Young people will have a seat at the boardroom tables of the Sydney Opera House, Art Gallery of NSW, Powerhouse Museum, Australian Museum, State Library of NSW and Museums of History NSW.
The Minns Labor Government has legislated to add a director aged 18 - 28 on each of the boards of the six cultural institutions.
A youth seat will develop a new generation of arts and cultural leaders, giving them exposure to the way cultural organisations deal with complex operational, financial and governance issues.
Sector-wide consultation in the development of the state's 10-year arts, culture and creative industries policy, Creative Communities, identified the need to increase cultural access and opportunities for young people. Bringing the next generation of cultural leaders to decision-making tables is a critical way for their voices to be amplified.
This initiative is one of three key structural changes affirming the NSW Government's dedication to the next generation of creatives and the value of culture in the lives of young people.
- Young People on Boards: the Cultural Institutions Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 is intended to come into effect on 1 July and the new members of the board must be appointed by 1 October 2025. A 4-6-week Expression of Interest application process opens today.
- Creative Youth Network has been established to advise key government Ministers directly on issues impacting young people engaged in the arts, culture and creative industries.
- Creative Industries strategies. The government is working with sector representatives on targeted strategies for future growth, including in digital games, fashion and literature. In the digital games and creative tech space, the Screen and Digital Games Act2025 explicitly recognises and prioritises the development and support of the NSW digital games sector. The new legislation recognises digital games as a core creative industry and significant economic contributor, and will ensure better cooperation across government agencies, reduce red tape, and increase opportunities for screen and digital games production.
These initiatives follow the passing of the Creative Statement to Parliament Bill 2025, mandating the preparation of a Statement to Parliament every three years on the size, complexity and health of the sector and drive whole-of-government support of arts, culture and creative industries in NSW.
Successful applicants will undertake the Australian Institute of Company Directors Foundations of Directorship™ (Public Sector) course, the costs of which are covered by the Advocate for Children and Young People, to support them through the onboarding process with these important boards. This training and the opportunity to be on key arts boards will feed into the sector and create the next generation of arts and culture leaders with a strong skill set in board governance.
Information about the expression of interest can be found here.
Minister for the Arts, Music, Night-time Economy, Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:
"We are developing the next generation of arts and cultural leaders and lovers.
"One of the key commitments in the Creative Communities policy was to ensure the next generation of cultural leaders are at the decision-making table, including advising Ministers directly.
"That is why we've established the Creative Youth Network, and why we've introduced legislation to ensure all our Cultural Institutions have a board seat for young creative practitioners. These are key steps to keep our cultural institutions and broader arts and cultural sectors as relevant, dynamic and loved by audiences into the future as they have been in the past. "
About the Cultural Institutions
- The NSW Cultural Institutions play a critical role in supporting the arts and creative industries.
- Collectively, they reach across all disciplines within the creative industries, engaging almost 19 million visitors annually through their doors, and supporting over 2,500 direct jobs.
About the Creative Youth Network
The Creative Youth Network is an advisory, non-statutory network that will meet twice a year. Establishing the Network fulfills an important commitment from the NSW Government's 10-year arts, culture and creative industries policy, Creative Communities. Members represent many areas of the arts, cultural and creative industries.
The first meeting attended by the Minister of the Arts, Music, Night-time Economy, Jobs and Tourism, John Grahamand the Minister for Youth and Mental Health, Rose Jackson.
The inaugural meeting brought young creatives together to discuss and provide direct advice to the Ministers. This followed on from a Creative Communities consultation roundtable with young creatives with Minister Jackson in 2023 prior to the release of the policy.
Key initiatives raised in the meeting include:
- An undertaking to introduce legislation to ensure all Cultural Institutions have a new, additional role on their board for a younger artists or leading cultural workers.
- Developing a financial literacy toolkit and module to support artists and practitioners as well as small to medium organisations in the sector.
- Further developing pathways to support and mentor emerging artists and practitioners, and make this a condition of NSW Government funding.
