Resource Hub

The Impact of Culture and Environment on Liveability

Melbourne has been named the world’s most liveable city for the seventh year running in The Economist’s Global Liveability Report​. While there is a palpable sense of pride in the cultural and civic life of Melbourne, there’s also a growing...

The Arts for Health and Wellbeing

A new inquiry report, Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing, was released in the UK this month by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing (APPGAHW). The report presents the findings of two years of research, evidence-gathering...

Make the Reef Great Again

The Great Barrier Reef, the largest living structure on earth, is dying. The reef experienced unprecedented coral bleaching in 2016, with a 2017 study finding large sections had died due to climate change, poor water quality and pollution. Another recent report has helped raise awareness...

Talking Points, Arts Value Forum

Michael Chappell, Managing Director Culture Counts. Wednesday July 26th 2017, Canberra Theatre Centre. The arts needs an evidence-based value story. Without it, resources allocated to the arts will always be under threat. The plural of anecdote is not data. Investment...

Census 2016

Census 2016, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) five-yearly study of Australia’s population and demographics, released the first of two main datasets on Tuesday. The data shows we’re a changing nation. We’re growing The Australian population is now 23.4 million,...

The Relationship Between Music and Wellbeing

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index has revealed some very positive results for those of us who love music. The survey, which monitors how satisfied Australians feel about their own life and life in Australia, has been conducted 34 times since...

John Berger, Ways of Seeing: The Impact of Context

“The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled.” John Berger, Ways of Seeing. Our experience of art is inherently affected by context; our own lived experience, our assumptions and expectations of art, our exposure to...

The Difference Between Simplistic and Specific

In 2011, we embarked upon a quest to consider how best to factor conversations about quality into decisions about value. We asked ourselves: “Can culture be measured?” The origin of this question was the result of mutually frustrating exchanges with...

Social Benefit Bonds and the Arts

“Impact investing” is a buzz phrase amongst some of the world’s biggest financial institutions. Basically, it’s all about investing in things that not only provide a financial return but also produce significant and measurable social and economic impacts. Social impact...