The arts and culture: a quick guide to key internet links

Updated 4 September 2014

PDF version [258KB]

Dr John Gardiner-Garden
Social Policy Section

This Quick Guide provides links to:

It also provides links to a range of organisations by art form:

Australian Government agencies, councils and resources

Government responsibility for the arts rests with the Attorney-General. See the department’s web-pages for Ministry for the Arts.
The Australian Government's art funding and advisory body is the Australia Council for the Arts. See also the Artforms page and Arts Funding Guide.
The Australian Heritage Council is the principal adviser to the Government on heritage matters.
The Department of the Environment is responsible for heritage issues
The Australia International Cultural Council is Australia's key cultural diplomacy body.
The Australian Arts Organisations Directory is a comprehensive directory of organisations that provide support for cultural activities.
The Collections Council of Australia is the peak body for the Australian collections sector.
Cultural Data Online provides free online access to Australian arts and cultural research reports and statistics
The Meeting of Cultural Ministers (formerly the Cultural Ministers Council) comprises the Australian, state and territory government arts and culture ministers.
The Grants & Assistance Finder includes information on arts and business related government grants.

Australian Capital Territory: Community Services Directorate—artsACT
New South Wales: NSW Trade and Investment—Arts NSW
Northern Territory: Department of Arts and Museums—Arts NT
Queensland: Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts—Arts Queensland
South Australia: Department of the Premier and Cabinet—Arts SA
Tasmania: Department of State Growth—Arts Tasmania
Victoria: Department of Premier and Cabinet—Arts Victoria
Western Australia: Department of Culture and the Arts

See also listings under specific art forms.

Arts Access Australia is the peak national body for arts and disability.
Arts Law Centre of Australia provides free or low cost specialised legal advice, education and resources to Australian artists and arts organisations across all art forms, on a wide range of arts related legal and business matters.
The Australian Copyright Council is an independent, non-profit organisation which represents the peak bodies for professional artists and content creators working in Australia’s creative industries and Australia’s major copyright collecting societies.
Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA)
National Trust of Australia: is an organisation committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Indigenous, natural and historic heritage.
Viscopy: Australia and New Zealand's not-for-profit rights management organisation for the visual arts.

International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies: global network of arts councils and ministries of culture.
Creative New Zealand: Arts Council of New Zealand
Creative Europe: European Commission for Culture
National Endowment for the Arts: independent federal agency that funds and promotes arts in the United States.

Australia Council music page
The Music Council of Australia is the national peak music organisation for Australia.
Opera Australia

Australia Council visual arts page
Craft Australia is the national advocacy organisation for craft and design.
National Association for the Visual Arts is the peak body for visual arts and crafts sector.

Dr John Gardiner-Garden, Commonwealth arts policy and administration, Parliamentary Library Background Note no. 7 of 2008–09, May 2009.

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With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, and to the extent that copyright subsists in a third party, this publication, its logo and front page design are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia licence.