Federal Government announces expert panels to inform National Cultural Policy

The Review Panels will also identify any gaps captured in submissions. There is a panel dedicated to each of the five key pillars.

• First Nations first: recognising and respecting the crucial place of these stories at the centre of our arts and culture.
• A place for every story: reflecting the diversity of our stories and the contribution of all Australians as the creators of culture.
• The centrality of the artist: supporting the artist as worker and celebrating their role as the creators of culture.
• Strong institutions: providing support across the spectrum of institutions which sustain our arts and culture.
• Reaching the audience: ensuring our stories reach the right people at home and abroad.

Announced earlier this week, each panelist has skills and experience relevant to a specific pillar as outlined below.

First Nations first:

• Ms Claire Coleman (VIC) is a Noongar woman who writes fiction, essays, poetry and art criticism. Her debut novel Terra Nullius won the Norma K Hemming Award in 2018.
• Mr Wesley Enoch AM (NSW) is a Quandamooka man from Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), an internationally acclaimed playwright and artistic director and current Indigenous Chair of Creative Industries at Queensland University of Technology.
• Ms Rachael Maza AM (VIC) is a Yidinji and Meriam woman who is the Artistic Director of Ilbijerri Theatre Company, and an accomplished actress and director.

A place for every story:

• Ms Caroline Bowditch (VIC) is Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director of Arts Access Victoria. She is an accomplished international performer and choreographer with a commitment to cultural equity.
• Professor Deborah Cheetham AO (VIC), Yorta Yorta woman, soprano, composer and Artistic Director of Short Black Opera, has been a leader and pioneer in the Australian arts landscape for more than 30 years.
• Mr Khoa Do (SA) is an award-winning film director and screenwriter who has worked across the spectrum of film, television and community theatre. His films have won awards at various festivals worldwide.

The centrality of the artist:

• Mr Matthew Chesher (NSW) is Director of Legal and Policy for the Media, Entertainment and the Arts Alliance, the largest union of Australian creative professionals.
• Mr Michael Hohnen (NT) is an ARIA-winning musician and producer, and co-founder of the local music label Skinnyfish Music.
• Ms Deena Lynch (QLD) is a singer-songwriter, musician, photographer, visual artist, director and designer, best known by her stage name Jaguar Jonze.

Strong institutions:

• Ms Kerri Glasscock (NSW) is Festival Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Fringe Festival, and is a founding Board Member and Deputy Chair of the Night Time Industries Association.
• Ms Karen Quinlan AM (ACT) is the Director of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, and was previously the Director of Bendigo Art Gallery and a curatorial assistant at the National Gallery of Victoria.
• Mr Kim Walker (NSW) is the Chief Executive Officer of (NAISDA) Dance College, Australia’s foremost training Institute for First Nations students and a former principal dancer of the Sydney Dance Company and Artistic Director of the Flying Fruit Fly Circus.

Reaching the audience:

• Ms Kate Ben-Tovim (WA) has over 20 years’ experience in the cultural sector and has lived and worked in Indonesia, India, PNG, China, UK and across Australia.  She has produced a number of large-scale music productions for festivals that have received Helpmann and Deadly Awards
• Mr Fintan Magee (QLD) is internationally known for his large-scale murals in galleries and street art festivals around the world.
• Mr Emile Sherman (NSW) is a television and film producer, best known for producing The King’s Speech which won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Picture.