Productivity is slowing, cohesion is being challenged, tensions are rising, health is declining and our environment is under pressure. Creating and encouraging opportunities for people to experience arts, culture and creativity assists populations to live well – with prosperity, cohesion, security, health and sustainability. 

This report shows that creative and cultural engagement provides an unexpected edge to respond to Australia’s deepest challenges. It brings together new insights about the impacts of culture and creativity for these key public policy discussions, and presents opportunities for stakeholders to harness the benefits of creative and cultural engagement across Australia. 

The report builds on a 2019 review of international and Australian evidence, and is the first to consider how time use in arts, culture and creativity influences all 5 broad wellbeing themes of Measuring What Matters: Australia’s First Wellbeing Framework. Numerous new resources outlined in this report may help drive other public benefit objectives, such as inclusion, fairness and equity.