The Cultural Development Network (CDN) has recently announced the establishment of the National Local Government Cultural Forum, drawing on local government’s insight into community arts and culture.
The new National Local Government Cultural Forum aims to provide a focal point for the arts activities that are shaping communities, their cultures and creativity, and to generate ideas and learn from the experiences of the 565 councils across Australia.
Representatives from the eight Australian capital cities and the seven state and territory local government associations will meet twice-yearly with CDN, the Australian Local Government Association, the Australia Council for the Arts and the Global Cities Research Institute (RMIT University), to set medium to long-term objectives for local government cultural planning and the arts.
The Cultural Forum has been formed to increase understanding of the community arts and cultural development sector; to grow community arts and cultural development practice with councils; and to provide support for the community arts and cultural development sector.
Local government has a detailed insight into how the arts and other policies impact on the culture of communities. The best of these ideas will be shared through the Cultural Forum and contribute to informed advice to the state and federal governments on the cultural impact of arts policies.
A major impetus behind the creation of the National Local Government Cultural Forum is that it functions as a catalyst for strengthening arts across the community through local governance and local artists.
