Dimech, Mary. “Consultation and Ethnic Communities.” In Culture, Difference and the Arts, edited by Sneja Gunew and Fazal Rizvi, 165-179. St Leonards: Allen & Unwin, 1994.

This article is available at www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/.../cda_10.pdf 

This article proposes that formulating inclusive multicultural arts policy requires consultation at its core, not as an optional extra. It argues that without ongoing consultation at all stages of policy development, implementation and evaluation, non-English speaking background (NESB) artists will continue to be excluded from having any real impact on Australia’s cultural landscape. This is of significance because the arts help to shape Australia’s identity and culture, which define who we are as a nation.

The author criticises traditional definitions of consultation that ignore politics and power issues. She questions who sets the agenda and processes behind consultation and suggests that the best definitions of consultation focus on political impact rather than on methods. She redefines consultation as “a process for enabling participation in decision-making”, allowing citizens to shape decisions rather than be mere beneficiaries of them.

Dimech states that NESB communities are consulted in formulating migration and ethnic welfare policies, but omitted from this process for arts policies. This stems from an assumption that arts policies affect all artists in uniform ways. However, in reality NESB communities have unequal access to both the production and consumption of the arts. Genuine equality requires policies that take historical, social and cultural differences into account, which may require affirmative action.

She argues that consultation must be regular and culturally appropriate, with agreed objectives, expectations and commitment, if NESB communities are to have a role in shaping Australia’s identity.

This clearly-written article focuses on the arguments for ongoing consultation and offers some brief practical suggestions for engagement.

E Wong May 2010