Tom French (Moore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was a real pleasure to welcome to Joondalup the member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, in her capacity as a special envoy to the arts on 25 March, and to bring together such a strong cross-section of our local arts community. We had representatives from the Peter Cowan Writers Centre, the Heathridge branch of the Woodturners Association of Western Australia, the Joondalup Symphony Orchestra, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Mirabilis Collective, the Creative Edge Art Collective, the Joondalup Community Arts Association and the City of Joondalup all in the room. What stood out to me was just how much talent, passion and commitment exists right here in our community, as well as the very real challenges the sector is facing.

We spoke about the importance of sustainable funding, the pressures on volunteer-run organisations, and the need to create more opportunities for local artists to develop and showcase their work. There was also a really strong and clear message about the need for fit-for-purpose infrastructure. As I said in my inaugural speech, culture is infrastructure, too. It was encouraging to see the level of support for that idea in the room. I'll continue to advocate for the kind of investment that ensures our local arts sector can not only survive but thrive, because, if we're serious about Joondalup as Western Australia's second CBD, we need to invest in the infrastructure that brings it to life, and that includes the arts.

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