Submission into the public consultation for the new National Cultural Policy
24 May 2026
Gamelan DanAnda recently made a submission to the public consultation for Australia's next National Cultural Policy.
Our submission highlights that multicultural and community-engaged art forms are still widely misunderstood and undervalued by the broader industry and funding bodies.
Here are a few of the key recommendations we put forward:
Redefining Professionalism: We are challenging the assumption that community-engaged arts are of a lower quality. Our highly skilled performers deserve the same professional recognition, pay, and respect as Western classical or contemporary ensembles.
Direct Funding Pathways: We are calling for targeted funding pathways that invest directly in the culturally specific organisations that carry and transmit living cultural heritage, rather than channelling support solely through broad umbrella bodies.
Addressing Sector Burnout: Small arts organisations carry an immense administrative burden. We recommended the creation of a dedicated peer mentoring programme to help grassroots, multicultural arts leaders build sustainable governance and strategic frameworks.
Global Exchange Programmes: We strongly advocated for new funding to enable reciprocal artist residencies between Australian practitioners and international master artists.
At Gamelan DanAnda, our community orchestra brings together individuals aged 4 to over 80—bridging the Indonesian diaspora with the broader Australian public to create innovative, intercultural art. It is time our national policy fully recognises the artistic and diplomatic value of the work that we and other multicultural arts organisations do.
Gamelan DanAnda recently made a submission to the public consultation for the Standing Committee on Education's inquiry into Building Asia Capability in Australia. Our submission highlights that a whole-of-government approach is needed to address Australia's declining Asia-literacy, and that the arts are critical for driving interest in language study and creating meaningful public encounters with Asian cultures.
Here are a few of the key recommendations we put forward:
Global Exchange Programmes: We recommended that the Australian government work with partner Asian governments to co-fund artist residencies and placements, enabling profound creative exchange and building long-term ties between Australian arts organisations and master Asian artists.
Supporting Mass Audience Encounters: We advocated for continued funding of festivals that present Asian arts to broad audiences—both Asia-focused events like Asia TOPA and OzAsia Festival, as well as broader platforms like the National Folk Festival and Brunswick Music Festival. These festivals do vital work in demonstrating that Asian culture is engaging and relevant to contemporary Australia.
Direct Funding for Asian-Australian Arts Companies: While our organisation connects with tens of thousands of people annually and delivers high-calibre professional work, we lack the structural funding enjoyed by legacy arts organisations. We called for dedicated funding pathways for specific Asian-Australian arts companies (like Gamelan DanAnda and Suara Indonesia) to ensure their financial sustainability.
Addressing Sector Burnout: Highlighting the strain on largely volunteer-run grassroots organisations, we recommended the creation of a peer mentoring programme to help new arts organisations build sustainable practices and prevent the burnout of future sector leaders.
At Gamelan DanAnda, our community orchestra brings together individuals aged 4 to over 70—bridging the Indonesian diaspora with the broader Australian public to create innovative, intercultural art. It is time our national policy fully recognises the artistic and diplomatic value of the work that we and other multicultural arts organisations do to build Australia's Asia capability.