Creative State 2025

Creative State 2025 is the Victorian Government’s next four-year creative industries strategy, designed to grow jobs, develop skills, and secure Victoria’s reputation as a global cultural destination and bold creative leader.

Creative State 2025 builds on the achievements of the Victorian Government’s landmark Creative State strategy (2016-2020) and will guide a record $288 million investment, over the next four years.

The actions of this strategy will create 60,000 project jobs across the creative industries in the next four years. This represents 40,000 project jobs in the screen industry and 20,000 project jobs in the broader creative sector.

The strategy comprises 25 actions across five strategic priorities and is designed to support:

This $288 million investment will create 60,000 project jobs across the creative industries in the next four years. This represents 40,000 project jobs in the screen industry and 20,000 project jobs in the broader creative sector.

The kind of project jobs the strategy will support include crew members, performers, architects, artists, producers, fashion designers, filmmakers, fashion and product designers, architects, writers and game developers, among other roles.

Moreover, the creative industries also create jobs in other sectors such as hospitality, retail, construction and tourism.

Thi unprecedented $288 million investment will put creativity at the heart of Victoria’s recovery and supercharge the sector, commissioning new works and collaborations across the state.

It will provide secure funding for creative organisations and enterprises – large and small – across the state, including First Peoples creative organisations, festivals and events, theatre and dance companies, music organisations, fashion, design, screen businesses, galleries and more.

Additionally, it will support the next generation of creative workers, innovators and leaders by supporting employment pathways, leadership development, grants and industry programs. The strategy includes support for th creation of innovative new experiences at our museums and regional cultural facilities, outer-metropolitan and regional touring activity, and investment in the growth and recovery of our music industry through the extension of the Music Works program.

Despite Victoria’s swift and comprehensive COVID-19 funding support for creative organisations, business and workers, including $220 million in the State Budget 2020/21, and the state’s successful efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, the road to industry recovery remains challenging. Now, more than ever, the creative sector needs certainty and clear leadership to overcome its challenges and to be a driving force in Victoria’s future prosperity.

Over the next four years Creative State 2025 actions will help stabilise our creative industries and position them to create new jobs and capitalise on growth opportunities. The strategy supports training opportunities, provides funding certainty to creative businesses, and supports events and festivals that help connect Victorian creatives to national and international audiences and markets.

Creative State 2025 supports talent and activity that reflects the true and rich diversity of Victoria. It aims to ensure that every Victorian – regardless of cultural background, age, gender, identity location, income or ability – can take up their right to participate in the cultural and creative life of the state, and through creative careers.

This commitment is expressed in the strategy through support for a diverse range of programs and activities, and is enshrined in a set of implementation principles which will be central to the design and delivery of strategy actions.

Creative State 2025 has a strong focus on leadership and opportunities for First Peoples, including the creation of a new annual First Peoples Creative Industries forum and a First Peoples Art and Design Fair.

The strategy includes support for First Nation festivals and platforms such as Yirramboi, Blak & Bright Literature Festival and the Koorie Art Show. There is continued support for the Yalingwa visual arts initiative, and Creative Victoria will introduce dedicated First Peoples streams across all its key grants programs. The strategy includes a ‘First Peoples First’ implementation principle to place First Peoples knowledge, practice, protocols and cultural authority at the heart of the creative industries.

The Creative Victoria First Peoples Directions Circle, established in 2019, will lead the development and implementation of all the actions with a First Peoples focus, and guide the delivery of ‘First Peoples first’ commitments.

The strategy includes a range of programs and initiatives to support our next generation of creative talent. The strategy will help build Victoria’s future workforce through traineeships and internships at Victoria’s cultural institutions. Support for Arts Centre Melbourne’s Tech Connect program will provide accredited training for aspiring theatre technicians in regional communities.

In addition, continued support for the longstanding Creative Learning Partnerships Program and other initiatives with the Department of Education and Training will provide outstanding creative learning opportunities for students in Victorian schools.

Creative State 2025 recognises the nature of work – and workplaces – in the creative industries have unique issues that impact the mental health and wellbeing of the people who work in them.

To support the implementation of health and wellbeing initiatives throughout the industry, the strategy will leverage the strength of partnerships with industry, community, the private sector and other portfolios and tiers of government to design and deliver bespoke support for the creative industries.

Creative Victoria’s Respectful Workplaces Advisory Group will help guide and promote this important work.

Creative State 2025 includes commitments, through a dedicated implementation principle, to minimising the environmental impact of the creative industries and to promoting best practice in how the sector makes, shares, presents, tours and consumes creative product.

Creative State 2025 is a sector-wide strategy. VICSCREEN is an action within Creative State 2025 (Action 12), as well as a stand-alone plan, specific to the needs and opportunities of the screen sector. The strategies were developed concurrently to ensure they are aligned.

The $10.8 million Music Works package will continue important investment in the growth and recovery of Victoria’s music industry at all levels – from artists and bands, to behind-the-scene workers, music businesses and events and industry organisations.

The Creative State 2025 strategy provides dedicated support to artists, creatives, collectives and micro-businesses including sole traders.

This includes:

• A new two-year funding program supporting the development of innovative creative content and programming by small-to-medium creative enterprises, micro-organisations/businesses and collectives.
• A program for individual creatives and collectives across all creative disciplines and at all career stages. This program will focus on activities such as the development and presentation of creative works, audience development and professional or skills development.
• The continuation of the Creators Fund, which invests in creative practitioners to undertake intensive research, development and experimentation that will take their career to the next level.
• New funding for the creation of an annual First Peoples Creative Industries forum and a First Peoples Art and Design Fair.

In addition, music industry artists and professionals will be supported through the Music Works program and screen practitioners will be supported through a range of programs and initiatives delivered through the VICSCREEN strategy.

Read about Creative Victoria’s new approach to multi year investment, and our new programs.

A creative neighbourhood is one where creative businesses operate and where creative practitioners work and live. With higher prices and development forcing many creatives out of rapidly growing areas, this is a program to help protect and foster creative neighbourhoods across the state and to support accessible and affordable spaces.

The action commits to strategic policy reform to unlock creative spaces and to foster vibrant creative hubs. One such initiative already in place is the vertical zoning provision in Southbank that requires new development to provide creative spaces in the first four floors of new projects.

Festivals provide employment, career development and vital platforms for creatives to connect with audiences. Creative State 2025 backs key festivals and events to develop local talent and showcase Victoria’s strengths to the world. These are events that provide work and market development opportunities for creative practitioners, as well as unique cultural experiences for local audiences.

For example, Creative State 2025 supports AsiaTOPA and Melbourne International Games Week, while the new multi-year investment model will be open to festivals across the state. Several screen events and festivals will also be supported through VICSCREEN.

A range of festivals will also be eligible for multi-year investment through the new Creative Enterprises Program and the Creative Ventures Program.

Over the past 12 years, since Melbourne’s designation as a City of Literature in 2008, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo have been accepted into the UNESCO Creative Cities network.

Creative State 2025 will support new networking and collaboration opportunities between Victoria’s four UNESCO Creative Cities, building on international opportunities for Victorian creative companies and practitioners to connect with the broader creative cities network.

Creative State 2025 takes a whole-of-state view and seeks to support creative practitioners, businesses and audiences, no matter where they live.

The strategy will support touring of performances and exhibitions to regional and outer-metropolitan communities across Victoria, along with associated touring support services. This includes support for the Small Regional Presenters program, which enables small, local venues to secure shows for local communities.

$1.5 million has been provided to support capital initiatives, including the Bendigo Creative Industries Hub.

Victoria is home to four UNESCO Creative Cities, three of which are regional cities: Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. Creative State 2025 will strengthen their collective offerings and support the network both locally and internationally.

Creative State 2025 supports Arts Centre Melbourne’s Tech Connect training program, an accredited program that provides technical and safety training to technicians in Victoria’s regional performing arts centres.

Through the Creative Neighbourhoods action, we will work with regional communities to help unlock creative spaces and foster new facilities and will explore policy reforms that will help foster vibrant creative hubs.

In addition to support for Geelong Arts Centre, with a $34.7 million investment provided through the November budget, we will deliver a series of projects to enhance regional Victoria’s creative infrastructure, including:

• a new exhibition space in Kyneton
• upgrades to Benalla Art Gallery
• further investment in the Castlemaine Goods Shed, Shepparton Art Museum, and Latrobe Creative Precinct.

Regional creative organisations, collectives and businesses will be eligible for multi-year investment through the new Creative Enterprises Program and the Creative Ventures Program.

If you want to know more about Creative State 2025, contact us.