AQ034 Cultural Policy.qxd - Arts Queensland

The Cultural Context
The priorities of the Queensland
Government include Community
engagement and a better quality
of life, More Jobs for Queensland -
Skills and Innovation - The Smart State,
and Building Queensland regions.
Environmental influences present
challenges and opportunities to achieve
these priorities. By responding
effectively to these influences, arts and
culture can create opportunities to
improve quality of life, social equity and
economic independence.
There are a number of factors which will
influence the nature and direction of
the Government’s future investment
in arts and cultural activity, including:
• Broad social trends, such as
changing family and household
structures, and the drift of the
population to urban and coastal
centres;
• Globalisation and the need to
retain Queensland’s unique
physical, social and cultural
environment, its diverse
communities and the lifestyles of
its people;
• Ageing of the population coupled
with a strong youth market;
• Increasing contribution of tourism to
Queensland’s economic growth;
• The way information is shared and
accessed as a result of the digital
revolution;
• A rapid increase in new
communication channels, such as the
Internet, DVDs and Pay TV, leading to
demand for new local content;
• Emergence of the “knowledge”
economy and the rising importance of
creative industries to the State’s
economy; and
• Growing pressure on cultural
organisations to diversify their
revenue base and respond to
changing community demand,
increased competition and audience
expectations.
Liza Lim’s Moon Spirit Feasting with the ELISION Contemporary Music
Ensemble. Photo courtesy of ELISION.
These factors pose challenges to the
quality of life of many Queenslanders.
An investment in culture and the arts is
one way the Government can foster an
environment where these challenges can
be turned into opportunities.
Changing Social Fabric
The social fabric of Queensland and
Australian households is changing. It is
predicted there will be a decline in the
average size of Australian households,
an increase in children living with only
one parent and an increase in people
living alone 1 .
Queensland has experienced a 10-year
average employment growth of 2.7 per
cent, 0.8 per cent higher than the
national average 2 .
Queensland is the fastest growing State
in Australia and the most
decentralised mainland
State with almost 35 per
cent of Queenslanders
living outside the South-
East Queensland area 3 . A
number of rural areas are
experiencing declining
populations 4 .
Queensland’s geographic
dispersion poses
difficulties in delivering
equitable access to
services and infrastructure.
Declining birth rates are
resulting in an ageing
population and over time,
may lead to a contracting
workforce 5 .
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Household and Family Projections,
Australia, 1996-2021
2 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force, Australia
3 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Brisbane and Moreton Statistical
Divisions, Estimated Resident Population 2001
4 Priorities in Progress 2000-01, Queensland Government
5 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Population Projections Australia 1999-2101
MILESTONES IN QUEENSLAND’S CULTURAL HISTORY
1918 Cooktown Wuuringu
painter Joe Rootsey born. His
first solo show in Brisbane in
1958 saw him acclaimed as the
‘second Namatjira’. He was the
first Indigenous painter
promoted by the Queensland
Government through the
Department of Native Affairs’
Aboriginal Creations Gallery.
1920 Dick Roughsey born. The
Mornington Island painter who
was taught by Percy Tresize
introduced millions of children
around the world to the creation
myths and legends of the
Aborigines of Cape York
Peninsula.
1921 First Queensland radio
broadcast of a concert from the
Savoy Theatre, Clayfield.
1923 John Oxley Library
established.
1924 Winter Garden opens in
Queen Street designed by
8 Creative Queensland Queensland Government Cultural Policy 2002
Ballantyne and Hare; it was one
of Australia’s earliest large
capacity picture palaces and
was fully air-conditioned.
1924 First Queensland poetry
Anthology, A Book of
Queensland Verse, by J.J.Stable
and A.E.M.Kirkwood is
published in celebration of the
Centenary of settlement.
1925 Brisbane Repertory
Theatre, now known as
La Boite, is formed.
1925 Warwick-born Charles
Chauvel returns from Hollywood
to make his silent film the Moth
of Moonbi beginning a 34-year
career as producer and director;
to become the father of
Australia cinema (d.1959).
1928 Bundaberg’s
Bert Hinkler
completes first
solo flight from
England to
Australia.
1929 The lavish Regent Theatre
(now Hoyts Regent) opened in
Queen Street accommodating
more than 2,500 patrons.
1930 Brisbane City Hall built
including Daphne Mayo’s public
artwork The Progress of
Civilisation in the State
of Queensland.
1930 Brisbane’s first
commercial radio stations,
4BC and 4BK, go to air.
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