Cultural Policy re-working

The Policy Development Committee has started a new “Cultural Policy” working group. Many of the policies of PPAU are directed at correcting the various impingments upon our liberties and cultural institutions. In this new working group however, we wanted to consider the sort of new cultural institutions, freedoms and liberties that should be created in the modern age.We wanted to start by seeking input from the party members.

A couple of examples, just to give some flavour of the kind of thing we had in mind:

  • Imagine reinvented libraries.
  • Libraries as a place to create and share.
  • Libraries as maker spaces.
  • Libraries as intellectual property demilitarised zones where inside their walls only, the usual rules do not apply, but instead sharing and creating come first.
  • Consider land use.
  • How much unused land is going to waste, while unemployed people stand in dole queues? Could increased land access create new choices and opportunities?
  • How many unused buildings are not being put to good use, while community groups struggle for options?
  • Can we change this?

What else? Hit us with your ideas. Nothing is too crazy at this stage.

1 Like

I was reading into building “earth ships” recently. It’s a great idea where it uses byproducts of nature to build self sustainable housing. They’re built and ready to go rather than having to be connected into the grid and the food and energy you produce from the house maintains you year round. I was looking into building on once I have the capital.

As we also have land use issues why not also introduce communal work for unemployed people on permaculture gardens for the community, providing cheap or free vegetables/food kitchens for the unfortunate or underprivileged.

Interesting idea - How would you see that working?
I notice that the various"Work for the dole" schemes have included “Green Corps” and “Green Army’s” and other similar concepts. A quick Google even reveals http://www.nscf.org.au/position-available-work-for-the-dole-supervisor/ and under the banner of “Permaculture in the Heart of Brisbane” and http://www.northeystreetcityfarm.org.au/About%20us/About%20us.htm, again in Brisbane, but looking very hands on. and then there’s http://www.eatmovelive.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bendigo-Community-Gardens.pdf in Bendigo. All this just off the first page of Google.
.
How would your idea be different than this?
… or is it more a matter of doing more of what’s already there?

1 Like

Re libraries, fyi if you hadn’t come across it there are current issues around funding of libraries, at least in NSW. See these links for instance
http://www.nswpla.org.au/nswpla-communityfunding.html

There’s also been some controversies in recent years in NSW around control of local libraries and how the regional library networks which involve multiple local government areas should be administered. It may be worth considering which level of government we think public libraries are best administered by, especially if they’re taking on new or expanded roles.

I’m not much more familiar with the issues than that though I’m sorry.

1 Like

This is not a thread about earthships. Discourse has this handy feature called “Reply as linked topic” on the right of the comment that made you say “hey I want to talk about tangentially related thing” and it links back. :smile:

Nick, that’s good information. Thank you.