Arts & Culture

Creative artistic expression and cultural experience are fundamental to social well-being and contribute significantly to social identity. Artistic expression and culture should therefore be well supported and promoted in Western Australia, and
access to diverse, innovative artistic and cultural experiences should available to everyone.

All spheres of government are responsible for helping to facilitate creative expression and engagement with the arts through funding and the provision of appropriate facilities. In particular, Western Australia's First Nations artists and artistic work express unique cultures and heritage which must be supported, respected and appropriately protected through legislation, policy and funding priorities (see also The Greens (WA) First Nations Peoples policy)

Aims

The Greens (WA) want:

  • to maintain, promote and enhance the uniqueness and diversity of Western Australian art and culture
  • a State arts and culture policy that supports and encourages the development of all forms of local arts programs, and promotes access to arts and cultural events in urban, rural and regional areas, especially in areas of social and economic disadvantage
  • an integrated and collaborative approach to arts and culture policies and programs that encourage awareness of their broad social and economic benefits
  • to maintain and develop greater capacity of State libraries and museums as the principal repositories of cultural heritage in Western Australia
  • a greater role for local governments in the development of arts and cultural policies and programs (see also The Greens (WA) Local Government policy)
  • to protect the intellectual property rights of artists
  • greater access to, and funding for, small business start-up grants and schemes for emerging artists
  • improved access and participation opportunities in arts and culture activities for disabled people
  • to support, promote and protect First Nations peoples' art forms (see also The Greens (WA) First Nations Peoples policy)

Measures

The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:

  • support a respectful appreciation of First Nations peoples' art forms through appropriate funding and as part of school-based curricula (see also The Greens (WA) Education policy)
  • support the return of sacred objects that have been appropriated as ‘art objects’, or for any other reason, to the First Nations peoples who have responsibility for them
  • increase the funding and promotion of public libraries as centres of community interaction, provided local capacity permits and ensure such centres are compatible with other local government initiatives
  • support adequate funding for the ABC and SBS so they are able to entertain, inform, educate and provide unbiased, high quality international, national and regional content to everyone
  • develop rotating, well-promoted Artists in Residence schemes for all branches of the arts, particularly in community-based and regional arts centres
  • provide ongoing funding and promote greater consultation with youth communities and those working directly with youth, to develop youth arts policies and projects which reflect and develop youth interests and capabilities (see The Greens (WA) Youth policy)
  • partner with regional and local organisations and groups in policy-making, project determination and funding opportunities
  • require open and transparent communication, cooperation and consultation by decision-makers with the grass-roots level of the arts community
  • lobby to increase the amount of funding from Federal and State sources for the arts sector to end its exploitation by unethical and environmentally destructive corporate sponsors
  • ensure funding for local theatre groups to tour productions to other areas within the state
  • support and encourage fair and effective copyright protection for First Nations art forms
  • ensure that ability or financial means do not restrict the access of all people to cultural or artistic spaces

(See also the Australian Greens Arts and Culture policy)

Arts & Culture policy ratified by The Greens (WA) in 2020