Submission to Inquiry into National Cultural Policy

In mid-2025, the National Cultural Policy inquiry was re-adopted, allowing further submissions that relate to Revive (the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy, released in 2023). We prepared a submission based on our current research into Australia’s community heritage sector.

Our submission notes that while Revive acknowledges the importance of community heritage organisations, it provides no concrete measures to support them, leaving a critical gap in safeguarding an important segment of the national cultural infrastructure.

Reference: Baker, S & Cantillon, Z 2025, ‘Submission to the Parliament of Australia Inquiry into National Cultural Policy’, Environment and Communications References Committee, Parliament of Australia, https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=0193e99a-ed0f-4e8c-b12b-08f80c88a955&subId=777737

Submission to Inquiry into Volunteering in Queensland

In late 2024, the Queensland Government’s Legislative Assembly launched an inquiry into volunteering in Queensland. We prepared a submission based on our previous research on serious leisure, career volunteering and sustainability in Australia’s community heritage sector.

Our submission highlights the significance of volunteer labour to sustaining Queensland’s community heritage sector, and the importance of this sector for regional and rural tourism.

Our recommendations include: sustainable funding and policy support; intergenerational knowledge transfer initiatives; recognition programs to acknowledge volunteer contributions; streamlined regulatory processes for small organisations; and enhanced government support through dedicated funding and training programs.

Reference: Baker, S & Cantillon, Z 2025, ‘Submission to the Queensland Parliament Inquiry into Volunteering in Queensland’, Queensland Parliament, https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/com/LGSBCSC-AACA/IVQ-1A2A/submissions/00000373.pdf.