On 19 February 2025, Matt Cross MP, representative for Davidson, made a speech in NSW Parliament highlighting the critical lack of infrastructure and how much he enjoyed attending We Heart The Arts. Read more here…
Mr MATT CROSS (Davidson) (21:56): I contribute to debate on the Creative Statement to Parliament Bill 2024. The purpose of the bill is to deliver a statement to the Parliament every three years on the arts, culture and creative industries. Such a statement will no doubt create transparency and accountability to the public and to the Parliament. I know that the stakeholders in the arts, culture and creative industries will appreciate such a statement. It will give them certainty and will make sure that government—both Ministers and public servants—has a detailed plan for the arts sector. The Arts portfolio is very large and diverse, as one would expect in New South Wales. But the arts, culture and creative industries are so much more than just a portfolio; they are a way of life for so many people.
The creative workforce makes up 12 per cent of the jobs in Sydney, which represent a huge amount of economic activity. I note the previous arts Ministers who have made significant contributions, especially Liberal Ministers the Hon. Peter Collins and the Hon. Don Harwin, who were arts Ministers for seven years and five years respectively. I thank them for their service. Peter and Don were great and passionate ambassadors, proving that Liberals are also passionate about the arts. As a member of Parliament, I believe the arts, culture and creative industries are important on a local level. After all, as the great Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local.” I welcome the commitment from the Minister for the Arts that the statement will be:
… one of a range of steps that the Government is taking, including investment reform, regulatory reform, new spaces for creative use, a focus on education and training, specific strategies being developed for screen and contemporary music and plans for Western Sydney and regional New South Wales.
I also hope and trust it will include northern Sydney. I now talk about the importance of the arts to the Davidson electorate, and in particular the people who live in Ku-ring-gai. There is a need for a precinct for the arts, culture and creative industries in Ku-ring-gai, similar to the one in the northern beaches. The northern beaches has Glen Street and Willoughby has the Chatswood Concourse. I was proud to partner with the Northern Beaches Council to deliver $150,000 for a lighting upgrade to Glen Street, in my electorate, via the Community Building Partnership program. Investment in the arts is so important. I know that the creative statement will outline strong strategies for that investment.
Both Glen Street and the Chatswood Concourse are multipurpose facilities that include a public arts theatre, a public library, offices, and space tendered out for cafes. Creative precincts should be considered in any future creative statement, and such a precinct in Ku-ring-gai should also be a multipurpose facility. Currently there is the Marian Street Theatre, which is a key arts, culture and creative precinct. It was established as a hall in 1906. Sadly, in 2013 it was forced to close its doors due to safety concerns. That was a big blow to the local community. The people I represent are passionate about the arts, culture and creativity. A development application is currently approved for the site, but finance is pending. Finance, as we know, is very tough in this cost-of-living crisis. No doubt the financing of arts, culture and creative precincts will be considered as part of any future statement.
I look forward to meeting with Ku-ring-gai Council in the near future, particularly with Mayor Christine Kay, to discuss ways to fund such an arts precinct. I have asked questions in Parliament about further rounds of the Low Cost Loans Initiative established by the Liberal-Nationals Government. We up to what we hope will be a fourth round of funding. The statement should consider funding major infrastructure for arts, culture and creative enterprises. I will go into more detail about my wonderful arts community, which is so passionate about the need to support local artists and jobs. At its heart, the arts, culture and creative sector is all about people. I had a wonderful opportunity to meet with the local people who are passionate about this topic. On Sunday 16 February I was honoured to attend “We HeArt the Arts” at Killara Uniting Church, organised by Marian St Action.
It was an exciting family event that included performances from several community groups and involved singing and dancing. I know that members should not mislead the House. I state for the record that I cannot dance; to suggest otherwise would be to mislead the House. The performers represented some of the groups looking to share performance space in a reimagined Marian Street Theatre arts, culture and creative hub. I trust that Marian St Action was among the stakeholders contributing to the work the Minister has done on the creative statement. Marian St Action has stated:
The community wants its theatre back as an arts and cultural centre. It is nearly a decade and a half since the petition to restore the theatre with over 2,600 signatures was tabled at Council. Come to enjoy the performances and help advance this project to the next stage.
Such advocacy from local arts groups should be considered as part of any future Creative Statement to Parliament. I call on the Minister to continue consultation before releasing such a statement. I thank the members of Marian St Action, including Tony Bates, Jess Ashby, Wendy Blaxland, Nadia Koustadinova, James Southwell, Alicia Powell, Gai Emerson and Holly Wang. I note that Holly Wang is present in the gallery. It is great to see her. I thank Holly for her contribution to the arts in our local community. I support Marian St Action’s vision to create an arts, culture and creative oasis in the heart of Ku‑ring‑gai that will inspire generations to come.
I note one other person who is very committed to the local community. Cheryl Szatow has been a driving force for many years as a former mayor and councillor on Ku-ring-gai Council. On the weekend I was proud to present Cheryl with the NSW Government Community Service Award, signed by the Premier. It was very well deserved. I thank Cheryl for all her work. I support the bill and look forward to witnessing the Creative Statement to Parliament in 18 months.
