Nat Astwood – Cultural Policy: 1 – 4 of 11 pages.
Cultural activities play a significant role in the local economy of Cairns and based on an economic report, the sector’s value-added contribution was estimated to be over $460 million for the Cairns region (Cummings, 2019). A significant amount for a city with a population, at the time, of only 200,000 people (ABS, 2016). The Cairns Regional Council (CRC) adopted the Strategy for Culture and the Arts (SCA) 2018-2022 pre- COVID to continue the cultivation of cultural and creative activities in the region. It aligns with the city’s Corporate Plan (CP) (2017–2022), to recognise that culture plays a vital role in a ‘vibrant, inclusive, and healthy community’ (CRC 2022, 19).
This essay applies complexity theory (Cairney 2015) and frameworks such as good policy advice to analyse policymaking as a dynamic, interconnected, and non-linear process (Althaus, Ball, Bridgman & Davis 2018). It examines the SCA (2022) by situating it within broader contexts, and gains insights from international forums like the World Art and Cultural Summit organised by the International Federation of Arts and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), which highlights the importance of global engagement to enhance local strategies. This comparative approach underscores opportunities for Cairns to align with global trends on a local level and strengthen its cultural impact through collaboration.
The framework of cultural democracy is also employed to assess inclusivity, community empowerment, and ownership. This lens enables a critical evaluation of how the strategy supports diverse participation, economic growth, and social impact (Kelly 2023). By integrating these analytical perspectives, the essay identifies some of the policy’s strengths, limitations, and areas for future enhancement, bridging traditional approaches with complexity thinking to address gaps and position Cairns in local, national, and global contexts because, ‘Cultural policy discussions should not be confined to individual nations, but should occur at global levels thus promoting and protecting local culture and engaging with global market forces’ (IFACCA 2024).
International dialogue on cultural policy offers valuable opportunities to improve local strategies. Engaging with global perspectives, particularly through platforms like the Art and Cultural Summit, is crucial.
‘The greater our dialogue and exploration of diverse meanings and contexts, the better our understanding will be of different realities, terminologies, and applications. And the better equipped we will be to tackle challenges – known and as yet unknown – and ensure that culture remains at the centre’ (IFACCA 2024).
Such engagement ensures local policies remain dynamic and informed by the latest international developments.
Contextually, the Cairns Strategy (2018) was developed through extensive consultation with diverse sectors to reflect the region’s cultural landscape, build consensus, and ensure program responsiveness. This participatory approach seemingly increased transparency and incorporated diverse perspectives, aligning with the region’s vision to position the city as the ‘Arts and Cultural Capital of Northern Australia’ (CRC 2022, 3). This is a politically charged objective designed to raise the region’s cultural standing and attract investment. Its action-oriented framework supports adaptability, with mechanisms for evaluation and continuous improvement in line with good policy (Althaus et al. 2018, 8). The Council’s Cultural Services team, a specialised unit within the CRC played a central role in the strategy’s development and implementation. Development of the strategy involved extensive community consultation, engaging 84 organisations and over 200 participants from diverse sectors with the primary aim of becoming a cultural powerhouse.
The policy is guided by three key priorities, investing in resources and skills for the creative sectors, celebrating the region’s unique cultural identity, and promoting a thriving cultural economy (CRC 2022, 10). These priorities are clearly outlined, with actions aiming to stimulate cultural and creative life, provide accessible and affordable creative spaces, aid talent development, and promote diverse place-making, public art, and cultural tourism programs. Activities also aim to encourage community engagement and visitation, as well as establish frameworks for strategic audience development and income generation, positioning arts and culture as significant economic drivers as is outlined in the economic report (Cummings 2019). However, Cairns is currently operating without an active cultural policy as the CRC works on the new ‘Creative Life Strategy’, aligned with the ‘Towards 2050: Shaping Cairns’ program. While the SCA policy is extant, a three-year policy gap between the 2022 strategy’s expiration and the new policy’s anticipated implementation in mid 2025 exists. Outdated policies create a loss of strategic alignment, impact the morale of stakeholders, cause stagnation and create community uncertainty.
Informed by a review of the CP (2022), the SCA (2022) emerged during a period of significant cultural development in Cairns, driven by evolving community aspirations, strategic infrastructure investments, and growing recognition of the creative industries’ economic potential (CRC 2022). The policy (2018-2022) followed significant investment in cultural assets, underscoring Cairns’ commitment to becoming a vibrant cultural hub. However, the consultation process revealed gaps, with individual and emerging artists, CALD communities, and people with disabilities underrepresented. Younger generations and smaller arts organisations also struggled being heard. While Cairns’ multicultural identity is celebrated, inclusivity issues persist. Revive (2024) and broader Australian cultural policies recognise that ‘culture brings vital value to all areas of public life, and we must urgently acknowledge’ it as a public good’ (IFACCA 4, 2024) that promotes social cohesion, connectivity, economic development and community empowerment (Kelly 2023). Addressing gaps in representation during consultation would ensure the strategy reflects the diverse voices and needs of the region’s cultural ecosystem, aiding in the promotion of cultural democracy (Kelly 2023). Overall the strategy seeks to mobilise the region’s unique cultural identity in order to enhance cultural infrastructure, and nurture a thriving creative economy (CRC 2022). It aligns with good policy principles, including clear articulation of goals, structure, and intentionality (Althaus et al 2018). The strategy explicitly supports diverse cultural expressions, celebrates Cairns’ international reputation, and aims to enhance inclusivity and stakeholder engagement (CRC 2022). By leveraging these objectives, the policy demonstrates effectiveness in positioning Cairns as a cultural hub while stimulating innovation and alignment with broader global cultural trends that support cultural democracy (Kelly 2023).
The implementation phase of the SCA (2022) utilised a multifaceted approach, employing various mechanisms to translate policy into tangible outcomes. Council’s Cultural Services team played a central role in overseeing projects, managing grants, and facilitating stakeholder engagement. This collaborative effort resulted in the introduction of specific programs and initiatives aimed at achieving the strategy’s goals. These were measured through the State of the Arts in Cairns (SoARTS) report, a research project produced by James Cook University (JCU) in conjunction with Central Queensland University (CQU) (Milledge & Law 2023) and informed and measured by the economic impact reports (Cummings 2019).
Some of the implementation successes of the strategy included sector growth through expanded grants. The suite of grant programs were introduced to provide financial support to artists, cultural organisations, and creative industries, including funding for new works, professional development opportunities, and community-based initiatives. The funding aimed to stimulate creative production, enhance sector capacity, encourage innovation and was intended to attract both local and international audiences, and promote Cairns as a cultural destination. The strategy successfully employed a collaborative, multi-sectoral approach to cultural development, leveraging resources and expertise to maximise impact and sustainability (CRC 2022).
This approach offered arts education, workshops, and outreach programs to nurture emerging artists and increase community engagement (SoARTS 2023). A dedicated Indigenous strategy further strengthened this collaborative model by prioritising First Nations cultural expression through initiatives like appointing an Indigenous Arts Associate Producer and developing specialised arts programs for community engagement (CRC 2022.) The Cairns strategy successfully expanded funding opportunities but the reliance on government funding presents a challenge. For greater financial resilience within the arts sector and to ensure long-term sustainability, more diversified funding models are needed. The Elevate 2042 Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Strategy (Qld Govt 2032) offers insights into addressing these challenges by adopting a long-term, collaborative approach, involving a series of implementation plans that evolve over time, ensuring sustained engagement and adaptation (Qld Govt 2023). Cairns could benefit from adopting a similar approach, developing a comprehensive financial plan that explores diverse funding sources, including private investment, philanthropy, and innovative revenue generating models, to secure funding for sustainability of its cultural initiatives. ’Engagement with external funding, especially from foreign sources, that happens on a project or programme basis‘, provides greater autonomy and local institutional ownership (IFACCA 2024, 10).
The Cairns strategy successfully revitalised cultural infrastructure, creating vibrant spaces. The strategy’s focus on place-based identity and integrating public art into urban design aligns with global trends that recognise the economic and social benefits of cultural tourism (SoARTS 2023). Similarly, the City of Sydney’s cultural strategy, emphasises investment in spaces where culture is made, recognising the importance of supporting creative production alongside cultural consumption (City of Sydney 2024). This underscores the importance of safeguarding vital local venues for affordable creative workspaces. The Cairns strategy, while strong in intention, structure, and political alignment, could be strengthened by explicitly stating its cause-and-effect model and behavioral assumptions (Cairney 2015). Clearly articulating policy elements helps decision-makers grasp the rationale behind policy recommendations and assess potential outcomes (Althaus et al., 2018, 10). Applying this lens to SCA 2022 highlights a potential area for enhancement. Although the strategy outlines commendable goals such as creative excellence and promoting cultural tourism, a closer examination reveals a potential gap in articulating the cause-and-effect model driving these ambitions. Althaus et al (2018) posit that good policy goes beyond stating solutions, it must ‘explicitly detail the form of authoritative statement required, the model of cause-and-effect underpinning the policy, and the goals to be achieved’ (Althaus et al . 2018, 19). Applying this framework to the Cairns strategy raises the question of whether the strategy sufficiently clarifies the rationale connecting its large- scale infrastructure investments to its intended outcomes. For instance, while the strategy highlights investments in projects, it fails to thoroughly detail how these investments create a ripple effect leading to increased cultural tourism. A robust articulation of the cause-and-effect model, demonstrating the anticipated chain of events from investment to impact, would strengthen effectiveness and allow for a more comprehensive evaluation of its success (Althaus et al. 2018).
The strategy’s objectives are at times specific and measurable, with progress evaluated through the SoARTS (2022) research project, which ensures the strategy remains responsive to community needs. Progress was being tracked through key indicators such as the development of cultural facilities, participation rates, audience numbers at cultural venues, and community feedback. Tourism statistics related to arts and cultural events, alongside metrics such as grants awarded, jobs created, businesses established, and the overall economic contributions of the arts and culture sector, are also monitored. However, while the objectives are generally clear, the strategy’s measurability could be improved in several areas. For instance, while the goal of creating accessible and affordable creative spaces is commendable, the policy does not specify how affordability will be defined or measured. Similarly, the objective of nurturing emerging artists lacks concrete targets for participation in talent development programs or the number of artists supported. Furthermore, although the strategy identifies various stakeholders, it does not clearly outline their specific roles and responsibilities in achieving the objectives. This lack of clarity could hinder accountability and the active engagement of all stakeholders in implementing the strategy and ‘when intentions are uncertain or contradictory, a policy has little chance of success’ (Althaus et al 2018, 23). Enhancing specificity, measurable indicators, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities will improve the strategy’s effectiveness and ensure meaningful impacts on the Cairns community.
Cultural democracy in Cairns relies on embracing a more inclusive and equitable approach that empowers communities with a sense of belonging (Kelly, 2023). Cairns’ reliance on the cyclical model of policymaking is overly prescriptive and oversimplifies the political complexities involved (Cairney 2013). This neglect of the interconnected and dynamic nature of policymaking systems highlights the need for approaches that go beyond linear strategies. While the good policy framework outlined by Althaus et al (2018) was central to analysis, Cairns would benefit from integrating complexity thinking to address the limitations of oversimplified models and embrace the emergent realities of policymaking (Cairney 2015).
A strategic, internationally focused approach at a regional level, driven by a national framework, could position Cairns as a prominent cultural destination. Embracing complexity thinking in cultural policymaking, adapting to uncertainty, learning from outcomes, and avoiding unintended consequences (Cairney 2013), alongside more explicit cause-and-effect strategies, could elevate the region’s global cultural influence.