Scott Morrison pressured for new indigenous arts facilities

Australia’s peak infrastructure advisory body will lobby the Morrison government for new indigenous art and cultural facilities.

Infrastructure Australia chief executive Romilly Madew. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

Australia’s peak infrastructure ­advisory body will lobby the Morrison government for new indigenous art and cultural facilities to capitalise on increasing interest in Aboriginal art, while improving economic outcomes for indigenous communities.

Handing down a list of 147 proposals to improve national infrastructure on Wednesday, Infrastructure Australia chief executive Romilly Madew said it was crucial the government invested in social infrastructure such as their proposed indigenous art and cultural facilities program.

“Arts and cultural infrastructure play a key role in the social and economic empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ­Islander peoples,” Ms Madew said.

“Cultural tourism is really picking up in importance and people’s interest in First Nations art and culture has really increased. It’s ­really important that we have the cultural facilities so they can learn and buy, which also supports indigenous economic empowerment.”

The 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit revealed that ­remote indigenous art centres generated about $53m in art sales between 2008 and 2012, with $30m of that paid to artists.

Infrastructure Australia said federal investment in a national indigenous arts program could create more employment opportunities and improve wellbeing among indigenous communities.

Ms Madew said the advisory body had received a number of submissions about the importance of indigenous cultural facilities across the nation.

It follows a 2014 proposal from Infrastructure NSW that recommended a flagship indigenous ­cultural centre that connected to other facilities in remote locations.

A similar proposal was made for both Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and by the South Australian government.