National Local Government Cultural Forum
Communiqué 4
The fourth National Local Government Cultural Forum was held in Darwin, 8 October 2014.
The bi-annual meeting brings together cultural policy and planning representatives from
Australia’s local government associations, capital cities, 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
on the website of the Cultural Development Network
National Local Government Cultural Forum Meeting, 8 October 2014
Darwin, Northern Territory
The fourth meeting of the Cultural Forum considered progress on the priority areas agreed to
in previous meetings. The key outcomes are as follows.
The Cultural Forum will;
1. Identify a baseline set of local government indicators that is usable by councils
making investments in arts and cultural activities and demonstrates the scope and
impact of arts and cultural development across local government in Australia. This
work is in response to the lack of local government arts and culture data currently
reported at a national level.
2. Work with the Australia Council for the Arts to agree data to be included in the State
of the Arts report that best represents local government’s contribution to national arts
and cultural activity;
3. Work with the eight capital cities to aggregate the data currently used in planning and
reporting as a prototype dataset that will inform work on a baseline set of local
government measures and indicators.
4. Continue working with five sample councils on their needs and use of local data to
inform their arts and culture business planning and project management decisions;
5. Build on the examination of existing local cultural development projects in NSW,
including outcomes, measures and dynamics, to design a proof of concept for an online project management system for sharing and showcasing the work and outcomes
of local government investment in the arts.
6. The cultural forum discussed closure of the ABS National Centre for Culture and
Recreation Statistics and reflected the concern of councils and associations about
discontinuing production of essential cultural data.
The fourth meeting of the Cultural Forum was preceded by meetings of the capital cities and
local government associations to address national items that relate to the business of the
National Local Government Cultural Forum. These meetings also provide an opportunity for
discussion on more specific issues outside of the Cultural Forum.
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.