Executive summary

Creative skills are widely distributed across economies, but their contributions to economic performance and social outcomes and their role in enabling nations and institutions to respond to competitive and other pressures are not well understood.

The British Government pioneered the assessment of industries specialising in the production of creative goods and services. That approach has been extended at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) by including both the specialist industries and the creative occupations embedded in other industries in measurements of creative economic activity. As defined by CCI, the Australian creative capability comprises architecture, design and visual arts; music and the performing arts; film, radio and television; writing and publishing; advertising and marketing; and software.

This project set out to explore aspects of the contribution of creative activities to the Australian healthcare sector, which already accounts for 9.8% of gross domestic product and appears set to increase its share. Already significant, healthcare cost pressures are projected to increase, partly as a result of the demand for more sophisticated treatments but also because of the squeeze on the healthcare system from an ageing population structure that is limiting the supply of medical professionals while boosting the demand for health services.

There is also the prospect of higher incidences of unusual diseases as a result of climate change. A number of other issues have been identified, such as the adequacy of the supply of services for remote and Indigenous groups within the population. Health services are very information intensive, so opportunities stemming from information and communication technology are another driver of change in the healthcare system. Responding to these pressures, the Australian healthcare system is being forced to adapt to meet the many and diverse challenges facing it.

This study adopted a two‑pronged approach to investigate the contribution of Australia’s creative capability in assisting the healthcare system to provide health goods and services and to meet its challenges through innovation and change. First, we examined the census data for creative occupations within the healthcare system. Because the census data reveal only certain parts of the story and in particular because data on creative occupations involved in the external supply of goods and services to the healthcare sector were not available from this source, the second prong comprised interview-based case studies of those occupations and of creative activities within the system.

We selected the case studies after taking into account major health expenditure areas, the creative occupations and some key healthcare issues. An estimated 3,810 people were employed in creative occupations in the healthcare sector in 2006, which is equivalent to about 0.5% of total employment in the sector. This was lower than the average proportion (2%) of creatives in other non‑creative industries.