SYDNEY, Australia — APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston will have a hand in shaping Australia’s new National Cultural Policy.
The Sydney-based executive will provide expert advice and industry perspectives as a member of the nine-strong Policy Advisory Group, formed by the federal government. Ormston is joined by Brenna Hobson, director of programming, Sydney Opera House; Adrian Collette, chief executive officer, Creative Australia; Wesley Enoch, chair, Australia Council board of Creative Australia; and others.
“Australia has an extraordinary cultural story to tell, and enormous potential still to realize, particularly as a music nation,” comments Ormston in a statement. “I look forward to working with the government and my fellow panel members from across the cultural ecosystem to help shape the next national cultural policy that truly unlocks that potential for songwriters, composers and creators, and for generations to come.”
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Also, five expert panels have been established under each of our continuing pillars: First Nations First, Centrality of the Artist, A Place for Every Story, Strong Cultural Infrastructure, and Engaging the Audience.
Those panels will inform the minister for the arts and the Policy Advisory Group on key issues and themes raised through the public consultation process.
“Each member brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help lay the foundation where for the first time there will have been consecutive national cultural policies,” comments minister for the arts, Tony Burke, in a statement issued Wednesday, April 8. “Welcome to the new members, thank you for playing a role in delivering the next National Cultural Policy for all Australians.”
Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese presented the National Cultural Policy, Revive, in January 2023, a five-year action plan that spelled out strategic and policy investment, and included the creation of Music Australia, an organization that supports and invests in the development of Australian contemporary music.
“Our next National Cultural Policy must reflect the diversity and aspirations of the cultural sector itself,” remarks special envoy for the arts, Susan Templeman. “These panels bring together an extraordinary group of Australians who have distinguished themselves in their service to our cultural life. Their involvement and their insight will ensure that the voice of the sector rings clearly through the policy we introduce.”
Ormston is a busy man. Last May, he was elected as chair of CISAC, the international trade organization for copyright collecting societies. With that appointment, Ormston is only the second Australian to hold the title in CISAC’s 99-year history, with his APRA AMCOS predecessor Brett Cottle having previously served in the role from 2006 until 2010.
APRA AMCOS is celebrating its century with a year-long slate of activities and projects. Last month, the Australasian PRO hosted the board of directors of CISAC, which represents 228 societies across 111 countries, for what marked the first such assembly in Sydney for 25 years.
National Cultural Policy: Expert Panels
First Nations First
- Mr Darren Dale – Producer and Managing Director, Blackfella Films
- Mr Chad Creighton – Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Art Centre Hub of WA (AACHWA)
- Ms Ping Flynn – Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Ilbijerri Theatre Company
A Place for Every Story
- Ms Tracey Corbin-Matchett OAM – Chief Executive Officer, Bus Stop films
- Mr Bruce Gladwin – Artistic Director and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Back to Back Theatre
- Ms Courtney Stewart – Artistic Director, La Boite Theatre
Centrality of the Artist
- Ms Holly Greenwood – Visual Artist
- Mr Rob Sitch – Chief Executive Officer, Working Dog Productions
- Dr Sophie Payten BMed MD, MPH (AKA Gordi) – Musician, Gordi Music
Strong Cultural Infrastructure
- Mr Bruce Meagher – Chair, Griffin Theatre Company. Head of Public Affairs, Tattarang Pty Limited
- Ms Claire Spencer AM – Executive Director, Australian Ballet
- Mr S. Shakthidharan – Director and Co-Founder, Kurinji
Engaging the Audience
- Ms Astrid Jorgensen OAM – Founder and director, Pub Choir
- Mr Jeff Khan – Creative Director Asia TOPA, Arts Centre Melbourne
- Mr John Foreman AM – Musical Director, Pianist and Composer
National Cultural Policy: Advisory Group:
- Ms Rosheen Garnon – Deputy Chair, Australia Council Board of Creative Australia
- Dr Nell Greenwood – Chief Executive Officer, Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS)
- Mr Adrian Collette AM – Chief Executive Officer, Creative Australia
- Mr Dean Ormston – Chief Executive Officer, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS)
- Professor Sarah Holland-Batt FAHA FQA- Head of Creative Writing, University of Technology Sydney
- Ms Brenna Hobson – Director of Programming, Sydney Opera House
- Ms Deirdre Brennan – Chief Executive Officer, Screen Australia
- Mr Simon Abrahams – Creative Director and Chief Executive Officer, Melbourne Fringe
- Professor Wesley Enoch AM – Chair, Australia Council Board of Creative Australia
