---
title: Australia
type: taxonomy_archive
taxonomy: country
slug: australia
term_id: 288
permalink: "https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/country/australia/"
post_count: 13
---

# Australia

Posts in this archive: 13

- [Celebrating 25 years of aboriginal arts funding in Melbourne ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/melbourne-aboriginal-arts-grants.md) — For 25 years, Melbourne’s Aboriginal Arts Grants have supported First Nations artists through flexible, culturally responsive funding. Led by Aboriginal creatives and grounded in long-term investment, the programme has transformed the city's cultural sector and launched national careers. Despite challenges, it remains a model of equity in local cultural policy, celebrating Aboriginal voices and advancing self-determination through creative expression.
- [Supporting Melbourne’s d/Deaf and Disabled artists through The Warehouse Residency ](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/warehouse-residency-for-deaf-and-disabled-artists.md) — The Warehouse Residency is City of Melbourne’s flagship programme for d/Deaf and Disabled artists, offering access-led support, funding, and leadership opportunities. Designed with artists and grounded in disability justice, it supports bold, interdisciplinary work while challenging structural barriers in the arts. Since 2021, the programme has supported 40+ creatives, with plans to expand into producing, digital formats, and enhanced access budgets through 2028.
- [Creative Placemaking: How Sydney embedded public art into new developments](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sydney-public-art-in-new-development.md) — Since 2011, Sydney’s City Art Strategy has embedded high-quality public art into new private developments, guided by the city’s planning system and its Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 vision. Developments over AUD 10 are required to incorporate public art and encouraged to allocate a minimum budget of 1% of construction costs, with support from a dedicated public art team and advisory panel. Over 750 public art plans have been submitted, enabling hundreds of artists to contribute to Sydney’s cultural landscape through collaborative, site-specific works.
- [Cultural Strategy: How Sydney plans to retain creative talent and diversify cultural leadership](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sydney-cultural-strategy-2025-2035.md) — Launched in 2025, Cultural Strategy 2025–2035 is Sydney’s roadmap to rebuild and reimagine its cultural life post-pandemic and amid rising living costs. Backed by AUD 2 million annually in new grants programs, the strategy provides direct income support for artists, secures creative workspaces, and expands leadership opportunities for underrepresented groups. With plans for a Creative Land Trust and a strong equity focus, the strategy aims to grow cultural participation, retain talent, and ensure culture thrives across every part of the city.
- [Creative Hoardings: How Sydney made construction hoardings beautiful](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sydney-creative-hoardings.md) — Since 2016, Sydney’s Creative Hoardings program has transformed over 320 construction sites into outdoor galleries, showcasing the work of contemporary Australian artists. Introduced as part of the Creative City Action Plan, it mandates creative graphics on hoardings, enhancing public space while regulating advertising. Artists are paid above-industry rates for licensed designs, offered to developers free of charge. The initiative has boosted artist visibility, reduced graffiti, and become a model for cultural integration in urban development.
- [Reclaiming Sydney's lost creative space: a blueprint for recovery](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sydney-making-space-for-culture.md) — In August 2021, Left Bank Co launched the Making Space for Culture Incubator Program – free professional development open to a diverse group of property developers and creative and cultural organisations.
- [Resilience rewarded: Melbourne's 'Rising Festival' shines in 2022](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/rising-festival.md) — In 2022, RISING saw its first full iteration as a nearly two-week-long festival presented across and transforming neighborhoods in the city, including Flinders Street Station, Birrarung, Chinatown, and The Wilds. The festival, presented in June, featured 225 events with 801 local and international artists who took the city as their canvas, transforming its streets, gardens, carparks, waterways, and rooftops in an explosion of culture aimed squarely at the heart of Melbourne's night-time scene.
- [Inclusivity at its core: unveiling the purpose of Melbourne's warehouse residency](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/the-warehouse-residency.md) — To address the gap in artistic development and residency opportunities that are designed for the needs of artists with disabilities, contemporary performance space Art House has introduced the Warehouse Residency.
- [Sydney's bold al fresco programme pays off: culture thrives in the open air](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/sydney-al-fresco-city.md) — The state government held a Summer Summit with the City of Sydney and other stakeholders to discuss ideas to re-ignite Sydney’s economy and encourage more people to visit, eat, shop and enjoy the city centre. The result was the Al Fresco City programme.
- [Acknowledging a shared past: Sydney's Eora Journey unveiled](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/yananurala-walking-on-country.md) — Aboriginal people have faced significant injustices and their culture often dismissed. Sydney's Yananurala initiative to recognise First Nations Australians in public art and the public domain.
- [Innovative arts in action: Melbourne's creative spaces initiatives](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city-project/activating-creative-spaces.md) — In September 2020, the City of Melbourne, in collaboration with funding partner Working for Victoria, launched Flash Forward. This program commissioned local artists to activate 40 of the city center's historic laneways through lighting, music, and creative installations.
- [Melbourne](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city/melbourne.md) — Substantial investments are currently directed towards the arts precinct, with the aim of ensuring that the public spaces surrounding these iconic institutions are just as inclusive and inspiring as the experiences within them. This includes the initiation of original public art commissions, the establishment of a new national contemporary art gallery, and a comprehensive redesign of the precinct's public areas. These endeavours are poised to further enhance Melbourne's renowned cultural reputation and contribute to its artistic vitality.
- [Sydney](https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/city/sydney.md) — The City of Sydney's vision for the future is grounded in two long-term roadmaps. "Sustainable Sydney 2030–2050: Continuing the Vision" is a strategic plan aimed at making the city green, global, and connected. It is complemented by the "Creative City" cultural policy and action plan, which identifies priorities for the city's cultural life. T