Have your say to help shape Australia’s cultural future. The Commonwealth Government has established a web forum to gather our ideas for the development of a national cultural policy.

A discussion framework is available on the site as well as a transcript of Peter Garrett MP’s address to the National Press Club, in which he identified three key themes.

1. Keeping culture strong
2. Engaging the community
3. Powering the young

The discussion framework develops expands on these themes.

There are currently three questions on the forum and comments are already accumulating. They are about priorities for a policy, positive steps to advance Australian culture and an open-ended question about other important issues.

There are some great comments already on the site. Including one from Flying Pigeon who takes issue with the theme 3, says “I am young” and argues that it is “dangerous to the collective cultural development to single out a group for attention or benefit based on age”.

Other comments are quite detailed enumerating specific items to be included, and Hayley and Pinknantucket draw attention to libraries, archives and museums in theirs.

How about spreading the news with your library users, and encouraging and assisting those who are less web savvy to contribute to this discussion.

The consultation is not just limited to the web forum. Formal submissions can also be made. Check the site for details.

National Cultural Policy

And for our visual pleasure, this shot of the Mitchell Library, just one of many great cultural institutions in Australia.

Mitchell Library, Sydney (#24). Image by Christopher Chan. Used under CC license. Some rights reserved

And here are some “powered young” enjoying their culture, National Simultaneous Story Time at another great cultural institution, Mosman Library.

Storytime. Image by Mosman Library. Used here under a CC license. Some rights reserved.