Creative Australia Legislation Passes Through Parliament

Brand-new Creative Australia legislation has just passed through parliament. A modern, distinctive entity, Creative Australia plans to install expanded functions, responsibilities and a new governance structure within the Australian government.

Creative Australia represents Australia’s national cultural policy, Revive - a place for every story, a story for every place, which oversees support for contemporary Australian artists and creating safe, respectful environments for all workers in the arts.

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) welcomed the bill today, with ARIA and PPCA CEO, Annabelle Herd, explaining in a statement, “With the legislation passed, we are now eager to see the rapid establishment of both Music Australia with a strong commercial focus as well as the Centre for Creative Workplaces.”

As per the Parliament of Australia website, Music Australia and Creative Workplaces will now be working parts of Creative Australia. A summary of the bill states that “Music Australia will be responsible for supporting, promoting, and developing markets for Australian contemporary music practice”.

Meanwhile, “Creative Workplaces will be responsible for promoting and providing information about fair, safe and respectful workplaces for Australian artists, persons working in organisations that engage in, or support, Australian arts practice and persons otherwise involved in Australian arts practice.”

That’s just the outline of the Creative Australia legislation – you can read more about the bill via the Parliament of Australia website.

Herd added, “Music Australia has a big job ahead of it. While consumption of music is growing in Australia, our share of listening of local music is facing serious challenges with very few Aussie artists making it into the top of the ARIA Charts.”

Herd states that Australia has phenomenal acts that can compete with international artists and argues that we’ve never been stronger. With Creative Australia, the aim is to build a “strategic focus and investment” in Australian music that’s been lacking from the government.

“ARIA and PPCA look forward to working closely with Music Australia on the urgent priorities of growing export and addressing discoverability, while developing a long-term plan to lift Australian music to its full potential and bring our amazing recording artists the global success they deserve. 

“The extensive remit outlined for the Centre for Creative Workplaces is bold with limited resources, so we look forward to working with the new office on prioritizing [sic] key projects to ensure a safe and inclusive creative industry.”