Creative activity accelerates Australian economy

CREATIVE Industries contributed $111.7 billion to Australia’s economy in 2016-17, according to new analysis by the Bureau of Communications and Arts Research (BCAR).

Known by the BCAR as ‘cultural and creative activity’, the sector relates to the arts, media, heritage, design, fashion and information technology.

The BCAR’s new working paper, Cultural and creative activity in Australia 2008-09 to 2016-17, shows a 30 percent increase in the value of such activity, from $86 billion in 2008-09 to $111.7 billion in 2016-17. 

This equates to 6.4 percent of Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016-17.

The working paper tracks annual growth in cultural and creative activity, based on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

A BCAR spokesperson said the analysis measures the economic activity driven by cultural and creative industries as well as the wages received from cultural and creative occupations. It identifies how this activity has evolved over time, the drivers of change and how it contributes to Australia’s overall economy.

Activities contributing the most to the economy were design ($42.8 billion), fashion ($14.2 billion), and broadcasting, electronic or digital media and film ($9.7 billion) in 2016-17.

Design has experienced significant growth over the past decade, driven mainly by computer system design and related services.

www.communications.gov.au/bcar

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