VIC Govt announces $152m creative package

The Victorian Government has put aside $152 million in the upcoming 2016/2017 state budget to support its $23 billion creative and cultural sector. Creative industries make up 8% of Victoria’s economy and provide 220,000 jobs.

The centrepiece is Victoria’s first Creative Industries strategy Creative State, for which $115 million has been allocated.

Creative State aim is “to develop and keep the best creative talent across film and television, digital games (half the country’s developers are in Victoria, and had their Federal development grants cut), design, fashion, music and the performing and visual arts, and enable Victorians to undertake ambitious, internationally recognised work.”

This will include:

$33.7 million to increase participation and access, build international engagement, grow and nurture creative excellence and strengthen career pathways

$16.4m to strengthen the design industry, the state’s fastest growing creative sector.

$14.2 million for the screen industry to attract more opportunities to Victoria and support Melbourne International Film Festival.

$20 million through the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund to support a creative hub in the Latrobe Valley. It will include a new performing arts building to attract more touring events, the refurbishment of the Latrobe Performing Arts Centre (LPAC) and the expansion of Melbourne’s hugely successful annual White Night festival into regional Victoria.

Accredited arts and cultural training courses for tertiary, secondary, primary and private sector students will be created. It will create 200 more jobs and expected to inject $59 million into the regional economy during the construction phase. Over the longer term, the precinct will grow the regional economy by $5.4 million, and see more than 30 new jobs created. There’ll also be a new gallery in Shepparton.

$7 million to support a cultural hub for Bendigo. The regional city will host a national arts and culture conference, develop community participations programs to “celebrate multicultural communities”, establish a creative industries hub and support the creation of landmark works in the city.

$23 million to expand and upgrade the state’s cultural collections storage, including a new facility in Ballarat.

$50 million boost for the State Library of Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne and Melbourne Recital Centre.

Creative State will roll out from July, with key initiatives overseen by the Creative State Advisory Board, chaired by the Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley.

The Minister said, “Victoria has the best of everything – but we can’t take it for granted. Creative State will create jobs, develop local talent and grow our creative industries.

“This is an investment that will deliver economic, social and cultural benefits for all Victorians whether they work in, or enjoy our creative industries.

“Creative State lays out our plan for making Victoria a global creative centre and the place of choice for people embarking on creative careers.”

Added Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford, “We want to ensure that all Victorians, regardless of where they live, have access to quality cultural venues. Regional Victoria is home to some of our state’s most exciting artistic and cultural work. Through Creative State, local communities will get the support they need to continue to thrive.”

Minister Foley says that the State Government will increase the entrepreneurial and commercial capacity of creative organisations by giving them business, management, technical, legal, marketing and governance support.

These will foster stronger links with education, mental and physical health, tourism, corrections and community cohesion. There’ll be an independent review of arts festivals to ensure funding goes to the most dynamic ones.

There’ll be moves to release more Government buildings to creative spaces.