At a discussion on the creative economy at Sydney Town Hall last night, the City of Sydney revealed a new 10-year, $20 million plan to “retain, rebuild and reimagine” Sydney’s arts and culture scene.

If approved, the draft Cultural Strategy for 2025–2035 would be in addition to the $34 million that the City already invests in arts and culture, introduced to address urgent issues that prevent artists and creative professionals from living and working in Sydney.

Photo © Katherine Griffiths/City of Sydney

One of the key proposals is to provide seed-funding for the establishment of a creative land trust, which would “take custodianship of suitable buildings or sites for cultural uses”, a strategy that has proved successful in London and New York.

“Like other major world cities, Sydney is finding that creative spaces are getting squeezed out. We have been losing that battle,” Minister John Graham said.

“We cannot deal with the scale of the crisis without new tools and a new approach. This model of collaboration and partnership is an important step forward.”

The strategy also pledges to offer artist fellowships and establish grant programs to help retain creative workers and existing creative...