2025 Federal Election Campaign Advocacy Statement

 

The Government has called the election for May 3rd, and we need your help to make climate the top priority—highlighting investment in culture and the arts as a powerful driver of the systemic change required.

 

Contact your MPs and candidates to urge all parties to commit to stronger support for the arts as a key strategy for climate action. Direct engagement with your representatives is one of the most effective ways to influence policy, as politicians are more likely to act when they hear from their constituents.

 

Below are practical tips—courtesy of Theatre Network Australia—for effectively emailing, meeting with, and influencing politicians to support arts investment and policy improvements.

 

The Message

As the newly created peak body for culture, the arts, and climate, Creative Climate* calls on those seeking to represent and lead us in government to consider the impacts of a changing climate in the decisions they make in their next term.

 

The climate crisis is the greatest test of our time - presenting profound challenges to our cultural, economic and political lives - and culture and the arts represents one of the greatest untapped sources of creativity, wisdom, insight, and opportunity for mitigating and responding to its impacts.

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Our policy recommendations

We urge all parties, independents, and representatives to recognise culture and the arts as vital partners in decarbonisation and climate adaptation. Supporting and funding the arts is both a social good and a strategic response to the urgent threat of the climate crisis.

 

Below we outline FOUR specific recommendations for supporting the arts in ways that also create cultural shifts towards Caring for Country and climate justice:

1. Leverage the transformative power of culture and the arts

2. Invest in Indigenous cultural practices

3. Integrate culture and the arts into climate action policy

4. Support the decarbonisation of the cultural and arts sectors

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How You Can Help

 

1. Contact Your MP and Senators

MPs and Senators need to hear from their constituents:

• Send an email

• Request a meeting

• Talk about these recommendations in your community and online
   

2. Engage with Election Candidates:

As election candidates are announced, ask them where they stand on culture, arts and climate funding. Even if they aren’t in government yet, they could be soon. Just this simple question can indicate to them that their constituents care and prompt them to consider their stance and policy.

 

Find your electorate: If you're not sure which electorate you're in, use this Find My Electorate tool.

 

Find your MP and candidates: You can look them up here. Major parties list their candidates and contact details (Labor, Liberal, Greens), and there’s a Wikipedia page with a well updated table. For Independents, if you know their name you can search for a website or social media.
 

3. Spread the Message

Share your advocacy efforts online and tag us. Let’s make sure the culture and arts sector is heard loud and clear in this election.