Regional Arts Victoria joined forces with the Victorian Government, the Great South Coast Regional Partnership, Corangamite Shire, Glenelg Shire, Moyne Shire, Southern Grampians Shire, City of Warrnambool and the Great Ocean Road Tourism Board on a strategy to support creative industries in the Great South Coast of Victoria.
The strategy builds on the long-term partnership already in place between these groups, and provides a roadmap for supporting creative industry practitioners, organisations and supporters in the south west of the state.
What It Means: A Creative Industries Strategy for South West Victoria links directly to advocacy coming out of the Great South Coast Regional Partnership conversations and carried forward by Regional Arts Victoria’s partnerships with local government and the south west community.
The 2025-2029 Strategy is currently in development.
You can stay up to date via the Facebook Page – Regional Arts Victoria – South West where our local Regional Manager shares opportunities, grants and updates from across the region.
More Information
Strategy Timeline
Strategy Development and Consultation for SWCIS # 2
With a strong appetite to recommit to another 4-year strategy, the strategic partners are currently working on developing a new Strategy for the period 2025-2029 in consultation with key stakeholders and community. A draft strategy will be shared publicly for feedback in late 2024.
SWCIS 2020-2024 Strategy Evaluation
An evaluation of the first Strategy 2020-2024 draws on consultation with stakeholders, poll responses and previous reports, with a focus on impacts to the sector. The evaluation will be ready for public viewing late 2024.
Creative Confidence Indicator Poll
This annual poll for artists and creatives in South West Victoria is a pulse-check to shed light on how the community feels about their creative practice now and in the future. Insights also help to review the impact of the South West Creative Industries Strategy.
Build Up, Reach Out Program
Funded by Fletcher Jones Family Foundations, RAV delivered 3 days of professional development activities for local creatives. This included 1:1 meetings with visiting industry experts, a marketing workshop and networking panel discussion.
Mid Strategy Review
Creative Confidence Poll
Creative Leaders Mentors and Mentees Announced
Storytellers in Residence Launched
As part of the Creative Leaders program 2020-2022, two Storytellers in Residence were engaged to reflect the unique aspects of the south west through the eyes of young creatives.
Creative Infrastructure Pipeline Project
50 projects assessed to inform the region’s creative infrastructure needs as well as high impact opportunities for enhancing the region’s creative industries. This enabled articulation of a regionwide need for activating creative spaces, identified significant priorities and opportunities, and strengthened the research and knowledge behind the Strategy.
Creative Leaders Project Launched
A mentoring program to develop young creatives’ arts experience and skills funded by the VicHealth Everyday Creativity fund.
Final Strategy Released
A four-year plan with seven key objectives; First Nations; the South West Story; Data Collection; Testing Grounds; Professional and Enterprise Development; Creative Hubs and Youth Programs.
Draft Strategy released for comment
Members of the creative community were asked to provide feedback to complete the final strategy.
Strategy Reviewed
With the significant challenges posed by COVID-19 on the creative sector, the draft strategy was reviewed and updated to make room in the four-year plan for a recovery and renewal period post-COVID-19.
Evidence Summarised
Summary responses and reports were collated to summarise the evidence collected to support the Strategy, including:
Creative Ecology Survey
Community Consultation
A robust consultation period included 72 individual or group consultations, 4 industry-expert led community events with over 250 attendees, 1 open survey completed by 139 people and the review of 124 existing policy or strategy documents.
Project Launch
2019’s State Government Minister for Creative Industries, Martin Foley launched the project and kicked off the community consultation period. This called for insights and ideas to create a roadmap for fostering growth and supporting the many creative and cultural businesses, practitioners, venues, attractions and festivals that call the region home.
Strategy Development
Once the brief from the Regional Assembly was defined, a Project Control Group advised Regional Arts Victoria on the development of the Strategy, with representatives from: Aboriginal Victoria, City of Warrnambool, Corangamite Shire, Creative Victoria, Glenelg Shire, Great Ocean Road, Regional Tourism Board, Moyne Shire, Regional Development Victoria, Southern Grampians Shire, and The Great South Coast Regional Partnership.
Expert policy development advice was provided by the Cultural Development Network, and Future Tense led a creative ecology mapping exercise to add significant analytic support to researching the Strategy.
Identification of need
The need for a strategy was identified during 2016’s Great South Coast Regional Assembly in Hamilton. Hosted by Regional Development Victoria, this event enabled the local community to engage directly with government on priorities for the area. Learn more about Regional Assemblies in this video.
The resulting logic map identified three purpose statements for such a strategy:
- To identify a coordinated approach to support and promote Creative Industries within the region
- To develop a strategy that reflects the point of difference of the Creative Industries in the region
- To enhance the potential reach, impact and sustainability of creative industries.
This set the wheels in motion for RAV to lead the development of the South West Creative Industries Strategy alongside partners from the Great South Coast.