Advocacy
Craft Australia believes that craft and its practitioners have been missing from arts policy development in Australia.
This is a structural failure that has real consequences for the practice and livelihood of craftspeople, for the survival of intangible cultural heritage and for Australian culture.
Artist Tracey Deep
Craft Australia’s submission to the development
of the 2027 National Cultural Policy
In May 2026, Craft Australia submitted it’s call to Federal Government to strengthen policy as it relates to the development and success of craft practitioners and organisations.
Our recommendations included:
Structural Recognition
Establish a Council for Visual Arts within Creative Australia.
First Nations
Develop cultural treaties with each First Nation to protect and recognise distinct craft traditions.
Establish Indigenous-led craft mentorship programmes to preserve intangible cultural heritage.
Instigate the use of Aboriginal language names and terminologies for cultural practises, skills and knowledge.
Education
Conduct an urgent national audit of practical arts education decline at all levels and develop a funded recovery plan.
Reduce fees for arts degrees to pre-Job Ready Graduate levels.
Embed practical making skills in national curriculum frameworks from primary school.
Craft as Diplomacy
Establish a Craft Diplomacy Fund within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Commission craft-based cultural exchange programmes targeting strategic relationships.
Provide sustained funding to the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial and similar Indo-Pacific programmes.
Infrastructure and Funding
Reinstate a champion of Australian craft and design to fill the void left by the closing of the Australian Design Centre.
Recognise the vital role of volunteer-run craft organisations.
Restore ABS data collection for the arts.
Introduce dedicated operational funding for Not For Profit (NFP) craft organisations.
Introduce a rolling, responsive small-grant mechanism for time-sensitive opportunities.