SPORTS, ARTS, CULTURE & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE

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1 137 SPORTS, ARTS, CULTURE & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE 13 APRIL CAIRNS REGIONAL COUNCIL CULTURAL PLAN UPDATE Terri Golding-Clarke: 10/21/5-01: # v3 RECOMMENDATION: That Council notes the progress to date implementation of strategic actions documented in the 5 year Action Plan of Cairns Regional Council s Cultural Plan, INTRODUCTION: This Cultural Plan was the first for Cairns Regional Council and the result of an extensive community engagement process which took place in September through to October 2008 with government bodies, local creative industry and residents of the region. Post amalgamation, both Arts and Cultural policies from the previous Douglas Shire and Cairns City Councils required revision and merging. This was a requirement under the funding agreement with Arts Queensland for the Regional Arts Development Fund and an imperative for Council s strategic planning process. The intent of the Cultural Plan is to identify the cultural assets of the amalgamated region, as well as its challenges and develop a direction setting document to guide Council and the community at large, to plan for the future growth and development of cultural life in Far North Queensland. BACKGROUND: A definition for the purposes of this report acknowledges that culture can be broadly defined as the full range of practices through which we give meaning to our lives and through which our community expresses its identity. 1; Cultural vitality is a term to describe a community's evidence of creating, disseminating, validating and supporting arts and culture as a dimension of everyday life. 2; measured by a region s cultural assets (arts and cultural organisations, festivals and events) as well as the ability to support artists in the for-profit and non profit arts sectors, (provide) support for arts education and the variety of expressions of cultural and racial/ethnic diversity. 1 2 Brisbane City Council s A Creative City Strategy: A Journey of Creativity and Culture Urban Institute, USA

2 138 3; It is also the buzz phrase that major cities and regional communities are using to describe the vision of interesting and dynamic communities. By developing the Cultural Plan, Cairns Regional Council has made a commitment to take up the challenge of working with the community to create a region that offers opportunity to practitioners, performers, artists, arts industry workers and interested audiences to participate, showcase and to enjoy the availability of inviting cultural venues and unique places of interest. This plan is broad and comprehensive and consists of 6 guiding principles identified through the community engagement process which include: Environment & Lifestyle Respect Our Heritage, Tell Our Stories Support Cultural Growth Accessibility & Inclusiveness Cultural Investment Leadership & Collaboration. The 5 year Action Plan, underpinned by the guiding principles was also developed and states clearly what Council intends to do with and for the region wide community from 2009 to The Plan speaks about Council s activities current at the time of the engagement process and identifies outcomes and strategies for specific areas including: Festivals & Events Cultural Facilities Cultural Tourism Cultural Development Arts Industry Development Urban Vitality & Suburban Improvement. Council boast a notably substantial arts and culture program that is recognised across the State as being one that offers significant value to the cultural vitality of the region and its people. The Action Plan is viewed as a working document that plays an integral role in creating and maintaining a healthy and enjoyable region. Cultural Services and Facilities continues to be committed to the facilitation of bringing the actions to life through a number of exciting and vibrant programs that have been successful in provoking residents and visitors of the region to take notice and acknowledge the potential for the Far North to be recognised for it s creative leadership. The contemporary flavour of the creative programming being produced across the region is parallel to that of some of Australia s most culture savvy cities and is influenced by the edginess of the fringe festival scene, celebrated theatre programming and progressive cultural tourism strategies. 3 The Boston Indicators Project

3 139 COMMENT: The Action Plan has now moved into its third year with significant implementation success. The Action Plan is a living, breathing document and successful implementation is dependant on community evolvement, political and budgetary trends and other unforseen highs and lows in the economic and social environment however the commitment to work around these challenges remains. It is vital that a framework be developed to capture qualitive data to be used as an indicator for continuous improvement. The Arts & Cultural Planning & Development Officer will coordinate that process and work across Council to implement an evaluation tool, to be utilised across Branch activities, that will be underpinned by the quadruple bottom line. In addition process (short term), impact (medium term) and outcome (long term) analysis will give a good indication of the benefits of what Council is delivering. The document attached to this report identifies the status of the Action Plans Strategies. There are specific gaps in the status report including heritage and cultural mapping that require the expertise of a cultural planner. These areas will be progressed now that an officer with a cultural planning background has commenced with Community Partnerships. CONSIDERATIONS: Corporate and Operational Plans: The overarching themes of Council s Corporate Plan are The Environment, Community and Lifestyle, Services and Infrastructure, Creating a Prosperous Region and Council Governance and Operations. These themes serve to guide and shape the region s future, with Council aiming to achieve national and international recognition for the unique and culturally diverse artistic excellence of the region by encouraging and supporting a vibrant and collaborative community, showcasing our tropical and innovative lifestyle. The Operational Plan states that cultural planning is the responsibility of the Cultural Services and Facilities Branch and this report fulfils the following Operating Initiative: Develop a Regional Cultural Plan for the period , addressing: A Cultural Vision; Cultural Tourism; Cultural Facilities; Community and Cultural Development; Arts Industry Development; Urban Vitality; Suburban Centre Improvement.

4 140 Statutory: It is a requirement that Council has an up to date Cultural Plan under the funding agreement with Arts Queensland for the Regional Arts Development Fund. Policy: This Cultural Plan ties in with Council s many other policy arrangements as follows: CULTURAL POLICY (# ) RADF Guidelines Cultural Diversity Policy (# ) Graffiti Management Policy (#666359) Graffiti Management Strategy (# ) Tanks Arts Centre Cultural Tourism Strategy (# ) Youth Arts Policy (# ) Public Art Policy (# ) CBD Streetscape Master plan (Site plan) Neighbourhood Character Study Planning and Environment Cairns Style Financial and Risk: Currently, any costs associated with the rolling out of Council s cultural programs and activities are chiefly embedded throughout the various business units and branches across Council, specifically throughout the Community, Sport and Cultural Services Department. There was no additional operating funding provided to carry out the actions identified in the Cultural Plan. Sustainability: Providing the region with a cultural plan is fundamental to the sustainability of the community, as highlighted by Jon Hawkes, a cultural analyst and one of Australia s leading commentators on cultural policy, in his book The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability: Culture s Essential Role in Public Planning. Given my definition of culture as the production of social values, it would seem to me to be self-evident that culture is at the foundation of the development of community. Community cohesion is utterly dependent upon the capacity of the individuals within a community to understand, respect and trust one another. These qualities are built through cultural interaction. 4 In preparing, presenting and evaluating the Cultural Plan, Council has aimed to listen to the key themes or ideas of the community and respond to the community s concerns and aspirations in a way that will leave sustainable effect for now and for the future. 4 p18. The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability: Culture s Essential Role in Public Planning by Jon Hawkes, 2001.

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6 142 CONSULTATION: All teams within Cultural Services & Facilities have been consulted in order to identify the status of actions. OPTIONS: That Council notes the successful implementation to date of strategic actions documented in the 5 year Action Plan of the Cairns Regional Council. CONCLUSION: It is inspiring to note the passion and commitment of Cultural Services & Facilities and the broad and diverse range of stakeholders both internal and external of Council who have been responsible for working towards such a vibrant cultural vision. ATTACHMENTS: Attached is a document that reflects the status of the 5 year Action Plan Terri Golding-Clarke Team Leader Community Partnerships Leslie Sparkes Manager Cultural Services and Facilities Ian Lowth General Manager Community, Sport & Cultural Services

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