South East Arts Calls for Strong Regional Focus in National Cultural Policy
- South East Arts
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
South East Arts has called for Australia’s next National Cultural Policy to place regional, rural and remote communities at the centre of the nation’s cultural future.
In its submission to the Federal Government’s National Cultural Policy consultation, South East Arts highlighted the vital role arts and culture play in strengthening community wellbeing, identity, social cohesion and local economies across regional New South Wales.
The submission reflects consultation with artists, cultural workers and communities across the Snowy Monaro, Bega Valley and Eurobodalla regions.
South East Arts Executive Director Kate Bradbury said the submission was shaped by strong community feedback about both the value of arts and culture and the increasing pressures facing the sector.
“Regional communities are deeply creative, connected and engaged, but the systems that support arts and culture are becoming increasingly fragile,” Ms Bradbury said.
The submission identifies several key challenges facing regional, rural and remote communities, including:
declining recurrent operational funding,
workforce precarity,
rising venue and insurance costs,
digital inequity,
and climate impacts including bushfires and floods.
A key concern raised in the submission is the decline in per capita recurrent expenditure — particularly funding that supports the ongoing operation of established organisations, programs and events.
“There is increasing focus on short-term activation and new initiatives, but many long-standing cultural programs that already deliver strong social and economic outcomes remain financially vulnerable,” Ms Bradbury said.
“In regional communities, continuity matters. These programs build trust, participation, partnerships and resilience over time.”
The submission also calls for:
stronger investment in regional storytelling and locally generated content,
improved digital infrastructure and fair AI protections for artists,
recognition of arts and culture as essential social infrastructure,
and a National Creative Workforce Framework supporting fair pay and sustainable careers.
South East Arts also emphasised the importance of embedding First Nations leadership and supporting long-term, community-led cultural practice in regional communities.
The submission argues that arts and culture should not be viewed as peripheral or discretionary, but as essential to the social and economic future of regional Australia.
“Regional, rural and remote communities are not peripheral to Australia’s cultural future,” Ms Bradbury said. “With the right policy settings, they can lead it.”
The National Cultural Policy consultation closed on 24 May 2026.
For further comment contact Kate Bradbury