The Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Bill 2025 has the potential to place South Australia at the forefront of global cultural rights legislation. However, to get there, it must be bold in ensuring that children and young people are not just beneficiaries of cultural policy but also the co-authors of it.
By meaningfully incorporating youth voice, structural accountability, independent oversight, and the formal recognition of systemic arts leadership through Create SA and Carclew, the Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Bill 2025 can not only support creativity but also uphold rights, shape futures, and build a cultural system that is responsive to its youngest citizens.
To ensure this Bill aligns with United Nations frameworks, and ensure it fulfils its potential as a globally-leading commitment to the arts, I recommend:
- Including additional definitions to provide clarity and scope for what is considered in this Bill, including the statements:
- “Diversity means the inclusion of people from a wide range of lived experiences and identities, including but not limited to those related to culture, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, geographic location, and socioeconomic background.”
- “Participation means meaningful involvement in the creation, experience, leadership, and decision-making related to arts, culture and creative industries.”
- Greater clarity on what is considered ‘culture’ for the purpose of this legislation.
- Inserting a new Principle enshrining young voices: “ensuring that children and young people have opportunities to influence, shape and evaluate arts, culture and creative industries policy, strategy and program delivery.”
- Recognising Create SA and Carclew’s respective roles in advancing the legislation and policy.
- Establishing an independent Commissioner for Art, Culture and Creativity to oversee and hold government accountable as well as bring a broader philanthropic, corporate and social-enterprise lens that reflects the way arts, culture and creativity works across all areas of our social and economic wellbeing.