Australian cultural policy must prioritize artistic freedom over social cohesion, argue academics
Scholars from Griffith University contend that the forthcoming national cultural policy of Australia, Revive 2.0, should emphasize artistic freedom rather than 'social cohesion.' The deadline for submissions to Revive 2.0 was 24 May 2025. The initial Revive policy, introduced in 2023, faced challenges as cultural institutions censored artists, claiming it was for the sake of social cohesion. In February 2025, Khaled Sabsabi's selection for the Venice Biennale was revoked by Creative Australia for this reason. The Bendigo Writers Festival in August 2024 experienced significant withdrawals due to 'inflammatory' language restrictions. Additionally, in September 2024, the Victorian government mandated grant recipients to agree to a Social Cohesion Values Commitment. In January 2025, the Adelaide Festival board canceled Randa Abdel-Fattah's invitation, resulting in 90 authors withdrawing and resigning. Hugh de Kretser criticized the concept of social cohesion as a form of conformity.
Key facts
- Submissions for Revive 2.0 closed on 24 May 2025.
- Revive was launched in 2023 as a five-year plan.
- Creative Australia defended rescinding Khaled Sabsabi's Venice Biennale selection in February 2025 citing social cohesion.
- Bendigo Writers Festival in August 2024 instructed speakers to avoid 'inflammatory' language, leading to mass writer withdrawals.
- Victorian government formalized social cohesion as policy in September 2024, requiring grant recipients to sign a Social Cohesion Values Commitment.
- Adelaide Festival board cancelled Randa Abdel-Fattah's invitation in January 2025, resulting in 90 authors withdrawing and the 2026 event cancellation.
- The term 'social cohesion' does not appear in the Creative Australia Act 2023.
- 66 cultural organizations have censored programs since Revive 1.0.
- Hugh de Kretser called social cohesion a 'loaded and coded term' for conformity.
- Authors recommend artistic freedom as foundational, ruling out social cohesion as a criterion.
Entities
Artists
- Khaled Sabsabi
- Randa Abdel-Fattah
- Jayson Gillham
- KA Ren Wyld
- Kellee Green
Institutions
- Griffith University
- Creative Australia
- Bendigo Writers Festival
- Victorian government
- Adelaide Festival
- Adelaide Writers' Week
- Sydney Theatre Company
- National Gallery of Australia
- Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
- Queensland Music Awards
- Brisbane City Council
- Australian Human Rights Commission
- Scanlon-Monash Index
- Bertelsmann Social Cohesion Radar
- ArtsHub
- ScreenHub
- ABC's Big Ideas
Locations
- Australia
- Venice
- Bendigo
- Victoria
- Adelaide
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Brisbane
- Queensland