We need ABS arts and sports data to understand our culture
The vital role played by arts volunteers may soon be rendered invisible by impending Australian Bureau of Statistics changes.
15 Aug 2014
Simon Darcy and Bronwyn Dalton
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Writing and Publishing
Statistics can help shape art works, such as the recent Darwin Festival production 100% Darwin, as well as our understanding of Australian culture. Photo byElise Derwin.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) last week released its 2014-2018 forward work plan. The work plan confirms the June media release that arts and sport data will disappear from the ABS-funded component of culture, sport and recreation statistics collection as part of ongoing expenditure reductions of A$50 million over three years started under the previous Labor government.
Simon Darcy is an interdisciplinary researcher with expertise in developing inclusive organisational approaches for diversity groups. His work is characterised by a research evidenced based approach to changing business, government and not for profit sector practices. He is a member of the Disability Council of NSW, which is the ministerial advisory to the New South Wales Government's Department of Family and Community Services. He is currently working on a number of projects relating the National Disability Insurance Scheme, National Disability Strategy and person centred approaches to disability policy. As both an academic and a person with a high level disability, Simon brings a unique insider's perspective to understanding disability issues and the rights of all people to fully participate in community life. He is a Professor & Co-Director at Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre - UTS Business School at University of Technology, Sydney.
Bronwyn Dalton is the Director of the UTS Centre for Cosmopolitan
Civil Societies and the Coordinator of the Masters of Community
Management Program at the University of Technology, Sydney and Chair,
Australian and New Zealand Third Sector Researchers. Bronwen completed
her DPhil at the University of Oxford, where she was awarded the Oxford
University Larkinson Award for Social Studies and was the recipient of
the British Vice-Chancellors Committee Overseas Research Scholarship and
the Korea Foundation Scholarship. Bronwen also has a BA from the
Australian National University and a MA from Yonsei University, Korea.
She is on the Boards of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’
Australia Korea Foundation; the National Volunteering Research Advisory
Group; Volunteering NSW and Volunteering Australia and the publications
committee of the US’ Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations
and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) and is Regional Vice-President, Oceania
of the International Council of Voluntarism and Civil Society.
Bronwen has conducted extensive research in the field of
Not-for-Profit sector studies. Bronwen also researches in the field of
Korean studies and has recently co-authored a book on Korean women in
Australia and journal articles on developments in North Korea.
