[LINK] Kulchanet

[Roger Clarke]

Artists, not boffins, to drive digital age
The Sydney Morning Herald
Date: March 1 2008
Paul Bibby
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2008/02/29/1204226991305.html

THE internet may have been invented by American military engineers 
seeking an advantage in war, but future developments in digital 
technology will come from designers, sculptors and musicians, a 
meeting of cultural ministers has concluded.

The Cultural Ministers Council, which brings arts ministers from 
Australian and New Zealand together to talk about the cultural state 
of play, met for the first time yesterday under the stewardship of 
the Arts Minister, Peter Garrett.

The result was a wide-ranging list of policy statements, including 
the somewhat surprising conclusion that artists and not computer 
engineers or IT specialists will drive digital innovation.

"Creativity, the cultural sector and the creative industries have a 
crucial role as drivers of growth in the economy," Mr Garrett said.

"They will be the drivers of the online, mobile and broadcast digital 
environment."
The 11 ministers also agreed to do more to support indigenous arts, 
particularly contemporary indigenous music which - with the exception 
of a handful of hip-hop artists - has been neglected.

Funding will be increased for the National Arts and Crafts Industry 
Support program which funds many indigenous music and art centres.

The pub band is also set for a boost, with the ministers promising to 
ease the planning and licensing restrictions which have significantly 
reduced live music's profitability. "A growing number of Australians 
are finding cultural employment and work opportunities, and every 
year 85 per cent of Australians attend at least one cultural venue or 
event," Mr Garrett said. "There is much work for us to do in picking 
up a 10-year lag where there hasn't been proud voices speaking out 
for Australian artists."

-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
			            
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Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW