Appointed Program Director, A New Approach

I’m thrilled to share that I have been appointed the inaugural Program Director for A New Approach. A New Approach will address the critical need for an informed, independent entity which has the necessary resources and public authority to advance a coherent, comprehensive policy position to help build better political and institutional settings and promote

Arts Value Forum Keynote

One of the things I’m most often asked is ‘how can I explain the value of arts and culture?’ Later this month I will be speaking at an event in Canberra dedicated to answering this very question. The Arts Value Forum is being jointly convened by The Childers Group and the Cultural Facilities Corporation. The

Work recognised in Federal Parliament

Last month I spoke at the inaugural meeting of the Parliamentary Friends of Regional Arts, in my role as Chair of Regional Arts Australia. Parliamentary Friendship Groups are formal bipartisan meetings of elected members to discuss a topic of common concern. The Parliamentary Friends of Regional Australia provides a ‘forum for Members and Senators to

40 Under 40 WA Business Award Winner

Last night I was honoured to be named a Western Australian 40Under40 Business Leader of the Year. These awards recognise excellence among WA’s young business elite. This year I was fortunate to be nominated by a peer in recognition of my work in both regional development and creative industries. This year’s cohort of leaders are

Restless Giant panel

Last week I spoke on a panel for the national launch of Lindy Hume’s platform paper Restless Giant: Changing cultural values in regional Australia. In my role as Chair of Regional Arts Australia I joined Lindy, Julian Hobba (Artistic Director, Aspen Island Theatre Company); Mikelangelo (Black Sea Gentlemen) and Karilyn Brown (Chief Executive Officer, Performing

40 Under 40 Award nomination

If you think boosting the profile of both regional Australia and arts and culture is a good idea, considering voting for me in the People’s Choice in the 40Under40 WA Business Awards and encouraging others to do the same. I’m thrilled to have been nominated for this award; it’s such a unique opportunity to highlight

Artlands Keynote, with bonus pool toys

Here’s an action shot of me sitting backstage inflating pool toys: this was definitely the strangest piece of preparation work I’ve done for a speech. At the recent Artlands conference in Dubbo I delivered a keynote on the topic of ‘A possible future for the arts in regional Australia’. I focused on the challenge of

Appointed to Board of the Australia Council for the Arts

The Minister for the Arts, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield today announced my appointment to the Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, along with Mr Sam Walsh AO, Mr Leigh Carmichael and Ms Zoe McKenzie. The Australia Council for the Arts is the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body.  The Australia Council

Appointed as GEDC Chair

I am delighted to share the news that State Cabinet has recently approved my appointment as Chair to the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission Board of Management. The GEDC is a West Australian Government agency committed to encouraging and promoting economic and social activity in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. I was appointed to the Board in 2014

Re-elected as RAA Chair

Regional Arts Australia recently held our AGM in Dubbo, NSW, which is the location for Artlands Dubbo 2016. This was a fantastic opportunity to hear about what is planned for Artlands, and to get a sense of the incredible support in Dubbo for the event. I particularly enjoyed our dinner with Mayor Mathew Dickerson and

Dog Show Dreamer

Recently I had the unusual honour of being a judge for the inaugural Golden Bone Dog Show at the WA Museum in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. As a kid I was mad for animals. Growing up in the dairy country of Victoria’s western district I was blessed to have many animals around. We also went to lots of

Elected RAA President

Last month I was elected to the role of President of Regional Arts Australia. This board meeting immediately preceded the electrifying RAA Summit: Arts & Edges in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Regional Australia is home to unique experiences, communities, cultures, landscapes and art-making. Regional Arts Australia is the key national body representing those working with, and for, the arts

Wide horizons

For several years now I’ve had the Australia Company Directors Course as a professional development goal. I find directorship fascinating and rewarding, and I’ve been itching to really deepen my knowledge. This week I was awarded a scholarship to complete the course, as part of a board diversity initiative focused on women from rural and

Appointed to Board of the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission

I am honoured to have been appointed to the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission (GEDC). Regional Development Minister Terry Redman announced the appointments last week. The GEDC promotes economic and social activity in the region stretching from the south coast up to the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, an area more than three times the size of Victoria. It is

Sticks & Stats, with bonus camel

I’ve written a couple of fun-to-make articles in the last few months. The first, for Artshub, is about was meant to be about ‘maintaining a cutting-edge arts practice while living regionally’. Which it is about, though probably not in the way they were expecting as it argues, in essence, that moving to ‘the sticks’ might