The sixth National Local Government Cultural Forum was held 5 November 2015, in Adelaide.
The bi-annual meeting brings together cultural policy and planning representatives from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), its member state and territory associations and capital cities. The Cultural Forum meeting includes the Commonwealth Ministry for the Arts and the Australia Council for the Arts. The objective is to increase the capacity of local government to strengthen the arts and cultural development in their communities.
More information, including the Terms of Reference and previous communiqués, is available here.
National Local Government Cultural Forum Meeting
5 November 2015, Adelaide, South Australia
The sixth meeting of the Cultural Forum considered progress on the priority areas agreed in previous meetings. The key activities are as follows.
The Cultural Forum will:
- Continue to develop an agreed set of core data that defines the scope of local government’s contribution to the cultural life of Australians. The Cultural Forum aims to identify and agree to measures for inputs (the resources applied) and the outputs (activities produced from those resources) and further work is aimed at defining the outcomes (consequences for residents/participants). This dataset will provide an aggregate of local governments’ contribution as well as enabling councils to collect similar data knowing it is consistent across the sector.
- Work with the Australia Council for the Arts to develop a section on local government in the next issue of Arts Nation to be published in early 2017 with 2015-2016 data;
- Continue to work with sample councils in the development of an online arts and culture project builder and recorder to provide an easy method for all councils to contribute and share data to a national dataset as they plan their activities using evidence and outcome focussed planning.
- Provide an introductory headline statement about the scope of local government contribution to the cultural life of Australia for the start of the next three year period that can be used by associations and councils. This initial summary and can be added to by updated information on the projects of the Cultural Forum as they are made available. This can be disseminated across the local government networks in Australia.
The Cultural Forum confirmed its 2016 to 2018 objective to extend the reach, quality, profile and understanding of local government’s contribution to Australia’s cultural life. The Cultural Forum has been funded for a further three years through the Australia Council for the Arts, and its next meeting will be in Melbourne in 2016
The National Local Government Cultural Forum is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body, and managed by the Cultural Development Network in cooperation with the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).
Further information, contact the Cultural Development Network: John Smithies john.smithies@culturaldevelopment.net.au or +61 3 99250974.