Youth quotas to be imposed on boards of NSW state cultural institutions

State-run cultural institutions in NSW are set to have quotas imposed on their boards to guarantee a spot for young people.

The Sydney Opera House. Picture: John Appleyard/NewsWire

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Young people are set to gain a guaranteed seat on the boards of NSW state-run cultural institutions under draft legislation.

The bill, set to pass through parliament unopposed in the coming week, will add an extra seat to the boards of the Sydney Opera House, Australian Museum, Art Gallery of NSW, Powerhouse Museum, State ­Library of NSW and Museums of History NSW.

Each additional spot will need to be filled by someone aged 18-28 years old at the time of their appointment.

The State Library of NSW. Picture: Simon Bullard/NewsWire

Each institution is state-run, with requirements already in place on some boards for experience in certain sectors. At least two trustees at Art Gallery NSW must have visual arts experience, and the Australian Museum requires three trustees with knowledge of, or experience in, science, education and Indigenous culture respectively.

Arts Minister John Graham said the policy was being enacted because of feedback he had received from young artists “concerned about the lack of youth voices in arts leadership roles”.

Arts Minister John Graham. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NewsWire

“The cultural institutions had done well in representing other groups like First Nations, women and regional voices but young people were getting lost in the mix,” he told The Australian.

“I’ve had a number of conversations with the leaders of cultural institutions about this. Last year, I wrote them a letter asking whether there were any youth nominations for their upcoming board appointments and I discovered there were no plans for any youth nominations.

“I realised we could either keep talking about it or actually do something about it.”

Artist and board member of Museums of History NSW Dylan Mooney praised the move because the current demographics of arts and cultural leaders were “a lot of older men who have white collar backgrounds”.

“Ex-businessmen, ex-politicians,” he said. “Some have little knowledge about the arts, but a lot to say about what programs should be going ahead.”

He said he was “hopeful boards will gain different perspectives, fresh ideas”.

“It’s only right that (young people) be included in conver­sations about their own future. I’m the youngest member of the board I sit on – the next youngest person is about 30 years older than me,” he said.

The move to diversify boards comes as the arts world tries to navigate heightening political divisions, seen in backlash against the dumping of artist Khaled Sabsabi by peak government arts body Creative Australia.

Australian Museum trustee Jennifer Dalitz.

Australian Museum trustee Jennifer Dalitz said the requirement for youth voices “adds to (the Museum’s) already diverse and skills-based board of trustees”. She said while she supported the move, the targeting of demographics through legislation could have unintended consequences.

“The challenge is that often you can have the best of intentions when you hardwire policies like this, and later you might think ‘Maybe there’s other groups who should also be represented or more represented’.

“Do you need to hardwire each element of representation? I actually don’t think you do,” she said.

“I’m supportive personally and on behalf of the museum … I think you can deal with it in different ways, but that’s the way that’s been chosen and we’re supportive of that.”

Liberal Party assistant arts spokeswoman Jacqui Munro said while she supported young people in these leadership positions, it was in the arts minister’s power to enact without legislation.

The Powerhouse Parramatta under construction.

Ms Munro said Mr Graham had the “ability to appoint board and trustee members to these cultural institutions and has so far failed to appoint a young person to any of them”.

“The Coalition doesn’t disagree with the idea of appointing young people to leadership positions in these cultural institutions to enhance them for posterity, but as I asked the minister in parliament, if it was so important, why hasn’t he done so already?”

Powerhouse Museum trustee Kate Pounder said the legislation would be useful because “statistically, younger people are highly likely to be under-represented on boards as it tends to be something that you’re thought of (doing) at a later stage of your career”.

“I think having a process to ­actively make sure they’re represented is a wonderful idea,” she said.

Ms Pounder said the revitalisation of Powerhouse’s Ultimo site and the construction of Powerhouse Parramatta made this a particularly appropriate time for young people to be represented in decision-making processes, as “this will be their institution and their future”.