Some of Australia’s leading creatives will play a key role in shaping our new National Cultural Policy.

Dancers spin each other on stage
Dancers spin each other on stage

They will form the National Cultural Policy Advisory Group, hand-picked to work alongside the 5 expert Review Panels and for their depth of skill and broad experience:

  • Ms Janet Holmes à Court AC (WA) is an Australian businesswoman and arts philanthropist, who has served as chair of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Black Swan State Theatre Company and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and on the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia.
  • Mr Adrian Collette AM (NSW) is Chief Executive Officer of the Australia Council for the Arts, who has held previous roles as the Chief Executive of Opera Australia and in the higher education and publishing sectors.
  • Ms Alysha Herrmann (SA) is a writer, performance-maker, creative producer and youth arts worker from regional South Australia. 
  • Ms Sinsa Mansell (TAS) is a Trawoolaway muka nawnta pakana woman and co-founder, creative producer, project officer  and choreographer with pakana kanaplila, a traditional and contemporary Tasmanian Aboriginal dance troupe.
  • Ms Kitty Taylor (TAS) is a visual artist from lutruwita/ Tasmania. She is Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of RANT Arts, a peak arts organisation  that administers the Regional Arts Fund in Tasmania. Her passion is for socially engaged practice and creating programs that build the capacity of both individuals and communities. Kitty is a member of the Institute of Community Directors Australia.
  • Mr Christos Tsiolkas (VIC) is an award-winning Australian author and a patron for the Victorian Writers Centre and Outer Urban Projects.
  • Professor Clare Wright OAM (VIC) is an award-winning historian, author, broadcaster and public commentator, and is currently a Professor of History and Professor of Public Engagement at La Trobe University.

Over the coming months, these creatives will work alongside the 5 expert Review Panels responsible for identifying the key issues and themes raised in the submissions.

The Advisory Group will support the Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, in defining the overarching strategic direction of the policy, which will be delivered before the end of this year.

Public submissions have now closed and are being progressively uploaded to our website.

Thank you for your feedback, which will support forging a vibrant and sustainable future for Australia’s arts, entertainment and cultural sector for the decade ahead.

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