A New Approach ANA

21/05/2026

The federal government's consultation process for the next National Cultural Policy closes at 11.59pm this Sunday 24 May!

ANA encourages creators, cultural institutions and audiences across the nation to have their say on the new policy, which presents an important opportunity to build a robust arts, culture and creativity system that delivers for all Australians.

Make a submission at www.arts.gov.au/have-your-say/new-national-cultural-policy

18/05/2026

Investment from all three levels of government is a crucial source of revenue for Australia’s cultural and creative industries, helping to ensure the benefits of arts and culture are accessible to people across the nation.

ANA’s latest analysis of government expenditure in arts and cultural activities shows that total spending reached a record $8.6 billion in 2023–24, but is not keeping pace with population growth.

So with budgets under strain, what should governments be doing to make the most of their investments in arts, culture and creativity?

By creating the right conditions for collaboration, governments can establish a long-term approach to cultural policy that is multi-partisan and multi-government. This can be achieved by:

▪️ developing a 10-year National Arts and Culture Strategy, to align the efforts and resources of governments behind a shared vision, outcomes and measurements
▪️ establishing a Ministerial Council focused on cultural access and the creative industries, to provide an intergovernmental forum for decision-making.

These actions would help ensure enduring cooperation between governments and provide a foundation for collaboration with industry, philanthropy and business.

All levels of government can also help the arts, culture and creativity system thrive by making use of the full suite of enabling actions available. These actions complement and enhance direct funding, making it easier for creators to work, creative businesses to operate and consumers to access experiences and products.

Confident decision-making requires high-quality data. Governments should improve data collection and analysis to help solve problems and support new cross-jurisdictional and cross-portfolio ways of working.

Culture and creativity help to connect communities, foster belonging and drive resilient, productive economies. The next National Cultural Policy provides an opportunity for governments to work better together to ensure that investments in arts and culture are optimised for the benefit of all Australians.

Read more in The Big Picture interactive report - thebigpicture.newapproach.org.au

14/05/2026

A New Approach (ANA) has welcomed the opportunities for Australian culture and creativity delivered in the Federal Budget 2026–27.

These include:

▪️ $14 million for Creative Australia to continue the implementation of the National Cultural Policy 'Revive', notably, new programs for Music Australia and First Nations Arts
▪️ $23 million across three years to support three National Collecting Institutions – the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, the National Maritime Museum and Old Parliament House
▪️ Funding for major cultural infrastructure projects including Melbourne Arts Precinct’s contemporary art museum, a new Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Perth and two Holocaust museums in Queensland and Tasmania.

ANA is pleased with the Budget’s ongoing support to deliver the existing National Cultural Policy and is looking forward to increased funds for its successor next year.

With recent data showing states and territories are outpacing the federal government’s expenditure in arts and culture, it is critical that the next policy is backed by a long-term vision for our nation, appropriate funding and genuine partnership with states, territories and local governments.

ANA has begun actively participating in the consultation process for the new National Cultural Policy, including conducting roundtable discussions with creative leaders and organisations.

We encourage creators, cultural organisations and audiences to help shape Australia’s cultural future by making a submission before the consultation closes on 24 May: www.arts.gov.au/have-your-say/new-national-cultural-policy

The latest update of ANA’s interactive report 'The Big Picture' shows combined state and territory investment in arts and culture reached 39% of the total government spend in 2023–24, while federal investment was 36%. Of this, 18% of the overall investment was allocated to capital expenditure.

Find out more: thebigpicture.newapproach.org.au

30/04/2026

ANA Chair Rupert Myer argued for a "whole-of-nation approach" to arts and culture in an article published today by the Financial Review.

The piece drew insights from ANA's recent analysis of government cultural investment, which shows that while total expenditure reached a record $8.6 billion in 2023–24, it is not keeping pace with population growth.

The ANA report also shows federal per capita investment was the lowest on record, while the state and territory per capita spend was at its highest in 2023–24.

Noting the strained budget environment, Mr Myer called for a "co-ordinated, collaborative" approach to cultural policy in which all three levels of government work better together to promote creativity.

Importantly, he highlighted the flow-on benefits across the nation when creators and cultural organisations are strengthened through efficient government investment: "arts and culture bring people together and improve their lives, and we’ve all got a stake in them not just surviving but thriving.”

Read the article: https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/arts-and-culture/philanthropist-myer-has-a-plan-to-fix-australia-s-arts-funding-crisis-20260428-p5zro6

Explore the data in The Big Picture interactive report: https://thebigpicture.newapproach.org.au/

The grandson of Sidney Myer is realistic that there aren’t buckets of new money for culture, but says funding that is there could be spent way more efficiently.

23/04/2026

New analysis from ANA shows that total investment across all three levels of government in arts and cultural activities in Australia reached a record $8.6 billion in 2023–24, but spending is not keeping pace with population growth or our OECD peers.

There has also been a significant shift in the funding landscape, with state and territory expenditure outpacing federal government investment for the first time.

The latest update of our interactive report, 'The Big Picture', shows combined state and territory investment reached 39% of the total spend in 2023–24, while federal investment fell to 36%.

Other key findings show:

▪️ In 2023–24, 18% of overall arts and culture investment went to capital expenditure, compared with 11% in 2009.

▪️ Australia's population grew 27% between 2007–08 and 2023–24, while cultural spending increased by 19%.

▪️ Per capita, federal investment in arts and culture in 2023–24 was the lowest on record at $114. State and territory spending at $123 was at its highest. (We note, however, that some recent state budget papers suggest decreased investment since this data was collected.)

▪️ The Museums, Libraries, Archives and Heritage category received the largest share of federal, state and territory government expenditure in 2023–24, at 39%.

▪️ Australia ranked 25th out of 31 OECD countries for spending on ‘recreation, culture and religion’, investing around a quarter less than OECD peers as a percentage of GDP in 2023.

These findings support ANA’s call for strategic and collaborative policy action to help ensure a diversity of creative and cultural activity is available in every postcode.

The next National Cultural Policy is an opportunity for governments to work better together to ensure effective and efficient investment in culture and creativity that delivers social and economic returns to all Australians.

ANA encourages people and organisations to explore The Big Picture and use its data for their submissions to the National Cultural Policy consultation.

Visit the interactive report: thebigpicture.newapproach.org.au

31/03/2026

A New Approach (ANA) welcomes the federal government’s announcement of a consultation process for its new national cultural policy.

This is an important opportunity to build on great policy momentum across Australia. ANA’s Position Paper 'Imagine 2035' shows that a robust arts and culture system that delivers for all Australians is within our reach should we have an agreed national vision, framework and principles for long-term strategic collaboration.

Together, we can achieve better outcomes through better public policy that positions culture and creativity as core drivers of national advantage and flourishing people.

ANA's independent research and analysis may help inform submissions to the consultation, and is freely available on our website: https://newapproach.org.au/publications

In late April we'll be updating The Big Picture, our analysis of trends in cultural funding by all levels of government, with the most recent data – stay tuned.

Have your say on the new policy: https://www.arts.gov.au/have-your-say/new-national-cultural-policy

16/02/2026

ANA’s latest work reveals ‘leverage points’ in Australia’s arts, culture and creativity system – where making the right change can lead to lasting differences for creators and audiences. We identified 12 practical levers for policymakers to consider:

1. Challenging mindsets of what arts, culture and creativity are and what they can achieve – in ANA's view, the most powerful lever for change.
2. Deepening knowledge of the arts, culture and creativity system as a whole – our latest work aims to do just that.
3. Setting a unifying system goal – a National Arts and Culture Strategy is ANA’s recommended action to achieve this.
4. Giving space to self-organisation, learning and innovation while protecting culture – e.g. voucher schemes that allow people a choice of activity, whether in sport or arts and culture.
5. Evolving the rules for arts, culture and creativity system structures – e.g. through legislation, regulations and tax reform.
6. Addressing gaps and deficits in information between arts and cultural sectors – e.g. innovation diffusion via industry associations and experts.
7. Making the most of what’s working – e.g. recognition through prizes and awards.
8. Intervening where needed without overcorrecting – e.g. considering various socio-legal factors in response to digital platforms’ expanding role.
9. Streamlining processes where possible – e.g. encouraging industry adoption of digital technologies that increase access to diverse content.
10. Scaling up benefits via existing institutional structures, settings and pathways – e.g. supporting skill development from grassroots to professional levels across diverse settings.
11. Introducing supports and buffers for future disruptions – e.g. policies and practices that guard against volatile incomes, technological change and devastating events.
12. Adjusting funding to industry to cultivate an operating environment that fosters resilience and autonomy, in conjunction with other levers – e.g. addressing bottlenecks in public support for creative products reaching consumers.

Learn more about how these levers can help create an arts, culture and creativity system that delivers for all Australians: https://newapproach.org.au/publication/arts-culture-creativity-system-in-australia/

05/02/2026

A New Approach (ANA) has recommended practical actions to build an arts and culture system that delivers for all Australians in our Federal Pre-Budget Submission for 2026–27. They are:

1. A National Arts and Culture Strategy – to deliver social and economic impacts across Australia by aligning the efforts of federal, state, territory and local governments.

2. A secretariat to support Cultural Ministers to meet regularly – to establish consistent support for federal, state and territory collaboration.

3. A strategic approach to international cultural relations – to contribute to national peace and security alongside commercial and diplomatic objectives.

Now is the time to pursue these opportunities. We've seen a focus on cultural policy across the nation, along with growing recognition of culture and creativity as drivers of Australia's social and economic wellbeing. The approaching Brisbane 2032 Games also provide an opportunity for cross-jurisdictional collaboration to deliver lasting impacts at home and build our international reputation.

Evidence shows that culture and creativity can provide a transformative edge to tackle Australia’s deepest challenges, including decline in social cohesion, stagnation of productivity and the emerging risks created by geopolitical instability and new technologies.

The Australian Government should invest now in the national governance infrastructure needed to unlock the benefits of arts and culture for all Australians.

Read the Pre-Budget Submission: https://newapproach.org.au/submission/pre-budget-submission-2026-2027/

28/01/2026

The new year brings a new Strategic Plan for ANA – one that accelerates our work to secure evidence-led policy settings that position culture and creativity as core drivers of Australia’s economic resilience, social cohesion, productivity and global competitiveness.

Over the next five years we will strive to achieve our new Vision: that Australia's place as a cultural powerhouse is secure, with an arts and culture system that delivers for all Australians by 2035.

We'll work towards this by shaping and informing the views and actions of key public policy decision-makers and opinion leaders at federal, state and territory, and local levels.

And we'll continue to produce the rigorous, innovative and actionable evidence and analysis that led to our recognition in the worldwide list of ‘100 Think Tanks to Watch 2025’, in our fifth year of operation as an independent organisation.

In an environment of constrained budgets, competing priorities and increased uncertainty, ANA’s trusted and boundary-spanning approach is crucial to achieving better outcomes through better public policy.

Our focus for 2026 will be on providing recommendations for the next national cultural policy, in-depth analysis of the latest cultural funding by government data, and new research on innovations to achieve a culturally rich education for every child in every school around the nation. If you'd like to join the conversation, please get in touch.

Find out more about ANA and read our Strategic Plan 2026–2030: https://newapproach.org.au/about-ana/

23/12/2025

A New Approach (ANA) would like to extend warm wishes to everyone in our network. We are grateful for your generous support of our work this year and look forward to engaging with you in the new year.

Please note that our office will be closed from 24 December 2025 to 2 January 2026.