Creative industries proponent short on details

by Stephanie Vanicek

April 25, 2008

A TOWN of Vincent councillor who at an April 22 council meeting proposed a ‘creative industries’ precinct for Leederville is short on ideas on how the precinct will be implemented.

Cr Helen Doran-Wu told eMU News she thought Leederville was an ideal area to build a creative precinct as it had already been circled out as a creative hotspot.

“Leederville already has some good stakeholders in the creative industries, with the Leederville Tafe ...,” Cr Doran-Wu explained. “It also has a unique and funky feel to it.”

However, when questioned about how her idea would be implemented, Cr Doran-Wu was light on details, saying a report would be put together by council staffers in the next three weeks.

The creative industries, i.e. businesses that derive from artistic endeavour, are now been hailed by industry development theorists as both a panacea for both Perth’s Dullsville tag, and as a growth sector of the economy.  

In contrast to Cr Doran-Wu, the chair of Perth Council’s marketing committee was able to elaborate why she thought the creative industries would be good for Perth, and how her city was encouraging creative industry development.

“This resource boom in WA will eventually end,” Cr Eleni Evangel said, “and when it does, creative industries will make a difference to whether people choose to stay or leave the state.”

According to a report compiled recently by the City of Perth and the WA Government, creative industries contributed $10.6 billion to the Perth metropolitan economy in 2006.

Cr Evangel believed the sky was the limit for creative businesses.

“Creative industries will become an even bigger part of the Perth economy,” she sais. “Ultimately, we cannot expect people to work hard and not have anything to enjoy at the end of the day.

“This is where the industry comes in.”

Cr Evangel also believed promoting the business potential of creative endeavours would help stop the “massive brain drain” of local talent. She said a proposal being pushed by her council, to develop a performing arts precinct on the Swan River, would help.