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The future of WA's economy: Putting the arts in the spotlight

The state election is approaching fast and the future of WA's economy after the mining boom is the big issue.

To spark conversation about the state's future, WAtoday is exploring five sectors that could grow and be our new economic drivers if they are backed right:

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WA Premier Colin Barnett takes an evening stroll with WAtoday Political Journalist Brendan Foster and discusses the issues heading into the State Election.

Tourism, arts, technology, education and agriculture.

Today we're looking at the arts and what the sector needs to thrive, no matter who is in charge.

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The satirical Australian diplomat Sir Les Patterson once said of Australia that "we've got more culture than a penicillin factory."

And to judge by the enormous turnout at the opening event of the Perth International Arts Festival in February, there's plenty of WA locals keen to get a shot of it.

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Kings Park's trees will come to life in the PIAF opening spectacular.

Kings Park's trees came to life in the PIAF opening spectacular. Photo: Supplied

More than 40,000 people went through the event's Saturday night run, called Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak, an art installation exploring six seasons of Nyoongar culture using lumen projectors to display moving images on trees.

That same weekend Perth's internationally recognised Fringe Festival was cowing crowds throughout the city with shows that raked in over $10 million of box office takings and were attended by 750,000 punters.

And yet, despite these high profile successes, overall the WA arts industry says it's doing what artists always do - starving.

Henry Boston from WA's Chamber of Arts and Culture warns we'll miss the chance to make it a viable stream of WA's future economy if we don't take action.

"In the last 14 years the population has grown by 36 per cent yet the investment in the arts industry through the arts portfolio has almost halved in percentage terms of total state expenditure," he said.

"More of the same will see a sector hamstrung by its uncertain existence, less adventurous and less diverse in its offerings to those that visit or live here.  

"The state has taken many years to shrug of its artistic backwater status yet there is every chance it will regress."

The return of Dullsville...

An old joke about Perth was that passengers on planes flying from the eastern states were advised to set their watches back five years when they touched down in the west. 

But that belies the fact WA is a creative place that punches well above its weight.

The west has fostered renowned writers like Tim Winton, Madelaine Dickey and Craig Silvey, whose novel Jasper Jones was turned into a movie filmed in Pemberton and is in cinemas right now.

For music the late Bon Scott from AC/DC is hailed as a Fremantle legend, INXS got their start here, as did Pendulum, Tame Impala, The Triffids, John Butler Trio, Birds of Tokyo. The list goes on...

Tim Minchin, the West Australian Ballet and the Black Swan Theatre Company graced the stage while artists like Robert Juniper and Elizabeth Durack put our state on the international map.

And Perth boasts some of the best street art around Australia.

Clearly there's talent in WA, and the arts sector has worked very hard over many years to help Perth and WA shake off its Dullsville tag.

State Theatre Centre at Perth Cultural Centre Images supplied by Tourism WA - Emily Andrews Emily.Andrews@westernaustralia.com str24reasons-perth

State Theatre Centre at Perth Cultural Centre. (Images supplied by Tourism WA)

Yet Mr Boston warns the west could slide back into the obscurity we all chafe against if arts funding isn't boosted by whichever side of politics leads WA after the March 11 ballot.

"The downturn in the economy has hit the sector in three ways: constricted funding from the public purse, diminishing support from the private sector and less money in consumers' pockets," he said.

"The Chamber's policy platform has highlighted the current plight of the arts and cultural sector which has suffered long-term underfunding from government with respect to people and programs.  

"The trend away from organisational funding to project funding has placed many of the larger and small to medium arts companies in a difficult position with no option but to reduce programs. 

"As a result there are less opportunities for artists across every art form to create work of any scale and for the public to engage with this work."

And while there has been huge investment by the Barnett government in new infrastructure like the Perth Stadium, Elizabeth Quay, a revitalised WA Museum and the State Theatre Centre, Mr Boston said they are nothing without a vibrant creative sector to fill them.

"Whilst we welcome the development of new cultural infrastructure it needs people and programs to activate it," he said.

"It's pointless building temples if there's no-one inside them to celebrate the communal liturgy."

WA's tourism sector is calling for more events to be held in WA to draw in tourists - so a vibrant arts scene could help.

Musician Tim Minchin penned one of our most popular Aussie Christmas carols.

Musician Tim Minchin is one of WA's brightest stars. Photo: Justin McManus

Art is singing for its supper

The Chamber's latest figures show the arts sector injects $10.6 billion to the state economy and employs 42,000 people.

Mr Boston is confident those figures could rise significantly if the WA government - whoever is in charge - backs the sector strongly in the aftermath of the mining boom and makes it an economic focus for WA's talents.

"The industry has the potential to develop stronger ties to cultural tourism and to cultural diplomacy.

"For example, Western Australia is home to the oldest living culture in the world and we need to promote the value of this unique Aboriginal culture and how it is expressed through the arts. This will also build on the arts ability to drive cultural understanding and reconciliation among Western Australians.  

"The state has taken many years to shrug of its artistic backwater status yet there is every chance it will regress."

"Our creative industries like film and fashion have already demonstrated their abilities to generate good economic return on investment but there is more than can be done, especially in the burgeoning gaming sector."

And he reckons we can look to mining as a source of inspiration.

"The Western Australian mining sector has a reputation for the innovative use of technology and the state has a long history of entrepreneurial activity. The arts can be at the heart of a nexus between the arts, technology and entrepreneurialism." 

The beginning, the middle and the end

$25 million dollars.

That's how much the Chamber reckons needs to be injected into the arts in WA to keep it afloat. 

To help bring that about, the arts sector in WA has been running a campaign called 'Arts Improves Lives' to argue its case in the halls of power and win the support of the community.

"The Chamber has made a priority of an urgent injection of funding similar to the Ignite package made by Labor in 2007, in this case $25 million per annum over 4 years," Mr Boston said.  

"The state arts agency released its Strategic Directions 2016-31 document last year and the key measure of success was 'a growing sector, creating new jobs and opportunities for WA's creative people'. One of the barriers identified was the decline of funding for people and programs.  

"The potential for our creative industries to grow requires the necessary government investment so that it can leverage money from other sources."

Perth fringe festival

Perth Fringe Festival Photo: Matthew Tompsett

Mr Boston points out that a strong arts sector can boost tourism - a key area of growth identified by both sides of politics - and will help make Perth a bigger, brighter, better place to live and work in.

"The community through various surveys have expressed overwhelming support for the arts and in 2015 more than 1.2 million people turned out over 3 days to see the Giants project at the Perth International Arts Festival," Mr Boston said.

"The current investment by government in the arts is minuscule when compared to the health and law and order portfolios.The arts can also do much to address the causes in these areas so that we reduce the spending on treating the symptoms.

"There is crucial need to integrate cultural infrastructure and activities into the initial planning of new communities and a greater collaboration between local government and the state arts agency would increase jobs and growth in the sector."

Curtain calls

Let's be blunt - arts in WA is not Hollywood. It doesn't generate huge amounts of revenue or dominate the entertainment pages. But it doesn't have to do that to be considered a success.

Outliers like Fringe, PIAF and Heath Ledger catch our interest. 

But arts is about the grind, and the day to day creativity and devotion of the people involved in the sector helps mould our identity, brings joy to those who engage with it and makes a valuable contribution whether we notice it or not.

$25m is a pretty cheap investment... and it could pay off handsomely.

On Thursday, WAtoday will look at how technology can shape and even reinvent our state's future economy.