementation of Revive) Bill 2024 creates the new bodies as part of the modernised Creative Australia, sitting alongside Creative Workplaces and Music Australia, launched last year to support Australian artists, arts workers and organisations.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the Bill delivers on the promises set out in Revive to put First Nations first and to celebrate Australian stories.

“While work has been done for a long time on getting more First Nations artists on the stage there has been a chronic shortage of First Nations workers backstage and in technical roles.

“What First Nations Arts will do is help develop work plans for skills in areas where First Nations workers are underrepresented.”

“Our writers have historically been overlooked and underfunded. That changes with the establishment of Writing Australia.” 

First Nations Arts will support and promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts practice, enhance sustainable career pathways for young First Nations people in the arts and increase opportunities to grow First Nations audiences. It will be overseen by the First Nations Board, who will have autonomy over the allocation of funds to support and invest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and promote best practice in First Nations cultural protocols and principles.

Writing Australia will strengthen the Australian literature sector and develop further markets and audiences, here and overseas. Through targeted investment and the development of national industry initiatives, it will increase opportunities for authors, illustrators and publishers to create new works and tell new stories. It will be overseen by the Writing Australia Council.

The establishment of these two new bodies follows extensive consultation led by Creative Australia.

First Nations Arts will commence this year, with Writing Australia to commence in 2025.