News
|
12 May 2005 The Hon John Anderson MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport & Regional Services will be the special guest at a community meeting in Gunnedah on Monday to discuss the future of the cultural landscape in regional Australia and the role of the arts in building happier and healthier regional and rural communities. The meeting will be the first in a series of twelve around the country organised by Regional Arts Australia and its State members during May and June as part of a national community consultation program. "The Australian Government has a strong commitment to strengthening
the sustainable growth of regional and rural communities and arts and culture
have a vital role to play in that," Mr Anderson said. The National Community Consultation program aims to identify the priorities for the future of regional and remote communities, by asking the people who know best - the ones who live and work there. Meg Larkin, newly elected President of Regional Arts Australia and Chair of Regional Arts NSW, said, "Regional Arts Australia is asking people from different walks of life who live in the country to look at what is most important them. We want to know what their ideas are about supporting the development and strengthening of regional communities through arts and cultural activity." The program will canvas the opinions of a diversity of Australian regional communities - both large and small, coastal and land bound, rural and remote. Following the consultations, Regional Arts Australia will bring together the range of ideas to create a picture of a great arts and cultural environment for regional Australia in the future and use the vision to develop its strategic directions for the next three years. The first consultation session has been organised by Regional Arts NSW and Regional Arts Australia and will be held at the Civic Cinema in Gunnedah on Monday 16 May from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Enquiries ________
Regional Arts Australia is the peak national agency for the development of the arts across regional Australia, working tirelessly to advocate at the national level for better resources and recognition of the arts in regional Australia. Members are: Country Arts SA, Country Arts WA, Queensland Arts Council, Regional Arts NSW, Regional Arts Victoria, Tasmanian Regional Arts and Arts NT.
This project was made possible by the Australian Government's regional arts program, the Regional Arts Fund, which gives artists and communities throughout regional, rural and remote Australia better access to opportunities to practice and experience the arts.
|
