Callan Park to be permanent film hub in arts and culture overhaul

Unlike the federal government’s National Cultural Policy, which comes with almost $300 million in funding commitments, the NSW policy has few funding specifics beyond a promise of $500,000 over five years to support 15 early career music artists in Western Sydney.

Nor does it address the looming funding squeeze affecting the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Gallery of NSW, both of which have flagged budget cutbacks amid escalating costs.

Graham said the policy framework would drive budget decisions with additional money to come from Destination NSW’s changed priorities and an alignment of federal and state cultural priorities.

The decade-long strategy, instead, concentrates on developing a pathway to transform a sector that accounts for a fifth of the state’s service exports and 10 per cent of the state’s workforce.

NSW is home to about half of the companies involved in the creative industries – including publishers, producers and designers – as well as the oldest film festival and biennale.

Recent analysis by the City of Sydney council revealed an exodus of “core creatives” from Sydney since 2011, while other cities – especially Melbourne – have boomed.

For too long, the success of cultural activities has been measured by tickets sold and tourist numbers, Graham said. Within weeks, a formal ministerial directive will be made to the board of Destination NSW to invest in cultural events.

Sustainable careers are also a focus. “The biggest stars may feature on rich lists, but life for most artists is a struggle,” the summary document states.

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Arts funding and regulations are to be “reformed” to provide greater transparency and less paperwork. A “cultural front door portal”, modelled on Liquor and Gaming’s one-stop shop Hospitality Concierge, will be established to help creatives navigate government services.

To ensure momentum is maintained, the NSW government will legislate the delivery of a creative statement to parliament every three years, detailing the status and health of the sector. The first will be in 2026, a year before the next election.

Labor has pledged a parliamentary inquiry to investigate barriers to arts and music education and says new hubs for creatives and artists will open in western Sydney and regional NSW as soon as they become available, along with improved stages for outdoor festivals and concerts.

The policy commits to delivering a business case for the Roxy Theatre in Parramatta for arts and cultural uses, and the state’s film agency, Screen NSW, is to be given greater independence to distribute seed funding.

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A three-year screen strategy, now under way, will develop a business case for a second major film studio in the state, outside Callan Park.

Darren Dale, of Blackfella Films and a member of the government’s advisory panel, said a second studio was needed urgently, located within 30 kilometres of the CBD.

“The problem is we’ve got half the screen sector in NSW, but we’re trying to deal with one-third of the stages,” Graham said.

Graham said the government would be an advocate, enabler and investor in arts, culture and the creative industries, but its vision could not be realised overnight. Partnerships with local government, private investors and not-for-profits would be crucial, he said.

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