Is it time for a national arts policy? Labor thinks so. [Image: Aenneken/Arts Hub/Flickr]   

The last time Labor made an exhaustive effort to answer this question the result was 'Creative Nation'.

It was overly ambitious in some ways, but well ahead of its time and arguably the most serious attempt yet to join together art, culture and the huge changes underway in communications technology in a holistic policy document.

To generalise; in the recent past Labor has emphasised access and equity in relation to arts policy, whilst the Liberals stress supporting institutions and heritage art forms.

And notwithstanding these differences a kind of benign bipartisanship in relation to arts funding has existed up to this point.

This is partly a reflection of the poor cousin status the Arts occupies in Australian life. It is also due in no small part to the fact that the Arts are often seen as an optional extra by politicians-afraid it seems to champion something perceived as on the fringe or elite.

Yet we have been very willing to celebrate artistic achievements when they happen, especially on an international stage, or draw on Indigenous culture in constructing a national narrative at events like the Sydney Olympics 2000 opening ceremony.

Still the share of the economic pie the Arts receives is minuscule.

The amount of public support and subsidy for the Arts remains low and professional artists, many of whom are regulars at Centrelink, experience relentless carping about arts funding by some commentators who see red every time a piece of experimental or provocative art is produced with government patronage.

It remains an article of faith for many who write about these things that the provision of support by the tax payer for artistic endeavour is much less important than, say, taxpayer support for a football World Cup bid.

Yet there is growing evidence of the contribution that arts learning and practice makes to wellbeing, particularly in the case of early childhood development, and also to the economic vitality of regions and cities, where arts related creative enterprises are established.

It is these areas, along with the clear need to originate expanded forms of public and private investment for the broad Arts sector that have emerged as central issues in the development of an arts policy to serve Australia in the new century.

Education and creative industries, especially in the so-called 'new media', would be key components.

Provision of adequate arts education is critical because it is here that talent, greater engagement and the development of a life long appetite for the Arts is nurtured. And the link between learning a musical instrument, for example, and enhanced numeracy and cooperation skills is increasingly being recognised.

Encouraging the creative economy is central because the quickening tempo of web based creativity often morphs into product innovation and business start-ups. Many of the software designers for Australia's highly successful games industry began their journey doodling in cyber-design.

The dividing line between creativity which results in a work of art and creative expression which ends up being harnessed to develop new software products for instance, and which employs substantial numbers of people, is increasingly blurred.

Figures released by the ‘Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation’ highlights the expanded levels of employment of nearly half a million people - twice as many as previously thought - that can be sheeted home to creative industries.

We face a growing deficit in the digital economies, where previously Australia has been a 'first mover' in adapting new ideas. Governments must develop policies which recognise this fact and integrate and stimulate funding arrangements to allow creative research and continuing innovation to grow sustainable businesses.

Other stand out issues to emerge include: the need to seriously address the current state of the film and television industry where the numbers and successes in Australian productions are static; the weaknesses in the current Australia Council funding model which means the long term sustainability of many small and medium sized dance and theatre companies is in jeopardy; and the lack of flexibility in the social welfare system where artists' peculiar circumstances -in work one minute, out of work the next-go unheeded.

The conspicuous lack of a suitable taxation, research and peer recognition framework for creative artists is also seen as a major impediment to building a dynamic, creative arts sector.