Community
17 October, 2026
Arts and culture strategy delivers
SIGNIFICANT progress is being made under Moyne Shire Council’s arts and culture strategy, with a new implementation report showing strong outcomes for local artists, creative organisations and communities across the municipality.
The first annual implementation report shows the strategy has successfully moved from planning into delivery, with seven priority actions completed and 15 actions underway or ongoing.
During 2025-26, council supported 27 creative initiatives, facilitated 58 creative opportunities, recorded 542 engagements with creative community members and helped create 183 connections between artists, organisations, businesses and venues.
Council invested more than $107,000 in creative initiatives through a range of council programs and funding streams, with a further $56,000 invested in creative space development and improvements, while securing more than $53,000 in external funding to support the delivery of strategy actions.
Key achievements included the launch of the public art program Big Art. Small Towns, the commencement of Creative Residencies in Killarney (as well as Macarthur and Mortlake), and paid creative opportunities for 64 young people through initiatives including Future Folk and Band Camp.
Mayor Cr Jordan Lockett said the report demonstrated the value of investing in arts and culture across the shire.
“Arts and culture play such an important role in connecting communities, supporting local talent and enriching the places we live,” Cr Lockett said.
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“This report shows we are delivering on our commitment to support creative opportunities across Moyne, while building the foundations for a strong and sustainable creative sector.
“It is particularly encouraging to see the level of community participation, the success of programs for young people, and the strong demand for initiatives such as Creative Change Grants.”
Council also recorded a significant increase in digital engagement through its Creative Moyne channels, growing from approximately 7,800 engagements in 2024-25 to more than 244,000 in 2025-26.
“Moyne has a habit of creating outcomes beyond what its size might suggest,” Cr Lockett said.
“With the wind in the sails of our creative community, and inspiration drawn from our coastline, countryside and communities, the future of arts and culture in Moyne looks exceptionally bright.”
The report was endorsed at the September Ordinary Council Meeting.
