LabNorth: Stories of Culture, Arts and Wellbeing in Northern Australia

Northern Australia is stereotyped as devoid of arts and culture in the national imaginary: a place of mine sites, military bases, cattle stations, bogans. Yet the small cities of Darwin, Cairns, Townsville and Broome are vibrant cultural landscapes with important forms of storytelling that struggle for visibility in the policy sphere. A recent focus on developing the North— e.g. the Developing Northern Australia Conference, the White Paper on Developing Northern Australia—recognises the importance of the region to Australia’s future, but narrowly in terms of extensions of water, power and transport infrastructure and accompanied workforce expansion. To date this agenda is silent on the role of arts and culture infrastructure in underpinning the region’s cultural wellbeing, and its economic benefits. This silence underscores the need to uncover, promote, and foster the untold stories and hidden value of the arts in Australia's Northern cities, to ensure that arts and culture take a prominent place in the policies that shape the region’s future.

Using a combination of policy analysis and townhall focus groups, LabNorth’s research will build networks to collaborate across cities, sectors and artforms. We will explore the value of arts and culture, with a focus on articulating this to the public and policy makers. LabNorth’s focus on small cities shines a light on the vital but under-recognised role of the arts in supporting Northern Australian communities and advocate for their inclusion in broader policy discussions.  LabNorth will listen, learn, collaborate and co-create stories with the potential to shift narratives about Northern Australia.

Researchers:

A/Prof Lisa Law, JCU; A/Prof Victoria Kuttainen, JCU; Yee Mun Loong, PhD candidate, JCU; Dr Adelle Sefton-Rowston, Charles Darwin University; Prof Robert Phiddian, Flinders University; A/Prof Tully Barnett, Flinders University; Yvette Holt, Chairperson, First Nations Australia Writers Network FNAWN; Dr Tony Castles, Regional Arts Service Network (RASN); Kim Jameson, Cairns Regional Council