Cultural policy

Policy development

The value of arts and culture to this city has long been recognised. Our community’s aspiration for a cultural and creative city was affirmed as one of the ten strategic directions of Sustainable Sydney 2030, an aspiration that gave voice to our community’s love of the arts, its relevance in our daily lives and the desire for creativity to be celebrated and better integrated into the way we live.

Developing a cultural policy is almost as important as the final document itself. The consultation phase of this process provides us with an opportunity for artists, creative practitioners, our community and other stakeholders to tell us what they think our priorities should be and to share their own vision and ambition for Sydney’s cultural life.

We began work on this project during 2012. Our first task was a comprehensive examination of current research and trends along with a detailed analysis of the City’s cultural projects and activities already underway. This research was included in a discussion paper released in March 2013. The paper is available to download at the end of this page.

Following the release of the paper, we have begun an extensive program of formal community consultation. This community consultation – as well as previous consultation that the City of Sydney has undertaken for other policies such as Open Sydney and Village Centre Planning – will inform the draft policy. Once the draft policy is developed it will be put to Council and placed on public exhibition for further feedback and refinement.

The policy will then be submitted to Council for endorsement.

For more information or to make a comment on the development of the policy, please visit Sydney Your Say.

Links

Sydney Your Say: Cultural policy

Live music and live performance taskforce

The live music industry is important to the City of Sydney. In October 2012, Council resolved that the City’s Chief Executive Officer:

Establish a taskforce of live music and performance venue experts to inform the City of the best ways to support the industry
Develop a live music and live performance action plan to address barriers for live music providers and propose solutions to support the sustainability and vibrancy of this sector
Present the draft live music and live performance action plan to Council.

The membership of the taskforce is by invitation and members were selected by reference to one or more of the following criteria:

Extensive experience with issues affecting live music and/or small-scale live performance including a notable publishing record or relevant policy achievement
Experience in dealing with local or state government bodies in related areas including liquor licensing and accords, the hotels sector, planning and compliance, and the arts sector
Understanding of the legislative, regulatory or financial frameworks that impact the live music industry
Knowledge of the best ways to support live music and/or small-scale live performance, particularly management of the potential conflict between noise and homes close to live music venues.

The taskforce project is expected to continue until mid-2013, after which the live music and live performance action plan will be developed and presented to Council for adoption.