As the Jobs and Skills Summit gets underway – and as we grapple with labour shortages, economic challenges, and the immense strain on workers and sectors affected by the pandemic – I have a message of hope: our arts and culture can help.

Arts, culture and creativity unlock potential – they are tools for change and help us think differently. The skills they require and develop are keys to a brighter future.

Adrian Collette

Adrian Collette, Chief Executive Officer of the Australia Council for the Arts. Photo © Simon Bernhardt

Some continue to debate whether arts and culture should be valued ‘for arts’ sake’ or for their instrumental value: what they offer to wellbeing, the economy, our cultural diplomacy and more. Guess what? We should value both. The reality is we don’t get the many public benefits of creative participation without a thriving arts sector.

We need to break down false dichotomies between the cultural and the commercial, between ‘the arts’ and the creative industries.

Arts, culture and creativity can provide a vital nucleus of ideas and intellectual property, supporting skills development and generating growth. The creative sector will be vital to our future...