As the federal government’s National Cultural Policy Revive reaches its halfway point, the Australian arts think tank, A New Approach (ANA), has released Imagine 2035, a paper setting out a framework for transforming the nation into a cultural powerhouse by the next decade.

Launched today, 30 July, Imagine 2035 proposes two key structural reforms: a 10-year National Arts and Culture Strategy, and the creation of a formal Ministerial Council reporting directly to National Cabinet.

The strategy draws heavily on the success of Sport Horizon, Australia’s national sport strategy, positioning culture alongside sport as a cornerstone of national identity, community cohesion and economic prosperity.

ANA CEO Kate Fielding says, “For the first time in our modern democracy, an arts and culture system that delivers for all Australians is within our reach. With practical action, we can achieve multi-partisan, multi-government and outcomes-focused cultural policy, securing our place as a cultural powerhouse.”

Kate Fielding, CEO of A New Approach. Portrait supplied

Fielding and her ANA colleagues argue that a more coordinated and long-term approach to policy could unlock economic, social and...