Department of the Premier and Cabinet (South Australia)

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is a department of the Government of South Australia. It is the main agency supporting the Premier and Cabinet by developing policy and delivering their programs, and also carries the arts portfolio.

Department of the Premier and Cabinet

Department overview
Jurisdiction	South Australia
Headquarters	State Administration Centre, 200 Victoria Square, Adelaide
Employees	503^[1]
Annual budget	$425.7 million^[2]
Ministers responsible	Peter Malinauskas, Premier of South Australia Zoe Bettison, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Andrea Michaels, Minister for Arts
Department executive	Damien Walker, Chief Executive
Website	Department for the Premier and Cabinet

Purpose and role

As of 2019^[update], DPC's purpose and role included the following:^[3][4]

• Delivering specialist policy advice to the Premier
• Helping Cabinet to function effectively as a decision-making body
• Overseeing Commonwealth-state and international diplomatic relations
• Providing a single agency focus in delivering core functions for:
  • Aboriginal community support and advice, including reconciliation and employment opportunities
  • multicultural affairs
  • leading, developing, funding and coordinating the arts, cultural and creative sector, including the care of the state's collections, buildings and other assets within this sector
• Leading whole-of-government reforms and initiatives based on the Premier's vision for South Australia
• Leading policy reform and delivering effective platforms for a strategic approach to communications, community engagement, cyber security, and digital technology and infrastructure.

Arts and culture

See also: South Australia § Cultural life, and Adelaide § Cultural life

In 2018, after Steven Marshall's appointment as Premier after the March election, DPC took over most of the responsibilities previously under Arts South Australia, with others going to the Department for Innovation and Skills or Department for Education.^{[5][Note 1]}

The statutory authorities taken over directly were:^[5]

• Adelaide Festival Corporation
• Adelaide Festival Centre Trust
• Art Gallery of South Australia
• Carrick Hill
• Country Arts SA^[6]
• History Trust of South Australia
• South Australian Film Corporation
• South Australian Museum
• State Library of South Australia
• State Opera of South Australia
• State Theatre Company of South Australia

• DPC also provides funding to:^[5]
  • Australian Dance Theatre
  • Adelaide Fringe
  • Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
  • Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute
• DPC manages and funds the following awards:^[7]
  • The Ruby Awards
  • Made in Adelaide Awards (for Adelaide Fringe artists)

The biennial Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature are managed by the State Library of South Australia (which is under the DPC).^[7]

In September 2019, the "Arts and Culture Plan, South Australia 2019–2024" was created by the department.^[8][9] However the plan did not signal any new government support, even after the government's A$31.9 million cuts to arts funding when Arts South Australia was absorbed into DPC in 2018. Specific proposals within the plan included an "Adelaide in 100 Objects" walking tour, a new shared ticketing system for small to medium arts bodies, a five-year-plan to revitalise regional art centres, creation of an arts-focussed high school, and a new venue for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.^[10] In 2019–20, spending on arts and culture was reduced by 6%, and then by another 3% in 2020–21, leading to a lobbying campaign by the arts sector.^[11]

In September 2023, arts minister in the Malinauskas government, Andrea Michaels, announced that multi-year funded arts organisations would be given a one-off bonus payment, to help compensate for rising costs as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Australia. From 1 October, the arts would be once again brought together under a "united arts portfolio", overseen by Michaels and DPC deputy chief executive Alison Lloydd-Wright. The directors of Arts South Australia and creative industries, Jennifer Layther and Becc Bates respectively, will report to Lloydd-Wright. A new cultural policy would be developed in collaboration with the arts, cultural and creative sector, which would align with the National Cultural Policy Revive, and would be released by mid-2024.^[11][12]

Publications and online resources

The department's activities are summarised in its Annual Reports. Other publications include range of policies, guidelines, reports and other documentation.^[13]

Lobbyist register

The department maintains a register of all third-party political lobbyists who are currently lobbying in South Australia. The register includes the trading names of lobbying entities, names of persons engaged in lobbying and current lists of the clients they commercially represent.^[14]

Recent CEOs

• Kym Winter-Dewhirst: January 2015 – January 2017^[15]
• Don Russell: February 2017 – March 2018^[15][16]
• Jim McDowell: September 2018^[17] – 2020^[11]
• Nick Reade: February 2021 – April 2022 ^[18][19][20]
• Damien Walker: April 2022 – present^[21]

See also

• Cabinet of South Australia

Notes

1. See Arts South Australia article for list of other arts organisations and funding taken over by other departments.

References

1. Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment. "Workplace Information Report 2022-2023" (PDF). Public Sector SA. South Australian Government. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
2. Department of the Premier and Cabinet. "Annual Report 2022-2023" (PDF). Department of the Premier and Cabinet. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
3. "Our purpose". Government of South Australia. Dept Premier & Cabinet. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
4. "Responsibilities". Government of South Australia. Dept Premier & Cabinet. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
5. "About arts and culture". South Australia. Dept of the Premier and Cabinet. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
6. "Home". Country Arts SA. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
7. "Awards and events". South Australia. Dept of the Premier and Cabinet. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
8. . Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
9. Richards, Stephanie (2 September 2019). "Marshall "considering" concert hall as part of new arts plan". InDaily. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
10. Marsh, Walter (2 September 2019). "New Arts Plan and review suggest arts sector learns to live with less government support". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
11. Willis, Belinda (14 September 2023). "Fierce campaign wins new 'united arts portfolio'". InDaily. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
12. "New era for the arts in South Australia". Premier of South Australia. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
13. "ODepartmental resources and publications". Government of South Australia. Dept Premier & Cabinet. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
14. "Lobbyist registration". Government of South Australia. Dept Premier & Cabinet. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
15. Donaldson, David (6 February 2017). "Don Russell takes top SA public sector job". The Mandarin. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
16. Donaldson, David (22 March 2018). "It has been an honour: Don Russell's farewell to SA public servants". The Mandarin. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
17. Donaldson, David (27 July 2018). "Former defence industry boss Jim McDowell appointed SA's top public servant". The Mandarin. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
18. "Our Chief Executive". Department of the Premier and Cabinet. from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
19. "Top bureaucrats axed in Labor's public service shake-up". InDaily. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
20. . Department of the Premier and Cabinet. 10 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
21. "Our Chief Executive". Department of the Premier and Cabinet. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2023.

External links

• Official website